Moving to Hawaii? Help!

bsmith5891

I'm a newly married Marine wife and I have no idea what to expect. DH  got his orders to Hawaii two days ago, and he's just finishing his MOS school. Neither one of us know anything about moving. He's in Pensacola, FL right now and I'm in Delaware.. He'll be coming home before we move, but I have no idea what to do about moving? Do they come get everything from my house? Should I pack everything? How does it work since they're moving everything overseas? So confused.. and hubby is no help! He's just as clueless!

 

Thanks so much! 

 

bridesrighthand

First of all, breathe!  Everything will get done and if something doesn't, there's a way to fix it.

Your DH will have to set up the pick up of your things, with TMO (traffic management office).  TMO will arrange for a moving company to come do a pre-move inspection (to assess what you have and how much).  They will set up the date to come pack your things (YES< they pack it for you), then move them out on a truck.  

It will then be sent to a port and shipped out.  You'll receive an estimated arrival date for your things.

***PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PART***

Set aside (in a separate room or closet) ANYTHING you don't want packed.  They will pack EVERYTHING they see, unless you have it set aside.  We have had garbage packed and I have a friend who had a diaper pail bag (full of dirty diapers) packed.  

Make sure you have your passports, travel documents, ss cards, id's, etc, set aside with your luggage.  

Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

Cindy

 

runnergirl2008

Make sure you empty your trash. All of it. They once packed a half full bag of kitchen trash when we moved across the country. Not pretty when it was unpacked. Ew. 

 I tidy everything up and pack the stuff we'll be traveling with. If possible, I put that stuff in the cars so it doesn't accidentally get packed. 

 One of you will set up the appointment with TMO. You'll use his orders and pick a date and they will show up and do the rest. 

ARMYmarriedNAVY

You guys had perfect timing for marriage/pcs.

You will get a "consolidation" move to get your things and his things across the country. Since Hawaii is OCONUS (outside the continental US) you will need to verify if you need an OCONUS Screening for command sponsorship.

Check out the militaryhomefront.dod.mil "PLAN MY MOVE" tools. They help you make up your calendar, schedule phone calls... in some cases they even have the phone numbers ready for you!

You will have to change your TriCare region as well.

I am also not sure how many vehicles they will ship for you. I think the military will only pay for 1.

If you have pets you'll have to transport them yourself.

bla bla bla! Check out the website and let us know if you have any more questions. You might also want to check out the military nesties board for more Hawaii spouses.

bridesrighthand

Also, usaa.com has a moving checklist that might help you.

bsmith5891

Thank you guys so much! I'm still nervous because I'm staying with my mom while he's in Pensa, so the movers are really only packing a small room.. but I suppose I'll have to get DH's things moved from his mom's house to my room. lol The first few months of our marriage have been spent alone on my part. Gotta love MOS schooling!  : / lol We decided to only take his car and don't have any pets, so we should be set! You guys are so helpful! I hope that when I move it'll be this easy to meet and make friends. I'm nervous to get pregnant with the possibility of him being deployed in January.

ck22hawaii

We just moved from hawaii!!  I loved it there!

 Which base will you be stationed at? I'm guessing kaneohe bay, that's the marine base. My husband was stationed at k-bay. One thing to think about, if you have a dog, check into transporting them. hawaii has a strict quarantine for pets, I believe it's 4 months. You might be able to get around it if you have documentation of your pet's shots. And the navy will only ship one car per household.

 And if you're going to live off base, kailua is a great little spot. I also lived in chinatown for awhile and I really liked it, it's in the middle of some fun bars/etc. (Indigo is a great spot, they have martini specials )Enjoy it!! I loved our time there and I'm hoping we get orders back there!

1momma

If you do plan to live on the MC base in Kaneohe, do not accept houseing up the hill from ft. hase beach. I live in one of them, and there is a terrible mold problem. Several other familes have the same problem.

Oh and I and another bumpie live here, we could all get together when you get here Im always up for meeting new people.

bsmith5891

No pets, so we're good there... I doubt we'll get housing immediately... they said anywhere from 2 months to a year. I'll talk to DH about some of the places you all mentioned! Thanks so much. And 1momma, I'd love to get up with you and your friend once I get to K-Bay! No baby yet, but we're TTC!

neonstarfish

1momma:

If you do plan to live on the MC base in Kaneohe, do not accept houseing up the hill from ft. hase beach. I live in one of them, and there is a terrible mold problem. Several other familes have the same problem.

Oh and I and another bumpie live here, we could all get together when you get here Im always up for meeting new people.

 :P Nu-uh!

<--the other bumpie she was talking about. 

ahessel12

Hey im in Hawaii to living on MCBH. Been here since November and know quite a bit about housing and moving here, we live on base. One thing people didn't mention that turns out to be a little shocking is that it takes FOREVER to get your stuff. I would plan for about 8 weeks. And they tell you at the housing office 2 months to a year but it usually only takes a week or 2 at most. There putting up new housing here so fast it's crazy. Just keep in contact with whoever you talk to at the housing office on a regular basis before you come out to see if any new houses are opening you can take possession of before you get here. That's what I did and we got a new one 4 days after I arrived on island. If you want to know more just private message me!!! I hope you have a good move

neonstarfish

ahessel12:

Hey im in Hawaii to living on MCBH. Been here since November and know quite a bit about housing and moving here, we live on base. One thing people didn't mention that turns out to be a little shocking is that it takes FOREVER to get your stuff. I would plan for about 8 weeks. And they tell you at the housing office 2 months to a year but it usually only takes a week or 2 at most. There putting up new housing here so fast it's crazy. Just keep in contact with whoever you talk to at the housing office on a regular basis before you come out to see if any new houses are opening you can take possession of before you get here. That's what I did and we got a new one 4 days after I arrived on island. If you want to know more just private message me!!! I hope you have a good move

<-- took her two months to get a house. and I was preggo at the time. but it also didnt take forever to get her stuff, took about 2 weeks for their car, and 3 for their stuff. It all depends on where you are moving from and who the military contract to move your crap and how much you have.

Oh, bug the living crap out of the housing office, they are lazy but if you go in there once a day to ask about your number on the list, they will move you up like crazy. 

bsmith5891

Thank you guys so much for filling me in! I'm so excited to move now.. I was freaking out because Hawaii is so far from my home now, but I've been to Oahu before and loved it. I can't believe I'm actually getting to come back and live there! I'm keeping on the hubby about contacting the housing offices and such... Jeez, I should probably just get the number and do it myself, huh?! lol Ahh, only like 24 more days till our move!!!!

1momma

I did, I called them every single day. I got a house in a month.

bsmith5891

Awesome.. that's what I'll do then! They told DH that we could apply for housing on the Naval base as well? Or something like that? Any ideas on that? Should we stick to the Marine base? I would rather do live on the Marine base, but that's just me...

CJ2008

HI!!! We are moving to Hawaii also, at the beginning of November. when do you PCS?? we are army, so I know things are probably a little bit different but not too much. we'll be on Oahu, is that where you will be?? I know for us, DH is already scheduling our movers to come, at the end of October. They are coming and packing everything for us, but we had to schedule a time. Also, it said our stuff could be shipping (gone) as long as 44 days, so thats something to prepare for also. PM me and we can chat!!

CJ2008

duh I just saw you're moving in 24 days. I would love to get together with some other bumpies who already live there when we get there, especially with having a little one and all. We've been reading so much on the internet I am a little overwhelmed, but sooooo excited!