Getting to the 2008 Honolulu Regionals doesn't require breaking the bank

[da Marshalls]

For those of you out there concerned about the travel costs to Hawaii, I'm hear to tell you that you can get round trip tickets from the East Coast all the way to our beautiful island paradise for around $500/per person.

Cross county flights into LA, Oakland, SFO and Las Vegas routinely run $99 - $129 each way/per person. West coast to Hawaii connections run $119 -$149. These are valid fares available pretty much daily on major carriers, most with only 2-week advance purchase requirements.

Check out fares from ATA, Aloha airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit, Frontier, America West and Jet Blue. Fares in and out of Oakland on ATA are DIRT cheap.

If your Team's Travel Coordinator is not afraid to go after the begging, whining and always effective crying discount, I'm sure they can get additional "concessions" and knock the price down some more. This of course, leaves more funds available for your team to island hop at $29/per person each way.

Paradise beckons.

[wendymom]

Thanks for the info!!! We have a team meeting tonight and I will surely bring this up

[Tim Delles]

Thanks for the info. I know that we were sitting in the stands and were amazed when they announced it.

If we can get the money hopefully we can make it down :)

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Wowzers... thanks for the info. Err... um... does anyone know any good websites for airfare? I can't think of any of the companies in the commercials off of the top of my head.

Good job on selling the Hawaii Regional. I'm sure teams like 234, 233, and 25 would definitely consider this regional since they've travelled all over the US in recent years.

[Vince lau]

Thanks for the info., i'm gonna try and get one of my teams to go next year.

[Brandon Holley]

Wowzers... thanks for the info. Err... um... does anyone know any good websites for airfare? I can't think of any of the companies in the commercials off of the top of my head.

Good job on selling the Hawaii Regional. I'm sure teams like 234, 233, and 25 would definitely consider this regional since they've travelled all over the US in recent years.

www.orbitz.com

www.travelocity.com

www.expedia.com

[Elgin Clock]

Any way of getting some advance information of where it would be held, or at least which airport to fly into and what dates??
(In talking with some of my team this past Friday night, we came across the idea that we would love it if Hawaii and Las Vegas were back to back regionals and hit up both in one long extended vacation trip. How cool would that be?)

MY team is among all the others who wish to make Hawaii a reality, and if not I would like to go myself and volunteer with some folks at least.

Either way, I want to make it out there and cross off Hawaii from my "places to visit" list one of these days,and why not during a FIRST event? :)

[da Marshalls]

My experience is that travelocity, expedia and orbitz don't have the fares I'm referring to. Go to the airlines directly:

ata.com
alohaairlines.com
hawaiianair.com
jetblue.com
spiritair.com
frontierairlines
usairways.com
southwest.com

- Deanna

[Kyle]

And also remember that the earlier that you make the reservations for the flights and hotel rooms and stuff the cheaper that it will be.

Also look into smaller airports like local non international ones sometimes you can get better air fares as long as you don't mind 1-3 layovers before reaching your final destination.

[Madison]

A quick glance at Farecast (www.farecast.com) shows that fares aren't available yet for March, 2008.

www.sidestep.com is another reasonable site for checking airfares, as is www.qixo.com. Both will query multiple other websites at a time, including the airlines' own sites.

[da Marshalls]

Hawai’i inaugural FIRST Robotics Regional will be held March 27-29, 2008 at the University of Hawai’i Manoa’s Stan Sheriff Center. University of Hawai'i Manoa is on the island of Oahu near the downtown area in Hononlulu.

Honolulu International = HNL

If you're only planning on visiting any of the other islands (hint, hint). Then you'll want to check out these airports. Fares from Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian airlines and Go! are currently running $19/each way and up. Go's website is iflygo.com.

Lihue, Kauai pronounced Lee Who Aye = LIH
Kailua Kona, Hawaii pronounced Kai Lou Ah Cone Ah (western side of The Big Island) = KOA
Hilo, Hawaii pronounced He Low ( eastern side of The Big Island, and best place on all the islands to visit) = ITO
Kahului, Maui pronounced Kah Who Lou E= OGG

- Deanna

[cire]

Is there a danger of the robot not making it to Hawaii / back to the states in time if your doing a regional the week before or after the Hawaii one?

[Kyle]

Is there a danger of the robot not making it to Hawaii / back to the states in time if your doing a regional the week before or after the Hawaii one?


There is that possibility for any regional or even the Championship event. But I think that FIRST will be handling this regional with a little better care then the rest for 2008 because of its location and the buzz surrounding it. I think that there might be a increased fee for shipping for the teams that plan to attend this regional because it will cost more to ship it but maybe I will be wrong.

[IndySam]

Hawai’i inaugural FIRST Robotics Regional will be held March 27-29, 2008 at the University of Hawai’i Manoa’s Stan Sheriff Center. University of Hawai'i Manoa is on the island of Oahu near the downtown area in Hononlulu.


Hmm fly out on the 26th participate in the regional and then our spring break is the next week.....

It does present some interesting possibilities!

[Eric O]

Wowzers... thanks for the info. Err... um... does anyone know any good websites for airfare? I can't think of any of the companies in the commercials off of the top of my head.


My personal favorite is kayak.com (www.kayak.com). It basically searches a bunch of airlines websites as well as Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. It doesn't actually sell the tickets, but instead links you to the cheapest place to buy the flight you want. There are also useful tools to play with to narrow or broaden your search as you see fit. By creating a login, you can have it email you when a given trip drops below a certain price, which could be useful when say; you want to book a flight to Hawaii when the price is below $400. It obviously doesn't include all airlines and websites out there, but I have been satisfied every time I use it.

[FIXIT]

The Red Dragons (Team 1270) are planning to attend!

[RoboMom]

Is there a danger of the robot not making it to Hawaii / back to the states in time if your doing a regional the week before or after the Hawaii one?

Back-to-back regionals involve expedited shipping charges as is. I would make sure teams ask FIRST to clarify before registering and to be clear on what the extra charges will be.

[Cory]

Back-to-back regionals involve expedited shipping charges as is. I would make sure teams ask FIRST to clarify before registering and to be clear on what the extra charges will be.

It's probably going to be quite a bit. We were looking at over $2000 for back to back regional shipping from Ypsilanti, MI to San Jose, CA when we were registered for GLR this year, and Michigan isn't an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

[Lavapicker]

We plan on doing a fantastic regional for all those coming over to Hawaii. We hope to have an ambassador for each team to show them around and there have been lots of neat idea's for the team social. I liked the Luau idea but that could get pricey if everyone brings their aunts and uncles too. be sure to check out the robotics website :http://robotics.hawaii.gov/

We should have updates and help for those planning on coming over! My only advise is to register EARLY!!!!

