One of the common questions I get after booking a Hawaii vacation package is; "How do I get the seat I want on the airplane?". Contrary to what many people think, seats can be assigned up until 24 hours before travel. Of course this depends on how many actual seats are still available. For example, if the plane is full obviously it will be difficult to get an assigned seat prior to getting to the airport.
In general, it’s best to book in advance to get the seats you want. Seats become available on an airplane usually 330 days before the flight with the exception of Delta and Northwest who make their seats available approximately 200 days in advance. Each individual airline has their own rules about assigning seats but there are some things that you can do to ensure that you get the seats that you’re looking for on the plane. When we book airline tickets we automatically generate a seat assignment. We’ll try to get a seat that is closest to the front and if it’s two people we get window and aisle by themselves. We do this to get the seats put on the record as soon as possible so that if needed, we can change the seats as they become available if the seats that are assigned are not what our customers want.
One of the great things about flying to Hawaii is that for the transpacific part of your flight the airlines are using larger planes such as the 767 and the 777’s which have over 250 seats. So unless you are booking last-minute there’s a very good likelihood that you would get the actual pre-assigned seat you want. Even with plentiful availability there are times when a preassigned seat is just not possible which happens more these days because airlines try to fill the planes to capacity. When this happens there’s really no need to panic or get upset. It also doesn’t mean that you won’t have a seat on the plane. When the airplane gets to a certain capacity, usually in the neighborhood of 80% to 90% preassigned seats, the airline begins to withhold seats from normal pre-assignment. This is mostly to give them some flexibility at the airport so that when folks want to be seated the gate agents can accommodate them.
Sometimes no matter how much we assure a customer that we will get a seat assignment for them they still feel uncomfortable having us (the travel agency) assign seats for them. That’s really not a problem at all because once we create your booking you are free to try and get seats on your own either through their website or by calling them. When doing so, please make sure that you give them your record locator number, also referred to as a "PNR" is a number recognized uniformly to all airlines and is usually different than the booking number we assign you for our internal records. Doing your own seat assignment can be especially important if you have someone who has special needs or who was very tall. For example you may want an exit row which can only be assigned 24 hours before the plane leaves. Many airlines today and allow for this to be done online as long as you sign a waiver explaining that you will assist in the emergency.
There are times when you get onto an airplane and you’re just not happy with your seat for whatever reason and you see some seats open on the plane. When that happens, it’s time to play musical chairs. Watch very closely and as soon as the door closes then move to the seat you see available. Don’t do this before the door closes because you might get one of the flight attendants a little annoyed. As a rule of thumb you’ll find more empty seats towards the back of the plane.
Hopefully this helps you understand some of the issues that arise regarding seat assignment. Please make sure you check with your agent to discuss seating at the time of booking and for the most part you’ll get the seat you want.
People who live in Hawaii are freezing. We are in the midst of a cold snap that has sent temperatures plunging to below 70 degrees overnight - nearly 65 degrees! It is so cold that people are wearing long sleeves and …. SOCKS!
I am serious. The trending topic in my Twitter/Facebook streams today was the need to wear socks. It is an indicator of winter weather here, much like a down jacket on the mainland. My sister is bracing for yet another ice storm in Kansas, my brother has moved mountains of snow in Colorado but in Hawaii, I am considering wearing socks!
This is really an issue. My entire shoe wardrobe is three sets of slippers (flip flops), one pair of hiking boots and some sneakers I bought to wear to the gym but never do. So, I don’t really have anything to wear my one pair of socks WITH except hiking boots or gym shoes. Neither of them is as comfortable as my slippers. I really need to get some of those socks from Japan that look like foot-mittens (big toe divided from the rest of the toes like the thumb/fingers divide in mittens). That would let me wrap my frosty toes in sockly warmth and still wear slippers.
Actually, I feel the chill in the air but sweaters have been a little too warm and my bare feet are fine. However, it truly does not take long to adjust to the minor changes in temperature on the islands. "Cold" weather is 70 degrees or below, "hot" weather is 80 degrees or above. Many, many days stay right in the 70-80 degree range. Back in Colorado, the temperature would fluctuate by ten degrees in the time it took to consume a bagel. So even though the temperature isn’t as cold as it is in Colorado, if you plan on taking a Hawaii vacation anytime soon, pack socks just in case.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the Trump Waikiki and for the most part the property lives up to its luxurious name. This is the first ultra-modern luxury property built on Oahu in many years. It reaches 38 stories in the air, has 462 beautifully appointed guest rooms and is just a block from Waikiki Beach. The property has all of the amenities you would expect from a Trump including their Attache concierge service which gives guests individual attention; providing everything from personal shoppers to specialized activity itineraries. The hotel has some fine dining restaurants and room service 24/7.
