I never do that,TravelGuy, My daughter’s shrimp was also over cooked — but I will say that the ribs appetizer was great. Had a lovely meal in Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt in Kauai tonight. Early to bed for bag pick up at 5:30 am tomorrow.
I’ve been to Hawaii twice. The first time we stayed in Kauai, it was probably ten days, we just loved it, toured around, took the helicopter ride, Took a catamaran sailboat on a coastal tour etc etc. loved it. I’m surprised Tauck spends only a day there. I didn’t care for Honolulu but did enjoy our tour of Pearl Harbor and other sites .Why oh why the need to have early starts on a tour like this!
Today’s tip: buy your souvenirs in Lahaina. Several of us bought souvenirs at the airport on the Big Island. I saw the same items and many more yesterday in the shops in Lahaina, where we had 2 1/2 hours to eat lunch (on our own) and stroll around. They were much cheaper because there was a lot of competition. I’m off on a previously-booked day trip along the Road to Hana. Tauck had not scheduled anything today except a cooking demonstration followed by lunch. The cooking demonstration was cancelled for lack of staff, but Tauck is still including lunch at the hotel — AND they gave each of us back $65 in cash because of the cancelled demonstration (which I was going to skip anyway).
Re stoopid, reminds me years ago an IRS refund check was stolen (prob. at USPS sorting facility) and endorsed with my name spelled wrong. We can't all be as clever as Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Catch Me If You Can).
British--first, thanks for your thoughtful posts on this forum. I don't post a lot, but I enjoy reading what others have to say. As for your your friend's children, I wouldn't be too worried about a vacation in Hawaii. If they are careful on the plane and wading through crowds at the airport and car rental facility, the rest of the trip will be a breeze. Literally: they will be spending most of their time outdoors. Many restaurants have outdoor dining. If they have reservations at a restaurant and the social distancing makes them uncomfortable, they can get takeout and dine on the beach. This is my experience from over 30 trips to Hawaii.
They should keep a close eye on their car reservation because there is a critical shortage of rental cars in Hawaii. I have heard of reservations not being honored, leaving travelers stranded at the airport. It might be a good idea to join the rental company's frequent traveler program (e.g. for Budget, it is their Fastbreak program) and make sure the reservation is linked to the program. That might help ensure that they get a car, and get through the line faster. BTW, my emoji photo is an iiwi, a forest bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Your friends could see one if they are on the Big Island or Maui and visit high elevations. Happy to provide any other island advice!
Oops. One of the symbols used in the Hawaiian alphabet is an okina, printed as a left single quotation. Apparently the Tauck forum doesn't like it, since it did weird things to the formatting in my previous post. Sorry about that.
The Road to Hana trip was wonderful! I had booked it on Trip Advisor a while ago. There are multiple “Road to Hana” tours. This one was a small group tour, advertised as 6-8 passengers, and was operated by Mahalo Tours. They adhere to that capacity limit. A few days prior to the tour, I called them to inquire whether there was room on the tour for one of my fellow Tauck travelers, and was told that the tour was full — and it was, with 7 members of a very friendly family joining me. Our driver/guide was named Jamie. She is part Hawaiian and was raised on Maui. She was really good. She works Sun., Wed., and Thurs., but sometimes fills in for others. If you decide to do that tour on a free day, I hope you get her.
We had our final outing this morning —a trip up Haleakala to see the massive crater. Tonight we’ll have our farewell dinner, which will be a luau here at the hotel.
The Fairmont Kea Lani is another beautiful hotel, but it seems huge to me. One of the beach workers told my daughter that they’re only at 40% capacity. Several of the restaurants are closed, and others are short staffed. Last night, my daughter and I wanted just drinks and some appetizers, and were able to get seated at a high top table in the bar of the restaurant where we had enjoyed our included meal the prior night —which was perfectly fine for us—but the hostess, not a server, took both our drink and food orders. The breakfast staff has been very efficient and quite friendly.
