hello,
i am an indian lady aged 40 and am planning to book this tour, are you also planning?
let me know my e mail is vibhaj98@yahoo.com
thanks
vibha jain
Hi Vibhaj,
I have my plans on taking this trip with Tauck Tours next year in 2012 will be my first time with them now.
I have already taken four trips to Hawaii in the past years from 1979 -2003 was my last one.
Donald
I am planning to take the Best Of Hawaii tour in 2013. I would like to hear about the tour from those who have already been on it.
If you have never been to the islands or cannot decide which island to spend all (or
most of) your time this is the tour to take. It gives you a good overview of the best of that island--and they are all a little bit different. If you like chicken, between the airlines and the Tauck dinners you will exceed your wildest expectations. Our favorite was the "Culinary Luncheon" where you made your own Sushi (no seafood or fish for my wife and she loved it anyway), the sauce for the pan-seared Mahi-Mahi, and the carmel topping for the Granny apple tart desert where some of the teams got it right and others did not. I did not think I would enjoy that, but it turned out to be great fun.
Another luncheon on Kauai gave "Hawaiian Time" a whole new meaning--it took over three hours to feed 46 people. It was the source of light humor for the rest of the trip. It was a most congenial group--no fist fights or shouting matches the entire trip. Ages ranged from teenagers to one lady celebrating her 89th birthday and a very active retired surgeon at 88.
In summary, the Tour Director was excellent, had a good grasp of Hawaiian culture, had airtravel through the island airports down to a "fine science", and attended to individual needs in a most professional, courteous, and cheerful manner. It was a great tour nothwithstanding all the chicken and an occasional bad burger we were served. We could have used more time on each island to "hang loose" but for others it was probably just right.
I would highly recommend this to anyone considering a quick overview of the islands to see their differences. If they are looking for more "on-the-beach" time selecting one island would probably be more suitable.
We feel like real "Taucktourians" now. It was our second and both were outstanding.
Thanks for this information, Steve. I'm considering this trip for 2013, too. It's really good to have feedback from a recent traveller. And it's good for us big-city-folk to know what "Hawaiian Time" is! Glad you enjoyed the trip.
Hi Steve, So nice to get your take on the Hawaii tour for I am considering this for spring 2013. I am a single traveler and have done two Tauck tours and loved both. I guess my one concern is that everyone on the tour will be celebrating an anniversary which for me would be a bummer. Have always been on tours that have a mixed group of people. Hawaii is so special and I am sure some will be celebrating but hopefully not everyone. Thanks for all the info.
I'd like to ask anyone who's taken these trips how you do wash on a 20 day trip (Australia and NZ) plus can anyone recommend luggage? We need to shop for some lightweight luggage.....K & Rod
kaybeane@gmail.com
I guess my one concern is that everyone on the tour will be celebrating an anniversary which for me would be a bummer.
I travel solo, too, but I'd never thought to factor in other people's anniversaries! I hadn't realised that that is why people would visit the islands. I can see your point, flatlands, if there is a constant party raging and the whole group totally ignores the solo travellers. That would be a pretty poor show. I guess it boils down to why you decided to go in the first place ... to visit and learn about the culture and natural beauty of the islands or to just party. I have to say that I'd still go. I want to see and experience the islands. If needs be, I can have my own party. Woo hoo!!! Let the others think what a bummer that is! Don't let those other parties dissuade you. How do you know everyone at them really wants to be there!;)
I'd like to ask anyone who's taken these trips how you do wash on a 20 day trip (Australia and NZ) plus can anyone recommend luggage? We need to shop for some lightweight luggage.....K & Rod
kaybeane@gmail.com
Are you travelling to Australia and New Zealand, Kay? This has probably been added to the wrong thread here on the Forum. I don't know if one of the Tauck people can move it over ...
