# She's Saying Aloha, an April 2022 Oahu and Aulani Trip Report (Completed 7/7)



## GrandCalifornian

*Hi Everyone!  We’re ready to kick off something a little different.




*We just got back from our first ever trip to Hawaii, and yes we checked out Aulani, so you have that to look forward to, but first we have a few days at a different resort in Waikiki.




*It was an amazing trip, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone!

*We decided to cover all of it, because the things we did could be done from Aulani as well, and it all came together to make one awesome trip.

*We gotta start with the why we went to Hawaii in the first place I think.  It’s been somewhere that’s been on my list to visit but Paul was never really interested.

*t just wasn’t anything I really wanted to do when we could go to Disney instead.  Aulani had appeal, but I didn’t want to spend our points on it instead of a WDW trip.

*So I convinced my bestie that she needed to get married in Hawaii.

*And since she runs the office with Melissa I volunteered to stay home and help at work.   Since that wouldn’t be a fun family vacation though she lured me onto the trip by renting points for Aulani so we got to experience it in addition to WDW this year.

*I also had to rent a Jeep for the whole trip and book an ATV tour.

*Those were just extras that made it so neat once we all were going.   I did absolutely love the Jeep though, but we’ll get to that.

*So lets get into the who what when where’s...

*In case you don't know us, I’m Paul a 42 year old Mechanical Engineer and aspiring elevator mechanic, and just like for our WDW trip reports I’ll be writing in blue.




*I’m Melissa, I do all sorts of things at the elevator company and am mom to our two amazing kiddos.  I’ll be in orange.




This is Allie, she’s 12 and in 6th grade!  She was super excited about this trip and had a LOT of fun.




*And this is Marshall, our now six year old son who is very active and up for about anything.  He would argue that he is actually the bride’s best friend, since they spend a lot of time together at work.




*We’ve got a couple of extra characters we should briefly introduce because they’ll make an appearance early in this report.  First off is Kathy and Greg, the newlyweds.  




Kathy has worked for me for several years now and is my right hand at work and best friend out of work.  She’s amazing and I’m so happy she has such a sweet guy as her husband.

*Also joining in were Melissa’s Aunt Lorie and Uncle Steve.  




Lorie is the CFO of the elevator business and works closely with Kathy and Melissa and was in on the planning as well.  Steve is a cool guy and a private pilot who got to take a week off to join in.

*Kathy and Greg also had their families and friends there so you’ll see a sprinkling of them too.

*Now with The Who and Why’s covered, let’s get to the “Where”.  The wedding was based from the Hyatt Place hotel near Waikiki on Oahu.  




We figured that despite being on the same island, we didn’t want to have to commute from Aulani for the wedding so we started our trip staying at the Hyatt.  This was a practical decision for the wedding, but actually wound up being a neat pairing with Aulani.

*We flew in on April 26th and then moved to Aulani on the 29th and then flew home on the May 2nd.

*It was a very busy 6 days but we were able to do a lot of cool stuff which we’ll share here.

Join us as we explore Hawaii for the first time.


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## GrandCalifornian

Table of Contents:
Flight West and Arrival Morning
Waikiki Beach Afternoon
A Wedding on The Beach
Exploring Oahu and an Evening Luau Reception
Morning Island Exploration From Waikiki
Lanikai Beach and following the Southern Shoreline
Morning Drone Flights and Aulani Arrival
North Shore Exploration and Kualoa ATV Tour
Home to Aulani After Dinner and Shopping
A Morning spent Exploring the waters of Aulani
Shopping, Monkey Pod Lunch, and a Trip North
Sunset Drone Flight, and Aulani at Night
Morning Beach Exploration and Dining with Characters
Mid-Day Aulani Activities
Pearl Harbor Area Exploration
Departure Morning Drone Flight
Wrap Up and Summary



Prior Reports:
She's free before she's three, touring the world with a toddler: September 2012 Trip Report
She turned 3, but the DDP's Free, a WL Bounceback PTR: September 2013
She's a Princess, a Superhero, and a Rockstar -a September 2013 Trip Report
She's Turning Five at Disney World - a September 2014 PTR
She's Five at Riverside - September 2014 Trip Report
She's Going to Show Him The World - September 2016 PTR
She's a Big Sister and an Expedition Leader: A September 2016 TR
She's Sleeping on the Top Bunk: An August 2017 WL TR with a Party of 10
She's Staying DVC, a September 2018 PTR
She's On Top of The World, a September 2018 TR at Copper Creek Villas and Cabins
She's Going Back to Back, a September 2019 and February 2020 PTR
She Dodged a Hurricane, Skipped School, and Adopted a Porg, A September 2019 TR
She's a Disney Adult and Feeling Artsy, a February 2020 TR
She's Masking Up and Taking on The World, a Jan 2021 PTR
She's Collecting Castles and Staying at Copper Creek, a Jan 2021 TR
She's Surprised to be back to Disney World, a May 2021 Yacht Club Girl's Trip
She's Adding all the Extras, a January 2022 BCV / WL Split Stay Trip Report


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## GrandCalifornian

*So let’s kick this off!*

We started the trip very much like our WDW trips, by getting up at 3AM and driving to LAX, which is about a two hour drive from home.




*There’s prepaid parking now for the structures at the terminals and it saved quite a bit so I was excited to know that we had a spot in a good structure near the Tom Bradley International Terminal that we were flying out of.*

t sounded so great, until we arrived and found that access to the parking structure we had reserved was closed off.




*Like cones and barricades and everything.*

There was a sign that said this one lane was for prepaid reservations, so we wound up moving some cones and pulling in.  That didn’t work well, as we had a construction guy tell us that section was closed.

He said we had to go upstairs to the closed gates and call to have them let us in.  First though we had to back out into traffic.   Oh the joys of LAX.

*It was so incredibly frustrating.  When we went around the loop and got upstairs we had to move cones there too!  But we were able to get into the structure and find a spot.  That was way more stressful than it should have been.*

Fortunately we left early and we’re able to accommodate the 45 minutes it took to get parked.  We then headed to TSA, where we again had pre check and went right through.

*We were flying Hawaiian for the first time and had no idea how long the walk was out to the gate.  I bet it was over a mile out there, up and down multiple escalators and we even got a ride on a little cart thing.





*

They added a new terminal as an extension to an old terminal and basically added a long underground walkway to get out to the additional terminal building.  The little cart was cool though, especially since the moving walkway was not working.

*We finally made it to the gate with a little time to spare, not as much as we normally like but enough for Paul to go find some breakfast and Diet Coke to keep us going.


*

We wanted some breakfast food, but settled for a couple of pastries and the cokes.  Then it was time to board and we were on our way, this time headed West.

*Our flight was fantastically uneventful.  




I got some photo editing done from a wedding we photographed the weekend before and Paul got to sit next to Marshall for the first time on a flight.


*

The plane was a dual aisle wide body, with two seats on the outer side of each row, so we had window and aisle seats on two rows, one in front of the other.   Marshall was a fun traveling buddy and we got to play Hot Wheels together.







We landed shortly after 11 AM, and noticed that some other passengers had brought their own lifevests, so they were ready for life on the island.




We then headed to pick up our rental car.  Like Melissa mentioned, we had reserved a Jeep which made me way more excited about the trip.  Alamo did a perfect job, and had our reservation and let us pick our choice of colors from a group of Jeeps.




*We settled on a red one for the trip and everyone fell in love with it.




Paul has been shopping for one since we got home.*

Yeah, it’s on my bucket list.




We loaded up the Jeep and headed for the hotel. 







We hopped on the freeway and accelerated right past the 35 mph speed limit.  Yep, they have a four lane freeway with a lower speed limit than our two lane road in front of our house.

*That was quite the culture shock for us Californians.  We immediatley soaked up the scenery, Oahu is beautiful.*

We had heard there was a parking lot across the street from our hotel with $30 a night rates, so we parked there and walked across.   We were able to check in to our room early, and got a nice sized room on the 8th floor with a view of the parking garage, which was fine with me and what we had paid for.




*We dropped all our stuff off and went in search of lunch.  We checked the map and were pretty surprised at how close we were to the beach.  




I’m not sure what I thought but I sure didn’t think we’d be that close.*

I searched for lunch spots, and found that Cheeseburger in Paradise was a short walk away.  We headed over there and we’re wowed by the view of the beach on Waikiki.  It is literally just like you see in the post cards.







*It was a great place for our first lunch.  I ordered the Hawaiian Burger, Allie got a poke bowl.





*

I got the BBQ bacon burger, and Marshall got corn dogs.  




It was a great welcome to Hawaii, with open walls and a nice beach breeze going through the restaurant.

*The food was great and I would highly recommend it as a lunch spot in Waikiki*

It would be about a 40 minute drive from Aulani, but worth it to come down and see Waikiki.

*Check out the rest of our arrival day in the next update.*


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## WAstateDVCDaddy

Looking forward to the rest of your TRs - hope you have a fantastic time!

You probably have lots of recommendations and plans already.  As a former local, I would say make sure you go to Leanards Bakery on Kapahulu for malasadas, and Waiola Shave Ice (they have one near Leonard’s, and another (better) on Waiola street across the canal from Waikiki.  They’re always on my first day must do’s when I go back for visits.


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## DaisyDuck001

Aloha!


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## nascargirl

Awesome start to your report.  It is getting me excited for our upcoming trip the end of May.  First off, back to Florida for a graduation and of course visiting the Happy Place on Earth,


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## Wood Nymph

Your airport arrival sounds like a nightmare. The parking lot should have been accessible, especially for prepaid parkers. And the long trip to the gate must have been a bit frustrating, too. 

We had a widebody jet for one of our Hawaii trips. I like the larger jets on the long flights. There is more room to move around.

How long was your flight?



GrandCalifornian said:


> we had reserved a Jeep which made me way more excited about the trip


We loved the Jeeps in Hawaii. They were a lot of fun. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> We dropped all our stuff off and went in search of lunch. We checked the map and were pretty surprised at how close we were to the beach.



The Hyatt looks like a gorgeous hotel. It is a little crazy how the beach is across the street from the hotels, though.


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## DLo

Popping over from your latest WDW TR . Can’t wait to read more.


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## FrannyFrogs

Following!  We're huge WDW/DL fans taking our first trip to HI next month!


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## GrandCalifornian

WAstateDVCDaddy said:


> Looking forward to the rest of your TRs - hope you have a fantastic time!
> 
> You probably have lots of recommendations and plans already.  As a former local, I would say make sure you go to Leanards Bakery on Kapahulu for malasadas, and Waiola Shave Ice (they have one near Leonard’s, and another (better) on Waiola street across the canal from Waikiki.  They’re always on my first day must do’s when I go back for visits.


Thanks for joining in.   We saw the long lines outside Leonard's Bakery and wondered what they were for.  We will have to check out Wailoa's at some point in the future, since we definitely plan on going back. 



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Aloha!


Aloha to you too, and welcome to another one of our trip reports. 



nascargirl said:


> Awesome start to your report.  It is getting me excited for our upcoming trip the end of May.  First off, back to Florida for a graduation and of course visiting the Happy Place on Earth,


Thanks!  Sounds like you have some fun coming up, with a Florida trip and then relaxation time in Hawaii.



Wood Nymph said:


> Your airport arrival sounds like a nightmare. The parking lot should have been accessible, especially for prepaid parkers. And the long trip to the gate must have been a bit frustrating, too.


Parking was a mess, and the parking company seemed to have no idea their access to the lot they sold was closed off.  They sent an e-mail that morning telling us exactly where to go, which was not possible. 



Wood Nymph said:


> We had a widebody jet for one of our Hawaii trips. I like the larger jets on the long flights. There is more room to move around.
> 
> How long was your flight?


It was our first time on one with the kids, and we liked not having a middle seat to deal with, so we each had an aisle or window seat.   The flight was about 5 and a half hours, so it was pretty similar to a WDW flight for us. 




Wood Nymph said:


> We loved the Jeeps in Hawaii. They were a lot of fun.


They are definitely a popular rental car option there, along with convertible Camaros and Mustangs.   We were surprised that ours was 4wd, although we don't imagine it does much serious off-roading.   It was the perfect vehicle for the trip, and would be nice to have at home too...




Wood Nymph said:


> The Hyatt looks like a gorgeous hotel. It is a little crazy how the beach is across the street from the hotels, though.


The Hyatt place was a nice hotel near a gorgeous location.   It was not as fancy as the Hyatt Regency down the street or the hotels just across the street from the beach, but it was still nice and a little bit cheaper.  The walk to the beach was super short, and it worked out great for us.   We kind of liked having the hotels be across the street from the beach, since then the beach is more open to everyone.  At Aulani each resort in the area has their "own" beach areas between the ocean and the hotel, bit it is more secluded than the big long beach in Waikiki.  Both had their advantages, but there was something special about Waikiki.



DLo said:


> Popping over from your latest WDW TR . Can’t wait to read more.


Welcome!  We are excited to share something new and different for us.



FrannyFrogs said:


> Following!  We're huge WDW/DL fans taking our first trip to HI next month!


Very cool, welcome.  We were in the same boat having never been to Hawaii but loving WDW and DL.  We have lots to share but overall we were very happy with our Hawaii trip.  Similar to WDW, there is just so much to see and do that you can't plan on getting to all of it and still having a relaxing time, but whatever you do make it to will be a lot of fun.  We loved having the Jeep for the whole trip, and one of our favorite things to do was to go explore the more remote areas of the island.   Where are you staying for your trip?  We liked how Oahu is small enough to get places fairly quickly, but big enough to have a whole lot to see.


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## pinkxray

I can’t wait to read your report! I love all of your trip reports and get ideas for future  trips when I read them.

We were just at Aulani for 8 nights last month too. LOVED it! We are from CT so flights are over 10hrs non stop from JFK but I am hoping to do it all over again in 2 years.

While at Aulani I told Dh I would try to save some points on our next WDW trip to bank for Aulani in 2024, but I am having the same issue you guys did. I don’t really want to miss WDW so will either need more DVC points or will just rent for Aulani 

The Jeep looks fun!

-Diane


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## cgattis

Just jumping in to say I LOVE your he said/she said format! Fun!!  I’ll be following along!


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## Flossbolna

We stayed at the Hyatt Place in 2019 and really liked it, too. It’s a great compromise between location, amenities and price. And my mother in law claimed to have had the best bacon at a free hotel breakfast ever. 

Looking forward to read more about your trip!


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## GrandCalifornian

pinkxray said:


> I can’t wait to read your report! I love all of your trip reports and get ideas for future  trips when I read them.
> 
> We were just at Aulani for 8 nights last month too. LOVED it! We are from CT so flights are over 10hrs non stop from JFK but I am hoping to do it all over again in 2 years.
> 
> While at Aulani I told Dh I would try to save some points on our next WDW trip to bank for Aulani in 2024, but I am having the same issue you guys did. I don’t really want to miss WDW so will either need more DVC points or will just rent for Aulani
> 
> The Jeep looks fun!
> 
> -Diane


Thanks so much!  We are always amazed that people enjoy following along on our trips.   We did really have reservations (and still do) about spending WDW points at Aulani.  It is nice to have the flexibility to do so, but for us renting points for Aulani worked out great.  It was easy to get the room we wanted at under 7 months out, and we got to try it without directly skipping WDW.  Now that we have done it once, we'd all be more open to doing it again too.
The Jeep was the perfect Hawaii rental car, but the worst part of the trip was having to give it back.  I am still trying to get one for home...



cgattis said:


> Just jumping in to say I LOVE your he said/she said format! Fun!!  I’ll be following along!


Thanks, and welcome.  We came upon this way of writing back when we wanted to both talk about our first WDW trip when Allie was two.  It has worked out really well for us, because we both have things to say.  



Flossbolna said:


> We stayed at the Hyatt Place in 2019 and really liked it, too. It’s a great compromise between location, amenities and price. And my mother in law claimed to have had the best bacon at a free hotel breakfast ever.
> 
> Looking forward to read more about your trip!


Ahh, so you understand exactly what we mean about the Hyatt place.  It is very close to an awesome location.  It worked out very well for us for the price, and the only downside we saw was that the elevators in our tower were pretty slow.   We unfortunately didn't experience the exceptional bacon, but it was a decent breakfast and did vary quite a bit from day to day.  
We are looking forward to sharing all the fun we had.


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## GrandCalifornian

After lunch, we went across the street and explored the beach at Waikiki a bit more.







*We let the kids wade out into the water a little and walked out on the pier, just really soaking it up.  It was incredible.





*





It really is a much prettier beach than I expected.  It was crowded, or at least there were a lot of other people there, but it was just neat to see in person.







*After we introduced ourselves to the beach we had to head back to the hotel so Paul could go pick up Lorie and Steve from the airport.  On the way we experienced an ABC Store for the first time.





*

We had noticed (since it was hard to miss) that there were these stores about every half block, so we went in to check it out.   We were pleasanlty surprised to find that they were basically tourist focused convenience stores with a varitey of souveniers and beach necessities.   The prices seemed to be quite good, at least better than we expected, or were used to at Disney gift shops.

*Allie (who is mildly obsessed with boba) discovered that they sell boba teas in a can and then decided that she must collect them all.


*

nd by that she not only meant trying them all, but saving the cans.  (More on that later...)  The canned boba tea was surprisingly good, and became a Hawaii thing for her on our frequent stops by the ABC stores.

*It gets comical, or tragic depending on your point of view, stay tuned.




After the ABC Store on the way back to the hotel we got a glimpse of the local wildlife including a potato on a stick that was on the wall next to the sidewalk.


*

Yep, it was a random potato, on a stick, on the bench.  Whatever works...

Once we got back to the hotel, we found that Kathy was just about to arrive back from a day on the beach.  Marshall was super excited to get to see her, since he had been deprived of her company for a few days.




*The original plan was for me to stay with Allie while Paul took Marshall on the airport run but Kathy offered to watch the kids so Paul and I could go alone to pick up Lorie and Steve.


*

Either way I was going to get to drive the Jeep, so I was in.  It was super nice of Kathy to spend some time on the day before her wedding hanging out with our kids.  It was a fun "date" while we saw more of the island going the other direction up to the airport.

*Let’s fast forward a little bit here because there wasn’t much going on after the airport trip and before dinner.*

We went back up to the room for a bit, then all met downstairs a little later at the Domino's pizza that was in the lobby.  This served as a nice meeting spot for everybody who had arrived for the wedding and was staying at a few different nearby hotels.  




Kathy and Greg bought a bunch of pizzas, and we got to hang out and have pizza before we headed back down to the beach for sunset.



*It made for a great “rehearsal dinner” without the rehearsal part.




We all walked down to the beach to hang out for a bit for the sunset.  The kids enjoyed playing in the water.





*

Kathy even swam with them out to the break water.  Marshall wasn't sure at first, but wound up really enjoying it.  They were both really glad to be swimming in the ocean.







*I got my feet wet but I’m more of a hot tub gal.


*

Yeah, I didn't go very far in, and it wasn't super cold, but I didn't feel the need to get all the way in.




*Despite there being quite a few people on the beach it still felt so amazing to be on Waikiki Beach.  I just hadn’t thought a whole lot about that concept before the trip and it was all kinda sinking in.


*

To me it felt like we were on the beach from a post card.  It was really a destination beach, and was very pleasant overall.  There were a lot of other tourists, probably more than I expected, but everyone was having a good time.




*After we got our fill of the sunset before it got super dark we walked back to the hotel room.*

I gave thought to making a trip out to a grocery store, but we heard the parking lot was full so I decided to just grab some water and Coke from the ABC store instead to not loose our spot.

*We sent Allie over to Kathy’s room to spend the night with her and keep her company and Marshall was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.*

We stayed up a little bit longer and did some work, but we too were asleep shortly after 9PM, which was midnight at home...

*Stay tuned for Kathy’s wedding day!*


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## alohamom

GrandCalifornian said:


> We were pleasanlty surprised to find that they were basically tourist focused convenience stores with a varitey of souveniers and beach necessities. The prices seemed to be quite good, at least better than we expected, or were used to at Disney gift shops.



This is a perfect description of an ABC Store!



GrandCalifornian said:


> After the ABC Store on the way back to the hotel we got a glimpse of the local wildlife including a potato on a stick that was on the wall next to the sidewalk.



   
and here I thought I had seen it all in Hawaii!


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## cgattis

alohamom said:


> This is a perfect description of an ABC Store!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and here I thought I had seen it all in Hawaii!


IKR??! I thought the canned boba tea was going to be the weirdest thing in that post LOL


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## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> On the way we experienced an ABC Store for the first time.


The ABC stores are great. You can get food, clothes, souvenirs, etc and the prices aren't bad. I had a favorite Hawaiian canned tea that I loved and of course they sold it at the ABC stores. 

I never knew that Waikiki beach had a breakwater, but I guess that is good for the swimmers. Does the beach have a section for surfers?

We love the Hawaiian sunsets and sunrises. They are really beautiful.


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## GrandCalifornian

alohamom said:


> This is a perfect description of an ABC Store!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and here I thought I had seen it all in Hawaii!


We really grew to like the ABC stores.  We learned that they get you with quantity and frequency of visits, instead of having higher prices on fewer visits.  


cgattis said:


> IKR??! I thought the canned boba tea was going to be the weirdest thing in that post LOL


We thought maybe it was a thing there….  It definitely was an afternoon of new things for us, including eating in at Dominos…


Wood Nymph said:


> The ABC stores are great. You can get food, clothes, souvenirs, etc and the prices aren't bad. I had a favorite Hawaiian canned tea that I loved and of course they sold it at the ABC stores.
> 
> I never knew that Waikiki beach had a breakwater, but I guess that is good for the swimmers. Does the beach have a section for surfers?
> 
> We love the Hawaiian sunsets and sunrises. They are really beautiful.


They really have a lot of good stuff at the ABC stores, and Allie would love to have one of those teas now.   We did find that they didn’t have the same tea at the ABC store by Aulani.  Selection may vary.  

The breakwater was a concrete wall down at the South end of the beach which was by our hotel and the pier.   We could see the open beach and people surfing a little bit to the North. 

Yes, the sunrises and sunsets are so beautiful there.  Later on we made a point to get some nice sunset pics from further North.


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## FrannyFrogs

Your report is so informative!  Now I'm excited to visit the ABC store lol.

We're staying a week on the Big Island and then a week at Aulani.  I am looking forward to reading about the Aulani portion of your trip.


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## DaisyDuck001

Allie's posing holding the purple can of tea reminded me of a Disney Magic Shot, except you didn't have to PhotoShop in the tea can!

You mentioned how it was special for the kids to play in the ocean. Since you live rather far inland in CA, is it rare for you to get over to CA beaches?


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## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Allie's posing holding the purple can of tea reminded me of a Disney Magic Shot, except you didn't have to PhotoShop in the tea can!
> 
> You mentioned how it was special for the kids to play in the ocean. Since you live rather far inland in CA, is it rare for you to get over to CA beaches?


Lol, yep, actual Magic Shots from the ABC store. 

 We live about an hour from the beaches in So Cal, but it just isn’t something we do much at all.  Marshall hadn’t swam in the ocean at all before this trip.  We do go further inland to the Colorado River and play on the water, just not the ocean.


