HOHO bus schedules question

[Nanner]

We are taking our first AQ Voyages trip this summer and I was wondering if the included HOHO buses just do a loop between the stops all day?  Do they have a schedule?  We are signed up for some of the premium excursions, but for example, if we are going on the paid excursion in the afternoon, would we be able to catch an early bus to a museum and be able to count on returning to the ship by noon?  I'm assuming it's doable, but just wondered how the buses normally work in the ports.  We are doing the Columbia/Snake River cruise.

[TinCan782]

Yes, they do have a schedule. IIRC more frequently in the AM than PM. Also posted is the time for the LAST bus! If you want to do an early but, you need to get a "ticket" beginning the evening before. A machine is available by the purser's desk which allows you to do so where you select your departure time. That is done to spread out the passenger load. Later in the day, the "ticket" is not required. You can skip stops and stay longer at stops you like.

You can do the HOHO as many times as you would like and, before/after a premium excursion as well. All, time permitting.

[ericosmith]

To expand on this a bit, The morning busses have tour guides and run fairly frequently.  The schedule after the leaving the boat is generally 20 to 30 minutes at each stop until noon.  
After noon there are no guides and they usually run every hour.  Some of the stops can be done very quickly, others are worth more time. For example you can easily spend an hour at the museum in Stevenson and another hour at the dam.  

 

A couple of different ways to check out the HOHO stops.  If you go to the webpage and to where you booked the premium excursions, you can select the print option.  That will show all of the HOHO stops in addition to the premium excursions.  You can also download the American Queen app.  That will show you a map of the route and also let you play a little narative.  You may even be able to track the busses on a cruise prior to yours to get a better idea of the timing.

[cbz]

Although this doesn’t help for early booking, when you check in, the excursion order form has a symbol telling you if the Premium excursion also gives you time to do the HOHO.