Aloha, Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas

Monkeypod, fishing feeding, snorkling, and the evening show were are an amazing day and beautiful pictures!

Sounds like a very soggy but fun day. Good thing you took the car, it may have been an equally treacherous walk to get there!

I'm not sure if Fran and I would have enjoyed the DVC meet. I think she would be mortified to have too meet someone new like that and then introduce them to a group of strangers. The treats and drinks sounded nice though.

Finally got caught up. You have done some amazing things and had some nice relaxing days too. I have to say all the sunsets are just sensational.

dgbg100106 said:

Monkeypod, fishing feeding, snorkling, and the evening show were are an amazing day and beautiful pictures!

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Thanks. It was a great day. It was the kind of vacation that kept on getting better.

franandaj said:

Sounds like a very soggy but fun day. Good thing you took the car, it may have been an equally treacherous walk to get there!

I'm not sure if Fran and I would have enjoyed the DVC meet. I think she would be mortified to have too meet someone new like that and then introduce them to a group of strangers. The treats and drinks sounded nice though.

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I think I am part mermaid so soggy is good.

Actually I had not thought that the walk may have been a challenge apart from the heat.

Graham is not normally keen on this kind of thing either. Initially he stayed at the table and told me to have fun, but then he suddenly turned up next to me. I think he enjoyed the chatting to people part. He left the introductions to me though and I was fine with this. This being Disney, I don't think they would have forced the issue if we decided to sit this part out.

jenseib said:

Finally got caught up. You have done some amazing things and had some nice relaxing days too. I have to say all the sunsets are just sensational.

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It was one amazing vacation. The sunsets were stunning and very different from day to day.

Corinna

I am enjoying your Hawaiian trip report so much, thanks for sharing it with us.
I have a kinda weird question, we are heading to Aulani in Sept. for 5 days before our cruise and I would love to go into Rainbow Reef, but I have this thing where I just can't use a mask and snorkel. I feel claustrophobic for some reason. Can I just go in with the mask and no snorkel?

I am back from my vacation, it was amazing.

I'm sorry you had to cancel yours what happened? I hope you're enjoying your time off.


Too bad about Eletric Beach, but it sounds like you had a great time in the lagoon at Aulani

The interactive adventures sound like great fun.

The DVC event would have taken me out of my comfort zone that's for sure. That gift basket sounds tantalizing!

Have you booked any cruises for next year?

Corinna, I am so sorry for being so behind on your trip report! I truly enjoy it immensely, but am putting so much effort into getting my own trip report moving at the moment! Aulani looks so pretty in all your pictures, I can't wait for my chance to get there!

lorimay said:

I am enjoying your Hawaiian trip report so much, thanks for sharing it with us.
I have a kinda weird question, we are heading to Aulani in Sept. for 5 days before our cruise and I would love to go into Rainbow Reef, but I have this thing where I just can't use a mask and snorkel. I feel claustrophobic for some reason. Can I just go in with the mask and no snorkel?

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Welcome and I am glad you are enjoying it. You are in for such a treat on both counts. We were on the first ever Hawaii cruise on the Wonder and I honestly cannot imagine a place I would rather be than Aulani.

As to the snorkeling, I don't see why you could not. The only thing they insist on is that everybody wears a life vest. It took me a long time to get used to snorkeling and I used to just put my face as close to the surface of the water as I could and I still saw a lot. The water in Rainbow Reef is so clear that you will see plenty whatever you decide.

Pinkocto said:

I am back from my vacation, it was amazing.

I'm sorry you had to cancel yours what happened? I hope you're enjoying your time off.


Too bad about Eletric Beach, but it sounds like you had a great time in the lagoon at Aulani

The interactive adventures sound like great fun.

The DVC event would have taken me out of my comfort zone that's for sure. That gift basket sounds tantalizing!

Have you booked any cruises for next year?

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Welcome back. Where did you go?

I only had a week off. I went back to work on Monday. I did not do a great deal with the week. I ended up cancelling the vacation as due to Graham's work commitments at the moment, our usual May vacation just did not work out. It's all good though. Instead I get to go on my coast to coast adventure in September. I am in the process of extending the WDW part by two days as well.

We had an amazing day and I would not have changed anything (not even that awful pool party).

We have no cruises booked. We are seriously considering a quick cruise on the Magic in December and we are talking in terms of going back to Alaska on the Wonder next May.

