We Had the Best Trip Ever! Maholo WWoHP, WDW & Waikiki- A Jan 2012 TR

[OziJo]

I really couldn't think of anything clever to write as a title so I just thought I would state the bleedin' obvious. It was the best trip ever :cool1::thumbsup2

We spent 11 nights at the Fort Wilderness and 10 Nights on the beach at Waikiki. While this TR will focus mainly on our Orlando adventures I have had requests for pics and stories from Hawaii so will happily oblige.

I have already done a mini TR for the Camping forum. I wanted to highlight FW separately as it was a wonderful place to relax and unwind after the parks and I felt it deserved special photographic treatment all it's own. I will repost some of those pics here but the link is in my sig. if anyone wants to check it out.:cool1:

Shall I introduce the "We"?

DD3(13) Hannah, DD1(18) Caitlin & DD2(15) Clair with Woody and Jessie
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Me-Jo at La Hacienda:
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DH-Mark After Jurassic Park Ride "Warning you may get wet":
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[OziJo]

Day 1 Wed 4th Jan

After a nice run into the airport we checked in and made it through security and customs with a couple of hours to spare. We bought some headphones for my iPhone and then had our last Maccas meal for a while. I refuse to eat Maccas while in the US. There are far better fast food joints ;)

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Our last view of Sydney for a while:
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We were randomly chosen for an explosives pat down. Fun!! But soon boarded and settled in for our 14+ hr flight to Dallas. The flight left pretty much on time and we were in the air 4:10pm.

All in all the flight was reasonably comfortable and uneventful. I manged a few hours of sleep DH and kids less.

We landed in Fort Worth on schedule, made our way through immigration, customs, security and rechecked our luggage.

We transferred terminals via the monorail (a wonderfully efficient system)...

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...and waited for our flight to Orlando
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While waiting at Fort Worth I loaded up my i-phone with my T-mobile sim and was happy to receive a message from Garden Grocer saying that our groceries had been delivered to our Cabin 2143. What a great service:hippie:

Flight to Orlando was ontime and uneventful. We arrived on schedule at approx. 9pm, picked up our luggage and hooked up with DME no problemo :cool1:

On the way to WDW we were treated to a cute preview video. The trip to Fort Wilderness took about 40mins and included stops at 3 other resorts on the way. We arrived and checked in and were in our Cabin just after 11pm.

Greeted by this:

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We were tired and hungry. Sooo glad we had ordered Groceries!! Hot Dogs and Salad for dinner. Bed by midnight. Everything is proceeding according to plan:yay:

[dara00]

fun, looking forward to reading all about it!

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I've subscribed popcorn::

[Travel Mum]

No surprises that I'm subbing in too!! popcorn::

[PrincessInOz]

Me 2 x 2. popcorn::

[OziJo]

fun, looking forward to reading all about it!

I've subscribed popcorn::

No surprises that I'm subbing in too!! popcorn::

Me 2 x 2. popcorn::

Hi guys :welcome::wave:

Better get to it then :yay:

[OziJo]

Day 2 Thurs 5th Jan

Woken by Mousekeeping at 8:30am! I had warned DH that that might happen and suggested that we should put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign. He said that it might be a good idea to be woken up but I didn't really think it would be that early. Anyway it wasn't such a bad thing as we really shouldn't have slept much longer. An extra hour might have done the trick though.

We let the kids sleep a little longer while we checked out the Cabin and surrounds:

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Squirrels everywhere. I loved 'em!
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Got the kids up and DH, DD3 and I went for a walk. DH then went off to pick up our car from Alamo and DD3 and I continued on. Fort Wilderness was as beautiful if not more beautiful than all the pictures I had seen online. Pine cones scatterd, piped Christmas music and some decorations still up. Lovely light through the trees, clear pathways for walking and of course Squirrels. Meadow Trading Post, Settlement and Marina.

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Back at the Cabin we had lunch on the deck... http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7fad227d.jpg
...until a pine cone dropped with a thud. They made quite a loud noise when they fell so we decided it might be better not to sit out there.

DH made it back with the car despite the GPS taking him to the Wilderness Lodge:rotfl: She kept doing that (she couldn't deal with Fort Wilderness as a destination :confused3) until we entered our Cabin location as "Home". Then she was set.

After lunch we decided to take the plunge and head out to the Premium Outlets. We set the GPS for 1200 Vineland Rd. She had no probs with that address. Trust a women to know where the shops were:thumbsup2

We didn't go too crazy- converse for all DD's, tops and bottoms for everyone, some underwear, a Skull Candy flat rim cap and other bits and pieces. We couldn't carry any more. The place was madness and I didn't really want to go back there. DH and the girls had more fun than me. I did enjoy shopping at Ala Moana though so more of that later.

I only took one photo while we were there. It was before we had shopped.

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The girls were a little tired but they picked up once we got to the Converse store:cheer2:

On the way home we stopped at Wal Mart. Wow that place is huge. DD2 did some videoing but no photos.

Pizza and salad for dinner. Bed by 10pm

[PrincessInOz]

Sounds like the perfect first day chil-laxing and shopping at the World. :thumbsup2

The cabins and surrounds of FW look beautiful.

[hjd0411]

Looking forward to hearing more. :surfweb: I like the look of Fort Wilderness - had a little peek there when we went to Hoop de doo Review! Glad you had a great time!

[OziJo]

Sounds like the perfect first day chil-laxing and shopping at the World. :thumbsup2 It was :hippie:

The cabins and surrounds of FW look beautiful. They were. :cloud9:I'm so glad we stayed there. I miss it I want to go back...

Looking forward to hearing more. :surfweb: I like the look of Fort Wilderness - had a little peek there when we went to Hoop de doo Review! Glad you had a great time!

Thanks for stopping by! HDDR was fun wasn't it:dance3:

[maryr1oz]

Yay - love Aussie reports! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more :banana::banana::banana:

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm joining in. :wave:

[OziJo]

Day 3 Fri 6th Jan

I just thought I might backtrack here and explain a little about what inspired us to make the 21hr journey to Florida. Well "that's obvious" I hear you all say. "Disney of course!" But that's only part of the reason and if it was all then we probably would have stopped on the West Coast like we did in '09. Now having done WDW we are so glad that we did go that bit further. Even if we never make it back (DD3 and I have already started thinking of how and when:lmao:) we will always have WDW '12.

But our main inspiration this time was the boy Wizard Harry Potter and the lure of his Wizarding World:wizard:From the day we heard they were going to open a Potter World we knew one day we would go there. No matter how far, no matter the cost (well that did matter a little so we had to save :thumbsup2)

So today was the day we had all been waiting for. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter awaited!!!

The morning started at 6:30am after not a great night sleep. Jetlag means not so much that you are tired but that your body is telling you it's not sleep time while all other factors natural and man made (the environment & the clock) say otherwise. So we all hadn't slept that well. But that was not going to stop us:cheer2::yay:

It was interesting to see the different ways we all coped. Us adults having had experience knew that adrenaline soon kicks in and it gets better as the day goes on. So we were fine despite some travel related aches and pains. DD1 was over excited to be going to WWoHP. An original Potterite, at 18 she was seeing her childhood dreams coming true. DD3 was her usual steady self. She's still a real kid and was looking forward to a day of fun. DD2 on the other hand was not coping well. She had been really excited for this trip but the reality of travel had brought her down and she was somewhat grumpy snapping at everyone and even had the nerve to say that DD1's over excited behaviour was annoying :confused3. She did pick up though and the photos show her to be having as good a time as any of us.

We were in the car by 8am with the idea of being there by 8:30. DH was a little nervous about driving, it had been 3 years since he driven on the "wrong" side of the road. He quickly got used to it but our GPS confused us on the first freeway entrance then directed us to a back entrance to IoA instead of the carpark.:rotfl:

After some old fashioned asking of directions we finally found the massive car park (you really can't miss it), paid an extra $5 for preferred parking and parked close to the car park exit in the Cat in the Hat section!

Then we were off, following the crowds which seemed reasonable at this point, we found our way to Universal's Islands of Adventure.

[OziJo]

Yay - love Aussie reports! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more :banana::banana::banana:

I'm joining in. :wave:

Hi ya :wave:::welcome:

(Day 3 cont)
We made our way to Island's of Adventure
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We went past Suess Land & Aladdin Land and headed straight for Hogsmead:

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DD1 is sooo excited:

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I felt really excited at this point too. I had that weird out of body experience like I was watching it all on a giant screen. I couldn't believe we were actually here :yay::woohoo::wizard:

The crowds were getting thicker and thicker as we walked through the gates into Hogsmead:

DH & DD2 in front of the Hogwart's Express:

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The buildings were amazing:

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Hogwarts:yay:

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[PrincessInOz]

:yay: pictures!


I so understand about Mickey cheating with Harry. DH had a 3-day conference in WDW in October and I was only going so that we could sneak in a day at WWoHP. We had a blast and plan to go back with DS next year.

[OziJo]

We headed straight to the Forbidden Journey and the sign said a 90min wait :scared1: With no fast pass for those staying offsite we joined the line and settled in to wait:

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The line progressed quite nicely and there was plenty of things to look at:
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DD2 :rolleyes1
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I actually thought I took more photos than this but the line moved quickly and before we knew it we were being hustled into a locker room and told we had to stow all our stuff! We had a couple of backpacks and the camera and the lockers were tiny so we needed two. There was a lot of people packed into here. This is one thing that was poorly designed. The locker room should have been at the start of the queue. Crazy:confused:

Inside the castle we were treated to a fantastic queuing experience. Statues, talking pictures, the sorting hat. Holograms of Dumbledore and Harry, Ron & Hermione welcoming and beckoning us into the adventure. I managed to hold onto my iphone and got some shots inside the castle. These ones turned out the best:
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The ride itself was amazing, thrilling and a little scary. It was well worth the wait.

After that we lined up for Flight of the Hippogrif:

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Cute but quick.

Checkin' out the sites as we went- Zonko's, Honeydukes, Three Broomsticks,
Dervishes & Banges, Ollivander's-
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The others decided to do Dragon Challenge. I decided to sit this one out. I don't like going upside down. It's just not fun for me.:scared1:

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Instead I had a frozen Butterbeer. I had heard how good it was but words can not describe :lovestruc:cloud9::love:

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I savoured my Butterbeer and did a little people watching from under the shelter of the Owlry:
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[OziJo]

By now the line for Ollivanders was huge so we decided to do that first thing Universal Day2. So after the others grabbed a Butterbeer:

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We left the crowded Hogsmead streets and walked straight into the Aladdin stunt show. That was a lot of fun. Then we did the Jurassic Park ride:

You might get wet!
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We had a boring lunch somewhere close to Jurassic Park (not worth any pictures) then headed over to Universal:

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We did Shrek 3D first then the Beetlejuice Graveyard Review. The girls are Tim Burton fans and I introduced them to Beetlejuice a couple of years ago. This Rock and Roll Monster show was a lot of fun:

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It was getting into the evening as we did MIB and the Simpson's rides. Then DD2 decided she wanted to get a hair wrap paying for it herself:

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We were hungry by then so our minds turned to dinner. We had spotted Bubba Gumps on our way in so headed back there as the evening progressed and the lights came out at Universal:

Past Mel's Diner...
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...and over the Bridge to Universal City Walk:

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After a short wait we were seated at Bubba Gumps:

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Onion rings and Magarhita's for starters:
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The kids had their own fancy drink in a take home cup. I don't know why I didn't take more photos but DD2 who by this time was happy and fun to be with was videoing. So the photo above is the only one I have of our yummy BG meal of stuffed shrimp, marinated chicken, seafood platter and salad. Sorry...

Overall we had a wonderful day and were looking forward to Universal Day 2 on Sunday. But before that we were blasting off to Kennedy Space Centre:yay:

[dara00]

so cool. I'm a Harry Potter fan but since my kids aren't into it yet (they will be one day!) I haven't looking into all they have at IoA. It looks really fun! I have to check out the descriptions of all the rides!

[Travel Mum]

Wooh, look at those crowds!! :scared1: I thought it was busy when we entered early with the rest of the onsite guests but seeing that makes me realise it was not busy at all when we were there!

[PrincessInOz]

Cool pics! Thanks for sharing. :goodvibes


Now you've got me wanting a Butterbeer! :headache:

[OziJo]

Day 4 Sat 7th Jan

Kennedy Space Center was on the schedule for today. I will admit that I was a little reluctant. Not that I personally wasn't interested and I knew DH was definitely keen but i was a bit concerned that the girls would not really want to go. After all the travel and excitement of Harry, I thought they may be reluctant to drive for and hour and a half to look at "Space stuff".

We all woke up quite refreshed so I kept my concerns to myself and didn't give anyone any choice. We were heading for the Florida coast! Happily,
apart from the usual grumbling as they settled into the backseat of the car, everyone was quite keen. I had given them a rundown of what to expect and they were engaged and raring to go.

The drive was pleasant, onto the freeway and a straight line through the flat Florida landscape, 3 toll booths and marshlands. Then there it was! The iconic NASA Building with the giant painted USA flag:

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We later found out this was the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) where they assembled the all the rockets from the original giant Saturn rockets to the insertion of the Space shuttle payloads (oooh listen to me sounding all Space techy :cool1:). And here's me thinking it was the building where Major Nelson and Dr Bellows had their offices and Jeannie got up to all her shenanigans:rotfl: Of course that's the office building in the foreground to the right.

There was a bit of a lineup to get in and was thinking I really should have bought the tickets online. I reminded myself that reason I didn't was because I wanted to have the option of not doing KSC if we were too tired. No one else was ever let in on that bit of planning. Prior to leaving everyone had agreed that they wanted to go and that was the end of discussion but I still wanted an out. Just in case.

Well I think we would all agree that it was worthwhile.

They call this the Rocket Garden...
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...I suppose because it looks like the Rockets are growing out of the ground :lmao:

The first picture is from outside the gates. The other two are from the plaza outside the visitors Center.

Everything was very Space agey, you know like Tomorrowland only more, how should I put it? Real:thumbsup2
A mural of the International Space Station:
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A landing module:
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On arrival our first stop was the Star Fleet Academy Show. This was a "Mad Science" Star Trek production and being Trekkies, DH and wanted to check it out. It was a fun, incorporating visionary Star Trek technology with contemporary space science in an interactive show where the audience were Star Fleet Academy recruits faced with an unexpected Romulan threat. Love it!!:cool1::thumbsup2

How nerdy are we:
Live Long and Prosper...
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[Caroline NZ]

Loving your trip report and can't wait to hear more :thumbsup2

[DsnyMama]

Subbing! We love January TR's - honeymooned in January 2008 and heading down Jan 28-Feb 5 next year!

[PrincessInOz]

I was really surprised at how much we enjoyed going to KSC. Looks like your family found it fun as well. Great pics!

[alicia1506]

subbing in!!!

[OziJo]

Hi all subbers! Thanks for joining. :welcome:

(Day 4 KSC cont)
After the Star Trek show we had some lunch then it was off on the bus tour which was included in the entry price.

At this point I gave DH the camera but these are the only pics he took:

The gantry where they worked on the Rockets prior to launch:
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The launch pad:
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One of the Space shuttles now out of service:
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The shuttles are now in the process of being fitted and refurbished for display at Museum's around the country. Kennedy will house Atlantis and they are building a new Museum for the purpose. All the tour guides and workers at KSC were very excited about it and spoke in reverential terms about the Shuttles.

