Linda the Book Lover Posted June 20, 2018 #1 Share Posted June 20, 2018 We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person. I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me. If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBSteelerfan Posted June 21, 2018 #2 Share Posted June 21, 2018 We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person. I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me. If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you. That is great to hear! Thanks for sharing, as we are thinking of booking with them for next year. We will probably only do 1 side or other (right now leaning towards Hilo), did you find one preferable to the other? And which beach did you go to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda the Book Lover Posted June 21, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Hawaii is my favorite island. I like both sides almost equally so I would live in the middle. ;) Hilo has many sites that I truly love and if I picked only one Hilo would be it. Kona and the bees is a favorite of mine and I am allergic to bee sting:eek: but the farm is very safe and the honey is to die for! I forgot the name of the beach as Ken gave my DD choices to snorkel with my DGD (9). It had facilities and many families. I will ask her when I speak with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keys2Heaven Posted June 21, 2018 #4 Share Posted June 21, 2018 We are doing our Kona port tour with them! Great to read this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda the Book Lover Posted June 22, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted June 22, 2018 That is great to hear! Thanks for sharing, as we are thinking of booking with them for next year. We will probably only do 1 side or other (right now leaning towards Hilo), did you find one preferable to the other? And which beach did you go to? Kahaluu beach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejccgma Posted June 22, 2018 #6 Share Posted June 22, 2018 We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person. I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me. If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you. Agree they are fantastic! Booked with them in March...loved both Hilo and Kona! They are very knowledgeable and friendly. Going in a group of 5 or 6 is the best! Book them early! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czmzlz Posted June 22, 2018 #7 Share Posted June 22, 2018 We have them booked for both days on our cruise in September- private tour from Hilo and regular from Kona. Fingers crossed that nothing changes with the itinerary anymore and we get there too! All I hear is great things about Mary Lou and Ken so I'm very excited for our days with them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda the Book Lover Posted June 22, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted June 22, 2018 We have them booked for both days on our cruise in September- private tour from Hilo and regular from Kona. Fingers crossed that nothing changes with the itinerary anymore and we get there too! All I hear is great things about Mary Lou and Ken so I'm very excited for our days with them! I am sure you will love them. We read about them on CC and they did not disappoint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBSteelerfan Posted June 22, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Hawaii is my favorite island. I like both sides almost equally so I would live in the middle. ;) Hilo has many sites that I truly love and if I picked only one Hilo would be it. Kona and the bees is a favorite of mine and I am allergic to bee sting:eek: but the farm is very safe and the honey is to die for! I forgot the name of the beach as Ken gave my DD choices to snorkel with my DGD (9). It had facilities and many families. I will ask her when I speak with her. Kahaluu beach Thanks for all the info!! That was the beach we were thinking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keys2Heaven Posted June 22, 2018 #10 Share Posted June 22, 2018 We have them booked for both days on our cruise in September- private tour from Hilo and regular from Kona. Fingers crossed that nothing changes with the itinerary anymore and we get there too! All I hear is great things about Mary Lou and Ken so I'm very excited for our days with them! They were our first choice for Hilo but were not available. But, the did point us to another provider who has great reviews as well. Very much looking forward to our Kona tour with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trrn2016 Posted June 25, 2018 #11 Share Posted June 25, 2018 We used Marylou Tours in February for Hilo and Kona. We had Ken at both ports. I cannot recommend them enough. He was so pleasant and helpful. You will not be disappointed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru94 Posted June 29, 2018 #12 Share Posted June 29, 2018 We have booked them for our cruise next May for Hilo and Kona looking forward to it first time to that part of the world for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda the Book Lover Posted June 29, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted June 29, 2018 We have booked them for our cruise next May for Hilo and Kona looking forward to it first time to that part of the world for us. I hope you enjoy the Big Island as much as we did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishinChris Posted July 1, 2018 #14 Share Posted July 1, 2018 They are the best! First time that we had a tour guide that was more like traveling with a old friend. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda the Book Lover Posted July 1, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted July 1, 2018 They are the best! First time that we had a tour guide that was more like traveling with a old friend. Sent from my iPad using Forums I agree with you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBSteelerfan Posted July 2, 2018 #16 Share Posted July 2, 2018 All of these wonderful comments make us feel like we have found a hidden gem in touring the Big Island! So looking forward to our tour with them next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare GeezerCouple Posted July 17, 2018 #17 Share Posted July 17, 2018 We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person. I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me. If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you. This is great to know, but not any surprise. We had booked with them a few years ago, and they were TERRIFIC to work with to customize a day including Volcano National Park (!) and a few other preferred stops. We had to work with a few special needs, and they were really responsive and helpful. But then we had to cancel about 2+ weeks in advance, because DH had a medical emergency, and the entire trip was cancelled on short notice. They are at the very top of our list when we do get to Hawaii! And it's great to know that they can help with a beach day. Perfect!! GC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda the Book Lover Posted July 17, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted July 17, 2018 This is great to know, but not any surprise. We had booked with them a few years ago, and they were TERRIFIC to work with to customize a day including Volcano National Park (!) and a few other preferred stops. We had to work with a few special needs, and they were really responsive and helpful. But then we had to cancel about 2+ weeks in advance, because DH had a medical emergency, and the entire trip was cancelled on short notice. They are at the very top of our list when we do get to Hawaii! And it's great to know that they can help with a beach day. Perfect!! GC They are so kind that I know when you meet them you will feel the same way we did. It is not easy making sure three generations all have a great time as what we can do and want to do are different. I am blessed to have a daughter who always takes into consideration some of my physical issues (I wear a brace on my right ankle and foot) and between her, my granddaughter and both days with Marylou and Ken I could not have asked for a better time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenity27 Posted August 21, 2018 #19 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Thank you for posting this. This is very helpful info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amarvel Posted August 21, 2018 #20 Share Posted August 21, 2018 I am so happy to hear this. We had to cancel when our ship didn't stop in Hilo last year and they were amazing with our last-minute cancellation. we ended up booking them again for this year and I cannot wait :-) Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenjenjeng Posted August 22, 2018 #21 Share Posted August 22, 2018 I am currently on the ship and our port at Hilo was rescheduled to Friday. They were very kind about canceling the tour even after they switched it to Friday. My dh wants to do a helicopter tour over the volcanoes. They even gave us some names to lead a tour in the afternoon. However I think we unfortunately won’t be able to stop at Hilo since the port is closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCruiser243 Posted August 24, 2018 #22 Share Posted August 24, 2018 We used Marylou’s for both Hilo and Kona in 2016. We had Mary Lou the first day from Hilo and she was wonderful. When Ken met us in KOna he told us that my friend and I were the only 2 who had booked that day. Another small group had contacted him but not confirmed. We saw a couple who we had met on the ship and invited them along. We had another spectacular day! Both Mary Lou and Ken are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. I found them thanks to the folks on this board and can recommend them to anyone visiting the BIg Island! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trrn2016 Posted August 24, 2018 #23 Share Posted August 24, 2018 We used Marylou’s for both Hilo and Kona in 2016. We had Mary Lou the first day from Hilo and she was wonderful. When Ken met us in KOna he told us that my friend and I were the only 2 who had booked that day. Another small group had contacted him but not confirmed. We saw a couple who we had met on the ship and invited them along. We had another spectacular day! Both Mary Lou and Ken are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. I found them thanks to the folks on this board and can recommend them to anyone visiting the BIg Island! We used Marylou Tours for Hilo and Kona in February, 2018. We highly recommend then also!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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