A Tale of Two Trips: Disneyland and Hawaii July 2014 Long Way Home: The End 9/13 p.40

YIKES!!! It has been forever since I have posted here, and on all of my subscriptions.

As my Beach & Yacht Club friends know, I have been spending a significant amount of time in past week or so dealing with a family situation- my dad has unexpectedly decided to stop driving due to some dizzy spells he is having. I am trying to get him settled in a home-bound situation and ultimately find a different living arrangement for him. He really shouldn't be living alone for much longer. Would appreciate positive energy and prayers as he/we deal with these lifestyle changes.

Any time that I am not working or volunteering at the middle or high school has been spent running errands or helping my dad around the house-he lives about 30 minutes away from me. Today we signed him up for Meals on Wheels.

On the bright side- on Mothers Day I get to make FP selections for the 160 or so people going on the class trip. The big question is do I set the alarm for 2 am when I can start making the reservations or just wait until 4:30 when I normally wake up???

:

Wood Nymph said:

The visitor center at Kilahuea is the best one, anyway, although the crater at Haleakala is more dramatic because it is closer to the center. We never had a chance to take our daughters to Haleakala since it was covered in clouds for our whole trip.
We used to shop at Hilo Hatties and buy just enough stuff to get a free mug. I have at least three or four of them and we only had to spend something like $20 for each mug. It was a bargain compared to Disney mugs.

The shave ice looks delicious. Liliko'i is one of my favorite flavors.

Yes, you definitely need to return to Hawaii without the boys.

Watching sunrises and sunsets are some of my favorite things to do in Hawaii. We used to stay at a condo in Poipu Beach on the island of Kauai. It is at the southern tip of the island and we could walk to the rocky coast from our condo, or stay on the balcony if the view was good enough, to watch the sunrise. And it was a short walk to the nearby beach to see the sunset. I loved it.


That looks like the area where we went snorkeling, but the water was clear when we were there.

Lunch looks really good. Your snorkel trip looks like it was a success. Did Ben enjoy it, too?

We were early birds in Hawaii, too. We'd be wide awake by 4:30 - 5am. We'd eat our big meal at lunch time which would be dinner time at home. And we'd go to bed early, which was pretty easy since there wasn't a lot of nightlife there anyway.

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We will have to visit Haleakala if we make it back to Hawaii without the boys. I'd also love to see more of Maui. But no complaints with what we did.

Lilikoi (passionfruit) is one of my favorite fruits! When you can find them around here they are over $1 each for a single, small fruit. When we were in St. Lucia, a long time ago, we purchased them for 10 cents each!!!

It was a shame about the conditions at our second snorkeling spot. Makes me think we should have just gone to Turtle Town anyway, as they usually do. Ben loved the trip. He has seen eels snorkeling before, but never a view as good as this one and it was his first octopus. I was so glad we all saw it!

I am an early bird at home, so I was really scared that I would be waking up in the middle of the night while in Hawaii. Stopping for several days in California really helped with our adjustment. I work up early, but not too much earlier than I would back at home.

KatMark said:

Sorry I am behind, Dee. I am caught up now just before I go.

What great pictures at Molokini Crater. You got some great photos underwater...love the fish and the eel. And how cool that Mark got a picture of the octupus.

Sorry the next spot was a bit dark and you didn't see much.

Lunch looks yummy.

And I love the turtles that you saw once you docked.

Oh dear...I hope Nate finds you.

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I didn't get a chance to reply to this or to get over to your pre-trip to wish you a fantastic trip! I know it will be!

I loved the snorkeling at Molokini. And I love my underwater cameras. A woman on the excursion had a Fuji just like mine and I was giving her instructions because she had not used it before. I hope her pictures came out!

The lunch was soooooo good! Especially since we were super hungry.

Seeing the turtles was a special treat. They hung around for a while. And we were just waiting for Nate, anyway.

Spoiler Alert- we do hook back up with Nate, thankfully!

RHMH said:

Hello Dee - Sorry I've not been actively following on a regular base...Getting Midori ready for her 2 month trip to Korea scheduled in June...

Love the trip report and all the pictures...Glad you made it to Hawaii with the Sequoia and Bluebonnet seeds. Midori & I are planning some out of he way vacations before she goes off to college..

