Archive for January, 2008
BREAKING NEWS
All day long we have been hearing from NCL that all Hawaii Cruises have been "suspended until further notice" All of this comes on the heels of the Pride of Hawaii leaving and a huge infusion of $1 billion in cash they received from Apollo, a private equity investment group. This company now owns 50% of NCL and part of that deal may have included a requirement that they eliminate Hawaii cruises because of all of the losses that they have accrued.
What does this mean for the future of Hawaii cruises? Will they be canceled completely? Are they going to just have maybe one ship here that will service Fanning Island? Our only conclusion is that something is going on and it’s not good when it comes to Hawaii cruises for this market. There would be no reason to tell agents that all Hawaii cruises have been suspended because there’s no way that they could all be sold out at this point.
We’ll be keeping a very close watch on this and as soon as we have an "official" word we will be sure to let you know.
For more information on this check out our podcast
January 9th, 2008
Since so many of our all-inclusive customers have been giving us such great feedback about the Hula Grill at the Outrigger Waikiki, Yaling and I decided to dine there this weekend so I thought I would take the opportunity to do a review .
The Hula Grill is part of a group of eateries owned by TS restaurants which include Duke’s right downstairs at the Outrigger and several other restaurants on Oahu, Maui and California. The restaurant has an excellent staff including dining manager Jeff and Diane the general manager who really pay attention to details especially the customers they are serving . I was so impressed when Jeff remembered off the top of his head the dates when one of our customers, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary were going to be dining in the restaurant in a few days.
The open-air feeling of the restaurant is relaxing Plantation Style; we had a table overlooking the ocean and with the dim lighting this was just a perfect setting for an evening out. The feeling you get is that the restaurant is not that large however, it can accommodate several hundred people including groups. The decor is typical Hawaii and while the name Hula Grill seems cliché (especially for us local folks) there is nothing ordinary about this restaurant at all.
The service was brisk and our waiter Lucas was very knowledgeable about the menu and the specials including the ingredients and preparation of the food which was being offered.
While I wouldn’t categorize the menu as uniquely Hawaiian, it’s completely understandable because they have to appeal to a wide range of customers. You’ll find the typical Mahi Mahi, Shrimp Scampi and even New York Steak. There were some interesting items that did catch my eye including a Shrimp and Mauna Kea which is a Goat Cheese Quesadilla; Asian Style Crab Cakes which is shitake mushrooms, surgar snaps, Kahuku corn on fresh ramen noodles. In the center of the menu is a box that says "Hula Grill Specials" which features nightly creations of fresh seafood meats and produce. I highly recommend that you pay attention to the waiter who will be telling you all about them!!
Yaling and I decided to sample something off of the typical menu and one of the specials and then share. We chose The Macadamia Nut Crusted fresh Mahi Mahi and the Special offering of Mong Chong, by the way a lot of people think that the name of this fish means a "bloody idiot" but Yaling confirmed this with her Mom in Tawian, it does not have that meaning at all, they have have no idea how someone could derive that meaning.
We started out with some fresh nalo greens which had a wonderful orange sesame dressing and then we went right on to the main course. The very fresh Mahi Mahi was prepared to perfection, the chef did a wonderful job and with the compliment of Hupa Rice it was really wonderful however, the portions were a bit modest.
The Mong Chong special we ordered was superb also with the hupa rice and pineapple coleslaw this dish was to be savored. Mong Chong is is a whitefish with a surprisingly rich flavor, and Jeff the dining manager predicts it will be even more popular than mahi-mahi in years to come. It has a similar taste to Sea Bass but more of a buttery flavor.
Unfortunately they were out of their famous mashed sweet potatoes but we’ll save that for next time. We topped it off with a wonderful dessert which was called "Baked Hawaii" which is a combination of upside down pineapple cake with a homemade marange.
After dining at Hula Grill this weekend I clearly see why so many of our customers are having such a wonderful experience there. I highly recommend the Hula Grill to visitors as well as locals who want to just "hang loose" and relax in Waikiki.
Check out our podcast for the latest Hawaii Vacation News
January 6th, 2008
Once again we see Hawaiian and Aloha airlines leading "on time" stats again. I personally am getting very tired of seeing this particular statistic. It happens every time the government releases on-time arrivals and every time we see Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha right there at the top. While I’m not trying to really take anything away from these particular airlines and the way they operate, I think they’re in a completely different class when it comes to "on-time arrivals" . Considering the fact that they have less routes and only fly to Hawaii they have a lesser chance of being late!! What bothers me I guess the most is how this become such a big marketing tool for these airlines; watch and you’ll see how Hawaiian and Aloha airlines start to advertise that they’re the "most online in on-time arrival carrier in the world" that just shows you how carried away the marketing industry can get with the numbers. Even with these great ratings Hawaiian airlines was late 6% of the time getting to Hawaii, almost 10% of the time for Aloha Airlines.
I am not sure why the government considers airlines that fly to Hawaii only ( except for a very few routes elsewhere) to one destination in the same category as all these other airlines which are flying into many many different cities but I think Hawaiian and Aloha Should be left out of these government statistics. I’m also not sure that the government even keeps statistics that just show arrivals to Hawaii only, but my guess is that the other airlines are just as much "on time" Hawaiian and Aloha airlines when it comes to Hawaii specifically.
So don’t get too excited when you see these great ratings these airlines are getting, they are just getting lucky and taking advantage of poor government reporting on airline stats. I talk about this on my latest podcast if you would like to hear more.
My Sheraton Waikiki review is live on Hawaiirama
January 5th, 2008
Mary McKinley received her wish. A 91-year-old resident of Northview Senior Living Center, Mary went on a dream vacation.
When asked by her eldest daughter, Diana, where she would most like to go if given the chance, Mary could not resist answering, "Hawaii."
Mary has three children, Diana, Beverly and Ed. Mary also has a wonderful nurse, Perry Schilling, who has become a good friend. Everyone soon was aware of Mary’s wish.
One thing led to another, and soon a trip to Hawaii was arranged. Perry had a time share unit, and they had an opening for the week before Christmas, donated completely at no charge. Northview and its operating company, Zandex, agreed to pay for the flights. Through donations, bake sales and Zandex’s own program, Hearts Desire (a program to make wishes possible), soon enough funding was available to send Mary, her three children and Perry to Hawaii for a week.
On Mary’s 91st birthday on Dec. 13, her family and friends surprised her with the news that her wish was becoming a reality.
"It was just like heaven," remarked Mary as she spoke of the beautiful grounds and scenery of Maui.
This was the entire group’s first visit to Hawaii.
One of Mary’s favorite experiences was the helicopter ride over the volcano.
When asked about the weather, Mary added it was too cold to swim, and her words conveyed a slight sense of disappointment.
Mary’s adventure has been big news for her and Northview Senior Living Center. Johnstown is fortunate to have such a facility located within our community.
January 3rd, 2008
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