At last, we're headed to Maui, after counting down what seemed to be forever and a day. I do what I normally do at 24 hours before departure: check in online at United's website. You don't have to check in at 24 hours if you're not vying for priority for waitlisted upgrades, but it's become a habit for me. After typing in my confirmation number, I was rewarded with an error which would have freaked out non-frequent flyers (and to be honest, even frequent flyers): "We are unable to locate an electronic ticket for this itinerary. Please return to your original place of purchase for assistance and return to united.com for check-in." The original place of purchase was united.com! I suspected it was due to the two schedule changes that occurred from when I had bought the tickets way back when. The outbound flight had switched from an LAX connection to an SFO connection and I suspected that the computer screwed up on this. Usually most schedule changes involve changing the departure time, not as drastic as changing transfer airports. I first did a search on the United forum on FlyerTalk to get advice, then called the 1K desk. The agent verified that it was indeed the switch from LAX to SFO and put me on hold as she fixed the tickets and ensured that my upgrades remained intact. I now was able to check in online, and all was well. I had used CR-1's (confirmed regional upgrades) to grab the upgrades at booking time and not risk it with the UDU program (UDU = unlimited domestic upgrades), even though I knew that Hawaii flights are not full with elite flyers. As it turned out, I probably didn't need to burn my CR-1's as the first class seating map was only half full the day before departure, but it's always nice to know you're confirmed. I think even if you were "merely" a Premier member, you would have gotten the complimentary upgrade into the first class cabin. Things to keep in mind. Maybe you might want to shoot for the 25k mile mark to become a Premier...
The airport wasn't too bad on Saturday morning. Checking in bags was a breeze since we got to use the 1K line. It's not always a get-out-of-jail-free card though. There was a security line offered for elites, so we went into it, but the regular line seemed to move faster. There was only one TSA checking ID's in the elite line, and three of them in the regular line. By the time I realized this, it was too late to switch lines to make a difference. We had plenty of time before boarding, so I wasn't panicking.
This was Babe's first flight on United. How could that possibly be since I fly United so much? When we went to Kauai last year, we flew Hawaiian since the price was a lot cheaper. Went on American to Cancun, and USAir/Southwest for most other trips. It's good to travel with a 1K member, as UDU is offered for the 1K member plus his/her companion! So in the end, he doesn't need to maintain a high elite status; he just has to travel with me. Him having 1K status would help a lot with waitlisted upgrade requests on transoceanic flights. But we don't fly those often, so we only needed one person to have status. It would be a different story for a family of 3 or 4; both parents would need some status to upgrade the entire family. One day perhaps.
Our connection was in SFO, then onto the flight to Maui. It was a midday flight, so lunch was served. Everything is served at the same time on one tray: salad, entree, dessert. The food wasn't spectacular: salad was meh, my entree of chicken and noodles was bland, carrot cake sub-average. Babe had the mahi mahi and it was decent, washed down with a couple of cans of wheat beer. We play the United "Halfway to Hawaii" game, where the pilot gives you the total number of nautical miles from SFO to Maui along with the airspeed and the headwind and you get to calculate what time (to the second!) the airplane will hit the halfway point. The player closest to the exact time wins an "Iz" CD of Hawaiian music. (he is known best for his "Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" compilation) I was off by 10 minutes. :( The game piece came with a couple of coupons, $10 off a luau at the Hilton in Waikiki, and also $10 off a spa treatment at the Grand Wailea in Maui. I saved the coupons as my friend Jennifer and I were contemplating going to the Grand Wailea spa.
We arrive in Maui late in the afternoon...bags came out fast; by some miracle, the baggage handlers offloaded the "priority" baggage first. Took the Alamo rental car shuttle located behind the rental car desk area, as I already had a reservation from Priceline. Got a great deal too; a midsize car ended up being ~$150 for the week including all taxes. We got to choose any car along a row of midsize vehicles. I immediately noticed a Sebring Limited Edition, so I made a beeline for it before other customers behind us realized its existence, even though I wasn't crazy about the gold metallic finish. I always check the interior of the car for smoke odor and I got the unexpected smell of what seemed to be "new car". We get in, I turn on the engine, and I notice the display says "7". "7" what? I push buttons to change the display...nope, it's not "Trip A" or "Trip B". It's the actual odometer...a brand new rental car! The employee at the exit booth proclaimed that I will be the first driver to put scratches on it, haha. I told her I would drive carefully.
Final stop for the day was to the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas (North), our home for the next 6 nights. The check-in date was Friday May 28th but I wasn't too picky with the choice 2 weeks before trip departure. Turns out that Jennifer was staying right next door at the Honua Kai, very convenient as I was picking up her and her friend Natalie to go to the Black Rock spa Monday morning!
This timeshare is one of the nicest I've stayed at. It can be hard to trade into here unless you are trading another Starwood week (this property is part of the Starwood Vacation Ownership program), have a high-demand week to trade in return, or wait until very last minute to trade, like I did.
The 1 bedroom villa was decorated with a contemporary touch and spacious with a full kitchen, stack washer/dryer, living room, king-sized "Heavenly Bed", and a HUGE shower ("Heavenly Bath")! Free wi-fi. Nice toiletries too. First time I've seen soap shaped like a leaf at a hotel. The location of the villa was away from the pool and closer to the road, but I didn't mind, as the walk to the pool and beach wasn't that far and it was very quiet. We even had a view of a bit of ocean from the patio, despite it being a "gardenview" category. Once a developer builds another timeshare or hotel in the empty lot between us and the Honua Kai, then the villa will truly be a "gardenview".
We settled in, had dinner, and watched the sunset from the patio with local Hawaiian beer in hand. Great start to a vacation in paradise!
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