As is customary with Tauck, we have stayed in lovely hotels. However, except for The Royal Hawaiian, they are far away from everything, so there’s a lot of time spent on the bus. The hotels are in the best beach areas, so if you want to hang out on the beach or at a pool, that’s not a problem. I’m used to having more to see and do. Still, I’m glad I took this trip. Our Tour Director will be doing the remaining 3 tours this season. He divides his time between a home in Hilo and a home in Vermont. He normally does India and the Singapore and Bali tours, but has no idea when they will resume.
MCD, Thanks for all of your posts. They were so helpful. I hope you and your daughter enjoy your final hours in Hawaii and have safe travels back home.
Our hospitals in Hawaii are at capacity due to our surge in cases, higher then last year. Gov does not want to do a lockdown. He’s waiting to see in the next few weeks if the number of cases go down before he makes a decision. So very fluid here. Now we are on a voluntary Safer At Home. Someone mentioned the SafeTravels Health Questionnaire that is filled out 24 hrs before departure…, very easy to fill out. My husband and and I have lived/retired on Maui 25 yrs ago. We had to sign up on HI Safe Travels because in April we went to So CA,,,Orange County to visit son, and his family. We had another son fly out to see us mid July and they had no problems with it. They live in Naples, FL. Both vaccinated; our 10 yr old granddaughter had to have test. We had to cancel our Tauck, Japan Trip last May; rebooked it May 2022. We have a trip planned in Nov 2021, Israel, Egypt and River Cruise on Nile, and Jordan, Petra, Ammon. We hope it goes, it is with Viking. Never been with Viking only Tauck River Cruise and land trips. Tauck did not have what we wanted. Viking was able to schedule pre and post trips and it was seamless. Viking had us send in our VISA applications that we needed for Egypt and Jordan. So hopefully, it will be a go. If you do choose to come to Maui, be patient, summer crowd has diminished, however, seating in restaurants is 50% and wait staff, cooks hard to find. I never remember in the 25 yrs we have lived here seeing so many help wanted sign in stores and restaurants. A few of the restaurants that we enjoy for our birthdays and 55th anniversary, we were not able to book. So we got creative and it was fun.
RickS
September 1
Oops. One of the symbols used in the Hawaiian alphabet is an okina, printed as a left single quotation. Apparently the Tauck forum doesn't like it, since it did weird things to the formatting in my previous post. Sorry about that.
Rick, if you click on the little gear icon in the upper right of your post with the strange font, you can edit the post and delete the offending symbol.
Thanks to all for the comments on the Hawaii tour. We are looking forward to this tour in early February with the hope that some restrictions might be relaxed by then. We’ll see …
AlanS--thanks for the tip. Now maybe you can help me understand why flags show up when I'm using a PC, but not when I access the forum from an iPad. (For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what all the flag comments were about! Now I know, and I'm even acquiring some.)
RickS
3:19PM
AlanS--thanks for the tip. Now maybe you can help me understand why flags show up when I'm using a PC, but not when I access the forum from an iPad. (For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what all the flag comments were about! Now I know, and I'm even acquiring some.)
No problem.
I use a PC at home and an iPad when traveling. I access the forums on my iPad using Firefox for IOS. I see flags on both devices. However, I just checked using Safari on the iPad. I did not see flags, until I logged in. See if that works for you.
I discovered that you have to be logged in to your account to see any flags. If you just go to the forum site without logging in you won't see the flags.
MCD: I’m going on the late Jan. ‘22 trip & have found your tips to be fantastic. When I booked it almost a yr ago, thought Covid concerns would be abated. Ha! What kinda fool am I. Thanks for the heads-ups and for bringing my expectations down. Safe travels.
We are going on the 2/2/22 Best of Hawaii. I am learning to temper hopes with expectations—keep the expectations lower, but still have hope for the best. We booked the small group Road to Hana tour through Viator on our last day in Maui since our return flight isn’t until 11:30 pm. We’ll also be taking both helicopter tours. We are so looking forward to getting out of snowy, cold Chicago—only a few short weeks to go. Maybe (hopefully) by then Covid may be on the decline, but we’ll deal with whatever happens.
Comments
If your fish is over cooked, send it back!
