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Wake Island - Dec 2011

Posted by Peter Deegan on April 17, 2011 at 12:02am

If anyone is interested in ticking 'Wake Island' off their countrylist - Military Historical Tours has a trip there on 11 Dec 2011 from Guam. http://www.miltours.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124:2011-8-13-december-wwii-wake-island-return-&catid=35:upcoming-tours&Itemid=47

 

They have various tours - some include travel from the USA and there's also a 'day only' option where you meet the group at the Guam hotel in the small hours of 11 Dec.

 

It's a long day with a flight Guam - Wake Island then a day on the island with an evening flight back to Guam.

 

I did the Iwo Jima trip in March 2011 with MHT - or at least tried to.  The Japanese authorities cancelled the visit due to the earthquake since the defence forces on the island returned to the mainland for rescue/recovery work.

I chose the Iwo Jima day only option but added MHT's Saipan/Tinian tour as well (another TCC country).  I'm glad I chose their add-on tour - they have a very knowledgeable and friendly guy, Don Farrell, on the tour.  Don lives on Tinian, has lived in the area for decades and written books on the islands history.  As good a guide as I've had anywhere.  The MHT tour is short but well organised by the local tour company.  The day visit to Tinian is more than enough.

 

I'm not affiliated with MHT but mention it here in case other TCC members want a chance to visit Wake Island.  

 

It's been one frustration of TCC membership that you don't find out about trips/tours to unusual places until its too late.  I hope this forum can be expanded to include more advance notice of such trips.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter Deegan

 

 

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Replies

  • Karin Sinniger July 2, 2018 at 6:03am
    I was booked on their Iwa Jima tour which went well and 2 trips to Wake which were cancelled at the last minute as they didn’t get the proper permits. Cost me in cancelled air fares and hotels. They also want you to pay by check which I refused to do and which helped me get a full refund. (Why pay an admin. Fee if they cancel?)

    I will not be signing up for any trips they run to Wake except at the last minute when I am sure they have permits.
  • João Paulo Peixoto July 2, 2018 at 5:55am
    Hello. Do you know if there is something planned for the next year ? Midway ? Wake?

    Peter Deegan said:

    Hopefully all the TCC members who book for Wake Island will drop a note here.  We can all keep in touch as we're granted shards of information from MHT.

    Pamela got it right: "MHT's customer communications certainly has room for improvement. They always come through in the end, but they can be aggravating."

    Aggravating is a good word for it.  When the Iwo Jima trip was cancelled in March 2011 I only found out by accident more than a day later and I was already in Guam.  Sending a broadcast email to all pax advising the unavoidable cancellation wasn't considered.

    As Pamela said, MHT do get it all together in the end but for us independent travelers it's frustrating.

     

    BTW -- you don't have to use Continental to get to Guam via HNL.  Some alternatives:

    • You might get a better deal (or use OneWorld related FF points) flying to Japan then the daily flight to Guam on Japan Airlines.   
    • Or via Korea to Guam  
    • Continental fly twice a week from Hong Kong to Guam
    • Continental flies 3 or 4 times a week from Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia
    • There's also flights from Manilla, Phillipines (lots of Filipinos on Guam)

     

  • Peter Deegan June 10, 2011 at 6:06am

    Hopefully all the TCC members who book for Wake Island will drop a note here.  We can all keep in touch as we're granted shards of information from MHT.

    Pamela got it right: "MHT's customer communications certainly has room for improvement. They always come through in the end, but they can be aggravating."

    Aggravating is a good word for it.  When the Iwo Jima trip was cancelled in March 2011 I only found out by accident more than a day later and I was already in Guam.  Sending a broadcast email to all pax advising the unavoidable cancellation wasn't considered.

    As Pamela said, MHT do get it all together in the end but for us independent travelers it's frustrating.

     

    BTW -- you don't have to use Continental to get to Guam via HNL.  Some alternatives:

    • You might get a better deal (or use OneWorld related FF points) flying to Japan then the daily flight to Guam on Japan Airlines.   
    • Or via Korea to Guam  
    • Continental fly twice a week from Hong Kong to Guam
    • Continental flies 3 or 4 times a week from Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia
    • There's also flights from Manilla, Phillipines (lots of Filipinos on Guam)

     

  • Karin Sinniger June 10, 2011 at 5:34am

    Hi Peter:

     

    They DID confirm they had the numbers and advised us to book trips and pay the full amount and then cancelled anyway...

