All Reviews for Sightseeing / Guided Tours

I was so moved to see so many stars!
It’s very cold on the mountain, but they provide warm clothing, so it’s okay.
Please definitely consider participating!

あんなに沢山の星があるなんて…とても感動しました!
山の上はとても寒いけど、防寒具は揃えて下さってるので大丈夫です。
是非、参加してみて下さい！

I went to the location by rental car since it was mentioned that there was a validation service. When I showed the parking ticket to the staff and asked about it, I was told that the service is not available this year. It seems there was an error in the information provided, which is disappointing.
During the cruise, I was able to enjoy taking photos of Waikiki and Diamond Head from the sea.
As the ship was returning to the port, there was an announcement at 9 o'clock that something would be visible, and the ship moved a bit, but then there was another announcement at 10 o'clock, unfortunately, I couldn't see it. It seemed that many others also missed it. Even if some people were able to see it, it appears that rescheduling is not guaranteed for those who couldn't, which is unfortunate.
It is very cold on the ship, so a jacket is a must.

バリデーションのサービスがあると記載されていたので、レンタカーにて現地へ向かいました。スタッフにパーキングチケットを見せて聞いたところ、今年はそのサービスはやっていないとの返答。記載内容に誤りがあるようで残念です。
乗船中は海から見るワイキキやダイヤモンドヘッドを写真に撮ったりと楽しむことができました。
船が港へ戻る際9時に見えると放送があり少し船が動いたのでその後10時の方向と放送がありましたが、残念ながら見る事が出来ませんでした。他にも見れなかった方は沢山いたようでした。自身が見れなくても見ることのできた人がいればリスケジュールの保証外となるようで、残念でした。
船上はとても寒いので、上着必須です。

We took this cruise to celebrate my husband's birthday. The cruise was wonderful. We enjoyed the food and the entertainment.

Check in was simple and organized.

I was able to get my parking validated by purchasing coffee at a shop before checking in.

We saw a whale in the distance while on this cruise.

The ship was so large that I imagined I would see whales from a distance, but in reality, I was able to see them up close multiple times, which was amazing.

船が大きいので、クジラは遠くに見るようなイメージだったが、実際には近くで、何度も見ることができ最高だった。

The van that arrived at the meeting place was labeled Hawaiian Eyes Tour, with no mention of the operating company, Masashi Nature School, which was confusing. There was no such information provided by VELTRA, but upon checking the Masashi Nature School's website, it clearly stated that the operating company is Hawaiian Eyes Tour. (I wish this had been communicated through VELTRA as well.)

On the day of the tour, there were ten guests, six of whom were Japanese. According to the guide, the number of Japanese customers has decreased due to the pandemic, so there are no longer Japanese language tours. The guide could speak some Japanese, but not enough to provide a full tour in that language, so the entire ride was in English.

That said, the sunset from the mountain top and stargazing were great experiences, and the guide made an effort to explain things in Japanese, which I personally appreciated. Additionally, I was grateful to receive the photos the guide took via AirDrop.

We were staying at a hotel in Waikoloa, so it was helpful that we were dropped off there on the way back. However, there were two Japanese guests from a hotel outside the Kona area who mistakenly thought they would be dropped off at their hotel and ended up getting off at the pickup location, Queens Marketplace. Considering that it's difficult to catch a taxi in that area and the return time was before 10 PM, I think it would be beneficial to offer a paid option for hotel drop-off.

