This was a big help after enduring weeks of attempts on my own and suffering hours of attitudinal warping by Verizon, Samsung, Google and other "support orgs."
Starting with my SII with 4.1.2 android trying to move to my S5, here are my suggestions and my solution.
1. It would solve the entire problem if either the app writers or Samsung popped up a message on the first 10
or so calendar entries saying local-private entries cannot be transferred to the new phone.
So make entries using a Google or another account, not the local.
2. make sure the Account is transferred to that other account (Google) before disabling the phone account.
3. Make sure if using Kies that it is downloaded & installed on your phone & computer
before changing accounts.
4. Using another phone WiFi as a link to transfer many apps may show it already installed because it is recorded or installed on the download phone. This kept me from installing any of the Samsung apps like Sync on my SII.
5. when all else fails ignore the Samsung/Verizon support. They have no clue even the level 2 support teams failed.
searching the web worked yet individual phones/apps have their own problems so be active on your own or find
a friend and stay interactive here or on similar sites.
6. Here's what finally & painfully worked for me:
A. Decide what you really need. Is today and the future all you need to do you need the past
(I needed medical records from the past.)
B. I used Business Calendar
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=netgenius.bizcal
C. After BC imported all my calendar data I turned off each calendar to see what my local calendar had in that
month establishing a pattern of common categories.
D. I then turned my target destination account calendar back on with my locals & did a search for common
categories like "Basketball", Dr., Exercise, "Medical" etc.
E. starting at the earliest search item found: I did an edit and changed the Calendar account to a
shareable one (Google account for instance) & did a save.
F. then on to the next item.
It took about 2 hours for 3 years data which was less than half of the time wasted with Verizon & Samsung.
If simple logic was used to design such software, assuming items like low speed access, older devices etc.
were the normal reality then the amount of data transfered on the net etc, and the size of tech support teams needed would be drastically reduced.
Gee wouldn't it be nice if some one wrote a non-root transfer item or included it with their calendar instead of adds
Of course that comes from decades of developing and using world wide tools, teams and support orgs.