Aloha,

[Chris Fultz]

I'm sure teams like 234, 233, and 25 would definitely consider this regional since they've travelled all over the US in recent years.

Why, it hasn't even been brought up..... ;)

Gotta go, appointment with the travel agent ......

[indieFan]

For those of you that are interested in going to Hawaii, be aware that while the airline tickets may not be as expensive as expected, the hotel/motel prices and food prices will be much more than you thought.

indieFan (who was there during Thanksgiving)

[wendymom]

Ms. P of the Pink team has already approached the idea of several Florida teams chartering an airplane to get us there. That would be way fun. Between, pink, 79, 1902, Ramtech, SPAM and others we could fill a jet no problem.

[Madison]

Ms. P of the Pink team has already approached the idea of several Florida teams chartering an airplane to get us there. That would be way fun. Between, pink, 79, 1902, Ramtech, SPAM and others we could fill a jet no problem.

I'd love to know more about what you've found out about chartering a plane. We, too, have been considering how effective it might be to charter a jet in the future for teams from nearby to make it to the Championship, for example. We paid nearly $15,000 in airfare this year and doing that year after year is killing us.

[TKM.368]

Aloha fellow FIRSTers!

There is a lot of preparation taking place with regards to the Hawaii Regional next year. Many things are still up in the air, but being worked on as we speak.

The date of the regional has already been announced to be a Week 5 Regional (had to get a volleyball tournament moved to accommodate the event). It doesn't seem usual to announce the date beforehand, but it was announced in a press release by our Governor, so the word is out (not to mention the goodies the Hawaii teams passed out had the date as well). This hopefully is helpful for everyone out there with regards to planning.

If enough 'real' interest is shown, perhaps the regional can have up to 48 teams. If, however, it doesn't seem that enough teams are going to be making the trip, then the regional might only be for 32 teams. (Time to get excited people!)

One of our current members is going to be maintaining the Hawaii Robotics website robotics.hawaii.gov (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/robotics.hawaii.gov). More information should be available after Dean Kamen comes to visit Hawaii on May 14th (feel free to stop by the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa at 4pm if you just so happen to be in Hawaii on that day).

Hawaii has more hotels than motels which might be problematic. Hopefully a hotel chain will step up as a sponsor of the event and will provide a package deal for teams coming out here. Fortunately, Waikiki is just a 10 minute (http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=1355+Lower+Campus+Rd,+Honolulu,+HI+9682 2+%28Stan+Sheriff+Center%29+@21.296966,-157.819622&saddr=Waikiki,+Honolulu,+Hawaii,+United+States&f=d&hl=en&dq=stan+sheriff+center+loc:+honolulu+hi&layer=&ie=UTF8&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=27.504711,80.15625&z=15&ll=21.290174,-157.824955&spn=0.015755,0.039139&t=h&om=0) drive from the competition venue. There is TheBus (Route 4 (http://www.thebus.org/Route/timetables/rt4.pdf)) which goes from Waikiki to the University of Hawaii if teams wish to utilize this method of transportation.

There's been talk of a luau for the team social - but actually, many people don't care too much for luau food like poi and pit-roasted pork. It would be helpful to hear what you folks think. Thinking Friday night might not be appropriate for the Team Social as well and perhaps Wednesday night or Saturday night would be better.

That's all I can think of for now (much of which is repeated information - sorry). We'll keep you updated when more information becomes available. Again, any comments you might have will definitely be taken into consideration.

[GaryVoshol]

Is there a danger of the robot not making it to Hawaii / back to the states in time if your doing a regional the week before or after the Hawaii one?

Aloha fellow FIRSTers!

There is a lot of preparation taking place with regards to the Hawaii Regional next year. Many things are still up in the air, but being worked on as we speak.

The date of the regional has already been announced to be a Week 5 Regional (had to get a volleyball tournament moved to accommodate the event). It doesn't seem usual to announce the date beforehand, but it was announced in a press release by our Governor, so the word is out ...And given that Week 4 is Easter weekend next year, that could further complicate the shipping. At least with the Championships a week later next year, there should be enough time to get the robots back from Honolulu to Atlanta.

Hmm, you think FIRST will offer volunteers an incentive to go?

[Jeremiah Johnson]

And given that Week 4 is Easter weekend next year, that could further complicate the shipping. At least with the Championships a week later next year, there should be enough time to get the robots back from Honolulu to Atlanta.

Hmm, you think FIRST will offer volunteers an incentive to go?

Oh man... that would be awesome! I'm already saving up in case my team doesn't go next year.

[Chris Fultz]

Ms. P of the Pink team has already approached the idea of several Florida teams chartering an airplane to get us there. That would be way fun. Between, pink, 79, 1902, Ramtech, SPAM and others we could fill a jet no problem.

Dear Ms. P -

Please save 40 seats and stop at Indianapolis for fuel.
We are right on the way, and the jet fuel attendants are very polite.

Signed,
Team 234

[ZachKahn]

Jim Beck approached us about the regional and we are definitely interested in going. We still need to discuss the financial and travel details that go along with it. Team 1515 will have a decision soon.

[da Marshalls]

For those of you that are interested in going to Hawaii, be aware that while the airline tickets may not be as expensive as expected, the hotel/motel prices and food prices will be much more than you thought.

indieFan (who was there during Thanksgiving)

um....I don't know where you stayed, but there are very nice family oriented hotels in the $100/per night range. They sleep 4, put you right in the heart of the city close enough to watch the surfers in the morning and walk the strip at night. As far as eats, you can eat quite nicely on a $45/day per diem.

-Deanna

[waialua359]

I'd love to know more about what you've found out about chartering a plane. We, too, have been considering how effective it might be to charter a jet in the future for teams from nearby to make it to the Championship, for example. We paid nearly $15,000 in airfare this year and doing that year after year is killing us.

tell me about it. I was in charge of raising 18,000 just for our airfare to NJ. We spent 33,000 just for that regional including a vacation to NY, Phily, Atlantic City, etc.........with all that hotel, chartered buses, and stuff.....hehe.....
The cost of coming to Hawaii will be well worth it!!!!....especially, if you have never been here.

[waialua359]

And given that Week 4 is Easter weekend next year, that could further complicate the shipping. At least with the Championships a week later next year, there should be enough time to get the robots back from Honolulu to Atlanta.

