Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, sightseeing, admissions, porterage, and the services of the Tauck Director, local guides and drivers are included. A representative of Tauck will meet you at Honolulu Airport on the island of Oahu and provide transportation to The Royal Hawaiian hotel, regardless of the day and time of your arrival, provided you have furnished us with accurate flight arrival information at least two weeks prior to your departure date. At the end of the tour, you will be provided with transportation from The Fairmont Orchid on the island of Hawaii to the KaIlua-Kona International Airport.

Hotel Accommodations - The tour price includes all hotel acommodations with private baths. Most reserved rooms accommodate two guests in two separate beds. Triple accommodations are generally two-bedded rooms with a rollaway cot and are not recommended for comfort.

Meals – Most meals are included as specified in the itinerary.

Tauck Director – Best of Hawaii is conducted by a Tauck Director who will remain with the group throughout the tour. Your Tauck Director is a professional, fully trained employee of Tauck.

Gratuities Included – All customary gratuities for the hotel and restaurant staff, and local guides and drivers are included.

No Options Sold – Your Tauck Director will assist you with information on free-time activities based on honest opinion and guidance, but will not sell you anything. This means better value and a more relaxed and pleasant experience for you.

 

Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be purchased from us for travel originating in the United States.

Hotel Rooms Before and After Tours – To avoid jet lag and possible flight delays, you may wish to make hotel arrangements for the nights preceding or following your tour. As a service, we will book additional nights for you on a space-available basis using special rates only available through us. Hotel room charges will be added to the tour cost. If you wish to spend additional nights, please consult the Extend This Journey section on this website and discuss it with the reservations agent when you book your tour.

Luggage Responsibility – Although every effort is made to handle your luggage carefully, we cannot be responsible, assume liability or accept claims for loss or damage to luggage and personal effects due to breakage, theft, or fair wear and tear through hotel, airline and group carrier handling. It is important for your own self-interest and protection that you make certain you have adequate insurance to cover these eventualities. Please refer to the Tauck Protection Plan for more information.

Personal Expenses - Phone calls, alcoholic and bar beverages not included with meals, laundry and dry cleaning, airline luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport and departure taxes, and other optional or incidental extras are not included and may be significant.

You will be personally responsible for payment of the fee for a second and each additional checked bag on all on-tour flights. Currently, for inter-island itineraries, there is a $17 USD fee charged by the airline each way for a second and for each additional checked bag. This fee is set by the Hawaiian Airlines and is subject to change without notice.

Tauck Director Gratuities – The customary gratuity to the Tauck Director is not included. We ask that gratuities be extended on a voluntary, individual basis and not as a group.  

 

Airline Security Measures –  

If you are traveling from the U.S., beginning in 2010, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Secure Flight program will require that your name, as it appears on your domestic or international airline ticket, precisely match your name as it appears on the government-issued photo ID (i.e., passport or driver’s license) that you present during security screening. The ID name must also match any additional airline data, such as frequent-flyer information. For example, if you present your driver's license to security and it says John T. Smith, your ticket must also say John T. Smith; not John Thomas Smith, not Jack Smith, or any other variant. Your date-of-birth and gender information provided to the airline must also match your photo ID.

If you make your air travel arrangements through Tauck, please ensure that the name you provide us precisely matches your name as shown on the identification you will use while traveling. If you make your own airline reservations, please ensure that the airline has the correct information.

For more information on the Secure Flight program, please visit the TSA web site, www.tsa.gov, by clicking here.

If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S, you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification is required for that particular airport.

Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocket knife, cigarette lighter, or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times.

