We flew from Orlando directly to Honolulu last year on Hawaiian Air --- non stop. Great flight.

Checking Expedia, there are no non-stops/direct flights from MCO or MIA to Hawaii. The closest would probably be Delta in ATL or DEN on United. Probably DFW too… We fly to LAX or SFO and spend the few hours in the airport. When we lived in Denver, having the direct flights to Maui or HNL and I think at times Kauai was great, about 7 hours.

I used to do work there and now that and have been to the islands way more times than I can count… today, prices for food are thru the roof. Last time a year or so ago, 1 pancake on Maui was $24… don’t want to even talk about greens fees. Funny, last time we were there, during a short rainfall, I was talking to the housekeeping folks under a roof, they asked where we were from, I said Florida… first thing out of their mouths, “why are you here???, don’t you have palm trees and great beaches and way more golf courses???”

I flew nonstop from Chicago to Hawaii once. I'll never do it again. I'll stop in California for a day or two. The same on the way back.

Spend at least three or four nights in San Francisco. Lots to see and do. If you can walk (hike) do the Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz a must see. Sip a beverage from Ghirardelli’s overlooking the wharf as you nip some fresh chocolate. Take a ride around the city on the cable cars to China town and the crooked street. If you haven’t been, you got to go!

They obviously haven’t been to Florida.

Florida is beautiful, many natural attractions, but quite, quite different from Hawaii. For one, there are no live volcanoes etc. Two completely different paradises.

You can do Hawaii cheaper. Look at what the natives do, where they shop, etc Hawaii is very expensive for tourists because they help subsidize these far-from-everything islands. Tourists are their bread and butter.

Just because you do what the natives do, does not mean you will get their pricing. There is a thing there called (I know I'm spelling it wrong) the Kamaina rate. That is the rate that locals give each other, which differs from the rate they charge you. Your pancakes at The Gazebo up Napili way might be $25, but if the waitress's family or the manager's friends are ordering, that plate is probably $10. And you'll never know they were charged differently.

It is subtle in everything. You go to the end of the Road to Hana and park to climb up to see Fagan's Cross, you will make that uphill walk. However, if you're a local sistah, you go ask your cousin (and they are ALL your cousin) for the gate key to drive up to the Cross.

If you do drive the Road to Hana, make sure you stop at a roadside vendor for the banana bread - it IS THE BEST in the world.

You walk the trails to the Iao needle you must stay on the trail. Natives (and their guests) can get off the trail and go wade in the crystal clear waters. Why? Because they own the entire state. It is theirs. The U.S. Government owns it name only, but in reality it belongs to Hawaiians and they may do whatever they wish. Part of it might be because natives don't file lawsuits, but haoles do. So do the Portuguese (non-natives who have lived on the islands for many years or generations).

Yes, Kama’aina rate is for locals, I am familiar with it. They usually can’t afford tourist prices - look at their wages. I guess because I learned plein air art, I stayed for several months at a time and my poor artist friends shared their secrets of cheap living. Like you help harvest at a farm and you get some of the food. Shop at grocery stores where it is cheapest. Etc. Accommodations are the most expensive - you have to look around for that, and near a Bus stop, which used to have a senior pass for the month for $5. Don’t know what it is now. Bus goes everywhere on the island on Oahu.

We live in TV in the summer; but live in Hawaii the rest of the year. Sometimes we fly from here to either JFK, Houston, Atlanta, DFW, Atlanta, Seattle or Las Vegas for either the shortest layover if flying straight here or there. Other times we stop in one of those places overnight to visit family or friends.
Consider watching Hawaiian/Alaska airlines as there was once a flight with only an hour layover at jfk to mco. (Alaska/Hawaiian to merge). As a couple, we also watch for planes with a seat configuration of 2 instead of 3 seats on either side of the aircraft. Certainly fly with extended legroom seats if first/business class is too expensive.

No longer an option.

Tourism is the only industry. We joke that we must pay for the more consistent weather than here!

When I had a Government job, I traveled a lot. They would give me a flat rate for meals, with no receipts or taxes required. In most places, the meal rate was $42 per day, but in Hawaii, it was $70 per day. This made no sense to me because there are Subways everywhere, so I always came out ahead, even more so in Hawaii. And, you could buy "Spam and eggs" at the Mcdonald's.

Federal employees who lived and worked in Hawaii received a 22 percent cost-of-living salary increase. And, unlike any other place in the world, this increase was tax free.

We were just there. We did MCO-SLC-OGG there and HNL-ATL- MCO back on Delta. I recommend a nonstop or a stop half way over so you can stretch your legs and move a bit. We enjoyed walking around Salt Lake City airport in our sandles and shorts. We flew into OGG because it was $400 cheaper than HNL. We reserved before the fires.

If you must connect, I suggest doing it someplace other then California to make the "long haul" portion of the flight as long as possible. This is the best way to minimize jet lag - sleep on the flight and hit the ground running when you arrive to be in that time zone day one. A connection may also make it possible to fly directly into Maui or Kona (Big Island) which is our preferance over having to go to Oahu and then connect. Unless you want to see Pearl Harbor you don't need to spend much time in Oahu and should focus on the other Islands that are more typical Hawaiian experiences. You can connect in Oahu on the way home and see Pearl Harbor before a very late non-stop return to the mainland as it is very close to the airport.

Bus passes for Kamaaina/ kapuna are cheaper with a HoloHolo card: TheBus New

Negligent Fact checking!