The guest rooms are all exquisitely furnished and modern with lots of wood tones & Hawaiian influences. Most of suites that are available at this point are the studios which are nice size, have a large bed, huge marble bathroom with his and her sinks & a soaking tub, as well as a full galley type kitchen. There also two and three-bedroom suites and a spectacular three-bedroom multilevel suite which overlooks the ocean, higher floors.
While there’s no question that this is a property that most anybody will be happy with, there are a few things worth mentioning that you need to be aware of if you’re staying here. First off it’s not really on the beach, but if you do get a oceanview they did a good job architecturally of making sure that you actually see the ocean. Since the property is situated across from Fort Derussy Park, partial and city views are still magnificent. There is a nice infinity pool on the property however, it is quite small and there’s really not much of the views since the pool deck is on the eighth floor which overlooks other buildings.
Currently we’re seeing some good pricing for this property starting at about 285 per night so you may want to check it out if you’re looking for this kind of luxury and want to take your Hawaii vacation to the next level.
LOST fans and stars shared their love of the show at this weekend’s Hawaii premiere. Fans waited for hours on the beach for the sneak peek. When the time came for the red carpet arrivals, stars returned the favor. They waved, smiled, signed autographs and posed for innumerable photos. I was with the fans at the fence near where limos dropped off the stars — not inside with press access but right amid the fans. I’ve posted photos below that I took with a simple point and shoot camera, I’m sure everyone near me has similar souvenires.
Honestly, I am not a real fan of the show. I have seen it, but right now I don’t really follow any TV series very regularly, especially not one that requires me to keep up. But I am a true fan of these stars. They were so gracious, it is hard to imagine what more they could have done. It was truly an evening of aloha!
Posted by Cindy Scheopner. Follow me on Twitter: @Scheopner
It really can be hard to believe that one man has touched so much history in his life, but Uncle Bill Tapia has been at the right place at some of the most interesting times.
I met Uncle Bill last year when he was in Honolulu for the Ukulele Festival in Kapi‘olani Park. Although we’d never met before, his story was familiar to me because, as a writer for Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle, I wrote an official birthday message to celebrate Uncle Bill’s 100th birthday that was presented to him in concert.
Unfortunately though, my boss read the message and declared I had completely screwed up. He said there was no way Uncle Bill could’ve played his ukulele as a 10-year-old on the streets of Honolulu to welcome troops returning from the First World War. My boss said that there was no way Uncle Bill could’ve possibly played at the grand opening of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1927.
In the end, unbeknownst to me, he rewrote much of the document, saying Uncle Bill played for troops at the Royal Hawaiian upon their return from that “other war” that ended in 1945 or something crazy. It was finalized, signed and sent before I had a chance to protest. Upon later discovering this mess, I was mortified and left with no way to fix the problem. I was deemed a crappy researcher, when the reality is that Uncle Bill has lived the most extraordinary life. Often credited as the first musician to play jazz on the ukulele, UncleBill has performed with likes of Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley and along with Hawaiian musicians including King Bennie Nawahi, Sol Ho‘opi‘i and Andy Iona.You can learn more about Uncle Bill at www.myspace.com/billtapiahawaii
Fast forward to last year and I find myself at the grand reopening of the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, listening to the beautiful music of Makana when he introduces Uncle Bill Tapia, who is sitting just two tables away from us. At the end of the show, we get to chatting with his friends and soon find ourselves sitting at Duc’s Bistro in Chinatown, listening to Uncle Bill performing songs on his ukulele just for us. I wanted to apologize to him for the Governor snafu, but he’s such a sweetie, the story was lost in the beauty of the night.
That’s the spirit you can experience firsthand at the upcoming Ukulele Legends in Concert at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace. The concert will feature ukulele playing by the 102-year-old Uncle Bill Tapia, 82-year-old Eddie Kamae and 75-year-old Herb “Ohta-san” Ohta. A fundraiser for the Ukulele Foundation of Hawaii, the concert kicks off a four day celebration culminating with the Ukulele Picnic at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park.
Tickets are available by contacting the Honolulu Box Office at 550-TIKS (8457)or online at http://honoluluboxoffice.com. Seating options include a VIP section in front of the stage, along with a bento for $65 or general admission seating for $30. In addition, a full bar selling food and drink will be available.