Hmm, you think FIRST will offer volunteers an incentive to go?

FYI, we never had a problem with shipping.
Our robot this year went from Hawaii on Tuesday (ship day) and arrived in NJ by late Thursday via FedEX.
Coming home from Vegas, it left on a Monday and got to us by late morning on Wednesday.
I really wouldn't worry about it. FedEx does fly directly to Honolulu.

[mtaman02]

There is no reason to give the volunteers an incentive to join the Honolulu Regional, why you ask? Because it's a new regional and people like me like to see a change in scenary & meet new people across the FIRST family. Hopefully in the future I will get away from my local Regionals and attend a distant one instead as an exchange. I've had a soft spot to go to the western states for a long time now espicially California so we'll see what happens for 2008 and where I go. I may be coming to a Regional near you.

[GaryVoshol]

There is no reason to give the volunteers an incentive to join the Honolulu Regional, why you ask? Because it's a new regional and people like me like to see a change in scenary & meet new people across the FIRST family. Hopefully in the future I will get away from my local Regionals and attend a distant one instead as an exchange. I've had a soft spot to go to the western states for a long time now espicially California so we'll see what happens for 2008 and where I go. I may be coming to a Regional near you.
Hush. We want FIRST to think that they will have to ship us all in, don't we? :D

[mrs. p]

only 40 seats? will let you know what time we'll be flying by.....


Dear Ms. P -

Please save 40 seats and stop at Indianapolis for fuel.
We are right on the way, and the jet fuel attendants are very polite.

Signed,
Team 234

[GaryVoshol]

only 40 seats? will let you know what time we'll be flying by.....
JUMP!!!!

[waialua359]

The committee is looking at not only making sure teams enjoy a great competition during the regional next year, they are also brainstorming a lot of great activities surrounding the competition.
We want this regional to be so great, that teams will be pounding us to get in year after year.
Dean Kamen is coming to Hawaii on May 14, where we all will get a chance to speak to him again and see what he will "announce" at that time.

Ms. P, we certainly are planning at this point to attend the FL regional next year, being that you folks are expanding the regional. It all depends on the schedule which is our main concern. Do you have an idea of when that will be?

Our other options are seeing what the other Hawaii teams do......There has been talk amonst us to attend SVR, Seattle, or Vegas again. If Colorado fell during a consecutive weekend, we might do that also. But, if we do East Coast again, it certainly looks like FL!

Glenn

[Wayne C.]

I'm sure teams like 234, 233, and 25 would definitely consider this regional since they've travelled all over the US in recent years.

Already in the works....

The regional is during our spring break week anyway.

We are calling the program "Send the Shirts Home"

25 WILL BE THERE (and considering what usually happens when we travel a volcano will probably erupt)

WC :cool:

(the wife tells me " I guess robotics is the only way I can ever get you to take me to Hawaii " - she may be right.... ; ) )

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Already in the works....

The regional is during our spring break week anyway.

We are calling the program "Send the Shirts Home"

25 WILL BE THERE (and considering what usually happens when we travel a volcano will probably erupt)

WC :cool:

(the wife tells me " I guess robotics is the only way I can ever get you to take me to Hawaii " - she may be right.... ; ) )

Haha... nice. Do they actually wear Hawaiian shirts in Hawaii? I like that, "Send the Shirts Home," how creative.

[waialua359]

Wayne,
I will personally see to it that you folks get a Hawaiian gift basket from us. After all, your the reason we came to NJ this past year!

Committee members have mentioned a possible "Luau" as one of the activities. You have to at least try some hawaiian food!!
Id like to see you surf too!! hehehe.........

[Rich Wong]

Already in the works....
The regional is during our spring break week anyway.
We are calling the program "Send the Shirts Home"

25 WILL BE THERE (and considering what usually happens when we travel a volcano will probably erupt)
WC :cool:

(the wife tells me " I guess robotics is the only way I can ever get you to take me to Hawaii " - she may be right.... ; ) )

Wayne,
They already have "A" shirt waiting your WHOLE team!
I hope you have a large bag to bring it home.
;)

[tyron256]

i wouldn't worry about delivery to another regional. Fed ex got our robot from Atlanta all the Way back to Hilo in time for a demo we needed to do at an event at our mall. Either way, they should be able to work something out with robot shipping.

Remember, Going to some of the other islands is a very good idea You'll be able to see another side of hawaii if you go visit a neighbor island such as the Big Island.<<hint hint

[mrs. p]

the ucf regional has traditionally been the 2nd week of competitions. i'll see if i can find anything out.

The committee is looking at not only making sure teams enjoy a great competition during the regional next year, they are also brainstorming a lot of great activities surrounding the competition.
We want this regional to be so great, that teams will be pounding us to get in year after year.
Dean Kamen is coming to Hawaii on May 14, where we all will get a chance to speak to him again and see what he will "announce" at that time.

Ms. P, we certainly are planning at this point to attend the FL regional next year, being that you folks are expanding the regional. It all depends on the schedule which is our main concern. Do you have an idea of when that will be?

Our other options are seeing what the other Hawaii teams do......There has been talk amonst us to attend SVR, Seattle, or Vegas again. If Colorado fell during a consecutive weekend, we might do that also. But, if we do East Coast again, it certainly looks like FL!

Glenn

[Kyle]

Wayne,
They already have "A" shirt waiting your WHOLE team!
I hope you have a large bag to bring it home.
;)



Who sent Big Mike's Shirt to you guys? :)

[Tetraman]

Hawaii will have more excitement than Champs.

[Triple B]

be sure not to forget our friends from the swamp (179)
mike d

[chaoticprout]

question: is the venue a hockey-basketball style arena or is it a large building room. Thanks.

[waialua359]

be sure not to forget our friends from the swamp (179)
mike d

"As long as you dont forget us at the 2008 FL regional.":D :D

[Nica F.]

It looks like Hawaii regional is going to be packed with some amazing teams! Hopefully team 4 will be able to make it down as well

It wouldn't hurt to have another west coast team come down i think ;)

[Jeff K.]

It looks like Hawaii regional is going to be packed with some amazing teams! Hopefully team 4 will be able to make it down as well

It wouldn't hurt to have another west coast team come down i think ;)

Team 1138 is considering competing also.

[TKM.368]

Hawaii will have more excitement than Champs.

