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

[natebenma]

That’s Gotta Hertz!


We landed in Maui and I believe we deplaned using one of those rolling staircases. The boys thought that was pretty cool.


We were renting a car for this portion of the trip, against our will, but it was absolutely necessary. Maui is big and we would be going to some distant excursions. There really isn’t decent (affordable) transportation in place for tourists.


But neither Mark nor I like to drive, period, and especially on vacation, in areas we are not familiar with.


I would be the driver and Mark (and Cortana) would be my navigators. Cortana is the voice on our Microsoft phones. I don’t like her.


As we were walking through the airport, on our way to the Hertz rental counter, a distressing thought occurred to me.


My driving glasses were back at home, in my van, where I always keep them. I only use glasses to drive, so I leave them in the dashbox. I didn’t think to pack them for the trip. I did have my prescription sunglasses, but I don’t really like to wear them because of the altered reality vision through bronze-colored glasses.


But they would have to do.


We got to the Hertz Counter, there was a long line, and everyone at the counter was having issues. But I spotted the AAA diamond express line, and since we had booked our trip through AAA, we were next.


We had rented a mid-size (economy) car, and of course they tried to upsell us. “Your luggage will never fit in this car”


I know this scam. They get you to pay extra for a larger car, but they really only have the larger cars on the lot, so you will end up with the upgrade whether you pay for it or not.


So we went out to find our chariot which was…


A Nissan Versa.


It really was a small car, it WAS difficult to get the luggage to fit and the boys had a pretty uncomfortable ride to the resort cramped with bags between them.


Ben, particularly, was not happy. He was uncomfortable, he didn’t remember us ever renting a car before since it has been over 10 years and he knew this situation would be stressful for both Mark and me.


It was just sprinkling lightly when we started driving. I got lost in the rental lot trying to find the main road (Mark, please stop fiddling with the $#^% GPS and help me look for signs). I drove through a stop sign in the rental lot due to my nervousness and Ben uttered


“I don’t like this at all!”


The ride took a little less than an hour. We first drove south across the countryside and then headed west towards Maalaea Harbor, and then we drove north along the coast to Ka’anapali.


We arrived at our resort without incident. And without any photos of the trip since not only am I the designated driver, I am also the official family photographer.


Next up: You Need an Engineering Degree to Stay in this Room (and Sometimes that Doesn’t Even Help!)


This may be my first trip report chapter ever without pictures!

Sorry about that, but since I am having a devil of a time trying to post pictures today, it is a good time for this chapter.

I do have a few "forgotten" pictures from my morning walk along Waikiki in the post right before this one...

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I feel for you renting a car Dee, I really do. I'm used to it now, but in the beginning it was rough. Dealing with the upsell (even if they are actually right, lol) is a outright pain. It's the reason I joined the free membership for Dollar. Preferences are filled in so now they don't even ask. So yeah, I feel for you.

And if it makes you feel any better, the very first time driving in Florida (and never leaving the tourist area mind you) I had to refill the car... the very first day. THAT's how lost I got.

 

[KatMark]

You and Lisa (mickeystoontown) were having problems with pictures today.

Great beach pictures...the ones you forgot to post earlier. Nothing like an early morning walk on the beach.

We always rent a car and my Mark is really good with directions. But I don't think I would want to drive in Maui. I remember one tour we took when we were there and the car we were in with our tour guide.

Poor Ben.

 

[natebenma]

I feel for you renting a car Dee, I really do. I'm used to it now, but in the beginning it was rough. Dealing with the upsell (even if they are actually right, lol) is a outright pain. It's the reason I joined the free membership for Dollar. Preferences are filled in so now they don't even ask. So yeah, I feel for you.

And if it makes you feel any better, the very first time driving in Florida (and never leaving the tourist area mind you) I had to refill the car... the very first day. THAT's how lost I got.

The rental car was one of the things I was dreading. It actually wasn't too bad, because we mostly stayed on the main road and it was easy to get around. But I was mad at myself for leaving my glasses behind. I never take them on vacation, but this time I needed them.

Oh, no, on needing to gas up on the first day!!! Did you have any trouble finding where the gas tank (or release latch) was. I hear that is sometimes a problem.

You and Lisa (mickeystoontown) were having problems with pictures today.

Great beach pictures...the ones you forgot to post earlier. Nothing like an early morning walk on the beach.

We always rent a car and my Mark is really good with directions. But I don't think I would want to drive in Maui. I remember one tour we took when we were there and the car we were in with our tour guide.

