California to Hickam, and back to the...

Author Message   RANDY J LOWERY New member Username: K7zj2b Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 99.151.170.7 Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 08:41 pm:    Great report glad to hear all went well   Edgar Inocentes Senior Member Username: Traveler88 Post Number: 480 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 173.198.77.175 Posted on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 11:00 pm:    Cherry, as usual, great report. That was a great deal on Hawaiian Air. Today's rate is $307 + tax/fees per person from Honolulu to Oakland, CA. Like you, we're ready for Plan B.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 278 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.222.224 Posted on Sunday, March 14, 2010 - 01:55 am:    Cherry: I checked again and the portable CPAP comments are under the Off-Topic section.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 277 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.222.224 Posted on Sunday, March 14, 2010 - 01:44 am:    Cherry: Thanks for the detailed reply about Hawaiian Air. Another "Pepperdite" wrote somewhere in the general section, I believe, that there are now CPAPs that weigh about 3 pounds. I don't know this of my own knowledge as I gave mine back to the distributor about 3 years ago because I couldn't sleep with all of the noise of that gushing air. I never even considered lugging that thing on a Space A trip. I see that you were in Hawaii for a month. What accommodations did you have and were the rates competitive with the Navy Lodge? When we were there, we couldn't find rooms on base for more than 3 days at a clip, so it was inconvenient to have to move around as we like stability. I expected to be in Oahu for about a week, so I didn't consider renting a condo or an available time-share. Luckily, we obtained quarters at Hickam on the day that we landed there, but after that it was hit or miss as we didn't want to stay at the Hale Koa as we wanted to be near the Terminal for a flight going East. Look forward to your comments about this. Thanks   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6106 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 11:42 pm:    To answer a few comments: -Yes, maybe we could have returned the "one way" car to Hertz at Long Beach after all for less money, and taken a taxi to LAX, but it did not occur to us at the time! We just wanted to GET THERE and at that point the extra money was not a major factor. (Besides, it all went on the credit card ;-D) And I am not sure that Hertz would have allowed this -- nor that we could have accomplished everything required to make the change what with the explanation and assorted new paperwork, and still gotten to LAX on time for our flight. -I gather that the Hawaiian Airline's charge for a checked bag is a fairly new development. We each were allowed one free carry on (the normal approx. standard 22"x14"x9" or so DID fit in the overhead bins) plus one free "personal" item each (purse, computer, backpack, etc.), but did also need to check one bag each. We try to travel light and used to get by with one roll-on sized bag each, but (a) we had just been on a 14 day cruise so we had a few more clothes than otherwise, and (b) having started out in deep winter and going to the tropics we needed gear for both climates, and (c) we now both must use CPAP machines and the two of them take up 2/3 of the space in a standard carry-on and (d) with the !#$%^&! stupid TSA rules we always need to check at least one bag (with various supplies that are banned in the cabin) when the trip will last for more than a few days. -We were in HI from Feb. 2 to March 7. -Weather there was cooler than some other years, and often very windy, but we had very little rain. Hawaii is having a serious drought, with crops on some of the more rural islands in danger of failing. -Yes, we know we missed the Great DC Snow of 2010 and were GLAD; our children sent us emailed pictures of drifts taller than a 10 year old. -Speaking of grandchild, "our" basketball team lost this morning's championship playoff game so they ended the season as No. 2 in the league. But our grandson played well (sank 5 or 6 baskets) and the team as a whole showed great improvement from the early games we had seen before leaving town. -Oh, and those hundreds of newly-graduated Marines arrive at the LAX USO every Tuesday, so if you are there on that day, be prepared for the invasion!   Joe Joyce Intermediate Member Username: Joejoyce Post Number: 145 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 24.23.114.22 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 05:19 pm:    Kudos Cherry, great report. Welcome home.