The crew is friendly and that is why I gave them 2 stars instead of 1. We did not go to the Molokini Crater or Turtle town. We did not find this out until we were on the boat and there is no option to get a refund at this point. I took my family of 5 and the cost was over 1,100 dollars. We booked this 6 months in advance and the charter advertises the Molokini Crater and Turtle town. I can appreciate that sometimes weather doesn't permit but when the customer is purchasing a certain product there is an expectation that exists. The boat took us to one place to snorkel and it was a spot that my family and I could have accessed from the shoreline by driving. Again, my issue is not that the captain made the decision because of the weather my issue is that the plans change and there is no possible way to get a refund. 1,100 dollars is a lot to spend on a snorkeling experience that I could have had by just driving to a beach. My assumption is that I would have had the same issue with any other charter company.
Réponse de l'hôte
Jul 2022
Aloha,
Your safety is our number one priority, and on the days when it is unsafe to take you to Molokini Crater and, or Turtle Town, we do make an announcement at the harbor before getting underway to provide our guests with the opportunity to reschedule to another day or cancel with a refund. If you booked directly with us, we process a refund that same day. If you book through Viator, they too have a very understanding refund policy. There are a number of other activity companies who sell our tours, with varying refund policies. We usually know the prevailing weather conditions and day's plan before leaving the harbor to our snorkel locations, except for days when the conditions change rapidly, which fortunately is seldom. On this day like most others, we did know that Coral Gardens was the only cove offering shelter from the strong trade winds, and that is why we announced it before getting underway. Some of our guests as you may have noticed, opted out and either rescheduled for another day, or were refunded. Though Coral Gardens is close to shore, there are steep tall cliffs from the shoreline to the road above, and only the most skilled climbers would brave the trek down the cliffs and climb over the rocky shore below, to snorkel here. To say that you could have accessed this beautiful snorkel location without a boat is a stretch, at best. We understand you had your heart set on snorkeling at Molokini Crater and Turtle Town, which is why we let folks know before leaving the harbor that you can cancel with a refund, or reschedule to another day, when the conditions are unsafe elsewhere. If you choose to stay aboard and go where it is safe to snorkel, with professionals who know where to go, at a location with lots of colorful coral and fish to view, in a safe and sheltered cove, enjoy breakfast and a freshly prepared BBQ lunch, with open bar after snorkeling, along with all the amenities onboard, like warm showers, rest rooms, water slide for the kids, easy and safe entry and exit points, on-duty lifeguards and an expert crew looking out for you, while providing an exceptional level of customer service, it is a bit unfair to request a full refund. You are correct, the other operators would feel the same way.