　集合場所に来たバンが、催行社のマサシネイチャースクールとはどこにも書いてなくHawaiian Eyes Tourとなっていて戸惑った。
　VELTRAではそのような案内は全くなかったが、マサシネイチャースクールのHPを確認すると、しっかり催行会社がHawaiian Eyes Tourであると記載されていた。（VELTA経由でもしっかりそこは案内して欲しかった。）
　当日は、１０人の客で、うち日本人は６人いたが、ガイドさんによると、コロナ禍で日本人客が減ったから日本語ツアーは無くなったとのこと。
　ガイドさんも日本語はできるが案内するほどの語学力がない、ということで、行き帰りの車中はずっと英語だった。
　とはいえ、山頂の夕陽や星空観測等、ガイドさんが、日本語でも頑張って案内してくれて、個人的には非常に良かった。
　また、ガイドさんが撮ってくれた写真もAirDropでもらえたのもありがたかった。
　私たちは、ワイコロアのホテルに泊まっていたので帰りはホテルまで送ってもらって助かった。
　ただ、コナ地区外のホテルから参加していた日本人の親子２人組が、帰りホテルまで送ってもらえると勘違いしていて、結局ピックアップ場所のクイーンズマーケットプレイスで降りることになった。
　タクシーもなかなか捕まらない土地柄で、帰着時間が22時前になるということを考えると、有償でのホテルまでの送ってくれるオプションがあると良いのではないかと思った。

Our tour guide is Deno. He is very knowledgeable and funny. He takes well care of us. We are happy to book any other tour with him.

It's important to confirm everything. I really felt this during my recent experience. I thought I had booked a shuttle service via email for the day of the show, but when I checked close to the start time, I found out there was no shuttle. The show was about 50 minutes away from the hotel, and since the cost was around 100,000 yen for four people, I couldn't give up and quickly took a taxi instead.

After arriving, I was worried about getting a taxi back, so I showed the staff a translated message asking if they could call a taxi when the show was over. They said, "OK!" Even though there were hundreds of people, they didn't ask for my name or phone number, which made me anxious during the show. As expected, when the show ended, that staff member was nowhere to be found, and I was at a loss.

Then I suddenly remembered the Uber ride-hailing service and decided to give it a try. It was so easy; a smiling driver in a marked vehicle appeared right in front of me. They arrived exactly on time. I had already registered the destination and my credit card for payment, so the whole process was incredibly smooth.

何事も、確認です。
今回は実感しております。
当日のメールでの予約で、送迎あり。を予約したつもりが、開演時間近くになって、確認したら、送迎無しでした。ホテルから50分ほどかかる所でのショーでしたし、金額も4名で10万円程でしたから、諦められず、急遽タクシーで向かいました。
到着後、帰りのタクシーの心配があったので、係員にショーが終わった頃にタクシーを呼べますか？と英訳の文章を見せたら、OK!と言ってくれました。
何百人もいるのに名前や携帯も聞かれなくて、不安な観覧でしたが、案の定、ショーが終わった時には、その係員はおらず、途方にくれました。
ふと、Uberの配車サービスを思い出し、チャレンジしたら、なんて事なく、公開された車両に笑顔のドライバーが
目の前に。到着予定時間通り、横付けしました。
行き先も先に登録してあり、決済もクレジットカード登録してあるので、凄くスムーズな移動でした。

This tour was worth every penny. The sites and culture we experienced were beyond our expectations. The tour guide was so friendly and her knowledge of each and every site visited and of the Hawaiian culture and history was beyond outstanding. This tour has to be the highlight of our visit to the Big Island. If you want an exciting, exhilarating, beautiful, and culturally immersive experience this tour will meet your every expectation.

The guide was very friendly and shared many interesting stories! Everyone participating was American, and we all had a great time together. We were able to see a starry sky that you can't experience in Japan. The guide also explained about the stars, which was very enjoyable.

ガイドさんが非常に気さくな方で色々な面白い話をしてくれました！参加していたのはアメリカ人だけでしたがみんなでワイワイしてました。日本ではみるようなことができない満点の星空を見ることができました。ガイドさんが星の解説もしてくださり非常に楽しかったです

The family thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We learned so much and appreciate the service of the military. Thanks for this tour. We could easily have stayed for longer.

This tour was exactly what we were looking for a full day of sight seeing, lunch and no effort on our part!!

