Booked via Viator (TripAdvisor) for a Diamond Head Shuttle and Malasada tour. This cost covered the park admission/reservation, and pickup from Waikiki hotels for a sunrise tour.
My pickup was at 5:10AM, provided a sticker to wear indicating you were with the BWT shuttle tour, and we were in queue at the front gate before it opened at 6:00AM. Sunrise was around 6:15AM as you made your way up to the top/crater rim.
Getting the early start was smart, as by the time we were coming down there were definitely more people on the way up. This was not a guided tour, but our bus had about 20-30 people (mostly Japanese tourists) and we were instructed to meet back at the bus at 7:20AM to return back to Waikiki.
You basically had just under 90 minutes to complete the hike, including stops at lookout points or for photos at the summit. Our guide on the bus did give recommendations when it came to the stairs as well, in English for the three of us mainlanders, and in Japanese for the rest.
At the end of the tour we were also provided a malasada from Leonards (sugar, no filling)! Sweet! Not too hard to find our bus again at the end. The email and text confirmations, pickup/dropoff, and drive were all smooth. read more