We got out and walked around the gantry and were able to climb up the few flights and take in the view. I don't know why DH didn't take any photos.:confused3 The Scenery was stunning. I suppose he was looking and reading all the info.

We were also taking into the Mission Operations Control Room which is set up as it was on the day of the moon landing complete with the original 60's tech. There is then a dramatic recreation of a launch with noise and vibrations as it would actually be felt from that room. I could kill DH for not getting any picture here. There's YouTube video posted by others. I won't post a link. Just google- "Recreation of Apollo 8 Mission Operations Control Room" if interested.

Anyway on leaving that room we were led into a huge hanger space where there is a real Saturn 5 rocket hanging the length of the ceiling. At this point DH decided to use the camera and got some great shots:

The Rocket. Too huge to fit in one shot:

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The command module:
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Lunar landing vehicle:
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Touching a piece of the Moon :cool1:
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A peek inside the Command Module:
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DD3's realistic dream is to be a pilot but we encourage our kids to shoot for the stars:
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The Right Stuff!!!
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After the tour we lined up for the Shuttle launch simulation. They were showing video of Shuttle astronauts describing how a launch felt and explaining that the simulation was as close as you could get to the real thing.

One final shot of the Rocket Garden at night...
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...and we headed hone to Fort Wilderness via Wal Mart.

Hot dogs and salad for dinner in the Cabin. Bed by 10pm. We had established something of a pattern and it was working well for us.

[Mum from oz]

Finally made it over here! You got some great pics at US/IOA. The ones you got on The Forbidden Journey are great. I'm also glad you all liked KSC. I was surprised at how interesting it was considering I had no real interest in visiting the place.

[OziJo]

Hi Mum from Oz! Thanks for joining:goodvibes.

I was surprised at how much the girls enjoyed KSC. They were truly engaged and interested. DD3 does really well at science and Maths and has said she wants to be a pilot. We had talked a little about her being an astrophysicist or and aeronautical engineer and after KSC she now sees that these are "real" career choices. She even believes now that being an astronaut is within the the realm of possibility :cool1:.

[Moodyzblu]

Joining in and loving your report !!

We're going to WWoHP in April and so I am very grateful for your reports on it. I'm SO anxious to try a Butterbeer and ride the Forbidden Journey !! :banana:

Looking forward to reading more ! :goodvibes

[OziJo]

Joining in and loving your report !!

We're going to WWoHP in April and so I am very grateful for your reports on it. I'm SO anxious to try a Butterbeer and ride the Forbidden Journey !! :banana:

Looking forward to reading more ! :goodvibes

:welcome: Thanks for joining in!!. Make sure you have a Frozen Butterbeer and have one for me!!:drinking1:

The Forbidden Journey was fantastic and well worth the queuing. Unfortunately when we went back I couldn't ride it again because my neck was playing up and I didn't want to make it worse. It does jerk around a bit but it's no problem unless you have neck issues like I do at times. Traveling and sleeping in a strange bed had taken it's toll and we still had Space Mountain and Star Tours coming up :thumbsup2. The others rode it again though.


Day 5 Sunday 8th Jan

Disney Marathon Day. Glad we were heading out of the area though DH said he wished he had known he might have entered. I said that's why I didn't tell you;) WWoHP and Universal day 2 awaited.

This was the last day of our room only reservation. Our package deal which included free dining started tonight with the HDDR:dance3: We had arranged to check out, check back in and receive our new package keys-to-the-world first thing. We were to be staying in the same Cabin so didn't need to pack.

This was not to be and the first little dint our precision plans arose. On waking we noticed the message light flashing on our phone. I hadn't noticed it last night but DH said he wondered why that was flashing :rolleyes: The message was an apology that we would have to move Cabins by this evening as they had to do some arboreal work in the 2100 loop. We would be moving just over the road to loop 2300 but we needed to have out stuff packed and bell services would move it all for us. This was going to be a problem as we were heading out to Universal and we wanted to get there right on opening so we could line up for Ollivanders.

I rang bell services and apart from the Disney/Universal rivalry jokes when I mentioned the "U" word they were very obliging and said we could call them up this afternoon when we had come back and packed and they would move us out while we went to HDD.

So all was fine. We went and checked out and checked back in and they gave us our new keys. All lovely. No problems. But those of you who are more experienced may see a problem here. It didn't occur to me at the time and I don't know why the CM didn't pick it up but it wasn't until we were in the car at Universal on the way home that I realised as we had checked out of Cabin 2143 our old keys wouldn't work. How were we to get back into the Cabin to pack!!

:rotfl:I can laugh about it now but we DH had to return our car and we had to be at the HDDR to get to by 5:45. I was a touch put out. I got onto FW front Desk and they said to stop off at the Outpost on the way back. They had a bit of a discussion behind the scenes and finally the CM came out with one key that would only work once. That is we could get back into our Cabin to pack. So back we went. DH quickly packed and got ready for the HDDR then went to drop off the car with strict instructions not to get lost as it was 4:30 and we had to be at HDD by 5:45. We packed and I arranged with Bell Services to move our stuff specifically stating that we had some stuff in the fridge. I had put all our groceries in plastic and left the cold things in the fridge. No problems they said.

At 5:30 I was starting to worry about where DH was when he got off the bus from the outpost (Alamo had dropped him there). We jumped straight on the next bus and made it to Pioneer Hall right on 5:45. We had a great time (more about that later and in my mini TR) and were happy to arrive at Cabin 2330 to see all our things had arrived. Except for the groceries from the fridge...

So I called again and had to explain the story, again. This time the CM was not quite as friendly. She couldn't understand what had happened. Why we had to move and I realised I was speaking to a generic CM as she didn't have a clue about what was happening at FW so I had to explain about the work in loop 2100. She snapped at me saying that they won't touch your groceries because of "health issues" :confused3 I said that maybe so but It's not what they told me and I would be happy to go across the road and grab the things out of the fridge but I no longer have a key!!! She finally understood and said she would contact Bell Services (the button I had pressed on the phone in the first place) "your at the Wilderness Lodge right?" "No Fort Wilderness Cabins. We were in 2143 now we are in 2330...:headache:"

Any way the stuff from our fridge arrived about half an hour later. The guy who brought them over didn't seem have a problem touching our groceries:confused3. It was the first and only time I had a problem with CM's. It was the Sunday night shift after all.

[OziJo]

(Day 5 Cont)

Despite the Cabin moving we had another great day at IoA/Universal.

This time we had no problems getting there and arrived promptly at 8:30am. After the 10min walked from the carpark we we able to get straight in even though it's not scheduled to open until 9am for those who stay offsite. We were through the gate by 8:40 and headed straight to Ollivanders. the crowds were not as big at this point and the wait for Ollivanders was only about 20mins.

We snapped a few shots while waiting in line:

Smoke coming out of a chimney:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ce216045.jpg

Here comes the sun:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8a66ad87.jpg

DD1 so happy to be there :yay::
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ac7dd610.jpg

DD3's reflection. Kinda' spooky:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/680d5a85.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/86f1a2ce.jpg

Inside:
Mr Ollivander:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/0c0c8786.jpg

The wall of wands:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5f0001c7.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/affb7db1.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3693433a.jpg

The experience is brief by very well done with atmospheric music and special effects. A boy was chosen to have a wand "choose" him and then Ollivander went through the magical process. Of course the first couple of wands weren't right but the right wand was found and we could all move through to the shop to choose our own wands if we so wished.

Well of course we wished and after some thought we decided on buying Hermione's wand as the family wand. It sits proudly on our piano with the phot0s from Forbidden Journey, Splash Mountain & HDDR :
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b31fd653.jpg

The display in the window of the main character wands:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/40fbdf00.jpg

Due to my neck problems I decided to sit out Forbidden Journey. That was a hard decision as I really had enjoyed it. So while the others went off I strolled streets and did some window shopping while sipping a Butterbeer :cloud9:

They then did Dragon Challenge again. There are two separate roller coasters that at one point appear to head straight for each other.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/66d486a6.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1cfcb23d.jpg

We bought our Harry Potter souvenirs. We bought t-shirts, scarfs, nicknacks and sweets for ourselves and for friends and relatives then reluctantly said goodbye to WWoHP. The girls vowed they would be back one day if not as a family then with friends.

We had a plan for a few other attractions. First up was The Hulk Roller Coaster. I sat out again. They rode it twice. Then we all did The Popeye Rapid Ride. We had bought ponchos for this but we still got really wet.

After Popeye we left IoA and had a light lunch brought from home on the lawn at Universal while we dried off from Popeye. Our shoes were soaked:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c1e9b1ea.jpg

DD1 & 3 wanted to do the Rockit Roller Coaster while DH, DD2 and I wanted to the Monster Make-up Show. As we had limited time we decided to split and meet up on the lawn.

DD2 is interested in the behind the scenes aspect of movies so was always keen to do these shows. Horror and special-effects especially interest her:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7499d37f.jpg

The show was fun. This guy was hilarious:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/698a2ae9.jpg

When we met up back at the lawn we noticed the Rockit wasn't operating but we couldn't see the other two. They eventually came wandering out. They had made it nearly to the end when the ride was stopped. They waited for a bit but decided to come down. It was disappointing. So we did Twister then left Universal via some last minute gift shopping. We were do do a lot of this in coming days as we found it hard to resist the lure of "The Gift Shop at the End of the Ride".

Au revoir Universal:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bf7c58d3.jpg
Note we waited until Australia had come into view.

We had the afternoon to pack while DH dropped off the car:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fa533021.jpg

Then it was off to the Hoop Dee Doo Review:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1b762864.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/60370f9e.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f0b826f6.jpg

So much fun and so much food :dance3: Bring on WDW and Free Dining:woohoo:

[5ofus]

Loving this report :) The HDDR is awesome isn't it? It'll be something I make sure I take my boys to on our trip in a few years.

[Travel Mum]

Loving reading your report OziJo and it brings back so many lovely memories to me. Oh my gosh, I'd love to go back! I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. :cheer2:

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Hi Mum from Oz! Thanks for joining:goodvibes.

I was surprised at how much the girls enjoyed KSC. They were truly engaged and interested. DD3 does really well at science and Maths and has said she wants to be a pilot. We had talked a little about her being an astrophysicist or and aeronautical engineer and after KSC she now sees that these are "real" career choices. She even believes now that being an astronaut is within the the realm of possibility :cool1:.

WE cannot wait to go to KSC and good on your daughter for shooting for the stars.

Loving all the pictures, how exciting.

[PrincessInOz]

What a shame about that CM...but hey...you can write about it NOW.

That's a great day at IoA. Glad you and the family enjoyed it.

[OziJo]

Loving this report :) The HDDR is awesome isn't it? It'll be something I make sure I take my boys to on our trip in a few years. We had sooo much fun. And the food!! DD2 asked for another bucket of fried chicken. Our CM server laughed and promptly obliged. I think she ate it all herself :rotfl: I loved it when all the servers came onstage with Strawberry Shortcakes! It was just a shame I was too full to eat much more at that point.

Loving reading your report OziJo and it brings back so many lovely memories to me. Oh my gosh, I'd love to go back! I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. :cheer2:

I want to go back too. I wish I could apparate To Potter World then to Fort Wilderness so I can take the boat to Magic Kingdom and finally to our apartment on the beach at Waikiki :cloud9: I could skip the plane trips.

WE cannot wait to go to KSC and good on your daughter for shooting for the stars.

Loving all the pictures, how exciting.

So glad you are all enjoying it. I'm loving reliving the experiences! Thanks for tagging along :flower3:

What a shame about that CM...but hey...you can write about it NOW.


That's right! What's a TR without a little drama :thumbsup2 If it wasn't for that one experience I would have had to make something up.

Everything else ran so smoothly thanks to all the advice for you PiO and others on the DISboards.:cool1: DH and the girls were so impressed by my organisation they bought me something in WDW, kept it hidden from me and surprised me with it on our last day in Honolulu. More about that later...

[OziJo]

Day 6 Mon 9th Jan

Day1 WDW 6 day Park Hopper

Magic Kingdom:yay:

We were up early, had a light breakfast and were on the bus to the Marina by 8:30. This was probably a bit later than I had planned but I wasn't stressing about getting there for rope drop. We were in holiday mode and though we were keen to do as much as possible it was going to be at a moderate rather than commando pace.

After a delightful boat ride, past the Wilderness and Contemporary Lodges right up to the gates of Magic Kingdom, we passed through bag check and were through the gates just after 9am:

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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8de628da.jpg

Our first glimpse up Main Street:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e8f4a587.jpg

They still had the Christmas Decorations up at this point. By the time we went back on Wednesday they had all gone. I was so glad we got to see some decos our first day:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a378ab17.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fe7b9841.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7e2ac711.jpg

Our first stop was Space Mountain so we were off to Tomorrowland:

Past topiary Mickey & Minnie:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/edf8bd15.jpg

Ahh Disney detailing :cloud9:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/698d9f21.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3a4a5c68.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3316862a.jpg

My favourite ride from 2009:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d0e08674.jpg

The wait time was 10mins so we grabbed a fast pass for later and rode now:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/eeac703b.jpg

Fun flight through the dark but wait a minute something was missing! Shouldn't there be flashing lights? Stars? Planets? :confused3 This wasn''t what we remembered. A bit of a disappointment.

We went and did Buzz Light year. I got the highest score :dance3: Then Stitch's Great Escape and decided to use our Space Mountain fast pass before we headed out of Tomorrowland.

This time someone had remembered to flick a switch somewhere! This was more like it. Awesome:woohoo:

We headed over to Liberty island and straight to Haunted Mansion. Back in '09 the Haunted Mansion had been closed so we all wanted to do it this time. Not scary at all. In fact kinda cute. I loved these gravestones:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/431ae9fa.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/15362528.jpg

After Haunted Mansion we decided to get some lunch at Columbia Harbor House. I wish I had some more photos but it was crowed around here that all we wanted to do was get inside and have lunch. I was surprised at the crowds. It's supposed to be off season. The atmosphere was great though and the crowds really didn't worry us too much. It just made getting a nice picture a little difficult in the narrow streets.

Here's one picture I snapped as we were heading away from Liberty Island:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/66d09026.jpg

Anyway we had a very nice QS lunch. It was our first real use of the Dining Plan and DH was impressed at the ease. We used 3 CS credits while I had the Chowder and ate from the other plates. Clam Chowder was one of the off plan items on my list and I really enjoyed it. Plenty of drink and dessert to go around (too much really) an enjoyable meal:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fde13110.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1bac6e29.jpg

DH had the Salmon, the DD's shared a lobster salad sandwich which came with a side of broccoli and a plate of nuggets and chips which came with a side of crisps. 3CS plus an off plan chowder was plenty. At this rate we were going to have CS credits to spare!