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## princessbelle2015

Yay! I am so happy I found your Hawaii trip report! I read and love all of your wdw trip reports.


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## GrandCalifornian

princessbelle2015 said:


> Yay! I am so happy I found your Hawaii trip report! I read and love all of your wdw trip reports.


Welcome!  We are glad you are here for something new and a little different.   We weren’t sure how we’d write about this one, but covering it like a Disney trip day by day seems to work.  We hope you enjoy it.


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## GrandCalifornian

On Wednesday, we all woke up early since we were still used to California time.  Since it was Kathy's wedding day (and Allie spent the night in her room) we got up and started getting ready and Melissa went to help Kathy.

*Paul went to go get food for us, even though the hotel had free breakfast we were looking for something a little better.*

We like McDonalds for breakfast, and there was one just down the street.   On the way, I took some morning pictures.







The restaurant opened at 7 AM and I was there shortly after.  




I was prepared for insanely high prices, since it was just across the street from the beach and in Hawaii, but actually it wound up being no more expensive than at home.  I grabbed some food for Kathy too, then headed back to the hotel.







*We spent the morning helping Kathy and getting the 4 of us spiffy’d up for a wedding.


*

Once we as dressed up as we were going to get for a beach wedding, Marshall and I went out to explore the hotel.  We saw Steve and Lorie's room, which was in the other tower and had a decent water view.  We also checked out the free breakfast area, which was by the rooftop pool on the third floor.  





The pool was small for a big hotel, but it was clear that most guests did their swimming at the beach.

*I got some cute pictures of the kids all dressed up.








*

We all met up in the lobby before heading to the wedding location.







*Kathy arranged for 3 limos to take everyone to the beach so we didn’t have to shuffle cars and everyone would be on time.  It was a super smart idea.


*

It really was perfect, and the type of detail that would have been easy to overlook but it made it come together perfectly, just like Kathy specializes in. 

*The drive up to Sandy Beach was beautiful.  Poor Kathy, the week before the wedding they closed the beach she was going to get married on to commercial activity so she had to choose a new spot last minute.  I think it was a blessing because the new beach was gorgeous.*

It meant that we all got to see more of thre island together, without worrying about where to go in our own cars.  It had to be a logistical nightmare.  Fortunately the new location was quite nice, with a little bit of sand, beautiful rocks, and large visible waves.




Marshall loved the limo ride, and told everyone that it was his SECOND time in a limo.




*He was even happier when he learned that we got to go back to the hotel in the limo too.*

That would make it his third time in a limo, a total he shares with anyone who will listen.

The ceremony was very nice, and the local officient and photographer worked very well together.  It went quickly, and then there was plenty of time for all of us to take photos on the beach.



















*After we all took a bajillion pictures and soaked up the beach it was time to head back.  Marshall played herding dog and ran around to round every one up.  




We piled back into the limos to head back to the hotel.*

We got to see the Hawaii Kai area of the island on our way back to thehotel, which looked really cool with the houses right on the water.

*It was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day.  Once we were back at the hotel though we were all starving.  We headed up to the room to change out of our nice clothes and then met Steve and Lorie back in the lobby to go find some lunch.*

In true WDW fashion, we headed for Wolfgang Puck Express, which was conveniently located at the hotel down the street form ours on the way to the beach.







*I’m 90% sure I got the pulled pork sandwich.*

I went with the Hawaiian Burger (which had pineapple on it) and Allie chose that too.  




Marshall went with chicken strips and fries.

*We were so hungry we didn’t really get many pictures.  We did make friends with the neighborhood wildlife.





*

It wasn't as nice or fancy as the WPE at Downtown Disney, but was a decent meal with a view of the beach.  It was pretty expensive for what we got, but that was to be expected.  We did get to watch the random birds on the patio as we ate.

As we finished eating we saw Kathy and Greg, who were on their way to the beach for a bit.  We were all happy for them, and were excited to get to share in their perfect day.

Check out the rest of the wedding day, and a Luau reception in the next update.


----------



## SueInBoston

What a beautiful wedding!!!  Congratulations to Kathy and Greg!

OP-you have a beautiful family!


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

GrandCalifornian said:


> *Hi Everyone!  We’re ready to kick off something a little different.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> We just got back from our first ever trip to Hawaii, and yes we checked out Aulani, so you have that to look forward to, but first we have a few days at a different resort in Waikiki.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *It was an amazing trip, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone!*
> 
> We decided to cover all of it, because the things we did could be done from Aulani as well, and it all came together to make one awesome trip.
> 
> *We gotta start with the why we went to Hawaii in the first place I think.  It’s been somewhere that’s been on my list to visit but Paul was never really interested.*
> 
> t just wasn’t anything I really wanted to do when we could go to Disney instead.  Aulani had appeal, but I didn’t want to spend our points on it instead of a WDW trip.
> 
> *So I convinced my bestie that she needed to get married in Hawaii.*
> 
> And since she runs the office with Melissa I volunteered to stay home and help at work.   Since that wouldn’t be a fun family vacation though she lured me onto the trip by renting points for Aulani so we got to experience it in addition to WDW this year.
> 
> *I also had to rent a Jeep for the whole trip and book an ATV tour.*
> 
> Those were just extras that made it so neat once we all were going.   I did absolutely love the Jeep though, but we’ll get to that.
> 
> *So lets get into the who what when where’s...*
> 
> In case you don't know us, I’m Paul a 42 year old Mechanical Engineer and aspiring elevator mechanic, and just like for our WDW trip reports I’ll be writing in blue.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I’m Melissa, I do all sorts of things at the elevator company and am mom to our two amazing kiddos.  I’ll be in orange.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is Allie, she’s 12 and in 6th grade!  She was super excited about this trip and had a LOT of fun.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> And this is Marshall, our now six year old son who is very active and up for about anything.  He would argue that he is actually the bride’s best friend, since they spend a lot of time together at work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We’ve got a couple of extra characters we should briefly introduce because they’ll make an appearance early in this report.  First off is Kathy and Greg, the newlyweds.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kathy has worked for me for several years now and is my right hand at work and best friend out of work.  She’s amazing and I’m so happy she has such a sweet guy as her husband.*
> 
> Also joining in were Melissa’s Aunt Lorie and Uncle Steve.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lorie is the CFO of the elevator business and works closely with Kathy and Melissa and was in on the planning as well.  Steve is a cool guy and a private pilot who got to take a week off to join in.
> 
> *Kathy and Greg also had their families and friends there so you’ll see a sprinkling of them too.*
> 
> Now with The Who and Why’s covered, let’s get to the “Where”.  The wedding was based from the Hyatt Place hotel near Waikiki on Oahu.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We figured that despite being on the same island, we didn’t want to have to commute from Aulani for the wedding so we started our trip staying at the Hyatt.  This was a practical decision for the wedding, but actually wound up being a neat pairing with Aulani.
> 
> *We flew in on April 26th and then moved to Aulani on the 29th and then flew home on the May 2nd.*
> 
> It was a very busy 6 days but we were able to do a lot of cool stuff which we’ll share here.
> 
> Join us as we explore Hawaii for the first time.


I’m so happy I found this trip report! Can’t wait to read all about it!


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

GrandCalifornian said:


> On Wednesday, we all woke up early since we were still used to California time.  Since it was Kathy's wedding day (and Allie spent the night in her room) we got up and started getting ready and Melissa went to help Kathy.
> 
> *Paul went to go get food for us, even though the hotel had free breakfast we were looking for something a little better.*
> 
> We like McDonalds for breakfast, and there was one just down the street.   On the way, I took some morning pictures.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The restaurant opened at 7 AM and I was there shortly after.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was prepared for insanely high prices, since it was just across the street from the beach and in Hawaii, but actually it wound up being no more expensive than at home.  I grabbed some food for Kathy too, then headed back to the hotel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We spent the morning helping Kathy and getting the 4 of us spiffy’d up for a wedding.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> Once we as dressed up as we were going to get for a beach wedding, Marshall and I went out to explore the hotel.  We saw Steve and Lorie's room, which was in the other tower and had a decent water view.  We also checked out the free breakfast area, which was by the rooftop pool on the third floor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The pool was small for a big hotel, but it was clear that most guests did their swimming at the beach.
> 
> *I got some cute pictures of the kids all dressed up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> We all met up in the lobby before heading to the wedding location.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Kathy arranged for 3 limos to take everyone to the beach so we didn’t have to shuffle cars and everyone would be on time.  It was a super smart idea.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> It really was perfect, and the type of detail that would have been easy to overlook but it made it come together perfectly, just like Kathy specializes in.
> 
> *The drive up to Sandy Beach was beautiful.  Poor Kathy, the week before the wedding they closed the beach she was going to get married on to commercial activity so she had to choose a new spot last minute.  I think it was a blessing because the new beach was gorgeous.*
> 
> It meant that we all got to see more of thre island together, without worrying about where to go in our own cars.  It had to be a logistical nightmare.  Fortunately the new location was quite nice, with a little bit of sand, beautiful rocks, and large visible waves.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Marshall loved the limo ride, and told everyone that it was his SECOND time in a limo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *He was even happier when he learned that we got to go back to the hotel in the limo too.*
> 
> That would make it his third time in a limo, a total he shares with anyone who will listen.
> 
> The ceremony was very nice, and the local officient and photographer worked very well together.  It went quickly, and then there was plenty of time for all of us to take photos on the beach.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *After we all took a bajillion pictures and soaked up the beach it was time to head back.  Marshall played herding dog and ran around to round every one up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We piled back into the limos to head back to the hotel.*
> 
> We got to see the Hawaii Kai area of the island on our way back to thehotel, which looked really cool with the houses right on the water.
> 
> *It was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day.  Once we were back at the hotel though we were all starving.  We headed up to the room to change out of our nice clothes and then met Steve and Lorie back in the lobby to go find some lunch.*
> 
> In true WDW fashion, we headed for Wolfgang Puck Express, which was conveniently located at the hotel down the street form ours on the way to the beach.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I’m 90% sure I got the pulled pork sandwich.*
> 
> I went with the Hawaiian Burger (which had pineapple on it) and Allie chose that too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Marshall went with chicken strips and fries.
> 
> *We were so hungry we didn’t really get many pictures.  We did make friends with the neighborhood wildlife.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> It wasn't as nice or fancy as the WPE at Downtown Disney, but was a decent meal with a view of the beach.  It was pretty expensive for what we got, but that was to be expected.  We did get to watch the random birds on the patio as we ate.
> 
> As we finished eating we saw Kathy and Greg, who were on their way to the beach for a bit.  We were all happy for them, and were excited to get to share in their perfect day.
> 
> Check out the rest of the wedding day, and a Luau reception in the next update.


Beautiful photos! Looked like a gorgeous wedding!


----------



## pjacobi

During my visit to Hawaii in 2018, The ABC stores had a loyalty program.  In four days, we had enough points for a free Hawaii souvenir mug.


-Paul


----------



## cgattis

pjacobi said:


> During my visit to Hawaii in 2018, The ABC stores had a loyalty program.  In four days, we had enough points for a free Hawaii souvenir mug.
> 
> 
> -Paul


Me too—I ended up with several free reusable tote bags


----------



## Wood Nymph

The wedding was lovely. I think the rocky beach was even better than a sandy beach. The family pictures are really nice and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

I was surprised that you all preferred McDonalds breakfast over the Hyatt's breakfast. Aren't Hyatt breakfasts usually pretty good? Did this Hyatt have less variety of food than most?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

SueInBoston said:


> What a beautiful wedding!!!  Congratulations to Kathy and Greg!
> 
> OP-you have a beautiful family!


Thanks, it was a beautiful wedding venue, and Kathy is the only person I know who could pull off planning something like that from so far away.    

Thanks so much, we clean up cute...


BroadwayHermione5 said:


> I’m so happy I found this trip report! Can’t wait to read all about it!


We're glad you found it too and took the time to say hello.  It is different than most of our WDW trips, but we had a great time.  



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> Beautiful photos! Looked like a gorgeous wedding!


Thanks!  We were not the official wedding photographers for this one since Kathy and Greg wanted us to be able to enjoy the event, but we still got to take some fun shots after the ceremony.



pjacobi said:


> During my visit to Hawaii in 2018, The ABC stores had a loyalty program.  In four days, we had enough points for a free Hawaii souvenir mug.
> 
> 
> -Paul


Yes, we saw the signs for the reward program and at first thought there was no chance we'd spend enough to get a free gift.   At $100 in total receipts we could have gotten a calendar, and the items got nicer from there.   They definitely get you with quantity...



cgattis said:


> Me too—I ended up with several free reusable tote bags


We bought a few of the reusable bags, and they are fun to use at home now to remind us of the trip.   We didn't wind up saving our receipts for the calendar or other gifts, but the totals did add up over a few days, especially the three nights in Waikiki with no fewer than four ABC stores within a 5 minute walk from the hotel.



Wood Nymph said:


> The wedding was lovely. I think the rocky beach was even better than a sandy beach. The family pictures are really nice and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.


It was a great wedding, and served as great motivation to get us to Hawaii for a great trip.   It was so well put together that we got to see different parts of the island through the wedding events. 



DaisyDuck001 said:


> I was surprised that you all preferred McDonalds breakfast over the Hyatt's breakfast. Aren't Hyatt breakfasts usually pretty good? Did this Hyatt have less variety of food than most?


The Hyatt place breakfast was ok, but not anywhere near exceptional.   We are not huge buffet fans, and buffet eggs aren't happening for us.  They did have unique items each day, and on this day it was Jimmy Dean sausage sandwiches, which we do have at home but seemed quite strange to have in a buffet setting.  The McDonalds breakfast items were good and consistent, and we all agreed were better than the hotel buffet would have been.  On the next day we  did the hotel breakfast though, so we will share that as well.


----------



## KPeterso

Found your Hawaii trip report and enjoying. The views of the beach and at the wedding were all amazing!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

*After lunch we stopped at the ABC store again to pick up some lotion and another Boba in a can for Allie.  This time she tried Matcha which I think ended up being her favorite.




*They were all different and yet pretty good.

We got back to the room and still had a couple of hours before we had to meet for the luau reception, so we decided it was time for a cruise.   We walked to the parking garage and hopped in the Jeep for some exploring.




*We drove North West along the coast and drove by the International Market and then up to the port.  




Marshall really enjoyed seeing all the container ships.

*We looped through Ala Moana Park, a park that was near the waterfront as we headed back towards Waikiki.  




Overall it was very much a downtown area of a big city, which was much busier than we expected.

*We headed back to the hotel and got ready for the luau.  Kathy’s mom uses a wheelchair so Kathy had arranged for a private minibus to take us all over to the Ka Moana Luau which is at the Sea Life Park.




*This is on the Southern end of the island, but again it was great to have transportation pre-arranged for us.   We walked out to the street in fornt of the hotel where lots of different tour buses picked up and dropped people off.   Ours soon arrived, and after a little work on the safety switch of the wheelchair lift (it is very much like an elevator...) we loaded up the bus and headed towards the luau.  




The bus took a slightly different route than the limos had, following the coastline South from Waikiki into a nice residential area past Diamond Head.

*On the way we looked up local real estate.  Zillow surfing is a hobby of mine.




*It was fascinating to see what some of the houses were listed for.  It reminded me of the high cost beach areas in Southern California.

*It really seemed comparable to Southern California beach areas but the houses are way more unique.

*It still fascinates me that the whole thing is on an island in the middle of the Pacific.  We then met back up with the route we took to the wedding, and passed through Hawaii Kai and then past Sandy Beach where the wedding had been.  After that we were in new territory, and it was really pretty.




*The rocky shorline was spectacular.  We were still getting introduced to Oahu and it was just stunning.




*It was totally different than the busy city area we had visited earlier in the afternoon.  This was much more rugged and natural, and we could see islands off in the distance.

*We were Luau VIP’s so we were able to get priority seating and real flower Lei’s.  




It was a pretty fun experience.




*It was another first class aspect of the wedding.  Instead of a traditional reception, we got to sit right up front for a quality luau.  We had a big table entirely for the wedding group, with Kathy and Greg right up by the stage.




*The Luau was great and Marshall got really into it.

*I guess he had been previewing it on YouTube videos with Kathy.  He knew what to expect, and was really excited.   Soon after we arrived we were able to go get food.  They set up a nice buffet with lots of Hawaiian food items.



*The food was great!  My favorite was the kalua pork.

*I had heard about Poi, and was able to try some.  It was actually quite good, and reminded me of applesauce.   The pork was great, and I enjoyed everything I had.

*It was so much fun and I would highly recommend this luau.




*We wanted to do a luau as one of our Hawaii bucket list items, and this one was perfect.  Once we had our food the "show" started and we got to see performances from many different polynesian islands.  It seemed quite informative, learning something unique about each island.  Marshall and I really enjoyed cousin Jerry, who was from Samoa and made some pretty darn funny jokes to keep it light and fun.




*Allie enjoyed it too although I think we traumatized her when we all got up for hula lessons.

*Despite her many years of dance classes, she refused to participate in such shenanigans.

As predicted the fire eating was a highlight of the show, and Marshall really enjoyed it.   




After the show was over he got his picture taken with the performer, who he told he had seen on YouTube.




*We all had a great time.  










At the end of the night the same bus driver picked us up to take us home.




*The bus ride was nice, and we got to see the island at night.

*At this point we were really glad we didn’t have to move out the next day.  I had decided to stay one more day at the Hyatt before moving up to Aulani.

*I wasn't sure of that plan in the begining, but it worked out great.  We were in no hurry to do anything, so we were able to relax and go to bed after a busy day without worrying about packing up.  On the way to the room we did grab a cookie from the bar in the lobby, which was almost free when we used our daily resort food credit.

*The cookies were really good.  The peanut butter cup ones were my favorite.

*We got one each day of our stay, and I liked the chocolate chunk ones a little more, but they were all great.  After dessert we headed to bed fairly early to conclude a long fun day.

*Stay tuned for more and to see where we end up.

*


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> Overall it was very much a downtown area of a big city, which was much busier than we expected.


We took one look at Honolulu and decided to cancel our downtown hotel and move to the north shore. I worked in downtown Chicago and that was enough big city for us. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> The food was great! My favorite was the kalua pork.


The luau looks like a lot of fun. Kalua pork is my favorite, too.  We went to a luau when we were in Maui with our daughters and loved it.


GrandCalifornian said:


> After the show was over he got his picture taken with the performer, who he told he had seen on YouTube.


That is a cute picture. You can tell that Marshall is really enjoying the entertainment.


GrandCalifornian said:


> At this point we were really glad we didn’t have to move out the next day. I had decided to stay one more day at the Hyatt before moving up to Aulani.


That would have been messy to go to Aulani that night.


----------



## AliceNDinah

Wonderful report so far!  Ha ha, I actually googled that address of the fancy house you Zillow surfed---very impressive.  I like surfing too   Again, you have such beautiful kids, who seem really well behaved.  Such a treat that you took us along on your fun vacation.  Looking forward to more---bring on Aulani!!!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

Wood Nymph said:


> We took one look at Honolulu and decided to cancel our downtown hotel and move to the north shore. I worked in downtown Chicago and that was enough big city for us.


Yeah, downtown Honolulu is very much "downtown" and not the relaxing island vibe we expect from a vacation.  Waikiki was busy enough for us, but at least had more of a vacation feel to it.



Wood Nymph said:


> The luau looks like a lot of fun. Kalua pork is my favorite, too.  We went to a luau when we were in Maui with our daughters and loved it.


Yeah, it is just one of those things you gotta do, and in this case we were impressed with the food and overall quality of the presentation.  It was a neat show.



Wood Nymph said:


> That is a cute picture. You can tell that Marshall is really enjoying the entertainment.


Yes, he had a ball.  It has to be the best wedding "reception" we've ever been to.



Wood Nymph said:


> That would have been messy to go to Aulani that night.


Yeah, we had considered checking out and going to Aulani the next morning, but didn't want to have to pack that night so we stayed an extra day.  This would up being a great call so that we had some time to enjoy exploring from Waikiki before heading up to Aulani.  



AliceNDinah said:


> Wonderful report so far!  Ha ha, I actually googled that address of the fancy house you Zillow surfed---very impressive.  I like surfing too   Again, you have such beautiful kids, who seem really well behaved.  Such a treat that you took us along on your fun vacation.  Looking forward to more---bring on Aulani!!!


Thanks so much!  Zillow surfing is a fun hobby.   That house was pretty extreme, but it was a super nice neighborhood.   Our kids are fun, and generally well behaved but they too can be at each other's throats.  Like typical siblings they can be fighting one minute but will defend the other one from anyone else the next minute. They did have a lot of fun on this trip.  
Aulani is coming, but first we have a day of exploring from Waikiki on our own, which turned out to be one of our favorite days of the trip.  We were all excited to get to Aulani, but it was nice to have some quiet time to get to see more of the island first.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Had you ever been to any luaus on the mainland?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Had you ever been to any luaus on the mainland?


We had never been to a Luau before.  It just seemed like one of those things you gotta do when in Hawaii.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

On Thursday, we slept in a little bit until about 7, and then started what would be one of our favorite days of the trip.  







With the wedding over with, we planned to spend the day exploring the island.  Marshall and I started the day by heading out to grab breafkast from the hotel buffet and bring it up to the room for the girls.

*I was able to catch up on work stuff and Allie worked on homework for a bit while we had some mediocre breakfast fare.*

Yeah, this day they had sausage and eggs, so we brought up a plate of sausage to the room.  It was more like a kielbasa sausage than traditional breakfast sausage, and was ok, but not spectacular.    Marshall had a bowl of Fruit Loops which he enjoyed.

*We promised Lorie and Steve that we would get them to the airport but we had some time to kill before that so we went on a walk down to the beach and to find the Honolulu Cookie store.*

On the way though our first stop was at the ABC store, of course!  




Allie got a boba ice cream and a boba tea.  I'm not sure how she got Mom to agree to that for breakfast, but she was loving it.







*She was living her best life.  I don’t think there’s anything better in Allison’s world.  Marshall found the ukaleles and decided he NEEDED one but we made him wait to make sure he didn’t find anything else.*

Yeah, we figured that phase would pass, but he seemed pretty set on it.  We made it out of the store without any new musical instruments, and walked towards the beach.  We went down the block to the Honolulu Cookie store, but found that they didn't opem until 10, which was too late for us.







*I was sad, I’m still sad we didn’t get to see it but there’s always next time.*

Yeah, we never made it back when they were open.  Instead we crossed the street and went down to the beach.  










The kids played in the water to their knees, and we watched the morning crowd, which wasn't too big, but people were definitely there.










*Paul also saw someone flying a drone which made him very interested in drone rules in Hawaii.  Side note, Paul is a drone nut, has had them forever and has several that he left at home.  He brought no drones on this trip.*

I had actually thought about it when packing for the trip, but just like a Disney trip I figured there'd be nowhere I could fly them so I left them all at home.   Now I was on one of the neatest beaches I've ever seen and someone else was getting to fly and get drone video of it.

*After a little research he figured out it was totally legal to fly there and lots of other places on the island.  Being the awesome wife that I am I encouraged him to keep an eye open at Costco later in the day to see if they had one.  Kinda like a super awesome souvenier.*

I love my wife.   That sounded like a cool idea, and one I would follow up on later in the day.  We hung out on the beach for a while and the kids enjoyed getting to play and snack at the same time.