Poor Ben.

Picture problem appears to be ok so far this morning. But you saw first hand what I was talking about with the [/url] issue.

I was mad at myself for missing those pictures. I had a lovely walk on the beach, although I am always just a little nervous walking anywhere alone that early in the morning. Never stops me though!

Maui wasn't bad to get around (we didn't do the Hana highway), but there is no WAY I would have rented a car in Oahu/Honolulu/Waikiki. All of the resorts we stayed at in Hawaii had parking fees, like $25 per night, so that was another reason to try to minimize the car rental on this vacation.

Ben survived!

:

 

[Lynne G]

Which is why I have only used Hertz once. My kids called what we had the crappy car. It was. At least wherever we parked, we were sure no one would look twice at it. When I returned the car, the guy said, well, if I didn't like the car, I should have said something, and they would have given me a different car. Right.

Glad Ben was ok. Great pictures.

 

[natebenma]

Which is why I have only used Hertz once. My kids called what we had the crappy car. It was. At least wherever we parked, we were sure no one would look twice at it. When I returned the car, the guy said, well, if I didn't like the car, I should have said something, and they would have given me a different car. Right.

Glad Ben was ok. Great pictures.

I can't remember who we rented from 10 years ago. I think it was Alamo. I didn't necessarily have a problem with Hertz. I got the car I paid for. I was just too cheap to pay for the car we needed!!!

Thanks for the kind word about the photos.

:

 

[KatMark]

Picture problem appears to be ok so far this morning. But you saw first hand what I was talking about with the [/url] issue.

I most certainly did. I'm sorry about that.

I was mad at myself for missing those pictures. I had a lovely walk on the beach, although I am always just a little nervous walking anywhere alone that early in the morning. Never stops me though!

I feel the same way you do. leery, but do it anyway.

Maui wasn't bad to get around (we didn't do the Hana highway), but there is no WAY I would have rented a car in Oahu/Honolulu/Waikiki. All of the resorts we stayed at in Hawaii had parking fees, like $25 per night, so that was another reason to try to minimize the car rental on this vacation.

:

The Hana Highway...oh that was nervewracking. That is insane for parking at a hotel.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Did you have any trouble finding where the gas tank (or release latch) was. I hear that is sometimes a problem.

Seriously, why is there not a universal gas tank location and release latch on vehicles??????? Every rental car I've had, I had to pull over as I entered a gas station because I realize I have no idea where the gas tank is.

 

[KatMark]

Seriously, why is there not a universal gas tank location and release latch on vehicles??????? Every rental car I've had, I had to pull over as I entered a gas station because I realize I have no idea where the gas tank is.

You do know that on most newer models, there is a gas tank picture on the dashboard and it shows which side the tank is on. It took me the longest time to figure that out.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

You do know that on most newer models, there is a gas tank picture on the dashboard and it shows which side the tank is on. It took me the longest time to figure that out.

Haha, nope, I had no idea. But I will definitely keep that in mind.

 

[teekathepony]

Hahaha I was SO sure you guys would get upgraded to a bigger car!! That's not fun at all, I hate driving (well, passenging? I don't actually do the driving.) anyway, and being crowded in makes me really cranky. Like this one time we made a too-big trip to Costco with our little truck... and it was raining so we couldn't put our stuff in the back... oh dear, I'm rambling.
Whew! Glad you got there without incident!

 

[mickeystoontown]

You've seen my posts on Facebook so you know my feelings for the Dis right now. No need for me to rant any further but I probably will anyway. Thanks to my "no-longer-getting-e-mail-notification" status, I keep falilng behind. I'm glad that you and Mark got to spend some alone time together even if it wasn't for very long. Oh goodness, your dinner at Red Lobster sounds like a real flop. I also come from a land of seafood plenty so we rarely eat any type of seafood from chain restaurants. At least you can now say that you've been there done that (and ain't going back).

Given the fact that you don't like to drive in unfamiliar places, I'm sure that you were happy when you pulled into your new resort for this portion of the trip.

 

[natebenma]

The Hana Highway...oh that was nervewracking. That is insane for parking at a hotel.

I would love to go on the Hana highway on a future trip, but we WON'T be driving it ourselves. We figured it wouldn't really hold the boys' interests on this trip, and we preferred to be in and on the water, anyway.

Parking costs were ridiculous!!!

Seriously, why is there not a universal gas tank location and release latch on vehicles??????? Every rental car I've had, I had to pull over as I entered a gas station because I realize I have no idea where the gas tank is.

