Aulani for 10 days, Route 1 Cali, Disneyland trip June 2016 - now COMPLETE

[justafigment27]

I saw your notice in the Disneyland section! Very excited to read this report!

We had a big trip to CA scheduled for this summer with a 2 day drive down HYW 1 from San Francisco to Anaheim, but three days before we were to fly out, we found ourselves sitting in an orthopedic surgeons office looking at x-rays of DD14's broken ankle. Trip got cancelled and I'm currently re-scheduling everything for July 2017.

I had to laugh at mutiny on HWY 1 ... I've been rethinking our HWY 1 plans for next summer. My kids "enjoy" scenery for about 20 minutes, then they have checked it off their list and are done. I just don't think they are going to appreciate 2 days worth majestic views of the Pacific along a twisty mountain road. DH has been saying this all along, but I have been cheerfully ignoring his realism. I think an extra night in Anaheim with a day of Hollywood sightseeing would probably go over much better.

I too have really enjoyed Captain Oblivious and Marblebob trip reports. I always take pictures as though I'm going to write a report, but never seem to get around to it ... maybe I will be inspired by you!

 

[bcla]

I had to laugh at mutiny on HWY 1 ... I've been rethinking our HWY 1 plans for next summer. My kids "enjoy" scenery for about 20 minutes, then they have checked it off their list and are done. I just don't think they are going to appreciate 2 days worth majestic views of the Pacific along a twisty mountain road. DH has been saying this all along, but I have been cheerfully ignoring his realism. I think an extra night in Anaheim with a day of Hollywood sightseeing would probably go over much better.

It's not really a mountain road though.

If you were thinking of taking in the views with less worry about driving it, maybe take Amtrak. If you need to take a car, maybe one person driving down and meet up at the destination. Or return your rental car and take the train, then rent another car.

 

[magichusky]

I found my way over from the DL TR section and just caught up. What a great TR so far!

The two passengers sitting in front of us showed great acumen and keen insight and bolted out of the van so fast, I thought they had teleported.

I laughed so hard when I read that!

Loved your Big Sur photos! I drove down Hwy 1 for the first time last September and it was amazing- McWay Falls was one of my favorite spots!

Looking forward to reading more about your time in DL! Congratulations to you and your husband on 20 yrs!

 

[scrappydew]

I had to laugh at mutiny on HWY 1 ... I've been rethinking our HWY 1 plans for next summer. My kids "enjoy" scenery for about 20 minutes, then they have checked it off their list and are done. I just don't think they are going to appreciate 2 days worth majestic views of the Pacific along a twisty mountain road. DH has been saying this all along, but I have been cheerfully ignoring his realism. I think an extra night in Anaheim with a day of Hollywood sightseeing would probably go over much better.

I think you are right. My son didn't get out of the car to see the elephants seals, or the waterfall. I wish the kids would have enjoyed it more, but it is probably expecting too much at their ages. And since my DH and DD get carsick, they probably weren't feeling so hot.

My dad grew up wanting to be a truck driver, but instead was a farmer. After he retired, we did a lot of driving - from PA to Florida multiple times, to California twice, etc. I didn't really appreciate it at the time, but now realize how lucky I was. Hopefully my kids will appreciate all of our traveling one day!

On our previous trip to California, we did a bus tour of Hollywood that the HoJo recommended, and the kids seemed to enjoy that. We thought about doing the same, but they were booked up on the day we wanted to go.

 

[scrappydew]

Looking forward to reading more about your time in DL! Congratulations to you and your husband on 20 yrs!

Thanks! We had a great vacation; now we have to figure out the next one, right?

 

[scrappydew]

Day 16 - Downtown Disney and The Jungle Book Movie!

Today is a non park day for us. We take the opportunity to sleep in a little, then head to Downtown Disney to check it out and do a little shopping. Once again we have wonderful weather, so we don't have to worry about rain.

We walk back to McDonalds for some lunch and a little rest. This afternoon we have chosen to go to the AMC theaters and catch a movie - The Jungle Book. It is a little pricy, $50 for the four of us plus $20 for popcorn and drinks, but the large bucket of popcorn gets a free refill, which of course we take advantage of. We love our popcorn!

I really liked the movie. I even jumped in one spot as did my family, there were some funny moments, drama, etc. I think this is the first time we went to the movies on vacation. On most of our vacations, we go, go, go and any downtime is just in the hotel room. This vacation was longer, so we had opportunities to relax a little more, which I liked.

After the movie, we sent the kids on ahead who were frothing at the mouth to get back to their electronics while Dh and I just soaked in the atmosphere of Downtown Disney. We looked enviously at the Grand Californian and my Dh said next time we're staying there!

