Kirk Cassels' Weekly Wrap of User Comments: January 18-22

Every week, I peruse the comments and do my best to say something witty or entertaining about them while tying them in to pop culture references or travel industry topics. But this week is a different. For travel professionals, among many others in various industries, the past week has not been the most uplifting in regards to news. Reports on the earthquakes in Haiti, as well as in the Cayman Islands, continue to saturate the airwaves and web with saddening images and stories. Please keep texting "Haiti" to 9099 and searching for ways you can help those who need support in rebuilding their lives and homes.

With that being said, let's take a quick look at other topics that are on the minds of readers.

What's In A Name?

For more than a year, we've been releasing reports on Disney's plans to build a family-oriented resort in Hawaii. This week, the entertainment and resort giant finally named that new resort, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawaii. But as many in the industry get excited about this new selling point, one reader, named unclepat, is not as enthused, writing:

It seems that Disney hasn't done a good job of embracing the Hawaiian culture and using a name that identifies or closely resembles their resort, surrounding area or experience.
According to Hawaiian dictionary au.lani means
n. Messenger of a chief. Rare.
One would hope that this global giant would be more aka mai (smart) when it comes to embracing the local people and culture to create a true sense of place.

I guess unclepat feels Disney's naming is arrogant? unclepat, if you're reading this (or if anyone in concurrence with unclepat is), can you shed some more light as to why the name of the resort is not so aka mai?

Versus Over Viceroy Anguilla

When our own Joe Pike profiled the Viceroy Anguilla property in the Caribbean last September, a reader named Freddie Elmon posted the following shorly thereafter:

Viceroy Anguilla is a dump. This is simply a reprint of a press release written by the developer. The place is way behind schedule and will not be fully open in November.  Virgil Napier is a jerk. There are NO sunrise views at Viceroy and Barnes Bay is a tiny strip of sand and is the main beach for this resort. Their restaurants will be empty as they are too big to ever be full. They are nasty people and have hired one Anguillian for every 10 foreigners they employ. They are bad for Anguilla and will fail in short order.

I wasn't around to add my two cents on the comment becase I was on my honeymoon at the time. However, it appears another reader has recently visited the story to share her own point of views. Ashley Metz posted:

Wow! What a ridiculous comment from Freddie Elmon. He obviously has a hidden agenda by posting this comment. I have been to Viceroy Anguilla personally and can state without hesitation this is one of the most beautiful and luxurious resorts not only in the Caribbean, but possibly the world. How he or anyone else can say otherwise is quite absurd. They are employing hundreds of Anguillan's and providing a substantial tax base for the island. The villa I stayed in was fabulous. The food was amazing and the location was serene. Please don't listen to this man's jaded comments, as he obviously has a hidden agenda.

Pike is currently attending the Sundance Film Festival so he can't shed any light right now and neither can I since I've never been to Anguilla. So, for those of you familiar with the island or the property, please add your take on the matter. As of now, we have one pro and one con for the property. Who's going to be the tie-breaker?

While we're on the topic of Viceroy, it appears another one of the company's properties is receiving some not-so-friendly revies. Commenting on the news that the Viceroy Hotel Group is taking over L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, reader gtd writes:

Shame really. Fine hotel; probably won't be a great fit for the neighbors either.

What's the deal with the neighbors that they won't be so happy? Elaborate please.

Time to Talk Traverus

Traverus is rapidly becoming as controversial a company as YTB or JoyStar. You may recall a reader named Jimmy Plymouth posting a comment on a recent weekly wrap about Traverus, to which I responded last week. It appears Jimmy was not satisfied with what I had to say. So he returned to the original story to share the following:

I served my country, I went to school and became a chef. $40,000 for a piece of paper that says I'm Certified to cook.
I have two children, do you know how much time cooks/chefs spend in the kitchen?
I've had the privalege to date two "TTA" and trust me all I heard were complaints. And after working a "hard day" at the office they come home tired. What kind of life is that?
I changed my career thanks to TraVerus, and the things I've learned using the Network Marketing aka Word of Mouth aka People to People method open my eyes to "the Corporation" way of life.
In my opinion, if you aren't in network marketing your a slave! You've been brainwashed into believing that someday all that hard work will pay off.
The Truth Will Set Us Free!
http://MoneyMakingDads.com
Good Men Net-Working Together!

I don't think anyone would try to discredit Jimmy for his work, nor dare dishonor him after his service to our country. Most readers have been very anti-Traverus, and Jimmy is obviously a supporter of the company. I greatly value his input as I belive opposing voices help foster dialogue that can hopefully clear the air on this issue, which does not seem to be going away anytime soon. Jimmy, thanks for coming back to share. Hope to hear more from you and hope your job searches are going well.

Cut By Carnival?