    Peter Deegan said:

    Yeah, good point -- as Pamela and Lee have already noted, we all have an interest in spreading the word of the Wake Island trip to reduce the risk of cancellation.

     

    I suggest planning an itinerary in such a way that it can work around a cancellation of the Wake Island trip.  I'll be diving on Palau before the 11 Dec - if the Wake Island flight is off I'll merely extend my stay on Palau by a few days (oh the pain).    Alternatively I'll be on Guam from say 9th to 12th Dec - if Wake Island is cancelled then I can dive, swim, sleep on Guam.

     

    But if you're flying over just for Wake Island then it's probably best to only book flights once the MHT charter to WI is absolutely confirmed -- even if this means paying a higher fare.   The problem is finding out the real status of the trip from MHT - in my experience, their customer communications isn't all that it should be

     

    In short - I'd urge TCC members wanting to 'tick' Wake Island off their country list to sign up for the Dec 2011 trip without delay -- but hold off committing to flights until the trip is absolutely confirmed as on (ie when MHT has sufficient numbers).

     

     

  • Lee Abbamonte June 10, 2011 at 5:34am
    Karin, I was signed up for last year as well before it was cancelled-I was pretty pissed and was never told it was in danger of being cancelled as you said their communication isn't that great.  However, I did exactly what Peter suggested, I was going to wait until it was absolutely confirmed before I bought my flights so I didn't lose any money or be stuck going to Guam for the 5th time.
  • Pamela Barrus June 10, 2011 at 5:33am

    Jumping in here...

     

    If possible, you can try using frequent flyer miles for the trip to Guam, (which is what I did for the 2009 Wake trip), and at least you'll have some forgiveness to reinstate your miles.

     

    And to reiterate Peter, MHT's customer communications certainly has room for improvement. They always come through in the end, but they can be aggravating.

  • Peter Deegan June 10, 2011 at 5:15am

    Yeah, good point -- as Pamela and Lee have already noted, we all have an interest in spreading the word of the Wake Island trip to reduce the risk of cancellation.

     

    I suggest planning an itinerary in such a way that it can work around a cancellation of the Wake Island trip.  I'll be diving on Palau before the 11 Dec - if the Wake Island flight is off I'll merely extend my stay on Palau by a few days (oh the pain).    Alternatively I'll be on Guam from say 9th to 12th Dec - if Wake Island is cancelled then I can dive, swim, sleep on Guam.

     

    But if you're flying over just for Wake Island then it's probably best to only book flights once the MHT charter to WI is absolutely confirmed -- even if this means paying a higher fare.   The problem is finding out the real status of the trip from MHT - in my experience, their customer communications isn't all that it should be

     

    In short - I'd urge TCC members wanting to 'tick' Wake Island off their country list to sign up for the Dec 2011 trip without delay -- but hold off committing to flights until the trip is absolutely confirmed as on (ie when MHT has sufficient numbers).

     

     

  • Karin Sinniger June 10, 2011 at 4:57am

    Hi Peter:

     

    I've been on the MHT trips to Iwo Jima and Midway and they are wel organized and reasonably priced. I was signed up for their Wake Trip last year. They confirmed in  September for the Dec. trip, I booked my flights, and they then cancelled because they didn't have enough people going and I was out some money on non refundable air fares. Just a warning.

     

    Karin

  • Alison King May 28, 2011 at 8:52am

    Great idea to post info on unusual trips; I understood that this is the main reason to have the website forum.

    How about a separate MENU item called "upcoming trips" listed early in the menu--before photos, videos, blogs, etc. ?  I think the FORUM is too general a venue for new/upcoming/unusual trips.

     

    Anyone else?

    alison

     

  • Lee Abbamonte April 27, 2011 at 4:19am
    I have already signed up for Wake Island in December...please do spread the word, I do not want it to be cancelled!
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