Bob

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Bob-

Thanks for checking out my report. We really loved Disneyland but found attractions broke down a lot more frequently there than WDW. But DL is a 60 year old beauty so I'll cut her some slack!

It was great to meet you and I apologize once again for not being able to spend more time with you, Midori and your friends. Especially since we had been trying to connect all that day! We had the same problem with the teacher and friends we tried to meet up with our last night. We never did get together with them.

Thanks again for the memorable souvenir!!!

Wow, Midori's trip should be amazing! Sending wishes for safe travels. Where else are you headed? We are off to Yellowstone in August, our first time.

Just popping in to say hi and I'm glad you are getting organized with your Dad. We are living parallel lives you and I except it's my mum that's needing the help and lives 30 minutes away! Funny that journey sounds like so little but it can really take a chunk out of the day especially if they ring needing something when you've just left. But I will say that it gets easier in some ways when you've got a routine up and running. You have been in my thoughts and I'm hoping you get your Dad settled into this new chapter of his life as easily as possible. Remember to take care of you a little too
Oh and I vote you just get up at your usual time - what will be will be

Hugs to you. Had to deal with a homebound DM for several months. Take time for yourself, and yeah, I'd get up my usual time! Great pictures of the fish. My kids both like the water. Bugging me for a cruise, but that is not happening at Christmas holiday break. We're heading to San Diego this year, so hope to see whales.

Wonderful updates and snorkel pics. Can't wait to hear more about it!

Reading about your adventures in Hawaii really brings back memories of our trip - thanks for that.

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad...it's so hard when they get older.

I hope you got your FP+ selections done; what a way to spend Mother's Day.

I am sorry to hear about the adjustment with your dad. Will keep you all in prayers.
I never really thought about going snorkeling, your pics are changing my mind. I can't believe how clear those came out.

Subbing over from the Yacht and Beach forum. As a Disneyland local, I'm looking forward to going back and reading your impressions of our park.

Hey all!!!

I finally got caught up on the BC/YC FAQ board and I'm starting to binge read the trip reports I am subscribed to, but I also want to get back to updates on my reports. Thank you all for you patience!

luvpoohandcompany said:

Just popping in to say hi and I'm glad you are getting organized with your Dad. We are living parallel lives you and I except it's my mum that's needing the help and lives 30 minutes away! Funny that journey sounds like so little but it can really take a chunk out of the day especially if they ring needing something when you've just left. But I will say that it gets easier in some ways when you've got a routine up and running. You have been in my thoughts and I'm hoping you get your Dad settled into this new chapter of his life as easily as possible. Remember to take care of you a little too
Oh and I vote you just get up at your usual time - what will be will be

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Thanks for the sympathetic words and ear.

It really would be easier if my dad was closer. Working on that!

I can't remember if I posted about when I woke up to do Fast Passes- It was 3:40 am, I woke without the alarm. Got everything we wanted, at mostly decent times. Mission Space for the girls' groups was later than I would have liked, but overall the selections went well.

Lynne G said:

Hugs to you. Had to deal with a homebound DM for several months. Take time for yourself, and yeah, I'd get up my usual time! Great pictures of the fish. My kids both like the water. Bugging me for a cruise, but that is not happening at Christmas holiday break. We're heading to San Diego this year, so hope to see whales.

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Thank you!

I love taking snorkeling pictures. It is kind of like an underwater safari- you never know what you will encounter.

I have been to San Diego a couple of times- beautiful city with awesome weather. Whales are awesome!!! Will you visit the zoo?

(closest smilie to a koala)

sharona said:

Wonderful updates and snorkel pics. Can't wait to hear more about it!

Reading about your adventures in Hawaii really brings back memories of our trip - thanks for that.

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Thank you! I'm glad my report is helping you to think about your trip.

Speaking of- have you started a report for your April trip? I haven't had time to check, but would love if you would post a link here.

KatMark said:

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad...it's so hard when they get older.

I hope you got your FP+ selections done; what a way to spend Mother's Day.

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Thank you!

Doing the Fast Passes was not too bad. I had 13 groups to book (boys at MK and girls at EP), that took about 2 1/2 hours. The really difficult part was double-checking everything. I found that two people had not been added to groups and one had the wrong ticket number. I spent hours looking at all of the groups. But I rewarded myself with a walk in our beautiful local state park.

