Aulani & DL to meet Santa Update 06Jul12 Page 10 Christmas at Disney

[areweindisneyyet]

On Dec 27, 2009 after saying good bye to our Christmas guests (both families for four days), my DH looked at me and said that my idea of running away to DL and leaving them all to it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Lets do it.

So this trip was born, my parents are joining us and we will catch up with other family at Aulani.

There is currently a pile of things on top of suitcases that keeps growing, there are no Christmas decorations in the house and no gifts purchased.

Our first week will be at the Hilton Hawaiian Village before moving to Aulani for three nights.

Then off to LA to the DLH to meet Santa for Christmas. We have eight nights with concierge. We are booked for the Blue Bayou for Christmas Eve and Storytellers for Christmas Day.

We love DL at Christmas tme, we know it will be busy. Our last trip was the week after Thanksgiving and we loved the Christmas spirit and decided that we would love to do Christmas ... so here goes

5 days to go

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Aulani Review on Page 6 & 7

Disneyland Trip Report Starts on Page 8

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ahhh....another countdown.

 

[OziJo]

Hawaii plus Christmas in Disneyland. So lucky. Have a wonderful time

 

[alicia1506]

i'm subbing in, especially if this turns into a PTR/TR - so happy for you that you'll get to spend xmas in such a magical place.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Sounds perfectly wonderful.

 

[Mum from oz]

Sounds like an awesome trip. Disney for Christmas! lucky duck! I hope you will review Aulani.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Thank you for all your kind wishes. Yes I shall review and report away. For the first time ever I am not taking a travel journal so I am planning to be a bit more digital this time around. I shall think some more about it on the plane.

Tying up the loose ends of two jobs is taking me much longer than I planned. I know and I am still on the dis. It is so much better than therapy. I think that my great idea of being on top of everything so I can get on the plane and relax is disappearing out the window. It might be a beverage at the airport bar that gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling

I tackled the pile near the suitcases today and I am so not as organised as I thought and when I looked at dd1's size 11ladies runners I decided she is just getting a new pair. I think DH and I need to tackle the task together tomorrow night. We plan to buy things while away and not take much.

But despite all this in five days I will be heading across the Pacific on my way to paradise.

Thanks for coming along with us.

Mia

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Hawaii plus Christmas in Disneyland. So lucky. Have a wonderful time

I am loving your pre trip report. I will love reading your trip report to get over my post Disney blues. No more holidays until March 2014 for us.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Ahhh....another countdown.

Thought I would share some Christmas cheer on the Oz side. Any countdown is good.

i'm subbing in, especially if this turns into a PTR/TR - so happy for you that you'll get to spend xmas in such a magical place.

It will become. Trip report. Have loved your adventure so far. My girls would love to do Harry Potter world. I might see if we can go to Sydney for the HP exhibition there. Will see ow the Warner Bros tour in LA goes. I am going to sit on the Friends couch

Sounds like an awesome trip. Disney for Christmas! lucky duck! I hope you will review Aulani.

I shall review Aulani with pleasure. I tossed and turned on this one but I could not be so close and not check it out. It is like a duty

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Sounds perfectly wonderful.

Thanks Ms Shuttergirl. I think it sounds pretty wonderful too! DL all decked out for Christmas was on the Today show this morning and even DH was grinning. A Disney convert that one. After such a long countdown this week has seen everyone get a little more excited and me wishing we had another week. Irony is a funny thing

 

[WAMUMOF4]

It sound like a wonderful plan i hope you have a great trip
Christmas with the mouse

 

[areweindisneyyet]

It sound like a wonderful plan i hope you have a great trip
Christmas with the mouse

Exactly, i will be on cloud nine. What a great place to meet .

Thanks for your good wishes.

 

[australiankaren]

hey

looking forward to your TR...especially the Aulani part, as we are there in Feb for 9 nights....so don't skimp on the details/ tips/ hints/ photos...

don't buy the shoes here, wait till you get there...half the price...

I love USA/ hawaii shopping, and the outlets are 30 min from Aulani....so go help the USA economy

enjoy your trip..

 

[areweindisneyyet]

hey

looking forward to your TR...especially the Aulani part, as we are there in Feb for 9 nights....so don't skimp on the details/ tips/ hints/ photos...

don't buy the shoes here, wait till you get there...half the price...

I love USA/ hawaii shopping, and the outlets are 30 min from Aulani....so go help the USA economy

enjoy your trip..

Thanks Karen, we will enjoy.

I promise to be heavy on the Aulani, especially since it is so new. 9 days will be wonderful. Lots of photos and info. Have been checking out the spa and have booked a couples massage for DH and myself. We plan to search out all the nooks and crannies. DH and my dad will even grab a round of golf we think. My darling brother is organising this so you never know.


DH (SHOCK HORROR) went online to check Aulani out. Stepping way out of his boundaries here. He was quite impressed and stumbled onto the DVC. He is new to Hawaii. I have been before. I am hoping to convert him. It worked on DL and Europe. Oh baby steps.

I have ditched the shoes, new ones are a coming. Need to cull some clothes too!! Ala Moana here we come first thing on Saturday morning, maybe Friday depending on how well we travel. Planning on getting all my Christmas shopping done in Hawaii. Maybe a little more in Disney

 

[areweindisneyyet]

So let me introduce the cast of characters:

There are six of us for the whole extravaganza.

Me: Mia - Bred on all things Disney since a child. This is my fourth trip to DL and my second onsite stay. My parents took me as a 10 year old and always feel a need to go back to my happy place.

DH: Begrudgingly allowed me to plan our last trip to take a darling daughters for the first time. We went to DL for eight days and treated the holiday like a Whitsunday Island vacation. We did nothing else except shopping and a hockey game. He d it and was more than happy to give the green light to this trip. He just wished he had said yes before the Christmas of 2009 This is his second visit and since he has stayed at the DLH on his first visit this is the bottom line for him.

