Aloha from the Island of Maui
Posted by Gina Hoyt at 4/6/2008 12:19 PM and is filed under Land Vacations,Honeymoons,Destination Information 
Aloha from the incredible Island of Maui! We did make it! Inspite of airlines filing bankruptcy and closing thier doors. Monday morning, the day before our departure, Doug got up to read the newspaper and discovered that Aloha air had closed their doors. He asked me if they had any of our money...my response "Yes, why?" And he let me know what happened. I promptly jumped online and booked flights for us on Hawaiian Airlines for our inter-island flights. And I am glad I did! It was crazy at the airports...people not sure what they were going to do...waiting for a flight on stand-by.... My hat's go off to the employee's of Hawaiian airlines as they and continue to try and accommodate so many passengers.
We arrived in Maui on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. We are staying in Kahana at the Outrigger Royal Kahana. We have a 2 bedroom ocean front condo. While they are not the height of luxury, they are definitely home away from home. It has been very nice for us to have our own bedrooms, own bed, etc. The boys being 13 yr and 15 yr old...definalty need their own space. These accommodations are rated a 3 star and I believe that to be an accurate account.
Our bedroom has 1 king size bed and the second bedroom has 2 twin beds. Each bedroom has a full bathroom and there is a 3rd, half bath off the entry way. We have wrap around windows and a wrap around lanai. To be able to sit out in the morning, drink coffee, watch the sea turtles and whales has been an incredible experience.
On our second day here we were scheduled to snorkel Molokani crater and Turtle Town. The trade winds came in and we were unable to go to Molokani crater. So were went to a couple different locations. Our family decided we would pay the additional money ($47.00 per person) to snuba. This is a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. It was an incredible expereince. Both of my boys enjoyed it so much, they now want to get their scuba diving certification. So we will check into that when we get home. Here is a picture of DJ and I underwater...
Gina and DJ Gina, DJ and another guest
Snorkeling / Snuba-ing at Turtle Town
If you happen to get a chance to snuba, give it a try! It is awesome to see the coral upclose along with turtles and fish. If you would like assistance in booking any of your excursions or activities, please give us a call at 509-586-0271...one of our Travel Agents / Travel consultants would love to assist you.
And then to our disbelief another airline collapse while we were here...ATA. They gave no warning...passengers showed up for flights...and no one was there. At dinner on Thursday evening, we met some ATA stranded travelers. They purchased their package online with one of the "BIG" online agencies...and when they tried to call and get ahold of someone for assistance...they only got a recording. No one would answer the phone. With the recording, they were instructed that they would need to purchase a one-way ticket to get home. There wasn't a customer service representative to assist them. They spent $1600 on one way tickets to get home. According to reports here on the island, some 10,000 passengers are/where stranded here in the Hawaiian islands...and many more stateside.
Back home in the office, our travel consultants are getting many phone calls for assistance with travel arrangements. Many people who were booking online...realizing having someone in their corner to assist is well worth it. One more time, it is proving to be "Live, Professional Customer Service" that wins. A person on the other end of the phone to assist. Something, here at Travel Traditions, Inc., we pride ourselves on.
If you are on your way to the Hawaiian Island, have a great time! It is amazing! If you need some assistance in planning your vacation, give us a call...we would love to help you.
My family's next stop is Ohau. We will be there for 2 nights. I will take several pictures and post. They boys are looking forward to seeing Pearl Harbor and the Arizona. An important part of history that they can not miss.
Happy travels to you all! Gina
We arrived in Maui on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. We are staying in Kahana at the Outrigger Royal Kahana. We have a 2 bedroom ocean front condo. While they are not the height of luxury, they are definitely home away from home. It has been very nice for us to have our own bedrooms, own bed, etc. The boys being 13 yr and 15 yr old...definalty need their own space. These accommodations are rated a 3 star and I believe that to be an accurate account.
Our bedroom has 1 king size bed and the second bedroom has 2 twin beds. Each bedroom has a full bathroom and there is a 3rd, half bath off the entry way. We have wrap around windows and a wrap around lanai. To be able to sit out in the morning, drink coffee, watch the sea turtles and whales has been an incredible experience.
On our second day here we were scheduled to snorkel Molokani crater and Turtle Town. The trade winds came in and we were unable to go to Molokani crater. So were went to a couple different locations. Our family decided we would pay the additional money ($47.00 per person) to snuba. This is a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. It was an incredible expereince. Both of my boys enjoyed it so much, they now want to get their scuba diving certification. So we will check into that when we get home. Here is a picture of DJ and I underwater...
Gina and DJ Gina, DJ and another guest
Snorkeling / Snuba-ing at Turtle Town
If you happen to get a chance to snuba, give it a try! It is awesome to see the coral upclose along with turtles and fish. If you would like assistance in booking any of your excursions or activities, please give us a call at 509-586-0271...one of our Travel Agents / Travel consultants would love to assist you.
And then to our disbelief another airline collapse while we were here...ATA. They gave no warning...passengers showed up for flights...and no one was there. At dinner on Thursday evening, we met some ATA stranded travelers. They purchased their package online with one of the "BIG" online agencies...and when they tried to call and get ahold of someone for assistance...they only got a recording. No one would answer the phone. With the recording, they were instructed that they would need to purchase a one-way ticket to get home. There wasn't a customer service representative to assist them. They spent $1600 on one way tickets to get home. According to reports here on the island, some 10,000 passengers are/where stranded here in the Hawaiian islands...and many more stateside.
Back home in the office, our travel consultants are getting many phone calls for assistance with travel arrangements. Many people who were booking online...realizing having someone in their corner to assist is well worth it. One more time, it is proving to be "Live, Professional Customer Service" that wins. A person on the other end of the phone to assist. Something, here at Travel Traditions, Inc., we pride ourselves on.
If you are on your way to the Hawaiian Island, have a great time! It is amazing! If you need some assistance in planning your vacation, give us a call...we would love to help you.
My family's next stop is Ohau. We will be there for 2 nights. I will take several pictures and post. They boys are looking forward to seeing Pearl Harbor and the Arizona. An important part of history that they can not miss.
Happy travels to you all! Gina
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