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 276 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.222.224 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 04:28 pm:    Cherry: I enjoyed your concisely written trip report. As always, you "roll with the punches" in being able to cope with the unexpected turns of Space A travel. Flexibility should be your middle name and I totally concur with your taking Hawaiian Air to Oahu as a way out of an indefinite situation. We did the same thing out of SEATAC when our McChord cancelled, but I don't remember being charged for our 30 pound roll-on bags, which we did check. This must be a new development. If we took them on board, is there room in the overheads/under the seat to accommodate them? Do you intend to write a trip report at any time about what you did in Hawaii? How long were you there and how was the weather? You missed, as you probably know, 30" of snow back here in DC!   steve mccoy Member Username: Nuhusker Post Number: 31 Registered: 04-2009 Posted From: 173.27.221.113 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 03:32 pm:    Enjoyed reading your report. Welcome home!   Phil Doubleman Senior Member Username: Phil Post Number: 1491 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 68.35.26.65 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 02:10 pm:    Nice going, Cherry. I enjoyed your report very much. I'm not sure of the logistics or distances but, as a cheaper alternative, couldn't you have changed your "one way" to a "return" at the Long Beach Airport Hertz car rental and used other means to get to LAX? Just curious. I've never tried that before, but could see your situation happening to us. Thanks again.   William Yates Advanced Member Username: Byates Post Number: 165 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 68.159.109.76 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 01:49 pm:    Great trip report. Good gouge about services available. Thanks   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2436 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 01:42 pm:    Cherry: Fantastic report! Thanks for taking the time to write it up and share it with us. Great lesson! Happy travels, John   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6105 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 01:20 pm:    We took a cruise that returned us to the port of Los Angeles on Jan. 31. I had reserved 2 seats on the "Red Van" shuttle (a couple of dollars cheaper on line than the Blue Van) that dropped us at Long Beach Airport where we had a Hertz one-way rental reserved (also in advance, on line) to North Island NAS. Cost per day for the car was about $48. On the drive down my husband became ill (probably the same virus that had been spreading around the ship) and we were very grateful to be allowed to check in early at the Navy Gateway Inn ($22 per night for a twin-bedded room with private bath, microwave and fridge). We arranged with the local Hertz branch to keep the car another day while my husband slept it off, nibbling graham crackers (bought by me at the Commissary) during his waking moments. After 24 hours he felt well enough to travel, and Tuesday morning, Feb. 2, there was a flight scheduled to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii that was going on to Kaneohe on Oahu -- perfect for us. We did a bunch of free laundry loads (I had Wash-Eze strips with me--not cheap, but so much easier than carrying heavy or bulky detergent), bought sandwiches at the Commissary on Monday afternoon because the Navy does not provide box lunches, and at 0800 on Tuesday a.m. were manifested to Hawaii -- when to everyone's dismay the NCOIC appeared and announced "The flight is cancelled." Urgh -- we had already checked out of billeting and left the car with papers parked as instructed. My husband hustled and was able to retrieve the car (the Hertz people didn't have any others available) while I surfed the internet for possible Plans B, C or D. There was no wi-fi at the terminal, but there was a good signal at billeting so I just sat outside our (former) room on a cement bench and began the search. This board's "Last Category Moved" was indicating the situation at Travis was still tight for Cat VI's even with a long signup, and besides, the drive from San Diego to Travis would have been long. The only flight to Hawaii from North Island wasn't for another week. On the other hand, LAX was just up the road and Hawaiian Airlines' website was offering a same-day one way flight for an astonishing $375 including fees and taxes for both of us. (The same flight the next day was more than $100 more per person.) We also could pay on line to check our one bag each ($23 on line in advance, instead of the $25 if we waited to pay until the airport). The cost to drop the Hertz rental car at LAX was high -- about $110 for the day and the dropoff. When we got there and saw the huge facility, we could understand how they might want to discourage getting any more cars on that lot! The Hertz people put a driver in our rental car who knew the airport and dropped us right outside the USO at our request. (My husgband pressed a $5 bill into his pleased hand.) The LAX USO has expanded somewhat, and was a very pleasant place to wait. Their free computers had printing capability so I was able to print out our confirmations for the flight AND the baggage check. They also had a free book swap, sandwiches, cold drinks and coffee, and a place to store luggage. I used the cell phone to call our hotel and ask if we could come a few days earlier than planned, and they promised to work it out. At about 1500 several charter buses pulled up outside the USO and disgorged what seemed like hundreds of very young Marines who had just that day graduated from boot camp. We greeted them and fled (putting $20 in the USO tip jar), walking