DD1: Has recently turned 12 and is taller than me with a size 10 foot. Wants to get her first bikini in Hawaii (My DH Face) (GP Face) (Me) She is our daredevil, has been riding the Claw and Wipeout at Dreamworld since she was five. She just laughs and keeps on going. Adrenaline junky. DH is planning on taking her skydiving as soon as she is old enough. (My face) (DH face). 2nd Visit.

DD2: Is almost 10 and is headstrong and stubborn. We can also refer to her as MiniMia. I don't see it She was not tall enough for California Screamin last trip so is way excited. She is not quite as adventurous as DD1 but is getting gamer all the time. She will ride anything but is not keen on HM. She loves Heffalumps and Dumbo. 2nd visit.

GP (Grandpa) & GM (Grandma): My mum and dad, are Mousekeeter fans from when they were young and the magic of Disney has never lost its appeal. This is their fourth trip also. (I have been once without them). They cannot resist a Disney trip especially with the granddaughters. The smiles will never leave their faces and they seem to have endless patience even when DH and mine runs out. Gotta love them. They must have a spin on the teacups.

We are all addicted to churros and live our life on the churro economy, if you buy that you wont be able to have x amount of churros in DL. Dont worry about the fares, accommodation, as long as there is enough money for churros.

So we are all flying with Qantas. We will all fly to Sydney and meet at the domestic terminal before transferring to the International Terminal to catch our flight to Honolulu together.

We flicked through our last holiday album this morning and DD2 touched GM&GP's faces and said I can't believe we will see them in 4 days.

Living interstate from family means that when we visit, they keep working to save their holidays and vice versa. It will be so nice to spend sometime together without the normal day to day distractions to step in.

Recently by brother (DB) and his girlfriend (DBG) announced that they were spending Christmas in Hawaii so our last weekend in Hawaii when we are at Aulani they will be staying at the Marriot next door with her family so there will be a BIG family lunch on the Sunday at Ama Ama at Aulani.

Next up - the plan of attack....

 

[lovintheland]

Hi, your holiday sounds so amazing, I'm very envious. It would be my perfect holiday> Hope you have an amazing time.

We are going to Hawaii in 5 and a bit weeks and plan to have a night or two at Aulani as well during the 2 weeks we're there. Just wondered did you book your accomodation directly on the webiste? and did you get a good price?

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Hi, your holiday sounds so amazing, I'm very envious. It would be my perfect holiday> Hope you have an amazing time.

We are going to Hawaii in 5 and a bit weeks and plan to have a night or two at Aulani as well during the 2 weeks we're there. Just wondered did you book your accommodation directly on the website? and did you get a good price?

I booked through Qantas Holidays. There was not a lot of difference in the price, with currency fluctuations and this way I get frequent flyer points on the booking. Method in madness. I am accumulating those for another holiday and I have enough for the four of us to go to WDW or the two of us to fly business class back to Europe.

We would have booked a parlour suite but the limit is 5 in the room so we have two adjoining ocean view rooms. The price was a little steep but when you are paying to begin with, I sure dont want to look at the carpark, so a little more for a nice view is worth it. I'll just keep going to work.

Your trip sounds great. I am sure to be green with envy when you are there and I am home with no definite future holiday plans.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

So here is the final plan of attack:

Day 1: Depart for Honolulu. Arrive and check in at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Day 2: Shop and relax

Day 3: Pearl Harbor

Day 4:

Day 5: Sea Life Marine Park

Day 6:

Day 7:

Day 8: Move to Aulani. Have booked a couples massage at the day spa for DH and I

Day 9: Character Breakfast at "Aunty's Breakfast Celebration at the Makahiki" at Aulani. Joined by DB and DBG.

Day 10: Day Spa Hair for DD1 and DD2. Lunch for 10 at Ama Ama.

Day 11: Up early to catch our AA Flight to LAX. Straight to the DLH. Dinner at Rainforest Cafe and depending on how we feel maybe the parks or a good nights sleep.

Day 12: Breakfast with Goofy (a family tradition for our first morning) and off to the parks

Day 13: Day at the parks and Desert Seating for Fantasmic

Day 14: Day at the parks and Holiday Tour

Day 15: Day trip to LA to do Warner Bros Studio Tour and Hollywood

Day 16: Christmas Eve: Dinner at Blue Bayou

Day 17: Christmas Day: Dinner at Storytellers

Day 18: World of Colour Dinner at Wine Country Trattoria

Day 19: Day in park before flying home.

Our aim is to truly relax and unwind in Hawaii. We may rent a car for the day or even fly over to the Big Island. My parents have organised swimming with dolphins for the girls at the Sea Life Park which is their Christmas treat. We will just play it by ear. The girls would also love surfing lessons. I shall drink my way through the cocktail menu - a girl has to have a goal. DH thinks the menu had better be short

We know that DL will be the busiest we have ever experienced but we are really going to enjoy the little things. We are sure to go on everything that we want at least once but I want to ride Big Thunder with fireworks, ride Jungle Cruise at night, enjoy sitting down to eat around the parks instead of grabbing the nearest fries from counter service.

It is all about stopping to smell the roses and enjoying some together time.

Writing this is just getting me into the right mood, the fact that by boss moved the deadline that was giving me a headache until after I get back is also making the day seem brighter.

I also checked by travel money card to find some extra money on there. The balance on there is what I thought I had total but I also have cash so I am very happy.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sounds like a great holiday and a fabulous Christmas. Enjoy! I look forward to your TR posts and pics when you return.

If I don't catch you, have a great trip.