Then the next two mornings I had to book for our other two days in the parks after getting feedback on what each group wants to do on the free day.

PHEW!

momabbate said:

I am sorry to hear about the adjustment with your dad. Will keep you all in prayers.
I never really thought about going snorkeling, your pics are changing my mind. I can't believe how clear those came out.

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Thanks so much!

I was so scared the first time I went snorkeling. I'm a really good swimmer, but not really that coordinated, so I didn't think I would be able to do it. But once I saw what was under the water, I haven't looked back (or up!)

DisneyAllen said:

Subbing over from the Yacht and Beach forum. As a Disneyland local, I'm looking forward to going back and reading your impressions of our park.

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Thanks for joining in on my report.

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Maui Ocean Center, Dukes Again and We must be in the EAC, Dude! and Sunset

Tuesday July 22, Maui Ocean Center

Recap: Mark, Ben and I had just finished our wonderful snorkel excursion with Trilogy. We were waiting for Nate to arrive via taxi from the resort. It would be about 30 minutes travel time.

The texting conversation between Nate and me as I guided him through every step of what he needed to do was amusing. Unfortunately, it is archived on my old phone and although I think I can still access the messages, I can't find the charger for the phone! If I manage to solve that technical difficulty, I'll post our conversation here. I did tell him to ask the driver to let him know when they were 5 minutes away and to text us so we could meet the cab.

I had instructed Nate to grab enough cash to cover the ride, but we paid the driver with a credit card, which she wasn't really thrilled about. Oh, well! The fare was around $70, plus tip.

Once reunited we went in to the aquarium.







It was small, compared to the New England Aquarium in Boston and Atlantis in the Bahamas. But the exhibits were excellent and I loved the focus on native Hawaiian marine life. There was a shark tank/tunnel and lots of displays/information about sharks. The species is one of our family's favorites.

Here are just a few pictures from our visit.

Dukes, Again!

We were pretty hungry after our visit to the Maui Ocean Center.

One of the possibilities for dinner was heading south to Makena to go to Monkeypod. On Oahu, fans of Disney's Aulani rave about nearby Monkeypod, so I was very tempted to try the sister restaurant on Maui, but that would mean more driving in unfamiliar territory. Instead, we headed back to our resort, and back to Dukes for another fantastic meal.

We ordered two salads- this one and a Caesar-style








Waipoli Farms Romaine Heart- Shaved Parmesan, grilled baguette, lemon-anchovy dressing and cherry tomatoes.


For entrees, I got the fish special, Nate got the NY strip steak and Mark and Ben both ordered the Seafood Risotto.





Two types of fish- Mahi Mahi and Sea Bass, I think. One with a macadamia crust and pineapple sauce, the other with an Asian style sauce.






New York USDA Prime 14 oz. center cut, Hawaiian salt massaged, Meyer lemon gremolata butter, roasted fingerling potatoes, vegetable







Seafood Risotto- Lobster, shrimp, scallops & fresh fish, chardonnay herb risotto


For dessert, we shared the Hula Pie, which was free because we presented our receipt from Sunday's meal.





Next up: We must be in the EAC, Dude! and Sunset

natebenma said:

Thank you! I'm glad my report is helping you to think about your trip.

Speaking of- have you started a report for your April trip? I haven't had time to check, but would love if you would post a link here.

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Hi! Yes, started my report and just finished the part about our 1 awesome day at MK. The link is in my signature. Pop in when you have the time!! There's a Key Largo snorkel report in there for you!

Great updates Dee. The photos of the entry to the aquarium remind me of the ones u used to take at the Jaws ride in universal
That food looks awesome and the Hula pie!!!! Yum!!!

natebenma said:

but we paid the driver with a credit card, which she wasn't really thrilled about.

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Hmmm, that's kind of odd. A little under the table skimming perhaps? You guys sure do have some adventures with cabs.

I love aquariums that have tunnels. Makes you feel like your right there with the marine life... without having to actually be right there with the marine life.

natebenma said:

Nate chose not to join us on this excursion. No, it was not the early time that got him. Nate does not really enjoy snorkeling. And he isn’t always wild about being on boats, either. He decided not to go in time for us to cancel his reservation without penalty, so that was good.

