The tour overall was decent, however, time organization and management were lacking. I feel we didn't get our money's worth from this tour and would suggest others to look for another one if available. This tour involved many non-essential stops that left you sitting and waiting on the bus. We had done another tour two days prior that had fewer stops and left more time for the actual activities.
First stop after pickup - to pick up mask and fins for snorkeling. We didn't have to go in to get the equipment, but had to wait while everyone checked theirs to see if it was all in proper working order. Driver had to exchange a pair of fins and masks due to problems. Then to the next stop.
Second stop - Safeway! This took another 20-30 minutes of our tour time and was a waste. It's basically a stop for passengers to get alcohol for their tour. Why must our time be wasted for others to buy booze? I would have liked to spend more time actually exploring instead of sitting in the parking lot of Safeway. If the passengers wanted alcohol, let them get it on their own time and not time I paid for! It's a tour bus not a party one.
So you drive for a little bit after these stops before you get off the bus at the first picture spot. This time everyone got off the bus and posed for a few pics before getting back on the bus.
Next stop was a gas station/gift shop. The bathrooms were clean and the shopping wasn't too expensive. We stayed here for at least 15-25 minutes before getting on the bus again.
The following stop was the Mac Nut Farm. You get to sample the coffee and the nuts here along with shopping for gifts. Watch out for the prices on the jewelry sold here. You can get the same items for half the price at the Aloha Swap Meet.
Lunch stop - the driver and a couple of passengers got off to pick up the order since it had been called in ahead of time. We received the wrong number of lunches so the driver took them back and it seemed wasted another 10-15 minutes of our time.
We ate lunch at the beach where we snorkeled. The breeze was nice under the trees and the place wasn't too crowded. We was able to see lots of fish and things in the water without having to fear stepping on coral or lava rocks. We were told there would be 2-3 hours of swimming and snorkeling, however we barely got an hour in the water. This was supposed to be the highlight of this tour so we all was very disappointed.
Since some of our passengers didn't get out of the water on time, we barely made the Dole Plantation before it closed. It was 4:15-4:20 when we arrived and the place closes at 4:30pm. We was able to grab a dole whip, but not do any actual shopping there due to the time.
Then it was back on the bus without the final stop at the coffee place. The driver had a disagreement with some personnel here and opted to not bring us by the place in an effort to teach them a lesson about his tour and his guests. I think this should have been up to the guests and not the bus driver.
Overall, we did learn about the island more, but we heard about disagreements and problem customers way more than expected. When I pay for a tour of an area, I expect to see and be told about the area. Not to hear about personal disagreements or issues the driver has had or be "punished" for what has happened on other tours. I want to see and spend time at the places promised. Were on a tour and not Dear Abby or a personal shrink to talk about previous issues which didn't involve our party.
Please focus this tour on what it is, an island tour and not a drive around with multiple useless stops and not giving the customer their true monies worth. I truly wish I could get a refund for the 3 people I paid for. This tour was a disappointment and a waste of our precious time on the island!