One of the things I love about Downtown Disney is the street performers:



This was probably one of my happiest moments of the trip. For once I wasn't keyed up with anxiety, I was just relaxed and happy. All too soon, we headed back, stopping by the one store to buy fudge and a HUGE cookie for the kids to share.

We also picked up some Panera Bread soup for the kids to share. Now, the kids in a fit of teenage pique had started to claim that we weren't feeding them proper nutrition.



Now, they were perfectly free to choose salads to eat, etc. I think now what they were trying to get at, is that they were tired of eating in restaurants and wanted to eat homecooked food. I still remember at Aulani, we had picked up a frozen lasagna and broccoli and nuked it in the microwave. Our DS kept proclaiming that this was the best meal of the whole trip! Kids.

Anyhoo, thank goodness for Panera. We had never eaten at one before, but my kids loved their chicken noodle soup and their broccoli cheddar soup. For $12, you got two bowls of soup, delicious chewy bread, or a sliced apple. Happy kids, happy vacation!

My DH and I were amused to note that the fireworks later that night set off car alarms in the parking lot.

Next: California Adventure, DH and DD sneak out to grab beignets and didn't bring any back!

 

[scrappydew]

Day 17 - California Adventure, DH and DD sneak out to grab beignets and didn't bring any back!

Today we went to California Adventure. We decided to get breakfast at Flo's Cafe.



We got three breakfasts, and it was enough food for all four of us:





DD and her favorite: bacon!

Our first ride of the day was Radiator Springs:














We love this ride! It is just so cute and fun for everyone.

We also do It's Tough To Be a Bug, and I take one for the team and do Soarin'. Now, I hate, hate, heights with my feet dangling. The ski lift ride at Knoebel's terrifies me. However, the family is begging me to do the new version of Soarin'.

I talk to one of the CM's and he advises which row to ask for so that I will be the lowest height possible, and advises me which scenes to maybe close my eyes. And it worked! i still wasn't thrilled with the attraction, but it wasn't as scary as before.

My DS was amused at my obvious terror and full of empathy as usual, makes a remark before we go up in our seats, that maybe I'll fall out! I exclaimed to the people to my left, I think he hopes I DO fall out! They were laughing at us. Teenagers are so kind sometimes, aren't they???

We also do Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters:








This was a fun attraction, but was jerkier than you might think watching it. We liked doing it once, but it wasn't a do again ride for us.


We also did Monsters, Inc. and listened to a DJ where they used to have a Mad Tea Party.

We also catch the new Frozen Show at the Hyperion Theater. Waiting in this line was long...they had CM's selling water. Be aware that there are NO restrooms in the theater, so go before you get in line!!



This is the view from the I think the rear of the orchestra section. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did enjoy this show. The effects were outstanding, and the singing was wonderful.





My favorite was Olaf, he was just adorable.

I think we also did World of Color, and were able to sit on the steps until the show started. We talked to a nice older couple who were there for only the second time, although they lived in California.

At some point, Dh and DD snuck off and went to Disneyland and got beignets and didn't bring any back for the rest of us! They even rode Haunted Mansion without me! The nerve of some people.....

Next: Another relax day, Gardenwalk, Cheesecake Factory, Downtown Disney!

 

[scrappydew]

Day 18 - Another relax day, Gardenwalk, Cheesecake Factory, Downtown Disney!

Today was another day just to relax, do some laundry, etc. Our plan was to walk over the Gardenwalk, a mall full of shops right near Disneyland, and eat at the Cheesecake Factory. We got there around 10:00.

and....not what we expected. Most of the shops are empty. We had to go to the second level to find any open, and nothing really had us interested. I don't know if there are any plans to revitalize this area, but it is a huge waste of space right now.

We did find the Cheesecake Factory, which had a line before it opened for lunch; there is a Roy's next door. I understand the food places here are doing well at least.

We had never eaten at a Cheesecake Factory before and liked it! Of course we got cheesecake to take home for dessert later.

Dh and I wound up going to Downtown Disney again, urged by our children to go get an adult beverage. You'd think they were trying to get rid of us!

Such pretty weather!




We take advantage to get a drink and sit at the outdoor part of Catal:





Here we chose our seats....poorly. We wind up sitting beside a guy and his girlfriend. He was, say we shall, sloshed. He kept talking to DH in a friendly, yet annoying way. After a while, he and his girlfriend left. The people sitting on our other side thanked us for sitting where we did, so the sloshed guy stopping talking to them! Ah, well, after 20 years, we didn't really need a date night, did we? We did enjoy our drinks, and had a friendly bartender. We would catch sight of the sloshed guy and his girlfriend in Disneyland another day and just made sure to politely not look in their direction.