Air Services – Airfare may be purchased through us for travel originating in the United States. By using our air services, you agree that we, in purchasing, selling or otherwise arranging air transportation, are acting only as your agent and are not liable or responsible for any accident, death, personal injury, illness, property damage, delay or other loss or expense of any nature whatsoever arising directly or indirectly out of any act of God, or any actions or omissions (including any failure to provide services) or default of, any carrier. All carriers are independent contractors and are not owned, managed, controlled or operated by us. Your airline ticket constitutes a contract between yourself and the airline only, even if purchased through us. We are not liable for, and do not assume responsibility or accept claims with regard to seat assignments, schedule changes, flight changes, cancellations, claims for a refund or reimbursement of airline ticket fees, or any other loss incurred by you for any reason whatsoever (including, without limitation to, bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar relief from creditors). We must handle ticketing for our special fares, which are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed until reserved. Special fares cannot be combined with any other promotional offer. Our air services can only be purchased in conjunction with a Tauck tour. Tickets or e-ticket numbers will be mailed with final documents. If you cancel or change your air booking before or after departure, all airline cancellation and change fees will apply.

Holidays and Museum Closures – Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many religious, state and local holidays observed.

Itinerary Changes and Price Flexibility – We pledge to make every effort to operate all tours as advertised. We reserve the right to alter or curtail the itinerary, or substitute sightseeing, hotels, and/or conveyances as deemed necessary. Any savings realized by these changes will be refunded to you. Any resultant added expense will be covered by us. Although not expected, prices on this website may be modified due to unexpected significant external factors not forecast at the time of publication.

Journey Start and End Times are provided at the time of booking. The tour begins upon your arrival at The Royal Hawaiian. You or your booking agent will be advised of any change to this schedule. When making flight arrangements, please allow sufficient time to claim your luggage and clear customs in order to join the tour on time. The tour ends when you check out of The Fairmont Orchid on the last day of the tour. We suggest you allow at least 2 hours for flight check-in.

Membership will be granted to all persons. We reserve the right to terminate the tour of any persons who are abusive of others or whose behavior disrupts the tour.

Photography on Tour – Occasionally, we will use photographs taken by fellow guests or your Tauck Director on your tour for promotional purposes. If you prefer that your photo not be used in any marketing activities, please notify your Tauck Director at the start of your tour.

Air Conditioning – All hotels and motor coaches are air conditioned for your comfort.

ATM and Credit Cards - We recommend that you contact your bank in advance of departing on your journey to determine whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards while traveling. When contacting your bank, notify them of your travel dates so that they will anticipate charges being made outside of your hometown and do not suspend your cards for what may appear to them to be “suspicious” charges. We also recommend that you make a photocopy of the front and back sides of your ATM and credit cards to leave behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your cards are misplaced, lost or stolen.

Clothing and Packing – We suggest you dress for comfort and convenience with a wardrobe that is flexible and allows for layering. Casual, cotton clothing is recommended. Women often dress in bright pastels or other vibrant hues. Sun hats, aloha shirts and floral print muumuus are customarily worn and are readily found in stores on all the islands. For fine dining, dresses are recommended, as are light wraps for evenings. For men, coats and ties are rarely worn in hotels, but "aloha shirts" and dress pants are perfectly acceptable. Men are requested to wear long pants in the evening.

Bathrobes, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards are provided in each hotel guest room.

Valet laundry and dry-cleaning services are available at all the hotels on this itinerary.

We recommend that you pack an adequate supply of your prescription medication in its original container to last through your entire journey, together with a copy of your doctor’s prescription, or a letter from your health-care provider on office stationery explaining that the medication has been prescribed for you, your travel documents and a change of clothing in your carry-on bag to avoid any inconvenience in the event that your flight or luggage is delayed.

We recommend you pack the following items for your journey to Hawaii:

Elevation - The maximum elevation on this tour is 10,023 ft (3,055 m) at Mount Haleakala on the island of Maui.

Health – While your journey to Hawaii is very relaxing and the pace leisurely, to enjoy fully all the tour has to offer, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, as some of the most memorable sightseeing can only be accomplished on foot. For the most part, however, the amount of walking you do is at your discretion.

If you require the use of a wheelchair throughout the tour, it is advisable to bring your own. Wheelchairs are available on all islands at all hotels and may be arranged by the tour directors; however, they are intended for on-site use and cannot be taken off property. In addition, wheelchairs are available at the airports for pre-boarding purposes only. There are disabled access bathrooms with grab bars in all of the hotels.

