Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to go to Hawaii?
That depends on what you mean by "best". If you are looking
for deals, then the best times to visit are between mid April and mid
June, and between late September and mid December. This is also a good
time to count on getting pretty good weather.
If you are looking for whales, the best time to go is January or February.
If you are looking for a good time with your family, with great weather,
go in June, July, or August. This is the high season, so you will pay
for the convenience.
Christmas and New Years are the highest season on the Hawaiian Islands.
Expect a great time, but also expect to pay for it
Which island should I visit?
That will depend on your taste. Check our Island
Guide for some basic guidelines on selecting an island to visit.
How much will it cost me to go to Hawaii?
This will depend mainly on where you are departing from, what island
you are visiting, what season you're visiting in, what type of accommodations
you choose, and what type of view at those accommodations you choose.
Airline prices will normally range from $300 per person (low season,
west coast) to $900 per person (high season, east coast). Flying into
Honolulu, Oahu is usually cheaper than flying into a neighboring island.
Booking at the last minute, and at peak times like Christmas and New
Years can make your airline price as much as double or more. Flying first
class is typically around double the normal fare.
Accommodations normally range from $70 per night (downtown Waikiki) to
$450 per night (oceanview at a resort setting). A pretty decent room at
a pretty decent hotel will be about $200 per night. Honeymooners might
want to budget about $300 per night for a nice room with a nice view.
Rental cars are not usually a big expense. A weekly rate on a mid-sized
car is about $180, and on a convertible about $350.
Activities run the gamut of prices, from $30 city tours to $200 helicopter
rides. The average luau is about $70 per person, and a typical snorkeling
cruise is about $75 per person. On average, be prepared to spend about
$150 per couple on a typical activity.
So, just to give you an idea, for 2 people on a 7 day vacation, figure
about $1000 for airfare, $1200 on hotel (7th night free), $200 on a car,
and $300 on activities, bringing you to a total of $2,700. Honeymooners
might spend a little more, say $3,000 - $4,000.
These are just examples to give you some idea. Your specific situation
might be very different. Consult a representative for a better idea of
what you should budget based on your needs.
I'm looking for an all-inclusive resort. Are
there any in Hawaii?
Unlike the Caribbean, you won't find any all-inclusive resorts on Hawaii.
What are the requirements for a non-US citizen
visiting Hawaii?
If you are from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or any other
country that belongs in the Visa Waiver Pilot Program, then you only need
a valid passport and a roundtrip airline ticket to enter Hawaii. Those
countries not in the Pilot Program need to have a valid passport, and
a tourist visa which you can get from your US Consulate. Please check
www.state.gov for updated entry requirements.
What are the requirements
for getting married in Hawaii?
Getting married in Hawaii is relatively easy. There are
no blood tests, or residency requirements. You must be an adult (18 or
over), and a relationship not closer than first cousins. You'll need $50
for the marriage license, and a Driver's license, or other photo id.
If you are under 18, or feel you have an unusual circumstance
that needs to be checked out, you can contact the Honolulu Marriage License
Office at 808-586-4545, or check the Hawaii Department of Health website,
and visit the Vital Records section.
Can my guests call you for their
travel, instead of me?
Definitely! We encourage you to have your guests call us
instead of being caught in the middle. As a matter of fact, they can use
our services in any number of ways, including a custom website where they
can easily see the details of your wedding, check their options, and even
pay for their trip.
I don't want my ceremony to
get rained on. Any advice?
Obviously, there's no way to guarantee that your wedding
will not get rained on, but there are some things you can do to put the
odds in your favor that the weather won't ruin your wedding.
First of all, try to get married as close to Summer as possible. June,
July, and August are the driest months on the islands. Second, try to
choose a location that is either on the west side of any island or on
the south side. Examples on Kauai would be Waimea or Poipu, and on Maui
both Kaanapali and Wailea work well. Finally, if you are in a situation
where rain might be a problem, make sure you have a backup plan. If you
are booked at a good resort, with a good coordinator, they should be able
to easily set you up with an indoor location to use as a backup, in case
it rains.
When will I get my tickets?
We usually receive travel documents about 2 weeks before
you leave. Once we receive the documents, we immediately send them out
to you via Federal Express. Under normal circumstances, we will send them
on the Express Saver rate (3 business days), but if time is running out
we will send them 2-day or overnight.
If it is about a week before you leave, and you haven't
heard anything from us, it's probably best to give us a call.
Why did my price go up?
Nobody likes a fare increase, and we certainly don't like
to be the ones to bear the news. The reality is however, that prices are
subject to change until the package is paid in full. In some cases, even
with a deposit, you can see a price increase. This is pretty unusual (maybe
1% - 2% of the time this happens), and the airlines are usually behind
it.
It gets somewhat confusing, but if you're interested in
the details we'll try to explain it as best we can. If you haven't put
any money down yet, then your space might have sold out. This can happen
with both air and hotel. As certain fares become unavailable, you are
forced into a higher category, and thus a higher price. This is easy to
illustrate with a hotel. Let's say you want to stay at Aloha hotel. You
are happy to stay in any room, as long as it's at the Aloha Hotel. At
the time you look into it, the Garden View room is available for $150,
but when you go to book, all the Garden View rooms are sold out. The only
way you can stay at this hotel now, is to buy an Ocean View room for $250.
Your price for staying at the hotel just went up. A similar situation
happens with the airlines, except that you don't get a nicer seat. It's
the same seat, but you just pay more, because all the available seats
at the price you were looking at, are sold out.
Now, if you already put money down, then you might be running
into a more unusual situation, that typically happens with airline seats.
When you put a deposit down, you basically put a hold on the space --
a certain fare code -- not a particular price. The airlines break up their
seats in classes. There's no physical difference in the seats, it's just
the way they manage their revenue. For example, you might have T, Q, H,
and Y class. T class flights are the cheapest at $300, and Y are the most
expensive at $600. Q and H are in the middle at $400 and $500 respectively.
To make the previous example more clear, if you're having
an availability problem, then maybe you were looking at T class for $300,
and T class sells out before you book it, so now you have to pay for T
class which is $400. But that's not the case here, because you put a deposit
down when T class was available. So, you say, "I have the space,
so I should be locked into the $300 rate". Well, not really.
The airlines actually reserve the option to change how much
T class is. So, while you have a deposit on T class for $300, the airline
decides to raise the fare on T class to $350. It doesn't happen often,
but it does happen, and there's no warning or prior notice. They notify
us after the fact.
The only true way to guarantee a price, is to pay the vacation
in full. When you pay in full, the airline ticket is actually printed.
This makes all the difference. Even if they raise the fare before you
leave, with a printed ticket, the price is locked in.
How do I make changes to my
vacation?
Give us a call. If you want to add to your vacation, it
will probably be pretty easy if the availability is there.
If you need to cancel something or make a name change, things
might be different. If you have insurance, most likely that's the most
you will lose. We will try our best to preserve your insurance even with
the change. If you don't have insurance, you may be looking at a change
fee. The fee gets worse as time goes on, so if you notice a change that
needs to be made, please call immediately.
How do I setup a payment schedule?
Give us a call. We can setup any payment schedule you would
like, as long as it conforms to the required schedule.
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