What we experienced:
- Pick Up - we got picked up at 7:30 in the morning by the shuttle and then it went to many other hotels to pick up other passengers. Your time will vary depending on where your hotel is.
- Sights - we got to see all the sights listed on the itinerary including some extras at the beach. We saw the Monk Sealions and Turtles at the beach and that was a bonus treat! The pit stops were the perfect amount of time to hop out to take photos, enjoy the sight and then move on.
- Waimea Canyon - lots of different view points - we got to see it from all around. There was PLENTY of picture ops. This was really a hop on hop off photo tour. So don't expect any hikes or long walks. What I loved is I never had to worry about the parking situation, paying park fees, or the driving obviously. It's perfect for anyone without a car or for cruise go-ers. Even though we had a car rental, I didn't regret not having to do this drive myself. I got to nap on the way back because even though I didn't hike, it still was a long day.
- Lunch - The food exceeded my expectations after reading the reviews (I'm sure the bad experiences were during Covid times). We had huge chicken portions and it was seasoned well and cooked well. The plantation that we ate at was beautiful and relaxing so we enjoyed the lunch break a lot.
- Coffee plantation tour - nice pit stop that we wouldn't have made on our own but enjoyed the op to tag along on this tour.

Our tour guide (so sorry for not remembering his name-Italian man from NJ originally) was great. He gave good history, good info all while he was driving. He had so much knowledge and good recommendations and really funny!!

The tour was exactly what we wanted to explore a large chunk of the island - no stress and no worry on our part.

This tour was excellent and would recommend to those who visit Oahu island! Our tour guide BK was awesome. He was very knowledgeable about Pearl Harbor and his home. The visit to the USS Arizona Memorial was a very moving experience.

Road to Hana tour was amazing with Janel as our guide! She navigated the roads expertly and shared so much history and interesting anecdotes. All the stops we made along the way were 5 star!!

First off the tour guide and motor coach driver were so awesome. Two women who did an amazing job giving us the perfect experience. It was so nice having the tour to get you there, navigate all the areas, get tickets for admission prior, and admission/time to see the Arizona Memorial. Great lunch as well in the Aviation Museum. The only drawback was we had to go to the airport to pick up some from another island flying in for the tour. It did take away time I think we may have had on Pearl. More time there would have been nice. Definitely would recommend this way to see Pearl Harbor.

Personally, I thought this tour was great! I was able to watch a video explaining the tour in Japanese, and I felt reassured as I learned how to use the bicycle while going around the tour. It was good. When it started to rain, there was no mudguard on the bicycle, so my clothes and shoes got very muddy. I recommend going in clothes that you don't mind getting dirty and bringing a change of clothes.

個人的にこのツアーはとても良かったです！
日本語のツアー説明の動画も見ることができ、自転車の使い方も分かりながら安心してツアーに回ることができ、よかったです。
途中で雨が降ってきて、自転車に泥除けがないため服や靴に非常に泥がかかるので、本当に汚れてもいい格好で行き、着替えを持参することをお勧めします。

The staff were welcoming, informative, and entertaining.
The cruise was relaxing and comfortable.
The walk to the Grotto was convenient and beautiful.

Royal Package is definitely worth it for the seating alone. The show feels lso great to be closer, as I had went 3 years ago with regular seating and the experience is much more worth it.

Definitely worth the upgraded event, the dinner was nothing short of delicious, the staff was impecable as well! MAHALO!!

Great day with great guide. We hit all of the major stops and the guide offered to take us to additional stops along the way.

Awesome dinner cruise! We had fun and the foods were delicious!! Don’t forget to tip!! They took a picture of us it’s $27 and some of the packages has it. They also have lei flower for $15.

The Luau itself was fantastic. The food was amazing and plenty of it. The presenters were fantastic educational and entertaining. The bar lines were a bit longer, but besides that greast evening

The Chief is extremely funny and very talented. As well to all of the performers and staff were kind and incredibly talented. It is much more organized than the other luaus we attended. The fire knife show was the best I've ever seen.

It might be good as a cruising experience, but I was disappointed because I had high expectations for whale watching during this season.

クルージングとしてはいいのだろうけど、この時期のホエールウォッチングとしては期待してただけにガッカリでした。

We really enjoyed our time on the tour it was very well presented.

