My 'World for $1" Trip to Hawaii! THANKS! - The DIS Discussion Forums

Handbag Lady · 11-10-2009, 05:41 PM

I was one of the lucky ones on this board to find and actually win one of the World for $1 Give-a-ways from lastminutetravel.com at the beginning of this year.

THANK YOU ALL! I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS IF NOT FOR YOU ALL! We had a great, terrific, once-in-a-lifetime trip.

I'm sure a lot of you here remember the stress and the agony and the attempts of getting that ticking clock. For me, it was worth it. I know a lot of people were going for WDW, but no, I had to go and be the lone ranger!

I just got back from my trip to Hawaii this morning! YAY!

The prize was seven nights in a condo in Kona on the Big Island. The room/condo was great. It was a studio, we had no problems checking in, and we even had a view room. (Well, you had to stand on the porch but you COULD see the ocean from there.) I thought it was really cool. Yes, we had a porch and an outside wet-bar, too.

We ended up stretching out the trip a bit. Since we had to pay for airfare anyway, we added two nights and stayed in a cottage in Volcano in a rain forest. Awesome. We circled the island over nine days and did and saw as much as we could.

Here's the grocery list:

Helicopter Tour of the Volcano
Submarine ride
Parasailing in Kona
Shopping for pearls.
Snorkeling in Kona
We visited several of the National Parks areas besides the Volcanoes National Parks. One of them was called Pu'uhonua o Honaunau and yes, I can now say it due to the fun park ranger we had as our tour guide.
Shopping for pearls.
We even toured a lava tube.
Caldera viewing at night.
Touring areas that looked like Mars with the ah-ah lava and the smooth lava. I forget the Hawaiian word for smooth lava for the rocking painfull stuff is so easy. Ah-ah, (as in ouch, ah, ah!)

We made it a point to not eat at chains or fast-food, unless it was Hawaiian-only. We chose mom and pop places and tried our best to sit in with the locals. We also had a great time at the Don the Beachcomber lounge with some locals. Mai-tai=yum.

THANK YOU TO THE KIND BUDGET-BOARDERS who helped me also get a decent rental car. I did go with Priceline but now regret it! They charged us an extra $9.99 per day to add my husband as a driver. This was a total budget-buster as it was not a known factor. In the end, I ended up spending less on "stuff" to bring home that I thought, so it worked out sort-of. I would have RATHER had those pearls, but I think overall, it was just a tiny, tiny blip.

Hawaii is such a beautiful and magical place. Some of the vistas and viewing areas we saw were just as if we were watching them on HD!

Since we had a kitchen in the condo, I was able to do some grocery shopping. After I got up off of the floor and closed my mouth, we ended up buying day-old pastries for breakfast instead of doing real eggs and normal breakfast stuffs. I don't know how those people do it, but I found out that the nail tech I used there has to work six days a week to just make ends meet.

Then again, his work place looks like this:

Poor guy.

Anyway, I hate when people on here post things and never do a follow-up. I was there for Neighborwatch 2009, so I do know!

simonsmom · 11-10-2009, 05:52 PM

Thanks for the update. Glad you had a great time! Thanks also for "staying" and cheering the rest of us on. I am still planning on going to Hawaii in January but I have to pay for my room. oh, well.

OhMari · 11-10-2009, 05:58 PM

I remember that.
I got in on it too late, but I'm glad it worked out for you.
Did you ask other locals what they do for a living?
My x-dentist dd's work in Hawaii as teachers. I see my dentist in church, but I never ask how they are doing, I know that they visit their dd's a lot though.

Handbag Lady · 11-10-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhMari

I remember that.
I got in on it too late, but I'm glad it worked out for you.
Did you ask other locals what they do for a living?
My x-dentist dd's work in Hawaii as teachers. I see my dentist in church, but I never ask how they are doing, I know that they visit their dd's a lot though.

We did ask! We wanted to learn how we could live there, too. One guy we met at a bar. He was just watching the view and enjoying a beer. Turns out he was a bartender at Mauna Kea resort.

One lady managed a fruit stand. I guess you can just take a job you do here (teaching, bus driver, taxi driver, etc.) and then hope they have a need for you...? We even ran into a totally Hawaiian-looking man (long hair, linen pants, Aloha shirt, leather sandals) and he was a lawyer!

intemTib73 · 11-10-2009, 09:06 PM

I am really looking forward to your lists. big thank you for this long, complicated hard work.

Disneyland_emily · 11-11-2009, 08:38 AM

Glad you had a great time

and loved the LP Live pic-

-em

bjakmom · 11-11-2009, 09:18 AM

Wow What a great deal you got!