Next: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Storybook Land, 104°!

 

[vassar36]

Enjoying reading your trip report.

 

[scrappydew]

Day 19 - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Storybook Land, 104°!

We grab breakfast at McDonald's this morning, and head to Disneyland.


DD and I head to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. For some reason, I love this ride! There is no wait, so we hop right on.



When we get off, still no line.....so we hop on again. When DH and DS catch up, we get on again! This ride is so much fun.




We get a picture with Peter Pan, who was just there with no line or anything.





We had a lot of fun with him. It is neat how in California you will see characters with hardly any line or occasionally walking around.

We also do Storybook Land Canal Boats today.






This is such a quiet, tranquil ride. It wasn't too busy when we got on, but until we got off, there was a line.

At some point today, I try a turkey leg for the very first time. It is one of those things that we've been meaning to try, and I'm glad to report we all liked it!

The weather, while still nice, has turned warm:





However, at least it is a dry heat! Seriously, it feels worse here in PA because of the humidity.

We fill our day with various rides, and get Pizza Hut for supper again. We are enjoying our stay at the Fairfield Inn. It has a nice location, close to McDonald's, Panera; plus it is handy having Pizza Hut at the hotel. The room is clean and comfortable. The only disappointment is that we couldn't see the fireworks from our room so well, although we faced the parks.




They also had very friendly people working the check-in out front. One night I wound up talking to one of them for probably a good 10 minutes. The next time he saw us, he made sure to ask how our day was. It was nice having a friendly face welcoming us back "home."

However, the hot tub was miniscule....and the pool was small. Since I had my fill of water in Hawaii, it didn't bother me. DH and DD did go down once or twice.


The laundry was handy to our room, and cost $1.50 per load to wash, and $1.50 to dry.

Next: Blue Bayou - does it meet our expectations?

 

[DnA2010]

Newbie to your report! Really enjoying your writing, what a nice time in Hawaii! We've only been to the Big Island but do want to see Oahu!

 

[scrappydew]

Newbie to your report! Really enjoying your writing, what a nice time in Hawaii! We've only been to the Big Island but do want to see Oahu!

and thank you! I fell in love with Oahu. It is just a perfect size - lots to see but not overwhelming, easily manageable. I think that's probably why I prefer Disneyland to Disney World. Oahu is a special place, that's for sure!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Loving your report. I got through your Aulani portion and am bookmarking the remainder to read later (darn work gets in the way). You referenced a podcast a couple times - was it helpful in planning? If so, what was the name?

Ugh on your DD getting sick upon arrival! I have to say, however, I laughed at your description of events. As well as your son's "affliction" another night.

I'm taking lots of notes on things you did as I enter initial planning. Thank you so much for sharing.

Lastly, just want to say that you're a very good writer!!! I'm truly enjoying reading this.

 

[scrappydew]

Loving your report. I got through your Aulani portion and am bookmarking the remainder to read later (darn work gets in the way). You referenced a podcast a couple times - was it helpful in planning? If so, what was the name?

Ugh on your DD getting sick upon arrival! I have to say, however, I laughed at your description of events. As well as your son's "affliction" another night.

I'm taking lots of notes on things you did as I enter initial planning. Thank you so much for sharing.

Lastly, just want to say that you're a very good writer!!! I'm truly enjoying reading this.

Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm having fun doing this, but I'm almost at the end, and it's almost as if I postpone finishing the report, my vacation never really ended.

There are four podcasts where they discussed Aulani and Oahu, and they also have a contest to win a stay at Aulani; I think it's good until the 15th. Here are some links:

Hear the Ins and Outs of Aulani's Rooms, Pools, Recreation, and more . . .
Want to learn more about dining options at Aulani?
Are you looking for things to do on Oahu . . .
More Aulani Q&A on this week's Dreams Unlimited Travel Podcast!

Enjoy listening to them!

 

[scrappydew]

Day 20 - Blue Bayou - does it meet our expectations?

Today we start out at California Adventure with one of our favorites: Toy Story Midway Mania!



I had read up on some online tips to better your score, only to realize that they were written for Disney World. Needless to say, my score didn't improve. At all. Oh, well! DS almost always wins, it's those hours of playing video games that gives him that edge.

We also do the Little Mermaid Ride. I like this ride, but it has exceptional air conditioning!! It was so hot today, that we rode a few times in a row with no wait solely for the air conditioning.




Something new for us this trip was to tour the Boudin Bakery.