Corinna

Flossbolna said:

Corinna, I am so sorry for being so behind on your trip report! I truly enjoy it immensely, but am putting so much effort into getting my own trip report moving at the moment! Aulani looks so pretty in all your pictures, I can't wait for my chance to get there!

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I am glad you are enjoying it. This trip report is not going anywhere. It will be still here when you get back and the way I am going at the moment, it will not have got much further.

Aulani is worth every minute of the long trip.


Corinna

I'm sorry you had to cancel your trip. That's exciting about extending your Fall trip though

We did a 5 night on the Magic, first time sailing her. And then 5 nights at Vero Beach Resort, moms first time at Vero. It was an absolutely fabulous trip.


I just booked the EBPC for August 2016, very excited about that.

I hope you can do both the December and May trips!!!

Sorry that you had cancel your May trip. But how cool to be able to extend your September trip.

sorry to hear about your May trip also, but glad that you got Sept worked out.

Pinkocto said:

That's exciting about extending your Fall trip though

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Yes, this trip is evolving at the rate of knots. First it was supposed to be a week at Disneyland, then 9 nights. Then I added 4 nights at Walt Disney World and now I am looking at 6 nights at Walt Disney World. I know I will have an absolute blast.

Pinkocto said:

We did a 5 night on the Magic, first time sailing her.

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What did you make of the Magic? I have to say I am rather excited to see the old girl again in December.

Pinkocto said:

I just booked the EBPC for August 2016, very excited about that.

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You will have an absolute blast. I was very surprised at the timing of this when I saw this cruise yesterday. I had heard rumours that the Wonder would head back to drydock in Victoria. I was a little surprised about this choice considering that due to the length she will be out of service, it looks like she will be re-imagineered then. However, I have now read that the Spanish press is confirming that the Wonder is going to be drydocked in Cadiz. This makes a lot more sense as they already have the experience with the Magic and the Magic is also heading back there for a short drydock later this year.

Pinkocto said:

I hope you can do both the December and May trips!!!

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Me, too. I will fight tooth and nail for the May trip as I want to say goodbye to the "old" Wonder. I had that chance on the Magic and managed to sail on her soon after she was re-imagineered and I want to do both on the Wonder, too. For a long time, the Magic was my favourite ship, but now the happiest memories are connected with the Wonder.

PrincessInOz said:

Sorry that you had cancel your May trip. But how cool to be able to extend your September trip.

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It was a shame, but I am really excited about the September trip and of course something good came out of not going as well.

dgbg100106 said:

sorry to hear about your May trip also, but glad that you got Sept worked out.

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I am OK with it, but I was a little upset at first as I was supposed to cross two things off my wishlist during that trip: sailing for the first time on the Disney Dream and going to the Flower and Garden festival.

Corinna

dolphingirl47 said:

Yes, this trip is evolving at the rate of knots. First it was supposed to be a week at Disneyland, then 9 nights. Then I added 4 nights at Walt Disney World and now I am looking at 6 nights at Walt Disney World. I know I will have an absolute blast.

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That sounds fabulous! Where are you staying while at WDW? I remember seeing that you are waitlisted at the VGC. Fingers crossed that that comes through.

dolphingirl47 said:

What did you make of the Magic? I have to say I am rather excited to see the old girl again in December.

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We both absolutely loved her. When I had seen pictures of the changes I didn't think I'd like the atrium, but I happened to really like it. I hadn't seen the old one so I'm sure that helped. I LOVED all the gorgeous carpets. Cabanas is so much more convenient than the layout of BBB. I didn't care for Carioca's, but then I really like Parrot Cay. Now that we've sailed all four ships I can honestly say I enjoy them all. Each and every cruise has been fantastic, the only reason I'd pick one over the other is the itinerary and price.

The Twist and Shout slide was quite fun, but the Aquadunk was terrifying!

dolphingirl47 said:

You will have an absolute blast. I was very surprised at the timing of this when I saw this cruise yesterday. I had heard rumours that the Wonder would head back to drydock in Victoria. I was a little surprised about this choice considering that due to the length she will be out of service, it looks like she will be re-imagineered then. However, I have now read that the Spanish press is confirming that the Wonder is going to be drydocked in Cadiz. This makes a lot more sense as they already have the experience with the Magic and the Magic is also heading back there for a short drydock later this year.