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I assume the excursion would have been more than the pricey cab ride?

natebenma said:

What was less good was that the excursion that both boys wanted to do, Maui Ocean Center, was RIGHT THERE at the dock where Trilogy is based. Nate suggested that we come and get him after we docked and then go back so we could go together. The resort is about 30 minutes from the harbor and I informed him that there was no I was doing an hour round trip to bring him to a place we already were going to be.

Our compromise- we would pay for a taxi to take Nate from the resort to the aquarium. Nate was not too happy about this plan- although I can’t imagine why not. Maybe it had to do with our experience with the cab driver who was a reject from “Deliverance” or maybe it was the van from the snorkel tour that tried to drop him off across town from our resort on Oahu asking “How well do you know Waikiki?”

In any event, I stood firm that if he wanted to go to the aquarium, this was how it was going to go down.

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you are WAY nicer than we are. We'd have parked his behind at a Starbucks or other restaurant with a book and food money.

natebenma said:

Shortly after setting sail, breakfast was served. There was coffee (thankfully), hot chocolate, fruit and Mama’s Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

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Those cinnamon rolls look fabulous!

natebenma said:

After coming back onboard, it was time for lunch- a delicious BBQ teriyaki chicken, salad, rice, rolls. The crew served us on plastic plates with real silverware and then came back through several times with seconds and thirds. The food was delicious! It really hit the spot after such an active morning.

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This sounds like an outstanding excursion all around! I would have loved do so something like that with the E's on Oahu but didn't for a couple of reasons. 1, the budget allowed for one excursion and surfing one and 2, the water was really cloudy our whole trip. Which we didn't know ahead of time but were glad we hadn't planned on a snorkeling excursion.

natebenma said:

I had instructed Nate to grab enough cash to cover the ride, but we paid the driver with a credit card, which she wasn't really thrilled about. Oh, well! The fare was around $70, plus tip.

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OUCH!

natebenma said:

One of the possibilities for dinner was heading south to Makena to go to Monkeypod. On Oahu, fans of Disney's Aulani rave about nearby Monkeypod, so I was very tempted to try the sister restaurant on Maui, but that would mean more driving in unfamiliar territory. Instead, we headed back to our resort, and back to Dukes for another fantastic meal.

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Yeah, that isn't exactly around the corner for a meal. Can't go wrong with Dukes!

natebenma said:

As my Beach & Yacht Club friends know, I have been spending a significant amount of time in past week or so dealing with a family situation- my dad has unexpectedly decided to stop driving due to some dizzy spells he is having. I am trying to get him settled in a home-bound situation and ultimately find a different living arrangement for him. He really shouldn't be living alone for much longer. Would appreciate positive energy and prayers as he/we deal with these lifestyle changes.

Any time that I am not working or volunteering at the middle or high school has been spent running errands or helping my dad around the house-he lives about 30 minutes away from me. Today we signed him up for Meals on Wheels.

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Oh Dee, I am so sorry you are going through this, I did not know. I am grateful he came to that decision on his own but how hard for all of you.

natebenma said:

On the bright side- on Mothers Day I get to make FP selections for the 160 or so people going on the class trip. The big question is do I set the alarm for 2 am when I can start making the reservations or just wait until 4:30 when I normally wake up???

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Holy cats! How do you even do that???? What did you do?

sharona said:

Hi! Yes, started my report and just finished the part about our 1 awesome day at MK. The link is in my signature. Pop in when you have the time!! There's a Key Largo snorkel report in there for you!

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As you know, I have been over to check out your report, but I still need to get caught up!

:

luvpoohandcompany said:

Great updates Dee. The photos of the entry to the aquarium remind me of the ones u used to take at the Jaws ride in universal
That food looks awesome and the Hula pie!!!! Yum!!!

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Sharks' Jaws make the best photo ops! Here are a couple of my favorites, although I know I have another one with Ben holding up a sharks jaw, but I can't think of where it is from.









We never have been able to get a decent picture inside The Seas, in Bruce's mouth, though- the ones I have are blurry.

DisneyKid4Life said:

Hmmm, that's kind of odd. A little under the table skimming perhaps? You guys sure do have some adventures with cabs.

I love aquariums that have tunnels. Makes you feel like your right there with the marine life... without having to actually be right there with the marine life.