We regret we cannot provide you with individual assistance for walking, dining or other personal needs. If you need such assistance, you must be accompanied by an able companion who will help you.


Please check with your health insurance provider to determine whether you are covered while traveling. If you will not be covered under your current policy, we strongly suggest that you arrange for adequate coverage while on tour.

If you have a medical condition that might limit your participation in activities, please consult your physician for pre-departure health advice and notify us as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. We will advise your Tauck Director accordingly.

No vaccinations are currently required for travel to Hawaii. For complete vaccination and inoculation information, contact your physician, the public health service in your area, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The Travelers' Health Section of the CDC operates a 24-hour, pre-recorded "Travelers' Health Hotline" at 877-394-8747 (toll-free in the U.S.). You may also log on on to the CDC Internet website by clicking here.

Luggage Restrictions:

Special Luggage Restrictions for this Tour

The U.S. TSA has instituted standardized screening procedures at airports across the U.S. At some airports in Hawaii, this procedure is handled manually and will be time-consuming. Please be aware that you will not have access to your bags after they are screened; therefore, you should remove everything that you may want to take on the plane with you before you hand over your checked bag for screening.

Checked Luggage – General

While it is common for airlines to allow passengers to check more than one piece of luggage per person, space constraints during your Tauck journey make it difficult to accommodate extra luggage. We ask that you limit your checked luggage to one average size suitcase per person.

In addition, airlines have adopted more strict policies in enforcing number, size and weight limits. Luggage exceeding maximum restrictions may require expensive overage fees, frustrating and hurried re-packing at the ticket counter, or even risk being left behind.

Many carriers require checked luggage not exceed a weight of 50 lbs (22.7 kg) per piece. Airlines revise luggage policies frequently and often without notice; therefore, we cannot be held liable to the weight limit listed above. We urge you to check with your airline before traveling to determine current number, weight and size restrictions. It is also important to note that restrictions for luggage number, weight and size may vary with the same airline based on the class of service you select. First and Business Class ticket holders may have different restrictions than Coach Class travelers.

Tauck World Discovery cannot be held liable for additional fees or inconveniences imposed by the airline due to luggage number, weight and size policies.

Please be sure to attach your Tauck luggage tag to your suitcase before leaving home!

Carry-on Luggage – General

 
Although oversize bags and wheeled, carry-on luggage are popular for airline travel, they are often not convenient or appropriate for motor coach travel or for many on-tour flights. Most modern sightseeing motor coaches offer limited space for numerous or larger items. Space under seats or in the overhead rack is typically small, and designed to accommodate items like coats, hats, purses, and small camera bags, etc.

For your day-to-day travel while on tour, we recommend that you limit your hand luggage to a small, soft-sided carry-on piece, and only those items you need handy during the day such as purses, make-up, medications, cameras, film, etc. Items too large to fit under the motor coach seat or in the overhead rack must be stored in the luggage bays beneath the motor coach, and may be inaccessible during daytime travel.

Travel Document Requirements – Best of Hawaii begins and ends in the U.S.

 

In general, visitors to the U.S. must provide: 

Travel with Children –

 

Age Recommendations ― Children 5 years of age or older at the time of travel are welcome on this Tauck journey. Based upon our experience with family travelers, we have a minimum recommended age for each journey to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all of our guests. All children must be accompanied on activities by a parent or guardian. At least one guest in the traveling party must be 21 years of age or older in order to make a reservation.

Babysitting ― Our journeys are designed for adults and children to share the wonder of discovery together. If you require babysitting services, your Tauck Director will put you in contact with the appropriate hotel staff with whom you may make babysitting arrangements. There is usually an additional fee for these services. Many hotels do offer on-site babysitting services; however, babysitting services may not be available at all of our hotels. Please note that our Tauck Directors are not responsible for providing babysitting services.

Safety and Welfare Responsibility ― We welcome the participation of child travelers on our exciting excursions. If you are traveling with a child on a Tauck journey, you have the sole responsibility for ensuring that that the child with whom you are traveling follows all rules of safety throughout the tour. By traveling with us, you release Tauck, Inc. and our partners of all liability for any risks and/or injuries to the child with whom you are traveling.