A 16-month old story about Carnival Cruise Lines' travel agent forum with executives recently received a bold and unhappy complaint by one reader. Let's cut to the chase and take a look. Mary Levin wrote:

COURTESY CALLS TO AGENCY SHOULD BE GIVEN WHEN GROUP SPACE IS BEING CALLED WHEN MINIMUN DEPOSITS ARE IN ACCOUNT, NOT JUST TO CANCEL AND THE AGENT HAD NOT RECEIVED A CALL. MY GROUP WAS CUT FOR JULY 18, 2010, ON THE PRIDE AND THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME... WITH OUT NOTICE AND I AM ANGRY. NO ONE GIVES A HOOT. I NEED ASSISTANCE TO RETAIN THE PRICE ...4 OUT OF 8 CABINS WERE CANCELLED AND THE CLIENT CAN'T UNDERSTAND...NEW RULES SHOULD BE THAT $250.00 DEPOSIT SHOULD BE GIVEN AT ALL TIMES IN THE INITIAL CONTRACT. I HAVE BEEN DOING BUSINESS FOR 35 YRS ROYAL TRAVEL PLANNERS....TANYE'JOHNSON'S GROUP... THIS IS A WEDDING PARTY AND SHE IS FUMMING. HER RELATIVE GAVE AN AGENCY JUST 125.00 DEPOSIT AND THEY WERE NOT CUT...WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED...

So a wedding, a cruise and a vacation were ruined for consumers as an agent's desire for courtesy and professionalism is shunned, right? Is that what I'm seeing here? I'm very sorry to hear about this, Mary. I hope someone that reads the site can help you out. It's a shame to hear about this news, particulary on the heals of Carnival's preparations for travel agent webinars to aid agents. Perhaps the webinars are a good opportunity to address the issue?

No matter what the issue may be, don't forget to check in with AgentNation as often as you can. Plentiful travel professionals (in addition to our editors) are meeting there daily to network about anything from the best places to visit to how to find the best dude ranch for family reunions. Log in now. And if you haven't signed up yet, don't wait any longer.

Until next week...

Touring the Big Island's Volcanoes

Very little in the world can offer a true perception of nature like standing in between a massive lava field and an endless ocean. It's majestic and overwhelming and incredibly humbling. But more on that later...

First, some background: The island of Hawaii has grown 600 square acres in the past 26 years thanks to the eruption of Kilauea. In 1983, Kilauea erupted for the 45th time that century—and has not stopped yet. (The volcano could fall dormant tomorrow or could continue spouting gas and magma for another hundred years, which it has done in the past.)

To get a closer look at some of the five volcanoes that make up the Big Island, our group rose bright and early to go to the other side from the Waikoloa Beach Resort.

Our guide from Hawaii Forest & Trail, Danny, drove us clean across the island in between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Saddleback Road, which was once a military highway. As we rode, Danny told us about the ecologic history of the Hawaiian islands: Only 10 percent of the current plant life there is indigenous, evolved from seeds dropped by birds after the islands erupted from the sea. The rest were brought by either the Polynesian settlers who came from Tahiti more than a thousand years ago, or the European or American settlers who came in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many of the plants were able to overwhelm the delicate ecology of the islands, and now threaten to destroy the native plant life. As such, at our first stop in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Danny invited us to pull out some wild ginger (an invasive plant taking over the rainforest) by its roots, assuring us that we were helping the indigenous flora of the 'Ola'a Forest to thrive.

We walked through the Thurston Lava Tube and drove to various spots around Kilauea's caldera, looking at lava fields from different eruptions over the years as Danny shared stories from the volcano's history.

We eventually wound our way down the Chain of Craters Road to the sea, where we stood in between an ocean of frozen lava or at the Pacific Ocean. At the Holei Sea Arch, we could see in the distance the steam from where a current lava flow is meeting the ocean and expanding Hawaii's landmass. It is an indescribably humbling experience to stand in between these two powerful forces of nature and watch them meet to create new land. This, Danny reminded us, was how all of the Hawaiian islands were formed, and how new ones would be born thousands of years into the future. ("Make your reservations now," he quipped.)

Danny then drove us around Hilo on Rt. 19, showing us spots from his childhood and giving us a local's view of Hawaii. As we drove, we watched the landscape change from nearly barren lava fields to lush forests to the grasslands of the enormous Parker Cattle Ranch, which sprawls out over approximately 135,000 acres. (Remember, the Big Island has 11 of the planet's 13 climates.) Danny recommended buying produce from Waimea, where lava has eroded into 50 feet of rich soil for prime planting. For dining, he recommended Merriman's Restaurant, where 90 percent of the food is locally grown.

Visit to the Kohala Spa

True confession time: I’ve never actually been to a spa before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect for my appointment at the 25,000-square-foot Kohala Spa at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. I’d been encouraged to show up at least a half-hour earlier than my appointed time, so I checked in extra early and was escorted into the private women's locker room with its own steam room, sauna, outdoor garden Jacuzzi and lounge area.