That's the spirit! :yikes:

[nsr]

question: is the venue a hockey-basketball style arena or is it a large building room. Thanks.

haha not a large building room...

it's a basketball style arena :) (with air-con ^^ ) lol


It looks like Hawaii regional is going to be packed with some amazing teams! Hopefully team 4 will be able to make it down as well

It wouldn't hurt to have another west coast team come down i think ;)

haha no it wont, as a matter in fact. the more the merrier ;)

unfortunately i'm a senior and won't be able to participate next year but i would definately love to come down to the 2008 Hawaii Regional and see all of the mainland teams, as well as hawaii teams competeting with and against each other.

Hope to see most of you here next year!

P.S. if you can't find a hotel/don't want to stay in one i think i can pack 40 people into my room at my house...we'd all just have to stand :) lol jk

[waialua359]

Sounds great.
Let us know how we can help.
I am assuming that we will see you folks in FL also....:D

[waialua359]

question: is the venue a hockey-basketball style arena or is it a large building room. Thanks.

Just found out your school has an affiliate, Chaminade in Hawaii, home of the basketball team that beat the #1 ranked team in the nation, Virginia with Ralph Sampson and Co. way back in 1982. I think they called that the biggest upset in college basketball history. Chaminade doesn't even play in the NCAA brackets.
Anyhow, is your team planning to come to the Hawaii regional?
One of your "teachers/coordinators" is offering VEX training with our new Hawaii rookie teams next year.

:D :D :D

[lallamavolador]

Ms. P of the Pink team has already approached the idea of several Florida teams chartering an airplane to get us there. That would be way fun. Between, pink, 79, 1902, Ramtech, SPAM and others we could fill a jet no problem.


Ramtech is seriously considering going to hawaii. But hey that is a great idea keep us informed. IM me any time at alasknfiredragn9!

[nuggetsyl]

wow looks there is going to be more teams trying to get in then slots. I wish first would let teams sign up for events further out. As much as teams think this trip would be cheap it will not be if you wait until the time to sign up to get airplane tickets and hotels.

[waialua359]

wow looks there is going to be more teams trying to get in then slots. I wish first would let teams sign up for events further out. As much as teams think this trip would be cheap it will not be if you wait until the time to sign up to get airplane tickets and hotels.

Sean,
you folks need to choose this first as soon as that site opens! At our last meeting, it seems as though only 32-36 teams will be accepted total. Dean Kamen stressed that we try and have the most rookie teams by percentage to ever be at a regional for the 2008 Hawaii one. Anywhere from 16-20 Hawaii teams total may be competing.
You brought up a good question, as regionals keep popping up every year, maybe the sign ups have to happen earlier so teams can adequately prepare for the costs to attend.
At least we know for sure its during March 27 - 29th in Hawaii!:D

[chaoticprout]

Just found out your school has an affiliate, Chaminade in Hawaii, home of the basketball team that beat the #1 ranked team in the nation, Virginia with Ralph Sampson and Co. way back in 1982. I think they called that the biggest upset in college basketball history. Chaminade doesn't even play in the NCAA brackets.
Anyhow, is your team planning to come to the Hawaii regional?
One of your "teachers/coordinators" is offering VEX training with our new Hawaii rookie teams next year.

:D :D :D

Actually the plan is that we're coming down this summer for VEX training, which we'll help present, and then come back in 2008 for the regional. Should be lots of fun. :D

[dbeck103]

Team 103 is definitely coming and will be on the same flight as 25 - We will be having some strategy sessions on the long flight. We can't wait for this to happen.

[Alex Cormier]

Team 103 is definitely coming and will be on the same flight as 25 - We will be having some strategy sessions on the long flight. We can't wait for this to happen.

you guys and gals should have a nice 6.5-7 hour flight if it's non stop.

My family did it after i graduated HS. it's an amazing place to take a vacation and i will return some day. try to stay away from babies on the plane as much as possible. that was the only problem of the entire trip for us.

[Nuttyman54]

try to stay away from babies on the plane as much as possible. that was the only problem of the entire trip for us.

I think the advice should be for the parents to keep the babies away from the robotics kids. You know how bad of an influence we can be :cool:...

[Cory]

you guys and gals should have a nice 6.5-7 hour flight if it's non stop.

My family did it after i graduated HS. it's an amazing place to take a vacation and i will return some day. try to stay away from babies on the plane as much as possible. that was the only problem of the entire trip for us.

More like 11-12 hours of flight time, plus layover time... that'd be brutal.

It's going to be interesting to see how many teams are left out in the cold...with room for only 35 teams or so, and the massive interest expressed here...If teams don't sign up for it as their first regional, there's no way they're getting in. It might even be tough as a first regional depending on how quick you are.

[Jeff K.]

More like 11-12 hours of flight time, plus layover time... that'd be brutal.

It's going to be interesting to see how many teams are left out in the cold...with room for only 35 teams or so, and the massive interest expressed here...If teams don't sign up for it as their first regional, there's no way they're getting in. It might even be tough as a first regional depending on how quick you are.

It was around 6-7 hours from LA, so maybe even up to 14 hours from East Coast. Alex, true that about babies. Thank the inventor of the noise canceling headphone.:D

I would guess somewhere between 12-20 teams should sprout up around Hawaii.

I can't wait to go back to Hawaii. It's only been 3 days and I already miss it.:p

The mokulele was fun both ways. Mahalo to Team 368 for being soo epic!!

[KelliV]

I flew ATA to Hawaii, it was a great experience actually. It took around 8-10 hours(I think) from Chicago and we had a layover in Pheonix.

The only thing I would say to watch out for is the hopper jets to the islands. Ours was hours late. We took Mahalo Air, I dont know how bad the others are but I do remember being stuck in the Honolulu Airport for a long time.

[TKM.368]

The mokulele was fun both ways. Mahalo to Team 368 for being soo epic!!

It was our pleasure and we're glad you folks had a good time. Thanks for coming down and holding all those sessions.

As for all of those planning to make it to the Hawaii Regional, all I can say is I hope you're there right when TIMS comes up for registering because it's looking like there's going to be a lot of disappointed teams who don't make the cut. If you're planning to come to Hawaii, I suggest you have a solid alternate first regional and don't put all your eggs in one basket.

We're looking forward to hosting all those teams that are fortunate enough to get a slot and wish everyone the best of luck!

[waialua359]

Team 103 is definitely coming and will be on the same flight as 25 - We will be having some strategy sessions on the long flight. We can't wait for this to happen.

Glad that you folks have everything worked out so far. Now all you have to do is get on TIMS the moment it opens.
Best of luck and hope to see you all in Hawaii.
:D :D :D

[waialua359]

It was our pleasure and we're glad you folks had a good time. Thanks for coming down and holding all those sessions.

