We booked the 9am tour out of Lahaina on February 15, 2022. When boarding started, they had passengers stop to take a photo in front of a life-preserver ring with the organization name on it, which we did not want to do, so we politely declined. An employee (didn't get his name but I'd estimate he's in his early 30s, and he had shoulder length dark brown hair that was bleached on the ends and had a thick brown beard) told us the photos "help" them (he did not explain how they help) and when we continued to politely decline the photo request as it is not a requirement per the waiver you must sign prior to departure, he threatened to send us to the back of the line, told another employee we were being difficult, and when I tried to explain it was for privacy reasons, he was very dismissive of me and said "it has nothing to do with privacy" even though for us, it had everything to do with it. We ultimately boarded without taking the photo, and although his treatment of us at the beginning left us all a bit shaken, we ended up having a lovely time seeing dozens of whales and learning so much about them from Dana and Captain Bobby. I would suggest if taking photos before boarding is a company requirement, then Pacific Whale Foundation should say that on their waiver so guests can choose another company that doesn't require it. And if it isn't actually required, then passengers should be allowed to decline the offer without it being an issue. It was a shock to be treated that way right before an excursion that should only be fun and exciting, but my hope is this is just one bad employee and not a reflection of the organization as a whole.
Ответ от хоста
Mar 2022
Aloha and thank you so much for coming out with us to see the amazing humpback whales. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your unsatisfactory boarding experience and offer our sincere apologies for such treatment. Although the photo op does assist with us maintaining distance between passengers and provide a more orderly boarding process, it is certainly not mandatory by any means.
It is sometimes through such direct customer feedback that we learn of such issues and can correct the behavior, so we thank you very much for bringing it to our attention. We're thankful that although your experience started with such a negative interaction, you ended up enjoying the whale watching and learning about these amazing giants of the sea.
Mahalo!