Polynesian Adventure Tours – Gray Line Hawaii

Went on road to Hana today with Polynesian
Larry was our driver/​guide
The bus was on time clean and comfortable
Larry was a great guide, I don’t think I have ever had a guide who knew more about the culture, plants, landscape than he did.
Not only was he knowledgeable but he also had a great sense of humor.
He made a 12 hour day enjoyable. The trip itself is incredible and really can’t be done in one day.
Great views beautiful country and a cool trip.
We will be back to drive it ourselves one day.
I recommend taking this tour before you drive it yourself.

TL; DR: Scenery has heavenly; tour guide was hell.
We took the Road to Hana tour and it was more like the Road to Hell. Our tour guide, a haole, with his gravely voice and negative, critical, bitter attitude toward life drove me crazy. Talk about no Aloha spirit. He constantly complained about the other drivers on the road, kept cracking the same bad joke over and over again — about husbands not smiling after making this drive themselves — and was just generally very unpleasant. He showed no compassion when someone got motion sickness and just replied that person should have known better. The bus was not prepared for emergencies — no paper towels, no wet wipes — and it ran out of juice drinks. The bus had very weak a/​c — and that’s probably another reason people were getting motion sickness. For $ 150 per person, you expect better service and a working van. (Another van on the tour had a broken door, and they had to hammer it on the spot to make it work.)
The lunch at Travaasa was not worth the extra money in the gold package. It was just chicken, rice, pasta, and salad. Very bland. It was nice to see the Travaasa resort though, albeit for a few minutes. If you don’t get the gold lunch, then you order off their menu (check Travaasa site for menu). I thought it was pretty tacky that the guide kept mentioning the two people who did not get the gold package.
The tour guide talked an excessive amount about botany and it started to sound like he was making shit up. WHEN you book your tour, ASK to get a Hawaiian native as your guide — none of this haole bs OR just go with another company. It is SOOOOOO unpleasant to hear a Midwestern accent (think Chicago Bears SNL skit) when you’re in Hawaii and want something more authentic and with more aloha, inviting spirit. (I’m from the Midwest, btw.) The guide (I’m leaving his name out out of kindness) kept joking about mai tai’s that he was going to drink at lunch, or was he serious? Still, it’s not cool to joke about drinking and driving, especially with 614 curves and turns in the road. The guide was hard of hearing, which I thought was a safety hazard, and he was rude when he would bark «What?» when he couldn’t hear someone. I think it was telling when he asked if anyone had any questions, and no one wanted to ask for fear of hearing him blather on. More or less though, he was a safe driver, though I just wanted to kill myself when hearing his voice.
What saves this trip (when I tuned the driver out) is the beauty of Hana and the eastern side of Maui — wow, unspoiled, vast beauty — and imagining what life was like in Hawaii for its natives. There are no awesome waterfalls to see on this bus trip, btw; there are several small ones. It’s lame. I wanted to see an awesome waterfall as it was marketed.
If I knew of how to get a more authentic Road to Hana experience, I would tell you, but I don’t (first-​time visitor here). Perhaps there are local guides who will do the trip cheaper than $ 150 a person; there has to be. Or maybe just go backwards and get to Hana faster than the 12 hour bus tour does it. Oh, I just saw in another review that the Valley Isle company hires Hana natives to do the tour and they have 4.5 star Unilocal review. I wish I would have known about them first. Still, the memories of the scenery will stay with me. Hana did feel like Heaven.
Tips:
Bring a perfume spray to get rid of bus odors
Bring wet wipes /​paper towels

Worst tour ever! The driver Elizabeth should be fired for her 20 to 30 miles over the speed limit the whole time. I took video and have posted on Youtube. She was rude and useless. Screamed at the older folks and slammed on her brakes when they asked her to slow down. Polynesian keeps having my revue removed. Pretty terrible that they are like this. Do NOT ever use this company!

