I have 2 HAL Hawaii Excursion questions, please..

[jeda]

Hi :)

I am sailing with my sister and parents, Dad will be in a wheelchair, on the Zaandam 4/22 to Hawaii. Has anyone taken the Fern Grotto tour that can tell me whether we would be able to take my Dad on this tour? I know there is a riverboat part, my concern is the "uneven" path to the grotto. Would I be able to push a chair on that walk? Dad will be able, with assistance, get in to the riverboat. He can walk a little bit and do some stairs with help.

My next question is the whale watching tour in Lahaina, what are the chances of seeing whales in May? I fear we will be little too late in the season??

 

Thanks so much for your help, greatly appreciated.

 

Jess

[CC Help Michell]

Hi :)

I am sailing with my sister and parents, Dad will be in a wheelchair, on the Zaandam 4/22 to Hawaii. Has anyone taken the Fern Grotto tour that can tell me whether we would be able to take my Dad on this tour? I know there is a riverboat part, my concern is the "uneven" path to the grotto. Would I be able to push a chair on that walk? Dad will be able, with assistance, get in to the riverboat. He can walk a little bit and do some stairs with help.

My next question is the whale watching tour in Lahaina, what are the chances of seeing whales in May? I fear we will be little too late in the season??

 

Thanks so much for your help, greatly appreciated.

 

Jess

 

You should be able to manage your dad's wheelchair on a trip to Fern Grotto. They have done a lot of work to try to make that path smooth and accessible. I'll attach a thumbnail or two below of the pathway, since I took a few -- it's a beautiful walk with some very nice plantings. I'll also add one of the platform from which you can view the grotto and where the entertainers sing the Hawaiian Wedding Song. To my recollection (and per my photos) the path is all pretty smooth, or with fairly fresh/new decking.

 

On your other question, does HAL even offer whalewatching at Lahaina in May? That sounds extremely late, since by then the humpbacks are usually in Alaska (and HAL is selling whale watches there to see them, too!)

[jeda]

Michell, Thanks so very much for your reply. I will book the Fern Grotto, it will be a surprise for my Mom and Dad. I read of the whale watching tour in the shore excursion guide, which must be generic. When I checked on line at HAL for our cruise that tour is NOT listed. Thanks for that too as I did have my doubts about whales in May.

 

The pictures were great. I don't think there would be any problem pushing a chair. I feel much more confident now, booking the tour.

 

Thanks again!

 

Jess

[CC Help Michell]

Michell, Thanks so very much for your reply. I will book the Fern Grotto, it will be a surprise for my Mom and Dad. I read of the whale watching tour in the shore excursion guide, which must be generic. When I checked on line at HAL for our cruise that tour is NOT listed. Thanks for that too as I did have my doubts about whales in May.

 

The pictures were great. I don't think there would be any problem pushing a chair. I feel much more confident now, booking the tour.

 

Thanks again!

 

Jess

 

Glad to help, Jess! I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip to Hawaii. :)

[jeda]

Thanks Michell :)

[beachchick]

When it comes to whales, there are usually a few stragglers in May. However, almost all of them will have hit the ocean and headed up to Alaska by then. Some of the companies do offer whale watching tours up to mid May, but usually won't guarantee sightings at that point. You might see a few that late in the year; as opposed to say February or March, when you can't swing a dead squid without hitting a pod of whales (so to speak).

 

beachchick

[jeda]

Thanks for the reply beachchick, we had pretty much decided that we won't see any whales... I have been once to Alaska, this will be twice now to Hawaii and have never seen a whale:( I know it is the wrong times of the year that we have cruised (for seeing whales) but unfortunately other factors play into picking the dates.. That's okay one day I WILL see the whales:D

 

Michell I booked the Fern Grotto and the tickets will be in Mom and Dad's cabin when we board. They will be so surprised and excited (I hope). ;)

 

Thanks again

Jess

[beachchick]

jeda: I'm sorry I didn't pay enough attention last night to notice that your cruise is 4/22. The end of April will almost certainly be somewhat better than May. However, by the beginning of April, the migration to Alaska will be well under way. Late April, you would probably see a few whales, but my main point remains that it won't be anything like January through March.

 

You never know, you might just luck out and see whales when you're on Maui. If there are many whales still hanging around, you might even decide to book a last minute whale watching excursion...Stranger things have happened. I wish you good luck on your whale quest!

 

beachchick

[jeda]

Thanks beachchick, My fingers and toes are all crossed! :p

 

Jess