As for all of those planning to make it to the Hawaii Regional, all I can say is I hope you're there right when TIMS comes up for registering because it's looking like there's going to be a lot of disappointed teams who don't make the cut. If you're planning to come to Hawaii, I suggest you have a solid alternate first regional and don't put all your eggs in one basket.

We're looking forward to hosting all those teams that are fortunate enough to get a slot and wish everyone the best of luck!

I would like to second that. After bringing a bunch of Punahou students there on Monday and Tuesday, they really enjoyed the valuable experience that you folks provided. thanks again and hope to see you all in Hawaii for our regional.

Glenn

[waiakea11]

Of course all said and done, some of the hawaii teams will have to deal with the shipping issues. I know of a couple of teams (like ours) that might be heading to seattle the week before...but yeah...the sooner you book your flights, the better rates you willl get, and as soon as you can sign up, you should. :)

[Kirk]

Where were you able to find $119 - $149 each way to HNL? The best I can find leaving the West coast is $200-$250 each way from LAX. Leaving the 27th and coming back on the 30th.

[TKM.368]

It will be hard to purchase really cheap fares since they are often last minute. For example, ATA.com had one way fares from LA and Oakland for $124 and $129, respectively. There are a few problems, however, with getting such fares. The prices quoted above were only on sale for four days (Friday-Monday) with travel completed by December 14th (off-peak). The Hawaii Regional is during Spring Break which I suspect is peak season.

[rainy846]

can anyone fill me in one the shipping prices?
Even thought FIRST pay for between Regional shipping fees, we still have to pay for getting it to the first regional and getting back from the last regional.
So can any previous Hawaii teams share some numbers regarding shipping partly across the pacific ocean?

[Alan Anderson]

Even thought FIRST pay for between Regional shipping fees, we still have to pay for getting it to the first regional and getting back from the last regional.

It's the other way around (at least it was for the 2007 season, though there's no guarantee that FedEx will do the same thing next year).


FedEx Express Freight will ship your crate to the Regional of your choice. FedEx will then ship it back “home” as the second benefit. You cannot substitute your shipment home for a second Regional shipment.

If your team is registered to compete at the Championship, FedEx Express Freight will also ship your crate to the Championship and back home. NO SUBSTITUTIONS.

[TKM.368]

can anyone fill me in one the shipping prices?
Even thought FIRST pay for between Regional shipping fees, we still have to pay for getting it to the first regional and getting back from the last regional.
So can any previous Hawaii teams share some numbers regarding shipping partly across the pacific ocean?

As a Hawaii team, we are also wondering what shipping costs are going to be since FedEx has always taken our robot from us and brought our robot back to us for free. Now our robot will have to be flown between regionals back to Hawaii at our expense at a price we do not know.

For mainland teams, as I read the 2007 manual in 4.5.8.3

5) U.S. teams not using the donated/free FedEx shipping for your initial event:


Mail a copy of your receipt to FIRST right away so it arrives within 4 days, addressing the envelope as below, using all capital letters. The properly addressed verification must arrive within 4 days.

You could then use the free FedEx shipment TO the Hawaii regional and then FedEx will take it for free from the Hawaii regional either back to your school or else to the Championships. Be careful because FedEx (and possibly other shippers as well) may not be able to get your robot to Hawaii in time if you are competing in a Week 4 event.

Plans are still being worked out regarding what company is going to be storing the robots in Hawaii since the drayage companies on the mainland which do that job do not exist in Hawaii. With that, we cannot determine what cost (if any) there will be to store the robots and get them to the event here. We're hoping that it's a donation from the local companies.

[waiakea2024]

Is there a danger of the robot not making it to Hawaii / back to the states in time if your doing a regional the week before or after the Hawaii one?


Yes there is. If you have a regional right before, It may not make it back. We were shooting for the Seattle regionals, yet it was a week before competiton. The suggestion would be do not attend a regional right before the Hawaii one. You can try your luck, but no guarentees. Yet, no worries, your robot is definatly going to get here in one piece.

[Cory]

Be careful because FedEx (and possibly other shippers as well) may not be able to get your robot to Hawaii in time if you are competing in a Week 4 event.

I would say be mroe than careful. Odds are your robot will not get there on time. I believe I remember seeing last year or the year before that robots being shipped to back to back regionals in different timezones only made it on time like 25% of the time or less. This isn't just any regional either... it's an island.

If you are planning on attending a week 4 regional and then Hawaii, if you want your robot to be there when you get there, you will need to pay extra for expedited shipping. In the past, I believe robots are required to be at the drayage facility by Tuesday. So at most you have 3 days time to work with, maybe less if the shipper doesn't pick the robots up Sunday (which they probably don't).

This caused us to have to drop out of the Great Lakes Regional last year, as it was back to back with SVR. We looked into expedited shipping and it was nearly half the cost of the regional, at somewhere around $2000, for nothing but the crate and the robot. Odds are shipping to Hawaii is way more expensive than the continental US as well.

[waialua359]

We are definitely worried about shipping costs as well. Since we are attending the VCU regional, who knows how much its going to be from VCU back to Hawaii, then back to Championships, then back home. NJ to Vegas was $850.00 alone last year, not including the $400 extra we paid per trip for the overweight crate. The problem for Hawaii teams is that all of our tooling has to go in the crate, since its hard to carry on a plane ride, even as check in luggage. We save the check in space for Aloha items for each regional.:D :D
I had asked the Hawaii committee planners for assistance as my calculation to participate in the Hawaii regional may cost us an additional $6000 round trip from our 1st regional to championships.:(
It would be a lot cheaper, if we didn't attend the Hawaii regional.......but, we wouldn't dare do something like that.:)

[Jeff K.]

I would say be mroe than careful. Odds are your robot will not get there on time. I believe I remember seeing last year or the year before that robots being shipped to back to back regionals in different timezones only made it on time like 25% of the time or less. This isn't just any regional either... it's an island.

The only reasonable way they would probably use is air. Meaning it only has a few hour flight, and is easier than taking train or truck on land. Our robot last year was one of the few that didn't arrive on time, from LA to Indiana. Hopefully, it will arrive on time, but overall, we can't wait to go back! :D

[TKM.368]

who knows how much its going to be from VCU back to Hawaii, then back to Championships, then back home.

Back to Championships and back home should be free from FedEx.