*Allison was a crack up double fisting with her tea and icecream at the same time.  




We didn’t have a ton of time before we headed back to the hotel so the boys could make the trip to the airport.


*

We met Steve and Lorie in the lobby, then the girls headed up to the room while we walked to the Jeep.  Marshall and I enjoyed the ride, and Steve and Lorie appreciated the ride.  We sent her back to work first to minimize the time with all of us out of the office.  They had extended their trip before the wedding, and we got to stay after.

*It worked out really well.  We once again got some work done while the boys were gone, Allie brought a lot of homework to do.  Sixth grade work is a lot harder than her previous independent study trips.  I ended up helping look up poetry styles and terms and tried to help her.*

Yeah, it was good to get a little work done.  On our drive we got to see a life size transformer that we had noticed on the roof of a building just South of the airport.  




Marshall got to see it, and thought it was pretty cool.

*Once the boys got back it officially signaled the end of all of our obligations and we were excited to go exploring.


*

We hopped in the Jeep and headed off in search of fountain Diet Cokes.  There was a 7-11 on the way to the freeway, so that's where we went.

*It was also time to try some spam musubi.  




Allie was REALLY excited to try “spam sushi”. It didn’t disappoint, we all really liked it and it was a great snack to kick off the days adventure.]*

It was the first seaweed wrapped food item that I have ever enjoyed.  It was actually really good.

*False, you eat sushi and you like it.*

I do like some sushi, but I didn't realize it was wrapped in seaweed like that.  This looked like something I had tried before and not enjoyed, but was quite good.

*I’m glad you liked it.  We all did.  Next up we headed off to cross something off Paul’s bucket list.


*

For as long as we have been contemplating a Hawaii trip, I have said that one thing I want to do there is to get a Costco hot dog.   I enjoy these at home, and at $1.49 with a fountain drink they are a great deal.  The coolest thing is that the price is the same on the island, so I wanted to go check it out.
*



He also wanted to check for a drone so we obliged and headed off to Costco.


*

Unfortunately the Costco we wound up at did not have any drones.  We did however pick up some snacks and beach towels.  We also saw that they had some unique items, like fresh Poke and pallets of Spam.
*






It was fun and felt oddly like home.  We all got hot dogs for lunch and they were yummy and also just like home.





*

It was a bucket list accomplishment, and the timing worked out great.  After our lunch we headed off for more island exploration, and found our favorite beach of the trip.

*Next up a picture perfect magical beach day and does Paul end up with a drone…..stay tuned….*


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Was Bob the boba stuffed toy along for this trip? It seems like he would have fit in very well!


----------



## Wood Nymph

I like the Transformer on the roof. There must be a good story about why they put it there. 

I would never try anything with Spam in it, but it looks like it was a great price. So was the hot dog. 

I can't wait to hear which beach you liked, and more importantly, how that beach compares to what they have at Aulani.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Was Bob the boba stuffed toy along for this trip? It seems like he would have fit in very well!


Good question, but sadly No.  Bob stayed home, but Allie did bring most of her Nuimos  with her. 



Wood Nymph said:


> I like the Transformer on the roof. There must be a good story about why they put it there.
> 
> I would never try anything w





Wood Nymph said:


> I like the Transformer on the roof. There must be a good story about why they put it there.


We saw it from the freeway a couple of times, and looked for it from surface streets one time, but didn’t find the stirs behind it.   We were just glad Marshall got to see it.



Wood Nymph said:


> I would never try anything with Spam in it, but it looks like it was a great price. So was the hot dog.


We were willing to try Span since it is such a big thing there.   We were actually there during their Spam festival, so we gave it a try.  I was more concerned about the seaweed part of it, but all together it was quite good.
The hot dogs were just like home, price and all, so it was a nice break from vacation food prices.   From nice meals at Disney to 7-11 and Costco hot dogs, we’ll eat it all.



Wood Nymph said:


> I can't wait to hear which beach you liked, and more importantly, how that beach compares to what they have at Aulani.


We were impressed with the quality and variety of the beaches on Oahu.  While they were all pretty, some were even better than others.  The kids wanted one where they could play in the waves. 
At Aulani the beach is in a little lagoon that opens to the ocean at one point.  It is nice and protected, but isn’t a long stretch of sandy beach.   We’ll show lots of pictures of the different beaches when we get to them, and they are coming soon, we promise.


----------



## longboard55

This is what I liked about this trip.  No time spending discussing who had the best this or that.  Just have fun.  Little things like the ABC are fun in Hawaii.  We always go to McDonalds


----------



## Vero4us

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us. We are hoping to go in January so I am eagerly looking forward to hearing more about your experiences! I am definitely going to try the Spam sushi!


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> At Aulani the beach is in a little lagoon that opens to the ocean at one point.



The last time we were in Hawaii was September 2008. We could see from the airplane that it was very industrial on that side of Oahu. It was also very dry, rather than tropical.


----------



## jimmymc

Wood Nymph said:


> The last time we were in Hawaii was September 2008. We could see from the airplane that it was very industrial on that side of Oahu. It was also very dry, rather than tropical.


That area has changed a lot since 2008. Ko Olina, where Aulani is, was build as a resort town from the ground up, with several high end hotels and a large golf course neighborhood. It also rarely rains there.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

longboard55 said:


> This is what I liked about this trip.  No time spending discussing who had the best this or that.  Just have fun.  Little things like the ABC are fun in Hawaii.  We always go to McDonalds


We really enjoyed our Hawaiian vacation.  For somewhere we had never been we really enjoyed experiencing it.



Vero4us said:


> Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us. We are hoping to go in January so I am eagerly looking forward to hearing more about your experiences! I am definitely going to try the Spam sushi!


Thanks for joining in.   I would not have expected to enjoy anything about the Spam Musabi, but I would totally have it again.  It was tasty.



Wood Nymph said:


> The last time we were in Hawaii was September 2008. We could see from the airplane that it was very industrial on that side of Oahu. It was also very dry, rather than tropical.


The Ko Olina area where Aulani is is North of the really industrial area, and is developed as a fancy resort area.  It was originally a more rocky shoreline though, so the sandy lagoons had to be man-made.  It makes for a nice area, but is just a different look and feel than some of the other beaches.  We really were impressed with the variety of beaches on Oahu, and you can drive to whatever you want.



jimmymc said:


> That area has changed a lot since 2008. Ko Olina, where Aulani is, was build as a resort town from the ground up, with several high end hotels and a large golf course neighborhood. It also rarely rains there.


Yeah, it had more of a suburban, new development feel to it.  We enjoyed the varitey and getting to know the different areas of the island.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

When we left off, we had just finised lunch at Costco and were headed off in search of a beach.   Kathy recommended the East side of the island, and I was up for a drive so off we went.

*This time instead of going along the coast we cut across the middle of the island.




I’d like to be honest here, we did very little research for this trip and I had no idea what to expect.

I knew it would be beautiful but the drive was just amazing and so breathtaking.*

We basically followed the GPS and took highway 61 over the mountain.  As we climbed it got prettier and prettier.  




On the other side of the hill, we went through a tunnel and then had a beautiful view of the other side of the island.




We pulled over at the turnout for the Mauanawili trail and got to overlook the coast and look back on the mountain.










*We also made some chicken friends, they were all over the place.  The kids loved seeing them.


*

We had heard about wild chickens, but they always amused us.  Once we took some more pictures, we headed down the hill in search of the beach.




*We were headed for Lanikai beach which Kathy had been to a couple days before and said would be perfect for the kids.  We drove around and found a place to park.  Parking here is super tough, it kinda reminds me of some of our beaches here in California where there’s street parking only.*

Exactly, we were driving through a neighborhood and looking for street parking where we wouldn;t block anybody's driveway.  We circled around a couple of times and found a spot about half a block from a beach access walkway.  We grabbed our things and made the short walk to the beach.




Once we saw the water, I was impressed.  It was a neat shade of blue, and there was sandy beach as far as you could see with islands in the distance.  




It was my favorite beach, and was just beautiful.







*When I say this beach was like a postcard I mean it felt like we walked into a postcard dream world.  It was a gorgeous beach on a beautiful day.





*

The kids goal was to get to swim in the waves, and they were perfect here.  They were big enough to swim in without breaking near the shore or being too tall.




*The water was pretty shallow too and they just had a ball going in and out of the water and playing in the sand.*

The water was nice and warm, and it was easy to get into and swim.  The kids made a sand turtle like they had seen on Waikiki.








We hung out on the beach and watched the kids play for quite a while.  We snacked on chips and watermelon and just soaked it all in.




\*It very much felt like a vacation at this point.*

Yes, after a few days of deadlines and running around, we had time to just sit on the beach, and irt was a beautiful one at that.

*After we soaked up all we could of the sand and sun and salt water we decided to do some more adventuring and drive down the coast.*

We walked back to the Jeep and proceeded to fill it woth sand from our shoes and towels from the beach.  We stopped by another 7-11 and got drinks, including another boba can for Allie.  




This one was brown sugar, which wasn't anybody's favorite but still wasn't bad.

*We drove for a bit until we all needed a bathroom.  We stopped at Waimanalo Beach park where there were some bathrooms and kids at football practice.


*

It was a nice little city park, right on the beautiful shoreline.  The bathrooms were fine, but were inhabited already by some pretty large rats.  




They stayed in the rafters, but were kind of creepy.

*It was not the best place for a bathroom but it did the job.  I just kept my eyes on the rats and got out of there pretty quick.*

The beach portion was pretty nice, with bigger breaking waves near the shore.  










Marshall ran over to check out the playground, and immediately joined in whatever game the kids there were playing.




*He makes friends really fast.  After we tore him away from his new bffs we hit the road again.*

We continued South along the shoreline past the Sea Life park where the luau was the night before, then stopped at Makapu'u Lookout to take some more pictures and generally play tourists.













It was up fairly high on the cliffs above the shore, and had a great view to the South and East.

*It was another beautiful lookout and we enjoyed the view.*

We stopped at another turnout that overlooked Hawaii Kai as we worked our way back to the North.







*Paul was headed to the Costco in Hawaii Kai looking for a drone.*

I figured since there was another Costco just off the highway we could stop in and check it out.  We were also looking for dinner options, and found a Raising Cane's in the Costco parking lot, and decided to make it a one stop shop.  I ran in to Costco unsupervised, and found that they had two drones in stock to choose from.  




After a quick text to my loving and supportive wife, I grabbed one and checked out.

*He was so excited!  There’s no way I was going to stand in the way of that joy.*

It was a good deal on a nice little drone that is a nice compliment to my larger ones I have at home.

We then had dinner at Cane's, which is something we enjoy at home too.  




It rounded out a day of fairly economical dining.

*It’s nice to have home comfort food on vacation.  It also helped with budget for the trip in general.*

Yeah, one nice thing about not being in the Disney bubble for the whole trip was we could eat more economically, and we still got food that we all enjoyed.   The Hawaii Kai area is really nice, and probably was my favorite part of the island.  If money were no object, I'd love a nice house on the water there with a neat boat dock out back.  Hey, you gotta have dreams.

Within a few days I already had a favorite area for a house.   That's ok, I have better taste than budget.

We then continued towards the hotel and saw the sunset as we drove. 




We circled around the neighborhood a little bit and noticed the big crowds of people leaving the beach area for the day.  It amazes me how many people were all around Waikiki.

*It was pretty busy around the hotel but we finally ended up going the right way down the one way street.

We made it back to the room and here is where Allies boba can collection gets tragic.*

She had kept the cans from each boba drink, and had them all lined up on the shelf by the TV.

*The housekeeper had thrown them away when she came to clean the room.  Allie was in tears that her collection was gone.


*

It was kind of sad, but they were basically trash.  That was not what Allie wanted to hear though, and the only way to console her was to agree to purchase cans of all the flavors of tea again so that she would have a complete set.

*It was hard to console her and not laugh at the same time, because the housekeeper did in fact clean up the trash that she left on the table.*

Yeah, it was a case where one person's trash was another's treasure...   Oh well, she was able to laugh about it a little later, and it meant she got more boba, which had to be a good thing, right?

*I think so.  Yeah luckily she found the humor in the situation pretty quickly and she didn’t pout for too long.]

*We spent the rest of the night starting to pack up and then we went to bed before too late.  It was a super day of exploring Hawaii, and I'm so glad we had the extra day before heading up to Aulani.

*It was a perfect day.  Coming up we FINALLY see Aulani and have a super surprise for the kids.*

Check out our Friday adventures in the next update.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

When I read the part about Lanikai Beach I thought it looked pretty, but I wondered if there were any restrooms there. Since you ended up stopping soon after that for a restroom elsewhere, does that mean Lanikai didn't have one?

Bummer about the boba cans, but the housekeeper's mistake was understandable. Maybe the hotel had asked her to recycle aluminum cans, and it's not so common to save them as souvenirs.

It sure was nice you got to spend that extra day there instead of having to pack up and leave when you were extra tired. But I'm looking forward to reading about the Aulani chapter also!


----------



## Wood Nymph

The first beach that you stopped at looked perfect for the kids. It also looked like you mostly had the beach to yourself. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> The housekeeper had thrown them away when she came to clean the room. Allie was in tears that her collection was gone.


Oh, no! I had something like this happen at Disney once and ever since then I would put anything that looked like trash in the closet, so housekeeping wouldn't throw it away.


----------



## FrannyFrogs

FYI you convinced me to upgrade from a full size car to a Jeep for our Oahu trip next month! Rates were super high but they're coming down a bit at about 4 weeks out!


----------



## alohamom

I am so glad you took the time to go to Lanikai, I tell everyone to get over to the East side beaches at least once and we go over quite a bit when we are at Aulani.
Our favorite is Kailua, which is a sister beach to Lanikai just down past the little lighthouse.
We generally like it better because there is parking and public restrooms/changerooms. It is usually a little more crowded because of that but nothing like Waikiki.
I have never been into the restrooms at Waimanalo but now I don't think I ever will! Yikes, rats watching you is a little more than creepy to me-I would have walked right back out LOL!
Waimanalo always feels a little dangerous to me, there is this house up and to the left of the parking area that looks abandoned and the parking area is sort of sketchy too.
It's unfortunate because the beach there is gorgeous.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> When I read the part about Lanikai Beach I thought it looked pretty, but I wondered if there were any restrooms there. Since you ended up stopping soon after that for a restroom elsewhere, does that mean Lanikai didn't have one?
> 
> Bummer about the boba cans, but the housekeeper's mistake was understandable. Maybe the hotel had asked her to recycle aluminum cans, and it's not so common to save them as souvenirs.
> 
> It sure was nice you got to spend that extra day there instead of having to pack up and leave when you were extra tired. But I'm looking forward to reading about the Aulani chapter also!


It was nice and not too crowded, but we did not see any restrooms there.  We thought maybe there were some further North, but we didn't go that far.  @alohamom mentioned that Kailua is nearby and does have restroom facilities, so we will have to check that out next time. 

The cans worked out ok.  It was sad but funny too, and totally understandable.  

I thought the extra day would be a bit of a waste since I was excited to get to Aulani, but it would up being just great.  We could have done all this from Aulani too, but probably wouldn't have since there was so much to see and do there.  We'll make it there in the next update.  



Wood Nymph said:


> The first beach that you stopped at looked perfect for the kids. It also looked like you mostly had the beach to yourself.


There were more people around than the pictures really showed, but it was a great beach.  The kids had a blast and it was just perfect for us that day.



Wood Nymph said:


> Oh, no! I had something like this happen at Disney once and ever since then I would put anything that looked like trash in the closest, so housekeeping wouldn't throw it away.


It was a simple honest mistake but it really bugged Allie.  They were all lined up in order of her preference, but in actuality they were just a bunch of recyclables.  I liked our solution to buy each flavor again, and in the end so did she.  



FrannyFrogs said:


> FYI you convinced me to upgrade from a full size car to a Jeep for our Oahu trip next month! Rates were super high but they're coming down a bit at about 4 weeks out!


Yes!  Nice choice.  My work here is complete.  Actually, now if I can just convince Melissa that we need one for home... 
It was the perfect rental car for the island.  Melissa's sister told us there were three kinds of rental car people on Hawaii: the mini van / SUV people, the convertible Mustang / Camaro couples / and the Jeep people.  We were happy to fit into that group, and only walked up to the wrong Jeep in a parking lot once.  You do kinda have to watch out for that.



alohamom said:


> I am so glad you took the time to go to Lanikai, I tell everyone to get over to the East side beaches at least once and we go over quite a bit when we are at Aulani.
> Our favorite is Kailua, which is a sister beach to Lanikai just down past the little lighthouse.
> We generally like it better because there is parking and public restrooms/changerooms. It is usually a little more crowded because of that but nothing like Waikiki.
> I have never been into the restrooms at Waimanalo but now I don't think I ever will! Yikes, rats watching you is a little more than creepy to me-I would have walked right back out LOL!
> Waimanalo always feels a little dangerous to me, there is this house up and to the left of the parking area that looks abandoned and the parking area is sort of sketchy too.
> It's unfortunate because the beach there is gorgeous.


Thanks for the insight.  We felt like we knew almost nothing about what was where, and just blindly explored the island for six days.   We got the sketchy feel from Waimanalo too, but it was neat to experience all of the island, not just Aulani or Waikiki.  We really are looking forward to going back again, and will check out Kailua when we do.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Did you do a character meal at Aulani?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Did you do a character meal at Aulani?


We did do the breakfast on our second morning at Aulani.  We will cover it in detail, but we really enjoyed it.


----------



## jimmymc

FrannyFrogs said:


> FYI you convinced me to upgrade from a full size car to a Jeep for our Oahu trip next month! Rates were super high but they're coming down a bit at about 4 weeks out!


I had a convertible Mustang and that was a pretty good alternative.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

On Friday morning, I got up before everybody else and left the room about 6:45 to take some sunrise pictures and video with the new drone.  




I really wanted to fly it over Waikiki, and this was the perfect opportunity.   The beach wasn't too crowded, and the sun was just coming up over the other side of the island.




The new little drone performed well, and I flew it out over the ocean and just above the waves at the breakwater.  







I made two fun flights before heading back up to the room.







During the second flight I got a message from Melissa that she was up and getting in the shower.




Everyone else got up fairly early and we packed up the room.  It was so easy to get up early in Hawaii being 3 hours earlier than home.

*I couldn’t believe how early we were ready and packed. We decided to say a good farewell to Waikiki and have breakfast at Wolfgang Puck Express.

*We also wanted to walk down to the beach one more time, and Marshall had decided he needed a Ukelele from the ABC store, so we stopped there on the way to WPE.







*We also picked up Allie’s boba can replacements so she was feeling much better with a whole collection again.




*We finally made it to WPE for breakfast, which is a feat we have never been able to accomplish at WDW.

Breakfast at this WPE was good, but nothing too exceptional.  I got a breakfast sandwich, and Allie got a spinach and mushroom omelette.  Melissa and Marshall got traditional american breakfast plates because they were out of French toast.










*It was good enough though…. We were all anxious to get on our way though because we were headed to AULANI!  We walked back to the Hyatt and finished packing everything up and headed out to the Jeep.







*We  were able to drag our bags with us as we walked over to the parking structure, so I didn't have to come back and pick everyone up.  As we got to the parking lot, I walked right to where I had parked and attemptted to open the red Jeep, only to find I was at the Jeep parked next to ours.  




Yep, with that many rental Jeeps on the island, we wound up with one right nexxt to us n the parking lot.  Fortunately the remote didn't work on it, so we wound up in the right one.

*It was so funny, I can’t believe he didn’t notice which one’s lights flashed when he pushed the button on the remote but it made for a really funny moment.

*Once we opened up the right Jeep, we had no problem storing all of our bags in it behind the back seat.  We didn't want to leave them there all day though because of potential theft, so we had an excuse to drive straight to Aulani.  It was about a 40 minute trip, first North towards the airport, and then further North in new territory for us towards Ko Olina.

*The landscape changed as we went along and you could tell it was a little dryer than other places we had been.  We passed an outlet mall and some other shopping.




*It felt more suburban and a lot like home, with shopping centers near the freeway exits.  The freeway continued on into a pretty resort area near the coast, and we could spot Aulani among the resorts.




*We pulled up to the valet and bell services took the bags we weren’t going to need on our afternoon adventure.




*The valet checked on our room and let us know it wasn't ready yet, but  they had no problem storing the bags and parking the Jeep nearby while we went in and explored the resort for a bit before going out again.

*It was so exciting to finally be there.  The entrance lobby is just spectacular and open, you can see straight through to the courtyard outside through big open doors.







*It had a very unique Hawaiian feel, while also feeling like Disney at the same time.  It was like a spectacular cross between the Poly and AKL or WL.







*It was so fun and we were excited.  We explored a little bit and stopped at the front desk to check in.




*The CM appologized for the room not being ready but we were fine with that.  She got us all set up to have them text us the room number when it was ready, and she gave the kids a ton of buttons.

*It really wasn’t a big deal that the room wasn’t ready, we had an adventure surprise for the kids we had scheduled.

*Before taking off though we walked around and checked out a bit more of the resort.  We saw both gift shops, Kalepa's Store which is a traditional resort gift shop, and Hale Manu, which is a fancier location across the hall with some artwork and higher end clothes items.







*We just oogled at all the fun stuff, there were so many Stitch things, I just kept adding more to my want list.  Then when we went over and saw the art we saw some Noah pieces we’d never seen before.




*One of them in particular stood out to us, as it had Minnie and Mickey building a sandcastle on the Aulani beach.  It was a castle we immediately knew we wanted to add to our collection, we just had to decide which size and format.




*We didn’t end up buying anything yet though, we’d be back.

*There was a lot of activity in the lobby and surrounding hallways.  There were lots of people coming and going, which was interesting.

*I didn’t expect the business but it was ok.

*We wanted to hang out and explore it some more, but we knew we had three nights ahead to do that.  We walked back to the valet and picked up the Jeep to head out for more exploration.




*We didn’t tell the kids where we were going only told them we were going on a hike like adventure.

*They were getting more curious, but were along for the ride...   We headed up H2 through the middle of the island.  




We were headed for the North Shore to do some sightseeing on the way to our destination.  We were all starting to get hungry though, so we drove through a Wendy's in Wahiawa.




*We got our normal Wendy’s orders like home, nothing too special.  It feels odd writing about fast food on a trip report but there it is.  It was Wendys.

*While we were there Melissa's Dad called, and we dealt with a little bit of work stuff while we placed our lunch order.

*Ah yes, work follows wherever I go.

*Check out the rest of our day, and the big adventure in the next update.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Wow, this leaves us all in suspense about your mystery destination.


----------



## Karebear

GrandCalifornian said:


> Yeah, we figured that phase would pass, but he seemed pretty set on it. We made it out of the store without any new musical instruments, and walked towards the beach. We went down the block to the Honolulu Cookie store, but found that they didn't opem until 10, which was too late for us.



