4/5 Tom D. 1 year ago on Google
Our
Haleakala
Sunset
Tour
on
Maui
was
booked
through
Project
Expedition
although
the
actual
tour
operator
was
Polynesian
Adventure.
The
tour
itself
ended
up
fine
and
sunset
was
beautiful
but
the
experience
as
a
whole
had
a
few
glitches
and
left
a
bit
to
be
desired.
The
confusion
started
in
the
time
leading
up
to
our
tour.
At
the
time
the
tour
was
booked
(August
2021)
the
itinerary
was
advertised,
on
both
the
Project
Expedition
and
Polynesian
Adventures
websites,
as
including
a
stop
at
the
Kula
Lodge
Marketplace
on
the
ascent
and
dinner
at
Cafe
O’
Lei
at
the
Dunes
after
sunset
and
descent.
We
double
checked
our
confirmation
and
the
websites
in
the
weeks
leading
up
to
our
tour
(February
2022)
and
both
stops
were
still
listed.
I
checked
in
directly
with
Project
Expedition
the
week
before
our
tour
and
was
finally
told
that
those
stops
had
been
removed
from
2022
itineraries,
evidently
due
to
staffing
shortages
at
the
restaurant
and
the
marketplace.
So
while
my
wife
and
I
were
aware
that
dinner
would
not
be
provided,
many
of
the
participants
on
our
tour
were
not.
Unfortunately
the
websites
are
still
unclear,
even
in
April
2022.
When
we
were
picked
up
at
our
hotel,
the
driver
didn’t
say
a
word
to
us,
other
than
to
let
us
know
that
we
needed
to
wear
masks
on
the
bus.
We
proceeded
to
pick
up
guests
from
two
other
nearby
hotels,
and
the
driver
still
didn’t
say
anything.
We
assumed
she
was
our
guide
and
thought
it
strange
that
she
wasn’t
chatting
us
up
about
our
tour.
We
finally
stopped
at
a
Safeway
grocery
store
near
the
airport,
which
our
driver
told
us
was
a
bathroom
stop,
and
that
if
we
wanted
snacks
they
could
be
purchased
there.
It
wasn’t
until
we
returned
from
the
store
that
we
found
out
another
bus
had
arrived
with
passengers
from
other
hotels,
along
with
the
bus
which
would
be
our
actual
tour
bus.
As
we
were
being
loaded
on
to
the
tour
bus
we
were
informed
that
whatever
we
bought
at
the
Safeway
would
be
our
dinner.
Many
passengers
had
not
realized
this
and
went
back
into
the
Safeway
to
buy
food,
while
three
others
got
off
the
bus
right
then
and
announced
that
they
were
not
going
to
go.
Once
we
got
on
the
actual
tour
bus,
Mitch
our
driver
was
fantastic.
He
narrated
the
journey
to
the
summit,
stopping
at
a
visitor
center
for
a
bathroom
break
and
photos,
then
explained
to
us
what
would
happen
at
the
top.
The
sunset
itself
was
beautiful
and
memorable.
In
hindsight,
I
would
have
driven
it
myself
to
save
on
the
confusion,
give
us
more
time
at
the
summit
and
allow
us
to
hang
around
to
see
the
stars.
As
a
tour,
however,
the
“Mitch”
part
of
the
tour
was
great.
The
discrepancies
in
the
tour
description
and
the
confusion
it
caused
was
unfortunate.
We
knew
what
to
expect,
which
is
why
I
am
rating
the
tour
four
stars.
Not
everyone
had
that
same
experience!
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