LOST tee shirts and caffeine is the story of the morning for participants in the tour sponsored by Hawaii-Aloha Travel and the Transmission blog of Ryan and Jenn Ozawa. Wendy, Makana (in front) and Julio Bachiller are locals but that means they drove in from Ewa early this Sunday morning to join the tour highlighting locations where LOST has filmed on Oahu. Other tour participants only had to journey to the lobby of the Park Shore Waikiki but many of them, too, visited the coffee shop next door while waiting for the bus to depart. They were tired from last night’s excitement but determined not to miss anything!
Almost everyone has a favorite story about last evening’s premiere showing of the first episode of LOST’s final season. Many share photos of themselves with LOST stars, either as they walked the red carpet or later as they gathered at an after party in Waikiki.
Tracy Steel and her husband Chad came from Tucson for the tour. They’ve been to Hawaii several times, so the big attraction was the opportunity to meet and mingle with other LOST fans, as well as getting a sneak peak at the premiere. Tracy is one of many taking back photographic evidence of her brush with the stars.
As the fans showed one another photos and shared stories, the common thread was how friendly and approachable the LOST stars are for fans. If you add up the number of photos just taken by those in the lobby this morning, the LOST actors must have been pausing and smiling for amateur cameras every third step — and that’s not to count the photos in the morning paper and on television news. It may be that they will miss Hawaii as much as the state will miss LOST when this season ends.
Today’s tour includes many locations on the island of Oahu where LOST has filmed over the years. Ryan and Jenn are acting as fan-guides. They’ve had to divide their talents — there are so many people interested in the tour that they filled two large tour buses and a lead van. Ryan is in one bus and Jenn in the other, at lunch they’ll switch. When it came time to load up, Yaling Fisher checked names off the list and Bruce Fisher collected lunch money. They’re off!
Posted by Cindy Scheopner. Follow me on Twitter: @Scheopner
LOST fans gathered on Waikiki Beach were treated to an island-style red carpet arrival of cast members of the popular television program. The final season begins with a televised two hour season opener on Tuesday but tonight those fans devoted enough to brave the crowds on the sand got a special preview of the first hour. People began arriving with the sun this morning to stake out a place on the sand in front of the huge 30-foot screen. At mid-afternoon, the beach was filled with chairs, blankets and beach mats and by the time the program began, people were sitting and standing body-to-body. Passage ways narrowed to a trickle.
And yet, the crowd was happy, enthusiastic and, for the most part, friendly and congenial. While the space out front filled up, some fans took their places along the fences at the street where limos deposited the series stars. Although there were television crews covering the event, no special interview area was set aside. The stars shook hands, signed autographs, and posed for photos with the fans along the fences. Most took their time visiting fans on both sides.
There was no need to ask which designer they were wearing — while a couple of the women arrived in chic short dresses, most of the actors wore jeans and casual shirts. They seemed as relaxed as the wardrobe, enjoying the fans’ enthusiasm for LOST as the show enters its final season.
Posted by Cindy Scheopner. Follow me on Twitter: @Scheopner
The viewing screen was just put into place inside the framework that towers over Waikiki Beach (about 2 pm). It is the most visibile evidence of continuing preparations for the LOST final season premiere this evening. Food vendors are set up inside the small white tents to the left and doing a brisk business. Along with the smell of the grill, the sound of music from loudspeakers fills the air.
The white chairs inside the fenced off area for VIPs now have different colored paper marking them into sections. The small beach stand renting umbrellas and surfboards is now completely surrounded by the crowd of LOST watchers that now extends well down the beach from the screen.
This morning, Ryan and Jen Ozawa staked out a space for visitors taking part in the LOST tour they arranged with Bruce and Yaling Fisher.
It is now somewhere in the middle of the crowd, but Ryan is still taking care of his many guests. It is still overcast but warm now, umbrellas are used to shield from the sun rather than this morning’s sprinkles. Hope everyone has water and sunscreen!
People who live in Hawaii are freezing. We are in the midst of a cold snap that has sent temperatures plunging to below 70 degrees overnight - nearly 65 degrees! It is so cold that people are wearing long sleeves and …. SOCKS!.jpg)
Almost everyone has a favorite story about last evening’s premiere showing of the first episode of LOST’s final season. Many share photos of themselves with LOST stars, either as they walked the red carpet or later as they gathered at an after party in Waikiki.
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LOST fans gathered on Waikiki Beach were treated to an island-style red carpet arrival of cast members of the popular television program. The final season begins with a televised two hour season opener on Tuesday but tonight those fans devoted enough to brave the crowds on the sand got a special preview of the first hour. People began arriving with the sun this morning to stake out a place on the sand in front of the huge 30-foot screen. At mid-afternoon, the beach was filled with chairs, blankets and beach mats and by the time the program began, people were sitting and standing body-to-body. Passage ways narrowed to a trickle.