This just gives you an excuse to go back to Oahu.  Honolulu cookies are my favorite!  We were there about 2 weeks before you except at the Royal Hawaiian for 3 nights--for a wedding and then we stayed at the condos right next door to Aulani for 6 nights.  We really wanted to stay at the Aulani but we didn't get our reservations in fast enough (Easter week) so we stayed next door.  I brought a ton of those cookies home and am still eating them.  Definitely go next trip!


----------



## alohamom

Awesome update, the drone photos are so cool!

Although I really don't like staying in Waikiki any more (we have just had too many negative things happen over the years), there is something about that early morning energy in Waikiki that you cannot find in too many other places.


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> The new little drone performed well, and I flew it out over the ocean and just above the waves at the breakwater.


I'm surprised at how high the drone can fly. The pictures are gorgeous. Honolulu is really a big city now, though. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> The entrance lobby is just spectacular and open, you can see straight through to the courtyard outside through big open doors.


The lobby is gorgeous. I love how many things are open-air in Hawaii. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> We were headed for the North Shore to do some sightseeing on the way to our destination.


We spent our Oahu trip on the north shore. I can't wait to hear about your day up there. 

Most of our Hawaii trips were "split-island" trips. We would spend four days on one island and then four on another. That way we went to all four islands. Eventually, we discovered that we loved Kauai enough to stay there the entire time. Oahu was a "one and done" for us, the only island we never wanted to go back to.


----------



## rdkeim

Fun to follow along on your Hawaii adventure!  You made it to Aulani!  Your photos are wonderful - such beautiful scenery.  Anxious to hear where your mystery trip takes you!


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

GrandCalifornian said:


> On Friday morning, I got up before everybody else and left the room about 6:45 to take some sunrise pictures and video with the new drone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I really wanted to fly it over Waikiki, and this was the perfect opportunity.   The beach wasn't too crowded, and the sun was just coming up over the other side of the island.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The new little drone performed well, and I flew it out over the ocean and just above the waves at the breakwater.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I made two fun flights before heading back up to the room.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> During the second flight I got a message from Melissa that she was up and getting in the shower.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Everyone else got up fairly early and we packed up the room.  It was so easy to get up early in Hawaii being 3 hours earlier than home.
> 
> *I couldn’t believe how early we were ready and packed. We decided to say a good farewell to Waikiki and have breakfast at Wolfgang Puck Express.*
> 
> We also wanted to walk down to the beach one more time, and Marshall had decided he needed a Ukelele from the ABC store, so we stopped there on the way to WPE.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We also picked up Allie’s boba can replacements so she was feeling much better with a whole collection again.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> We finally made it to WPE for breakfast, which is a feat we have never been able to accomplish at WDW.
> 
> Breakfast at this WPE was good, but nothing too exceptional.  I got a breakfast sandwich, and Allie got a spinach and mushroom omelette.  Melissa and Marshall got traditional american breakfast plates because they were out of French toast.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *It was good enough though…. We were all anxious to get on our way though because we were headed to AULANI!  We walked back to the Hyatt and finished packing everything up and headed out to the Jeep.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> We  were able to drag our bags with us as we walked over to the parking structure, so I didn't have to come back and pick everyone up.  As we got to the parking lot, I walked right to where I had parked and attemptted to open the red Jeep, only to find I was at the Jeep parked next to ours.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, with that many rental Jeeps on the island, we wound up with one right nexxt to us n the parking lot.  Fortunately the remote didn't work on it, so we wound up in the right one.
> 
> *It was so funny, I can’t believe he didn’t notice which one’s lights flashed when he pushed the button on the remote but it made for a really funny moment.*
> 
> Once we opened up the right Jeep, we had no problem storing all of our bags in it behind the back seat.  We didn't want to leave them there all day though because of potential theft, so we had an excuse to drive straight to Aulani.  It was about a 40 minute trip, first North towards the airport, and then further North in new territory for us towards Ko Olina.
> 
> *The landscape changed as we went along and you could tell it was a little dryer than other places we had been.  We passed an outlet mall and some other shopping.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> It felt more suburban and a lot like home, with shopping centers near the freeway exits.  The freeway continued on into a pretty resort area near the coast, and we could spot Aulani among the resorts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We pulled up to the valet and bell services took the bags we weren’t going to need on our afternoon adventure.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> The valet checked on our room and let us know it wasn't ready yet, but  they had no problem storing the bags and parking the Jeep nearby while we went in and explored the resort for a bit before going out again.
> 
> *It was so exciting to finally be there.  The entrance lobby is just spectacular and open, you can see straight through to the courtyard outside through big open doors.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> It had a very unique Hawaiian feel, while also feeling like Disney at the same time.  It was like a spectacular cross between the Poly and AKL or WL.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *It was so fun and we were excited.  We explored a little bit and stopped at the front desk to check in.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> The CM appologized for the room not being ready but we were fine with that.  She got us all set up to have them text us the room number when it was ready, and she gave the kids a ton of buttons.
> 
> *It really wasn’t a big deal that the room wasn’t ready, we had an adventure surprise for the kids we had scheduled.*
> 
> Before taking off though we walked around and checked out a bit more of the resort.  We saw both gift shops, Kalepa's Store which is a traditional resort gift shop, and Hale Manu, which is a fancier location across the hall with some artwork and higher end clothes items.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We just oogled at all the fun stuff, there were so many Stitch things, I just kept adding more to my want list.  Then when we went over and saw the art we saw some Noah pieces we’d never seen before.
> 
> 
> *
> 
> One of them in particular stood out to us, as it had Minnie and Mickey building a sandcastle on the Aulani beach.  It was a castle we immediately knew we wanted to add to our collection, we just had to decide which size and format.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We didn’t end up buying anything yet though, we’d be back.*
> 
> There was a lot of activity in the lobby and surrounding hallways.  There were lots of people coming and going, which was interesting.
> 
> *I didn’t expect the business but it was ok.*
> 
> We wanted to hang out and explore it some more, but we knew we had three nights ahead to do that.  We walked back to the valet and picked up the Jeep to head out for more exploration.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We didn’t tell the kids where we were going only told them we were going on a hike like adventure.*
> 
> They were getting more curious, but were along for the ride...   We headed up H2 through the middle of the island.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We were headed for the North Shore to do some sightseeing on the way to our destination.  We were all starting to get hungry though, so we drove through a Wendy's in Wahiawa.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *We got our normal Wendy’s orders like home, nothing too special.  It feels odd writing about fast food on a trip report but there it is.  It was Wendys.*
> 
> While we were there Melissa's Dad called, and we dealt with a little bit of work stuff while we placed our lunch order.
> 
> *Ah yes, work follows wherever I go.*
> 
> Check out the rest of our day, and the big adventure in the next update.


Three things
1) Forgot you guys were on the west coast. My east coast mind saw “posted at 1:48 am” and was like omg why…..then I realized it was probably 8:48 or 9:48 PM for you lol. To each their own!

2) the keep story we have similar issues with my moms car. Everyone got a white Tahoe or similar car a few years back and it’s chaos in my town

3) you finally made it to Aulani!!!!!


----------



## Jeepdisney

I love your drone pictures! So glad it worked out for you!
Being a jeep owner it’s very common for Jeep’s to park next to each other!


----------



## cgattis

@GrandCalifornian Yep, with that many rental Jeeps on the island, we wound up with one right nexxt to us n the parking lot. Fortunately the remote didn't work on it, so we wound up in the right one.


BroadwayHermione5 said:


> 2) the keep story we have similar issues with my moms car. Everyone got a white Tahoe or similar car a few years back and it’s chaos in my town


Oh y’all…..not once but THREE TIMES I have fully gotten INTO a rental just like mine (but OMG NOT MINE)  when I clicked my clicker and opened the door. (Guess people leave their doors unlocked—IDK!) Every time, realized it wasn’t mine when I noticed crap in the seats or cup holders that wasn’t mine….crazy.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Wow, this leaves us all in suspense about your mystery destination.


The kids were in suspense too.  It was our only side trip that we booked ahead of time, and turned out to be great...



Karebear said:


> This just gives you an excuse to go back to Oahu.  Honolulu cookies are my favorite!  We were there about 2 weeks before you except at the Royal Hawaiian for 3 nights--for a wedding and then we stayed at the condos right next door to Aulani for 6 nights.  We really wanted to stay at the Aulani but we didn't get our reservations in fast enough (Easter week) so we stayed next door.  I brought a ton of those cookies home and am still eating them.  Definitely go next trip!


We will definitely be back to Oahu.  We really enjoyed the variety of areas on the island, and how it had something for everybody.   We would also like to explore other islands, but whenever our next trip is it will probably be on Oahu. 



alohamom said:


> Awesome update, the drone photos are so cool!
> 
> Although I really don't like staying in Waikiki any more (we have just had too many negative things happen over the years), there is something about that early morning energy in Waikiki that you cannot find in too many other places.


Thanks, I still can't believe I got to fly the drone there.   I get it about the unique vibe of Waikiki, and the very urban aspects of it.  Fortunately our experiences were positive, and it was a nice part of our vacation and offered something very different than Aulani.



Wood Nymph said:


> I'm surprised at how high the drone can fly. The pictures are gorgeous. Honolulu is really a big city now, though.


The drone had no problem going up to the 400 ft legal limit, and could fly over a mile away from where I was controlling it from.   It surprised us how much of a big city it was, and how even in Waikiki it felt like a downtown area. 




Wood Nymph said:


> The lobby is gorgeous. I love how many things are open-air in Hawaii.


The open air lobies were something we didn't know to expect and really liked in Hawaii.  It is neat how Aulani had one too.  To us it felt like a super size and even more impressive version of the Poly.




Wood Nymph said:


> We spent our Oahu trip on the north shore. I can't wait to hear about your day up there.
> 
> Most of our Hawaii trips were "split-island" trips. We would spend four days on one island and then four on another. That way we went to all four islands. Eventually, we discovered that we loved Kauai enough to stay there the entire time. Oahu was a "one and done" for us, the only island we never wanted to go back to.


We wanted to see the North Shore so we detoured up there on the way to our afternoon destination.   We would love to see other islands, but we really enjoyed Oahu and would love to spend more time there, especially with spending time at Aulani.



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> Three things
> 1) Forgot you guys were on the west coast. My east coast mind saw “posted at 1:48 am” and was like omg why…..then I realized it was probably 8:48 or 9:48 PM for you lol. To each their own!


I did post fairly late West Coast time, since it was almost 11PM by the time I got it done.   We were gone for the long weekend and I wanted to get an update posted.




BroadwayHermione5 said:


> 2) the Jeep story
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> we have similar issues with my moms car. Everyone got a white Tahoe or similar car a few years back and it’s chaos in my town


We had a white GMC Yukon and now have a Ford Explorer, so we know how that is.   It's just funny that it happened in Hawaii with a bright red Jeep.



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> 3) you finally made it to Aulani!!!!!


Yes!  We were so excited to finally see it in person, and it lived up to our expectations.



Jeepdisney said:


> I love your drone pictures! So glad it worked out for you!
> Being a jeep owner it’s very common for Jeep’s to park next to each other!


Yep, there were Jeeps everywhere on Oahu, but it was funny to have the same color right next to us in that particular parking structure.   Looking at used Jeeps from home, it is funny how many are prior Hawaiian rentals, even in CA.  I was surprised that the rentals were 4x4s, and we never really got to use it, but they are nice vehicles.  It was my first experience with a JL, and now I really do want one for home.  Melissa is tired of me pointing out what each Jeep we see is...



cgattis said:


> @GrandCalifornian Yep, with that many rental Jeeps on the island, we wound up with one right nexxt to us n the parking lot. Fortunately the remote didn't work on it, so we wound up in the right one.
> 
> Oh y’all…..not once but THREE TIMES I have fully gotten INTO a rental just like mine (but OMG NOT MINE)  when I clicked my clicker and opened the door. (Guess people leave their doors unlocked—IDK!) Every time, realized it wasn’t mine when I noticed crap in the seats or cup holders that wasn’t mine….crazy.


LOL, that's funny.  If that Jeep had been unlocked I'd have gotten in it.  Melissa never would let me live that down...  I totally see how it would happen though.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

When we left off, we were heading North through the center of the island and had just grabbed lunch at Wendy's.

*We continued the cut through the middle of the island and went through all sorts of cool stuff.  We crossed a fun bridge and then went by the Dole Plantation.  










Unfortunately we never got to visit here during the trip but we’ll be back sometime and that’ll be on the short list.

*You got really excited seeing the agriculture up there.  It was like a real life living with the land experience.

*I did!  I don’t know why seeing the pineapples in the field and the tractors out working made me cry but it did.  It was really special.

*Soon we progresed all the way to the North Shore, and turned East and followed the shoreline for a while. 







We didn't stop and get out, but we could see the iconic beaches and big waves.

*The kids kept asking for clues to where we were going so we gave them another one.

We told them that a movie was filmed where we were going.

*We had chosen to go the long way to get there so that we could see the North Shore, and it was a nice drive.  It was far more rural than the Southern part of the island, and it was a nice pleasant drive.

*We even saw some cows and horses!  I loved the drive.

*There were points where the ocean was right next to the road, and we could see big waves.




*We finally made it to our destination, Kualoa Ranch.  




We had booked the ATV Raptor tour but the kids didn’t figure out that the movie was Jurassic Park until we pulled into the parking lot.

*When they did figure it out they were pretty excited.  Melissa and I figured this would be the perfect extra activity for us, with ATV's for me, Dinosaurs for Marshall, a ranch for Melissa, and movie stuff and horses for Allie.




*It was and the kids were super excited when they figured it out.




While we waited for the tour we picked up some water bottles and Diet Coke.  We would have been smart to pick these up at the gas station before we arrived.

*We went inside and checked out the little gift shop.  It was very tourist oriented, but they had lots to see.

*We checked in for our tour and while we were waiting we watched the horses get baths after the end of their day.  




I didn’t realize I had booked the last tour of the day.

*It was like a 3:30 tour, which seemed early enough, but it worked out well for us.  There were quite a few other people there for the ATV tour as well, and they lined us all up and got us helmets and assigned us to ATVs.







*The key is checking in early and being first in line, we ended up being second in line but this is the order that you’re in for the tour.  The closer to the front the less dusty you get.

*Yeah, that worked out well.  We soon headed out.  We drove our own 4 seat utility vehicle, and they led the tour on a quad and another guide brought up the rear on another one.   







The trails were pretty tame, but the views were impressive and it was neat to be off roading in such a beautiful place.




*It’s a working cattle ranch so there were lots of cows to see and babies.  Some chickens, pigs, and gardens.










*I am thinking you knew about the cows and that's why you booked the tour...

*I honestly had no idea!  It sure made my day to see them though.

*It just worked out perfectly with something for everyone.  







After about half an hour of riding we stopped for a break at a high spot with a view of the ocean and the valley.













We got to take pictures during the break, and the guides introduced the kids to "sleeping grass" which would move wnen they touched it.  From then on they looked for it at every stop.







*The guides were awsome!  I chatted with them about different plant species on the island and sleeping grass is endemic to Hawaii.

They were super knowledgable about Hawaii, the culture, and the valley.

*The one guide got really excited when you explained that you were an agriculture science major.

*Yeah we geeked out over some plants.

*The tour continued on to another stop where there were some movie props.  




We all enjoyed checking them out while chatting more with the guides.




*It turns out only a small portion of the Jurassic Park was shot here but lots of other movies were made there too, I won’t spoil it but it was a lot of fun.




*Yeah, the tour was well designed for having pretty universal appeal.  It definitely wasn't as dinosaur themed as we might have expected, but we all loved it, as did the other people on the tour.




*I think there was lots of dust in your teeth.




*And there would have been more if we were further toward the back.

The tour wrapped around to the other side of the Kualoa mountain, overlooking the bay to the South of the ranch.







*There were spectacular views.  I HIGHLY recommend this tour and would totally do it again or other tours on the ranch.




*Like we told them at the end of the tour, it was the best extra money thing we did of the entire trip.  The only bummer was that the gift shop had closed by the time we got back from the tour, so we couldn't buy any t-shirts or other souveniers.

*Yeah it was kinda odd to come back to the whole place shut down but maybe next time we’ll get our tshirts.

*Check out the rest of our evening, and our Aulani room arrival, in the next update right now...


----------



## GrandCalifornian

As we left Kualoa Ranch, It was still light out, but stuff does seem to close early, especially on that side of the island.   We headed towards Aulani via the more direct route over the mountains on H3.  We were excited to see that it also had a big tunnel.

*It was so fun doing the tunnels through the mountain.  




On the other side we saw our first rainbow of the trip.




*It was really pretty, and we completed our big loop around the North and East side of the island.  Since it was getting to be dinner time, we decided to stop and grab dinner on our way to the resort.  Olive Garden sounded good to us, and there was one in a shopping center not far from the resort.

*When we got there though the wait was over an hour and we were HUNGRY.  So we spied a Panda Express across the way instead.

*On our walk towards Panda we saw a Hawaiian BBQ place, which we all agreed would be more special than getting Panda Express like we can at home.




*[So dinner was at L&L Hawaiian BBQ.  It was fun to kinda eat like a local.  It didn’t seem to be a hot tourist spot.  We got some Teryaki Chicken, Beef, and Allie got Spam Ramen.]

[/COLOR]*I went with a Kalua pulled pork sandwich.  










It was all very good, and we shared most of the food while we sat outside during the sunset.

*It was a great spot for an easy dinner.

*And I liked how it was more Hawaiian than another chain meal we could get at home would have been.   After that we had a shopping goal for Melissa.




*We needed a few things so we HAD to go to Target, there was no other place to pick up some goldfish and waters.

*It was fun to see how similar Target was to at home, with a few different Hawaiian touches.  




We got some beach toys for the kids from the dollar section, and picked up some drinks and snacks too.

*It was fun to walk around and see the stuff that was different.  They had a pretty large section of Hawaiian snacks and choclates which was nice.  The most exciting part was the reusable Target shopping bag that said Mahalo on it.

*I guess we are easily amused.  From Target it was a short trip to Aulani, and we got there before too late.  We parked in the parking structure and walked towards the hotel, not knowing where the room number we had been texted earlier in the afternoon was.

*We went to the elevators past the registration desk and went up to the 5th floor but our room number wasn’t in the range.

*We figured out that we were in the wrong tower, so we went back down to the lobby and across past the gift shops to the other tower elevator.

We went up to the fifth floor there and found our room.




*Maps at Aulani are non existent by the way.  We had this trouble during the trip, there is a lack of sinage and maps.  They tell you to download the app to help, it doesn’t

*It was surprisingly difficult to learn our way around, but it was all totally new to us.  We caught on before long, but a nice real map would have been helpful.

When we got in the room though, it was amazing.  It truly was the nicest hotel room we have ever stayed in.







*We made the decision to splurge on a one bedroom for the four of us and it just felt like so much room!

*I also really liked the layout, with a direct door between the living room and the master bedroom, and the usual route through the large bathroom like at Copper Creek.  







It combined to make a nice circular layout where the kids werent far away.   Allie slept on the sofa bed and Marshall had his spot on the trundle in the living room.




*There were also some unique things in the kitchen that we don’t see in Florida.  A rice cooker and chopsicks in the silverware drawer.

*Another really cool thing was that our name was on the TVs, welcoming us to our room.




*So fun!  I immediatley started laundry because we came home so dirty from our ATV tour and put the kids through the shower.

*I ran down to the gift shop for laundry soap, and checked it out before running back up to the room.  




Soon we were all ready for bed, and couldn't wait to finally spend time at Aulani.




*Stay tuned for some pool time!

*And morning resort pictures in a whole new resort!


----------



## mort1331

great report,,thank you,,,for the atv tour do they give you the safety glasses for the kids or did you bring them. Were you allowed to bring your drone on the atv? or hook up a gopro to the atv?
We go in July and trying to see what different shots we can get..thanks again


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> We crossed a fun bridge and then went by the Dole Plantation.


I thought that the pineapple plantations were very cool and very Hawaiian. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> We had chosen to go the long way to get there so that we could see the North Shore, and it was a nice drive. It was far more rural than the Southern part of the island, and it was a nice pleasant drive.


The north shore is very pretty. We had been up there when they were filming the movie "Blue Crush" in 2001 and the famous surfing beach was closed. But there were plenty of other gorgeous beaches to check out.  


GrandCalifornian said:


> We had booked the ATV Raptor tour but the kids didn’t figure out that the movie was Jurassic Park until we pulled into the parking lot.


That sounds like a lot of fun. But Paul probably enjoyed it the most.  


GrandCalifornian said:


> The guides were awsome! I chatted with them about different plant species on the island and sleeping grass is endemic to Hawaii.


I never heard of sleeping grass. The vegetation there is so very different than we have here. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> It turns out only a small portion of the Jurassic Park was shot here but lots of other movies were made there too, I won’t spoil it but it was a lot of fun.


There is probably a long list of movies filmed there. They also film a lot of movies on Kauai. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> So dinner was at L&L Hawaiian BBQ. It was fun to kinda eat like a local.


How did Allie like her Spam soup? Kalua pork is my favorite. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> Maps at Aulani are non existent by the way. We had this trouble during the trip, there is a lack of sinage and maps. They tell you to download the app to help, it doesn’t


I find the lack of paper maps to be very annoying. There is no way to properly see the layout on a smart phone screen. I have a feeling they aren't going to be bringing back paper maps too soon, either. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> When we got in the room though, it was amazing. It truly was the nicest hotel room we have ever stayed in.


The villa is gorgeous. I love the rich, warm wood. It must have been nice to have the master suite for a change. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> Another really cool thing was that our name was on the TVs, welcoming us to our room.


That is cool. Our room at the Yacht Club also had our name on the welcome screen.


----------



## cgattis

Wood Nymph said:


> I thought that the pineapple plantations were very cool and very Hawaiian.
> 
> 
> The north shore is very pretty. We had been up there when they were filming the movie "Blue Crush" in 2001 and the famous surfing beach was closed. But there were plenty of other gorgeous beaches to check out.
> 
> That sounds like a look of fun. But Paul probably enjoyed it the most.
> 
> I never heard of sleeping grass. The vegetation there is so very different than we have here.
> 
> There is probably a long list of movies filmed there. They also film a lot of movies on Kauai.
> 
> How did Allie like her Spam soup? Kalua pork is my favorite.
> 
> I find the lack of paper maps to be very annoying. There is no way to properly see the layout on a smart phone screen. I have a feeling they aren't going to be bringing back paper maps too soon, either.
> 
> The villa is gorgeous. I love the rich, warm wood. It must have been nice to have the master suite for a change.
> 
> That is cool. Our room at the Yacht Club also had our name on the welcome screen.


Is there a copy of the map pinned to the top post so others can print one out before they go? I agree, I need a hard copy. I’m sure someone could dig theirs out faster than I could…


----------



## pinkxray

Oh no. I can’t believe the housekeeper tossed the Boba cans. My DD17 loves boba but never had one in the can. I will have to recommend them next time we go.

Dh brought his drone with him. He didn’t have much luck finding anywhere to fly it though. He was able to fly it at the park down the street from Kualoa. Looking forward to see where else you fly it to let him know for next time.

The one bedrooms are so beautiful. We are a family of 5 but DD heads to college next year so we could do a studio next trip. Dh said no way. He needs the one bedroom.