I never do that,TravelGuy, My daughter’s shrimp was also over cooked — but I will say that the ribs appetizer was great. Had a lovely meal in Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt in Kauai tonight. Early to bed for bag pick up at 5:30 am tomorrow.
I’ve been to Hawaii twice. The first time we stayed in Kauai, it was probably ten days, we just loved it, toured around, took the helicopter ride, Took a catamaran sailboat on a coastal tour etc etc. loved it. I’m surprised Tauck spends only a day there. I didn’t care for Honolulu but did enjoy our tour of Pearl Harbor and other sites .Why oh why the need to have early starts on a tour like this!
I thought this was funny, and since it's Hawaii-related:
https://gizmodo.com/woman-arrested-trying-to-enter-hawaii-with-maderna-covi-1847596062
You can't fix stoopid. OK, kfn, flag me!
No offense, this is not funny. If she had been successful, she would have people at risk
Today’s tip: buy your souvenirs in Lahaina. Several of us bought souvenirs at the airport on the Big Island. I saw the same items and many more yesterday in the shops in Lahaina, where we had 2 1/2 hours to eat lunch (on our own) and stroll around. They were much cheaper because there was a lot of competition. I’m off on a previously-booked day trip along the Road to Hana. Tauck had not scheduled anything today except a cooking demonstration followed by lunch. The cooking demonstration was cancelled for lack of staff, but Tauck is still including lunch at the hotel — AND they gave each of us back $65 in cash because of the cancelled demonstration (which I was going to skip anyway).
Re stoopid, reminds me years ago an IRS refund check was stolen (prob. at USPS sorting facility) and endorsed with my name spelled wrong. We can't all be as clever as Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Catch Me If You Can).
British--first, thanks for your thoughtful posts on this forum. I don't post a lot, but I enjoy reading what others have to say. As for your your friend's children, I wouldn't be too worried about a vacation in Hawaii. If they are careful on the plane and wading through crowds at the airport and car rental facility, the rest of the trip will be a breeze. Literally: they will be spending most of their time outdoors. Many restaurants have outdoor dining. If they have reservations at a restaurant and the social distancing makes them uncomfortable, they can get takeout and dine on the beach. This is my experience from over 30 trips to Hawaii.
They should keep a close eye on their car reservation because there is a critical shortage of rental cars in Hawaii. I have heard of reservations not being honored, leaving travelers stranded at the airport. It might be a good idea to join the rental company's frequent traveler program (e.g. for Budget, it is their Fastbreak program) and make sure the reservation is linked to the program. That might help ensure that they get a car, and get through the line faster. BTW, my emoji photo is an iiwi, a forest bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Your friends could see one if they are on the Big Island or Maui and visit high elevations. Happy to provide any other island advice!
Oops. One of the symbols used in the Hawaiian alphabet is an okina, printed as a left single quotation. Apparently the Tauck forum doesn't like it, since it did weird things to the formatting in my previous post. Sorry about that.
Thank you Rick for all the kind advice. I’ll pass it on, if I survive this hurricane 🤪
The Road to Hana trip was wonderful! I had booked it on Trip Advisor a while ago. There are multiple “Road to Hana” tours. This one was a small group tour, advertised as 6-8 passengers, and was operated by Mahalo Tours. They adhere to that capacity limit. A few days prior to the tour, I called them to inquire whether there was room on the tour for one of my fellow Tauck travelers, and was told that the tour was full — and it was, with 7 members of a very friendly family joining me. Our driver/guide was named Jamie. She is part Hawaiian and was raised on Maui. She was really good. She works Sun., Wed., and Thurs., but sometimes fills in for others. If you decide to do that tour on a free day, I hope you get her.
We had our final outing this morning —a trip up Haleakala to see the massive crater. Tonight we’ll have our farewell dinner, which will be a luau here at the hotel.
The Fairmont Kea Lani is another beautiful hotel, but it seems huge to me. One of the beach workers told my daughter that they’re only at 40% capacity. Several of the restaurants are closed, and others are short staffed. Last night, my daughter and I wanted just drinks and some appetizers, and were able to get seated at a high top table in the bar of the restaurant where we had enjoyed our included meal the prior night —which was perfectly fine for us—but the hostess, not a server, took both our drink and food orders. The breakfast staff has been very efficient and quite friendly.