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Great use of your counter service points. Love how the sandwich came with a side of broccoli

[OziJo]

After lunch we went over to Frontierland and grabbed a Splash Mountain fast pass:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c9e9903a.jpg

The wait was bout 40 mins and we wanted to do Pirates asap. So back to Adventureland and the queue for PoC:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d36edc58.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ed4b3146.jpg

DD1 always so happy :littleangel:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/acc4f469.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c60a0667.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/28ade6ba.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a537124a.jpg

We walked out of PoC we came across the Captain Jack show. No Johnny Depp but us girls all agreed he was close ;)

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/047afed9.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3db170c6.jpg

Then back to Frontierland and Splash Mountain another of our favs from '09:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9094d52d.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/520b1f0a.jpg

DD3- Happiest when we are doing a ride that has some action :cheer2::
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/493b4054.jpg

We didn't buy this one. Next time:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6bc0cfff.jpg

We grabbed another fast pass but the return time was 5:45. I didn't think we would spend this much time in MK as it was DL '09 revisited. But we had so much fun that the day just flew. My plans for today had included some necessary laundry and then I thought we might go to Downtown Disney in the evening. DH & DD3 wanted to stay on and do Splash Mountain again so we split up and DD1&2 and me took a leisurely stroll through MK towards the entrance. We stopped to use a snack credit. we all had Mickey Oreo Icecream Cookies Yum!

DD2- Happiest when eating :cool1:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4ae32b69.jpg

We headed out past Crystal Palace where we would be having our Character Breakfast on Thursday:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/408ba6f3.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c031ef05.jpg

Past Cindy's castle:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b94bd56d.jpg

Stopped at the shops in Main Street...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4a749b08.jpg

Bought a couple of things and made mental lists of other things we wanted to buy. It was getting towards 5pm by this time and I still had the laundry to do. I was starting to think that Downtown Disney wasn't going to happen tonight so I called up DH and we agreed that he would pick up take out at Trails End when he got back to FW.

I thought we would get to Downtown one night but the combination of Park attractions and Fort Wilderness meant that we never made it. It was my one regret but looking back I don't know what we would have given up to go there. Ideally another day added to our stay. I think everyone here on the DISBoards would agree you can always do with another day :hippie:

Our trip back was pleasant and leisurely. I wasn't rushing to get to the laundry.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7416327b.jpg

We arrived back at Fort Wilderness. By now it felt like home:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/33204256.jpg

I got two large loads of laundry washed and dried once I had chased up enough quarters. The change machine in the laundry wasn't working so DD2 and I took the short stroll to the Meadows Trading Post where they changed some money for me. The main reason I had requested the 2100 loop was because it was close to the laundry and the Meadows Trading Post. It was also in walking distance of the Settlement but we generally caught the bus there. When we had to move it was only across the road to the 2300 loop so still close by. Also the bus stop was right outside our door!

By the time I was back with the last dried load, DH was calling saying he was on the bus on the way back with dinner. 4CS credits of fried chicken, nachos and chicken Ceasar salad drink and desserts. A bit of USA teli and bed by 10pm as usual.

A relaxing end to a Magic day. Tomorrow it's off to the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

[dara00]

Space Mountain - someone forgot the flashing lights? lol!

Haunted Mansion - I kept telling my kids it was the funny ghost ride so they wouldn't be scared. :)

[PrincessInOz]

That's a great day and lots of DD 1, 2 ,3 kilowatt smiles! I love that DD was so happy when eating....who wouldn't be with that Mickey oreo ice cream???


Great pics. Pity you didn't make it out to DTD; but you all look like you're having so much fun! :goodvibes

[NLD]

Found your TR, yay!

Just skimmed so far but will read better upon returning home.

That is one heck of a trip, WDW plus Hawaii! Wow! Totally jealous.

Your family is adorable.

[Moodyzblu]

Great update .. love all the pics ! :thumbsup2

Mickey Ice Cream sandwiches are one of my favs. :love:

[Mum from oz]

Great updates. I'd love to see the MK decorated for Christmas. It looks beautiful. That food looks great at CHH, what a great assortment you got.

[OziJo]

Hi to all my subbers and readers. Thanks for stopping by :yay:

Great use of your counter service points. Love how the sandwich came with a side of broccoli It was great and believe it or not we all really love broccolli :cool1:

Space Mountain - someone forgot the flashing lights? lol! :rotfl::confused3

I love that DD was so happy when eating....who wouldn't be with that Mickey oreo ice cream???

Mickey Ice Cream sandwiches are one of my favs. :love: We had them in Hawaii as well but not Mickey ones. Just didn't taste the same somehow...

Great updates. I'd love to see the MK decorated for Christmas. It looks beautiful. That food looks great at CHH, what a great assortment you got. I was so happy when we arrived and they still had some decos up. A touch of pixie dust for me.

Day 7 Tues 10th Jan

EPCOT!

Up early. A quick breakkie then we jumped on a bus to the Outpost.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/dcc50235.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8d00bb68.jpg

We waited at the bus stop
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a276bdf9.jpg

and watched as buses came and went for DHS, AK and DTD but no EPCOT. :confused3
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/eaa9b58e.jpg
The crowd was getting bigger with people wanting to go to EPCOT. So I asked a bus driver if there was a problem. The first driver just shrugged and said one will come along soon After we had been waiting for 40 mins another lady asked the next bus driver (who had an AK up 1 min after an AK bus had just gone past) what was going on! I stuck my head in and said we had been there for 40 mins. He got on the radio and after a brief discussion changed his sign to EPCOT. There must have been some problem with the EPCOT buses because it was the only time we waited for more than 15mins for a bus.

Anyway once we were on the bus we were there in 10mins. I had been prepared for it to take up to an hour and a half to get to the parks but even with the 45min wait for the bus we were there within the hour. Every other day it took no more than 30mins to or from including wait time. Apart from this hiccup, we were impressed by the bus system.

So we arrived at EPCOT
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/dd3f7243.jpg

Our first stop was supposed to be Soarin'. I knew from my planning that you had to get in early. But DH looked at the map and said lets do Spaceship Earth first while we are in the area. I knew this was not a good idea if we really wanted to do Soarin' but the truth was that I was the only one really keen to do Soarin'. I had loved it 3 years ago but DH and DD2 got dizzy and the others were looking at the map and wanting to do Test Track and Mission Space. So I was happy enough to give in. I was thinking we would get to Soarin' at some point.

We enjoyed Spaceship Earth, grabbed a FP for Test Track and then on to Mission Space. DH and I did the Green version while the girls did the Orange. DD1&3 were fine with the Orange while DD2 wished she had done the Green as the spinning made her little dizzy.

We then did Ellen's Universe of Energy which was good fun. Then on to Test Track and we all loved that one. Not too radical for me but speedy enough for daredevil DD3. We are the two ends of the spectrum. Usually If it's too radical for me then it's just right for DD3 and she gets bored if it's too tame. The others fall in between with DD2 sometimes sitting out with me on second or third goes, though she always gives everything at least one try. DD1 also likes rad rides but is happy with the tamer rides as well while DH will give everything a go as long as it doesn't spin.

After test track we headed over to Soarin' thinking we would get a FP and go back after lunch. We took a couple of pics on the way:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e9c56488.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a856842c.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1aba8151.jpg

I loved all they fountains and they were especially appealing at night!

FP's were still available but not until 8pm and we had a dinner ressie at 7:30pm!! Damn! I knew we should have gone there first. DH said something about hindsight but I had all the info I needed. I just needed everyone else to listen to me. I was disappointed but at this point we had another EPCOT day planned so I just gave them all a little lecture about how mother knows best and they all agreed to bow to my greater knowledge in the future. There was so much to do anyway so we headed over to International Showcase.

We were getting hungry and it was nearly lunchtime. DD1 said she felt like sushi so we made our way around the lake taking in the sites as we wandered:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6b4dc48e.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4d09f098.jpg

Past England:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/60a24ba9.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/2966a866.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1099b173.jpg
Mary Poppins:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/23a9a29a.jpg

France:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/de23c80c.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/0063d994.jpg

Looking over to the USA:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/510f0b63.jpg

Morrocco...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3bf6494e.jpg

[OziJo]

(Day 7 Tues Jan 10th cont)

And into Japan...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8c475abc.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/43de1aef.jpg

...to be greeted by the drummers:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7f490d9e.jpg

Of course they had Sushi and other yummy Japanese dishes. Another great use of the QS credits:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a5102aba.jpg

We wanted to do China and the 360 degree movie next so we kept walking around the lake past USA. More beautiful Christmas decorations:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/27f3b845.jpg
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Italy:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/006db6b4.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/60b066f2.jpg

Germany:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/85a41471.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/69e43477.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a7a3b337.jpg

Out towards Mexico where we were having dinner that night:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/dfc5a3f3.jpg

To China:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/12ef95ea.jpg

The movie was stunning as were all the beautiful buildings in all the Countries.

It was around about 4.30pm and we decided to go back and do the American Adventure which was scheduled to start soon. So despite the whinging of the girls who were tired and didn't want to rush we made for the good old USA and got there just in time. The show was interesting if a little corny. DD2&3 fell asleep :rotfl: So much for taking in a little US history while in the country.

It was late afternoon and we still had a bit of time before our ressie so we strolled back past UK and watched a humorous street show version of The Search for the Holy Grail. We looked in the UK shops and listened to a band play some English pop rock classics. DH thought it would be funny to take this shot:thumbsup2:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4a8cb961.jpg

After that we stopped in on Canada and checked out their 360 Movie:
Again stunning. Victoria Gardens in miniature on the way out:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4173e498.jpg

Some great Tourism promos going on here. Where's Australia! I reckon we could squeeze in somewhere between China and Germany.

After Canada we went back into Future World and visited Figment. So cute.We made our own Figments after. DH sent his home via e-mail.

When we came out it was dark and the Fountains were all lit up:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9cb5ab8c.jpg

We spent a bit of time watching some kids play with the water jets as they jumped from fountain to fountain:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e0baa8a8.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7bd7b97d.jpg

They were getting wet :rotfl:

It was now nearly dinner time and we were getting hungry.

[OziJo]

It was time for dinner:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/76fc7e40.jpg

We checked in at La Hacienda at around 6:50pm. Our ressie was for 7pm and they gave us a buzzer. We were a little tired so we sat down on the steps outside the Pyramid and listened to the Mariachi band playing. 20mins later our buzzer went off and we were seated at about 7:10pm. Not bad.

The restaurant was beautiful...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b793d11a.jpg
...with full length windows that promised a good view of Illuminations. We were going to take it as it comes. If we finished well before 9pm we would go out and try for a spot outside otherwise we would have a comfortable view from where we were seated.

We started with drinks, salsa and corn chips. All fresh tasting and delicious. Our Margarita's were superb and just what I needed after our long day at EPCOT:

The corn chips were good too. DD2 loved the black ones:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6fa68f18.jpg
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We ate up all the salsa and guacamole but left a lot of the corn chips so we wouldn't fill up for our mains of a mixed grill for 2, chicken, stuffed shrimp and pork loin with sides of rice and black beans:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c44b3a2f.jpg

The food was delicious and the girls tried everything. We were a little disappointed that they didn't have Chocolate and Churros for dessert but we ordered 2 servings of the Mexican Icecream, 2 of the chocolate souffle and 1 of the apple strudel type dish. And we polished them all off!!! No photos. I wonder why?

Before we knew it Illuminations had started and we turned our attention to the windows:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f9378140.jpg
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We had comfortable if not full view and the music was piped through the restaurant. The windows ran the length of the restaurant and the above pictures don't do it justice as we were actually too busy watching to take too may photos. It was a magical end to a wonderful day.

[PrincessInOz]

Great day at Epcot (despite the bus issue). :goodvibes

[Moodyzblu]

Cool pics of Illuminations through the windows ! My son would love that .. he isn't too keen on the loud noise from fireworks .. but this looks perfect. Was that a special meal or did you just happen to have ADR's for that time period ?

I just LOVE Epcot !! :love:

[OziJo]

Was that a special meal or did you just happen to have ADR's for that time period ?

No it wasn't a special meal. We had a 7pm ADR, were seated by 7:15 and ordered around 7:30. Then a leisurely paced meal meant that we were fixing up the bill just as Illuminations started. By this time the restaurant had cleared out a bit. It was lovely . We could move around the restaurant and the staff all stopped to watch. There was a great atmosphere.

I would recommend it for anyone who likes a fireworks display without the crowds and loud noise. On the other hand if you really want to get a full view of the lake and the sky then you need to stake out your place early around the lake. My family were all for the great meal with the added bonus of a comfortable view. :cool1:

[OziJo]

Day 8 Wed 11th Jan

Disney's Hollywood Studios!

Today was the only Disney day we had rain and it really wasn't a problem. The temperature was still mild with the heaviest rain right on lunchtime and we were able to eat undercover.

It was an EMH so we arrived at DHS by 8:30 and were through the gates by 8:50am.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ab004e1d.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5a194523.jpg


We studied the map...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ce637252.jpg

...then headed straight for Star Tours:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5e441442.jpg
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Star Tours was DH and my favourite ride back in '92 when we first went together. In '09 it was still fun but it did seem a little dated. So with the refurb we were excited to be doing Star Tours again.

It was great to see some old friends:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/abe2f1d3.jpg

We got the Hoth and Death Star variation. It was fantastic and we went straight back and rode it a second time as the wait time was minimal. We were hoping to get a different variation but unfortunately it was the same with some slight differences. We planned to go back though.

Our next stop was Rockin Roller Coaster:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/661ced60.jpg

I sat out but was convinced to ride it the next time. I'm glad I did. It was fun. Even though we went upside down:scared1:it was only for a sec and the take off at the beginning was awesome.

Then over to Tower of Terror:scared1:I had set myself the goal of doing this one. I knew that there was an opportunity to leave the ride before the drop and I was keen to experience the set up. Love the details:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bd44d4b8.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3d44a64e.jpg

Well I did it!! And it wasn't all that bad, in fact not bad at all. Don't know what I was worried about :rolleyes1

I was feeling so brave that I did Rockin' roller Coaster next.:cool1:

We used our snack credits for some light refreshments (pretels and diet cokes) while we watched a street show. We then tried to get into Indiana Jones but standing Room only. Probably because it was drizzling a bit by now.

Instead we decided to do the backlot tour as the rain came down a little heavier:
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Universal LA is still the best backlot tour we've been on but this was fun. My favourite part though was the costumes and props at the end:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e7f622b4.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/01a27c2a.jpg

[OziJo]

(Day 8 Wed 11th Jan cont)

Lunchtime and it was really raining now. We found a seat at Studio Catering and had some yummy sandwiches:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/54333d78.jpg

After lunch it was time for Indiana Jones. This time we got there with plenty of time to spare. DD1 jumped up and volunteered and was chosen as a cast member:woohoo:
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So exciting!!

We then did Star Tours again. This time we got Kashykk & Coruscant. Love it!!! Star Tours is still my favourite ride (closely followed by Space Mountain) and now it's better than ever. DH gets a little dizzy on virtual rides and the girls prefer roller coaster but I love the idea that you are amongst the action.

After Star Tours we tried for Toy Story but the wait was too long and there were no FP left so first thing Saturday for sure.

We did the Movie Ride which was really enjoyable. An animatronic ride that puts you amongst the action of a movie set. Low tech for these days but still a great concept.

The rain was clearing and it was time for the Lights, Motor, Action Stunt Show. Very impressive. We videoed here so no photos.