You can actually see the workers making the bread, and read about the history of this famous sourdough bread. There were several plaques describing the origins, the equipment, and how exactly it is made. And, free samples! My DD liked the bread so well, we had to buy sourdough bread at home for her.


Another way we cooled off was the Grizzly River Run. We had some trouble getting lockers, because everyone also wanted to cool off! We waited maybe 15 minutes, before a CM came over and was checking to see if the lockers were in fact used. One thing is, when your rental is up and you have taken your things out, you need to push a button to indicate that, and I guess people just grab their stuff and leave, rather than indicating it is now free for use. I believe you had 2 hours free. Happily, we were able to get a locker, then get in line.

First we did the standby line, which was quite long....and then we had FP's to get on immediately after! Of course we got totally soaked on this ride, and boy did it feel good! Even though I don't like drops normally, I can do this ride fine. At the top you get a great view of the surroundings.

DH wound up chatting a while with two ladies next to us, which always helps the time go faster.

In our previous trip, we had seen the Blue Bayou Restaurant while riding the Pirates of the Caribbean and thought this would be such a neat place to eat! The ambiance seemed great, the low light made it seem like a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of having fun in a theme park. So this was the only other ADR we made, other than Steakhouse 55. We were so looking forward to it!

And our experience?

YMMV - we were SO disappointed. I had built it up that this was a service restaurant, maybe like Steakhouse 55, just a little lower on the service and price rung, so to speak.

It's not.

It's a diner. A VERY LOUD diner.

The lighting was dim, and the light up menus were cool. We were seated in the middle, so we couldn't see the boats readily, which was not a big deal.

Our waitress was great - but the poor woman was whipping around so fast, I fully expected to see smoke coming off her shoes.

They brought trays of clean glasses through the dining room. I could see them rolling silverware. Again, not a bad thing - but not what I expected.

The food? Meh. I got the Monte Crisco. It was good, but not something I'd ever order again at the price. The rest of the family got steak and not one of my steak loving family loved it. I will also say the spices were just not our thing. With the low light, my salad was hard to see, and I bit into something I didn't see to avoid. As I get older, I'm noticing I want to see my food, and I need bright light. While romantic, the low light just wasn't practical for me. We dropped the pen to sign the receipt and couldn't find the darn thing. My DS had to use the flashlight on his phone to find it.

This meal cost us $178.

Now, I understand lots of people love this place, and I'm glad for you if you do. We just didn't

Next: Our last day at Disney! and do we survive the trip home?

 

[Robin"D"]

Great report...question about the Hawaii so called " tourest" tax....is there one? If so, how much is it?

Thx

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[scrappydew]

Great report...question about the Hawaii so called " tourest" tax....is there one? If so, how much is it?

Thx

Robin & Angel "D"

I haven't heard of a tourist tax. The only tax that I know of is the general tax at 4.71%. Maybe someone else can chime in?

 

[scrappydew]

Day 21 - Our last day at Disney! and do we survive the trip home?

Today was our last day at Disney.

We packed our belongings; this time in one checked bag, four carryons, and three personal bags. We let them downstairs with bell services, and receive a ticket to pick them up later. Our flight doesn't leave until 1:00 a.m. so, we are going to enjoy our day in the parks, take ExecuCar to the airport, and fly to Fort Worth, then to Philadelphia.

We take time to enjoy a hearty breakfast again at Flo's. Many people seem to forget that there is also a dining room on the right. While the left was crowded, we had plenty of room in the right.


We take the time to explore Bugs Land, including seeing the show It's Tough To Be a Bug.







The family takes one last tour of the Tower, while I enjoy people watching.

It has been special during here the Diamond Celebration.





We enjoy lunch at the Golden Horseshoe today for the first time. We took our lunch upstairs where it was a little less crowded. The food was good, but there were few choices.


We have a good last day, and it was sad to have it end. We take a brief snack break at McDonald's before heading to the hotel at 10:00 ish. The ExecuCar person is already there, ahead of schedule, which is great. We get our luggage, no problem, and go to LAX. Now, I was surprised how horrible traffic was at this time of night. It really was a traffic jam, right in front of the airport. I could see the planes, but the ramps were all jammed up. It took us a good half hour to 40 minutes to navigate it.

And here we do the TSA tango again. It was a nightmare.

We get our checked bag taken care of, then realize we all have precheck. Great, right?? Not so much.

At Honolulu, there was a separate line for precheck. Here, everybody was in the same line. I think there were maybe two people working the id's. People were complaining left and right about their flights. A couple of times, those about to fly out were pulled up front; hope everybody made it.

We didn't have to take off our shoes, belts, etc. but that was the only benefit. I think if I had paid for this service, I would be really upset.