As is customary with Tauck, we have stayed in lovely hotels. However, except for The Royal Hawaiian, they are far away from everything, so there’s a lot of time spent on the bus. The hotels are in the best beach areas, so if you want to hang out on the beach or at a pool, that’s not a problem. I’m used to having more to see and do. Still, I’m glad I took this trip. Our Tour Director will be doing the remaining 3 tours this season. He divides his time between a home in Hilo and a home in Vermont. He normally does India and the Singapore and Bali tours, but has no idea when they will resume.
MCD,
I have enjoyed reading your trip experiences. Thank you for sharing. Safe travels home!
MCD, Thanks for all of your posts. They were so helpful. I hope you and your daughter enjoy your final hours in Hawaii and have safe travels back home.
Yes, thank you MCD! 😀
Our hospitals in Hawaii are at capacity due to our surge in cases, higher then last year. Gov does not want to do a lockdown. He’s waiting to see in the next few weeks if the number of cases go down before he makes a decision. So very fluid here. Now we are on a voluntary Safer At Home. Someone mentioned the SafeTravels Health Questionnaire that is filled out 24 hrs before departure…, very easy to fill out. My husband and and I have lived/retired on Maui 25 yrs ago. We had to sign up on HI Safe Travels because in April we went to So CA,,,Orange County to visit son, and his family. We had another son fly out to see us mid July and they had no problems with it. They live in Naples, FL. Both vaccinated; our 10 yr old granddaughter had to have test. We had to cancel our Tauck, Japan Trip last May; rebooked it May 2022. We have a trip planned in Nov 2021, Israel, Egypt and River Cruise on Nile, and Jordan, Petra, Ammon. We hope it goes, it is with Viking. Never been with Viking only Tauck River Cruise and land trips. Tauck did not have what we wanted. Viking was able to schedule pre and post trips and it was seamless. Viking had us send in our VISA applications that we needed for Egypt and Jordan. So hopefully, it will be a go. If you do choose to come to Maui, be patient, summer crowd has diminished, however, seating in restaurants is 50% and wait staff, cooks hard to find. I never remember in the 25 yrs we have lived here seeing so many help wanted sign in stores and restaurants. A few of the restaurants that we enjoy for our birthdays and 55th anniversary, we were not able to book. So we got creative and it was fun.
Rick, if you click on the little gear icon in the upper right of your post with the strange font, you can edit the post and delete the offending symbol.
Thanks to all for the comments on the Hawaii tour. We are looking forward to this tour in early February with the hope that some restrictions might be relaxed by then. We’ll see …
AlanS--thanks for the tip. Now maybe you can help me understand why flags show up when I'm using a PC, but not when I access the forum from an iPad. (For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what all the flag comments were about! Now I know, and I'm even acquiring some.)
No problem.
I use a PC at home and an iPad when traveling. I access the forums on my iPad using Firefox for IOS. I see flags on both devices. However, I just checked using Safari on the iPad. I did not see flags, until I logged in. See if that works for you.
I discovered that you have to be logged in to your account to see any flags. If you just go to the forum site without logging in you won't see the flags.
MCD: I’m going on the late Jan. ‘22 trip & have found your tips to be fantastic. When I booked it almost a yr ago, thought Covid concerns would be abated. Ha! What kinda fool am I. Thanks for the heads-ups and for bringing my expectations down. Safe travels.
You're very welcome, JVFRANCESCA. I hope that you are able to have an enjoyable trip. Let us know how it goes!
We are going on the 2/2/22 Best of Hawaii. I am learning to temper hopes with expectations—keep the expectations lower, but still have hope for the best. We booked the small group Road to Hana tour through Viator on our last day in Maui since our return flight isn’t until 11:30 pm. We’ll also be taking both helicopter tours. We are so looking forward to getting out of snowy, cold Chicago—only a few short weeks to go. Maybe (hopefully) by then Covid may be on the decline, but we’ll deal with whatever happens.