Dear Hawaii Trip Participants,
I wanted to let everyone know an update concerning the Hawaii Trip. I met with the travel agents last week and we talked through some big concerns and unknowns with the trip. There were several problems that were brought to my attention that we do not know the answers to at this time. The main issues we discussed involved social distancing. If we are still required to participate in social distancing in November, we will have to take several more flights to get to Hawaii. We would have to at least double the amount of buses if students are not allowed to sit next to each other. We would have to double the amount of hotel rooms if students are not allowed to sleep in the same beds (2 to a room verses 4 to a room). And, the parade might be cancelled if social distancing was required and we would not be able to perform on the USS Missouri. The additions of flights, busses, and hotel rooms would make the trip unaffordable. Due to these concerns, and not having any answers to the many questions, and Hawaii currently being on a 14 day quarantine for visitors, I have decided to place the Hawaii trip on “Hold.” This means the following:
1. We will not collect any deposits in June or July as scheduled and we will wait to issue refunds if or when the trip is officially cancelled (I will make a decision either way in August). We recommend that you save this money in order to catch up on payments in August if the trip is able to be reinstated).
2. If you would like to request a full refund at this time, you may, but you may not be able to add back into the trip depending on availability. Please contact the finance team (finance@legacybands.org) if you wish to begin the refund process.
3. We will NOT be purchasing any travel insurance in July as referenced in my last trip email. You do not need to do this on your own either as we will wait until August to do this if the trip continues. Any money you have already deposited will be refunded in full if the trip is cancelled.
I apologize that it has come to this, but I am very concerned that we would not be able to afford this trip if social distancing is still in effect for the fall and we need to wait and see how things develop over the summer. The District is aware of my decision to do this and at this time they have not cancelled any travel for next year (meaning we could add the trip back in August if conditions change as we still have their approval). Thank you for understanding and I hope you all are staying safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Mr. Stansberry