dkc2

I got the Hyatt Regency downtown after my 3rd bid. I started at $45 (rejected) then $50 with a free rebid then finally was accpeted at $55. Sorry, I messed up the header, it was my first post for a PL bid.

The port is at the Aloha Tower in Downtown Honolulu. The airport is really not that close to the port, it is much closer to Waikiki. If you are dead set on staying in Waikiki then try for the Ala Moana area which is to the east of Waikiki proper. You could also try for a place downtown which is labeled as the Executive Center area on Priceline. The port is actually right at the Executive Center area if you blow up the map on PL. If you stay in Waikiki or near the airport allow 30-45 minutes to get to the port during the late afternoon. The beach in Waikiki is terrible, don't waste your time there. There are a lot of nice beaches on Oahu, but Waikiki isn't one of them. Other than beaches there are plenty of things to do during the day while you wait for your ship. Pearl Harbor is right by the airport, Diamond Head crater (the climb will eat up a couple of hours easily and the view at the top is amazing), in the downtown area you have the old Royal Palace and Chinatown, west of Waikiki there is a beautiful state park on the water for snorkeling, the name escapes me at the moment but is about 30-60 minutes from Waikik. The North Shore is where the huge waves come in, nice for looking, but not very condusive for swimming.

Your best bet for upgrading on United will be at the gate or during checkin. I assume you are connecting in Washington or less likely Chicago. Come flight time there may actually not be any more business class seats to be had as United will have a lot of their elite flyers using upgrade certificates for these seats. Since you said you found your tickets for less on PL than ohter outlets, then it is safe to assume you are in a very low fare class (L,S,T, maybe W) and those are technically not eligible for international upgrades, however this is frequently ignored at the gate where anything can happen. If they offer upgrades at the gate, expect to pay $400 or so (one way) for the upgrade. United also has a section in the economy cabin called Economy plus. You will almost certainly be given the option to "upgrade" to this during online or kiosk checkin. While this is a far cry from Business class it does give you a lot more leg room than the regular coach seats. The actual seats are the same as coach, but they are spread apart more to give you more leg room. This is certainly worth while, especially on the IAD-LHR portion.