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Hawaiian Islands


Reviews by Travel Mama
Last review on 2022/06/27
# of Reviews: 4

Not What We Expected

Our tour guide Dreu started our 12 hours together by telling us to set our expectations low. It was scheduled to be a rainy day but this is not what anyone wants to hear at the start of a long day you’ve paid hundreds per person to enjoy. The tour made all the promised stops. The coffee farm was interesting and everyone in our group enjoyed the hot box lunch. The bakery stop was too short considering how busy it was but everyone did have time to purchase something. The time in Volcano National Park was mostly whiteout due to rain. You could not see much during the first 2 hours there but the lava tube was great. I would warn others it is a steep incline on slippery steps to view it. Dreu is full of information but he did not share in an organized way. Hid commentary was scattered and jumped around making it hard to follow. Dinner was at Lava Rock Cafe and was average. They seemed short staff so very slow to get served. Dreu did great job anticipating our needs for bathroom breaks and provided motion sickness chews, rain gear, snacks, and drinks. He was not mindful of those with back or neck problems when he drove fast over speed bumps on the park yelling “hold on in the back!” I feel bad for anyone in our group with these problems as the van bounced and jarred us around each time he did this. The best part of the trip was last hour in park when we were able to do the twilight volcano viewing to see the red lava glow. Due to clouds we did not get to do stargazing and tour ended an hour early. Overall everyone in group was disappointed with this tour because of how dependent it is on the weather. If you get a day with rain or clouds, you will feel cheated out of most of what you signed up to see.

Rating: star
Packages: Twilight Volcano Tour with Night Lava Viewing
Attended as:Families
Posted on: 2022/06/27
Activity Date: 2022/06/25
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An awesome family adventure!

My family had an awesome time on this tour with our guides Ryan and Cousin Giggles! They made sure all drivers felt comfortable behind the wheel of their ATV and made safety a priority. The trails were fun with a great waterfall stop at the end. Only a few people actually got in the water. My husband did and said the rocks were very slick and water very cold but he would jump in again. It rained that morning but the trails were still very dusty in places and there were also large mud puddles. Take clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting bright red dirt on. My teens stated this was one of their favorite activities.

Rating: star
Packages: Waterfalls Triple Trail Expedition: Group Package [2 to 4 seats]
Attended as:Families
Posted on: 2022/06/25
Activity Date: 2022/06/23
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Not my favorite luau

I have attended luau's on two other islands and they were significantly better than this one. The food was subpar and did not include some traditional items I've seen at other luaus like poi. They do have an open bar with limited selections like Mai Tai and Blue Hawaii and local beers. There was no real imu ceremony and you could not view the pig being cooked in the ground like in others. The show was OK but more of a theatrical play centered around a storyline with little about Hawaiian history. We also did the train ride which was also just OK. You see some orchards and a few animals like pigs, cows, and horses. I would not recommend this luau to a friend. We were very disappointed overall.

Rating: star
Packages: Standard Hawaiian Package (No Transportation)
Attended as:Families
Posted on: 2022/06/24
Activity Date: 2022/06/21
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Exceptional experience with a caring staff!

This tour surpassed all my expectations. We went out with Captain Sean and Jamie. They were fun and kept the energy and excitement levels high while making sure everyone on our boat's needs was met. This tour is not for the faint of heart! The wave swells can be huge! There's a lot of up and down but when the boat stops for pictures that are when you may get seasick. If that's a problem for you take something or wear acupuncture wrist bands. Our family of 4 wore the wrist bands and 3 of us had no problems. My teen son however ended up vomiting over the side of the boat during the last 1.5 hours of our tour right after the lunch stop. The staff were super helpful, washed off the boat, and gave him ginger chews and sprite. Within a few minutes, he was able to continue on and enjoy the end of the tour. The snorkeling was not off the beach as described on the website due to high winds and waves but they were able to find an area near the coral where our group could get in the sea to snorkel. You had to climb down the ladder in the back of the boat and the water was about 20 feet deep. Again, this is not for weak swimmers. They did provide fins, floats, and anything else you needed to feel safe but made it clear that if you were not a good swimmer, you should stay in the boat. I stayed in the boat while the other 3 strong swimmers got in the water. The staff made a point of throwing out food into the water to bring the fish to the boat so even I got to see some of the most colorful fish I've ever seen in real life up close due to the water being crystal clear and saw a sea turtle. The best part of it all was going into the sea caves! I can't even describe how awesome it was and the staff took the time to take pictures of all the parties in the cave. I would highly recommend this tour!

Rating: star
Packages: Makana Na Pali Coast Tour
Attended as:Families
Posted on: 2022/06/24
Activity Date: 2022/06/22
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