DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Prom-ready Moanalua High School students Trissa Ogata, left, Justin Perez, Keethan Nojiri and Michelle Fujii enjoy a soft-drink toast as they try out a stretch SUV at Duke's Limousine. The deluxe interior includes lava lamps, flashing lights, a mirrored ceiling, television sets and a sound system.
Sure, it's OK to go to the senior prom in Mom's Honda. Shine it up, vacuum it out. It'll do the job and get great gas mileage, too.
High-class cruising in a limo
makes prom night memorable
By Betty Shimabukuro
betty@starbulletin.comOr you could ride up in a stretch limo, sipping soft drinks out of champagne glasses. Or perhaps in a stretch SUV, with four other couples lounging around inside, watching DVDs on two screens. Or in a limo bus, tall enough to dance in.
A limo for the prom.
Silly overindulgence?
That's one way to look at it, but many parents have come upon another truth: A limo for the prom means the kids have an adult chaperone for the most treacherous parts of the night -- the rides there and back.
"Limos used to be sold as being cool," says Peter Nenezich, president of Cloud 9 Limousine.
"The kids still think they're cool, but the parents rent the limos for security. They tell me this all the time: 'We want an adult to drive our kids to and from the prom, and we know it can't be us.'"
Even the expense can be rationalized. Rentals run from $300 to $600 for the night, depending on vehicle and company, but the cost can be divided among as many as eight couples. Weighed against the tuxedo, gown, flowers and prom bid, the limo might not even be the greatest expense.
A limo looks great and saves the hassle of driving, says Moanalua High School senior Keethan Nojiri. "Plus, it's way better than the car you would drive, your regular '91 Camry."
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Michelle Fujii stretches her legs while Trissa Ogata and Justin Perez cruise in the back of the Limbusine, Platinum Limousine's luxury ride for those who want optimum headroom.
That understood, let's look at what's out there.
No. 1, the traditional stretch limo. Sleek, (usually) white, elegant. This is the mainstay of the local limo business, used for everything from weddings to airport shuttles to movie star transport.
No. 2, the SUV. More headroom, more stuff inside. Mirrored ceilings, strobe lights, television sets with DVD players, full sound systems. These are more popular with the prom crowd because they can carry a lot of people and because all the extras create a party atmosphere. Variations on the SUV theme include the stretch pickup, with a separate "room" in the bed, and the stretch Hummer, a long, boxy rectangle on wheels.
No. 3, the Limbusine. As tall as a bus, which means no squatting or crawling to get inside. Kurt Tsuneyoshi of Platinum Limousine, who drives the one limo bus on the island, says it's all the rage among celebrities because of the comfort level. "That's the one that the big guys -- Akebono, Shaquille O'Neal, Konishiki -- will use."
The Limbusine comes across as an oversize touring coach, albeit freshly painted in a pearly midnight blue. It may lack the elegance of a more traditional limo, but inside's a different matter.
"Lots of kids are finding out about it," Tsuneyoshi says. "It's a bus with everything you can imagine: a sound system, a sink, a cooler. Some in the mainland have even bathrooms."
Limo companies are deep into prom season now and will be busy through May. Saturday nights are booking up fast.
For their money, prom-goers get dropped off and picked up. Some companies include an extra hour or so for "cruising," which can be a simple ride down Kalakaua Avenue or more extensive sightseeing and a stop for food.
Nenezich at Cloud 9 takes his couples to scenic spots and takes pictures of them, using their own cameras. "I get them in and out of the limo a couple times. After all, how many times can you cruise Waikiki? Even us drivers get bored."
Couples are not charged for the hours they're actually at the prom. Nenezich says he tries to book short trips during that time. "If not, we go home, have dinner and try to stay awake."
For their part, limo riders are expected to behave, which means no smoking, no drinking, no excessive horseplay and -- please -- go easy on the volume of the music. As enforcement, drivers carry a pretty big stick: They can turn around and take everyone home.
"We set the rules," says Duke Tiet, of Duke's Limousine. "They don't bring any alcohol or cigarettes into the limo. If we find that, we terminate the contract."
Duke's, the 10-year-old company that Tiet runs with wife Tanya, owns 15 limos, making it one of the largest on the island. Tiet has had a great deal of experience with prom-night rides. Although he has had to terminate contracts, he says a warning usually takes care of any errant behavior.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Driver Don Hyeon holds the door as Justin Perez helps Trissa Ogata out of a stretch SUV limousine at Duke's Limousine. The two were checking out potential rides ahead of next month's senior prom at Moanalua High School.
Drivers do expect that it is a night of great emotion and high expectations, though.
"They're totally different on prom night," says Platinum's Tsuneyoshi. "They just change. There's just so much freedom."
He's had to deal with noise, jumping and screaming. "Sometimes the music is too loud, and the police will pull you over."
But he says other kids in the limo can usually quiet down a troublemaker. "I stop on the side and say, 'I promised your parents that I would be responsible for you folks. So please, this is a great night, let's not spoil it.'"
Nenezich says his prom rides are not unduly stressful. "I treat the young people like adults, and we have a lot of fun."
Besides, he takes the long view with these first-time passengers: "We're taking these young people out, and hopefully they're going to be clients forever. They're going to grow up."
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