gospelle Posted September 20, 2018 #1 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Here's the situation: Cruises going to Hawaii this fall (specifically mine, the Emerald Princess) had a bunch of Volcano Exploration excursions that visited, among other things, Volcanos National Park. Due to the eruption this summer most of the park was closed to the public with no timeline for re-opening in sight. I suspect Princess got tired of people calling them asking why they were selling excursions that were to visit places that were closed and so several weeks ago they removed all those excursions from the website. Well, wouldn't you know, the volcano abruptly and unexpectedly stopped erupting almost immediately after they removed the excursions. After much time without volcanic activity, and some repairs to facilities, a decent portion of Volcanos National Park will reopen to the public on Saturday (2 days from now). My ship departs in 2 weeks and arrives in Hilo in 3 weeks from now. How can the powers that be at Princess who are responsible for excursions be alerted to the reopening of the park and encouraged to reinstate the excursions? I mean, the volcano is THE attraction on the big island and the reason many people want to visit this port (myself included). Other questions.. Who are "the powers that be"? Is it done by someone on each individual ship or by some suit at head office? Do any of those folks frequent these boards and if so, does anyone know their Cruise Critic username? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted September 20, 2018 #2 Share Posted September 20, 2018 I am sure they are well aware of the park reopening. Now as far as reposting excursions your guess is as good as mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo222 Posted September 20, 2018 #3 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Well, wouldn't you know, the volcano abruptly and unexpectedly stopped erupting almost immediately after they removed the excursions. After much time without volcanic activity, and some repairs to facilities, a decent portion of Volcanos National Park will reopen to the public on Saturday (2 days from now). My ship departs in 2 weeks and arrives in Hilo in 3 weeks from now. , In general, Princess doesn't actually provide the excursion, they simply contract with a local vendor to provide it. With the current changes, I would think there are lots of local vendors looking for customers. Perhaps you could contact one of them, rather than hoping Princess will take action? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted September 20, 2018 #4 Share Posted September 20, 2018 They may still be dealing with the tour operators who may have had to change tour descriptions if not everything is available. Princess is very careful to accurately describe the tours and any changes to the descriptions have to be carefully checked. If they don't post before you sail, check with the excursions desk onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amtrack Springfield Posted September 20, 2018 #5 Share Posted September 20, 2018 We did a private tour with Rickey last year and it was out standing. I would contact him and see what tours he is offering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted September 20, 2018 #6 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Pretty sure the tour suppliers are working out new itineraries and pricing. Best thing for you might be to to contact a private tour company. Roberts Hawaii is just one of many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potstech Posted September 20, 2018 #7 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Having spent time on the Big Island in May when the volcano was erupting and they close the park I can assure you there are many other things to see. Yes they are a big draw but we had a great land trip while there. Things happen beyond anyones control. Either adjust or be unhappy. Your choice. Enjoy your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted September 20, 2018 #8 Share Posted September 20, 2018 It takes time to find qualified drivers and guides. I would look for a private tour. If you can't find one in advance, there will likely be people selling tours at the pier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted September 20, 2018 #9 Share Posted September 20, 2018 I'm with those who suggest contacting private tour companies. Almost certainly less expensive and not a huge group. Another option is to rent a car and do it "on your own". We did the Princess excursion that goes to the visitor center and such. It was a major letdown. We've been to Yellowstone several times and have both Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta quite nearby. If we could have seen hot lava flowing that would have been great but we can't afford the air excursions and, besides, our son can't get out of his wheelchair and climb into a plane. (Actually he can get into some planes but requires a lot of assistance. Despite being a high-functioning quad he does go tandem sky diving. Jumping out of planes was really the only thing he enjoyed about the Army. :)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milldonkey Posted September 20, 2018 #10 Share Posted September 20, 2018 We had our Princess excursion to Volcano National Park and Tastes of Hawaii changed to Waterfalls and tastes of Hawaii. The cruise isn't until April 2019, but I had this excursion paid for. There was no notification from Princess when they made the change, I happened to see it in my account. I can fully understand them not going to the national park but they should at least let you know when they completely change the destination of an excursion that has been paid for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gospelle Posted September 20, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted September 20, 2018 So, lots of comments that I should look elsewhere or do something else. Totally get that advice, but really not at all answering my questions. I know some of you just love to post things, which is great, but I actually really just want to know if anyone ACTUALLY KNOWS who is responsible for making the decisions on what excursions are used, when they are cancelled, etc.. Assuming "I'm sure they are well aware of the opening" is really not my experience dealing with the real world. I find most organizations are filled with a few very knowledgeable people and a whole lot more people who are totally clueless. I'm trying to be proactive and I know that in amongst the thousands of cruise critic folks on these boards, there are a few very knowledgeable people as well who will know exactly who's in charge of this. They are the ones I'd really love to hear from. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gospelle Posted September 20, 2018 Author #12 Share Posted September 20, 2018 We had our Princess excursion to Volcano National Park and Tastes of Hawaii changed to Waterfalls and tastes of Hawaii. The cruise isn't until April 2019, but I had this excursion paid for. There was no notification from Princess when they made the change, I happened to see it in my account. I can fully understand them not going to the national park but they should at least let you know when they completely change the destination of an excursion that has been paid for. This at least lets me know it's not just my ship. Thanks. Sucks that they changed it without notifying you. That is aggravating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gospelle Posted September 20, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted September 20, 2018 They may still be dealing with the tour operators who may have had to change tour descriptions if not everything is available. Princess is very careful to accurately describe the tours and any changes to the descriptions have to be carefully checked. If they don't post before you sail, check with the excursions desk onboard. Certainly I'll check with the desk if not resolved by then. Looks like they have been changing people's reservations to different excursions without them knowing so I don't think accurate descriptions are all that important to them. In fact, for my cruise, there is one excursion you can book that has only a title. There is absolutely no description at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted September 21, 2018 #14 Share Posted September 21, 2018 a) Call the regular Princess 800 number. Ask the agent to ask thr tour department about this while you wait on the phone. b) Are you 100% sure that the ship will even call in Hilo? If no excursions are available or can be set up by Princess, they may decide to skip the port call, but not announce it until closer to embarkation date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haboob Posted September 21, 2018 #15 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park doesn't reöpen until tomorrow. https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/news/20180917_pr_reopening.htm I don't think that allows enough lead time for Princess' HVNP shore excursions on Emerald's Hawaiian sailing in 2 weeks, but likely enough time for her Dec 4 Hawaiian sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrobin Posted September 22, 2018 #16 Share Posted September 22, 2018 You might want to check out KapohoKine Adventures. They provide some of the Hilo Princess excursions as well as tours you can book directly. They've been actively updating their website, and starting tomorrow their tours will include VNP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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