After a long day we headed home and caught a bus to FW within 15mins. Back at the Cabin DH and i took an evening stroll to pick some packages up from the Meadow Trading Post then we all changed and went to Trails End for an all you can eat buffet dinner using our last TS credits. I had suggested a trip to DTD but no one was keen to go too far. The food at TE is not high class but it's yummy and plentiful. The girls especially enjoyed the all you can eat buffet.

Home, some teli and in bed again by 10pm.

Next up MK revisited and a Character Breakfast with Pooh Bear and friends.

[dara00]

that is so cool that your dd was picked for the show!

[alicia1506]

Instead I had a frozen Butterbeer. I had heard how good it was but words can not describe :lovestruc:cloud9::love:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/dcf18f27.jpg



i know, right!?!?! it was the most amazing thing we'd ever tried too. we'd fly back, just for a taste.

we'll be in orlando the night before our cruise, and it's breaking my heart that we won't be able to go to wwohp and try that delicious butterbeer...

i'll just have to work it into the 2013 trip :)

[Travel Mum]

FP's were still available but not until 8pm and we had a dinner ressie at 7:30pm!! Damn! I knew we should have gone there first. DH said something about hindsight but I had all the info I needed. I just needed everyone else to listen to me. I was disappointed but at this point we had another EPCOT day planned so I just gave them all a little lecture about how mother knows best and they all agreed to bow to my greater knowledge in the future. There was so much to do anyway so we headed over to International Showcase.

Getting Soaring Fastpasses is the reason that I had my biggest burst of exercise ever at a Disney park! :rotfl2: Often my touring plans were for me speed off and get the FP's while DH took the girls and waited me at the next ride. At rope drop at EP, we followed my touring plan which was for me to hustle over to Soarin to get FP's while DH took the girls and waited for me at Test Track. So we did that but I had so underestimated the size of Epcot and that was such a long haul to walk as fast as I could, whilst trying not to run, all the way (it would have looked quite amusing! :lmao:) to Soarin and then to turn around and do the same walk/run all the way back to Test Track !!!!. Also, I was not alone and there were several other people doing serious power walking on the same route as me except they looked prepared for it whilst I was a bit in shock :rotfl:

[OziJo]

I couldn't do it. Being that close to Butterbeer and not being able to get me some :drool:

[OziJo]

Getting Soaring Fastpasses is the reason that I had my biggest burst of exercise ever at a Disney park! :rotfl2: Often my touring plans were for me speed off and get the FP's while DH took the girls and waited me at the next ride. At rope drop at EP, we followed my touring plan which was for me to hustle over to Soarin to get FP's while DH took the girls and waited for me at Test Track. So we did that but I had so underestimated the size of Epcot and that was such a long haul to walk as fast as I could, whilst trying not to run, all the way (it would have looked quite amusing! :lmao:) to Soarin and then to turn around and do the same walk/run all the way back to Test Track !!!!. Also, I was not alone and there were several other people doing serious power walking on the same route as me except they looked prepared for it whilst I was a bit in shock :rotfl:

After reading your TR and others I knew this is what I had to do but I think I was in moderate mode and I suppose I never really believed we would miss out. Oh well I'm sure we will be back one day, at least to CAP.

[PrincessInOz]

Alicia - I'm the same. Couldn't be in Orlando and NOT have any frozen butterbeer.


Nice update Jo! :thumbsup2

[battymum]

Lovin the TR - Jo,

How did you find the weather in January - I had dismissed going in January because i didnt want to tour in winter - but it looks like it was perfect, shorts and tshirts time for you guys. Did you go to the water parks?

Also what were the crowd levels like.

If I ever hope to go again (not likely) it will have to be in January due to school commitments - (although just a bit of parental bragging, even though she missed 9 days of school, including yearly exams, my DD topped Year 10 in English and History and got a high commendation in Science:thumbsup2)

[ash-n-brensmom]

I'm here and all caught up! Looks like you guys had a great vacation! Lucky that DD1 got picked to be up on stage...pretty cool! I can't wait to read more!

[OziJo]

How did you find the weather in January - I had dismissed going in January because i didnt want to tour in winter - but it looks like it was perfect, shorts and tshirts time for you guys. Did you go to the water parks?

Also what were the crowd levels like.

The weather was perfect. Apart from that day at DHS the skies were clear and most of the time we wore shorts or 3/4's and t-shirts with a light jacket. The crowds were heavier than I had expected but manageable. It seems that Jan crowds this year were larger than anticipated in general..

If I ever hope to go again (not likely) it will have to be in January due to school commitments - (although just a bit of parental bragging, even though she missed 9 days of school, including yearly exams, my DD topped Year 10 in English and History and got a high commendation in Science:thumbsup2)

Brag away:thumbsup2 Well done DD!! Was it your DD who bought her formal dress and shoes while you were away? How was her formal? My DD2 did the same thing whenwe went to Ala Moana, though it's not certain they will even have a yr 10 formal this year. The choice was so good and the prices so amazing we couldn't resist:cool1:

[OziJo]

I'm here and all caught up! Looks like you guys had a great vacation! Lucky that DD1 got picked to be up on stage...pretty cool! I can't wait to read more!

Thanks for stopping by:wave2:

[OziJo]

Day 9 Thurs 12th Jan

Magic Kingdom Revisited!

A relaxed morning as we headed off to MK for a 10:20am brunch at Crystal Palace. It was still a little overcast but it cleared up to be another beautiful day:

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I actually found it hard to get these shots of the landmarks because there always seemed to be large tour groups hanging around in front. I suppose the landmarks were meeting points. Also my family never wanted to pose for long or wouldn't wait for the space to clear so I had to take what I could get as quick as possible. Anyway the photos catch a moment in time and that's what's important:cool1:

Here I managed to get DD3 to pose but the sun was in her eyes:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/670b83d1.jpg

We arrived at MK in time to ride Space Mountain one more time. Then DH&DD3 went to get a Splash Mountain FP while the rest of us went to check in at Crystal Palace. On the way we came across Peter Pan who asked me if I wanted to go to Neverland. I said no thanks I'm happy here but the girls would like a photo. So he asked DD1 and she said sure. Then he said do you know how to get there and quick as a flash she answered "second star to the right, and straight on till morning". Of course not to be outdone PP shot back "well good luck with that as it's..." DD finished his sentence "daytime". He had a chuckle as she was interrupting his patter. He hadn't counted on coming across a fellow actor so early in the day. But he stayed in character and let us take this photo:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/0cbcb718.jpg

It was a good sign that the girls were getting into the Character Spirit.

We checked in at Crystal Palace...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1797b2df.jpg
...and were seated by 10:10.

Almost as soon as we were seated Tigger came around:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9d31c984.jpg

The girls then went to get their first plate when Piglet came over so I had to pose:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/94281d26.jpg

The food was yum...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/51533490.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ec007d50.jpg

...especially the french toast which was found on the kids buffet. We had unlimited juice and coffee. DH had an omelet made fresh, our second plate was eggs bacon and sausage and DD3 just had to try the chocolate Mickey Waffles:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/56a72641.jpg

Eyeore, DD2's fav came over next:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/68d314b5.jpg

Then Piglet came back:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/33b55d5f.jpg

We were starting to wonder where Pooh had got to when finally he arrived. Such a sweetie:
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DH said "thanks WTP!". Pooh thought that was funny:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b4a0cc13.jpg

It was a wonderful experience and one we may not have had if it wasn't for Free Dining. The girls really got into the spirit and the food was delish! Another lovely Disney memory to cherish.

[Moodyzblu]

Great pics !! Love the Peter pan story too ... :goodvibes
Breakfast looked like a lot of fun and yummy ! :thumbsup2

[OziJo]

(Day 9 Thurs 12th Jan cont)

After brunch and with full bellies we thought we would use our Splash Mountain FP's. Unfortunately it wasn't operating but we were told we could use our FP's anytime that day.

The girls were in the Character mood so they lined up for Woody & Jessie:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ae05ad24.jpg

Then we wandered over to POC.

DH had the camera and was playing around with the settings trying to get some dark ride shots. A few turned out ok but we still have a lot to learn about using our camera:
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/13ca51a3.jpg

I then convinced my family to do It's a Small World. Actually the only one who was obliged was DD2 who had made a deal with me that if I bought her a necklace from the Pirates gift shop she would do SW. The others had a choice. They could wait around, do Hall of the Presidents with dad or SW with me. When the girls all chose SW, DH decided that he would join us. We never made it to Presidents.

Splash Mountain was still not operating. Everyone was feeling kinda lazy today so we decided that we would go back to our Cabin for a rest and come back to MK in the evening. We made our way slowly back to FW enjoying the beautiful afternoon. We took a few photos outside our Cabin:
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Then the girls set up all our goodies while DH and I went for a walk:
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Around about 5pm we headed back to MK. It was a beautiful evening down at the Marina. The birds thoughts so too and DD2 took hold of the camera. She was experimenting with settings and wanted to take a few arty shots. I think she did quite well:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e3c180c2.jpg
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I especially like this one as the boat was cutting through the water. She was hanging over the edge to get this shot right in front of the sign that said "For your safety stay wholly within the boat".
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/98fc63a2.jpg
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The Monorail:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c13b8bab.jpg

[Moodyzblu]

What beautiful pictures ! I love seeing the nature shots. :love:
It's just so gorgeous there. :goodvibes

[OziJo]

Magic Kingdom at night was magic and as we entered we saw the end of the Parade:
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Cindy's Castle at night So pretty :cloud9:. It was jam packed with people in front. I tried to get a shot people free for a change. This was the best I could do:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/2fb76f1b.jpg
Ta da:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/176dba1a.jpg


Splash was working :yay::woohoo: and we rode straight away with our FP's

Then it was dinner time. We were starving since we had had nothing since brunch. We went to Peco Bills and used 4 CS credits. We got the onion rings on a snack credit here. We had plenty to spare:
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While we were eating the Electric Parade went past. We had a good view from outside Pecos standing on the fence. I missed the start but I got a few photos:

Our friend Peter Pan:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ce8ad0af.jpg

The dwarfs and their mine cart:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1497a434.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d435db09.jpg

Pinocchio:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/48a72de0.jpg

Puff the Magic Dragon:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bf25d8cc.jpg

[OziJo]

Then it was time for Wishes. We were in Frontierland and found a spot on the bridge. It was a distant but unobstructed view.

DD2 again took the camera. She just snapped away and took 500 shots!! They weren't too bad considering she is an absolute novice with a DSLR, had no tripod and basically didn't know what the heck she was doing :lmao: Here are just a few:

DD1 ready for it to begin:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/53738da1.jpg

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/730854cf.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/133b49f5.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d485f0d6.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/aa30d912.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b4bce7e7.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5321ffd1.jpg

The big finale. The castle is visible in the bottom right corner:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5ad2012b.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/697f80a0.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/034d9904.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5497a157.jpg

They made an announcement that the park would stay open an extra hour so we went off and rode Splash Mountain again. On the way out we watched Magic, Memories and You which was a repeat showing. Then it was Bye Bye Magic Kingdom.

It was a Beautiful Day!

Next Animal Kingdom and Artist's Point.

[battymum]

Nice photos!!

But I know what you mean about the family getting impatient - I too had a new camera and by the time I took the photo three times because the settings werent right, the moment had passed!!

At one point DD grumbled to her Dad, "next time she is getting a camera with film, and she has got 24shots - thats it!!"

and yes it was my DD who bought the formal dress from Macys in NYC - it was a hit on the night - and definitely noone else had the same - there were a few girls at her function that had the same dress that we knew cost hundreds of $$$. (Maybe I can justify another trip for Year 12:rolleyes1)

Our school has moved away from having an official Year10 formal, which was a shame, because up until last year they always had a harbour cruise - this was a private function organised by a couple of the girls in a local function centre - it went off really well.

[OziJo]

What beautiful pictures ! I love seeing the nature shots. :love:
It's just so gorgeous there. :goodvibes

It was beautiful and so relaxing :cloud9: We loved it there. :hippie:

Nice photos!!

But I know what you mean about the family getting impatient - I too had a new camera and by the time I took the photo three times because the settings weren't right, the moment had passed!! Ditto but when DD2 and DH got a hold of the camera they fiddled with settings and took hundreds of shots. They just weren't trying to get anyone to pose.

and yes it was my DD who bought the formal dress from Macys in NYC - it was a hit on the night - and definitely noone else had the same - there were a few girls at her function that had the same dress that we knew cost hundreds of $$$. (Maybe I can justify another trip for Year 12:rolleyes1) With the ridiculous cost of yr 12 formals these days combining a family holiday with dress buying may actually be a saving. At the very least try for Hawaii in Jan. There were some amazing bargains :thumbsup2

Our school has moved away from having an official Year10 formal, which was a shame, because up until last year they always had a harbour cruise - this was a private function organised by a couple of the girls in a local function centre - it went off really well.Yes our school has done that too but talk is that it won't be happening this year at all. I told DD she should get onto it.

[dara00]

wow, great updates! I love the character photos and the nature photos. I'm jealous of your main street electrical parade pics - my camera battery died and anyway wouldn't have taken such nice ones. The Move It Shake It Parade looks really great with that dusk sky behind it too!

The cabin you stayed in looks so cute!

[lisateaches]

We were there on the same days! We had so much fun too. It looks like our park days didn't match though. I really wanted to go to WWOHP, but it wasn't possible this trip. We have never been to IoA at all. Excellent weather! I love your trip report. Wonderful pics.

[maryr1oz]

Still loving your report! :cool1:

Sounds like you had a fantastic trip :love:

[battymum]

You know I am seriously considering the option of Hawaii in January - hurry up with your TR !! Can you tell me what you paid for flights and when you booked.

I was contemplating heading to the world again and cruising in March 2014 without the children, as its really not financially viable to go again with them - now I am thinking WDW can wait and we might be able to do Hawaii as a family - because they wont stop growing up!!!

[OziJo]

Battymum,
I can't tell you exactly what we paid because I booked online through QANTAS on a multi-city booking. So I don't even know what the Hawaii legs came to.

I would recommend staying where we stayed. It's not a resort. It's a condominium complex run by both Outrigger and Castle. It's right on the beach and close to everything Waikiki has to offer. Also it's easy access to Ala Moana by bus or trolley. We did day trips to Pearl Harbour and hired a car for a day and cruised the North Shore. I will get to my that part of my TR soon but here's a taste:
Views from our lanai:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bf2480ba.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/cc968c03.jpg

Me on the beach with our apartment building and Diamond Head in the background. Note the Mickey Sunglasses:thumbsup2:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/10ac7efe.jpg

[PrincessInOz]

Nice that the DDs are taking the camera and using it. Definitely putting it to good use.

Thanks for sharing.

[Mum from oz]

What a great Peter Pan interaction! Crystal Palace looks yummy. I can't wait to get back there for that French toast. I really love your trip report!

[ash-n-brensmom]

Those are some pretty awesome pics!! Great job with a new camera! Looks like a wonderful day at MK!!:love:

[heathsf]

I am subscribing now, but will come back later to read and catch up

[OziJo]

wow, great updates! I love the character photos and the nature photos. I'm jealous of your main street electrical parade pics - my camera battery died and anyway wouldn't have taken such nice ones. The Move It Shake It Parade looks really great with that dusk sky behind it too!

