disnygirl55
Forever Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2006
INTRODUCTIONS AND PLANS
Hi everyone! It’s time for another trip report, and a brand new experience for our family. This will be our first trip to Hawaii. This is a split stay: 3 nights at Hale Koa at Waikiki (my husband is retired Air Force, so we’re taking advantage of the lower prices at the military resort) followed by 4 nights at Aulani. At Aulani, we have rented points from DVC rentals (renting points is another scary “first” for us), and we are staying in a one-bedroom Ocean View villa. Flying Hawaiian Airlines, Extra Comfort seats, so I’ll be reporting on that as well.
I will tell you up front that we rented the one-bedroom villa for the space, not the cooking facilities. That is one sticking point I have about considering buying into DVC – when I go on vacation, you will not find me cooking. I love eating out! But yes, the space will be wonderful, and I’ll appreciate the refrigerator and microwave, and the dining table (for drink-preparation purposes???). That’s about it. (And I think the washer and dryer may also come in handy. We’ll see.)
First, introductions of our family of three:
Me, lover of all things Disney. Disney Cruises have taken first place in my heart – no better vacation ever!! But regardless of the destination, we always make some terrific memories, and I enjoy the planning process nearly as much as the trip itself. Planning this first trip to Hawaii has been scary. It’s been so long since I’ve ventured into the unknown for a vacation. Three cheers for the Dis Boards and the many trip reports I’ve read avidly!
DH, loves Star Wars first and foremost, and also Donald Duck specifically of all the Disney characters. He is a Disney convert through marriage, but has embraced my way of life without too much resistance. It helps immensely that the Star Wars and Disney families are now one and the same.
DS, 15. He is so grown up now! He loves cruising, Disney, and Star Wars, so we think we’ll keep him. He’s excited to see Hawaii. I’m a bit bummed that he’s now in high school and we have to plan around school breaks, but we’ll do what we have to do. He has also grown to enjoy fine dining experiences, so we have included him on our “date night”-type dinners. He’s really excited about the amount of sushi I’ve assured him we will come across in Hawaii. I’m hopeful he can make some teen friends at the resort, and enjoy making his own vacation memories.
Here is a brief break down of our plans for the trip:
Day 1: Leave home and fly to Las Vegas for one night. We have dinner reservations at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Hotel, and want to try the “Hell’s Kitchen Tasting Menu” (with wine pairings, naturally!)
Day 2: Leave Las Vegas in the AM, on Hawaiian Airlines, arrive noonish in Honolulu. We are renting a car for the week from Budget. Travel to Hale Koa Hotel and explore the area. They have a Surf and Turf buffet that night at the hotel.
Day 3: Pearl Harbor in the AM, KuruKuru Sushi in Pearl City for lunch, Hawaii Nautical Sunset Cocktail Cruise in the evening.
Day 4: Kualoa Ranch “Premier Movie Sites Tour” in the AM. Hale Koa Luau in the evening.
Day 5: Guided tour of Iolani Palace at 9:00 AM, check out of Hale Koa after, and make our way to Aulani, detouring to Costco for provisions and Leonard’s Malasadas for a brunch-type snack of…. wait for it…… malasadas! Hang out at Aulani in the afternoon, and enjoy Happy Hour and Dinner at Monkeypod.
Day 6: Early breakfast at Ama Ama, and then Laniwai Spa Appointments for the grown-ups. Aulani’s Ka wa’a Luau in the evening – VIP seating area.
Day 7: Ziplining at Climbworks in the morning, followed by lunch at food trucks on the North Shore. A stop at the Dole Plantation on the way back to Aulani. Dinner at Ama Ama to watch the sunset.
Day 8: “Dolphins and You” excursion in the AM, dinner at Roy’s.
Day 9: Rented a cabana for the day. Plan on bringing over lunch from Pizza Corner to eat in the cabana. Just enjoying the resort. We are checking out on this day, and will depart after they kick us out of the cabana for our late night flight back to Las Vegas, arriving in the morning of Day 10.
Day 10: Fly home mid-morning after a 3-hour layover in Las Vegas.
So that’s it. I loaded our activities for the early morning hours, since I don’t enjoy the heat much, and we are also early risers, which could translate into insanely early risers until we adjust to the three-hour time difference. Planning on some down time on our Ocean View balcony with some drinks in hand, lots of reading time (kindle loaded and ready!), and listening to the waves.
I must be expecting that we’ll enjoy this, since I’ve already started a small list of things we need to do on our next trip that we’re not going to have time for this time around. Especially meals, like Alan Wong’s for dinner and High Tea at the Moana Hotel.