[Cory]

The only reasonable way they would probably use is air. Meaning it only has a few hour flight, and is easier than taking train or truck on land. Our robot last year was one of the few that didn't arrive on time, from LA to Indiana. Hopefully, it will arrive on time, but overall, we can't wait to go back! :D

Well right... the flight time is around 5 hours from California. But when you're shipping your robot, unless you pay extra, it gets shipped at FedEx's convenience. So unless it goes straight to the airport, you could be in trouble.

[waialua359]

Back to Championships and back home should be free from FedEx.

your right. I meant that its still 6k (estimation) from VCU - Hawaii - Atlanta. Not sure if Hawaii - Atlanta is free if we dont win the regional. Can someone confirm this? I am assuming we have to pay.
Atlanta to Hawaii would be free. It its about 1k to go from VCU to cali and cali to Hawaii about 2k, then we are looking at 3k one way.:(

[TKM.368]

Not sure if Hawaii - Atlanta is free if we dont win the regional.
It is my understanding that anything to Atlanta is free.

[rainy846]

I am kind of scared about the plane tickets right now.
The cheapest I found was $329 round trip (I guess that is pretty cheap for Hawaii, I don't know how much cheaper or more expensive it is going to be when we actually order it!) (normally for our away regional, it costs 500- 600 for students that is including plane ticket, hotel, and 2 team dinners as well as all transportation to and from the airport etc.)
I hope I will be able to bargain a little once i call them.

And I checked out the hotels. Even though they aren't EXTREMELY far from the university, but that is a fair amount of walking to and from competition area (1 mile each way is not fun when you are tired from a day of competition)
Anyone think it would be wise to rent a car just for transportation between the hotel and the university?
What are some other Silicon Valley team's plan??
254?
Input from Hawaiian teams on near by restaurants would be great!

[Cory]

I am kind of scared about the plane tickets right now.
The cheapest I found was $329 round trip (I guess that is pretty cheap for Hawaii, I don't know how much cheaper or more expensive it is going to be when we actually order it!) (normally for our away regional, it costs 500- 600 for students that is including plane ticket, hotel, and 2 team dinners as well as all transportation to and from the airport etc.)
I hope I will be able to bargain a little once i call them.

And I checked out the hotels. Even though they aren't EXTREMELY far from the university, but that is a fair amount of walking to and from competition area (1 mile each way is not fun when you are tired from a day of competition)
Anyone think it would be wise to rent a car just for transportation between the hotel and the university?
What are some other Silicon Valley team's plan??
254?
Input from Hawaiian teams on near by restaurants would be great!

$330 is WAY WAY WAY cheap. It will not get any cheaper. Buy them ASAP.

Btw, where did you find this price? I've been checking SFO, SJC, OAK to HNL and never found less than $450

We aren't sure what we're doing for hotels yet.

[rainy846]

ata.com
it is form oak to honolulu
but since they don't have the prices for march 26 to 30 yet, i used feb 27 to march 2... so it's just an approximate

[Jeff K.]

You guys are finding good deals, or booked before we did. We got tickets for around $500 flight roundtrip, but then for hotel are staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, roughly $400 per person.

[rainy846]

I bet some of our parents won't be really happy about the prices... ahhh!!!

we haven't booked anything yet... still researching
I think we are gonna go for cheaper hotels to save some money.

[waialua359]

ATA right now looks good. If your finding a hotel in waikiki, I would not walk to and from the University of Hawaii. That's pretty far before and after a FIRST event daily. If you can get a rental car, even 1 is better than none, where you can shuttle your team.
I really wouldn't worry about nearby restaurants, if you have a car. If you dont, then waikiki has their share of fast foods and eateries. Personally, I wouldn't eat in Waikiki, since its a tourist trap and everything is very expensive.
In other words, get a car/van if your teams can afford it. Plus, you can see the island during your free time.:D :D
Even our team is planning to stay in a hotel in waikiki during the event since our school is at least 1 - 1 1/2 hours away from event (depending on traffic) and dont want to miss the team socials at night.
Feel free to ask us more questions if any of you have them.

[TKM.368]

ata.com
it is form oak to honolulu
but since they don't have the prices for march 26 to 30 yet, i used feb 27 to march 2... so it's just an approximate

From what I can see around the competition dates, round trip from Oakland on ATA is $429 at the cheapest before taxes and fees (dates are available for booking from Oakland, but not some other starting cities). I'm afraid to tell you that you are not going to see prices in the $300 range as the competition is during peak travel season to Hawaii.

As for hotels, there are none that are within a desirable walking distance to the venue. If you don't rent a car, you can opt to use public transportation (TheBus.org) which is convenient from the venue to Waikiki and also the Ala Moana Shopping Center which is where the dining choices are a little more plentiful (food court). Be careful with the cheaper hotels - they may not be someplace you want to have students staying.

[rainy846]

We'll probably end up having near 30 people going. So 1 Van might be sort of busy. Any one know if those small shuttle buses things that seats 12 to 15 people needs a special drivers license? I think we can rent them for several days for $300 to $400.

Jim Beck is still talking to some Hotels for possible sponsorship (discount or if we are really really really lucky, free rooms) so we are waiting to near back from him.

Our coach is away, so I can't really decide anything now, especially since we don't even have a list of names of people who wants to go. I would need an approximate price. ( I wonder if we are allowed to book a whole flight =P with some other teams in the area)

[TKM.368]

We'll probably end up having near 30 people going. So 1 Van might be sort of busy. Any one know if those small shuttle buses things that seats 12 to 15 people needs a special drivers license? I think we can rent them for several days for $300 to $400.

Jim Beck is still talking to some Hotels for possible sponsorship (discount or if we are really really really lucky, free rooms) so we are waiting to near back from him.

Our coach is away, so I can't really decide anything now, especially since we don't even have a list of names of people who wants to go. I would need an approximate price. ( I wonder if we are allowed to book a whole flight =P with some other teams in the area)

Yes, the Regional Planning Committee is trying to nail down an agreement with a local hotel, but it might be difficult with the time of year.

You might consider renting the large passenger vans (I found some on Thrifty.com for 12 passengers) which I do not believe require a special license.

As for chartering a flight, you might try checking that out if other teams in the area haven't already booked their flights and you can get a large enough group.

[rainy846]

I guess I'll contact 254 and the Space Cookies

[Cory]

I guess I'll contact 254 and the Space Cookies

I do not believe we have made our reservations yet. Team 1868 is not attending Hawaii, though.

We are only bringing 8-10 students and 12 or so people overall. I don't think chartering a plane becomes feasible until you get into very large numbers. The smallest plane any carrier operates to Hawaii seats around 200-225 people. Unless you can fill most/all of those seats, I doubt it's a good alternative to simply flying commercial.

