Finally flew the island hopper eastbound last week, with two kids in tow! We spent a few days in Hong Kong visiting friends then took the long way home.
UA116 HKG-GUM 10:45PM-5:45AM(+1)
UA176 GUM-TKK 7:51PM-9:40PM
UA155 TKK-HNL 10:45AM-2:50AM
UA534 HNL-LAX 8:45PM-4:57AM(+1)
We had been on the go so much that I hadn't paid any attention to the news and was completely oblivious to what was brewing with NK/Guam while we were there. Just as well, I guess.
I asked at check-in in HKG, but they would not check our bags through to LAX. I was prepared either way, so no big deal. We had to pick them up in GUM, TKK and HNL (and I knew we'd see them for customs in HNL regardless).
Upon arrival in GUM, only two of the four GE kiosks worked (I overheard some crew members saying GUM gets HNL's old machines). Guam has its own customs form (handed out in flight) different from the usual US blue one, so the kiosk doesn't ask the usual customs questions. The immigration officer kept our GE slips, then once we had our bags everyone funnels into the same customs lines (except crew). They were well staffed and although they did seem to be taking their time asking people questions, we didn't wait more than a few minutes.
We spent our night in Chuuk at the Blue Lagoon Resort, which someone upthread recommended and I add my recommendation as well. The setting and views are beautiful and you get to see a bit of the island driving back and forth. I'd love to go back and do some wreck diving there someday.
As of June 2017 Chuuk doubled their departure tax from $20 to $40 per person for non-residents. Glad I had enough cash on me to still have some to spend on food and souvenirs on the other islands!
After boarding in TKK, the pilot said that there was a "slow flying aircraft at 10,000 feet between TKK and PNI" and we needed to wait while ATC worked on a reroute. I puzzled over this a bit since our cruising altitudes were always over 30k; seems like it shouldn't be too hard to avoid. I wondered if it might be something military related and once I got home and saw the news I think that was a good possibility.
At PNI I asked a UA employee where to get our passports stamped and she took them and walked over and got the stamps for us. The employees and crew all along the way were very nice and friendly. One of the flight attendants recognized us from the HKG-GUM leg that she had worked as well and was very attentive to my kids, even though she spent most of her time in the FC cabin (we were in row 7). When we were boarding for the final leg she asked if the kids wanted to visit the cockpit and the pilots cheerfully offered their seats to them for a photo op.
Again after boarding in PNI we had to wait for a bit due to aircraft in the area. When we landed in KSA they asked that onward passengers remain on board since we were running behind after the two delays.
While on the ground a FA told me I had to store my camera for takeoff. It's a Canon Rebel T6i with a 28-135mm lens, so obviously bigger than a point and shoot, but compact for a DSLR. I showed her that I had the neckstrap on but she said it would still be a hazard in an emergency. I complied and instead used my iPhone to video the takeoff, only to discover that I apparently didn't hit the record button.
So if you're using a DSLR I guess keep it in its bag until the FAs are seated for takeoff.
On descent into KWA they announced anyone caught taking pictures of the island or base would have their cameras confiscated. I chose to not test their vigilance - not worth the risk of losing 7 weeks of travel photos.
In MAJ they initially asked us to stay on board to make up time, then TSA required everyone in seats A-C in economy to exit plane with luggage. I tried to get our passports stamped but the immigration officer said he couldn't if we weren't actually entering MAJ.
The right side of the plane had a view of the island in TKK, PNI and KSA. In KWA the left side faced the island and MAJ was dark when we landed.
I wasn't able to get internet, free or paid, on any of the islands. I'd select a network and it would drop before I could get through the registration page.
My hopes of SDCing to a 737 for the HNL-LAX leg were dashed because the last flight to SFO the previous night was on a 15-hour crew delay and they were putting those passengers onto every available seat to the west coast. A very nice agent checked our bags that morning, even though the kiosk said we couldn't more than 12 hours before our flight. She explained the situation and said we could standby but chances were pretty much nil. She even had me come behind the counter to see her screen showing the loads for all the flights that day and suggested we just go enjoy a day in HNL. I checked the app throughout the day and watched the standby list roll over for each subsequent LAX flight. Our flight (at 8:45pm) had a standby list of 42 with the seatmap showing two unassigned seats the last I checked. So a lot of people had a really bad day in HNL! There actually was XN inventory for a 737 flight the following day we could have SDCed to, but I was too tired to care anymore and was just grateful we had confirmed seats.
Overall, a great experience and I would definitely do it again. Thank you all for sharing your experiences in this thread; it really helped to know what to expect.