The cabin you stayed in looks so cute! Oh Dara you have some fantastic photos on your TR :thumbsup2 and the cabins were perfect. Our Disney Cabin in the Woods. Just as I had imagined when I booked.

We were there on the same days! We had so much fun too. It looks like our park days didn't match though. I really wanted to go to WWOHP, but it wasn't possible this trip. We have never been to IoA at all. Excellent weather! I love your trip report. Wonderful pics. The weather was great wasn't it. :cloud9: Are you doing a TR Lisa? Send me a link if you do

Still loving your report! :cool1:

Sounds like you had a fantastic trip :love: Thanks Mary:goodvibes :hippie:

Nice that the DDs are taking the camera and using it. Definitely putting it to good use.

Thanks for sharing. DD2 takes some great shots and knows more than me about the camera.

What a great Peter Pan interaction! Crystal Palace looks yummy. I can't wait to get back there for that French toast. I really love your trip report! French Toast :drool: It's on the kids buffet remember:thumbsup2

Those are some pretty awesome pics!! Great job with a new camera! Looks like a wonderful day at MK!!:love: Thank you Kara :goodvibes:hippie:

I am subscribing now, but will come back later to read and catch upAloha :welcome:party:

[OziJo]

Day 10 Fri 13th Jan

Animal Kingdom

We had a slow start to the day with DD2 dragging the chain but I wasn't worried as AK was always going to be a relaxed day. It was cool and overcast but it never rained. We all wore jackets and all except DD3 wore jeans.

We arrived by 9:30 grabbed our Maps and headed straight for Expedition Everest admiring the scenery as we went along:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c2f807a3.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e227f952.jpg

In the line at Everest. So much detail as usual:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4590fc47.jpg

EE was so much fun we did it again straight away! We turned towards Africa wandering through the colourful street and shops with music and dancing accompanying us and joined the next safari.

The animals were out and about:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/2123d44a.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5c16e10d.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/604a1d18.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f10d8845.jpg

We rescued the baby elephant:thumbsup2 then went straight to the Pangani Forest Trail:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/86d6d5c5.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5c052ca4.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/227b37a8.jpg

The others wanted to do EE again and I had no objections. They had looked at the guide and decided that was the only ride worth their time. So back to Asia to brave the Yeti once again :thumbsup2

After EE it was lunchtime so we found a seat at Yak and Yeti which was really crowded. Here DH & DD3 lined up while the rest of us kept the table. This was the longest we ever waited for service. The food was good, not great but the desserts here were the best CS choices we have had. I took a picture after we'd eaten our entree but before dessert:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6bea7bf8.jpg

During lunch we decided that there was really all that much more we wanted to see so we would take the train to Rafiki's Conservation Research Centre then head home to begin packing so we could spend all day tomorrow at the parks before having to leave early Sunday morn. We enjoyed the train ride and wandering around the centre. We relaxed in the booth during the Rainforest Experience and checked out the displays.

After Rafiki's we considered doing Dinosaur but there was a bit of a wait and we all agreed to leave the park and head home.

It was sad but we were starting to look towards the next part of our trip and I was wondering about the arrangements for DME pick up and airline check-in. I wasn't expecting any DME info to arrive before the next day but I just wanted to check and make sure they had our flight details. I had given them to our TP before we left and she had said she had booked it all. Then we checked-in at the DME counter on arrival they said they didn't have any departure details. So I showed our flight details and she entered it into the computer.

I was still a bit concerned and rightly so. We stopped off at the front desk on our way back from AK and I asked if they could check it for us. She said they didn't have our details! Unfortunately I didn't have them on me at the time so when we got back to the cabin I got DH to call and he said we were all set for a 6:20am pickup.

A little later someone dropped off some DME info. It said they couldn't confirm our flight details but to bring the letter with our names and resort details and show that to the driver. I came to believe the problem was that we had a QANTAS flight number for an AA flight. It didn't seem to bother the humans we spoke to but the computer system didn't seem to be able to handle it. I know that these flights usually have both a QANTAS and an AA flight number but the AA number wasn't on on our ticket. If someone at some point had said you need an AA flight number then I would have made some inquiries. But everyone we gave our flight details to said "no problem" and it was only after we received that final notice that our flight details couldn't be confirmed that I figured it out.

At that point we decided to just turn up for the DME pick up time of 6:20 for our 9:20 flight. We arranged with bell services to pick us up in their van with all our luggage and they gave us a pick up time of 5:30. This would give us time to do check-in at the desk.

Anyway with that sorta sorted I put it out of my mind. We still had a day and a half to enjoy Disney before heading off to Waikiki.

[OziJo]

(Day 10 Fri 13th Jan cont)

Artist's Point & the Wilderness Lodge

Back at the Cabin we sorted out our things and packed as much as possible. We had a 6:15 pm ADR at Artist's Point and I had wanted to get there early to have a look around the Lodge. As it turned out we didn't leave until 5:30. We caught the boat and arrived at the restaurant right on 6pm. We checked in and were let in straight way. We were going to have to check out the Lodge after dinner.

We were immediately impressed by the Lodge from the short walk up the path to the restaurant itself. It was dark outside and we didn't really have time to linger so I didn't get any photos until we were seated.

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/70948243.jpg

Just one of the beautiful paintings in the restaurant.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d45b1e4c.jpg

We ordered and our bread and drinks arrived:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6a1a4f10.jpg

This meal was a 2 TS credit meal and it was a special event so we decided to order off plan and try a couple of appetizers. I had heard the Portobello Soup was a house specialty and we liked the sound of the beets and pear salad with white cheese:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3b1eb5c6.jpg

They were both delicious and even DD2, who was acting too grumpy for my liking, had a try and said it was good. She wasn't happy because she had taken one look at the menu and thought she wouldn't like anything on it. This is typical DD2 behavior when it comes to food. If she doesn't like the sound of the menu she acts all grumpy.

I wasn't going to let it spoil my night though. Our waiter was great, very friendly and attentive asking us about Australia and saying he had a teenage daughter so understood about Grumpy and he tried to make her laugh. It didn't work though and when he walked away there were some tears. I just kept ignoring her. The rest of us where really enjoying the atmosphere and DH and I were enjoying the wine :thumbsup2 She got over it when her meal came and she found she enjoyed the Thai Style Seafood Hotpot. I mean who wouldn't when faced with this:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9be16461.jpg

Our girls all enjoy seafood and we eat a lot of Thai so this was perfect for them.

DH had the Buffalo and I had the Salmon and we each tried some of the other:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3370d159.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f0518e08.jpg

Each was served with a different tasty vegetable puree and some tender baby vegetables. The Salmon was delicious and perfectly cooked with a crisp peppery skin. The Buffalo was tender as well but didn't have enough flavour for DH. I'm not much of a red meat eater but I enjoyed the Buffalo. For me it had plenty of flavour. The servings don't look like much but there was plenty and we still had room for the best part of the meal- dessert!

I had the cobbler with house specialty berry icecream:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d0a6f5ab.jpg

The icecream was to die for and while the cobbler was good I could have just had an extra scoop of icecream.

DH & DD1 had the Pana Cotta:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7dfde3e3.jpg
Delicious

While DD2&3 had the chocolate cake:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/dd9fbf4e.jpg

DD2 said the other day she still dreams about that chocolate cake. It was crisp on the outside with a saucy centre. Yes DD2 had got over the grumps helped along by our wonderful server who brought out 3 clip on light up Tinkerbell's because he thought it might have been him who made her cry. Poor fella. I assured him it wasn't and he was pleased to see them all smiling and clipping on their Tinkerbells. Suffice to say he was rewarded with the top suggested tip:thumbsup2

After dinner we went out to the Lodge foyer and were impressed to say the least:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6db4811d.jpg
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It was beautiful!

There were Indian Headdresses behind glass...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4247c241.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3a09a4ac.jpg

...and detailed themed fixtures
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d4fe1ba9.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ec8398f0.jpg

The girls found a wifi hotspot and updated facebook:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d9c796ba.jpg

This had been an ongoing theme wherever we went. I had some data on my plan but it ran out and DD1 became and expert at finding wifi hotspots for her phone.

When we went outside to catch the bus the wind had come up and it was really cold for the first time in our trip. we found some shelter and had a short wait for the bus to FW.

On the bus the girls turned on their Tinkerbell lights:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7f1dc03a.jpg

Tomorrow our final day in Disney World:sad1:

[Travel Mum]

You know I am seriously considering the option of Hawaii in January - hurry up with your TR !! Can you tell me what you paid for flights and when you booked.

Hawaii in January is top of my list too Battymum! DD2 will turn 12 in March so I'm wondering if we can get one more trip in while she is a child fare. Plus, after having lots of Honolulu holidays with my parents while I was younger, its high time I got back there :thumbsup2 However, our airfares ex NZ are so high for HNL compared to yours from Oz because Air NZ has quite a monopoly.

So Jo, I am also very much looking forward to your HNL segment :banana:

[alicia1506]

this is a great trip report -- i can't wait to be back at disneyland -- also loving the light up tinkerbells :)

[OziJo]

this is a great trip report -- i can't wait to be back at disneyland -- also loving the light up tinkerbells :)

Your so lucky to be going back!! :cool1::yay::woohoo: I can see us getting back to Disneyland and Hawaii but WDW and WWoHP may be out of reach for us as well.:sad1:

[alicia1506]

Your so lucky to be going back!! :cool1::yay::woohoo: I can see us getting back to Disneyland and Hawaii but WDW and WWoHP may be out of reach for us as well.:sad1:

lol. yeah, we made a deal. a trip each year, unless something precludes it. and since we're in love with disneyland...

this year, dcl cruise to the caribbean, chicago & disneyland.

next year, cruise with my sis, me, carlo & his brother to hawaii (maybe) and visit disneyland again, with a trip back to wwohp and nyc.

2014 -- we're thinking lightening fast trip to uk/france/italy/germany/switzerland -- but may be another usa trip ... we're not yet sure.

[battymum]

Ive only been looking briefly but airfares to SYD-HNL seem exorbitant -I'm having a hard time trying to justify it - its pretty much the same as going to LA (which is not much less than going to the east coast)

Although if I went back to the east coast, I would want to do exactly the same trip, with a cruise and NYC as well. :confused3


Jo, sorry for thread hijack - I have a habit of doing that! :hug:

[ash-n-brensmom]

It just goes to show, that even at WDW we can have an off day. I have one just like that...moods can change like the winds. Fun, isn't it? ;) Glad she perked up as the meal went on...I think that sometimes Disney can be a little overwhelming and we need a break. BTW, freaky pic with those Tinkerbells...love it!!

[NLD]

Mmmm, AP looks so yummy!

Also love the Tinkerbell lights picture!

[2Monkeys]

Great report! Looking forward to reading about Hawaii!!

[OziJo]

Day 11 Sat 14th Jan

Last Day Disney :sad1:
DHS and EPCOT revisited.

Woke up to our only really cold morning but we were keen to hit DHS early so we could ride Toy Story. Our first stop though was breakfast and we used up a few snack credits on tea, coffee, hot chocolate and pastries:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/00bab660.jpg

Then onto Toy Story where there was already a long wait. We grabbed a fast pass then rode Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/236c3373.jpg

...and headed over to ride Star Tours for the 4th and last time. This time we got Tatooine and Coruscant. Of our four rides we managed to visit Hoth, the Death Star, Kashykk, Tatooine and Coruscant. We were happy that we had experienced a good range of Star tour variations.

This time DD2 was the Rebel Spy and we thought that was a nice bit of fairy dust to end our Disney trip. When we got home we were talking about how DD2 was the rebel spy and DD1 was chosen for Indiana Jones and DD3 quietly said she wished she had been picked for something. I told her not to worry because if I had me way in 3 years time we will be going to Disney somewhere in the world and it will probably only be her DH and me. Then she reminded me that she is doing Japanese and their school does a trip to Japan which includes a stop at Tokyo Disney. So it looks like she will be heading back to Disney before the rest of us:cheer2:

DD2 had spotted the Turkey Leg truck. She had wanted a turkey leg from day 1 so we thought we would have lunch at Fairfax Fare. She had the Turkey leg:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/29035c52.jpg

The rest of us had burgers and fries:

Then it was time for Toy Story. I'm glad we chose to do DHS and Toy Story first thing over EPCOT and Soarin'. Toy Story was a lot of fun. A ride for all ages and we all had a great time. I can see why it's so popular.

We said goodbye to DHS and jumped on a bus to EPCOT hoping but not feeling too confident that we might get to ride Soarin' before it was too late.

We went straight over and grabbed fast passes but they were for 7:40. We would see how we were going. As the one who was keenest to do Soarin' it was going to be up to me if we wanted to stay that late. We had a 5:30am pick up in the morn and still had a lot of packing to do.

We rode Nemo...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/979e6dab.jpg

...and Maelstrom. Nemo was fun but Maelstrom was umm well I have to say for the first and only time, a waste of time.

It was around about 4pm and we all decided that we would go back and spend our last evening at FW we really hadn't spent as much time there as we would have liked.

It was a good idea. We took a walk up to the Meadow and wandered around just enjoying the afternoon. It was cool but clear and perfect weather for a stroll in the twilight. Back at the cabin we did a bit more packing then took the bus to the to the settlement.

The girls found a wifi hotspot...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d0ed2998.jpg

...while DH and I had a Margarita's in Crockett's Tavern.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/62a348f7.jpg

DD3 and the bear in the tavern:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/48cc44a4.jpg

We had 7 cs credits left so we ordered a pizza (2 credits), nachos, a Ceaser salad and 2 chicken dinners to go leaving us with 1 cs credit unused. We had used up all our snack and table service credits and were left in no doubt that free dining had been a great success for us and had helped make our trip even more memorable.

We had experiences that we may no have had most notably the Crystal Palace Breakfast and Artist's Point. We saved by not having to pay for The HDDR and La Hacienda two things we would have done anyway and we never had to worry about how much the cs meals were costing.

We took the food back to our Cabin enjoyed our last Disney meal...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/11cfed55.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1fc673b2.jpg

...before finishing our packing. I realised I hadn't taken any photos inside the cabin so I took these...
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/0f414cd1.jpg
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I didn't take one of the bathroom. Someone was always in there:lmao: but it was pretty roomy with a double sink a large mirror and the usual bath/shower.

It was sad to be leaving but our thoughts were on the next leg of our journey as we headed off to bed.

Next an early morning ride on the DME and an 8 hour flight to Honolulu.

[battymum]

Oh yay, I was wondering what the inside of the cabins was like. What was the bedding configuration?

Did FW have a pool?
*cross fingers for another trip in three years* oh and how cool to go to Japan with school. I am sure it will cost you though.

Its hard to know when to travel without your babies isnt it - I'm sure when they are in their twenties even late teens they will happily jetset off without a thought of us- but us Mothers on the other hand cant do anything without that maternal guilt.

[battymum]

Oh and I love the shots of your teens on the Wifi. Nice to know mine is not the only one.

We had the sim with unlimited data - I was cursing that we let her have that.

[OziJo]

There was one room with a double bed and a double bunk. The girls slept in there. In the main area there was a pull down Murphy Bed that DH and I used. It was a double and we are used to a queen but it was fine. I didn't get a picture of it pulled down but you can see it's outline (with a bit of bedding sticking out :rotfl:) in the pictures above, just behind the Tapestry.

