I always take "books on tape".letter writing supplies including stamps for letters and postcards, books (paperbacks so I can discard them when finished) & crossword book,
I like the idea of prepasted label.....
Hawaii is worth every minute to get there.
PS I don't actually throw the paperbacks "away"- I usually give them to the hotel people or leave in the airport with littl label saying "good book -read or pass it on"
PPS I also take my own small pillowcase to put on the airline pillow!!!

Leaving books that you no longer want in the airport is called "littering".

I reccommend Continental Airlines also. We went in March from the eastcoast and the 10hr flight was not that bad at all. The 767 jet is hugh on the inside. All seats have their own tv screen with your choice of a 3 or 4 different movies and also different pre-recorded tv shows. There's also video games you can play and music to listen to. It's all FREE! Bring your own headphones or pay $5 for a pair on the plane.

I alway try to get a window seat so that when I run out of things to read and see on the TV I can at least look out the window.

Thank you for the helpful suggestions.
We would fly the non-stop from Newark to Hawaii so I hope we get the plane you described with TV. That would help alot. Also I took your advice about the pre-posted labels and can write all my thank you cards on the plane I figure I can get them out of the way and one less thing to do when I return.

As for the whole "it better be worth it". I am sure Hawaii is beautiful but to be honest it wasnt my 1st choice because of the flight time. I used to suffer from panic attacks when flying and motion sickness and my FI streses for weeks ahead if he has to get on a plane. But because of the time of year, the Carribean wasnt an option due to hurricanes, and to us any flight no matter how short is torture. I have just begun to research our trip and I can only hope it lives up to my expectations to have to put us through the stress of flying. I just dont see how people can be so sure 100 times over how great a place is before visiting it.
but thanks again for all your great tips

I take my cross stitch. Obviously no scissors are allowed but there is a cutter that doesn't have an exposed blade that you can get and I have taken it on planes without any trouble. Even if you have never done it before, buy a simple, little kit to take. It will keep your hands and head busy so you won't have time to worry.

I also always take a book to read - but that is a given for me, I always have a book. I also splurge and buy a magazine for both my husband and I. I buy People for all the gossip and he gets something he enjoys that is different from any we have subscriptions for.

I also found a little deck of cards of "Things to do on an Airplane". I can't say we used it, the flight I remembered to take it on was very short, but it was fun to have and will probably be good with kids.

There are also word game books you can purchase and do together.

I also always watch the movie, it really does help pass the time even if it is stupid, eat at every opportunity (plus I take splurge again and take some junk food).

Hawaii should more than make up for it!!

Have you condsidered a stopover in LA or San Francisco? That would break it up nicely. I have traveled LAX to Melbourne, Australia on 2 occassions. 15 1/2 hours. Now that's long!! A bunch of good suggestions above my post. Just resign yourself to a bit of boredom.
John

In regards to the Dramamine-please don't ever take anything that would knock you out on a flight. Not to scare you but these days you need to be in "total control" when flying whether it be weather,terrorism,mechanicals,etc.I personally would rather see you go somewhere shorter distance if you are that scared to fly and have had panic attacks in the past.It will be absolutely miserable for you and your new groom.I have seen too many people that are scared to fly and plan big trips and one of the couple cannot or will not get on the flight which ruins everything not to mention the cost factor.Have you thought of Bermuda if you must go to an island-way closer and you could enjoy yourselves? Good Luck!

Am I the only one who looks at this time as "found time"? There are no phones, clothes dryers, etc, and they bring you stuff to eat and drink while you watch movies, read books and magazines, and nap. What more could a person want?

Chicgeek, I'm with you. When my kids were little, sitting somewhere just doing nothing was a highlight of my life, especially if people were waiting on me. If I could take a nap, or read a mindless magazine like People or Cosmo, so much the better.

We leave on Sat. for a 9 hr nonstop to Maui and I was in Walmart in the toy section and found all these little hand-held computer games for around $10. I got Tetris, but they have all kinds of card games, Wheel of Fortune, etc. When I get playing Tetris, time flies! :)

I have a few drinks and go to sleep.

jkurtiak-
One thing that really helps me with the motion sickness are "sea bands". You can get them at any drug store. They are just bands that place pressure on a spot on your wrist. It might be all in my head but I have NEVER been car, plane or boat sick since I started using them and I can now read, cross stitch, play video games, etc in the car and on planes. We're also avid divers and I always got sick on the dive boat but no more!

One other thing that really helped us when we flew to Australia last year was drinking a lot of water for weeks before and during the flight. And, not eating a bunch of food on the plane. We had no stomach problems and no jet lag because of this.

For entertainment, we took our travel books, cards and novels. We also watched some of the movies (although I couldn't make myself watch the Brittney Spears disaster). If you have some cash, you can buy a portable DVD player with screen and head phones and then check out movies from the library!

Have a great time in Hawaii. We're headed there next March for some diving (hopefully with some humpbacks!).

I'm with you Chicgeek, my mind is usually racing so much from the million things I have to do (including vacation preparations), that it's a pleasure to have 9 hours just to sit, stare at the pretty clouds, and think about absolutely nothing.

One thing I can't stand are those maps they show on the movie screen that show how long you've gone on your journey (I've seen them on two European flights). For me, it makes the journey endless seeing the little miniature plane advance millimeter by millimeter across the ocean.

Why don't you write your thank-you notes? Then you can mail them from Hawaii for a touch of the exotic. How nice to arrive knowing you are DONE with thank you notes (for the time being!). Satisfying.

Tansy, as much I like doing nothing on the plane, you've sort of inspired me to do my Christmas cards on the flight back, if I can find some Hawaiian-themed Christmas cards in September while in Honolulu. Sounds like a fun and exotic project :)

Since you asked, we "did it" in the restroom when most people were asleep.