Day 19—Pearl Harbor, Monkeypod, and Aunty’s
It was after midnight by the time we reached the room. We were in 601 in the Waianae Tower. My dad (who was already in the room) had texted to say that it was the nicest room he had ever stayed in and I have to agree that it was fantastic. The view from the extra-long balcony was wonderful and of course, there is an unbelievable amount of space (especially for only five people). I am happy to give more details about the Grand Villa (unfortunately, I do not think we took any pictures) but I will say that for a large group it is fantastic but for our purposes, a two-bedroom would have been more than adequate. The Grand Villa really just has extra space. There is nothing that stood out as unique or special vs. the two bedroom. However, take that in context, the rooms at Aulani are WONDERFUL. They are beautiful, well designed and incredibly comfortable. After the lobby and then the room, DH said it was his favorite Disney Resort (and we had been there less than an hour). So in summation, get the room that you need! Any of them will be wonderful.
I threw in some laundry (yay!) and we went to bed. We had Pearl Harbor tickets at 2pm so we had a good chance to get some good sleep.
Our plan for Pearl Harbor was to leave at 11 am. I had read so many accounts of trips to Pearl Harbor on this board that my head was spinning and I was dreading making the trip out (especially since Aulani was so cool! We really wanted to just stay there). However, DH who usually does not make demands and goes with whatever planning I come up with was adamant about going to Pearl Harbor. He is career military and it is on the list of things he has always wanted to see. I decided that going on our first day on Oahu would be the best plan because after such a long trip, I knew going later in the week would be less appealing.
As I mentioned, my Oahu planning was not up to my usual standards and I did not log on to get the Pearl Harbor tickets until later in the afternoon 2 months out. When I logged in, there was nothing available until 2 pm. It was not my first choice but I thought that would give us a chance to sleep in. I debated on booking a tour so we would not have to worry about driving/parking but ultimately decided that since we had the car, we could save some money and do it on our own.
This was a very good choice and in fact, we loved the 2 pm time. We missed traffic leaving at 11 am and arrived to a very crowded parking lot. We did have to drive around for about half an hour but through aggressive but kind (with plenty of Aloha Spirit), we got a spot. You had to be there but when we did get a spot all three of us went crazy cheering and my husband said it was his proudest moment on the trip. So yes, parking is a pain but if you leave early, keep your aloha spirit, and be patient, it is NO problem.
I might also mention that my 10-year old son had morphed into a super-moody teenager who wanted NOTHING to do with Pearl Harbor. Again, we were at the end of a long trip and once he saw the pool and beach at Aulani, he was really not happy to be schlepping to Pearl Harbor with the family. DS is also a huge fan of the Kids Clubs on the cruises and made many friends on the Australia portion of our trip. Being with his parents for the past few days had started to bum him out. He was ready for some kid time. Before we left for Pearl Harbor, he and I went down to Aunty’s to get him registered. The only program that he was really excited about was Coconut Kings of Comedy. Unfortunately, I had sent in his pre-registration really late (if not for these boards, I would have forgotten completely) and he did not get a spot via pre-registration. When we registered, I asked if we would need to come at opening tomorrow to get him signed up for that, (I knew from the boards that we would but I was just confirming). By luck, they still had a spot for the program that night! This was unusual because Aunty’s was absolutely packed the whole time we were there. He was excited and I was glad I would not have to be at Aunty’s at 7 am the next day!
After our parking triumph, we headed to the gates at Pearl Harbor. We did not bring any bags so getting in was very easy. There was no line for the audio tour so I suggested we go ahead and get so we could start the tour. I had planned to do the audio tour but could not get the military discount online (I am so CHEAP!). It was about 12:30 pm by then and we started the Audio Tour. We all thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It is excellent. Do not try to do the museum without it. We finished just in time to get a snack and get in line for our trip to the Arizona.
We had all worn our gifts from Aulani (lei for me and Kukui Bean necklaces for the boys) because we had gotten them so late that I wanted to enjoy mine before it wilted. As we got close the Arizona, my son got really emotional. Being there truly moved him. They said you could leave flowers or throw them in the water so DS and I thought this was the best thing to do with my lei. My son placed it on the memorial and I think it made him feel better to show tribute to all those effected that day.
We got back from the Arizona, talked a bit about what we had seen and how incredible/tragic/significant, it all was and then headed back to Aulani. I am so glad my husband pushed hard to go to Pearl Harbor. It was really a great experience and after seeing more about the war in the Pacific in New Zealand and Australia, it really made the story come together. I highly recommend you do it and take your kids! If you go at your own pace like we did, there is time to stop and process everything. We never felt rushed and felt as if we got to take it all in.
We did not do the Bowfin or the Missouri. We may do that in the future. However, for us, focusing on the Arizona was more than enough. It is a very emotional trip and a lot to take in. I am glad we kept it simple.
Pearl Harbor had been an amazing experience but now back to basics, we were starving! We had breakfast in the room (my dad had been the chef) but now we were starved. We wanted to pick up groceries but also wanted to get back to Ko Olina before the traffic. Again, we timed it perfectly and were leaving the parking lot by 4:00 pm.
We still were somewhat unfamiliar with the area and knew DS had to be back at Aunty’s by 7 pm for his program so we decided just to go to Monkeypod since it was most definitely happy hour and we had heard so many raves from this board. We loved Monkeypod and went again before we left. DH and I loved the Mai Tais but I was also a big fan of the pizzas. DS and DH loved the lobster deviled eggs!
After Monkeypod, we decided to pick up a few things at the ABC market in the shopping center where Monkeypod is. Yes, I know that it is totally overpriced and we would have been much better off going to Costco or Target but my cheapness does have its limits. After 19 days of vacation, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was go to Costco so we paid more at the ABC store. They actually had a pretty nice selection. We got fruit, peanut butter and jelly (and bread), cereal, pasta, tacos, and beer for about $100. It was worth it! We did not want to eat in a restaurant for every meal (after so many days of being gone) and this was so convenient.
DS who had been so good and engaged at Pearl Harbor was back to being surly. He really wanted to get back to Aulani so we headed back and sent him right to Aunty’s where he could stay for his program. DH and I wandered the resort and went back to the room to watch some basketball. We are an exciting pair as we were thrilled to just sit on the couch! My dad and his friend were out and about and they are in their 70s.
We picked up DS after the Kings of Comedy. He loved it and said his joke was a big hit. He told it to me and I did not get it at all but I am not 10 years old. DS wants to be a stand-up comedian and he had made up his own joke but I think he needs to work on that material.
I think it was like 9 pm and we went to bed! So far, best part of the vacation! We had dinner at Ama Ama planned for the next day and nothing but the pool and beach at Aulani!