Vacations Hawaii First Class Service Review

On this trip, the Hubz and I splurged for first class tickets (read my review on premium class here). Keep in mind though, that this is Vacations Hawaii and Omni Air International, so although first class costs much less than other airlines, you are flying Omni. 

Like premium class, you get a dedicated check-in lane. Being that there is only one flight going out on Omni and everyone arrives at different times, this is not a big deal going to Vegas. The regular line was pretty empty too. 

Coming back, however, is another story. The bus drops everyone off around the same time, so it was nice to have a shorter line when returning home. 

The Gold Lane on the Honolulu side is a great perk to have, allowing you to go through TSA a lot faster. 

There is a separate line returning as well, but there are many more TSA lanes in Vegas, and the lines move at a much faster pace than in Honolulu. 

You board the plane after those needing assistance, which may take a few minutes when you're flying Vacations Hawaii. 

Look at all the legroom! I was, however, expecting a bigger seat. There was definitely more arm room since you and your seat mate have your own arm rests (vs. sharing one), but I couldn't sit cross legged comfortably on the seat. 

Although I like window seats, I selected seats in the middle row. A friend recommended this to avoid bothering your seat mate if you need to go to the bathroom. This was definitely good advice since I did get up a couple of times and would have had to wake up the Hubz, who was sleeping. Or, I could have done what one man did. He was sitting in the window seat and crossed over to the aisle (and back) by standing on the armrests of the seats. I kid you not! 😳

We got served drinks shortly after boarding. Orange juice for me and champagne for him. All drinks (including alcohol) are free.

Movies on this flight included Creed, The Intern, and The Martian. All good movies. The earphones are free ($5 in coach). I brought my own, but I used their converter thingie, so I could hear sound in both sides of my earphones. 

Snack service. More orange juice for me (I was on the tail end of a cold) and wine for him.

Meals are included in the price of the package for all passengers. For lunch, I chose noodles with teri beef. Read my premium class review for what we ate there. 

The Hubz had stuffed cabbage. The food was ok. But we were both still very full from okazuya lunch we had just two hours before. 

Sundae dessert! We also had hot towel service a couple of times during the flight, which was nice. 

The Hubz and I both had the same meal on the flight back. Sweet sour chicken.

My thoughts? The food was nothing to write home about (but it was presented very nicely) and the seats weren't the fanciest, but we had great, attentive service with a very friendly crew. It was nice to have quick and easy access to the bathroom and to be the first to board and de-plane. If budget permits, I'd do it again. I really don't like flying, and first class definitely made the flight more bearable. 

I read that Omni would be upgrading their planes to include new seats and technology, including USB chargers. I'll need to take another trip to Vegas via Vacations Hawaii to check out the improvements! 

Note about Vacations Hawaii: I am always impressed about the service they provide to our seniors. They are always attentive and accommodating. There was one women near us who was frail, and the flight attendants were constantly checking to make sure she was comfortable and helping her to the bathroom.  I never have to worry when my parents and my mother-in-law book their Vegas trip via Vacations Hawaii. They really go out of their way to service our seniors. 

We opted to stay at The Orleans this trip. It's priced a little higher than the Downtown hotels, and there were a total of 12 out of the entire flight who got off at this stop.

The shower/tub had a little window. Our view was of the Strip: 

I enjoyed staying at the Orleans. It's a convenient 5-minute drive to the Strip on Tropicana (In-n-Out Burger is on the way) and rooms are larger than usual with a separate sitting area. The bathroom was a standard sized bathroom, but seemed roomier because of the layout. The casino can be a bit smokey at times, but there are a lot of tables and machines. They also accept Vacations Hawaii coupons at select hotel restaurants. Eateries open 24 hours include Baskin-Robbins, Subway, Sbarro and Fuddruckers. Entertainment include a pool, movie theaters, a bowling alley, and a kids zone. I was a little worried because the property was off-Strip, without being close to anything else (like Downtown), but it was really great and I'd recommend The Orleans to others, especially if kids are vacationing with you. 

Thanks for reading! It may be a while until my next trip to Vegas, but I hope not!