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Ricky's Tours in Hilo....

RoperDK

By RoperDK,
in Hawaii

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SS718

SS718

Posted
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My husband and I took Ricky for the island tour of Hilo on July 6, 2010. We were the only people on his tour that day and we had an excellent experience with him. He was very knowledgeable of the island and the van was comfortable. It had air conditioning and he provides bottles of water. We were able to see the highlights of Hilo at our own pace, which was fantastic. We were never rushed or hurried in any way. I would recommend Ricky’s Tours without any hesitation. It is a great alternative to booking a tour through the ships, which will include crowds of people.

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jagoffee

jagoffee

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My husband and I took Ricky for the island tour of Hilo on July 6, 2010. We were the only people on his tour that day and we had an excellent experience with him. He was very knowledgeable of the island and the van was comfortable. It had air conditioning and he provides bottles of water. We were able to see the highlights of Hilo at our own pace, which was fantastic. We were never rushed or hurried in any way. I would recommend Ricky’s Tours without any hesitation. It is a great alternative to booking a tour through the ships, which will include crowds of people.

 

How long was your tour and what was the approximate cost? Thanks.

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RoperDK

RoperDK

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Thanks everyone for helping me make my decision. We are going with Ricky's Tours. I e-mailed him several times over the last couple of days and he replied quickly each time with the info I requested. His tour is currently $60PP for approx. 5 1/2 hours. He said that he had recently raised his prices. It covers Rainbow Falls, Richardson Beach (black sand), several stops at Volcanoes National Park (including entrance fee), Mac Nut factory, Orchid Farm, and drive through Hilo. I'm sure we wouldn't be able to fit all of those places in if we rented a car and it's also nice to have someone giving you details of what you are seeing. The big bus tours didn't include all of those stops and I really like the idea of the smaller van.

 

Thanks again,

 

Dawn

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jagoffee

jagoffee

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Thanks everyone for helping me make my decision. We are going with Ricky's Tours. I e-mailed him several times over the last couple of days and he replied quickly each time with the info I requested. His tour is currently $60PP for approx. 5 1/2 hours. He said that he had recently raised his prices. It covers Rainbow Falls, Richardson Beach (black sand), several stops at Volcanoes National Park (including entrance fee), Mac Nut factory, Orchid Farm, and drive through Hilo. I'm sure we wouldn't be able to fit all of those places in if we rented a car and it's also nice to have someone giving you details of what you are seeing. The big bus tours didn't include all of those stops and I really like the idea of the smaller van.

 

Thanks again,

 

Dawn

 

SS718,

 

I see now that your excursion was not really a custom private tour, but you were the only one on the tour.

 

RoberDK,

 

Thanks for the information on the cost and length. My wife and I have already been to the VNP and it was great, but we want to do other things this time.

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  • 2 weeks later...
apeller

apeller

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We toured with Ricky last December and enjoyed it so much we asked him to come up with a new itinerary for us when we return next December, He is completely flexible and will organize a tour for you other than the ones on his website.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Ricky. He is very knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. Not only is he a great guide, he is a great person. We were on the Golden Princess last Christmas/New Years and my parents missed the ship because they couldn't get out of NY due to weather. They arranged to meet the ship in Hilo. Since we had a tour scheduled with Ricky, they called him for hotel recommendations and transportation options. He ended up picking them up at the airport (on Christmas Eve), picked them up in the morning, and brought them and their luggage to the ship. Then we all left for our tour.

We are doing the same trip on the Golden this year, and are renting cars in most ports, but in Hilo we are booked with Ricky. I am not sure why people think he is new because last year before we used him I found many rave reviews about him. He has been doing tours for quite a few years,and does a fabulous job.

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RoperDK

RoperDK

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We toured with Ricky last December and enjoyed it so much we asked him to come up with a new itinerary for us when we return next December, He is completely flexible and will organize a tour for you other than the ones on his website.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Ricky. He is very knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. Not only is he a great guide, he is a great person. We were on the Golden Princess last Christmas/New Years and my parents missed the ship because they couldn't get out of NY due to weather. They arranged to meet the ship in Hilo. Since we had a tour scheduled with Ricky, they called him for hotel recommendations and transportation options. He ended up picking them up at the airport (on Christmas Eve), picked them up in the morning, and brought them and their luggage to the ship. Then we all left for our tour.

We are doing the same trip on the Golden this year, and are renting cars in most ports, but in Hilo we are booked with Ricky. I am not sure why people think he is new because last year before we used him I found many rave reviews about him. He has been doing tours for quite a few years,and does a fabulous job.

 

Thanks for the info, apeller. I have been impressed with how Ricky has responded to my e-mails and am looking forward to using his tour next month.

 

Dawn

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Sunny AZ Girl

Sunny AZ Girl

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Someone recently brought back a thread on Ricky's tours from 2005, so he is definitely not new.

 

I have been e-mailing him recently and he has been very prompt in replies. I do like tours, especially with limited time in one area as I learn much more that way. We are planning on renting a car in Maui and Kona, though. We know what we want to do there (for now) and our own car would be worth having. I think ricky sounds like the perfect solution to our Hilo day, though.:)

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  • 2 weeks later...
indy71

indy71

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This is only my second post, and I realize some people have a problem with people who have only a few posts, but you have to start somewhere, right? Anyway, I was on the August 14 sailing of the POA, and we used Ricky for our tour. We were a party of 4, and there was one other couple on the tour. As soon as we met, Ricky told us that he had stopped by Rainbow Falls on the way to pick us up, and that it was just a trickle, and he would be embarrassed to take us there. So we went to Akaka Falls instead. I was really impressed that he had that kind of ethic that he wanted to make our trip the best possible. It really was a good day, unrushed, but still ahead of the big tour busses. I had a friend who took the ship's tour of the same attractions on the same day. She actually got to see the "trickle" of Rainbow Falls, and was very underwhelmed. I am really happy that we chose Ricky to show us the sights in and around Hilo and VNP.

