12/13- Aulani Day!
We had previously planned for this to be a sightseeing day, but as mentioned in the last post, this was our chance to Make Our Own Mickey Ears- one person at 11:30 and the other at 3:15, so it didn't make sense to go off property. It was Sunday, and when I headed down toward the pool at 7:45 am I got one of the last sets of 2 loungers that appeared to be open. Everyone had to stay at their chairs until after 8 am, otherwise your stuff got picked up and taken to lost and found.
I dragged all my snorkel gear and my GoPro down so that I could try snorkeling in the lagoon and feel better about having dragged all my gear to Hawaii & back since it takes up so much luggage space. The water in the lagoon was a nice temperature, and it was very calm, but the visibility wasn't that great, and there were almost no fish to see- only a few way out by where the buoys were. I swam back and forth 3 or 4 times and headed back into shore.
So instead I went over to Rainbow Reef and asked about how it worked and what was the Fish Feeding experience that was being advertised in the app? The Fish Feeding was done by standing on the edge of the reef and throwing the food in- that didn't seem like something I was interested in paying extra for. But the snorkeling in the reef- with no currents and guaranteed fish sightings? That was right up my alley! I decided to get the length of stay pass since it was $25 for one day or $45 for the whole rest of our stay. As long as I went on another day, the length of stay pass was a better value. I was told that I did have to wear a lifejacket, that there were no fins or even kicking allowed, but I was OK to use my own mask/snorkel and GoPros were allowed. It has been a while, so I'm still trying to figure out how to edit my video footage, but here are a few photos I took:
Menehune in this shot!
Fish feeding on food put between pieces of mesh
So many fish!
This was my favorite thing to do at the resort. People who say it's cold aren't wrong- I think it was the coldest water I swam in the entire trip, but I had such a blast and it was fun to keep going back. The CMs started to recognize me, (or at least the KT tape on my right leg supporting my knee) which was great fun. This wasn't my sister's thing so she didn't try it. They did punch my wristband to show I had access to the Reef- I'm not sure if the Mickey Head punch signified that I had the length of stay pass and they had a different punch for daily purchasers- I never had to show "proof" on the other days, I just asked for my punch and to sign the waiver and they did it- I didn't have to scan my room card or give my name/room number or anything.
Tip: the Reef opens at 10 am and around 10:30 every day they fed the fish, so you could float in one spot near where the CMs were putting the food in the water and the fish would swarm towards you, and then swarm away from you, after the food. It was really cool!
I did go into the infinity edge hot tub to warm up. I can tell this is day 2 of my pigtail braids because my hair is starting to work its way out. Oh well.
I then wandered over by Mama's Snack Stop around 10:45 and hung out under the tree until 10:55 before being the first in line before it opened. That was one good thing about changing our plan and staying at Aulani on Sunday... Mama's was only open Friday- Sunday and so we would have missed it if we'd gone out exploring.
I got the Coconut Shrimp & Fries and so did my sister.
They asked what dipping sauces I wanted and none of them really seemed to work with coconut shrimp, but I got tartar sauce and cocktail sauce and ended up using them for my fries. I really liked the fries, although M had enjoyed the fries at Teddy's the night before more than these. But only 4 shrimp for the price was a little disappointing- I think it was $14- and we had paid $12 for a plateful of shrimp at Giovanni's.
I also splurged on the pineapple/mac nut cupcake
The decorations were so cute but so sugary!! I had to scrape some of them off and throw them away- it was just too sweet. But the cupcake... oh boy... it was like eating the pineapple mac nut pancakes at Kona Cafe at WDW. So yummy!!
M went off to make her Mickey Ears, and I chilled by the pool and read, with an occasional dip or trip around the lazy river to cool off. After she got back, but before I went off to my session, we split a Mickey Shave Ice of Mango, Pineapple, and Strawberry. You can tell how warm it was because I walked from the Shave Ice Stand to my pool lounger and took a picture, and it had already started melting.
Around 2:30 or so the pool deck started to empty out as local families were packing up and heading home. M headed to the waterslides (both sides were open at the same time) and I headed off to make my own Mickey ears!
When we signed up, we were asked to choose the color ears/lights (if you chose lights) and then pick out our 5 items that we could use. Greenery was additional and didn't count towards our 5 items. They also gave you a packet of snowflakes that you could use, although I didn't end up using mine. You met at the community room, and then they took our group of 4 over to the convention center area where they had folding tables and chairs set up. The other part of my group was 3 women who were traveling together, so they put them at one table, and I got a table all to myself, to ensure proper social distancing. The CM gave us our things, and extra glue for the glue guns, and then had us go at it. I had picked a bow, which I thought needed to be in the middle, so I worked on a symmetrical design and then started gluing. The bow and the flowers took multiple attempts with the glue gun, but the greenery was much easier! It took about 30-45 minutes to complete.
We had reserved dinner at Makahiki at 5:30, so after I was done I grabbed my stuff from the pool lounger and went back to the room for a shower and to change into clothes for dinner, so my sister would have time for a shower as well.
When we got to Makahiki, we were seated in the outdoor seating area.
They asked us to keep our masks on until the food arrived and we were eating and drinking. They also mentioned we could go over to the waterfall area between Makahiki and the Olelo Room and take pictures without our masks on, as long as we stayed socially distant. So here's a slightly out of order picture so you can see the amazing ears I created for myself, along with a tiny bit of the dress I was wearing made from the same pattern of fabric as Lilo wears in Lilo & Stitch.
Makahiki was only open for dinner, and as a prix fixe menu, not a buffet. No word on when they will reopen for breakfast, although I did ask the CMs. We had to scan a QR code for the dinner menu- no physical menus.
I had the Caprese Salad.
I joked that this is one of the only times the last bite was a bite of cheese, not a bite of tomato. This was very good, and I appreciated the different types of tomatoes and their slightly different flavors.
M had the Caesar Salad.
Complete with anchovy. Not my thing, but she enjoyed it.
For main course, I had the shrimp pasta.
It was a little on the spicy side for me due to the amount of chili oil used, but I enjoyed every bite.
M had the salmon and she enjoyed it a lot.
We both had the roasted pineapple cobbler with mac nut streusel and vanilla gelato
This was my favorite part of the meal. It was just heavenly, and I loved the tiny Mickey Head on top of the gelato- just the perfect little Disney touch.
It's my first time at Aulani, so I can't compare this to how Makahiki was as a dinner buffet. The food was good but I think the price point is a little high compared to what you are getting, since the price didn't change at all from what it was pre-COVID. Non-alcoholic drinks were included and they were very good about bringing refills and providing excellent service to us.
So another enjoyable day comes to a close. Tonight's Disney+ selection was Ralph Breaks the Internet, which my sister hadn't seen yet. Best Disney Princess moments ever!
I'd like to close this installment with saying that my heart goes out to the people of Hawaii for the earthquakes and the eruption of Kilauea today. I was on the big island not too long after Kilauea stopped erupting the last time, and the devastation was immense and tragic. I am keeping all impacted in my thoughts, and I know many of you are as well.
