B737-500 FLT CREW FAILS TO MOVE PAX FROM ROW 21 AS REQUIRED FOR WEIGHT AND BALANCE WHEN LOAD PLANNING MSG IS NOT RECOGNIZED DUE TO ACARS IN WRONG MODE FOLLOWING AN ELECTRICAL POWER TRANSFER.

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AFTER A NORMAL TAXI; CHKLIST COMPLETION AND NORMAL TKOF; DURING THE CLB I LOOKED TO THE ACARS TO PULL UP WX AND NOTICED THE ACARS PROMPT WAS PRESENT RATHER THAN THE MENU MODE. AFTER CALLING UP THE MENU; I NOTICED THE MESSAGE LIGHT FLASHING. LOAD PLANNING HAD SENT US 2 MESSAGES INDICATING A CTR OF GRAVITY ISSUE AND TO BLOCK ROWS DISPLAYED WITHIN THE FINAL WT MANIFEST MESSAGE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE FINAL WT MANIFEST MESSAGE; WE NOTICED THAT ROW 21 WAS TO BE BLOCKED. WE INFORMED OUR FLT ATTENDANTS TO MOVE THE PAX ONCE THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS EXTINGUISHED. THEY ACCOMPLISHED THIS QUICKLY AND WE PROCEEDED NORMALLY. I BELIEVE THAT WHEN THE PWR XFER FROM APU TO ENG GENERATORS OCCURRED; THE ACARS RESET AND DID NOT DISPLAY THE NORMAL MENU; RESULTING IN OUR INABILITY TO NOTICE MESSAGES. HOWEVER; THE FINAL WT MANIFEST DID PRINT; INDICATING TO US THAT WE WERE LEGAL TO DEPART. ONLY ON FURTHER REVIEW; AFTER RECEIVING THE LOAD PLANNING MESSAGES; DID WE NOTICE THE EMBEDDED NOTE TO BLOCK ROW 21. I THINK THAT 2 ISSUES COMBINED TO CAUSE THIS PROB. FIRST; SOME ACFT IN THE FLEET DO NOT NEED TO REBOOT ACARS AFTER A PWR XFER; RESULTING IN NORMAL ACARS INFO BEING DISPLAYED. SECONDLY; IT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT THAT LOAD PLANNING CAN SEND FINAL WTS THAT AREN'T FINAL. IF NO FINAL WT MANIFEST HAD BEEN SENT; WE WOULD HAVE LOOKED TO THE ACARS SCREEN TO QUERY LOAD PLANNING AND WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE MESSAGES. SINCE A FINAL WT WAS SENT; WE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS LEGAL.