[rainy846]

I meant contacting them early and reserving a large part of the flight so we can make sure every team have enough seats

[TKM.368]

I don't think chartering a plane becomes feasible until you get into very large numbers. The smallest plane any carrier operates to Hawaii seats around 200-225 people. Unless you can fill most/all of those seats, I doubt it's a good alternative to simply flying commercial.

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines), Aloha Airlines planes have a capacity of 124 that travel to and from the mainland. That's still quite a number to overcome, however.

[Cory]

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines), Aloha Airlines planes have a capacity of 124 that travel to and from the mainland. That's still quite a number to overcome, however.

Really? Aloha must fly 737's to Hawaii. I didn't know that.

I think the number of people going to the event from the Bay Area is way too small for it to even be worth looking into. Individual teams should be able to get a group/athletic team rate for around 20-30 people.

There's enough SoCal teams that it'd be an interesting thought though.

Can you guys reccomend any hotels in the area? Do you know where you guys are going to stay? Anyone from 359 or other Hawaiian teams have any advice? We've found a couple we're looking into, but it'd be nice to stay with/near other teams who will be at the event.

[TKM.368]

One of the members of the Executive Advisory Board for the Hawaii event is a representative for Marriott so hopefully something may come about through that. I don't know if/when that may materialize, but it might be something worth waiting for. Sorry, I know that doesn't help at all.

Our team lives in the area, so we're not getting any hotel reservations. I don't know where 359 will be staying. If we had to stay someplace, it might've been at the Pagoda Hotel (http://www.pagodahotel.com/), but it's a little generic, next door to and not within Waikiki, but close to food and shopping and a couple blocks from Ala Moana Beach Park.

[waialua359]

We haven't booked anything yet. We were going to stay wherever a $2,000 budget will take us for 6 rooms for 3 nights. That's roughly 100/night plus HTAT and excise taxes.
Pagoda is one of our options, since the price is right for what you get. Yes, it is indeed close to shopping, eateries, etc. However, it is not close to Waikiki at all. I wanted to add that parking in Waikiki is a horror if your not getting some kind of discount staying at a hotel there.
Also, Aloha Airlines do indeed have small planes. My sister works for them so I get to fly on it all the time to Vegas.:D :D I am not sure if they would be able to handle a large team(s). I dont recall prices being that cheap also whenever our team has researched it.
Let's all plan to stay at the Pagoda then! We are game!!
Finally, the idea of getting assistance, if any, from the Marriot might be something worth waiting for. However, as team 368 has mentioned, its not a guarantee and may be a while before it materializes.

[Graham Donaldson]

Now, I admit I haven't read the entire contents of this thread, nor am I going to Hawaii, but...

Have the teams going considered chartering a jet together? When my school's concert band went down to Disney this April, we chartered a jet with another school (the director's wife is director at that school). We could arrange what time we wanted to leave and it was probably cheaper & easier to get tickets than trying to fly commercially. If anyone is interested in this, PM me and I'll ask about who we chartered (no guarantees they fly to Hawaii).

[waialua359]

just curious. any teams on the waiting list waiting to get on? The new FIRST regional listing doesnt show whos on the pending/waiting list.
:D :D I noticed there are 7 pending teams. Team pink seems to have been just added along with ourselves.

[rainy846]

we are pending. but our adult mentor is away, so we are not too sure when we'll be able to pay ( we have the money in our account though.... YAY GRANTS!!!)

[Wayne C.]

We are IN too. Our check is in process but we are squared with the NH office.

It's gonna be a fun trip!!

WC :cool:

[waialua359]

If the other 4 veteran Hawaii teams are the other pending spots, I wonder who the final one is? West Coast, East Coast? What happened to team 103? This will really be a week 5 regional to watch! Just look at the list!

[rainy846]

i just checked the plane tickets again. for the week of the competition, it is super expensive.
about $580 after all the security fees etc. are added on.

If we call them, I wonder how much the price can go down by.
and
Have anyone heard back from Jim Beck about the Hotels?

edit:// i searched fromt mroe travel companies and the cheapest i found was 529 from oakland to honolulu

[RobJ]

i just checked the plane tickets again. for the week of the competition, it is super expensive.
about $580 after all the security fees etc. are added on.

If we call them, I wonder how much the price can go down by.
and
Have anyone heard back from Jim Beck about the Hotels?



When I tried calling the prices were actually higher.

[rainy846]

oh wow... what happened to group rates.....
well I did more research from various travel agencies. the cheapest I found was $528.

[rainy846]

Just a quick update!

The prices from coming back on Sunday the 30th was getting ridiculously high (and very booked) so we called everyone that signed up for Hawaii Regional from my team to see if we can stay an extra day. Most didn't have problem with it.
After called various airlines, we got a price of just below $400 (tax and everything included and getting there and back in San Jose!! first time in many years! we always had to go up to SFO) for 26 people!! yay!! Happy Ending for the Airfare!

We also called a couple hotels . So far only got number back from Hilton.
They are willing to give us rooms for about $200 /room/day (we need 12 rooms)

It's a bit to expensive for us and not exactly necessary .I mean the point of planning is to bet the best value. Right now we are budgeting about ~$250 (average per person for 5 nights in max of 4 people per room, not everyone's room will be filled up just cuz we always have an odd random numbers of girls going ^_^ last time i had to sleep on the floor for 3 out of the 4 nights)

and average out the car rental price probably getting 2 vans to shuttle
possibly add in 2 team dinners. ( all the other meals the students get for themselves.... we often get lazy and end up at fast food places hehe)

We are hoping to keep everything under $800 per student

With the extra day (the Sunday) we are thinking about planning a team trip.
So far on our possibility list, we have:
-Pearl Harbor
-Diamond Head

I never been to Hawaii before so what other close by places can we go to?

Last question: There IS going to be a team social on the last day right?

[waialua359]

:D Just a quick update!

The prices from coming back on Sunday the 30th was getting ridiculously high (and very booked) so we called everyone that signed up for Hawaii Regional from my team to see if we can stay an extra day. Most didn't have problem with it.
After called various airlines, we got a price of just below $400 (tax and everything included and getting there and back in San Jose!! first time in many years! we always had to go up to SFO) for 26 people!! yay!! Happy Ending for the Airfare!