Love your pictures!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

mort1331 said:


> great report,,thank you,,,for the atv tour do they give you the safety glasses for the kids or did you bring them. Were you allowed to bring your drone on the atv? or hook up a gopro to the atv?
> We go in July and trying to see what different shots we can get..thanks again


Thanks!  They gave us the glasses for the kids.  I didn't try to bring my drone on the ATV trip, but I don't think it would have gone well.  They don't allow the driver to take any pictures while you are driving, and the breaks would have been the only drone opportunity, and nobody else in our group had one.   I did bring a GoPro, but didn't wind up mounting it to the ATV, although I think we could have.  The "action" shots wouldn't have been too crazy, but it still would be cool to have done.   Enjoy your trip, it is a lot of fun.



Wood Nymph said:


> I thought that the pineapple plantations were very cool and very Hawaiian.
> 
> 
> The north shore is very pretty. We had been up there when they were filming the movie "Blue Crush" in 2001 and the famous surfing beach was closed. But there were plenty of other gorgeous beaches to check out.


We learned during our trip about pineapples not being native to Hawaii, but that they grow well there.  We would like to have stopped and explored some more North Shore beaches, but we are so glad that we took the time to drive through there.



Wood Nymph said:


> That sounds like a look of fun. But Paul probably enjoyed it the most.
> 
> I never heard of sleeping grass. The vegetation there is so very different than we have here.


It was a close race between all of us for who enjoyed it most.  Melissa really liked seeing the cows, and I always like the chance to go off-roading.

The sleeping grass was something we hadn't heard of before either.  It moves when you touch it, lind of like a venus fly trap.  The kids loved it.



Wood Nymph said:


> There is probably a long list of movies filmed there. They also film a lot of movies on Kauai.


There were so many movies just that they filmed on the Kualoa Ranch, and they also pointed out where movies were filmed in the surrounding area.  One of our favorites was 50 first dates, which had a lot of scenes filmed just South of Kualoa Ranch.



Wood Nymph said:


> How did Allie like her Spam soup? Kalua pork is my favorite.


Allie really enjoyed the Spam soup.  She is a fan of any salty soup, and now really likes Spam after the trip.



Wood Nymph said:


> I find the lack of paper maps to be very annoying. There is no way to properly see the layout on a smart phone screen. I have a feeling they aren't going to be bringing back paper maps too soon, either.


We are fans of paper maps, but would have been willing to settle for a good complete electronic one in the app.  We never found it though.

On the website there is an electronic one that worked ok on phones, at least it was better than the Aulani app. 
https://www.disneyaulani.com/map/?zoom=18&lat=21.3388979&lng=-158.1246955



Wood Nymph said:


> The villa is gorgeous. I love the rich, warm wood. It must have been nice to have the master suite for a change.
> 
> That is cool. Our room at the Yacht Club also had our name on the welcome screen.


We did enjoy having the master bedroom to ourselves, and liked that each kid had their own bed, and we loved the king sized bed, which was much more comfy than the Hyatt.   The layout worked out so well, and we used the door between the master and the living room a lot, and it just doesn't exist at Copper Creek.  The room was just beautiful and we loved it.



cgattis said:


> Is there a copy of the map pinned to the top post so others can print one out before they go? I agree, I need a hard copy. I’m sure someone could dig theirs out faster than I could…


It would be worth finding before the trip, because even in the Aulani app they didn't make it easy to find for us.






pinkxray said:


> Oh no. I can’t believe the housekeeper tossed the Boba cans. My DD17 loves boba but never had one in the can. I will have to recommend them next time we go.


It was an easy mistake to make.  Allie loves Boba teas, and we had never seen them in a can before either.  They really tasted just like fresh made ones from a cup.  They were quite common at lots of the ABC stores and 7-11s, but not the ABC store by Aulani.



pinkxray said:


> Dh brought his drone with him. He didn’t have much luck finding anywhere to fly it though. He was able to fly it at the park down the street from Kualoa. Looking forward to see where else you fly it to let him know for next time.


I really enjoyed flying it from the South end of Waikiki, but we found some other cool spots later in the trip too.  Aulani is tough, since they don't want you flying from Ko'Olina, but I did find a way to make a successful flight from there too.



pinkxray said:


> The one bedrooms are so beautiful. We are a family of 5 but DD heads to college next year so we could do a studio next trip. Dh said no way. He needs the one bedroom.


We can totally relate.  We have never stayed in a studio, and it would be hard to go to one after getting to stay in the bigger rooms.  We love having our own laundry, and might consider the 1 bedroom upgrade for that feature alone.




pinkxray said:


> Love your pictures!


Thank you so much.  We broke out the good camera at Aulani and have more nice shots to come.


----------



## SueInBoston

Thank you for sharing your trip with us, your pictures are beautiful and I'm so glad young DD got to meet Duffy


----------



## woody64

Thank you for the great report and looking forward to more, especially where to fly your drone as I'm thinking of bringing mine in July.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

SueInBoston said:


> Thank you for sharing your trip with us, your pictures are beautiful and I'm so glad young DD got to meet Duffy


We were all glad to finally be at Aulani, and we have lots more time there to come.  



woody64 said:


> Thank you for the great report and looking forward to more, especially where to fly your drone as I'm thinking of bringing mine in July.


Thanks for following along and joining in.  The drone was a fun addition to the trip.  There are lots of small parks and beaches with awesome views where a drone can produce some awesome video.  During the next day of the trip we went and flew a couple more times and really enjoyed it.  Later on in the trip I made my covert Aulani flight, which turned out neat too.  I would definitely bring a drone again, especially if I had time to go fly it at non-crowded beautiful locations.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

The ranch ATV tour looks like it really was fun for all of you! What a great choice for your bonus activity. Did you check online later to see if you could order souvenirs, since the gift shop had closed? Did the Target store have any boba tea? Your shirt made me curious: what _did_ you say when you were docking the boat?


----------



## woody64

GrandCalifornian said:


> We were all glad to finally be at Aulani, and we have lots more time there to come.
> 
> 
> Thanks for following along and joining in.  The drone was a fun addition to the trip.  There are lots of small parks and beaches with awesome views where a drone can produce some awesome video.  During the next day of the trip we went and flew a couple more times and really enjoyed it.  Later on in the trip I made my covert Aulani flight, which turned out neat too.  I would definitely bring a drone again, especially if I had time to go fly it at non-crowded beautiful locations.


My thought is even early morning at the "secret" beach a short walk from Aulani. I'll bring it and give it a shot. I may even sign up for a sunrise photography trip with a company and see if I can try it then as well.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> The ranch ATV tour looks like it really was fun for all of you! What a great choice for your bonus activity. Did you check online later to see if you could order souvenirs, since the gift shop had closed? Did the Target store have any boba tea? Your shirt made me curious: what _did_ you say when you were docking the boat?


It was a perfect extra event.  We couldn’t find any shirts or souvenirs online, but did think we might make our way back over there when they were open later in the trip, but we just never made it.   The Target did not have the same Boba tea, but lots of convenience stores did.  
As for the shirt, it is a souvenir from Boathouse during our most recent WDW trip.  It is particularly valid though, as anyone  docking a new boat in a narrow slip on a breezy day can attest to.  There may have been some words…


My thought is even early morning at the "secret" beach a short walk from Aulani. I'll bring it and give it a shot. I may even sign up for a sunrise photography trip with a company and see if I can try it then as well.
That was my thought exactly.  It would be a great place to fly towards Aulani from, but the problem I ran I to was there were too many people there when I went just after sunrise.  So, my solution was to fly from along the shoreline between Aulani and the secret beach, which allowed me to get pictures of both spots without disturbing anyone or being noticed.


----------



## rdkeim

Your activity looked like a great family outing!  Your room at Aulani looks so nice - it's hard to give up the extra space once you've gotten accustomed to it  You've given your kids so many wonderful experiences - lucky children!  Anxious to hear more about your time in Aulani!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

rdkeim said:


> Your activity looked like a great family outing!  Your room at Aulani looks so nice - it's hard to give up the extra space once you've gotten accustomed to it  You've given your kids so many wonderful experiences - lucky children!  Anxious to hear more about your time in Aulani!


We did have a great time on the ATV tour, and it was the perfect extra add on.   We loved that room, it was so big and nice and just perfect for us.  We will definitely do that again, and may have our own one bedroom sometime for a WDW trip too.  We really enjoy sharing the 2 bedrooms too, and have gotten spoiled so we probably won't switch to a studio anytime soon.
We too were anxious to get to finally really experience Aulani, and now we have an update ready to share.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

When I woke up for the first morning at Aulani, I grabbed the camera and Marshall and I headed out to get some pictures of the resort and figure out where everything was at.
















We loved how the pool area and large lazy river filled in the courtyard.





 








We walked along the North wing and found the quick service restaurant, and Marshall found some Lava tubes that supposedly lead to the ocean.  He really thought these were neat.




We then made our way down to the beach, which has a nice little lagoon and a paved walking path towards the other resorts.


 




We circled around to the parking lot, just to complete the loop around the outside of Aulani.  







We walked through the valet lot and back to the front of the resort, then walked over to the other parking lot to see the Jeep, then up to our room.







*The plan for the morning was breakfast at Ulu Cafe, which is basically a quick service place in the courtyard of the hotel, and then just swimming until we couldn’t swim anymore.





*

We knew we wanted to spend time at the resort, and it didn't disapoint.  We headed down to breakfast and found it to be pretty crowded down there but we placed our orders and grabbed some hot food for the kids as well as our refillable mugs.







*Ordering is so strange and makes not much sense, some of it you can just grab at the counter and then go pay for other stuff you order from the checkout and have to wait for but there’s again, no sign or anything telling you how or where to order stuff.  It was kinda frustrating because we had hot food that we just sat with while we waited for the rest to get done.*

Yeah, it took some figuring out to get the process down.  At least we had mug refills while we waited, and the mugs had unique Aulani designs on them, whuch helped convince me to get them even though we were only there for a few days.




*It turned out ok, it’s not like it was super cold out or anything and the food was decent.  It was surprisingly my favorite sausage of our entire Hawaii trip and the bacon was very good too.


*

It was far better than typical Disney bacon! I got a breakfast sandwich that I enjoyed, and we were able to find a table over by the pool to eat at.

*Once we were done with breakfast it was time to pick up towels and wristbands, you get a special one if you’re a DVC member, and find a spot to put our stuff.*

The pool had just opened for the day, and it wasn't crowded yet but chairs were going fast.  We got in the water at the lazy river and completed a lap of it.  





It was way bigger and neater than the one at Stormalong Bay.

*t was a waterpark quality lazy river and so fun to float.*

Then, speaking of waterpark quality, we saw that there was a water slide where you rode the inner tubes down that ended in the lazy river.  We tried that out next, and everyone really liked it.




*It was fun Marshall was able to ride it with you on the double tube so he didn’t have to do it himself and he loved it.*

There was also a second water slide that you do without tubes, so we did that next.  It was a long tube slide, with a completely dark section in the middle.  We each did it individually, with me going first and Melissa last so that we would have the kids between us.   




It worked out fine and they loved it.  I lost my hat and glasses at the end of the slide, but collected them before Marshall and Allie made their way down to me.

*I also lost my hat and glasses when I hit the water at the end, the kids loved it but I think I’m too old to find that fun anymore, I much prefered the tube slide.*

I agree, and I didn't ride that one again, but the kids did and loved it.  Then we did a little more swimming, and went back to our chairs.  







While Marshall enjoyed the kids splash area, I went and got shave ice, which surprisingly we had not had yet during our Hawaii trip.







*I thoroughly enjoyed my shave ice, and got it all over my rashguard.  I looked like a 5 year old by the time I was done but it was completely worth it.*

We all enjoyed them, and like many first timers we even paid the extra for the mouse ears.

After we had the shave ice, wedecided to head down to the beach to check out the lagoon.  







We got chairs down there, and the kids played on the beach and swam in the ocean.

*The kids wanted to check out a boogie board and they had a ball with it.  The waves are almost non existant in the lagoon but there were just enough to push them back to shore.








*

I thought about getting a stand up paddle board, even though they charge for those (while the boogie baords are free for resort guests) but they were not renting them because of the high wind at the time.   Marshall played with the Target sand toys we had bought the night before.

*Then Marsh needed a potty break and Paul brought back icecream for us to enjoy while the kids finished filling their swim suits with sand.


*

It was a fun treat on the beach.  After a while, we packed up and turned in the boogie board before heading up to the room.

We wanted to do some exploring of the dryer parts of the resort and of course do some shopping, and we'll cover that in the next update.

*Stay tuned for lunch and our top off Jeep drive North.*


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> When I woke up for the first morning at Aulani, I grabbed the camera and Marshall and I headed out to get some pictures of the resort and figure out where everything was at.


Aulani is a beautiful resort. 
I like the sneaky picture you took of you and Marshall in the elevator.  



GrandCalifornian said:


> The plan for the morning was breakfast at Ulu Cafe, which is basically a quick service place in the courtyard of the hotel, and then just swimming until we couldn’t swim anymore.


 It is so very different from a WDW vacation, isn't it. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> At least we had mug refills while we waited, and the mugs had unique Aulani designs on them, which helped convince me to get them even though we were only there for a few days.


The mugs are really cute. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> Once we were done with breakfast it was time to pick up towels and wristbands, you get a special one if you’re a DVC member, and find a spot to put our stuff.


Were there any special privileges that came with DVC membership?


GrandCalifornian said:


> After we had the shave ice, we decided to head down to the beach to check out the lagoon.


This looks like a nice, safe swimming lagoon. Did they have any access to the waves?


----------



## alohamom

GrandCalifornian said:


> then walked over to the other parking lot to see the Jeep,



LOL, you really liked the Jeep! This is something my DH would do too, just go and "visit" his rental car.



GrandCalifornian said:


> and the bacon was very good too.





GrandCalifornian said:


> It was far better than typical Disney bacon!



Oh yes, I forgot how good the Ulu Cafe bacon is!
We really enjoy the breakfast boxes. We get two or sometimes three to share between the four of us because we each have our favourite components and then there is something for everyone.





I really like this photo! I don't see this perspective/view too often in reports, I think because it is just a staircase but I like it's casual grandeur and the pots on the wall (to the far left of the photo) are cool. This area has great ambiance, idk-I just like it a lot so thanks for including this pic LOL


----------



## FrannyFrogs

Also a fan of your thorough photography! Who else includes a picture of the parking lot?


----------



## woody64

Very nice! Canon shooter? I just started using a new R6.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

Wood Nymph said:


> Aulani is a beautiful resort.
> I like the sneaky picture you took of you and Marshall in the elevator.


We loved getting to go take pictures of that beautiful resort.   Marshall was happy to get to go out early with me.  



Wood Nymph said:


> It is so very different from a WDW vacation, isn't it.


It really is.  Without the parks to run off to, we were looking forward to some more quiet resort time.  The attraction of getting to see the rest of the island was similar to wanting to go out to the parks in some ways. 



Wood Nymph said:


> The mugs are really cute.


They are, we were glad that they had unique Aulani designs, which contributed to us going ahead and buying them.



Wood Nymph said:


> Were there any special privileges that came with DVC membership?


DVC members get a typical merchandise discount, as well as free refills on popcorn buckets.  The funny thing is despite having the special wrist band, showing proof of membership was still required.  They say the band reminds cast members to ask you to get your discounts.  Whatever works, I guess.  We just liked that the bands were fancier than the solid color ones and said DVC member on them. 



Wood Nymph said:


> This looks like a nice, safe swimming lagoon. Did they have any access to the waves?


The wave access was minimal, since a little bit of them would come in to the lagoon, but you could not go out past the rocks into the open water.  



alohamom said:


> LOL, you really liked the Jeep! This is something my DH would do too, just go and "visit" his rental car.


It's just part of being a car guy...  I also liked how there was another Jeep next to ours again, although this time it was a different color. 





alohamom said:


> Oh yes, I forgot how good the Ulu Cafe bacon is!
> We really enjoy the breakfast boxes. We get two or sometimes three to share between the four of us because we each have our favourite components and then there is something for everyone.


We didn't know they had better bacon, but we definitely felt it was great. 




alohamom said:


> View attachment 675056
> 
> 
> I really like this photo! I don't see this perspective/view too often in reports, I think because it is just a staircase but I like it's casual grandeur and the pots on the wall (to the far left of the photo) are cool. This area has great ambiance, idk-I just like it a lot so thanks for including this pic LOL


I loved that area, and the pictures of it as well.  To me it really felt like a super size version of the Poly.   Thanks for sharing that you liked the picture too.  Here's a couple more we liked of the same area.










FrannyFrogs said:


> Also a fan of your thorough photography! Who else includes a picture of the parking lot?


Lol, we try to cover it all...  I am a car guy, and I did really like that Jeep.



woody64 said:


> Very nice! Canon shooter? I just started using a new R6.


Yes, we love our Canon cameras, starting with the 6D we bought for an earlier WDW trip.  Congratulations on the R6.  The better pictures here were taken with our RP, which is our current trip camera for WDW.  In Hawaii we also used our iPhones a lot, and bought a waterproof Olympus point and shoot that we used at the pool.  We have lots more pictures to come.


----------



## WAstateDVCDaddy

GrandCalifornian said:


> DVC members get a typical merchandise discount, as well as free refills on popcorn buckets. The funny thing is despite having the special wrist band, showing proof of membership was still required. They say the band reminds cast members to ask you to get your discounts. Whatever works, I guess. We just liked that the bands were fancier than the solid color ones and said DVC member on them.


I think the band identifies you as DVC, and the card is required to show DVC type/level.  The benefits are only for “qualified” (direct) members.  Resale members don’t get the discounts.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

WAstateDVCDaddy said:


> I think the band identifies you as DVC, and the card is required to show DVC type/level.  The benefits are only for “qualified” (direct) members.  Resale members don’t get the discounts.


Yeah, it makes sense if all DVC members get the bands and only direct get discounts, but still having the band doesn’t serve much purpose then.  In the past they used bands alone for discounts, but they made it clear that’s no longer the case.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

*After we’d had our fill of swimming and the beach we headed up to the room for showers and dry clothes.

*We all got cleaned up and soon we were headed downstairs, and the first stop was Hale Manu for some shopping.







*I found a super cute dress and we also decided on a wrapped canvas Noah piece.




*We figured the castle beach one was a perfect addition to our collection of castles, so we bought it and had it shipped home.

*It took a little longer than our WDW art typically does to make it home but it’s already hanging on the wall and looks great.

*It is just the perfect reminder of the trip.  After buying it, we continued on to the other store and did some looking around.

*We didn’t want to carry anything else with us so we decided to come back later.  On the way out of the lobby there were hula dancers and a ukalele player!  It was so fun to watch.




*It was very Disney, being well themed and perfectly executed.  They were all great performers.

After the show in the lobby, we walked out and across the street to check out the shopping center over there.




*It was lunch time so we were headed straight for Monkey Pod which sounded really good for lunch.




*It had been recommended in our earlier trip report, and turned out to really be good.  We got a seat just outside the open dining room on the patio, which we were able to walk right into since it was about 2:00 and after the lunch rush.




*It was a super nice day so sitting outside wasn’t bad.  Allie ordered a chowder of some sort, and I got a fish sandwich.




*I got a burger, and Marshall got his usual as well, mac and cheese.   




The burger was a little small, but exceptionally tasty.  I really enjoyed it.

*The food was really good!  We even ordered dessert.

*We had coconut cream pie, and it was really great.




*It was the best coconut cream pie I’ve ever had.  It was amazing!

*Marshall even somehow talked the waitress into giving him a slice of it, which we took to go.

After lunch, we went shopping, and started with the ABC store.




*It’s actually called Island Country Markets but it’s an ABC Store.  It’d be easy to get confused.  It’s the biggest ABC Store we went in the entire trip.

*It had a lot of the same stuff, but didn't have the canned boba tea we had been getting at the other ones in Waikiki.

*It did have more fresh sandwiches and sushi and produce.




Each store does a really good job of seeming to cater to whatever the tourists might need in that area.

*One interesting thing is that they charge for parking at Ko Olina, and we saw lots of people get parking tickets in the few minutes we were walking around.   We were very glad that we chose to walk over instead of driving the Jeep over and having to pay to park.

*Yeah it was something I didn’t even think about but it’s not a far walk and so much easier than driving.

After aquiring a few things at the ABC store we checked out some of the other shops.  There’s a Tommy Bahama, a super cute boutique with Hawaiian made dresses, and a shop with art and sculptures from local artists.




*It was a nice little version of a sort of Disney Springs or Downtown Disney, and fit into the Hawaiian area well.

*On the walk back to Aulani we got a cute picture of the kids in front of the Aulani sign and discussed what to do for the rest of the afternoon.




*We wanted to go for a drive, but first we dropped off the leftover pie in the room and grabbed a couple of Cokes.  Then when we got down to the Jeep Melissa had another good idea...

*It was time to take the top off...







*At least the two front panels... We took them off and put them in the back, then headed North along the coast.  We headed North on 93 and did some exploring.

*It was a very interesting drive and very much not touristy.




Marshall had a long day and konked out in the car.




*We just continued on North until the road ended at Kaena Point State Park.  

We pulled over just past the entrance to the Space Force station.







At the time following the map on the phone it looked lieke the road ended in the park, so we pulled over and watched the beach for a bit.  With the top off, I was able to fly the drone right off the top of the Jeep from the driver's seat.

















*It was a very pretty evening and it seemed like a nice beach.  Again it felt more like a locals beach and not a touristy beach.  It was really neat to see though and meant we had made it almost completely around the island.




*It was the most "off roading" we did with the Jeep, although once we got home we found out that there is a trail that continues North from there and around towards the North shore.  That is on our list for next time.

*Lol so I guess we’re renting a Jeep next time and not a convertable.

*Unless we're tired of driving a Jeep by then....

*Not likely.

*After the drone flight, we turned around and headed back down 93 towards Aulani.   It was Friday night and we saw lots of locals heading out for a night on the beaches.  




We even looped through the local boat ramp and saw some people pulling their boats off the water for the day.




*Boats, Jeeps, Drones, no wonder you liked Hawaii.

*I really did, much more than I expected to.  This also meant I took lots of pictures, so we'll have to finish out the day in the next post...


----------



## GrandCalifornian

We wound up at Maipalaoa Beach, which had a small parking lot right off the main road where we could watch the sunset and the beach from.










*The sunset was spectacular.  It was like something from a movie, to the right there were people out on the jetty fishing and to the left there were surfers all with the background of a gorgeous sunset.*

It was a beautiful spot, and that convinced me to take another drone flight.
















I was able to watch the surfers from the Drone, which was pretty neat.  I also circled over land a bit and saw the neighborhood and the Jeep in the parking lot.  Here is a screenshot of my flight:




*After he collected the drone we figured out we might be hungry so it was time to find some dinner.*

We decided to head for Costco and maybe grab somehting to heat up in the room, but we figured out they would be closed by the time we got there since it was pretty late.  Fortunately the gas station was still open, so we filled up the Jeep with some $4.59 gas.   




While this isn't cheap, it was less expensive than the gas at home at the same time.

*It surprised me that gas in Hawaii is less than at home.  Since Costco was closed we just drove through McDonalds.  It had been FOREVER since we’d been to a McDonalds for dinner.