We checked the forecast the day before our trip and thought that it might be canceled due to thunderstorms, but after confirming with Expedia, they said the trip would likely still happen.
Sure enough the trip still left in the morning even though it was down pouring all the way there. A tree fell on the road halfway to Hana and we ended up having to go back the entire way that we came. I honestly can’t say that I saw anything worth the 8 hour car ride. We were stuck on a bus from 6am — 2:30 pm, did not make it to Hana, were unable to have lunch and wasted an entire day in Maui. The most ridiculous part was that the company initially did not want to give us a 100% refund.
Definitely not worth the money. Additionally it took about 3 hours total to pick up and drop off all of the guests. If you happen to be the last guests picked up you may not be able to sit next to one another. Plus many of the windows on the bus were leaking the entire trip. I happened to be one of the unlucky guests to have a leaky window and had to wear two rain jackets to prevent myself from being soaked the entire ride. For $ 150 per person you think they would at least be able to guarantee a dry seat.
Save yourself the time and money and drive it yourself on a non-​stormy day. Don’t let this company take you out in thunderstorm conditions only to be turned around halfway to Hana and returned to your hotel disappointed.

We took the Sunrise Tour and were able to see some spectacular views!
Netty was our guide; she was very entertaining and took good care of her passengers. She provided jackets, scarves and hats for everyone to borrow. It was freezing cold on top of the mountain, but Netty made sure we were all quite comfortable.
The drive home was filled with history of Maui and Lahaina. I recommend this trip and driver.
Remember to tip well those who take good care of you while you vacation.

Please read all the way through. I think the road to Hana was an amazing tour of Maui the first 8 hours but once it hit the twelfth hour there was not another Mountain or Ocean I wanted to see. I had seen my fair share. Our shuttle driver Bruce was very comedic and made the ride enjoyable. There were sometimes though I felt his humor was a bit insensitive to Hawaiians and could have been omitted. If you love learning the historical aspects of Maui, this would be a great tour to attend just beware of the ride. This is a full day event and can be a bit tiresome. Also if you want to capture great photos this is the perfect tour for you.

The tour overall, for the ticket price, is worth it. Our family of four went on the Gold package which included lunch and it was a good value for the dollar.
On the way up you drive through beautiful rainforests and curvy roads. The driver is informative and gives a lot of good info — wish he was more interactive with the visitors.
On the way down, you go through the back side — very bumpy and not as beautiful. This is when you realize it’s a very long day. I was very thankful our driver was competent and made us feel safe as the roads were precarious in some spots. Overall, a good day — just very long. I do think it was better to take the tour vs drive ourselves because it would have been hard to see anything other than focusing on the road. And we learned about a lot of things we wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Not going to do this again though — once is enough!

Took the A2 tour of the Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, and Honolulu area. We only had a very short time at the important places we wanted to see. Our driver was more interested in getting us to the Waikiki beach area and drop us off for two hours of shopping.
Disappointed in the quality of the tour and the driver who made sure we knew where shopping was but failed to provide narrative on historical locations. Of the ten people in our group most were unhappy with the tour
A very pricy adventure and this company needs to provide better for their guests
Suggest that if you are interested in this type of tour look for another tour company.

Sooooo this Excursion is a interesting one to say the least. We booked through expedia once again and they didnt explain the full details of this trip. we were under the impression we would be on a small bus with a low number of people. Instead we were on a bus with 24 people and a family that decided to bring a toddler on board. We were picked up at our hotel at 6;30 in the morning, no biggie. We didnt get back until 7 that night, we were told we would be back around 5:30pm. Anyways, the day started off good until a man got sick 3 hours into the trip on the bus. The issue was this company does not provide and car sick bags or materials to clean up such a mess. When you advertise a trip with alot of turns you think they would have supplies on hand.
The thing that saved this trip was our driver ROY, he was hilarious and very knowledgeable. He had to put up with alot of stupid complaints from people but he made it funny. People were complaining it was raining in a rain forest, who does that. We stopped at alot of cool places and got great pictures along the way. ROY talked the whole time and had some many facts that it makes you think about things at home. I would do this trip never again! the road was insane but i would do it on a shortened bus with ROY the driver

Great tour! I would have never be able to see this much in one day by myself. I’ve very glad I did this tour. And our guide Larry was hilarious!