over to the terminal to begin the dread LAX screening process. Note: If flying out of LAX, allow twice as much time as you think you need to clear through check in and security screening. Bring lots of patience in your carry-on. The Hawaiian flight was uneventful, except that it did have adequate leg room even in coach, to my pleased surprise. They served a light meal for free, but would have charged $5 each to use their headphones OR our own -- so we just dozed or looked at the flickering pictures on the screen instead of listening to the sound track and didn't suffer at all. Upon arrival and collecting our bags at the Inter-Island terminal at Hickam we found a Roberts bus outside, and eventually were the only two passengers on it into Waikiki to our reserved hotel (Island Colony). The hotel put us in an alternate room for the first night, then moved us to our reserved space the next day while we were off getting our new Senior Bus Cards ($10 each for 4 years) and February unlimited rides sticker ($5 pp). We will pass over the idyllic stay in Hawaii, complete with sun, ethnic food, palm trees, AND the Tsunami-that-wasn't-after-all. (Newspaper headline the day after: WHEW! We'd intended to start trying to leave for home on Monday, March 8, but began checking flights a few days earlier (in person at the Hickam terminal you can get a lot more info than on the phone) and learned there were several to Travis and points east on Sunday an d not much for a few days after, so we checked out of our hotel at 0500 and took a pre-ordered "TheCab" ride to Hickam ($45 with tip; got a driver who had a pass to go on base). Everyone who wanted to go to Travis got on the C17, and the flight was only about 4 1/2 hours (good tail winds!). Generous box lunch ($4.25 each) -- Hickam packs the meat and vegetables for the sandwich separately from the bread so nothing gets soggy. Of course, it is a little tricky to assemble the thing on your lap! We had called Travis lodging from Hickam and reserved a room (with 2 double beds, microwave and fridge -- but no dishes) for $39/night in the 'new' building -- very nice, with wi-fi except when it is "down" which happened the next morning. There were several east coast flights on the monitors but all dropped off except one to Dover with a 1330 showtime the next day, Tuesday. We signed in for it, ate at the mess hall -- oops, Dining Facility (about $4 total WITH surcharge!) -- and were manifested. (One box lunch only, for $4.25, this time -- Tom's food allergy precluded him eating most of the regular contents so he subsisted on the bread and peanut butter we always carry.) As soon as manifested to Dover I called lodging there and it was full. So just in case, I asked the clerk for the names and phone numbers of the nearest off-base hotels with good military discounts to which they send people when they have overflow. I also got on the computer at the USO to see about a one-way rental car (to be shared with another couple) and found that Hertz had no large cars or vans available, but Budget did. Reserved a Budget SUV in Dover and printed out the confirmation as they were calling us to the departure lounge (an hour earlier than they SAID they would...). Another uneventful C17 flight (wildly fluctuating temperatures depending on where you were -- we happened upon a very nice warm spot but others were freezing) put us into Dover at about 1230 Wednesday. While waiting for luggage I called lodging and they were still full. So I called the Best Western who said they had plenty of rooms, Come On Down, for about $74 per room. One of our fellow travelers went out to scout the taxi situation and discovered Wynn himself, of "Ride with the Wynn" just dropping off 4 soldiers he'd brought from the Philadelphia airport, so she promptly signed him up to take all of us to the Best Western. Eventually we had about 10 folks crammed into his van ($5 pp -- very reasonable, we thought). One was dropped at Long Term parking to get his car, and the rest went on to the Best Western where we checked in, ate the rest of our food, and hit the sack for 6 hours. Next a.m. we ate the (included) basic Continental breakfast, called Budget for a free pickup, got the car (a Chevy minivan), loaded all our gear along with that of Judy and Tim, and hit the road about 0930. Dropped Judy and Tim at Andrews where their car was parked, made a quick commissary trip for eggs and milk and such, and headed home to Fairfax, VA. After unloading the van we two drove our own car and the rented van to Dulles airport to turn in the latter ($164 total plus a half tank of gas, cost shared with Judy and Tim) and then headed back home to start dealing with accumulated mail, etc. Snow almost all gone, daffodils peeping up, crocuses in bloom -- we timed it just right! All along the way we met nice people, helpful crews, and fairly knowledgeable pax reps. Space-a is such a benefit, for which we are very grateful! Now it's time for us to head out to see our grandson's youth basketball team play for the league championship -- looks as if we timed that right, too. There's no time to proof-read this, so I hope I didn't make too many goofs. The main lesson: WHAT WOULD WE EVER DO WITHOUT THE INFO ON THIS SITE AND JOHN D'S SITE, CREDIT CARDS, PORTABLE COMPUTERS, THE INTERNET AND WI-FI, AND CELL PHONES!