I booked the Aloha Island Circle Tour through Viator for Saturday, 6/5 at 8:00 AM. I received a call the night before that I should be outside next to my hotel at 8 AM the morning of the tour.
Around 8:15, the bus had not yet shown up, and my friend and I talked to some other people that were standing near us to see if they were on the same tour. There was a family and two couples who had tickets for the same tour.
When the tour bus finally arrived around 8:30, the driver Dereck got off, came over and called the name of the family, and ushered them onboard. He would not make eye contact or acknowledge the rest of us in any way, even as we attempted to get his attention and explain that we had tickets for the same tour as the family. Dereck got back on the bus and drove away.
One of the couples we were standing with called the tour company and said they got left behind. A car was sent to pick them up and presumably take them to meet up with the bus. Next, I called and said we were also present when the bus showed up and were left behind. I was told the bus would come back to get us. First the car came and picked up the couple. Then the bus came back. Dereck got off and asked for my name, confirmed that we should be on the bus, and allowed us on. He then allowed the remaining couple on after confirming them as well. During all these conversations, his words were slurred and he would not make eye contact. His words and actions raised concerns that he was not in a clear state of mind.
As we drove away, Derek began by telling us all about his traumatic childhood, including how his father left his mother before he was born and his mother died when she was 29 years old. His words were still slurred and his stories very erratic.
The next stop was to pick up another passenger. Dereck got off the bus to look for her. A few minutes later he returned to the bus and announced to everyone that the passenger he was looking for is deaf and that he wasn’t taught sign language so how was he supposed to find her. Someone suggested texting her and his response was something about reading Braille. The whole situation felt very unprofessional and inappropriate.
Our next stop was Snorkel Bob’s to rent snorkeling equipment. At this point, my friend and I were so uncomfortable by everything that had happened so far and genuinely did not feel safe being driven around the island in a bus by Dereck that we got off and walked back to our hotel.
I am incredibly disappointed to have had such an off-putting experience after reading many glowing reviews about the tour under other tour guides. From the moment the bus showed up the first time to the moment we got off, the entire experience was chaotic, disorganized, and concerning.
I hope that actions are taken to ensure that future ticket holders do not have a similar experience.