We also called a couple hotels . So far only got number back from Hilton.
They are willing to give us rooms for about $200 /room/day (we need 12 rooms)

It's a bit to expensive for us and not exactly necessary .I mean the point of planning is to bet the best value. Right now we are budgeting about ~$250 (average per person for 5 nights in max of 4 people per room, not everyone's room will be filled up just cuz we always have an odd random numbers of girls going ^_^ last time i had to sleep on the floor for 3 out of the 4 nights)

and average out the car rental price probably getting 2 vans to shuttle
possibly add in 2 team dinners. ( all the other meals the students get for themselves.... we often get lazy and end up at fast food places hehe)

We are hoping to keep everything under $800 per student

With the extra day (the Sunday) we are thinking about planning a team trip.
So far on our possibility list, we have:
-Pearl Harbor
-Diamond Head

I never been to Hawaii before so what other close by places can we go to?

Last question: There IS going to be a team social on the last day right?
Hanauma bay
North Shore Beaches
Basically, go around the island and check it out.

[Jeff K.]

Those are all great places to check out. We went to Hanauma Bay on July 4th and it was simply epic. We also went to Todai to fill ourselves up, not a bad way to spend your day:p. We were playing pasoi at the north shore. Pearl Harbor was our last stop, and it was a bit depressing. You can also go kayaking. We rented some and went out to Mokulua and had lunch there. It was a part of this bird sanctuary, so it was pretty cool.

For hotel we got the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Cost wise it's going to be quite for a bit for everyone, with $1000-$1200 per person for the week, not including any meals which might get expensive. Hopefully we can go to Todai more for the one meal a day fill yourself up in 2 hours :D.

So all in all, you can check out Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head, North Shore, Pearl Harbor, Mokulua, and Todai.

[rainy846]

sweet!!! there is a Todai around?
Nice!!! maybe that's where we should make one of our team dinners.

[Jeff K.]

sweet!!! there is a Todai around?
Nice!!! maybe that's where we should make one of our team dinners.

There's one across the street from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

[Cory]

For hotel we got the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

While the Hilton is quite nice, I'd say it's definitely not the place for most teams to be looking at. Airfare is already so much that there's no reason to add more costs by staying at an expensive hotel.

My theory is we aren't going to be spending any time in our hotel, except for crashing at night, so as long as it's safe and clean, it doesn't matter how cheap it is.

[waialua359]

I'm not a student anymore. LOL! So if I only had 1 extra day to spend, it wouldnt be at Pearl Harbor...hehe. Adult stuff.
Its Mokuleia by the way. Its way out in the boonies where our school is. :D
Hanauma bay is neat. When you go swimming, the fishes will come right up to you to feed off your hand! This isn't some pond or something. Its a bay right off the ocean. I dont know of anyplace where fishes are unafraid to come right up to you.:D
Todai is a great place to eat. Eat there every night if you can!!
Walk around Waikiki too, its great!

[TKM.368]

The Regional Planning Chair has been trying to secure hotel rooms for the incoming teams and was able to get 100+ rooms at $180 a night or so. This is a bit much for many teams, but with it being the peak season, this is all that could be secured. Details are still being worked out as to who to contact, etc., but when they are finalized, your team will be officially notified.

As for a team social, yes a luau is being planned for Friday evening. The University of Hawaii College of Engineering is also planning on a student/parent meet and greet with food on Thursday evening - not quite certain of the size of this 'event' however (for planning team dinner purposes on Thursday that is). They will be sure to announce more later.

As for other things to do, Diamond Head is nice and cheap (just make sure everyone can handle the trek up and down in the heat). Pearl Harbor is rather somber, but the Swap Meet (Flea Market) at Aloha Stadium is within walking distance on Wednesday or Sunday to buy things you won't find elsewhere for quite cheap.

Right in Waikiki are the Honolulu Zoo and Honolulu Aquarium (the Aquarium is quite small and the Zoo is, well, not something people come to Hawaii for).

As mentioned before, Hanauma Bay is quite impressive, but closed on Tuesdays and parking often fills fast.

If you want to go to some of the less touristy beaches, consider going to Kailua town. If you make your way through the mountains, you can stop at the Pali Lookout for a great view. If you go around the island instead, there is also Sea Life Park to consider which is like a mini Sea World.

If you head to the North Shore, you can consider the Polynesian Cultural Center, but it's a little pricey and not open on Sundays.

You might also consider the very easy hike to Manoa Falls for the nature lovers which is at the back of the valley where the competition is being held.

Other than that, hope everyone making their way here is able to have a great time during their stay!

[tyron256]

The Regional Planning Chair has been trying to secure hotel rooms for the incoming teams and was able to get 100+ rooms at $180 a night or so. This is a bit much for many teams, but with it being the peak season, this is all that could be secured. Details are still being worked out as to who to contact, etc., but when they are finalized, your team will be officially notified.

As for a team social, yes a luau is being planned for Friday evening. The University of Hawaii College of Engineering is also planning on a student/parent meet and greet with food on Thursday evening - not quite certain of the size of this 'event' however (for planning team dinner purposes on Thursday that is). They will be sure to announce more later.

As for other things to do, Diamond Head is nice and cheap (just make sure everyone can handle the trek up and down in the heat). Pearl Harbor is rather somber, but the Swap Meet (Flea Market) at Aloha Stadium is within walking distance on Wednesday or Sunday to buy things you won't find elsewhere for quite cheap.

Right in Waikiki are the Honolulu Zoo and Honolulu Aquarium (the Aquarium is quite small and the Zoo is, well, not something people come to Hawaii for).

As mentioned before, Hanauma Bay is quite impressive, but closed on Tuesdays and parking often fills fast.

If you want to go to some of the less touristy beaches, consider going to Kailua town. If you make your way through the mountains, you can stop at the Pali Lookout for a great view. If you go around the island instead, there is also Sea Life Park to consider which is like a mini Sea World.

If you head to the North Shore, you can consider the Polynesian Cultural Center, but it's a little pricey and not open on Sundays.

You might also consider the very easy hike to Manoa Falls for the nature lovers which is at the back of the valley where the competition is being held.

Other than that, hope everyone making their way here is able to have a great time during their stay!

these are all good suggestions for those planning to come to Hawaii.

Side note for diamond head- i hope you like climbing stairs.

If you have the chance, visit some of the neighbor islands, the flights are relatively inexpensive (even more so if you can get in on a special air fare war offer), you could visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or the Imiloa Astronomy Center on the Big Island <<*Hint Hint*. i believe it may have been posted earlier but these are both closer to Hilo, flying in from Kona to visit the national park gives you the scenic route.

[laultima]

its been awhile since ive lived on oahu, but if any teams do make it out to kailua, make sure to go to island snow. best snow cones ever.