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I wondered why they would do the PC in August instead of October like this year. Your TRs have made me very excited to do a PC cruise, I am very much looking forward to this.

dolphingirl47 said:

Me, too. I will fight tooth and nail for the May trip as I want to say goodbye to the "old" Wonder. I had that chance on the Magic and managed to sail on her soon after she was re-imagineered and I want to do both on the Wonder, too. For a long time, the Magic was my favourite ship, but now the happiest memories are connected with the Wonder.

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Will you need to wait a little while to book them?

Pinkocto said:

That sounds fabulous! Where are you staying while at WDW? I remember seeing that you are waitlisted at the VGC. Fingers crossed that that comes through.

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At the moment I have 4 nights booked at All Star Music. Graham may to an East Coast tour during the same time frame and join me at Walt Disney World for day 5 and 6. Initially I was just going to extend the stay at All Star Music, but Graham is not keen on that resort. So I am now looking at borrowing some DVC points for those two nights. When first started looking, only Saratoga Springs and Bay Lake Tower had availability. Now I could also get Kidani, Jambo House and Old Key West. I am still leaning towards Bay Lake Tower as we both love the Top of the World Lounge. We will have to see what is available when Graham makes up his mind. I may still go down the borrowing route even if Graham does not join me, but in that case, my preference will be Jambo House.

Pinkocto said:

We both absolutely loved her.

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I am glad that you loved her.

Pinkocto said:

The Twist and Shout slide was quite fun, but the Aquadunk was terrifying!

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I loved the family slide, but chickened out on the Aquadunk.

Pinkocto said:

Will you need to wait a little while to book them?

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I am planning to book this on a travel industry rate and those don't come out until about 3 months ahead the earliest.

Corinna

Pinkocto said:

We both absolutely loved her. When I had seen pictures of the changes I didn't think I'd like the atrium, but I happened to really like it. I hadn't seen the old one so I'm sure that helped. I LOVED all the gorgeous carpets. Cabanas is so much more convenient than the layout of BBB. I didn't care for Carioca's, but then I really like Parrot Cay. Now that we've sailed all four ships I can honestly say I enjoy them all. Each and every cruise has been fantastic, the only reason I'd pick one over the other is the itinerary and price.

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That is great to hear! I am going to be on the Magic in less than two weeks and after having fallen in love with the Fantasy last November after two cruises on the Wonder, I was a bit scared that I would not like the Magic. I think I see what you mean about the carpets, that is something I noticed in the pictures of the refurbished Magic that the carpets looked so vibrant. Can't wait to check her out in person!

Pinkocto said:

I wondered why they would do the PC in August instead of October like this year. Your TRs have made me very excited to do a PC cruise, I am very much looking forward to this.

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I was on the same WBPC cruise as Corinna in 2014 and thought it was a fantastic cruise! Great choice! I also have a trip report about it, there is a link in my signature.

Day 14

This day was a little bittersweet. This was our last day at Aulani. Even though I still had a lot to look forward to for the rest of the trip, I was still quite sad. We had a bit of a lie in and then had a 9:00 breakfast at ‘Ama’Ama. On the way we spotted a few Photopass photographers and stopped for some photos.

















We still got there a little early and were seated straightaway. We ended up with a fantastic table. ‘Ama’Ama is very much open plan and overlooking the beach. Our table was on the beach side of the restaurant so we had an amazing view. The menu was lovely, too. I am not normally a breakfast person, but there were a number of dishes I would happily have eaten. I was a little torn between a couple of them, but in the end I could not resist the Loco Moco Breakfast, which consisted of a hamburger patty on top of white rice, two eggs with onion gravy. The hamburger patty tasted homemade. This was truly the breakfast of the Gods. This may actually have been my favourite meal of the trip. Graham felt much the same about his breakfast. He decided on the two eggs-any style served with Aulani potatoes and grilled sirloin steak. We also shared a 100% Kona coffee press pot, which was delicious. Eating out in the sunshine with a beautiful view made this even better. We even saw the sailing canoe go out and come back a couple of times and this was utterly fascinating. I think it was during this breakfast that the realization hit that I just have to come back to Hawaii at some stage. The idea that I never will see this again is just too painful to contemplate.