Since I’d spent the entire morning in water, I wasn’t too eager to soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi, although the group members who tried it sang its praises. Instead, I stepped into the steam room, hitting a button on the doorway as I entered. A large stone cauldron in the middle of the room began billowing lightly scented steam, and I leaned back and closed my eyes, breathing in deeply. When I opened my eyes again a few moments later, the entire room had become shrouded in mist. I could barely see a foot in front of my face. It was eerie and soothing at the same time, and the sounds of condensed steam dripping from the ceiling, the warmth, the enveloping mist, and the scent all combined for a wonderfully relaxing experience.

After enjoying the steam room for a while, and enjoying some fresh air by the Jacuzzi, I was taken to a private room by massage therapist Tonia Thomas, a specialist in Lomi Lomi massages, the spa’s most popular treatment. Using constant motion and gentle pressure, Tonia worked out a bunch of this perpetually tense New Yorker’s tight muscles, relaxing me to the point of nearly falling asleep. (I also have to praise her deft avoidance of my sunburn, which couldn’t have been easy.) Tonia has studied numerous massage techniques around the country, and is also an expert in sports massage and the spa's Kohala massage. (Although I promised not to reveal names, Tonia demurely acknowledged that she has treated celebrities and earned very favorable feedback from them.)

Feeling very chill and relaxed after the massage, I went back to the steam room to breathe in some more of that wonderful mist before rinsing off in a five-head shower. Before returning to my room, I chatted with Michele Wilkin, the director of Kohala Spa. The Lomi Lomi massage, she told me, is a Hawaiian tradition taught by elders. Among the spa's more popular offerings are mother/daughter treatments that, she says, encourage bonding and teach the next generation to enjoy the spa experience. The enormous facility has more 23 treatment rooms (three are for couples) and employs a staff of between 50 and 55 among the spa, the cardio room, weight room, yoga room and other areas. Wilkin said that no one therapist was more requested than any of the others, but from my own experience, I highly recommend Tonia Thomas.

Waipio Valley Rim Hike

The Waipio Valley was The Valley of the Kings for the ancient Hawaiians; before that, it was the Valley of the Gods. Lush and almost unbelievably green, the valley features significantly in Hawaiian history and mythology, and in modern times served as an agricultural center until the devastating tsunami of 1946. On the rim of the valley, streams lead to seven waterfalls that crash 2,000 feet to the valley floor below, providing an impressive display of nature's power.

Hawaii Forest & Trail is creating a new hike to introduce visitors to this quietly powerful wonderland, and our group was treated to a preview. With the soft-spoken and spiritual Matt as our guide, we set off on a misty morning to hike around the valley’s rim. After driving over unpaved roads to a just-cleared area in a eucalyptus forest, we were provided binoculars, hiking sticks, bottles of water, snacks and backpacks for anything we did not want to leave in the van.

We set off over terrain that quickly got our hearts pumping, stopping frequently to look at little streams (that, later in the trail, became big streams and even bigger waterfalls), and to look down from the cliffs into the valley. Because of the foggy weather, we would frequently only see mist when we looked down into the valley, but Matt passed the time by telling stories about each area we (theoretically) were viewing. Without fail, by the end of each story, the mist had parted to show us the spot that featured in each story. (Neat trick, that.) The stories made the vistas more than just views; they added history and depth to what could otherwise be merely a photo opportunity. 

The hike also offered a different perspective of Hawaii from what people usually imagine. The Big Island could fit all of the other islands of the state twice over, and features 11 of the planet's 13 climates. As such, there is a wide variety of things to see and do here far beyond sitting on a beach and sipping mai tais (not that there's anything wrong with sipping mai tais, especially on a beach). Walking through dense groves of bushes and trees; fording streams; and seeking out historic sites lets visitors see another side of Hawaii that they could easily miss otherwise, and that can enrich their vacation in remarkable ways.

Photo by Paul Hirst

Travel Agent Visits Hawaii's Big Island

Even at night, Hawaii (really, I feel like I should be spelling it Hawai'i) is exotic and exciting. The air is rich and fragrant, and breezes sound different when they rustle palm fronds instead of oak leaves.

After flying 12 hours from New York (I can now quote every line from United Airlines' entertainment selection), we landed at Kona Airport and enjoyed a limousine ride to Hilton Waikoloa Village.

The sun was setting as the group set out, so we couldn't see much, but perhaps the most interesting thing about the ride was that there was so little to see. There is very little development on the Kona side of the island, and the lava fields are largely flat. The highway has no billboards. Locals use white coral pieces to write messages against the black earth--environmentally friendly vandalism, as one member of the group called it. Waikoloa Village's Director of Public Relations Leanne Pletcher said that locals don't want their views obstructed, and developers have largely left the landscape in peace. It's an impressive sight by sunset, and I can't wait to see more in daylight. 

Oh, and Hilton Waikoloa Village is so big that the property has trains and boats to bring guests from one area to another. Just to put everything in perspective

Tomorrow: snorkeling and swimming with dolphins.

Right now: Sleep. It's 3:38 a.m. New York time as I write this. What am I still doing up?