Val, our driver was great and very thoughtful to her passengers. The scenery was breathtaking and the incoming surf was truly a sight to behold. I wish we could have had a little more time to stop and see the Hawaiian villages and some of the ranch sites, but understand it is a working preserve. Highly recommend.

It included a pick-up service. They arrive on time. There were only a few Japanese people on the large bus. A Japanese-language video guide was played. After boarding, you can take a seat on the first deck and listen to various explanations (in English), after which you can move freely around the ship. When a whale is spotted, the direction it is seen from the bow is announced based on the clock position, with participants all saying "Keep eyes open" while searching. When someone shouts "8 o'clock!!", everyone looks in that direction. Although we didn't see the whales jumping as in the photos on the website, we could see them spouting water, and there were many moments when we could see their backs quite clearly. I was surprised to see that the whales come so close to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. The time spent searching for whales was overwhelmingly longer, but it was wonderful to relax while enjoying the pleasant Hawaiian breeze. It's basically a cruise. It might be a bit dangerous for small children running around, and they would probably find it boring anyway. Since this is only available from January to March, I would recommend it to those who can go during this time.

送迎付きでした。時間通りに来てくれます。大型バス乗り合いで日本人は数名程度。日本語の案内ビデオが流れます。乗船後1階デッキに着席し色々説明（英語）を聞いた後は船内を自由に移動できます。クジラが見えたら船首を12時として時計の位置で見えた方向がアナウンスされます。参加者全員が"Keep eyes open"で探しますので、参加者が"8 o'clock!!"と叫ぶと皆8時方角を見る感じです。Webの写真のように飛び上がる姿は見られませんでしたが、潮を吹くと位置が分かり、背が結構見える場面も多かったです。ホノルルのダウンタウン、ワイキキもすぐそこに見える位置までクジラが来ているんだな、と驚きました。クジラを探す時間の方が圧倒的に長いですが、ハワイの心地よい風を浴びながらまったりと過ごす時間は最高でした。基本クルーズですね。小さなお子様は走り回ったりちょっと危険かもしれません、そもそも子供にはつまらないですよね。1月から3月までの限定ですので、この時期に行かれる方にはお勧めしたいです。

The boat ride over to the fern grotto was easy and short. Heard some history,, took a short walk to the grotto where they sang a song and danced. It was beautiful. Ride back had music and hula dancing. It was a slow day for us and this for perfect in our plans. Relaxing calm ride with great people. Highly recommend………………………………………………………………………………………………………we had a short lesson on how to hula dance on our way back to the dock.

Uncle Billy and Brother Ross were knowledgeable about Island history, geography, and culture. We learned, explored, and laughed a ton. We especially liked the added stops along the way. The day went quick, we were on and off the bus frequently.

To say the Star of Honolulu is a fabulous ship is an understatement!
We were both so impressed the minute we walked up beside her! We really enjoyed everything about our evening! The dancers were so sweet as they welcomed us onboard, our window seats were great, the food was really good, and such a fun atmosphere! Our only complaint was their decision to serve crab legs as part of our meal plan. It was delicious, but just a messy food item to pair with our nice dress clothes & date night. And the views of coastline & Waikiki Beach were phenomenal! I had booked the Friday night cruise, hoping to view the Friday night fireworks off the beach ... but the weather changed those plans on us, which was understandable, we still really enjoyed! This was our first time experiencing a sunset dinner cruise ... and we both said we can't wait to go again on the Star of Honolulu!

My hubby wanted to tour Pearl Harbor on his birthday, so I booked this tour and we had the best time! Nani, our tour guide, was the best! He was pleasant, funny and just a great source of information - we honestly did learn so much about Honolulu, Oahu, the Hawaiian culture and Pearl Harbor itself! The tour itself was awesome ... tour bus was on time for pickup, we had the perfect amount of time both for the Arizona memorial and the Mighty Mo tour. It was just a really great day, and my hubby thoroughly enjoyed HIS day spent learning some history! Thank you!!