Special Travel Documentation for Children


We are not responsible for the disruption of travel caused by the improper documentation of any guest, including children traveling without both parents. While there is no definitive format or standard, click here to view a sample letter for guardians or one parent traveling with a child.

Cell Phones - We understand and appreciate the value of instant communication when we travel; it keeps us in touch with friends and family, and it's a reassurance in the event of an emergency. However, the use of cell phones can be disruptive to a tour and to other guests who are enjoying their vacation. As a courtesy to others, we ask that you refrain from using your cell phone during motor coach travel and group functions, and when sightseeing and when the Tauck Director is addressing the group as a whole. There are usually many opportunities to make or receive calls at times when it does not affect others.

 

Please contact your cell phone carrier to determine if your service extends to Hawaii.

Currency and Exchange Rates - The official U.S. currency is the U.S. dollar. If upon arrival at Honolulu Airport you require local currency, you will find many exchange counters throughout the airport.

To obtain the most current exchange rate, you may want to check your local newspaper or log on to the Internet website, oanda.com,  by clicking here.

Customs and Tax-Free Shopping –

If you are not a resident of the United States, you are normally entitled to a duty-free exemption of $100 USD on items that you bring into the U.S. To find out more information on what information must be provided to U.S. Customs and Border Control (CBP) upon entry, please refer to the CBP internet website by clicking here. You should also refer to your own country’s rules and regulations regarding customs and duty-free shopping to ensure compliance upon your return.

The individual states within the U.S. levy sales taxes on consumer goods and services. There is no federal tax similar to the Value Added Tax (VAT) used in other countries that would permit non-residents to obtain refunds of the sales taxes levied by each state.

 

Electrical Current – The electrical current in Hawaii is 110 V, 60 Hz, AC, which accommodates standard U.S. plugs having either two flat pins or two flat pins and a round grounding pin. If you bring electric devices that are not compatible with this system you should bring the appropriate adapters and converters.

Internet Access is available as indicated below:

 

The Royal Hawaiian – High-speed access in rooms for a fee; wireless access available in hotel’s public areas and at the pool

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa – High-speed wireless access is available in guest rooms and other locations on the resort property for a fee

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa – High-speed Internet access and T-Mobile Wireless Broadband are available in guest rooms. T-Mobile Hotspot Wireless Broadband is also available in other locations for a fee

The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii – High-speed access in rooms for a fee

 

Time Zones – Hawaii is 10 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). Hawaii does not use Daylight Savings Time.

To determine current time in major cities around the world, we suggest you log on to the Internet website, timeanddate.com, by clicking here.

Weather – The temperature in Hawaii averages 75 ºF (24 ºC) all year long. An average high temperature of 83 ºF (28 ºC) is reached in August. Winters are nearly as mild with an average low temperature of 69 ºF (21 ºC), and sunny weather occurs throughout the year. Although the weather is nearly perfect, Hawaii does have a tropical climate and it does rain from time to time. Very few days of touring are interrupted by rain. When it does rain, it usually occurs during the night. The rainy season is December through March; however, a light shower is possible at any time of the year.

To read about current weather conditions, we suggest you log on to the Internet website, noaa.gov.us, by clicking here.

 

Cancellation Fees – Regardless of reason, cancellations of confirmed bookings result in our incurring costly penalties and cancellation fees from our travel and hotel providers. Therefore, if you have to cancel a confirmed booking, we will charge you a cancellation fee according to when your cancellation notice is received in our Norwalk, CT office. To help limit your liability, we offer our  Tauck Travel Protection Plan.

If you choose to purchase Tauck’s Travel Protection or Cancellation Fee Waiver, you will have your cancellation penalties waived.

If you choose not to purchase the Tauck Protection Plan, you will incur cancellation penalties per person as follows:

60 days or more before departure
$350 per person (the amount of the deposit)

59-30 days before departure
$600 per person

29-1 days before departure
$900 per person