*

Yeah, it was not a culinary high point, but it got us some food before we headed back to Aulani.  Marshall was still asleep in the Jeep, so we ate our dinner and then Allie and I went in to check out Home Depot.




The Home Depot was basically just like home, but I still liked getting to see it.

*At least you didn’t try and bring home lumber or something.*

That is true, they did have a sawzall on clearance but I figured the drone was enough of a souvenier.

*We had to wake Marshall up when we got back to Aulani because he’s just too heavy to carry all the way from the car to the room.*

Fortunately he was ready to be up after a few hour long nap during the whole ride.  We stopped by the store and got him some Mac and Cheese for dinner.




We all went up to the room and then while he ate his dinner I went back out and took some pictures of the courtyard at night.  It really is a pretty resort.










*Marshall enjoyed his mac and cheese, it reminded me of when we would make him Easy Mac in the Copper Creek rooms after a late afternoon/dinner nap.  It was a great day!*

Check back for more Aulani activities in the next update, including breakfast with characters!


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Then Marshall had mac and cheese for both lunch and dinner that day.

LOL about not bringing lumber back from the Hawaii Home Depot.

Even though we're used to your dazzling pictures, the first one in the most recent update looks very much like a postcard.


----------



## rdkeim

What a beautiful drive!  Love the pic of your DD and the sunset.  Frame-worthy.  Lumber  The resort looks really beautiful at night.  Thanks for sharing your experience and wonderful pictures!


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

First off amazing trip report!

Second off, I used to think (especially when family and friends would say why would we do that) that whenever we went to Williamsburg we always would drive around and we would wind up at a Home Depot, a tractor supply store, Walmart, etc during our day at the outlets (and sometimes beyond lol) and it’s so nice to see someone else do similar stuff! We are in fact not a weird family! 

Also Marshall…..I’m the same way little guy-when I sleep I sleep and don’t care about food. That little Kraft Mac and cheese definitely would’ve sufficed (and I’m a fully grown adult lol)


----------



## NAB

Count me in on going to all the Walmarts and Costco’s we see along the way when traveling. Especially since I’m Canadian and find a lot of different stuff. Heck on year we bought our bathroom hardware at Home Depot because it could only be special ordered here.

Loving all the pictures and drone footage ones too. So cool.


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> The sunset was spectacular. It was like something from a movie, to the right there were people out on the jetty fishing and to the left there were surfers all with the background of a gorgeous sunset.


That was a gorgeous sunset. We loved the Hawaiian sunsets and sunrises whenever we went to Hawaii.


----------



## cgattis

Your nighttime resort pics are just beautiful! Night shots are definitely my weak point; great work.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Then Marshall had mac and cheese for both lunch and dinner that day.
> 
> LOL about not bringing lumber back from the Hawaii Home Depot.
> 
> Even though we're used to your dazzling pictures, the first one in the most recent update looks very much like a postcard.


Marshall would be fine with Mac and Cheese four or more meals a day!  

I don't know about lumber, but I totally would have brought back some tools...  

Thanks so much.  I really liked that one too, and thought it would be a great desktop background.  



rdkeim said:


> What a beautiful drive!  Love the pic of your DD and the sunset.  Frame-worthy.  Lumber  The resort looks really beautiful at night.  Thanks for sharing your experience and wonderful pictures!


It was a fun day, with a mix of typical Aulani stuff and then going for a drive to an area that was wayyy less touristy.  It was a great combo.   The resort is beautiful anytime, but does really shine at night. 



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> First off amazing trip report!
> 
> Second off, I used to think (especially when family and friends would say why would we do that) that whenever we went to Williamsburg we always would drive around and we would wind up at a Home Depot, a tractor supply store, Walmart, etc during our day at the outlets (and sometimes beyond lol) and it’s so nice to see someone else do similar stuff! We are in fact not a weird family!
> 
> Also Marshall…..I’m the same way little guy-when I sleep I sleep and don’t care about food. That little Kraft Mac and cheese definitely would’ve sufficed (and I’m a fully grown adult lol)


Thanks so much!   We are glad to hear that we're not the only ones who are weird.  We are usually "in the bubble" for our WDW trips, so we haven't shared odd things like touring hardware stores before.   We have been known to frequent Tractor Supply stores on vacation though, and now love having one by the house.  

Marshall is a mac and cheese fan of all kinds, but easy mac is one of his favorites.   He is easy to please.  



NAB said:


> Count me in on going to all the Walmarts and Costco’s we see along the way when traveling. Especially since I’m Canadian and find a lot of different stuff. Heck on year we bought our bathroom hardware at Home Depot because it could only be special ordered here.
> 
> Loving all the pictures and drone footage ones too. So cool.


Another person who is weird like we are!   You have a good excuse for hardware store tourism though, so that makes it even more fun.  

Thanks for the compliments.  We do enjoy taking pictures at Disney, and Aulani was no exception.   The whole island was a lot of fun to photograph, especially with the drone.  



Wood Nymph said:


> That was a gorgeous sunset. We loved the Hawaiian sunsets and sunrises whenever we went to Hawaii.


We finally got to stop and enjoy the sunset after many nights in Hawaii.  They are particularly pretty. 



cgattis said:


> Your nighttime resort pics are just beautiful! Night shots are definitely my weak point; great work.


Low light situations are where it seems to be more the camera than the photographer...   I love how our 6D can pull light out of nothingness.  The RP doesn't do quite as well in this regard, since the images wind up a little noisier.  On this trip I was amazed at how well my newer iPhone did with low light shots.  It is hard to compete with.


----------



## FrannyFrogs

A question for Allie: if we try one flavor of canned boba tea, which does she recommend?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

FrannyFrogs said:


> A question for Allie: if we try one flavor of canned boba tea, which does she recommend?


We asked her, and after much reflection she recommended the plain milk tea, which is the white can, for someone to try first.   They are all good though.  Melissa and I liked the Taro flavor best, and Allie loves the Green Tea, but they are all yummy, and pretty similar.  Give one a try and let her know what you think.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

On Sunday, I woke up early and took the camera out to do some exploring.  













I was determined to find the secret beach just North of Aulani that we had heard about, and then to head South along the shoreline to check out the other resorts.   It was a nice morning walk, and I got to take some fun pictures.











*In all honesty he was scouting drone flying locations for later.*

Very true...  It took about 20 minutes to walk to the furthest South lagoon, walking past a few large timeshare resorts, each with a lagoon similar to Aulani's.  













There was a big walking path running alogn the shoreline, and lots of joggers and people out enjoying the morning.  




There was even a beachfront Yoga class going on at one of the other resorts.

*I’m sure that was fun to observe.  I was in bed, not doing sunrise yoga.*

Once I made my way back to the room, I picked up Marshall and we headed down to see about signing up for activities at 8:00.  We wanted to build our own mouse ears and take Ukelele lessons, which are offered on a first come first served basis with signups starting at 8:00.  I expected there to be a bit of a line, but there was only one person ahead of us when we got there at five minutes till 8.




We soon were able to sign up for the things we wanted at convenient times, but for the mouse ears we had to make all the selections of what we would decorate the ears with right then, so they could make pre-prepared bags with our decorations in them.




*He then started texting me asking what we wanted to pick as far as flowers and trinkets and things.  Allie and I were just about ready so we just boogied out the door and headed downstairs so he didn’t have to make any more decisions for us.


*

I had no idea how many decisions would be involved, and it soon became clear that I could use some in-person decisions.

They made it down and picked out their decorations for our decorating session which would be at 10:00, after our breakfast...

*The timing was perfect.  We had a little bit of time before we had to check in for breakfast so we walked around and saw the Stitch statue.  He was so cute.








*

We just looped through the courtyard a little bit, and enjoyed the scenery.  We even found a Hidden Mickey on a lizzard!  Talk about detail.




*Lol he was a super cute little gecko.*

Soon it was time to check in for breakfast, so we walked over and gave them our name.  We had reserved this months ahead of time, and fortunately we were on the list since they were fully booked.  The meal started by taking pictures with Mickey, then we waited to be seated in the restaurant.







*It was so fun to take character pictures again!  I wasn’t sure what the character experience would be, again I did no research, but it was so nice to take a picture with Mickey.*

It was fun.  We got to take a few different pictures with us and the kids.  Mickey was even excited to see Melissa's Minnie Mouse earrings that she had gotten online.




*As soon as I saw them I knew I needed them for this trip.  I got so many compliments on them.

After saying Hi to Mickey we waited just a little bit for our table.  We got to take pictures with Goofy on the way to the table.


*

They did a neat thing with the buffet area, where Goofy was behind the glass playing as a chef.  It was hilarious to watch, and was a perfect adaptation.

*It made it better than a buffet in my opinion.*

We ordered our breakfasts from the menu, and enjoyed the multi-course breakfast.   It started with fruit plates and pastry baskets.







*When we checked in the hostess asked if there were any food allergies, Marshall overheard and said YES, I’m allergic to blueberries.  Normally, we don’t say anything or make a fuss, he’s not incredibly allergic, he just is more comfortable if he doesn’t eat them.  Well being Disney she added it to our reservation so he got his own fruit plate sans blueberries and his own pastry basket because one of the muffins has blueberries in it.  He loved the special attention.*

Allie was a little bummed that she missed out on eating his blueberries, which is usually how we handle it.

All of the food was great, and the main course was really nice.  I went with a pulled pork omelette, Allie had bacon and pancakes.








*I ordered the cinnamon roll french toast and Marshall got Mickey waffles which included a red velvet Minnie waffle.







The food was so good, I had planned on sharing my breakfast but it was just too good.*

I had a bite of yours, and it was super sweet, but I was full of pulled pork.  It was a very filling meal.

While we were eating Minnie and Pluto came by, in classic character meal style.  







The baby at the table behind us just loved Pluto, and was soooo excited to see him in person.  It was really cute.




*So adorable.  Goofy didn’t have pictures to take about that time and started his “cooking” routine.  Allie went over to watch and take video and got another picture with him solo.*

They also brought the Mickey pictures to our table, and we decided we needed to buy them.  







It was a comparatively small increase in the overall cost of the meal to have digital downlaods of all of the pictures they took.

We enjoyed the songs and napkin waving, and all had a great time.




*It was such a fun breakfast.  I HIGHLY recommend this during an Aulani stay.*

It was an iconic must do at Aulani and I am so glad we reserved it.  Check out the rest of our morning in the next update...


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Hmmm, I didn't know they have an upcharge for Mickey pictures. I thought that would have been built into the price of the character meal.


----------



## figment52

I LOVE the Minnie earrings!!!


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> It was fun. We got to take a few different pictures with us and the kids. Mickey was even excited to see Melissa's Minnie Mouse earrings that she had gotten online.


Your family looks so cute in the pictures. The outfits are very Hawaiian and Allie's earrings were perfect. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> While we were eating Minnie and Pluto came by, in classic character meal style.


Allie is taller than Minnie! 


GrandCalifornian said:


> It was such a fun breakfast. I HIGHLY recommend this during an Aulani stay.


It looks like it was a lot of fun. I can see why it is so popular.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Hmmm, I didn't know they have an upcharge for Mickey pictures. I thought that would have been built into the price of the character meal.


Yeah, it is like many of the WDW character meals.  Without PhotoPass, you don't get access to the pictures they take.  You can still take your own ones, but theirs were good and all printed out, and it wasn't a terrible extra cost.



figment52 said:


> I LOVE the Minnie earrings!!!


Thanks, they were just perfect for the trip.  



Wood Nymph said:


> Your family looks so cute in the pictures. The outfits are very Hawaiian and Allie's earrings were perfect.


We did get kind f dressed up in the Hawaiian theme, and we like the pictures too.  It was fun to get into the theme. 



Wood Nymph said:


> Allie is taller than Minnie!


Yeah, she's getting so big!  We just keep feeding her so I guess that's what happens. 



Wood Nymph said:


> It looks like it was a lot of fun. I can see why it is so popular.


It was a very well done character meal, with far better food than most character meals at WDW (like Chef Mickey's...)   It was also kind of the only show in town at Aulani, since it was the only table service restaurant that was open during our stay.   We felt it would have been nice to have a non-character TS restaurant as well, something like Whispering Canyon or Kona Cafe, but this was it for sit down Disney Dining.   No wonder it was always packed and a tough reservation to get.  At least it was a very enjoyable meal.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

GrandCalifornian said:


> Yeah, it is like many of the WDW character meals.  Without PhotoPass, you don't get access to the pictures they take.  You can still take your own ones, but theirs were good and all printed out, and it wasn't a terrible extra cost.


Oh, I didn't know that. I had PhotoPass included in my annual pass during the past few years that I went to character meals, and I didn't realize there would have been an extra charge otherwise. 

Glad you had a fun time at the character breakfast!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Oh, I didn't know that. I had PhotoPass included in my annual pass during the past few years that I went to character meals, and I didn't realize there would have been an extra charge otherwise.
> 
> Glad you had a fun time at the character breakfast!


Yeah, it would have been nicer to have photos included, but we are glad we bought them.  It's all part of the total cost in the end.  

We really loved the meal, and it was the best character meal we've had in a long time, although it feels like with COVID it has been a long time since any character meal for us.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

After we left the restaurant from breakfast, we had some time so we went back through the courtyard.  As we walked by the Koi pond they were feeding the fish, and let the kids each have some food and join in on feeding them.  







They both really enjoyed it.

*It was a fun surprise and the fish were enjoying their breakfast.

*After that we had enough time for everyone to head over to the secret beach.  










It was a nice easy walk, with only a few steps off of the paved walkway on the North side of the Four Seasons.  We didn't get to see any sea turtles, but the waves were neat and the kids liked the beach.  







There were quite a few other people out exploring it too.

*There was a marine wildlife volunteer out there too to count turtles if they were there, apperantly there had been monk seals on the beach earlier in the day but we managed to miss the big wildlife.  




We had fun watching the crabs on the rocks though.




*The kids even practiced their crab walks.   




Then we headed back to the resort because it was time to decorate some custom Mickey Ears.




*They had everything ready for us at a table and the turned us loose with cordless hot glue guns and all of the supplies we had picked out earlier.




*Both kids and Melissa made ears, and I helped Marshall with his.  He chose to completely fill in the ears with greenery, which was a structural challenge but we got into it.  







It was a neat activity for all of us, and resulted in a set of very custom (although not super robust) souveniers.







*I think mine ended up being the strongest of the three but I used like 6 sticks of glue.  It was such a fun activity though and I can’t wait to wear mine at WDW next trip.




*We spent the full time alloted, which was 45 minutes.  The nice CMs kept us aware of the time, while trying not to rush us buit making sure we would finish in time.

*It was no pressure, pressured.  Lol

*Once we were done, and ushered out the door, we went up to the room to get ready for some more swimming.   




We had found another pool that we wanted to visit, and the kids wanted to do each of the slides again.

*We headed down to the pool with just the essentials so we didn’t have to find a chair to plop our stuff.  There are cubby holes around the courtyard for this which we found and made it really nice because by the time we got down there it was really hard to find a spot.

*We started with the lazy river again, getting tubes as people were getting off, which we rode around to get in line for the tube slide.







*I went down with Marshall this time and we kinda got stuck at the top of the slide.  




Slightly embarassing but I don’t think I’ll see any of those people again.

*Lol yeah, and I didn't get any pictures.   Next up the kids wanted to do the body slide again, so they each did it again.  Marshall enjoyed the slide, but kind of forgot to swim at the end of it this time, and I went in to get him.

*The lifeguard also hit the water and was a perfect example of why we love swimming in Disney pools so much.  He’s such a good little swimmer but you just never know.  Sometimes they just forget what to do.

He was fine though and luckily it didn’t scare him too much.

*It can be an overwhelming slide exit, even as an adult.

*True neither one of us decided to do it again.

*After that, we went over to the pool with the infinity edge, which overlooks the beach lagoon.   




I couldn't believe I had missed it the day before, but it wound up being my favorite pool area at the resort.  I love how it looked like it tied right in to the ocean, despite being 20ft or so higher in elevation.








*It was a fun place to hang out and the kids enjoyed swimming there for a bit.




*COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I played with the underwater camera and the iphone in a waterproof case and got some fun shots.










[/COLOR]*Eventually we got hungry and wandered off in search of food.  We started with Shave Ice but then found Mama’s Snack Shop was right next door so we decided to get some acutal food too.







*Melissa made it through the food line quicker than I did the shave ice, but soon we met up and sat with both food and dessert.  It was a nice lunch, although not an inexpensive one.




*I ordered one of each thing that they had, one chicken, one fish, and one shrimp for us all to share.




*I brought the shave ice, which we did without ears this time, but we all enjoyed it.

After lunch we headed up to the room to dry off and change in time for ukelele lessons.  

[/B]Once we went up to the room and put dry clothes on, it was time to head back downstairs to the activity room for our Ukulele lesson we had signed up for.




*Marshall was not excited for this activity.  He said he didn’t want anyone telling him how to play his ukulele.

*Yeah, it was funny because he wanted the ukele so much, we thought he'd be into it.  We still convinced him to go and play along, and the rest of us were curious to see if we'd learn something.

The lessons were very well done, and they provided a ukulele for each of us, along with an enthusiastic CM instructor.




*It was so much fun and they did a good job of teaching us non music people how to play a little bit.  Allie really enjoyed it alot, so much so that she talked us into buying her a real ukulele after the class.  They very convieniently offer 4 different styles for purchase after class.

*We anticipated this, but weren't sure how expensive they would be.   By offering four levels they kept the cost reasonable, from about $30 to "if you have to ask you can't afford it."  Allie got the second cheapest one, and it was nice and a little more substantial than the ABC store one Marshall had purchased.




*They even tuned it for her which made the whole purchase easier on the ears.

*Lol yes.  After that, we felt we had covered plenty of Aulani activities but wanted to go explore beyond Aulani a bit more.  Check out that fun in the next update.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

From the kois' point of view, maybe the kids were the characters at the fishes' character breakfast!

Was there an option to make your mouse ears light up?

Did Marshall want to bring his own ukulele to the lesson?

Have either of the kids played their ukulele much since returning from the trip?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> From the kois' point of view, maybe the kids were the characters at the fishes' character breakfast!


Lol, there you go!  They probably enjoyed the variety of strange characters feeding them their food. 



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Was there an option to make your mouse ears light up?


Yes, that was one of the initial decisions, since the light up ones were like $5 or $10 more.  The kids chose light up ones but Melissa went with standard ones.  



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Did Marshall want to bring his own ukulele to the lesson?


He chose not to bring his own, although one of the other people in our class did that.  We didn't want to make the poor instructor deal with an ABC store ukulele.



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Have either of the kids played their ukulele much since returning from the trip?


Marshall digs his out more frequently than we would have expected.  He plays it for special occasions, like the unveiling of one of his new toy Top Gun jets...   Allie hasn't played hers much, but she likes showing it to her friends.


----------



## cgattis

GrandCalifornian said:


> He plays it for special occasions, like the unveiling of one of his new toy Top Gun jets



I love it!


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> I think mine ended up being the strongest of the three but I used like 6 sticks of glue. It was such a fun activity though and I can’t wait to wear mine at WDW next trip.


It would be fun to wear the ears at WDW. You may even run into someone who recognizes the Aulani made ears. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> There are cubby holes around the courtyard for this which we found and made it really nice because by the time we got down there it was really hard to find a spot.


They should put cubby holes at the WDW pools, especially Storm Along Bay. I frequently just jump into the pool for awhile and then leave, rather than lay around. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> we went over to the pool with the infinity edge, which overlooks the beach lagoon.


That looks like a very relaxing place to hang out. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> It was so much fun and they did a good job of teaching us non music people how to play a little bit. Allie really enjoyed it alot, so much so that she talked us into buying her a real ukulele after the class. They very conveniently offer 4 different styles for purchase after class.


That looks like fun. Did the lesson include sheet music or some other instruction sheet?


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

I love the ears! And i am a music person (as in my degree is in musical theatre and I have been singing and playing instruments since i was a small child), and am trying to teach myself the guitar and it is HARD! I recommend buying Allie and Marshall a tuner and a beginner ukulele book that explains the chords and fingering. YouTube also has some great ideas. I have a couple of friends who play Ukulele too and they have found some gorgeous hanging macrame wall mounts holders for them.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

cgattis said:


> I love it!


He is a source of amusement...



Wood Nymph said:


> It would be fun to wear the ears at WDW. You may even run into someone who recognizes the Aulani made ears.


That is our plan.  It would be cool if someone recognizes them.  



Wood Nymph said:


> They should put cubby holes at the WDW pools, especially Storm Along Bay. I frequently just jump into the pool for awhile and then leave, rather than lay around.


It seems like a great idea, since we often just need a place to set our stuff while we swim and very rarely sit around the pool.



Wood Nymph said:


> That looks like a very relaxing place to hang out.


I think it is my new favorite pool.  I just love how it has the ocean view and yet is above and separate from the beach.  It also has a shaded cave area that is nice too.  



Wood Nymph said:


> That looks like fun. Did the lesson include sheet music or some other instruction sheet?


They gave us note cards showing the finger positions for the different chords.  We got to keep one set of the cards per family, but they are nice and easy. 



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> I love the ears! And i am a music person (as in my degree is in musical theatre and I have been singing and playing instruments since i was a small child), and am trying to teach myself the guitar and it is HARD! I recommend buying Allie and Marshall a tuner and a beginner ukulele book that explains the chords and fingering. YouTube also has some great ideas. I have a couple of friends who play Ukulele too and they have found some gorgeous hanging macrame wall mounts holders for them.


Thanks, that is good advice.  Guitars (and therefore Ukuleles) are just different from so many other instruments.  I don't know if they have the desire to put a lot of time into it, but if nothing else they have a unique souvenir from Hawaii.  The wall mounts might be neat for them...


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

GrandCalifornian said:


> He is a source of amusement...
> 
> 
> That is our plan.  It would be cool if someone recognizes them.
> 
> 
> It seems like a great idea, since we often just need a place to set our stuff while we swim and very rarely sit around the pool.
> 
> 
> I think it is my new favorite pool.  I just love how it has the ocean view and yet is above and separate from the beach.  It also has a shaded cave area that is nice too.
> 
> 
> They gave us note cards showing the finger positions for the different chords.  We got to keep one set of the cards per family, but they are nice and easy.
> 
> 
> Thanks, that is good advice.  Guitars (and therefore Ukuleles) are just different from so many other instruments.  I don't know if they have the desire to put a lot of time into it, but if nothing else they have a unique souvenir from Hawaii.  The wall mounts might be neat for them...


Definitely! 
And I only found out about the hanging macrame wall mounts because I run the secret Santa for my theatre company and because we did it virtual again this year, I have to know where stuff is being sent and I got curious lol. Very well made too according to the recipient


----------



## HairyChest

Loving the trip report! Im planning a 4 day trip to Oahu (staying at Aulani). What would be the must do as far as seeing the most beautiful part of the island? I can only do a couple things since it’s a short trip. Thanks!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

BroadwayHermione5 said:


> Definitely!
> And I only found out about the hanging macrame wall mounts because I run the secret Santa for my theatre company and because we did it virtual again this year, I have to know where stuff is being sent and I got curious lol. Very well made too according to the recipient


Nice sleuthing, and you found a cool thing!



