Daniel's Hawaii Tour (Review)

I've previously mentioned it but I booked my Pearl Harbour trip with Daniel's Hawaii Tours and honestly I was so heartbroken and upset. They were an awful company to work with, travel with and disgusting to get a partial refund from. 

When I first tried to book, I was really excited. They seemed very attentive and communicative. The second it was booked, I got silence. They didn't tell me the pick up time until the day before, which was a little difficult as at that time I didn't have internet access as I was in the middle of the ocean, so I didn't know what time I was getting picked up until the morning of, and at that point it was very rushed and hectic. 

The main reason I went with the company is because they offered cruise terminal pick up, airport drop off and luggage storage. This meant I didn't need to store my luggage and pay during the day and I didn't need to organise taxi's which I felt would be much less stressful. They also offered a Honolulu city tour which was the biggest selling point and a lot of the things I was so excited for. 

The issues started at pick up. I then ran through the terminal, racing to get to my pick up point on time and arrived 3 minutes late, with no sign of the bus, panicking they'd left without me. I waited a while, before calling the company to check and they told me they would call me back to confirm. After not hearing back, I called again and they said they were on there way still. I finally called a third time and they said they were still on their way and running late. It was a horrible start to the day. They finally arrived almost 2 hours late! I was shocked that they didn't answer the emails I could send for free, and instead I had to pay a fortune to keep calling, instead of them calling me back as promised. 

We were then supposed to have a decent amount of time at Pearl Harbour and I've done a full review of Pearl Harbour itself, but it just felt very rushed. You absolutely don't need to do it as part of a tour. It's a short drive so just get a taxi and then explore in the time you want and taxi back. The taxi is relatively cheap and the guide leaves you alone once there. 

Back on the bus and the driver suddenly says to me that we're going to the airport. I was absolutely shocked and rightly so. I said no, there's supposed to be a tour calling at multiple points. He said, because I was going to the airport, he wasn't "allowed to circle back". I was fuming. Obviously, it was because the tour was running late but I mentioned my excitement of the tour at the point of booking, and no one mentioned I wasn't going to be allowed to do it, nor was I given a cheaper price because of it not being included. I said no anyway, I wanted to do the tour and I would try to contact the company. 

I emailed and rang but apparently the office was closed. The driver agreed to take me but said he would leave me at one of the other drop off point hotels, and not the airport. I was fuming, because I paid an additional $25 to get dropped off at the airport and then would have to pay a taxi additionally. I tried to enjoy the rest of the trip, but was fuming. 

After the trip, I emailed again asking for a refund and it was disgusting customer service and business. I was shocked they didn't apologise and worse that I had to defend why I wanted a partial refund. I had paid an extra $50 to be picked up from the cruise terminal (even though it was a stop on the tour) and to be dropped off at the airport. Given that the latter didn't happen, I thought the $25 was a reasonable adjustment but they asked me explain why I felt this was justified. Disgusting. 

The tour was advertised as stopping at the following points, but sadly they didn't all happen. 

• Honolulu Harbor – Hawaii’s lifeline
• Aloha Tower* – The Statue of Liberty of Hawaii
• I’olani Palace* – Only Royal Palace in the US with a rich history
• Queen Liliuokalani Statue* – Last Queen of all of Hawaii before the overthrow by the Americans
• Hawaii State Capitol* – Official statehouse of Hawaii
• Father Damian Statue* – A Hero that helped Hawaiians during a plaque
• Eternal Flame – a tribute to all men and women that served in Hawaii
• King Kamehameha Statue* – First King of all of Hawaii and famous spot of Hawaii Five-0 TV Show
• Downtown Honolulu – Drive through the most important business district of Hawaii
• Kaka’ako – Where a one bedroom apt. starts at $800,000
• Ala Moana Shopping Mall – Biggest Outdoor Shopping Mall in the USA

We drove through the cemeteries which was lovely and saw the statues and also then Diamond Head Crater view. We had one stop where we got off the bus, calling at I’olani Palace, seeing the statues of Queen Liliuokalani Statue and King Kamehameha. This was a great stop and I loved being able to see the trees as a bonus, as well as the building of Hawaii Five-0. Sadly, then everything stopped.

We never got a tour of Honolulu, nor stop at the State Capitol to see the statehouse, Father Damian Statue and Eternal Flame, which were things I was really looking forward to, and specifically didn't go to because I was going on this tour. The harbour I knew a little as had been docked there, but we never called there or the Aloha Tower either. I last minute went to see the Aloha Tower on one of my previous days, and thank god I did because I would have been devastated if I hadn't made it there. 

Honestly, I was so disappointed and upset after it all because I felt like I'd wasted so much money on something I literally could have done for like $50 instead of nearly $200 and then the customer service and lack of apology just made matters so much worse. They were rude and not understanding at all. I can never understand why companies are like that, especially when they are so obviously in the wrong! The tour was a lovely idea and a great package, but the company was horrible, greedy and a nightmare from start to finish on the day.