Now what really gets me is the inconsistency of vehicles when it comes to the installation of car seats for little ones. I used to run a car seat safety checkpoint for a mother's club in our area and the percentage of car seats incorrectly (not safely) installed is extremely high. Police officers who specialize in installation have to go to a week-long school for proper instruction. I believe legislation is in the process to require car companies to have universal connections for car seat installation.

You do know that on most newer models, there is a gas tank picture on the dashboard and it shows which side the tank is on. It took me the longest time to figure that out.

Thank you so much for this Public Service Announcement!!!

Haha, nope, I had no idea. But I will definitely keep that in mind.

Great tip from Kathy!!!

:

Hahaha I was SO sure you guys would get upgraded to a bigger car!! That's not fun at all, I hate driving (well, passenging? I don't actually do the driving.) anyway, and being crowded in makes me really cranky. Like this one time we made a too-big trip to Costco with our little truck... and it was raining so we couldn't put our stuff in the back... oh dear, I'm rambling.
Whew! Glad you got there without incident!

I was sure too!!! There was no way I was going to go back with my tail between my legs and admit I was wrong! Here, Ben, do you mind holding this suitcase in your lap for an hour?

You've seen my posts on Facebook so you know my feelings for the Dis right now. No need for me to rant any further but I probably will anyway. Thanks to my "no-longer-getting-e-mail-notification" status, I keep falilng behind.

Yes, these past couple of days have been rough ones in DISworld!

I am actually terrified about when I have to start a new FAQ thread and migrate 20 very long, picture filled posts when we get to our page limit.

I'm glad that you and Mark got to spend some alone time together even if it wasn't for very long. Oh goodness, your dinner at Red Lobster sounds like a real flop. I also come from a land of seafood plenty so we rarely eat any type of seafood from chain restaurants. At least you can now say that you've been there done that (and ain't going back).

We didn't have the best dinner, but it was still a pretty awesome anniversary.

:

Given the fact that you don't like to drive in unfamiliar places, I'm sure that you were happy when you pulled into your new resort for this portion of the trip.

I was very happy when we arrived at our resort.

All of other road trips would be along the same route we had just taken, so at least I would be comfortable with getting around.

 

[eandesmom]

That’s Gotta Hertz!


We landed in Maui and I believe we deplaned using one of those rolling staircases. The boys thought that was pretty cool.


We were renting a car for this portion of the trip, against our will, but it was absolutely necessary. Maui is big and we would be going to some distant excursions. There really isn’t decent (affordable) transportation in place for tourists.


But neither Mark nor I like to drive, period, and especially on vacation, in areas we are not familiar with.


I would be the driver and Mark (and Cortana) would be my navigators. Cortana is the voice on our Microsoft phones. I don’t like her.


As we were walking through the airport, on our way to the Hertz rental counter, a distressing thought occurred to me.


My driving glasses were back at home, in my van, where I always keep them. I only use glasses to drive, so I leave them in the dashbox. I didn’t think to pack them for the trip. I did have my prescription sunglasses, but I don’t really like to wear them because of the altered reality vision through bronze-colored glasses.


But they would have to do.

UGH! I actually drive primarily in rx sunglasses but I know the feeling of not having what you want and are used to and it's stressful! I hate driving elsewhere. When I can, I'll skip a car be it for work or personal. In Hawaii it is not an option. When it's vacation not such a biggie as Jeff likes to drive (though we skip it at Disney) but for work it's just me and I can't stand it. Hawaii can be particularily challenging.

We got to the Hertz Counter, there was a long line, and everyone at the counter was having issues. But I spotted the AAA diamond express line, and since we had booked our trip through AAA, we were next.


We had rented a mid-size (economy) car, and of course they tried to upsell us. “Your luggage will never fit in this car”


I know this scam. They get you to pay extra for a larger car, but they really only have the larger cars on the lot, so you will end up with the upgrade whether you pay for it or not.


So we went out to find our chariot which was…


A Nissan Versa.


It really was a small car, it WAS difficult to get the luggage to fit and the boys had a pretty uncomfortable ride to the resort cramped with bags between them.


Ben, particularly, was not happy. He was uncomfortable, he didn’t remember us ever renting a car before since it has been over 10 years and he knew this situation would be stressful for both Mark and me.


It was just sprinkling lightly when we started driving. I got lost in the rental lot trying to find the main road (Mark, please stop fiddling with the $#^% GPS and help me look for signs). I drove through a stop sign in the rental lot due to my nervousness and Ben uttered


“I don’t like this at all!”