HairyChest said:


> Loving the trip report! Im planning a 4 day trip to Oahu (staying at Aulani). What would be the must do as far as seeing the most beautiful part of the island? I can only do a couple things since it’s a short trip. Thanks!


That sounds like fun.  We all agree that the most beautiful trip is the drive from Aulani over the mountain to Lanikai, and then experiencing the beach at Lanikai.  It is just beautiful.  Part of what we loved about Oahu was the variety of terrain, and that little trip shows a lot of it, and a spectacular beach.


----------



## Sydnerella

GrandCalifornian said:


> Nice sleuthing, and you found a cool thing!
> 
> 
> That sounds like fun.  We all agree that the most beautiful trip is the drive from Aulani over the mountain to Lanikai, and then experiencing the beach at Lanikai.  It is just beautiful.  Part of what we loved about Oahu was the variety of terrain, and that little trip shows a lot of it, and a spectacular beach.


Is that taking the H3 the whole way or going along Pali Hwy/61 as you get closer to Lanikai?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

Sydnerella said:


> Is that taking the H3 the whole way or going along Pali Hwy/61 as you get closer to Lanikai?


Our first time we took 61 all the way form downtown over the hill and down towards Lanikai.  Later we came back over H3 and it was nice too, and quicker since it is all freeway.  Either way is nice and both have cool tunnels, but we slightly preferred 61.  You could go out one way and back the other to make a mid-island loop, or you could go around the coast one way like we did if you have a little more time.  It's all good, and beautiful.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

With an early evening free, we had to choose between a boat cruise and visiting the Pearl Harbor area.

*Surprisingly both kids wanted to go see Pearl Harbor and tour the submarine Bowfin.

*We had looked at the different tour and museum options, and that one was a popular choice.  




We hopped into the Jeep and headed for Pearl Harbor.  




The parking and entrance area is shared in common for the Pearl Harbor memorial sites, but still wasn't super crowded being relatively late on a Sunday.




*On the drive over we talked about Pearl Harbor with the kids, neither was super familiar with what had happened there so we gave a quick history lesson in the car stressing how sacred the site would be.  I was very impressed with how both kids handled themselves while we were there.

*They both did very well, and Marshall was super interested in soaking it all in.  When we got there, we discovered that you could not take purses or backpacks into the park area.  Not wanting to leave a purse in the car, we chose to store Melissa's purse at the commercial bag check area, where it was $6 to check the bag and have it stored safely outside the park gate.  It meant we had to be beck there before they closed at 6:00 though.

*Everything closes promptly at 6 though, they pretty much drag you out so there wasn’t too much risk of being late.

*Once we were in the main gate, we walked toward the Bowfin and paid for our admission there.  




The docent offered us headsets and audio players for the audio tour, which Marshall was really excited about.  It turned out to be a great aspect of the tour, and was super informative.










*Yes!  They even had a kids version of the tour so it was age appropriate and interesting for the kids.  He took the tour so seriously and I’m so glad we stopped and picked up the audio players.  We learned so much more than we would have without them.

*They served to set the pace of the tour, playing different audo explanations as we entered each room of the submarine.   We toured the USS Midway aircraft carrier a couple of years ago, and this was similar but it was neat to see how different the inside of a submarine was.













*The kids ate it up and really enjoyed it.  I was surprised how much Allie even seemed to learn and enjoy.  










After we finished up on the boat we walked across to the museum.  The audio tour works there too and while we kinda had to rush through we got to see the whole thing and learn alot about submarines.













*We were fascinated to learn that when submerged they had to run solely on battery power, and they would take measures to conserve power and air to extend their underwater stay to avoid detection by the enemy.

Marshall is definitely a "museum kid" and wanted to hear every story and read every sign.  I was proiud of him, and felt bad for having considered going for a boat ride instead.  I just figured that would be more exciting for hoim, but I was definitely wrong.   He still talks about things he saw and learned on the Bowfin.

*After we pulled both kids out of the museum I headed out to pick up my purse while Paul took the kids into the gift shop.

*It is a central gift shop for all of the Pearl Harbor area, and there were a lot of items to see.  Marshall at first chose a brick building set that included the Bowfin and Arizona memorials, but changed his mind and chose a set of memorial post cards instead.  




He was so excited to get "his cards" and enjoys having us read and explain each one.

*They are kinda graphic but just tell it like it is and he’s all into it.

*I was surprised he picked them over the building set, but he liked them, and we bought them while Melissa picked up her purse from the bag storage spot.




*After we were all back together it was time for dinner.  Paul’s cousin had recommended Dixe Grill which is pretty close to Pearl Harbor so we headed that way.

*My older cousin was a career Navy guy, and knows local hot spots everywhere, so we wanted to check out his recommendation in Hawaii.  When we got there, we found what looked like a bar under a tattoo parlor.




*It felt a little sketchy from the outside but we went inside anyway and it felt like we stepped into an episode of Hawaii 5-0.










*He had said it was a great family spot, and the kids were great there.  We were seated right away, and they brought us popcorn to get started.

*It was a great little bar and bbq place.  I ordered the brisket, Allie got pulled pork, and Marshall got his customary Mac and Cheese.










*I really thought about a burger, but went with baby back ribs instead. They were really good, as were the sides we had to go with them including beans and cornbread casserole.




*The food was amazing and the ambiance was great.

*It was a grat local spot, and was exactly the type of place we wanted to find during our trip.  Once we  were done we hopped in the Jeep and went in search of a local ice cream spot for dessert.

*We basically just used the phone to search for something close and ended up at Dave’s Icecream.   




They make all of the their icecream in house which is super cool.  I got my favorite flavor Butter Pecan.




*I got mint and chip, while Allie got something odd like green tea and we're not sure what Marshall got.  It was funny they asked us if we wanted a frequent visitor punch card after our purchase.

*It’s definately another local spot but I would totally recommend as a hole in the wall icecream spot.

When we got back in the Jeep after icecream I decided that I’d drive back to Aulani.  Driving isn’t my favorite thing in the world and I get nervous when I’m out of my comfort zone but Paul wanted me to drive the Jeep so he’d have a better chance of convincing me that we should buy one.




*Since I enjoyed the Jeep so much, I wanted her to at least have driven it so we'd have some idea how it would work as a potential backup for her daily driver car at home.  She agreed to do it and seemed to be enjoying it and we were on the freeway headed towards Aulani when Marshall remembered that he didn't have his cards.

*It really drove nice, and now I got to get off the freeway, turn around and drive back to the bar to try and find his cards.

*We drove about 15 minutes back to the restaurant, and Marshall and I went in.  The hostess recognized us, and remembered that we had left the post cards.  Our server had them, and he brought them out to us.  Marshall was so relieved.




*We were all glad that he got his postcards back.  At this point I was done driving the Jeep and let Paul drive back home.

*I headed back towards Aulani, and we watched the sun set as we drove.  Soon we were back to Aulani and we headed to the gift shop one more time for a few more souveniers.




*While we were waiting in line I asked if the coffee they had was the same coffee that they had served at breakfast and it was!  So I got a bag of that.   It’s really good.

*It is good stuff, and unique to Hawaii.  Allie got a spam musabi wishable from a blind package.  The CM at the counter asked her whch one she was hoping for, and he agreed that she had chosen well.

She opened the package and had the toy she wanted.

Then we headed up to the room, tired from a long day of Hawaii fun.




*Next up, we have to fit all of our stuff in our luggage,

*I make a covert drone flight,

*and we have to give back the Jeep.

*


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Did Allie get a souvenir at the Pearl Harbor gift shop?


----------



## DisneyMountainWoman

This trip report has been great so far, thank you!


----------



## woody64

Great report and can't wait for your drone flight. I also relate to the sign back at Dixie Grill!


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

This trip report has been amazing! Sad to see it nearing its conclusion


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Did Allie get a souvenir at the Pearl Harbor gift shop?


She looked but decided to wait and get something else at Aulani.   That's how she wound up with the Spam Musubi wishable. 



DisneyMountainWoman said:


> This trip report has been great so far, thank you!


Thank you so much!  We have enjoyed sharing all of the different things we got to do.



woody64 said:


> Great report and can't wait for your drone flight. I also relate to the sign back at Dixie Grill!


Thanks!  I was looking forward to drone flying at Aulani, or at least as close as I could get to it without getting in trouble.  The Dixie Grill sign was funny, and set the tone for a fun restaurant.   It was actually way more family friendly than it looked from the street, and the BBQ was quite nice.  



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> This trip report has been amazing! Sad to see it nearing its conclusion


Thank you so much.  We have really enjoyed sharing it, and we had a great trip.   Thanks for joining in.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

I realize this is comparing pineapples and oranges, but overall did you guys like the Hawaii trip as much as your typical WDW trip?


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> Surprisingly both kids wanted to go see Pearl Harbor and tour the submarine Bowfin.


It was nice that you could get into the tour at the last minute instead of having to get reservations ahead of time. The submarine tour looks very interesting, especially for the kids who don't know a lot about the war.



GrandCalifornian said:


> Marshall is definitely a "museum kid" and wanted to hear every story and read every sign.


 That makes the trip worthwhile. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> It felt a little sketchy from the outside but we went inside anyway and it felt like we stepped into an episode of Hawaii 5-0.


It looks very sketchy from the outside. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> They make all of the their ice cream in house which is super cool.


 It sounds delicious. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> We were all glad that he got his postcards back. At this point I was done driving the Jeep and let Paul drive back home.


 I'm glad that they had Marshall's cards and that the "test drive" was over. I never really liked driving our Jeep, although I did like all the bells and whistles that my car lacked.  



GrandCalifornian said:


> Next up, we have to fit all of our stuff in our luggage,


 It looks like the gift shop is well stocked with extra large suitcases just in case.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> I realize this is comparing pineapples and oranges, but overall did you guys like the Hawaii trip as much as your typical WDW trip?


It is a tough comparison, but a valid one.  I expected to much prefer WDW, but was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was in comparison to a WDW trip.  Not that it was better or more fun, but it was at least competitive.   Melissa felt it was more relaxing than WDW, and I agree. The kids enjoyed it too, but would not trade WDW for it every year.



Wood Nymph said:


> It was nice that you could get into the tour at the last minute instead of having to get reservations ahead of time. The submarine tour looks very interesting, especially for the kids who don't know a lot about the war.
> 
> That makes the trip worthwhile.
> 
> 
> It looks very sketchy from the outside.
> It sounds delicious.
> 
> I'm glad that they had Marshall's cards and that the "test drive" was over. I never really liked driving our Jeep, although I did like all the bells and whistles that my car lacked.
> 
> 
> It looks like the gift shop is well stocked with extra large suitcases just in case.


We looked at trying to reserve the Arizona memorial tour but weren’t sure enough to schedule a day for it.   The Bowfin worked out great, getting to experience the area and learn about the history and some submarine specific things.  It was a great educational side trip and was totally worth it. 

Dixie Grill worked out nice and had great food, we just had to get over the outside look to go on in.   The ice cream place was neat too and a yummy dessert. 

Melissa didn’t mind the Jeep itself, but wasn’t fond of driving a strange vehicle in a new place. It was more comfortable to ride, and I got more Jeep driving time. 

The gift shop did have lots of unique Aulani luggage options, but fortunately we didn’t buy that much stuff in order to need an extra bag.  They were cute though.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

On our last day, I got up about 6:30 and took the drone with me in a beach bag.  I wanted to get some morning pictures and video of Aulani from the drone.

*I was asleep so I had culpable deniability.

*My first stop was the secret beach, but there were already a few different groups oif people there and I didn't want to draw attention or disrupt their morning.




I instead went off the trail near the inlet to the Aulani lagoon.  




I was able to sit down on the rocks beyond a hedge, and I had room to take off and fly out over the ocean then rise up and get my shots.

My attempot to take off showed that I was in an authorization zone, where the location had to be unlocked by registering my information with local authorities.  The DJI drones are super smart, sometimes annoyingly so.  I jumped through the hoops though and soon was able to get airborne.  It was not a Disney specific zone, rahter it was for the nearby airport, but I was able to fly where I wanted to.

The results were pretty neat, and I had fun flying over the entrance to the lagoon and up and down the shoreline.










*He came back to the room so excited

*I also flew over the secret beach, but at a distance that wouldn't bother the people there.  I hoped to see animals in the water, but didn't quite get that lucky.   







I was perfectly happy with my luck in making it back with the drone intact though, and I avoided being noticed or harrassed.  I also got some morning resort pictures during my walk.










I even got a picture of a Mongoose, which we saw lots of all over the island, especially around Aulani.




*I threw a last load of laundry in and took a shower while they were picking up breakfast.  We had a lot to try and fit back in suitcases.

*When I got back to the room, everyone was still asleep.  We got the kids up and then Marshall and I went down to get quick service breakfast.










*We both got breakfast sandwiches this time and the kids got bacon, eggs, and waffles.

*It was a good breakfast, and we got to sit in the room and enjoy it.




*Marshall also finished his piece of coconut cream pie.




*We continued our packing, and made everything fit.  We had thought we would just leave the beach toys we had bought behind, but we even found room for most of them and the empty cans of boba tea.

*The only beach toy that got left was the bucket, I couldn’t believe it all fit.

*Once all of the bags were packed we said goodbye to the room.  Marshall hugged the fridge goodbye.







*We loaded up in the Jeep and decided we’d just drive a bit before heading to the airport.







*We didn't have to be at the airport till after noon, so we headed back towards downtown and cruised around a bit.

*And then we all needed a bathroom so we thought we’d head over to Costco again.  That was NOT a good idea.




*The traffic was insane, and we wound up going through a not so great neighborhood where we definitely were not getting out of the car.  Once we got to Costco, there wasn't a single open parking space.  We wound up heading back out of the parking lot and going to a nearby Home Depot.

*It took forever to get over to the Home Depot and even though it’s highly inadvisable we left the luggage in the car while we all ran in real quick for a bathroom.

*We were parked right up front, and we didn't take any extra time shopping for any lumber or anything.

*Lol, I made him promise that nothing else would come home because nothing else would fit.

*That is true.   The only shopping we did was filling up the Jeep at a gas station just before heading to the airport.




*It was the saddest moment of the trip.  The boys were not excited to say goodbye to our Jeep.

*We headed to the rental car dropoff and reluctantly pulled in.  We cleaned it out and said goodbye, with Marshall hugging it as well.




*As soon as we parked the Jeep the sky opened up and it started pouring.  




It was our first real rain of the whole trip and we were already on the way home.  We got so lucky.

*It was raining as we made our way to the shuttle bus back to the airport terminal.  




It was a quick bus ride, but as we got off the bus we saw a huge line to get in.

*We were super confused but realized we didn’t have to stand in it at first, there was no line to check in our bags and the lady that helped us was so very nice.  Like the polar opposite of Orlando.

*It was an easy checkin, and then we got right in the TSA Pre line which went very fast.

*Super fast, we were the only ones in line.

*It was just a couple of minutes and we were in the terminal.  The strange thing was to get to a different area we had to go outside of security and get re-screened.  I chose to avoid that and stayed in our terminal area and went in search of lunch.

*I sat with the kids and worked on some picture editing for a wedding we did a couple days before we left.

*Our options were a sandwich cart and a gift shop with some sandwiches.  We picked the best of both, getting chips and Cokes at the gift shop and the sandwiches from the other place.  It was all pretty good food considering the limited options.




*Yeah the sandwiches were decent and fine enough for airport food.

*Yeah, they were pretty good and we didn't have to walk anywhere far.  We had about 45 minutes to sit and wait for the flight, but the time went by quickly.

*Boarding went well and we had a fairly uneventful flight.  I worked on editing pictures and Allie worked on her homework.

*I sat with Marshalll again, and we played cars and planes.




As we were getting ready to take off we had to wait for military jets takign off ahead of us.  It was a cool experience to watch F18s take off from the runway, and then follow them into the air.




*It was very cool, Marshall was eating that up.

*And that was before the whole Top Gun phase.   He's even more into jets now...

*Oh yes, obsessed.  We picked up a new puppy last week and his name is Maverick…







*Oh yes, that was the kids' favorite name choice.  He's a seven month old German Shepherd and is fitting in well with the other dogs.

The flight went well, and we landed back at LAX fairly late in the evening.  We walked the long walk from the remote terminal to bag claim, and didn't get to ride a shuttle this tme.




*Luckily Marshall was awake but we were all tired and it was a long walk.  We made it back to the car though and it was right where we left it and we made it out of the parking strcture without the fuss that we had getting parked.

*Yeah, the rest of the trip home was uneventful, and soon we were home and headed to bed.

Overall we  loved our Hawaiian trip much more than any of us expected to.  It is a different vacation than WDW for sure, but can be nice and relaxing.

As for Aulani, it is a great resort and we are so glad we got to stay there.  It has the best pool area we have ever seen, which we would rate as notably nicer than even Stormalong Bay.

*Aulani was fantastic and I enjoyed our stay there in conjunction with our time in Waikiki.  The two areas are so different and it was nice to experience both.

*It was a great combination, and let us feel like we really exoerienced more of Oahu.

*I really felt like we got to see the whole island but there’s still so much to explore.  I for sure see a trip back while the kids aren’t gigantic.

*Yes, they both would be super willing to sign up for another trip, and I bet we do one before too long.

In the next update, we look back and summarize our trip, so it's not done yet...


----------



## DaisyDuck001

Does Allie still have the empty boba tea cans? Did she add anything to that collection after getting home?

Did you guys actually look into buying a Jeep, after you got back?

Glad it's not quite done yet, and also glad you guys did this trip report. It's been so much fun to read.

What's next on your travel horizon? Is your next Utah trip happening soon?


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> The DJI drones are super smart, sometimes annoyingly so. I jumped through the hoops though and soon was able to get airborne. It was not a Disney specific zone, rather it was for the nearby airport, but I was able to fly where I wanted to.


The drone looks like a lot of fun. I'm glad to hear that there are rules in place for it. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> I hoped to see animals in the water, but didn't quite get that lucky.


There are a few dark shadows in the water that might be more than rocks. 
I can't remember if there was any snorkeling at Aulani. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> I even got a picture of a Mongoose, which we saw lots of all over the island, especially around Aulani.


The mongoose picture is creepy. They have devastated the native bird population.


GrandCalifornian said:


> It was the saddest moment of the trip.


Traffic congestion is not exactly the most desired way to end a lovely tropical island vacation. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> And that was before the whole Top Gun phase. He's even more into jets now...
> That would be cool to see the jets. It's a good thing you picked seats on the correct side of the plane.
> *Oh yes, obsessed. We picked up a new puppy last week and his name is Maverick…*


Maverick is a beautiful dog.


----------



## AliceNDinah

Your pictures are breathtaking and so postcard-worthy!!!  What a great trip, so fun to read about.  The kids are very adorable and I love Maverick   Great read, thank you again!!!!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Does Allie still have the empty boba tea cans? Did she add anything to that collection after getting home?


She does have them lined up on the top of her dresser.   We haven't found any to add to it back at home.  



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Did you guys actually look into buying a Jeep, after you got back?


Actually we started looking before the trip.  It is something I have wanted since I was a kid, and we looked seriously recently but didn't do it yet.  Getting one as a rental was kind of a consolation prize for getting a more reasonable vehicle at home.   We loved the newer JL we got to rent though, so it reignited the desire for one at home.  They are still pretty expensive though, so it will be a bit, but we would love to have one.



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Glad it's not quite done yet, and also glad you guys did this trip report. It's been so much fun to read.


Thanks for joining in and following along as always.  We weren't sure this trip would be that interesting, but we really enjoyed it and writing about it.



DaisyDuck001 said:


> What's next on your travel horizon? Is your next Utah trip happening soon?


Good memory!  We are headed up to Utah again in late July, which is coming right up.  



Wood Nymph said:


> The drone looks like a lot of fun. I'm glad to hear that there are rules in place for it.


Yeah, it is neat to fly and a whole new way to get pictures and video.  They are just completely banned in a lot of places, often justifiably, but it was neat to get to use it in such a beautiful place in Hawaii.



Wood Nymph said:


> There are a few dark shadows in the water that might be more than rocks.
> I can't remember if there was any snorkeling at Aulani.


I thought we might have captured a picture of something, but it's not as clear and obvious as it could be.   They have a really cool snorkeling lagoon at Aulani that is basically a pool with ocean water and a lot of fish.  It is the one that Marshall is standing by with the glass wall.



Wood Nymph said:


> The mongoose picture is creepy. They have devastated the native bird population.


It was crazy to see them running around like rats or squirrels in other places.  We may have done our part by running one over during our trip up the coast that night...



Wood Nymph said:


> Traffic congestion is not exactly the most desired way to end a lovely tropical island vacation.


The sad part ws leaving the Jeep behind, but it just wouldn't fit in our suitcase...  The traffic was just a brief introduction to what we would be facing at home.



Wood Nymph said:


> Maverick is a beautiful dog.


Thanks!   He is a new addition, and a goofy guy but we love him and he fits in well.



AliceNDinah said:


> Your pictures are breathtaking and so postcard-worthy!!!  What a great trip, so fun to read about.  The kids are very adorable and I love Maverick   Great read, thank you again!!!!


Thanks so much.  The scenery there was just spectacular so it was hard to take a bad picture.  We really did have a great time.   We are glad you enjoyed reading about it and we sure had fun sharing it with everybody.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

I think in a way, it's been even more interesting to read this trip report, because it was a different destination than the other ones. I'd even find a Utah trip report interesting, especially since I also like doing Utah trips.


----------



## BroadwayHermione5

Those drone shots were GORGEOUS!


Also ngl i would'e freaked at the sight of the mongoose....something about them always freaks me out.

PUPPY! I love shepards!


Thank you so much for this trip report-fantastic as always!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> I think in a way, it's been even more interesting to read this trip report, because it was a different destination than the other ones. I'd even find a Utah trip report interesting, especially since I also like doing Utah trips.


Ahh, thanks.  We like sharing our experiences and what we do at Disney and other places.  Utah is more unique, and sometime we may share some more of it, but we're not sure about a full report on it.  It would be a tough trip for others to repeat on their own, but is a beautiful place to visit as you know.



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> Those drone shots were GORGEOUS!


Thanks so much.  It was an unplanned addition to the trip that worked out great.



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> Also ngl i would'e freaked at the sight of the mongoose....something about them always freaks me out.


The first one we saw really surprised me, but soon we realized they are everywhere.



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> PUPPY! I love shepards!


Aww yes.  Maverick is a great addition and has settled in and is showing his goofy personality.  We have always wanted a purebred shepherd and now we finally have one.



BroadwayHermione5 said:


> Thank you so much for this trip report-fantastic as always!


Thank you for the kind words, and for joining in as well.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

*Thank you all for following along with this trip report!  It’s kinda sad to not have anything firmly planned but we do have a WDW trip in the pipeline.

*Yeah, we really enjoyed reliving this trip as we sat and wrote about it after work, and it didn't take too long to get through, but we finally made it.




We knew we would have some down time between WDW trips, and the Hawaii trip filled it nicely.




*It was an incredible trip and I’m so glad that we got to go, I think it opened to door to more trips there.