The toughest thing was having only one bathroom. It did make it hard to get out early in the morning but we coped by having me not stress about it. We were on holiday after all.

There's a laundry and comfort station near the 2100-2200-2300 loop area where we were. It was always an option for one of us to use the shower there if need be but we never did.

There are two pools at FW. A smaller one especially for the cabins and one in the main rec area at the Meadow which is a lot bigger. There's so much to do at FW we only scratched the surface. It was the best place to walk and unwind.:hippie:

As to the wifi, I had read your TR and decided I was only going to get limited data with talk and text. There werer times when I wished I had a bit more but I was glad I didn't get it for DD1's phone. There were enough wifi hotspots in WDW and Waikiki.

[OziJo]

Day 12 Sun Jan 15th

Traveling to Honolulu.

So here's the short story-


Up early for 5:30 pickup from Cabin
Checked in at Outpost
DME arrived promptly at 6:20am, stopped at 4 other resorts to pick up passengers then arrived at the airport at 7:30.
Plane was right on schedule- 3hours to Fort Worth
Enough time at airport for lunch
Plane on schedule- 8hours to Honolulu
Arrived Honolulu at 5:30pm


Aloha!
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/173649de.jpg

We caught a taxi to Waikiki Shore and were checked in and in our apartment by 7pm to be greeted by this wonderful view:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9ce95aa9.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7cd999b1.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e0b51e41.jpg

Our home for the next 10 nights!

While I got settled and unpacked DH went out and bought Sushi for dinner. We were exhausted so after dinner we chilled out in font of the teli and had then off to bed.

We were changing down gears into relaxation mode for 8 days of sun, sand, surf and shopping.

[OziJo]

Day 13 Mon Jan 16th

Woke up feeling a little jetlagged. Honolulu was 4 hours behind Orlando and I was in the habit of waking up at 6am Orlando time. So by 2am I was struggling to stay asleep. I dosed on and off and finally got out of bed at 5am and made myself some coffee.

The others were awake by 6am and we had breakfast and waited for the sun to rise. We all got dressed and headed out for a walk. We were on the 15th floor and always had a short wait for the elevator. Our apartment was right on the beach and we literally walked out the back door onto the sand.

This is a shot of our apartment block from the end of the rock wall:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9ab67f5d.jpg

We were on the top floor at at the back so while we didn't have a full ocean view we had a views over the ocean, the park, the city and the mountains.

The girls and me on the rock wall:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/32fc54f5.jpg

It was a little over cast but very mild about 24 degrees. The temperature range during our stay was lows of 20-22 and highs of 26-28. There was some cloud and a little bit of rain on one day but mostly sunshine. Perfect weather for swimming and sun-baking.

I have never had such perfect beach weather for so many days. Usually it gets too humid for me here in Sydney in summer (though not this year!). All our beach holidays in Australia seem to be peppered with rainy days. We have been to the Gold Coast in Spring and the temps were about the same but it rained more than half the time. In Oahu it rains in the mountains but not as often on the coast. This is the main reason for the popularity of Waikiki.

We walked along Waikiki Beach. There was a path that went past all the exclusive resorts and to the main beach:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3a54575e.jpg

We then walked along the main road back to our apartment. It was Martin Luther King Jnr Day:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8c89ffaf.jpg

Back home we grabbed some towels and went back up to the main beach where DH hired surf boards and DD2&3 had a surf lesson. The surf was not that great but the girls got up on their boards and had some fun.

The main beach was crowded though and in the future we stayed on the beach outside our apartment. You could hire surf boards, paddle boats deck chairs and umbrellas. There was no surf at all here so DH and DD2, who could surf some already went up to the main beach and surfed on another couple of occasions. Otherwise we spent the time at "our" beach.

In the afternoon we decided to get the shopping out of the way and jumped on a bus to Ala Moana. I enjoyed shopping here. We walked from one end to the other. From Sears to Macy's stopping at boutiques on the way. Everyone bought something this day except for me. DD1 bought shorts and a top, DD2 bought a formal dress and some heels, DD3 bought a hoodie that had a cord you could thread your ipod earphones through while DH did the best of all buying a leather Jacket and some work shirts.

There was some amazing bargains here. Menswear especially had large discounts and DH was told that he could get his things at a further discounts as they were having a pre-sale. The sale started on Thurs but if he paid now and came back on Thurs to pick his things up he would get a further 25% off. So his Tommy Hilfiger leather Jacket which was already 40% off would be 65%!! We would be happy to come, back probably without the girls and would see if I could pick up some bargains for myself:cool1:

We had Chinese for dinner in a very nice restaurant that was on the top floor of the Shopping Centre. We caught the trolley back which was fun as the driver chatted away sometimes about the sights, sometimes about nothing at all.

We'd had a busy time for our first day in Honolulu and had arranged to take a shuttle to Pearl Harbor in the Morning. So when we go back it was straight off to bed.

[PrincessInOz]

Fantastic updates. Great to see that you had such a lovely view in Honolulu.

[ash-n-brensmom]

Okay..I'm conflicted here...I'm sad that your WDW vacation is over, but soooo excited for your Hawaii vacation to start!! It looks like you guys picked the perfect place to stay. Had you gotten referrals from friends who had stayed there or did you just totally luck out with that place? Can't wait to hear about Pearl Harbor. If I ever make it to Hawaii, I would love to see that place!

[Moodyzblu]

Hawaii looks awesome ! I'd love to get there some day. Looking forward to hearing more about your stay ! :goodvibes

[OziJo]

Fantastic updates. Great to see that you had such a lovely view in Honolulu. A view and direct access to the beach what more could we ask for?

Okay..I'm conflicted here...I'm sad that your WDW vacation is over, but soooo excited for your Hawaii vacation to start!! It looks like you guys picked the perfect place to stay. Had you gotten referrals from friends who had stayed there or did you just totally luck out with that place? Can't wait to hear about Pearl Harbor. If I ever make it to Hawaii, I would love to see that place!

We were lucky. I kept searching for apartments in Honolulu with full kitchens that sleep 5. There weren't many and I was just about to book at the Illikai, which is on the other side of the park and though it was close to the beach the apartment I was going to book didn't have much of a view. I did one more search and found this place.

I then checked reviews on Trip Advisor and while there were some negatives they were mostly positive and all agreed that the view was one of the best in Honolulu. I went through Castle and they had some excellent online deals. So I booked. The negatives are that it's an old building. There was some rust on the balcony but apart from that it was well kept. Also there were some bad reviews from people who had stayed below level 5 where there was only a view of the park. Of course those apartments are cheaper and you are still right on the beach. Also people who were expecting more of a resort were disappointed as there's no pool or cocktail service. But we managed. There is a kiosk on the beach that sold Tropicals and beer. Really it's all about making sure you do your research so you know what to expect. Isn't that right fellow DISer's :thumbsup2

Hawaii looks awesome ! I'd love to get there some day. Looking forward to hearing more about your stay ! :goodvibes

I'm looking forward to posting some of my pics and reliving the experience. Better get to it then...:dance3:

[OziJo]

Day 14 Tues 17th Jan

Pearl Harbour

Today was overcast and the only day we got any rain. We had a lazy morning- bacon and eggs for breakfast and reading on the balcony.

The shuttle picked us up at 10am and we had a very interesting driver who told us stories about his life and how he ended up in Honolulu married a Japanese girl and settled down after a wild time in the 80's. He interspersed his colourful life story with a little history of the island focusing on the multicultural aspects of Honolulu.

We arrived at Pearl Harbor to be greeted by the fact that as it was a Miltary installation we couldn't take any bags with us through the gates. I couldn't even take my satchel and as I had no pockets I had to leave my wallet and phone in my bag :scared1: We could take our camera but not the case. Also we had brought sandwiches for lunch and some snacks and had to leave them in the bag. There was a kiosk doing a brisk trade in lockers space and they allowed you to access the locker from inside so we would be able to get our food out when we wanted.

We looked around the Visitors Centre and decided that we would tour the Missouri first then do the Arizona Memorial. The tours for the Arizona Memorial were free but you still had to book a spot.

Our tour out to the Missouri left straight away. We took a coach that gave us a guided tour of Pearl Harbour and took us out to the Missouri.

At this time I have to point out that I had given DH the camera because I knew that this was his area of interest and he could take photos of what he wanted. Mistake. He is so stingy with the camera probably because he is still has a film mentality. We weren't allowed to take photos at the check points and the tour guide gave us warning. But DH didn't take any photos on the bus tour at all!!

Pearl Harbour is a suburb with all the usual suburby things but purely for Military Personnel. There was accommodation currently in use as well as some beautiful old bungalows that were used to house dignitaries before the war. There was a lot of construction in progress, mostly housing. There were small memorials scattered throughout the installation and each had their own story. One memorial was at a spot where a number of civilians had been killed in the bombing. That was particularly moving.

Once we were on the Missouri DH took some photos but as was the case at KSC he didn't get any of the surrounding landscape.

Anyway here a few shots on the Mighty Mo:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8bbe1674.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/68894088.jpg

When I look at this photo I think of Cher's film clip for "If I Could Turn Back Time" which was filmed on the Missouri:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/411ee1c4.jpg

One day I'll show the clip to DD2. She'll probably get a laugh out of it.
If I could Turn Back Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4O5AMSevc) Oh the symbolism... Oh that outfit!!:scared1:

There was so much to see and DH missed it all. Here were a couple of photos from the inside:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bc39c812.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fcccc121.jpg

We had lunch and then it was time for our Arizona Memorial tour. They showed a movie explaining the build up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor then took a boat out to the Memorial. This is the only way to get out there and they limit the numbers to maintain the dignity of the Memorial

This is a place that should be experienced. Picture taking really doesn't seem appropriate though a lot of people were snapping away. We gathered at the wall with the all the names of those who went down with the ship and remain entombed. A guide explained more about the history and told stories of some of those whose names appear on the wall.

After 15mins we were asked to move back to the dock to re-board the boat and make way for the next group.

Back at the Visitors Centre we looked at more of the displays then it was time to catch our shuttle.

The whole experience was very moving.

[alicia1506]

wow. what a touching and moving experience and a great part to your holiday.

you know, i don't remember cher's outfit being quite that risque.. but wow. the woman has confidence :)

[OziJo]

Day 15 Wed 18th Jan

Sun, sand and Tropicals on the Beach!!

Today was a day to chill and take it easy. The girls where given a key and told they could do whatever they wanted.

DH and I went out for a walk. Our apartment was about 500m from the main shopping strip on Kalakaua Rd. We wandered past exclusive shopping centres such as the Royal Hawaiian Centre and DFS Galleria as well as specialty stores including Tiffany's, Gucci, Yves St Laurent, Coach, Chanel and BOSS. Beautiful stores. Fun to window shop.

Our true destination was the International Market Place, where carts are set up in an open-air setting.You can buy everything from flowers for the hair to 18c gold necklaces. There are the usual Hawaiian gifts and souvenirs as well as some beautiful local arts and crafts. We bought a few things on our many trips including a Hawaiian design iphone cover for my phone and some locally made Christmas decorations. We also bought lots of little trinkets to take home for family and friends.

We walked through the market place to the next block which had less exclusive restaurants and shops. We found a grocery store that wasn't an ABC Store and stocked up on a few basics. For those who have never been to Hawaii the ABC stores sell everything from souvenirs to grocery's, clothes, flip flops, hand lotion, alcohol- you name it they sell it. They are ever 100m in the main tourists areas. We bought a few things there including a blow up tube and a beach chair.

DH and I had some morning tea the headed back with our groceries.

The girls had a relaxing morning. They had gone for a bit of a walk up the street then stopped in at Starbucks just outside our building where, surprise surprise, they found wifi. DD1 went upstairs to get her computer and they spent the morning updating their facebook pages over iced mocha's and pork rinds ewww :scared1:.

After lunch (a healthy sandwich for all) we went down to the beach and spent the afternoon swimming and as the Hawaiian's like to say, "hanging loose":

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ee8104b6.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/705d708c.jpg

Here's me with our apartment and Diamond Head in the background. Note the Mickey sunglasses:cool1:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/df6b7c43.jpg

We had Tropicals, shaved ice and Cheetos for afternoon tea. Such a good diet but hey we were chillaxin':

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/38a0bf91.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d53859d7.jpg

In the evening DH and I went for a walk up the street just as the torches and fairy lights were coming on. I only had my iphone so these shots aren't great:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4e6bd3ca.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e5794b5b.jpg

These guys were playing at the Royal Hawaiian and we stopped to watch for a bit:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ef9101e3.jpg

We made pasta and salad for dinner. A very relaxing day. We could get used to this kind of thing.:cloud9:

[dara00]

I was in Hawaii in 2001...I don't think we saw the Missouri. I do remember people taking lots of photos at the Arizona. It's definitely something you have to see once you are in Hawaii.

[OziJo]

Day 16 Thurs Jan 19th

Another Day in Parrot Dise!

Yes that should read "Paradise" but you see there was this guy on the beach who had a business selling photos with Parrots and the business was called? You guessed it. ParrotDise :lmao:

Anyway if you passed by in the morning he would say "Aloha! It's another day in Parrot Dise".

This morning we had a breaky reservations at Duke's at the Outrigger. Duke's is a bar and Restaurant which dates back to the 60's and it's right on the beach. I was looking forward to the Pina Colada bread pudding that I had last time we were there but it wasn't on the menu this time :sad2:. Still, they had the usual buffet breakfast fare and it was very fresh and tasty:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4403cc7c.jpg
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After breaky DH and I went back to Ala Moana to pick up his packages and I bought myself a few things. Two pairs of shoes, a pair of Calvin Klein shorts and 2 tops all at 40-60% off! If I was more of a shopper I could have bought more but I get bored shopping and I wanted to get back to the beach.

On the way back I took this photo of our apartment building. That's our apartment on the top floor left corner:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fa08dd2c.jpg

After lunch DH went off for a surf and I read for a bit on the balcony. One of the girls took this picture of me:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/cd896492.jpg

I said to get a shot from the other direction and they took this one:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/619cc5d6.jpg

I loved that we had such diverse views.

DD2 and I went down for a sunbake and a lounge in the donut. DD1&3 came a bit later and DH arrived just in time for Shaved Ice, Tropicals and Cheetos:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/77ce220a.jpg

On the last day DD3 figured she'd had 8 shaved ices this trip but the best was from Kaki Gori at the Japanese Pavilion at EPCOT :thumbsup2

Our plan for the evening was to try the Korean restaurant DH and I had spotted behind the International Marketplace but when we arrived it was full!! So we went to California Pizza Kitchen and got a table fairly quickly. We must have been there at just the right time because 15mins after sat down the restaurant was full!!

The Pizza and salads were yummy and we all had room for dessert though we shared.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6dd209a6.jpg

I'm telling you Free Dining at WDW had stretched our stomachs. If it wasn't for all the walking we were doing...