In the meantime, I'll take a stab at answering your question about washing, since I regularly travel for longer than 20 days at a time. I assume you mean your clothes, not just you! )) I take clothes I can wash as I go, mostly cotton shirts and very light weight pure woollens. I can wash and either drip dry (cotton) or screw up in a towel (the light wool) and generally speaking they are dry the next morning ... or at least dry enough to go into the top of the suitcase for an onward journey. I use the hotel supplied shampoo since I figure if it's good enough for my hair (and Tauck always stay at very decent hotels) it's good enough for my clothes, even the woollens. I take inflatable coat hangers (available where ever you buy travel gadgets) the are wide enough to spread the fabric and hasten drying. Hairdryers can also come in handy to easy out some residual dampness! I also have some clever plastic pegs with one "peg" side that is longer and turns into a handy dandy hook .... so you can peg and hook your socks and knickers over the shower rail. The hotels usually have an iron & ironing board in the room or on request for when there's time to flatten out a shirt or two. Some hotels have self-serve laundries, but I must confess that this in not a general feature of Australian hotels. Hotels do have laundry services. The first thing I do do when I eventually get home is really do my laundry. Some travel scares just won't fade till they get back to familiar surroundings!
As for luggage.... Samsonite have some sturdy, light-weight models. One tip I have is that although cases with 4 wheels are easier to guide and glide by your side, because they open from the centre it's a real pain to find the space to open them in hotel rooms since you can't open them successfully from a luggage rack.
Comments
i am an indian lady aged 40 and am planning to book this tour, are you also planning?
let me know my e mail is vibhaj98@yahoo.com
thanks
vibha jain
I have my plans on taking this trip with Tauck Tours next year in 2012 will be my first time with them now.
I have already taken four trips to Hawaii in the past years from 1979 -2003 was my last one.
Donald
most of) your time this is the tour to take. It gives you a good overview of the best of that island--and they are all a little bit different. If you like chicken, between the airlines and the Tauck dinners you will exceed your wildest expectations. Our favorite was the "Culinary Luncheon" where you made your own Sushi (no seafood or fish for my wife and she loved it anyway), the sauce for the pan-seared Mahi-Mahi, and the carmel topping for the Granny apple tart desert where some of the teams got it right and others did not. I did not think I would enjoy that, but it turned out to be great fun.
Another luncheon on Kauai gave "Hawaiian Time" a whole new meaning--it took over three hours to feed 46 people. It was the source of light humor for the rest of the trip. It was a most congenial group--no fist fights or shouting matches the entire trip. Ages ranged from teenagers to one lady celebrating her 89th birthday and a very active retired surgeon at 88.
In summary, the Tour Director was excellent, had a good grasp of Hawaiian culture, had airtravel through the island airports down to a "fine science", and attended to individual needs in a most professional, courteous, and cheerful manner. It was a great tour nothwithstanding all the chicken and an occasional bad burger we were served. We could have used more time on each island to "hang loose" but for others it was probably just right.
I would highly recommend this to anyone considering a quick overview of the islands to see their differences. If they are looking for more "on-the-beach" time selecting one island would probably be more suitable.
We feel like real "Taucktourians" now. It was our second and both were outstanding.
Steve and Phyllis Douglas
Cheers,
Jan
kaybeane@gmail.com
I travel solo, too, but I'd never thought to factor in other people's anniversaries! I hadn't realised that that is why people would visit the islands. I can see your point, flatlands, if there is a constant party raging and the whole group totally ignores the solo travellers. That would be a pretty poor show. I guess it boils down to why you decided to go in the first place ... to visit and learn about the culture and natural beauty of the islands or to just party. I have to say that I'd still go. I want to see and experience the islands. If needs be, I can have my own party. Woo hoo!!! Let the others think what a bummer that is! Don't let those other parties dissuade you. How do you know everyone at them really wants to be there!;)
Cheers,
Jan
Are you travelling to Australia and New Zealand, Kay? This has probably been added to the wrong thread here on the Forum. I don't know if one of the Tauck people can move it over ...
In the meantime, I'll take a stab at answering your question about washing, since I regularly travel for longer than 20 days at a time. I assume you mean your clothes, not just you!
As for luggage.... Samsonite have some sturdy, light-weight models. One tip I have is that although cases with 4 wheels are easier to guide and glide by your side, because they open from the centre it's a real pain to find the space to open them in hotel rooms since you can't open them successfully from a luggage rack.
Cheers,
Jan