Tip: If you’re not into long reviews, just skip to the last paragraph.
I just witnessed a tour guide yell at the top of his lungs and threaten a couple of tourists from his group at the Haleakala Sunset tour (Friday, September 25^th, 2015). Apparently they went up the Keonehe’ehe’e Trailhead (a ¼ mile path adjacent to the Visitors Center with a lookout) when, from what the guide was yelling, they had been told not to for some reason (side note: everyone else had been walking/​hiking that short path. It’s not illegal).
Let me set the scene up for you: you know that tone a parent, most likely an angry male one, uses when their kid does something so heinous, like shove another kid face first onto concrete, and they’re yelling at them about it? Ok. now read the exchange below.
Him: [charging towards group of 4, pointing] ARE YOU TWO ON MY BUS?!
Couple: [confirm that they are]
Him: I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO THERE! I TOLD YOU! I COULD LOSE MY LICENSE!
Couple: We’re sorry.
Him: SORRY DOESN’T CUT IT! I’M FURIOUS WITH YOU! I SHOULD REPORT YOU! WHAT HOTEL ARE YOU STAYING AT?! I’M REPORTING YOU!
Oh, but wait, this tour guide, the very guide ripping this couple a new one, walked ACROSS a non-​paved area with rocks and plants to get to them because he couldn’t be bothered to take the few extra steps to stay ON the pavement. He must be the «Do as I say, not as I do» type.
I probably should have filmed the whole thing and sent it to the company or posted it online to warn other potential customers. but I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor and «let me film this» isn’t my initial reaction in situations like this.
The description of this tour on their site says it’s a family friendly tour. No. Your raging and aggressive tour guide is most definitely NOT family friendly. So thankful we hesitated to book with them. If they can’t handle situations professionally without entire parking lots turning to gawk at what’s happening, I think I’ll pass.
The TL;DR version: We were thinking of using Polynesian Adventures Tours to give ourselves a break from driving and navigating. Saw tour guide yelling at a couple and threatening them. Will never book with this company and I will tell this story to anyone asking me about Maui.

Haleakala Sunset Tour; PreBirthday Bash
Booked with Maui Wishes and Adventures
Started with being picked up at Aina Nalu with a shuttle, then transferred to a Bus at Café O Lei, our tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable about the island and history of the Island of Maui. He’s expertise started even before we even stepped on the bus all through the end of of the trip. Not alot of people see the Sunsets so it’s less crowded, more time to absorb Maui’s Beautiful Sunset!

Haleakala Sunrise Tour
Great tour, worth the $ 120 or so per person! Spend the $$$ for the tour and have a great time. Don’t stress about the drive, the hassle of parking AND having to leave the parking lot at Haleakala. This price includes pick up and drop off at your hotel, coffee/​tea/​cocoa and box-​store pastries, and a full breakfast after the tour before going back to your hotel.
Our driver, Rory, got us to the lookout point early enough that we got spots at the front and had the best view. We had to wait about an hour before the sun rose, but waiting to pick a spot right before the sun came up isn’t a good idea… You won’t get a good view at all. Bundle up and just wait. After the sun rose, he brought us to a higher point where we could find the Silversword, and then another lookout where we had great views.
Rory was a great guide… He had so much useful information! He gave great tips on where to buy cheaper souvenirs (Longs, NOT ABC), get cheaper golf rates (don’t remember the course), etc.
Some of the complaints I’ve read that might make you think twice about this tour but shouldn’t:
Pre-​packaged pastries — You’re paying for the tour, not the pastries… The pastries and hot beverages are a nice bonus.
The driver was late — They give you an estimate, and the paperwork says be ready 10 minutes before. They are picking up others, and have no control over what’s on the road that might cause delays.
The driver left them — Again… You are given a time, and paperwork says be there 10 minutes before. If you are not ready by the time you’re driver is there, you will and SHOULD be left behind. Why should everyone else who got up early have to risk being late getting up the mountain because you couldn’t wake up on time?
I’ll say it again… Great tour, worth the $ 120 or so per person! Spend the $$$ for the tour and have a great time.