DH and I just did our Hawaiian trip of a lifetime in Sept. - we loved the big island, too! We have friends who retired there and they LOVE it.
Volcano Nat'l Park was where we spent our last few days and it was an amazing way to end an amazing trip (we did 17 days, 4 islands). Did you stay at Volcano Village in the rain forest? It was a gorgeous place!!
Wasn't the night viewing of the flow an amazing experience? - I keep saying amazing, but it's the only word that works - lol
There was no flow when we arrived on the island and then the night before we left it started flowing again so we drove down and walked out to see it - AMAZING! How was it flowing for you?
We said once in a lifetime - but we WILL find a way to go back to Hawaii.

RSADP · 11-11-2009, 09:47 AM

AMAZING! That is so beautiful!

Handbag Lady · 11-11-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjakmom

Wow What a great deal you got!

DH and I just did our Hawaiian trip of a lifetime in Sept. - we loved the big island, too! We have friends who retired there and they LOVE it.
Volcano Nat'l Park was where we spent our last few days and it was an amazing way to end an amazing trip (we did 17 days, 4 islands). Did you stay at Volcano Village in the rain forest? It was a gorgeous place!!
Wasn't the night viewing of the flow an amazing experience? - I keep saying amazing, but it's the only word that works - lol
There was no flow when we arrived on the island and then the night before we left it started flowing again so we drove down and walked out to see it - AMAZING! How was it flowing for you?
We said once in a lifetime - but we WILL find a way to go back to Hawaii.

YES! We stayed the first two nights in Volcano Village in a cute little cottage. The backyard faced the rain forest and it was so peaceful.

Amazing is right. There are no other words, except maybe awesome. The flow was great. We saw it from a helicopter. We meant to drive out to 130 but we ran out of time. We were only on the Volcano side for two days. The caldera at night just glowed, it was so, well, pretty!

Handbag Lady · 11-11-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Disneyland_emily

Glad you had a great time

and loved the LP Live pic-

-em

Glad you liked it! I had no way of knowing if it made it, we went computer-less on purpose!

MichelleinMaine · 11-11-2009, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handbag Lady

I forget the Hawaiian word for smooth lava for the rocking painfull stuff is so easy. Ah-ah, (as in ouch, ah, ah!)

Pahoehoe is the smooth lava (and a'a, and that's how I was taught to remember the difference too- AH!!!)

Sounds like a great trip, brought back alot of memories. Thanks!

gasperdam · 11-11-2009, 10:08 PM

Congrats to you!

Glad you had such an amazing time!

glitzybabes · 11-11-2009, 11:06 PM

sounds like yall had a great time! I hope they do the promotion again!

Handbag Lady · 11-12-2009, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitzybabes

sounds like yall had a great time! I hope they do the promotion again!

Now, wouldn't THAT be great!

11-10-2009, 05:41 PM	#1
Handbag Lady Disneyland Bride 2000 If you can't say somethng nice, come sit next to me Has the wherewithall to save bakery goods from earthquakes Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Southern California and Flexico Posts: 4,891	My 'World for $1" Trip to Hawaii! THANKS! I was one of the lucky ones on this board to find and actually win one of the World for $1 Give-a-ways from lastminutetravel.com at the beginning of this year. THANK YOU ALL! I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS IF NOT FOR YOU ALL! We had a great, terrific, once-in-a-lifetime trip. I'm sure a lot of you here remember the stress and the agony and the attempts of getting that ticking clock. For me, it was worth it. I know a lot of people were going for WDW, but no, I had to go and be the lone ranger! I just got back from my trip to Hawaii this morning! YAY! The prize was seven nights in a condo in Kona on the Big Island. The room/condo was great. It was a studio, we had no problems checking in, and we even had a view room. (Well, you had to stand on the porch but you COULD see the ocean from there.) I thought it was really cool. Yes, we had a porch and an outside wet-bar, too. We ended up stretching out the trip a bit. Since we had to pay for airfare anyway, we added two nights and stayed in a cottage in Volcano in a rain forest. Awesome. We circled the island over nine days and did and saw as much as we could. Here's the grocery list: Helicopter Tour of the Volcano Submarine ride Parasailing in Kona Shopping for pearls. Snorkeling in Kona We visited several of the National Parks areas besides the Volcanoes National Parks. One of them was called Pu'uhonua o Honaunau and yes, I can now say it due to the fun park ranger we had as our tour guide. Shopping for pearls. We even toured a lava tube. Caldera viewing at night. Touring areas that looked like Mars with the ah-ah lava and the smooth lava. I forget the Hawaiian word for smooth lava for the rocking painfull stuff is so easy. Ah-ah, (as in ouch, ah, ah!) We made it a point to not eat at chains or fast-food, unless it was Hawaiian-only. We chose mom and pop places and tried our best to sit in with the locals. We also had a great time at the Don the Beachcomber lounge with some locals. Mai-tai=yum. THANK YOU TO THE KIND BUDGET-BOARDERS who helped me also get a decent rental car. I did go with Priceline but now regret it! They charged us an extra $9.99 per day to add my husband as a driver. This was a total budget-buster as it was not a known factor. In the end, I ended up spending less on "stuff" to bring home that I thought, so it worked out sort-of. I would have RATHER had those pearls, but I think overall, it was just a tiny, tiny blip. Hawaii is such a beautiful and magical place. Some of the vistas and viewing areas we saw were just as if we were watching them on HD! Since we had a kitchen in the condo, I was able to do some grocery shopping. After I got up off of the floor and closed my mouth, we ended up buying day-old pastries for breakfast instead of doing real eggs and normal breakfast stuffs. I don't know how those people do it, but I found out that the nail tech I used there has to work six days a week to just make ends meet. Then again, his work place looks like this: Poor guy. Anyway, I hate when people on here post things and never do a follow-up. I was there for Neighborwatch 2009, so I do know! __________________ WDW: Oct/Nov. 2008 CBR / Sept. 2007 CBR / Oct. 2006 AKL / August 2005 POR (hello Katrina!) / 1998 Off Campus at the Grosvenor (ENGAGED AT EPCOT ) DL: Twice a month for years / Multiple visits since birth / 1989 CM on Main Street / 2000 Disneyland Fairy Tale Wedding <---Thanks Grumpy Pirate!