After breakfast we headed back to the room to get changed into our swimming gear. I was determined to make it to both fish feedings that day, as this would be my last chance. Once we had sorted ourselves out, we headed down to Rainbow Reef to sign the waiver. I needed to borrow a snorkel again. This time round they did not have a separate snorkel so I ended up using one of their masks as well. It was very obvious that the resort was a lot busier that day. Rainbow Reef was positively heaving with people this morning. I headed over to the far end of Rainbow Reef and stayed close to the edges. That area was full of fish that kept out of the way of the masses. It was also nice to observe the fish feeding from a distance when it was not me who had all the fish attached to her. We spent probably about 30 minutes in Rainbow Reef and then we left, as we knew we would be back in the afternoon.

Graham wanted to do some snorkeling in all of the other lagoons. I was not too sure about this, but as I had nothing else planned, I decided to just run with it and join him. As I had to hand in my snorkel and mask before leaving Rainbow Reef, we stopped by the beach shack to get a set for me to use. We then headed down to lagoon 4 with the aim of working our way back. Lagoon 4 is long and thin. This creates some interesting currents due to the design of the lagoons. This was probably my least favourite of the lagoons and although we saw some fish, the snorkeling was not as good as at the other lagoons. We did not spend a great deal of time in there. Essentially we went into the lagoon at one end, swam over to the inlet and then swam over to the beach on the opposite end and came out again.











Lagoon 3 was a real surprise for me. From the point of swimming, this is probably the least appealing of the 4. From the point of snorkeling, it was an utter dream for me. It was also a real surprise. Although I am a pretty strong swimmer, I have traditionally always been very nervous about swimming in shallow water. Lagoon 3 is very shallow and essentially for the most part, there is not much clearance between you and the reef. Normally this would have freaked me out, but I actually rather enjoyed this. I was able to see fish that stick close to the reef much clearer and there were also a number of other critters that I have not seen before.





























When we got to lagoon 2, I had a bit of a fright. I was just about to put my snorkeling gear on again and noticed that I had managed to lose the snorkel. We backtracked a little and fortunately it was on the path between lagoon 2 and three. The clip had come lose and the snorkel had fallen off. We then headed back to lagoon two. I was not any more impressed with this the second time round either. So again we went in on one side of the beach, swam out towards the inlets, spent a short time snorkeling and then swam to the beach on the opposite end.

While walking along the beach path, I took some photos. There was a little area with some giraffe statues and a water feature. I also managed to get some nice photos of Aulani from a distance and the surrounding countryside. We then headed back to lagoon 1 to spend some more time snorkeling there. This was still my favourite lagoon. We spotted something there that we thought was an eel. I did not hang around to take photos. We described this fish to one of the cast members at Rainbow Reef later on and he told us that this was not an eel, but a needlefish and that they are really common in this part of the world. It still looked rather menacing and I am glad that I did not make a closer acquaintance with this creature.

At some point it felt like we were about to turn into fish ourselves so we came out of the water and headed back up to the resort. We rinsed off the sand under the outdoor shower and then we headed over to Rainbow Reef one last time. This time round it was positively heaving. Neither of us was chosen to feed the fish, but I was fine with this. We had plenty of opportunities to do so on this trip and I was quite happy to just float around to take some more photos. After the fish feeding, we saw goodbye to the cast members at Rainbow Reef and made our way over to the koi pond.











































One of the cast members at Rainbow Reef had told us earlier in the week that they also take care of the Koi and that they have a Koi feeding after the afternoon feeding at Rainbow Reef every day. So we figured that this may be a bit of fun. We headed over there and waited for a while. We were about to give up as it was some time after the advertised feeding time and nobody had appeared. Suddenly a cast member appeared and fed the koi. I don’t think they are her favourites as she fed them as quickly as possible and without showing much interest in them.











After the Koi feeding, we headed back to the room to get showered and changed. We still had enough laundry tokens left for one load of washing, but we needed some more. I sent Graham down to the laundry room to get started while I went to the front desk to get some more laundry tokens. It looked like half of humankind was checking in. I had never seen the lobby so busy. Eventually it was my turn and I got my laundry tokens. I headed down to the laundry room and we set a second machine going.

We then decided to use the time that it would take the machines to finish to go and see the Hawaiian art in all the elevator lobbies. We took the lift up to the 15th floor and we made our way down one floor at the time. By the time we got back to the ground floor, our washing machines were nearly done. We waited for a short while the machines finished and then put our clothes in the dryers. We then headed over to the Ewa tour and checked out the artwork over there. Again, this worked out pretty well time-wise. We got our stuff out of the dryers and went back to the room to get most of our packing done.