We did make our flight with a little time to spare. The first flight was uneventful, and we had TV's to make the time go faster. I watched The Martian again and felt surprisingly awake.

At Fort Worth we had to use the fake monorail to go to a different terminal with little time. The fake monorail gives you about 30 seconds to get on or off; not near long enough for a family to try to squeeze on together. The first went without us so the next time we just shoved ourselves on and let everybody else fend for themselves. I was so stressed. It would have been different if we were familiar with the airport, but trying to find your way around for the first time while trying not to miss your connection left the romance out of traveling for me.

Our next flight, I was feeling sleepy even if it was early morning there, but alas, I literally had a screaming toddler next to me. At one point, I just looked at my husband and just laughed because what else are you going to do? Finally the toddler screamed himself to sleep, and his mom fell asleep too. Later she did apologize to me. I am just grateful not to have toddlers anymore!

Our flight came into Philadelphia, my sister and her husband brought the car right to us, we got all packed up and had a 4 hour drive ahead of us on little to no sleep.

In a heavily redacted and edited version in case my DH reads this report, let's just say there was a battle of wills between DH, me, Google Map Lady and Ds on how the heck to get out of Philadelphia. Let's just say we wound up taking a longer route to get the turnpike.

However, we did eventually find our way, we made it home around 4:00 ish, the house and pool were still standing, and the cats were very standoffish. In other words, normal.

The next day I sleep in beyond when I was to pick the dogs up at the kennel (who were beyond esctatic to see me), and they weren't thrilled with me since the kennel was full up. Honestly, I should have not been driving. This time change going west to east just kicked my butt good and proper. I think it took a week before I started to feel like myself again.

And because I know those on the disboard will appreciate this, this is probably my favorite souvenir:



We did splurge on a few Christmas ornaments; DH got a shirt, DD spent a ton on Stitches; DS got puzzles and a gift for the girlfriend; but other than that, not a lot of stuff. However, we made a lot of great memories bonding as a family through the good and the bad, and I hope our children appreciate this legacy.

I hope you have enjoyed our trip report. Where to next? Remember I said I have family in England? Well, we'd really love to go there. We'll have to save up for a while to make it happen. Until then, I have memories of this great trip to warm my heart.





Thank you everyone for reading! Mahalo and Aloha!

scrappydew

 

[kelmac284]

Just found your report and loved it. I have only been to Hawaii once MANY moons ago in the early 90's when I was in my 20's. I ended up getting strep throat and staying in bed most of the time. I have yet to make it back and we put in 3 years in advance on RCI to trade into the Aulani but it just never happened. So chances are if we EVER get to hawaii Aulani will just be a day visit probably. Stinks but is what it is.

Bummer about your daughter and her car sickness. I got it horribly as a kid and so does my 15 year old. I don't get it AS bad now but I can still get it on boats and planes. I do still take dramamine.

Sounds like that part of the trip was amazing and you saw some great spots.

I had to laugh about the driving down 1 part. I live in CA and have done that several times and we love it but I am not surprised esp with motion sickness that road can be rough.

Loved all the Disney stuff. We try to go about once a year and we went last year in June for the 60th. We are going next weekend actually and I am looking forward to seeing the new stuff (Frozen and Luigis car) Also hoping to get some character pics with some of the star wars characters.

Sounds like all in all was a great trip despite the hicups.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[scrappydew]

Just found your report and loved it. I have only been to Hawaii once MANY moons ago in the early 90's when I was in my 20's. I ended up getting strep throat and staying in bed most of the time. I have yet to make it back and we put in 3 years in advance on RCI to trade into the Aulani but it just never happened. So chances are if we EVER get to hawaii Aulani will just be a day visit probably. Stinks but is what it is.

Bummer about your daughter and her car sickness. I got it horribly as a kid and so does my 15 year old. I don't get it AS bad now but I can still get it on boats and planes. I do still take dramamine.

Sounds like that part of the trip was amazing and you saw some great spots.

I had to laugh about the driving down 1 part. I live in CA and have done that several times and we love it but I am not surprised esp with motion sickness that road can be rough.

Loved all the Disney stuff. We try to go about once a year and we went last year in June for the 60th. We are going next weekend actually and I am looking forward to seeing the new stuff (Frozen and Luigis car) Also hoping to get some character pics with some of the star wars characters.

Sounds like all in all was a great trip despite the hicups.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! I had a good time remembering it, and it's going to be great to have this to refer as I am scrapbooking.

We did the Kylo Ren meet and greet. I'll just warn you, the character is very menacing and - out there. A little scary, actually

The people behind us had a little girl and when they saw how the character was, they said this is NOT going to go well.... Have a great trip!