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Sunny AZ Girl

Sunny AZ Girl

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This is only my second post, and I realize some people have a problem with people who have only a few posts, but you have to start somewhere, right? Anyway, I was on the August 14 sailing of the POA, and we used Ricky for our tour. We were a party of 4, and there was one other couple on the tour. As soon as we met, Ricky told us that he had stopped by Rainbow Falls on the way to pick us up, and that it was just a trickle, and he would be embarrassed to take us there. So we went to Akaka Falls instead. I was really impressed that he had that kind of ethic that he wanted to make our trip the best possible. It really was a good day, unrushed, but still ahead of the big tour busses. I had a friend who took the ship's tour of the same attractions on the same day. She actually got to see the "trickle" of Rainbow Falls, and was very underwhelmed. I am really happy that we chose Ricky to show us the sights in and around Hilo and VNP.

Thank you for the post. I am very inclined to go with Ricky in Hilo. i would book him now but am having trouble getting my other family members to commit....they don't understand how I can be thinking about this so far out, LOL.

 

And yes, you do have to start somewhere with your posts. I think where people have a problem with low number posters is when they only have one or two posts and it is a very critical post or so overwhelmingly favorable that it seems fake. Then we tend to question whether the post was a "plant' to advertise or cut down competition. Other times it is a "troll" trying to stir up controversy on the board. Your post seemed to be an honest review, consistent with other reports, and I really do appreciate you taking the effort to post it. Welcome to Cruise Critic....we are looking forward to post #3!

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Sunny AZ Girl

Sunny AZ Girl

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Can someone post a link for Ricky? Does he have a website showing his tour(s)? Thanks.

 

Here you go! He lists two tours, but they are really one tour, the VNP and the Hilo area. That had me a bit confused at first, but his e-mailed to me explained that he does the one combination. I believe if you reserve his whole van he will customize it for you.

 

http://www.rickystours.com/tours.html

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DocM4

DocM4

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I had read many reviews on Ricky's tours, here in the CC Board - We subsequently booked with him for our January cruise. I cannot praise him high enough - he was prompt - waiting for us as we disembarked - got us back in plenty of time - was a fountain of knowledge and an all around nice guy. His vans are comfortable and clean.

 

We had a very active roll call group on that sailing and several of our 'members' joined us on Ricky's tour - all were very pleased.

 

We are probably going to take the Feb 16th sailing next year and while we may not go on the tour this time - we are certainly encouraging our travel companions to do so.

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GypRasc

GypRasc

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I read further up in this post that someone indicated going to Kalapana at 2 pm to view the active lava would not enable enough time to get back to the ship. Can someone verify this info for me as fact and, approx. how long would it take to get from this location back to the pier? I really, really want to do this but I obviously don't want to miss the ship either. :)

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vbmom87

vbmom87

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I read further up in this post that someone indicated going to Kalapana at 2 pm to view the active lava would not enable enough time to get back to the ship. Can someone verify this info for me as fact and, approx. how long would it take to get from this location back to the pier? I really, really want to do this but I obviously don't want to miss the ship either. :)

 

When you get to the park visitor center check in there and ask. You will get the most up to date information for the day you are there. Things change from day to day.

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kapoho2

kapoho2

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GypRasc...if you plan to spend the morning at VNP, then to get to Kalapana you will have to exit the park and drive for about one hour to get down to Kalapana. You cannot get to Kalapana from inside the park. The viewing area opens at 2pm, but whether or not there is lava to be seen changes from day to day....and even hour to hour. Lately, if there has been lava to be seen, it has required a hike of 1 to 2 miles after you park your car at the viewing area in Kalapana. Again, this all changes daily. To drive back to Hilo from Kalapana and then to return the rental car and get back to the pier will require an absolute minimum of one hour. So, this does not leave much time between 2pm and "all aboard."

 

The best thing to do is take these phone numbers with you and call the day you are in Hilo. Calling anytime earlier will not give you accurate information unfortunately.

 

The viewing area security guards between 2pm and 10pm ....808-430-1966

 

Lava Viewing Hotline....808-961-8093

 

Hope it all works out for you!!

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indy71

indy71

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Quote: CruisingGoddess

Can someone confirm that at VNP you have time to pick something up from the gift shop and walk through the Lava Tube on Ricky's Tour? Also, where did you stop for lunch? Did you make any shopping stops? Thanks in advance!

 

 

Yes, there was a gift shop at the Jagger Museum we had time to shop at, and we did walk through the Thurston Lava Tube. We didn't make a lunch stop per se, but there was a snack bar at the Macademia Nut Factory that we could have eaten at. (We actually brought sandwiches off the ship because we weren't sure about the lunch situation. Then we got macadamia nut ice cream at the snack bar. Yum.) As for shopping, it was available at the already mentioned Jagger Museum and the Macademia Nut Factory, as well as at the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens.

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CruisingGoddess

CruisingGoddess

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Yes, there was a gift shop at the Jagger Museum we had time to shop at, and we did walk through the Thurston Lava Tube. We didn't make a lunch stop per se, but there was a snack bar at the Macademia Nut Factory that we could have eaten at. (We actually brought sandwiches off the ship because we weren't sure about the lunch situation. Then we got macadamia nut ice cream at the snack bar. Yum.) As for shopping, it was available at the already mentioned Jagger Museum and the Macademia Nut Factory, as well as at the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens.

 

Thanks for the quick response!!

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  • 3 months later...

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