11-10-2009, 05:52 PM	#2
simonsmom Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 440	Thanks for the update. Glad you had a great time! Thanks also for "staying" and cheering the rest of us on. I am still planning on going to Hawaii in January but I have to pay for my room. oh, well. __________________ U u official member of LMT loser club

11-10-2009, 05:58 PM	#3
OhMari WDW PreTrip and Trip Moderator Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: WI USA Posts: 10,867	I remember that. I got in on it too late, but I'm glad it worked out for you. Did you ask other locals what they do for a living? My x-dentist dd's work in Hawaii as teachers. I see my dentist in church, but I never ask how they are doing, I know that they visit their dd's a lot though. __________________ Convention Time in Orlando!! Feb. 24-28, 2010 Join me in my pre-trip: http://www.disboards.com/showthread....8#post35070178

11-10-2009, 09:06 PM	#5
intemTib73 Earning My Ears Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: United States Posts: 7	My World for 1" Trip to Hawaii THANKS I am really looking forward to your lists. big thank you for this long, complicated hard work.

11-11-2009, 08:38 AM	#6
Disneyland_emily I soo need to get that I knew there was a reason I still had faith in people I can't sleep unless I say goodnight to Drew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: WDW- ironically Posts: 3,179	Glad you had a great time and loved the LP Live pic- -em __________________ -365 Disney Style- http://hyphenem365.blogspot.com/

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11-11-2009, 09:18 AM	#7
bjakmom DIS Veteran Tag Fairies DO have a lot of love to go around! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: South Jersey Posts: 3,739	Wow What a great deal you got! DH and I just did our Hawaiian trip of a lifetime in Sept. - we loved the big island, too! We have friends who retired there and they LOVE it. Volcano Nat'l Park was where we spent our last few days and it was an amazing way to end an amazing trip (we did 17 days, 4 islands). Did you stay at Volcano Village in the rain forest? It was a gorgeous place!! Wasn't the night viewing of the flow an amazing experience? - I keep saying amazing, but it's the only word that works - lol There was no flow when we arrived on the island and then the night before we left it started flowing again so we drove down and walked out to see it - AMAZING! How was it flowing for you? We said once in a lifetime - but we WILL find a way to go back to Hawaii. __________________ "Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there. . . with open arms and open eyes. . ." - Incubus

11-11-2009, 09:47 AM	#8
RSADP Earning My Ears Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 56	AMAZING! That is so beautiful!

11-11-2009, 10:08 PM	#12
gasperdam Mouseketeer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 325	Congrats to you! Glad you had such an amazing time! __________________ (DH) (ME) (DS 9) (DS 8) (DD 4) (DS 2)

11-11-2009, 11:06 PM	#13
glitzybabes ............SIMON SAYS........... "Go to Disney World!" Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: McDonough, GA Posts: 1,086	sounds like yall had a great time! I hope they do the promotion again! __________________ WDW trips: 1985,1990,1991,1998,2002,2004x2-Off Property. Sept. 2006-POP, Sept. 2007-ASMu, Sept.2008-ASMU, Dec.2008 Magic Music Days Off Property, Sept. 2009 SSR/CBR, Dec. 2009 MMD at ASMu

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