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Yes, I suspect that may have been it with the driver preferring cash. Or maybe it is because of the fees charged to a vendor when you use a credit card.

I wanted to make sure Nate had the cash in case the driver didn't trust him, but it was more convenient for us to charge the fare.

Oh, well.

eandesmom said:

I assume the excursion would have been more than the pricey cab ride?

Yes, Nate was surprising at the Youth rate (that rarely happens these days), but it still was around $100 for the excursion. Plus, he doesn't really like snorkeling and sometimes gets seasick on boats, so it was better to leave him behind.


you are WAY nicer than we are. We'd have parked his behind at a Starbucks or other restaurant with a book and food money.

I felt he was safer back at the resort, he was comfortable going out to the beach to read and could go back and forth to the room if he wanted to.


Those cinnamon rolls look fabulous!

The cinnamon rolls were good, but not as good as I expected. They really build those up on their Facebook page and website. Then again, I prefer savory to sweet at meals, including breakfast, so it could have been me.



This sounds like an outstanding excursion all around! I would have loved do so something like that with the E's on Oahu but didn't for a couple of reasons. 1, the budget allowed for one excursion and surfing one and 2, the water was really cloudy our whole trip. Which we didn't know ahead of time but were glad we hadn't planned on a snorkeling excursion.

We were really pleased with the excursion! Loved the boat, the crew, the food and the fish we saw.


OUCH!

That shows just how much I hate to drive. Miserly me would rather pay the $70 than shuttle the boy back and forth.


Yeah, that isn't exactly around the corner for a meal. Can't go wrong with Dukes!

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We had some great meals at Dukes. We aren't done yet!

eandesmom said:

Oh Dee, I am so sorry you are going through this, I did not know. I am grateful he came to that decision on his own but how hard for all of you.

Holy cats! How do you even do that???? What did you do?

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Thank you! It is going ok with my dad, but it is difficult being so far away (just 30 min, but still).

So the important part of the Fast Pass scenario was in the set up. We needed 13 email accounts set up for the 13 groups. Then I set up each of the 13 walking groups. I picked a lead for the group and added the rest of the people to be managed by that lead. When we got the tickets a couple of weeks ago, we had to link all of the ticket numbers. A couple of us worked on that project. Then on Mothers Day, I booked the Fast Passes for the 13 groups for Tuesday- boys in MK and girls in EP.

Although we are staying on site, we don't have our resevations linked so I had to book each day 30 days out. The next day I booked boys at EP and girls at MK. Then for the final day, I tried to get input from the leads of each group to see what they wanted.

Fun times!

:

natebenma said:

We were pretty hungry after our visit to the Maui Ocean Center.

One of the possibilities for dinner was heading south to Makena to go to Monkeypod. On Oahu, fans of Disney's Aulani rave about nearby Monkeypod, so I was very tempted to try the sister restaurant on Maui, but that would mean more driving in unfamiliar territory. Instead, we headed back to our resort, and back to Dukes for another fantastic meal.

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The food looks really good and you can't beat a free serving of Hula pie. We had our favorite place for breakfast when we stayed on Kauai and we went there almost every morning. It was at a golf course and cost something like $6. There's no rule that says you can't eat at the same restaurant more than once on vacation.

Wood Nymph said:

The food looks really good and you can't beat a free serving of Hula pie. We had our favorite place for breakfast when we stayed on Kauai and we went there almost every morning. It was at a golf course and cost something like $6. There's no rule that says you can't eat at the same restaurant more than once on vacation.

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I didn't mind going to Dukes a few times, but it was kind of expensive. I wish there were a few other choices at our resort. But we did ok, especially since we picked up some food from the nearby grocery store and strip mall. We certainly didn't starve!

We Must Be in the EAC, Dude!

After dinner, we discussed what we wanted to do. It was around 5:30 pm. Even though we had spent the morning snorkeling, Mark and I tried to decide if we wanted to go out again.

We did.

And I'm really glad.

We saw some pretty interesting things, including the largest turtle we have ever seen snorkeling. It was not a green turtle like we normally see, I think it may have been a loggerhead. We also swam with a pretty large green turtle.

















We must be in the EAC, Dude!!!




Sea Star




Parrotfish




I have not been able to identify this one. I think it is a wrasse.

Next up: Sunset