After dinner we did some souvenir shopping at the International Market Place and bumped into one of the girls dance teacher!!! DD2 is quite close to this teacher but didn't know she would be here. Apparantly her hubby had surprised her with this trip.There are a lot of Aussie's in Waikiki but it was quite a shock for DD2 to bump into someone she knew. It happens though :banana:

[OziJo]

(Day 16 cont)

Here are a few photos I took during this day.
This is taken from the walkway on the other side of our building:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/89c2acde.jpg

Inside our apartment:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/26995e4a.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/90fc0838.jpg

The sunset from our lanai:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/56134813.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8c9b19f3.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/07453e97.jpg

This didn't quite turn out as I hoped but it comes up better full screen on my computer:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/07bc5934.jpg

[OziJo]

Day 17 Fri Jan 20th

DH and DD2&3 went to Wet and Wild which included return bus and a sit down lunch. There were no photos because DH didn't take the camera which was fair enough as it would have been awkward for him to cart it around.

There wasn't many people there, just one other tour bus and they had a great time. DH did comment though on how different the attitude of those who worked there was compared to the CM's at Universal and Disney. These guys tended to look bored and were not very helpful. They had fun anyway.

Meantime DD1 and I had some one-on-one time. We went shopping at Macy's in Waikiki and bought some more things on sale including a new swim suit for me and some shoes for DD. Then we went to the Cheescake Factory for lunch. We had all been there for dinner on our last trip and enjoyed it though we had to wait for nearly an hour to get in. Now every time we passed by in the evening it was full. So it was nice to walk in and be seated immediately:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bc7c849d.jpg

We had a lovely meal just the two of us.

When DH got back he and I went for a sunset walk and drinks at the Hale Koa Hotel on the Beach. I'll let the pictures tell the story:

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/78158a47.jpg
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And after the sun went down we were treated to a Fireworks display courtesy of the Hilton Hawaiian Village:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7af6bb9c.jpg
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/63cb7980.jpg

Just another day in Parrot Dise...

[PrincessInOz]

It might be just another day in Parrot Dise...but what a lovely day it was. :goodvibes

Love the sunset shots.

[alicia1506]

well nuts. now we have to do that disney cruise to hawaii. such a great place....

[ash-n-brensmom]

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!! Those pics of the sunset...aaaaahhhhh:cloud9:!!! Glad to see that you guys had such a wonderful and relaxing time in Hawaii!! And weird running into someone you know! That usually happens to me at Disney, actually. Freaky isn't it?

[Moodyzblu]

What a wonderful day in Parrot Dise ! :thumbsup2

How weird to run into someone you know ! Especially in another country. How cool is that ?? :cool2:

[OziJo]

Day 18 Sat 21st Jan

After last nights Sunset walk DH and I decided we would do a sunrise walk. These photos were all taken on my iphone. Not bad:

Dragon Boat:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/11ed2215.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/92f3bb6f.jpg

Sunrise over Diamond Head:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/670196b8.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ee47526d.jpg
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There was a beautiful mural on this building:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c2e107f4.jpg

DH and DD2 went for a surf and I took DD3 to buy a swim suit form Macy's. I'd seen some bargains the day before and it was time for some on-on-one time with DD3. We were successful though the cossie she chose wasn't on special. It was still half the price of an equivalent swim suit in Australia!

Here's a pic of us both in our new swimsuits:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4ac27947.jpg

DH and went out for dinner on our own. We had seen a Sicilian Restaurant called Taorima's just up the road and the menu looked promising. My dad was Sicilian and a good cook so we can be a bit fussy with our southern Italian. This restaurant was very nice and worth the money.

We had a lovely evening tasting traditional style fare. We started with an antipasta of salami, breads, olives, marinated aubergine and baby squid. I had the Vongole Pasta as a main and the fact that they were called Vongole rather than clams was a testament to the restaurant's authenticity :thumbsup2. It was delicious with just the right amount of olive oil and garlic which is often overdone in the case of the former or underdone with the later. DH had a very authentic tasting tomato based vegetable pasta that was rich and filling. We also had an arugula and parmesan salad, a favourite of mine at home. All accompanied by and Italian Pinot Grigio.

We were rather full but we decided to share a dessert of blood orange and champagne sorbet as Tiramisu would have been too much. I took a photo of the dessert because we were laughing at the plate to food disparity:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e05fa087.jpg

it was delicious though and just the way to finish off our meal.

The girls made themselves mac and cheese with mince and a salad. DD1 often cooks at home but I was still a little worried they might burn the place down. I stopped worrying around about my second glass of pinot:cool1:

[OziJo]

Day 19 Sun 22nd Jan

Today was the only day we hired a car as we were heading off to the North Shore. We had looked into taking a bus tour but they were quite expensive for the 5 of us and we would have been locked into the tour itinerary.

We had an early start as a shuttle picked us up to take us to the car hire place picked 7:30am. We were on the road by 8:30am. Once we figured out how to use the GPS we were pleasantly surprised that as we headed in the right direction it gave us a guided tour of all the main places of interest along the route. This justified our choice in hiring a car because the main draw of a bus tour was having a guide. Here we had our own personal guide. On top of that it was an easy pleasant drive and we could do it in our own time.

We headed out of Honolulu and onto the Kamehanaka Highway. As we were coming across the Dole Pineapple Plantation we were all discussing whether we wanted to stop there. It would be interesting but is almost a day trip on it's own. We'd decided that we would just stop for morning tea but when we got there the sign said it didn't open until 10am and at this point it was only 9am. So that solved that and we kept driving.

At about 9:30 we came up to the Historical town of Hale'weia and stopped there for morning tea. The town dates back to the early 1900's and was settled in support of the sugar plantation in the area. Now it's old buildings are preserved and the town is devoted to the surfing culture of the North Shore. there are some excellent cafes in the Marketplace and we stopped at a little place and ordered coffee and smoothies to go with our byo oreos:
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http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f31b57e3.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ffa38f35.jpg

I had to laugh when DD3 said "Oh this reminds me of Disney!!" I said "Honey open your eyes this is the real thing":cool1:

Our next stop was a beach where turtles come up to sunbake. It was beautiful and there was a group of ladies from a conservation society who answered questions about turtles. There were a few people on the beach and one lady said that they were waiting for the turtles to come up but that she didn't think they would because the surf conditions near the shore were too messy. She said they might be out around 3pm and we thought we would go back:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/2264c758.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/0534d0e9.jpg
Looking out for turtles on the waves:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a1831b4a.jpg

It seems in retelling this tale that we weren't having much luck but in reality the scenery was so beautiful and the drive so pleasant that those things didn't worry us at all. We just drove on

Next up- North Shore beaches and Kauloa Ranch.

[OziJo]

(Day 19 cont)

We drove along until we came to Waimeia Bay and stopped to check out the surf. There were no giant waves but there's defiantly more surf than at Waikiki:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/093001e2.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bbaf36b4.jpg

No Big Wave surf carnival here today:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6b3b673f.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f89cb44e.jpg

Our next stop was Sunset Beach and there was a bit more surf here though it was a bit windy:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/50998747.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fb408aa9.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d42d2346.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/663e8640.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/2c6ac086.jpg

DD2 tested the water:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6eafdf4e.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/178e3e67.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/12b6ac1f.jpg

No that's not the Australian Crawl. It's an arabesque en attitude :dance3:

We continued on and suddenly it was ocean to the left of us, Mountains to the right and not much in between I snapped some photos as we drove:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6daf9540.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/39d60126.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7a8256f2.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/3aec7962.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1bcd4a94.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4825ef64.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7e54215a.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c6f403cf.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b4461199.jpg

Our GPS told us this was Mokolii also know as Chinaman's Hat:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/79d943fa.jpg

We were coming up to Kualoa Ranch which was our next stop and ultimate destination.

[miss.potatohead]

That's it, I've decided to add Hawaii to the list of places I want to visit! All your photos are so beautiful; I get so excited when there is an update (or multiple!) :)

[MAGICFOR2]

Joining in! I'm looking forward to your Hawaii days, but I'm enjoying the first part of your trip as well!:cool1:

[OziJo]

well nuts. now we have to do that disney cruise to hawaii. such a great place.... A cruise around the islands would be amazing!! I'm going to look into that for the future.

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!! Those pics of the sunset...aaaaahhhhh:cloud9:!!! Glad to see that you guys had such a wonderful and relaxing time in Hawaii!! And weird running into someone you know! That usually happens to me at Disney, actually. Freaky isn't it?

What a wonderful day in Parrot Dise ! :thumbsup2

How weird to run into someone you know ! Especially in another country. How cool is that ?? :cool2: It was cool & freaky for DD2. :thumbsup2:scared1:

That's it, I've decided to add Hawaii to the list of places I want to visit! I should get a commission from the Hawaiian Tourists Board:thumbsup2

Joining in! I'm looking forward to your Hawaii days, but I'm enjoying the first part of your trip as well!:cool1:
Thanks for joining in!

[PrincessInOz]

I'm glad that you got the rental car to explore Oahu. Lovely pictures. I'm guessing you're looking for the polynesian experience! :thumbsup2

[Mum from oz]

I am loving your Hawaii portion. Thanks to you we are definitely going back there within the next 12months. Your location was amazing. (I looked it up) When I was there in 2007 we walked to the Shore Bird Restaurant for breakfast twice all the way from back on Kuhio Bvd. The views from your lanai are spectacular. :cloud9:

I'm glad you enjoyed hiring a car. We loved being able to drive around there, so easy and great to do it at your own pace. It is so easy to fall in love with Hawaii. Just another day in parrotdise. ;)

[OziJo]

Kualoa Ranch is definitely a place worth visiting.

From the website http://www.kualoa.com/about/

Kualoa is a family-owned enterprise with a mission to be stewards of this special land. We do this by preserving, protecting and enhancing Hawaiʻi’s natural beauty and culture, while developing recreational and agricultural enterprises compatible with the environment. We care about and wish to communicate our concern and reverence for our natural environment, the unique Hawaiian culture and the sacred history of Kualoa Ranch.

If you are considering going to Oahu then you must make time for a trip to Kualoa.

As we approached Kualoa we were stunned by the beauty. These two were taken from the carpark:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b62f296f.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1a4be3a7.jpg

...but we hadn't seen nothin' yet!

There were a choice of tours depending on whether or not your interest was the movies and TV or history. I suggested we do the historical tour but the other's just wouldn't go for it. So we were stuck with yet another backlot tour :thumbsup2

I'm kidding of course. It was all my idea. The original draw of the place was a chance to see where scenes from some of our favourite TV shows and movies had been filmed. But this wasn't just any old backlot tour.

Despite this being the movie tour we still got a little history. We took a lot of photos but they really don't do Kualoa justice.

We saw these ruins as we drove up and now we discovered they were the remains of a a sugar mill which operated unsuccessfully from 1863 – 1870:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/10f8bbb4.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/53bc47fd.jpg

Kualoa was a also used during WWII as an auxillary airstrip and bunkers were places in strategic positions. These bunkers have been used as props in the movies such as Pearl Harbour and also appear on LOST:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c99e1467.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/6aa0c7cd.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9db97abd.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e9da52ea.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4bd67a37.jpg

In fact all the jungle and mountain scenes on LOST were filmed at Kualoa. There is a museum in the large bunker dedicated to LOST. It has the mock mini-sub used in many episodes filmed down at the dock. It also had Poster's from all movie's made there:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b29452f4.jpg

We are big LOST fans so it was exciting to see such a familiar setting especially Hurley's golf course and where he made donuts in the blue Darma panel van:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4c843039.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a0266182.jpg

There were signs up along the way indicating where scenes from various movies had been filmed:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b4272953.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fb9070a5.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b9bc355d.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7b5ed4a0.jpg

A hut used in many films:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ca58f44a.jpg

A fake termite mound used in the film Journey 2: Mysterious Island
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bab2af1a.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/2797e5ce.jpg

This is the log that they hid behind after running from the dinosaur stampede in Jurassic Park. Much of that movie was filmed here:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d0a1e517.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/fd2442a7.jpg

A reminder that this is still a working cattle ranch.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ee0b61c9.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ced8c2cf.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/168ca6e5.jpg

[OziJo]

(Kualoa cont)
The scenery was just generally stunning:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ad60268b.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4c843039.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1996b346.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/71f2fb18.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ff4ec985.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/613a56c6.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/66612c7f.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/720e45da.jpg
Another view of Chinaman's Hat:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/02536c8c.jpg

The girls enjoyed this tour immensely:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b344a8a5.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1f1cfc16.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5bec7a82.jpg

After the tour we left Kualoa and headed back in the direction we came from keeping our eyes out for the Giovanni's shrimp truck we had spotted on the way. We soon came across it and stopped for the North Shore specialty of garlic shrimp and rice:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/b7325484.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/728446be.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8b9ecec2.jpg
Yum!

We headed home via Turtle beach but no turtles. The surf had been too messy for them today.

We arrived back around 5pm in time to drop off our car and get ready for our 6:30 booking at the Korean Restaurant in the IMP.

That was yum too:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/17b885c4.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/4066e988.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9b63bc90.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/5588c23b.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e23bff68.jpg

We were being so spoiled how would we ever cope when we got home:sad2:

[OziJo]

I'm glad that you got the rental car to explore Oahu. Lovely pictures. I'm guessing you're looking for the polynesian experience! :thumbsup2 The scenery and the shrimp but we didn't catch a luau. We passed the Polynesian Cultural Center but it wasn't in our schedule. One of two things including Sealife Park that we didn't get too. Oh well there is always next time :thumbsup2

I am loving your Hawaii portion. Thanks to you we are definitely going back there within the next 12months. Your location was amazing. (I looked it up) When I was there in 2007 we walked to the Shore Bird Restaurant for breakfast twice all the way from back on Kuhio Bvd. The views from your lanai are spectacular. :cloud9: The thing about Waikiki Shore is that it's not a resort it's and older style building but it's in the perfect Waikiki position IMHO. It's also cheaper than any other Waikiki beachfront.

I'm glad you enjoyed hiring a car. We loved being able to drive around there, so easy and great to do it at your own pace. It is so easy to fall in love with Hawaii. Just another day in parrotdise. ;) We were surprised at how easy and quick it was to drive around. We were half way around the island before we knew it.

[PrincessInOz]

And if you're looking to add to "For Next time" .... Waimea Falls and the Byodo-In Temple.


Lovely scenery around kualoa. Your family really look like they are having a fabulous time. :thumbsup2

[OziJo]

And if you're looking to add to "For Next time" .... Waimea Falls and the Byodo-In Temple.


Yes definitely. We almost made it to Byodo-In but the lure of the Shrimp truck was too much. And Waimea falls would have taken us off track though DD2 wanted to go there. Oh there was still so much to do. I think if DH had known how easy it was to drive around we may have hired the car for longer.

[dara00]

cool, I love lost! I'd love to go to where it was filmed!

[Moodyzblu]

It's all so stunning ! My daughter and my mom went and stayed at Turtle Bay Resort last August. Somehow I got stuck home watching all the kids ! But she has lot's of gorgeous pics from there and I am SO envious each time I look at them, but glad they got to go (it had always been my moms dream to see Hawaii :goodvibes).