Only five weeks of cold and snowy winter to go…..
Hi everyone! It’s time for another trip report, and a brand new experience for our family. This will be our first trip to Hawaii. This is a split stay: 3 nights at Hale Koa at Waikiki (my husband is retired Air Force, so we’re taking advantage of the lower prices at the military resort) followed by 4 nights at Aulani. At Aulani, we have rented points from DVC rentals (renting points is another scary “first” for us), and we are staying in a one-bedroom Ocean View villa. Flying Hawaiian Airlines, Extra Comfort seats, so I’ll be reporting on that as well.
I will tell you up front that we rented the one-bedroom villa for the space, not the cooking facilities. That is one sticking point I have about considering buying into DVC – when I go on vacation, you will not find me cooking. I love eating out! But yes, the space will be wonderful, and I’ll appreciate the refrigerator and microwave, and the dining table (for drink-preparation purposes???). That’s about it. (And I think the washer and dryer may also come in handy. We’ll see.)
First, introductions of our family of three:
Me, lover of all things Disney. Disney Cruises have taken first place in my heart – no better vacation ever!! But regardless of the destination, we always make some terrific memories, and I enjoy the planning process nearly as much as the trip itself. Planning this first trip to Hawaii has been scary. It’s been so long since I’ve ventured into the unknown for a vacation. Three cheers for the Dis Boards and the many trip reports I’ve read avidly!
DH, loves Star Wars first and foremost, and also Donald Duck specifically of all the Disney characters. He is a Disney convert through marriage, but has embraced my way of life without too much resistance. It helps immensely that the Star Wars and Disney families are now one and the same.
DS, 15. He is so grown up now! He loves cruising, Disney, and Star Wars, so we think we’ll keep him. He’s excited to see Hawaii. I’m a bit bummed that he’s now in high school and we have to plan around school breaks, but we’ll do what we have to do. He has also grown to enjoy fine dining experiences, so we have included him on our “date night”-type dinners. He’s really excited about the amount of sushi I’ve assured him we will come across in Hawaii. I’m hopeful he can make some teen friends at the resort, and enjoy making his own vacation memories.
Here is a brief break down of our plans for the trip:
Day 1: Leave home and fly to Las Vegas for one night. We have dinner reservations at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris Hotel, and want to try the “Hell’s Kitchen Tasting Menu” (with wine pairings, naturally!)
Day 2: Leave Las Vegas in the AM, on Hawaiian Airlines, arrive noonish in Honolulu. We are renting a car for the week from Budget. Travel to Hale Koa Hotel and explore the area. They have a Surf and Turf buffet that night at the hotel.
Day 3: Pearl Harbor in the AM, KuruKuru Sushi in Pearl City for lunch, Hawaii Nautical Sunset Cocktail Cruise in the evening.
Day 4: Kualoa Ranch “Premier Movie Sites Tour” in the AM. Hale Koa Luau in the evening.
Day 5: Guided tour of Iolani Palace at 9:00 AM, check out of Hale Koa after, and make our way to Aulani, detouring to Costco for provisions and Leonard’s Malasadas for a brunch-type snack of…. wait for it…… malasadas! Hang out at Aulani in the afternoon, and enjoy Happy Hour and Dinner at Monkeypod.
Day 6: Early breakfast at Ama Ama, and then Laniwai Spa Appointments for the grown-ups. Aulani’s Ka wa’a Luau in the evening – VIP seating area.
Day 7: Ziplining at Climbworks in the morning, followed by lunch at food trucks on the North Shore. A stop at the Dole Plantation on the way back to Aulani. Dinner at Ama Ama to watch the sunset.
Day 8: “Dolphins and You” excursion in the AM, dinner at Roy’s.
Day 9: Rented a cabana for the day. Plan on bringing over lunch from Pizza Corner to eat in the cabana. Just enjoying the resort. We are checking out on this day, and will depart after they kick us out of the cabana for our late night flight back to Las Vegas, arriving in the morning of Day 10.
Day 10: Fly home mid-morning after a 3-hour layover in Las Vegas.
So that’s it. I loaded our activities for the early morning hours, since I don’t enjoy the heat much, and we are also early risers, which could translate into insanely early risers until we adjust to the three-hour time difference. Planning on some down time on our Ocean View balcony with some drinks in hand, lots of reading time (kindle loaded and ready!), and listening to the waves.
I must be expecting that we’ll enjoy this, since I’ve already started a small list of things we need to do on our next trip that we’re not going to have time for this time around. Especially meals, like Alan Wong’s for dinner and High Tea at the Moana Hotel.
Only five weeks of cold and snowy winter to go…..
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