Options
Excursions
I cannot find optional excursions for this trip on the website. I’m booked and ready to go and despite the home page for my trip stating that you can find and book excursions they are no where to be found. Any suggestion’s
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Look in the itinerary. On Day 5, on the Big Island, you can take an optional 2 hour "helicopter excursion" available at additional cost or do other activities at the hotel, some at additional cost. On Day 8, on Kauai, you can take an optional 45-55 min helo flightseeing adventure (also at additional cost). I see no mention of other free excursions such as those you'll find on other tours.
As to when you must sign up for these options I can't say, but probably not until you are on tour a day or two prior to the activity.
Alan has it correct - just the 2 heli rides for "official" excursions. I did the big island one (booked it at the time of the tour, but you can book while on tour). Pricey, but fabulous.
As for other free time activities, several of us posted reviews within the last 6 months. Look at some of the recent threads in this category.
That was a very good tour. Judy and I both felt it exceeded our expectations. You will stay is some very impressive hotels.
https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2020-1Hawaii-01.htm
We are taking this tour in January (we were supposed to go last January, but my husband got Covid). The Kauai heli tour is included and is no longer an “extra” as of 2023. Also, for anyone planning to hike Diamond Head on your free time, you now need to make a reservation to get into Diamond Head Park.
Just yesterday I received an e-mail from Tauck notifying us to go to My Account and sign up for our excursions (different tour). Given BKMD's recent experience, perhaps the website sign-up is only for those tours with many excursion choices. Regardless, It is nice to have our choices memorialized within our My Account--everything now in one place. This is a nice enhancement!
Bud, the optional excursion choices for our upcoming tour are in a pdf to download from our account. I logged on, went to that tour and there was a list of IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS that had 2 page excursion descriptions
and other documents like biking waiver form, insurance, etc.
Claudia, thanks. I looked there, no luck. I'll look again. The PDF download had all the other information , including packing suggestions, the detailed itinerary, etc. But no list of excursions. It just mentions a couple in the details itinerary (both helicopter rides). The narrative refers to "other" excursions but they are no where to be found.
When Tauck started offering optional excursions on tours, it made it seem that you MUST choose them before you go, but in reality it does not appear to be that way. The first time we encounter choices, some people knew nothing about choices or had not received the email about it. Others had chosen and then changed their mind. We wanted to know if we could do both when there was time and were willing to pay extra, but they said that was not allowed.
You can try calling Tauck or just wait and see.
British - In addition to your description of choices there is another case, that happened to us on our Iceland tour, that is the choices changed upon arrival in Iceland.
We had pre-selected our excursion choices but when we arrived they said there had been some changes and therefore wanted us to re-select the excursion choices. This turned out to be a very good thing because on one of the days, during the pre-selection period, there were two choices that we really wanted to do, but couldn't because they conflicted with each other. Upon arrival one of the changes was that they had an option that combined both of the options that we wanted to do into one option. We were pleased.
So just like there can be last minute itinerary changes, the same applies to excursion choices.
Bud, I went back and read the detailed itinerary on the website and don't see anything that says "find and book excursions" though you likely have communications from Tauck not seen on the website. I do see a mention of optional activities on day 5 which I would think meant I need to review the hotels website and see what they offer. The optional helo tour on day 8 does clearly state it costs extra but can't find anything about price. For that at least I think you're going to have to call Tauck.
Best of luck.
For 2022 Hawaii, here are prices. Follow instructions to click on any date:
Kauai – Rainforests & Mountains (45-55 minute adventure) – $275 per person
Enjoy an amazing helicopter adventure into a world of lush tropical rainforests, jagged mountains, sea cliffs, beaches and craters. Music and narration combine as you view the best of the island, including spectacular Waimea Canyon and views of the Na Pali Cliffs.
Big Island of Hawaii – Volcanoes & Valleys (2-hour adventure) – $525 per person
Witness the fiery lava vents of Kilauea, the island's active volcano, and soar over the hidden tropical valleys of the Kohala Mountains and the beautiful rainforests of the Hamakua Coast. The island boasts 11 out of Earth's 13 climate zones – this excursion is an adventure you don't want to miss!
Bud L,
If your trip is fairly soon, you should have received an e-mail from Tauck asking you to select your excursions and/or to go to your My Account page and select them there. See my note of yesterday. Good luck.
I selected our excursions (different trip) the other day through My Account and the very next day received confirmation of those excursion choices. I then checked My Account and they were there. As mentioned, this is a very nice enhancement.
Thanks for all the comments. Claudia, thanks for your extra effort. on the “Overview” page for my reservation it specifically states that you can “add excursion choices” from this page. However, I reached out to Tauck and they confirmed that you cannot as the only options are the two helicopter rides that you need to call Tauck to reserve.
Heading to Hawaii tomorrow!!!!!!!!
Best of luck Bud.