[MAGICFOR2]

I'm all caught up now! I didn't realize you were already on to Hawaii when I checked in, :rotfl2:

Your WDW trip looked just perfect! I always wondered how the FW cabins would be - looks like it worked out great for you!:cool1:

I am soooo loving your Hawaii TR! You have so many amazing pics here, and it just looks like the perfect relaxing getaway, with all the best experiences! We will be in Oahu in March, and I can see that I will not want to come home! We'll be on the military base, but plan to visit Hale Koa for the luau and of course visit Pearl Harbor. I'm going to send a link to your TR to my friend who is also joining her hubby there at the same time - we have been trying to figure out what we'll do when the guys are at work!:banana:

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us!:cloud9:

[ash-n-brensmom]

WOW!! No words can really do that island justice...so beautiful...thanks for sharing your pics...

[OziJo]

I'm all caught up now! I didn't realize you were already on to Hawaii when I checked in, :rotfl2:

Your WDW trip looked just perfect! I always wondered how the FW cabins would be - looks like it worked out great for you!:cool1:

I am soooo loving your Hawaii TR! You have so many amazing pics here, and it just looks like the perfect relaxing getaway, with all the best experiences! We will be in Oahu in March, and I can see that I will not want to come home! We'll be on the military base, but plan to visit Hale Koa for the luau and of course visit Pearl Harbor. I'm going to send a link to your TR to my friend who is also joining her hubby there at the same time - we have been trying to figure out what we'll do when the guys are at work!:banana:

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us!:cloud9:

Your welcome. I'm glad you've been inspired! There's plenty to do in Oahu :yay:

WOW!! No words can really do that island justice...so beautiful...thanks for sharing your pics...

It's been my pleasure. I've loved reliving our trip. Thanks for joining me.:goodvibes

[OziJo]

Day 20 Mon 23rd Jan

A lazy day today. DH and DD2 went for a surf while DD2 and I went for a walk. DD1 also went for a walk then got herself a coffee and hung out at Starbucks with her computer.

DD2 realised that I hadn't taken her for some one-on-one so after lunch we wandered up to the IMP. She had spotted a sterling silver ring on one of our earlier visits and wanted to have another look. She had some $US left so we bought the ring and some matching earrings. We also bought a few cute diamante flipflop necklaces for her friends.

Back home DD1&2 decided to hang out in the apartment so DD3 and I went down to the beach. We were joined by DH and had the usual.

We thought it would be nice to get some takeaway from the shops on the beachfront and have dinner in the park:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/7caf96a7.jpg

By the time we bought the food the wind had come up so we had dinner in our apartment and spent the evening in front of the teli.

There was one more day left of our trip. We were starting to think about home.

[OziJo]

Day 21 Tues 24th Jan

Our last full day in Honolulu.

I wanted to got to the zoo but only DD3 wanted to come. So while DH went surfing and DD1&2 went for a walk and then Starbucks, DD3 and I walked the whole length of Kalakaua Avenue Waikiki to the Zoo:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/83aa0372.jpg

Honolulu Zoo is beautiful and a lovely place to wander around. I took a few pictures on my iphone:

There's a ring tailed Lemur here somewhere:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/ae4c29f7.jpg

Orangutangs:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/1e5e5343.jpg

I liked this mural:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d6b21547.jpg

Lots of pretty gardens:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/bd51fabe.jpg

Lions. The tiger's where off exhibit today. The enclosure's were large but the animals seemed to like to congregate at the glass:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f0cc920d.jpg

They had an African savannah set up a bit like Animal Kingdom:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/8d8656a2.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/0507255f.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/04bb4a6d.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/9650254b.jpg

Chimpanzees:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d0412437.jpg

I'm a sucker for a wildlife lesson:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/a7b24568.jpghttp://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e64232d3.jpghttp://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/d2234368.jpg

We had some lunch and were joined by a lot of infant school kids on excursion and this peacock:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/e89c4f5c.jpg
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/cb6142eb.jpg

We walked back and started to feel exhausted about half way home as it was a long walk and we had walked all around the Zoo as well. We figured that it was the most walking we had done in one go without stopping to queue or ride. We were quite proud of ourselves.

We all spent our final afternoon on the beach:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/75ac9cb6.jpg

Our final sunset:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/c15bb4ec.jpg

We got take away again from downstairs. They served excellent Asia/Pacific Rim fusion and we ate our last meal in our apartment:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j465/OziJo/f4da9397.jpg

After dinner as I was getting the girls to thank Dad for bringing us on this trip, he interrupted me and said they wanted to thank me for organising such an amazing trip. Then he sent DD3 into the room and she came out with a WDW bag. He had bought me the Fort Wilderness sweater I had wanted though I had thought it was too expensive at $65.00!

I was really touched. I had enjoyed all the organisation and I think DH was impressed by how I had managed everything down to the finer details. I had to give credit though to the DISboards and all those who had gone before.:cool1::thumbsup2

After 3 weeks we were looking forward to going home. The girls were even looking forward to going back to school and seeing all their friends. They had some wonderful stories to tell.

We had a 9:10am flight so that meant an early morning taxi pickup. We were heading home.

[PrincessInOz]

Looks like a lovely last day in Honolulu. What a wonderful DH and DD1,2,3 you have to provide you with a surprise at the end. :goodvibes

[MAGICFOR2]

Looks like a nice last day at the zoo! Mmmm, your quiet dinner sounds delicious! How sweet of your family to surprise you with the sweater! So sad to see you had to go home, but I guess that will give you a chance to plan another trip!:banana:

[alicia1506]

so lovely of your family to surprise you with the gift that you had wanted, and to recognise all the hard work and planning that went into your trip.

it's so gratifying when people recognise and appreciate the hard work you've put into your trip planning, and personally satisfying when it all goes off without a hitch!! congrats to you for pulling this off on such a huge trip!!

[ash-n-brensmom]

Well done, DH!! :love: And well done, Jo!!:thumbsup2 You guys really did have an amazing vacation!!! I hope your flights home went well....sad to see everything winding down..this has been a very enjoyable TR!!

[LindaBabe]

Amazing trip and fabulous ending! Thank you for sharing!

[NLD]

How sweet your dh got you the sweater you wanted!

And wow... totally jealous of those Hawaii pictures!

Sounds like you had an awesome, amazing trip... certainly one to remember for a lifetime.

[taylor91]

What a wonderful trip you all have had :goodvibes I loved all your hawaii photos and trips. We will be there for 10 nights in October and your photos have made me extra excited :goodvibes Thankyou for sharing :thumbsup2 Also I saw that you drove up North (cant remember exactly the name of the place you said but you could go and see the movie settings etc). I was wondering if there were plenty of places selling their tours to see the area including transport etc up to areas like these? It would be a shame going all that way and not to see it all. :lovestruc

[OziJo]

Looks like a lovely last day in Honolulu. What a wonderful DH and DD1,2,3 you have to provide you with a surprise at the end. :goodvibes Thanks for following along PiO. I've really appreciated your comments and interest. I'm going to catch up on your Hong Kong PTR now as I little plan is starting to form in my head that includes Hong Kong Disney and a taste of China...

Looks like a nice last day at the zoo! Mmmm, your quiet dinner sounds delicious! How sweet of your family to surprise you with the sweater! So sad to see you had to go home, but I guess that will give you a chance to plan another trip!:banana: I've already started researching another Hawaii trip and as mentioned above Hong Kong Disney looks nice...:thumbsup2 Thanks for joining me.

so lovely of your family to surprise you with the gift that you had wanted, and to recognise all the hard work and planning that went into your trip.

it's so gratifying when people recognise and appreciate the hard work you've put into your trip planning, and personally satisfying when it all goes off without a hitch!! congrats to you for pulling this off on such a huge trip!! It's usually hard to surprise me! It really didn't seem necessary as I had such a great time planing this trip. And of course I enjoyed seeing all those plans work out. Thanks for coming along for the ride. I will be following your next trip plans with fond memories and a touch of envy:cool1:

Well done, DH!! :love: And well done, Jo!!:thumbsup2 You guys really did have an amazing vacation!!! I hope your flights home went well....sad to see everything winding down..this has been a very enjoyable TR!! Maholo for joining in. I'm subbing to your Halloween PTR. I won't be able to keep away from Disney!

Amazing trip and fabulous ending! Thank you for sharing!

How sweet your dh got you the sweater you wanted!

And wow... totally jealous of those Hawaii pictures!

Sounds like you had an awesome, amazing trip... certainly one to remember for a lifetime. It was an amazing Trip ! So glad you joined me. :goodvibes:hippie:

What a wonderful trip you all have had :goodvibes I loved all your hawaii photos and trips. We will be there for 10 nights in October and your photos have made me extra excited :goodvibes Thankyou for sharing :thumbsup2 Also I saw that you drove up North (cant remember exactly the name of the place you said but you could go and see the movie settings etc). I was wondering if there were plenty of places selling their tours to see the area including transport etc up to areas like these? It would be a shame going all that way and not to see it all. :lovestruc

There are many tours available. You can find them online or else the concierge at your hotel can help you. If you are interested in Kualoa Ranch it would be a good idea to do a tour that takes you there specifically. There are full day Oahu tours that take you around the island with a stop at Kualoa but I don't think they would give you enough time to enjoy the Ranch.

Roberts has half day and full day tours to Kualoa Ranch. Here's a link:
http://www.robertshawaii.com/oahu/krh_adv.php.

Kualoa have their own tours.
http://www.kualoa.com/

We hired a car and drove ourselves then took the 1 hour Movies and TV tour. Driving ourselves gave us more freedom and it was cheaper.:cool1:

[OziJo]

Day 22 Wed 25th/Thurs 26th Jan

Up early and all packed. We checked out and were picked up promptly at 5:30am. We arrived at the airport around 6am just as our flight check-in was opening. No problems there but the line up for security was huge and they only had one check point operating. So we just waited and the line progressed slowly. Finally we were through and made our way to the little food court for breakfast.

After breakfast the girls went off to find ways to spend our last few US dollars. They stocked up on some treats for the plane and after a wait at the gate our flight boarded on time. We were in the air by 10am. Aloha USA. Maholo, WWoHP, WDW and Waikiki.

After an uneventful flight we arrived in Sydney slightly ahead of schedule at 5:25pm on Jan 26th Australia Day. We were met by DH's dad and our sister in law who had driven us to the airport and had used one of our cars while we were away. It was great to see them and it was nice to be home. We had so many stories to tell...

The title of this TR has been "We Had the Best Trip Ever!" and I don't say that lightly.

DH and I, well we've been around
From LA to Paris & old London Town.
From Oslo to Athens, San Fran & Phuket
Finland & Germany; a few places I forget.

And sure, "no matter how far we roam",
Sydney of course, will always be home.
But Disney World is amazing; Potter World a must
And if you asked: where do you want to be right now? It's Waikiki or bust.

So when I say it was the best trip ever,
I'm not just trying to be clever:thumbsup2:hippie::yay::woohoo::dance3:

Thanks for stopping by :goodvibes

[alicia1506]

awww so glad you had such an amazing time ... :cool1::cool1::cool1:

[dara00]

cute poem! I enjoyed reading this!!

[Travel Mum]

Thanks so much again for taking the time to do a trip report Jo. I have really enjoyed reading it and it was especially great to see the Fort Wilderness cabins and the Hawaii time - both parts that were different from our trip. :thumbsup2

[Moodyzblu]

What an amazing trip you guys had ! So many wonderful memories Thank you for sharing your trip with us. :goodvibes

[MAGICFOR2]

Nice poem to end your story!:goodvibes

[taylor91]

Thankyou for sharing your trip and thankyou for the links to the tours, more planning is to be done :goodvibes :thumbsup2

[ash-n-brensmom]

Day 22 Wed 25th/Thurs 26th Jan

Up early and all packed. We checked out and were picked up promptly at 5:30am. We arrived at the airport around 6am just as our flight check-in was opening. No problems there but the line up for security was huge and they only had one check point operating. So we just waited and the line progressed slowly. Finally we were through and made our way to the little food court for breakfast.

After breakfast the girls went off to find ways to spend our last few US dollars. They stocked up on some treats for the plane and after a wait at the gate our flight boarded on time. We were in the air by 10am. Aloha USA. Maholo, WWoHP, WDW and Waikiki.

After an uneventful flight we arrived in Sydney slightly ahead of schedule at 5:25pm on Jan 26th Australia Day. We were met by DH's dad and our sister in law who had driven us to the airport and had used one of our cars while we were away. It was great to see them and it was nice to be home. We had so many stories to tell...

The title of this TR has been "We Had the Best Trip Ever!" and I don't say that lightly.

DH and I, well we've been around
From LA to Paris & old London Town.
From Oslo to Athens, San Fran & Phuket
Finland & Germany; a few places I forget.

And sure, "no matter how far we roam",
Sydney of course, will always be home.
But Disney World is amazing; Potter World a must
And if you asked: where do you want to be right now? It's Waikiki or bust.

So when I say it was the best trip ever,
I'm not just trying to be clever:thumbsup2:hippie::yay::woohoo::dance3:

Thanks for stopping by :goodvibes

Too cute...thanks for sharing!

[Belle599]

Hello!!!

I am just catching up on your TR, but I had to post to let you know that I am so proud of you for going on Tower of Terror!!

Wasn't as bad as you anticipated, right?

You have such a lovely family and I love the one shot I saw of you and your girls together (taken by your DH I will assume). :grouphug:

Ok I'm going back to reading!

[Mum from oz]

What a great last day. I loved your trip report and reading about all the amazing things you did. :goodvibes

[OziJo]

awww so glad you had such an amazing time ... :cool1::cool1::cool1:

cute poem! I enjoyed reading this!!

Thanks so much again for taking the time to do a trip report Jo. I have really enjoyed reading it and it was especially great to see the Fort Wilderness cabins and the Hawaii time - both parts that were different from our trip. :thumbsup2

What an amazing trip you guys had ! So many wonderful memories Thank you for sharing your trip with us. :goodvibes

Nice poem to end your story!:goodvibes

Thankyou for sharing your trip and thankyou for the links to the tours, more planning is to be done :goodvibes :thumbsup2

Too cute...thanks for sharing!

What a great last day. I loved your trip report and reading about all the amazing things you did. :goodvibes

Thank you everybody for reading! I'm still out here reading PTR's and TR's dreaming of being back:cloud9::cool1::flower3:


Hello!!!

I am just catching up on your TR, but I had to post to let you know that I am so proud of you for going on Tower of Terror!!

Wasn't as bad as you anticipated, right?

You know you inspired me to do it. I don't know if I would have if it wasn't for your encouragement. In this case I paid more attention to you a stranger than to my family :thumbsup2

You have such a lovely family and I love the one shot I saw of you and your girls together (taken by your DH I will assume). :grouphug:


That's so sweet of you to say. Thank you:flower3:

[Aussiesalad]

Hi there,
Sorry to chime in so late but I just read your tr start to finish and thoroughly enjoyed it! I was also in hawaii the exact same dates as you guys and even flew out on what I am guessing was the same flight. Many of our days crossed such as pearl harbour and north shore. Such a coincidence! Thanks for sharing your adventures! I really Enjoyed reading them :)

[becpee]

So, i'm very late and just read your TR :wave2:

Loved it.

I think i'm going to change our Epcot meal to La Hacienda, looks so good.

Honolulu, I can't wait to get back there one day, DH hasn't been and rubs it in that i've been there twice :lmao:

I can't wait to experience WDW :smickey: