If you have used Roberts Hawaii Tours come on in

I have done extensive research on Cruise Critic and have found very good information on Roberts. I do have 1 question I cant seem to find. Do they use small van type buses or do they use large 60 seater buses? i am looking for tours that are relatively small (up to 12 or 14 people).

Thanks in advance

Celia

Both.

It depends on which tour you have booked. We did a Circle Island tour with Roberts, on a big bus. Another tour with them to Germaine's Luau was on a smaller bus, maybe 20 seats. Yet another tour, to hike a waterfall in the rain forest, was with a regular 8 seat van.

Oh OK. I guess I won't find out until I book. Thank you:)

Same here. Bus to Haleakala on Roberts (during the day, not sunrise, thank you very much), big bus. Also had 12 person van to Smith Family Luau (although we did not book through Roberts, Smith uses them for bus transportation to luau.) I don't think you will be able to tell ahead of time, because clearly they want to sell as many tix as possible.

happy cruising,

el henry

We were on the POA from 9/14-21. Booked two excursions with Roberts-Haleakala (sunset) and Smith Family Luau. Both times we were on the big bus but I felt like the bus drivers were very good. The driver on the Haleakala trip was very informative about the area and the formation etc. of the mountain.

I also was very pleased with Roberts, especially compared to what you got for the price vs. NCL. They offer many of the same tours for a fraction of the cost, however keep in mind some NCL ones include lunch when a Roberts one may not. If its important to you to be on a small group tour, I'd book with someone who guarantees it; there are many independent tours to choose from too which don't own any large buses. There are definitely certain tours that are bound to have a large bus (or even 2 or 3), vs. the more obscure or expensive ones which are less likely.

All three Roberts tours I did were a large bus: VNP/etc, Smiths Luau, and Iao Valley & Tropical Plantation. Main difference is it does take some time to get on & off the bus and you may wait for stragglers. I also liked the ease of booking with them vs. seeking out an independent for each tour and having to thoroughly research them. I love the idea of private tours as its the best of everything, except price--you get the narration/experience, don't have to drive, and don't have to wait on other folks or feel rushed at stops.

We also did two excursions through NCL, as it was the only option for these, Aloha Kauai Tours Sea Fun Beach Snorkel and Hike Maui Rainforest & Waterfalls Hike. I was impressed with both. As they weren't sightseeing type tours and were advertised to have a max number of people, we got vans for both. Funny it worked that way vs. big buses with Roberts, but it was just the type of excursion. Between them being active small group activities and being through NCL, these two were much more expensive than the tours. Best wishes.

I want to thank everyone for their input. Yes smallers tours are important to us. we love to personalized feeling, no waiting for stragglers and it seems that we can see much more. I guess I will be doing some more research for van type tours.

Thank you all again!

We have gone with Roberts for all our requirements both pre-cruise and for our excursions whilst onboard the POA. Just need the Government to get their act together for the west coast elements of our trip (Grand Canyon & Alcatraz) and for Pearl Harbour and the various National Parks around Hawaii!!

We did the Fern Grotto Tour through Roberts. They picked us up in a small bus (20 passengers?) that was not full to capacity. The sail down the river to the fern grotto was on the same boat as the cruise ship tour. The Roberts driver though kept us just ahead of the cruise ship tours (big buses) at the other stops and we also arrived back to the ship right ahead of the big buses.

We have used Roberts for both land and shore excursions for 3 b2b cruises they use large buses for North Shore tour for its comfort and they use all small mini buses and vans for most every thing else. All vehicles are clean and fairly new.

Great service and knowledgeable as their drivers/tour guides have been doing their own particular tour for years and if there is traffic problems they know how to get around it.

You'll also save 40% over ship prices and even more if you book 1 of the combo packages.