*It really did, since I went from not wanting to spend the vacation time and money on a Hawaii trip to enjoying it almost as much as a WDW trip, which is a pretty high standard.




*We had some great highlights of the trip, two of my favorite things were Lanikai Beach and then our drive up the coast at sunset when you flew the drone.













*Yes, I agree, and both of them were things that were off the beaten path.  I really liked how we could go off and do some exploring beyond the regular Disney Aulani activities.

*The Ka Moana Luau was also fabulous although I’d be interested in the Luau at Aulani maybe next time.




*Yeah, I feel like we checked off a lot of Hawaii must dos this time, and next time we wouldn't have to pack as much in.

*No, but some things I’d like to do that we didn’t have time for this time are visiting the Dole Plantation and some kind of boat cruise.




*Yes, and maybe we could swing back by the Kualoa ranch and at least pick up a t-shirt.   The Dole plantation stuff looked neat as we drove by, and as an Agriculture major it had to be pretty cool.




*Yes, I’m sure we could do horseback riding or another ATV tour at Kualoa too, that was so much fun.

*It was the best side event of the trip.  I am so glad that we chose to book that.  We also loved the Jeep, in part because it was cool, in part because I always wanted one, but mainly because of the freedom it gave us on the island.  As people who don't rent a car at WDW, we couldn't see doing Hawaii without one.




Actually I really don't think I would change anything we chose to do for the first trip, and it turned out so well that there will definitley be a second one.

Circling back to Aulani, it really was as good as we hoped.  The hotel room was truly the best we have ever stayed in, and that pool area was incredible.




*The pools were awesome!  I was surprised at how busy the resort was but it didn’t affect us too much.  I would be very interested in the restaurants that weren’t back open after Covid.




*That was one area it seemed to be lacking.  There was one sit down restaurant and the busy quick service.  Fortunately Monkey Pod was good and close, and we did lots of exploring elsewhere on the island.

*I do think the one bedroom for just the four of us has us REALLY spoiled







*Having the whole one bedroom was awesome, and the floor plan was so just perfect for us.

As much as we loved the Aulani room, we also enjoyed getting to see and experience Waikiki.  It was completely different than Aulani, and while the room was nowhere near as cool as at Aulani, the area was nice to experience.










*It really was, and it was so special to be there for Kathy’s wedding.




*Yeah, there was that, and even Marshall is willing to share his Kathy...

*Being able to walk to the beach was super neat too.

*And it was a huge and beautiful beach, like truly straight from a postcard.




*We really should take the kids to the beach here at home, I bet they would like it.







*Yeah, we still aren't big time beach people, but that's ok.  We can do it again in Hawaii, if not before.

Before that though, there will be another Florida DIsney trip.  We are looking at September 2023, but are considering May since it comes up sooner and falls in the same DVC use year for us.

*Stay tuned for that!  We’ll be back soon and be sure to post a link to details here when we start planning.

*Yes we will, and I'm pretty sure Copper Creek will be involved...   Thanks for joining us as we vacationed in a different direction, and we'll talk to you all soon.


----------



## Wood Nymph

GrandCalifornian said:


> It was an incredible trip and I’m so glad that we got to go, I think it opened to door to more trips there.


Since you live approximately equidistant between Hawaii and WDW, I can see future Hawaii trips in your future. We loved island hopping since each of them had their own special features. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> The Ka Moana Luau was also fabulous although I’d be interested in the Luau at Aulani maybe next time.


I bet Aulani would have a great show. 


GrandCalifornian said:


> We also loved the Jeep, in part because it was cool, in part because I always wanted one, but mainly because of the freedom it gave us on the island.


The Jeeps are nice because they can handle the rough roads in remote areas. 



GrandCalifornian said:


> I do think the one bedroom for just the four of us has us REALLY spoiled


That was a really nice room. A king bed is a big plus, too.


----------



## rdkeim

Thanks so much for posting about your wonderful trip to Hawaii!  I know it takes a lot of time to write the posts, go thru pictures etc.  WDW is definitely a fun place but every now and then I think it's nice to see new sights.  You got some great pictures of the scenery and family shots.  Thanks again - I'll keep an eye out for future adventures!


----------



## cgattis

Since your son turned out to be such a museum guy, maybe next WDW trip you could spend a half day over at the KSC visitor center and then half a day at the beach over there. Really enjoyed your report and your pics!


----------



## Sydnerella

Thoroughly enjoyed your report and it has provided the perfect launching pad for me and my family as we depart for Hawaii on July 16th! Following along has been like a countdown for me and so enjoyable!

We have two nights in Waikiki and then are staying in Aulani In a one bedroom Ocean view and we are not DVC members unfortunately so paying rack rate. Owell! We are also renting a jeep for the whole trip. My kids are much older - a high schooler and a new high school graduate. They still love Disney and We are all very excited to go! Thanks again for your awesome trip report!

Happy travels!


----------



## figment52

Love this picture of the kids.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

GrandCalifornian said:


> Ahh, thanks.  We like sharing our experiences and what we do at Disney and other places.  Utah is more unique, and sometime we may share some more of it, but we're not sure about a full report on it.  It would be a tough trip for others to repeat on their own, but is a beautiful place to visit as you know.


I think your trip report followers would be very interested in reading about your next Utah trip! Utah's uniqueness makes it especially interesting in its own way! If anyone reading this agrees that you'd enjoy a Utah trip report from @GrandCalifornian , I hope you will either "like" this post, or post your own comment about this! It would fit great in the "California and the West" section of this forum.


GrandCalifornian said:


> *Thank you all for following along with this trip report!  It’s kinda sad to not have anything firmly planned but we do have a WDW trip in the pipeline.*


Ahhh, and you also have the Utah trip coming up very soon! Have a great time there!

On my recent Utah trip, I discovered this hidden gem: https://www.kivakoffeehouse.com/ Scenic view and a place to get coffee and maybe a light meal, out in the middle of nowhere, along Scenic Byway 12. Have you guys ever stopped there?


GrandCalifornian said:


> Circling back to Aulani, it really was as good as we hoped.  The hotel room was truly the best we have ever stayed in, and that pool area was incredible.


Are you saying you like Aulani more than Copper Creek? Is Wilderness Lodge still your favorite building anywhere?


----------



## AliceNDinah

I know it's probably been said, but I absolutely adore your writing style!  You make me want to go back and read all your trip reports......have to make that happen, that'll get me even more in the mood for our WDW trip next month   You are just such a fun family, thank you for taking us along with you!!


----------



## GrandCalifornian

Wood Nymph said:


> Since you live approximately equidistant between Hawaii and WDW, I can see future Hawaii trips in your future. We loved island hopping since each of them had their own special features.


Yeah, we would like to explore Hawaii some more, and even feel that we would like to repeat an Oahu only trip since there is so much to see and do there, and now we are familiar with it.   Eventually other islands will be neat to see too.



Wood Nymph said:


> I bet Aulani would have a great show.


Yeah, I'm sure it would be great.  The Luau we did was surprisingly educational and included a lot of information about the other places besides Hawaii, but it would be fun to see the Disney version next time.  



Wood Nymph said:


> The Jeeps are nice because they can handle the rough roads in remote areas.


Yes they can, even though most of our travel could have been done with any rental car it was more fun to have the unique Jeep experience.  Next time we will take one off road some more.  



Wood Nymph said:


> That was a really nice room. A king bed is a big plus, too.


Yeah, we loved the size and floor plan of the room.  We still love Copper Creek for the overall resort and location, but the bigger room and having the door from the master to the living room was really nice. 



rdkeim said:


> Thanks so much for posting about your wonderful trip to Hawaii!  I know it takes a lot of time to write the posts, go thru pictures etc.  WDW is definitely a fun place but every now and then I think it's nice to see new sights.  You got some great pictures of the scenery and family shots.  Thanks again - I'll keep an eye out for future adventures!


Thanks for joining in and commenting.  We definitely love our WDW trips, but this was a perfect way to do something a little different yet a little bit the same.  We are glad you enjoyed the pictures, and love sharing something new.   We will share more adventures soon, and are already planning for the next WDW one.  



cgattis said:


> Since your son turned out to be such a museum guy, maybe next WDW trip you could spend a half day over at the KSC visitor center and then half a day at the beach over there. Really enjoyed your report and your pics!


That is a neat idea.  Sometime we look forward to vacationing in Florida beyond WDW.  Our immediate problem is our next trips will be shorter than we are used to due to work time limitations, so we may not want to spend much time away from WDW itself.  Eventually it is definitely on the list though, and I'm sure we would love it.  



Sydnerella said:


> Thoroughly enjoyed your report and it has provided the perfect launching pad for me and my family as we depart for Hawaii on July 16th! Following along has been like a countdown for me and so enjoyable!
> 
> We have two nights in Waikiki and then are staying in Aulani In a one bedroom Ocean view and we are not DVC members unfortunately so paying rack rate. Owell! We are also renting a jeep for the whole trip. My kids are much older - a high schooler and a new high school graduate. They still love Disney and We are all very excited to go! Thanks again for your awesome trip report!
> 
> Happy travels!


I'm sorry I didn't get to see and reply to this sooner, but I hope you have a great trip starting today!  Aloha!  It sounds like it will be a great trip, we sure enjoyed ours.  The Jeep should be great, and there is so much to do for kids of all ages.  It should be a neat family vacation.  We hope you have a great time, and let us know how it goes.

For others and future trips, our Aulani room was booked by renting points through David's Vacation Rentals, which saved about half over rack rate and allowed us to save our DVC points for WDW.  We would definitely do that again.




figment52 said:


> View attachment 682934
> 
> 
> Love this picture of the kids.


Thanks, so do we.  It shows the beautiful Lanikai beach which was the sort of experience we hoped to have in Hawaii.  



DaisyDuck001 said:


> I think your trip report followers would be very interested in reading about your next Utah trip! Utah's uniqueness makes it especially interesting in its own way! If anyone reading this agrees that you'd enjoy a Utah trip report from @GrandCalifornian , I hope you will either "like" this post, or post your own comment about this! It would fit great in the "California and the West" section of this forum.
> 
> Ahhh, and you also have the Utah trip coming up very soon! Have a great time there!


Thanks!  We are looking forward to Utah in a couple weeks.  It will be a shorter trip this year, but will keep our 20 plus year tradition going.   Usually we spend most of our time off roading in OHVs, but this time we are just going to camp and hang out for a few days.  It should be great though, and we will see what we can write up about it.



DaisyDuck001 said:


> On my recent Utah trip, I discovered this hidden gem: https://www.kivakoffeehouse.com/ Scenic view and a place to get coffee and maybe a light meal, out in the middle of nowhere, along Scenic Byway 12. Have you guys ever stopped there?


We have never made it that far East in our Utah exploration.  There is a similar coffee place and German bakery outside of Carmel Junction near Zion that we enjoy.  Sadly a lot of the small businesses like that are having trouble getting labor post COVID, now that the visitors have returned.  We love supporting unique little places like that.  



DaisyDuck001 said:


> Are you saying you like Aulani more than Copper Creek? Is Wilderness Lodge still your favorite building anywhere?


No, we loved the particular 1 bedroom layout at Aulani more, but overall Copper Creek is still our favorite resort and place.  WDW is an awesome location, and still much more of a destination than what Disney has to offer at Aulani.  Both are very different places to vacation, and we really enjoyed both and will repeat both in the future.   On a resort vs resort basis, Copper Creek and Wilderness Lodge still reigns supreme for us, even though the room at Aulani was nicer for us.  



AliceNDinah said:


> I know it's probably been said, but I absolutely adore your writing style!  You make me want to go back and read all your trip reports......have to make that happen, that'll get me even more in the mood for our WDW trip next month   You are just such a fun family, thank you for taking us along with you!!


Thank you so much!  We love re-living our trips and having a written record of them to look back on.   Congratulations on your upcoming trip, it should be great.   I'm not sure how "fun" we are but we sure do have a good time doing what we enjoy, and then writing about it.   Thanks for joining in, and we'll see you on the next one.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

I also think you guys are fun!


----------



## DaisyDuck001

How was your Utah trip?


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> I also think you guys are fun!


Aww Thanks!


DaisyDuck001 said:


> How was your Utah trip?


We had a great time in Utah.  It was a shorter trip than usual but we still had a lot of fun, and we think we will share a write up of it.  We'll post a link here once we kick it off.


----------



## DaisyDuck001

GrandCalifornian said:


> We had a great time in Utah.  It was a shorter trip than usual but we still had a lot of fun, and we think we will share a write up of it.  We'll post a link here once we kick it off.


Awesome! Looking forward to reading it!


----------



## rdkeim

Would love to hear your "final thoughts" on Hawaii and how your Utah trip went


----------



## DaisyDuck001

rdkeim said:


> Would love to hear your "final thoughts" on Hawaii and how your Utah trip went


I think they already posted their "final thoughts" on Hawaii, above.


----------



## GrandCalifornian

DaisyDuck001 said:


> Awesome! Looking forward to reading it!


We hope to get it started this week.  It was a short trip but a fun one. 



rdkeim said:


> Would love to hear your "final thoughts" on Hawaii and how your Utah trip went


Yeah, we think we summed up what we had to say for Hawaii.  We enjoyed it more than we thought we would, and we will definitely do it again, likely focusing on Oahu again and exploring from Aulani.  It is a great resort but for us wouldn’t be a “in the bubble” singe destination for a future trip.  There’s so much to see on Oahu that we’d love to explore some more.   Feel feee to let us know if you have any questions on what we thought of specific aspects of the trip or resort. 

Utah was fun, and some thing we have done every July for 28 years in a row now.  We love the area and this time just went up to camp for a few days.  We all had fun and will write a bit about what we did in a new report that we will link to from here. 



DaisyDuck001 said:


> I think they already posted their "final thoughts" on Hawaii, above.


Yeah, we wrapped it up and shared a summary, but we’re always open to talk about our past trips.   Discussing Utah in more depth will be new and different but is something we are looking forward to.


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## Jeepdisney

We are leaving Saturday for Hawaii! We are spending the week at Waikiki and I cannot wait. I’m currently re reading your report to take notes on different things. I was wondering if you remember in one of your earlier posts on May 23rd the hotel picture you got with the pool. Is that hotel the Aston at Waikiki banyan? We are staying there and I’m almost certain it is but wanted to check.


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## GrandCalifornian

Jeepdisney said:


> We are leaving Saturday for Hawaii! We are spending the week at Waikiki and I cannot wait. I’m currently re reading your report to take notes on different things. I was wondering if you remember in one of your earlier posts on May 23rd the hotel picture you got with the pool. Is that hotel the Aston at Waikiki banyan? We are staying there and I’m almost certain it is but wanted to check.


Congratulations, you should have a great trip.  Yes, the hotel pictured in the start of that post is the Waikiki Banyon, which is where we parked for our hotel across the streets.  That was the view from our balcony of the parking garage and pool area of the Banyon resort.  It looked like a neat place to stay, with nice parking and a very tall tower.  

Have a great trip, and let us know if you have any other questions.


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## rdkeim

Found your wrap up!  What a great trip with many fun moments and beautiful pictures.  I'll be watching for your next adventure!


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## GrandCalifornian

rdkeim said:


> Found your wrap up!  What a great trip with many fun moments and beautiful pictures.  I'll be watching for your next adventure!


Yay, we had a great time.   Our next adventure to share is ready to post, so here it is, hop on over and check out something totally different, and a little sandy:

She's Camping at Coral Pink, a Summer 2022 Southern Utah Trip Report

We hope to see many of you over there!


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## ozliz

GrandCalifornian said:


> When we left off, we had just finised lunch at Costco and were headed off in search of a beach.   Kathy recommended the East side of the island, and I was up for a drive so off we went.
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> *This time instead of going along the coast we cut across the middle of the island.
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> I’d like to be honest here, we did very little research for this trip and I had no idea what to expect.
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> I knew it would be beautiful but the drive was just amazing and so breathtaking.*
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> We basically followed the GPS and took highway 61 over the mountain.  As we climbed it got prettier and prettier.
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> On the other side of the hill, we went through a tunnel and then had a beautiful view of the other side of the island.
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> We pulled over at the turnout for the Mauanawili trail and got to overlook the coast and look back on the mountain.
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> *We also made some chicken friends, they were all over the place.  The kids loved seeing them.
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> We had heard about wild chickens, but they always amused us.  Once we took some more pictures, we headed down the hill in search of the beach.
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> *We were headed for Lanikai beach which Kathy had been to a couple days before and said would be perfect for the kids.  We drove around and found a place to park.  Parking here is super tough, it kinda reminds me of some of our beaches here in California where there’s street parking only.*
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> Exactly, we were driving through a neighborhood and looking for street parking where we wouldn;t block anybody's driveway.  We circled around a couple of times and found a spot about half a block from a beach access walkway.  We grabbed our things and made the short walk to the beach.
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> Once we saw the water, I was impressed.  It was a neat shade of blue, and there was sandy beach as far as you could see with islands in the distance.
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> It was my favorite beach, and was just beautiful.
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> *When I say this beach was like a postcard I mean it felt like we walked into a postcard dream world.  It was a gorgeous beach on a beautiful day.
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> The kids goal was to get to swim in the waves, and they were perfect here.  They were big enough to swim in without breaking near the shore or being too tall.
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> *The water was pretty shallow too and they just had a ball going in and out of the water and playing in the sand.*
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> The water was nice and warm, and it was easy to get into and swim.  The kids made a sand turtle like they had seen on Waikiki.
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> We hung out on the beach and watched the kids play for quite a while.  We snacked on chips and watermelon and just soaked it all in.
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> \*It very much felt like a vacation at this point.*
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> Yes, after a few days of deadlines and running around, we had time to just sit on the beach, and irt was a beautiful one at that.
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> *After we soaked up all we could of the sand and sun and salt water we decided to do some more adventuring and drive down the coast.*
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> We walked back to the Jeep and proceeded to fill it woth sand from our shoes and towels from the beach.  We stopped by another 7-11 and got drinks, including another boba can for Allie.
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> This one was brown sugar, which wasn't anybody's favorite but still wasn't bad.
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> *We drove for a bit until we all needed a bathroom.  We stopped at Waimanalo Beach park where there were some bathrooms and kids at football practice.
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> It was a nice little city park, right on the beautiful shoreline.  The bathrooms were fine, but were inhabited already by some pretty large rats.
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> They stayed in the rafters, but were kind of creepy.
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> *It was not the best place for a bathroom but it did the job.  I just kept my eyes on the rats and got out of there pretty quick.*
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> The beach portion was pretty nice, with bigger breaking waves near the shore.
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> Marshall ran over to check out the playground, and immediately joined in whatever game the kids there were playing.
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> *He makes friends really fast.  After we tore him away from his new bffs we hit the road again.*
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> We continued South along the shoreline past the Sea Life park where the luau was the night before, then stopped at Makapu'u Lookout to take some more pictures and generally play tourists.
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> It was up fairly high on the cliffs above the shore, and had a great view to the South and East.
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> *It was another beautiful lookout and we enjoyed the view.*
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> We stopped at another turnout that overlooked Hawaii Kai as we worked our way back to the North.
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> *Paul was headed to the Costco in Hawaii Kai looking for a drone.*
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> I figured since there was another Costco just off the highway we could stop in and check it out.  We were also looking for dinner options, and found a Raising Cane's in the Costco parking lot, and decided to make it a one stop shop.  I ran in to Costco unsupervised, and found that they had two drones in stock to choose from.
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> After a quick text to my loving and supportive wife, I grabbed one and checked out.
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> *He was so excited!  There’s no way I was going to stand in the way of that joy.*
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> It was a good deal on a nice little drone that is a nice compliment to my larger ones I have at home.
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> We then had dinner at Cane's, which is something we enjoy at home too.
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> It rounded out a day of fairly economical dining.
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> *It’s nice to have home comfort food on vacation.  It also helped with budget for the trip in general.*
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> Yeah, one nice thing about not being in the Disney bubble for the whole trip was we could eat more economically, and we still got food that we all enjoyed.   The Hawaii Kai area is really nice, and probably was my favorite part of the island.  If money were no object, I'd love a nice house on the water there with a neat boat dock out back.  Hey, you gotta have dreams.
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> Within a few days I already had a favorite area for a house.   That's ok, I have better taste than budget.
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> We then continued towards the hotel and saw the sunset as we drove.
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> We circled around the neighborhood a little bit and noticed the big crowds of people leaving the beach area for the day.  It amazes me how many people were all around Waikiki.
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> *It was pretty busy around the hotel but we finally ended up going the right way down the one way street.
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> We made it back to the room and here is where Allies boba can collection gets tragic.*
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> She had kept the cans from each boba drink, and had them all lined up on the shelf by the TV.
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> *The housekeeper had thrown them away when she came to clean the room.  Allie was in tears that her collection was gone.
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> It was kind of sad, but they were basically trash.  That was not what Allie wanted to hear though, and the only way to console her was to agree to purchase cans of all the flavors of tea again so that she would have a complete set.
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> *It was hard to console her and not laugh at the same time, because the housekeeper did in fact clean up the trash that she left on the table.*
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> Yeah, it was a case where one person's trash was another's treasure...   Oh well, she was able to laugh about it a little later, and it meant she got more boba, which had to be a good thing, right?
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> *I think so.  Yeah luckily she found the humor in the situation pretty quickly and she didn’t pout for too long.]*
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> We spent the rest of the night starting to pack up and then we went to bed before too late.  It was a super day of exploring Hawaii, and I'm so glad we had the extra day before heading up to Aulani.
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> *It was a perfect day.  Coming up we FINALLY see Aulani and have a super surprise for the kids.*
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> Check out our Friday adventures in the next update.


I’m enjoying the trip report before I head to Hawaii next week. I really feel for your daughter and the can collection. That’s the sort of thing I would have done as a child. I also hate it when housekeeping picks up rubbish that’s not in the trash can. I often reuse plastic bags, plastic bottles, etc. a couple of times on a trip to save waste and have had housekeeping remove those items too. Once at BCV I actually went to reception and complained and asked for replacement bags. I’d had the plastic grocery bags carefully tucked away next to the ziploc bags and other items on the counter so I could reuse the bags on groceries when transferring for a split stay (to avoid spills/leaks) - and they took them! As I said to reception, they’re only single use plastics if you’re limited to a single use!


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## DaisyDuck001

ozliz said:


> I’m enjoying the trip report before I head to Hawaii next week. I really feel for your daughter and the can collection. That’s the sort of thing I would have done as a child. I also hate it when housekeeping picks up rubbish that’s not in the trash can. I often reuse plastic bags, plastic bottles, etc. a couple of times on a trip to save waste and have had housekeeping remove those items too. Once at BCV I actually went to reception and complained and asked for replacement bags. I’d had the plastic grocery bags carefully tucked away next to the ziploc bags and other items on the counter so I could reuse the bags on groceries when transferring for a split stay (to avoid spills/leaks) - and they took them! As I said to reception, they’re only single use plastics if you’re limited to a single use!


I agree that hotel staff should only remove your items if you had already put them in the wastebasket. I have heard at least one hotel say they follow this policy! If an item is not in the wastebasket, the housekeeper has no way to know if you meant to keep it, so they should leave it alone.


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