Very pricey for the tour. Breakfast and lunch below standard of a5 star hotel. The tour was good but not worth $ 330 for 2

It’s our first time and day here on Maui, Hawaii. We have jus finished our HANA Tour. Our tour Guide Braddah Roy was an Amazing person, whom I can tell loves his job, is a people person, has the Aloha, respect for our Aina, loves ke akua! Be ready for a 12 hour tour! Do the Gold Package to Hana. Also, I would like to send our Aloha to Kellie @ reservations at Honolulu location Our Ho’okipa still lives. From Our Ohana to Your Ohana Da Jachetta’s (Big Island, Hawai’i) ! Mahalo for giving us a memory that will Last a Lifetime!

We did the Road To Hana tour and it was truly amazing! Our tour guide was Bruce, he was very funny and informative! I wasn’t sure what to expect since this was my first time on the island but I’m glad we did it. I have a 4yr old and wasn’t sure if he was going to tolerate this long trip on the bus; He did just fine, the big windows allowed him to see all he wanted. Our favorite stops were the Wailea Falls and Black Sand Beach!
That road is not the easiest to drive but I gotta say our tour guy Bruce made it look easy!
Recommend this tour it was the highlight of our trip!

Took the ROAD TO HANA tour and it was a life changing tour because of our guide. His name is Rory, been a tour guide for 27 years and he trains lots of their tour guides in this company and has a great personality and will MAKE SURE you have a great time. His timing is amazing and will not rush you! It’s worth every penny. Make sure you ask for him if you take the road to Hana tour. Can you imagine going on a tour where the guide doesn’t bring the best out of your trip?

My friend and I did the road to Hana tour and had an amazing time! Our tour guide was Larry and he was absolutely wonderful. Larry knew so much about the island and the people of Hawaii. We would not trade Larry for anyone! Absolutely recommend this tour for anyone who is not traveling with children as kids tend to get antsy on long car rides. Great tour and great guide!

The only thing that I looked forward to on my trip was to go to Haleakala. I booked this through my concierge for my last day in Maui. The day before I got 3 calls all telling me different times of when to meet; finally The last call said they apologize for the miscommunication but say the time is 2am.
We were ready by 2am… long story short, the bus came 15 minutes earlier and then left. When I called the call center, the girl was not apologetic or empathetic. She said they wouldn’t turn around to pick us up. When I asked why they didn’t call my cell, it turns out they had the wrong number on file. The manager never called me back as I requested even when I left another voice message a couple of days later.
I had to jump through hoops but I got my money back. Avoid booking through this agency… poor customer service.

Road to Hana Polynesian tour bus:
+most amazing, informative, fun, Activity filled, all day 12 hr maui tour!!!
+tour guide tom was the best tour guide ever! Tom is an educated historian/teacher!He had the koolest, game show host/​commercial/​exciting voice! He knows a lot about Hawaii, as well as many other topics, he talked for the entire tour & there was never a dull moment; he was awesome!
+Tom was an extremely experienced, alert, & safe driver of the tour bus van :)
+& this road to Hana tour was the best bang for you’d buck tour; soooo worth the price; finally!
+I can’t believe everything we saw & did in a single day!
+we drove thru many towns. All the way up & down the narrow, winding road to Hana, the beach coast & old volcanos. Stopped at a cute local stand. Stopped at the black sand beach. Stopped at the seven sacred pools/​waterfall; Sooo awesome! Had a small continental breakfast outside of whole foods market. Lunch at a beautiful resort, delicious authentic chicken, pork, rice, & salad!
+this is a long drive, full day event people. Have patience & enjoy: D sleep well the night ahead.
+don’t forget to tip tom, he deserves it!