The ride took a little less than an hour. We first drove south across the countryside and then headed west towards Maalaea Harbor, and then we drove north along the coast to Ka’anapali.


We arrived at our resort without incident. And without any photos of the trip since not only am I the designated driver, I am also the official family photographer.

UGH! I had a similar experience but in reverse this last work trip. I had booked a corolla, got their late and all that was "left" was a mustang convertible or I could pay to upgrade to an SUV. UGH! Convertibles are theft magnets and you can't see for squat. Not to mention it screams TOURIST and I had my local co worker giving me crap for days!

I have booked/rebooked our April car now at least 3 times trying to get the biggest sedan with a full trunk (non SUV for aforementioned theft reasons) possible for the lowest price. Total pita and they will probably try to give me something else anyway and I'll throw a little fit.

I'm stressed just reading this. Glad you made it to the resort ok!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh My Goodness what a beautiful walk early in the morning! Simply beautiful!!

Have to agree with you on driving while on vacation. Totally hate it which is another reason why I love WDW as its so easy to do without the car . We did hire one the first time we went to Florida in1993 but the whole 'wrong side of the road' really threw us when it can to road junctions and then add in being able to turn against a red light some of the time and well it simply wasn't pretty. Our rental spent more time parked than on the road lol
We have driven in Italy, Spain , Portugal, Lanzarote and nothing but nothing was scarier than driving from Pisa airport in Italy. No idea what their rules are for road users as they clearly don't follow ANY of them!

 

[Wood Nymph]

On one of our early trips to Hawaii it was dark by the time we got to whatever island we were traveling to. After at least thirteen hours of flying time and a heck of a long day, we had to figure out how to find our way in the dark to our resort. Hawaii doesn't have street lights like they do in the Chicago metropolitan area. And for some reason my eyes didn't want to work.

Our second rental car experience is similar to yours. It was the trip to Maui with our two teenage daughters and we though it would be fun to get a Mustang convertible for the island. What a mistake that was. The back seat was very small and the girls complained a lot about it. I sat back there once and indeed, it was tight. And we had done a lot of traveling, like the road to Hana, for example. We really regretted that decision to rent a small car, especially when it got too hot to have the convertible top down.

 

[natebenma]

UGH! I actually drive primarily in rx sunglasses but I know the feeling of not having what you want and are used to and it's stressful! I hate driving elsewhere. When I can, I'll skip a car be it for work or personal. In Hawaii it is not an option. When it's vacation not such a biggie as Jeff likes to drive (though we skip it at Disney) but for work it's just me and I can't stand it. Hawaii can be particularily challenging.


UGH! I had a similar experience but in reverse this last work trip. I had booked a corolla, got their late and all that was "left" was a mustang convertible or I could pay to upgrade to an SUV. UGH! Convertibles are theft magnets and you can't see for squat. Not to mention it screams TOURIST and I had my local co worker giving me crap for days!

I have booked/rebooked our April car now at least 3 times trying to get the biggest sedan with a full trunk (non SUV for aforementioned theft reasons) possible for the lowest price. Total pita and they will probably try to give me something else anyway and I'll throw a little fit.

I'm stressed just reading this. Glad you made it to the resort ok!

Good luck with the car for your upcoming trip. Now will you drive in Oahu or will Jeff?

Nate would have loved if we got a flashy sportscar, but I know that is dangerous for theft reasons.

Oh My Goodness what a beautiful walk early in the morning! Simply beautiful!!

Have to agree with you on driving while on vacation. Totally hate it which is another reason why I love WDW as its so easy to do without the car . We did hire one the first time we went to Florida in1993 but the whole 'wrong side of the road' really threw us when it can to road junctions and then add in being able to turn against a red light some of the time and well it simply wasn't pretty. Our rental spent more time parked than on the road lol
We have driven in Italy, Spain , Portugal, Lanzarote and nothing but nothing was scarier than driving from Pisa airport in Italy. No idea what their rules are for road users as they clearly don't follow ANY of them!

Thank you! It was a beautiful walk. I loved watching the surfers and paddleboarders out at sunrise.

I would be terrified of driving in Europe and I can certainly understand how it would be difficult for you to drive here. Heck, locals can't even maneuver our rotaries (roundabouts) properly.

"My Mazzarati does 185!" Driving in Italy? No thanks!

On one of our early trips to Hawaii it was dark by the time we got to whatever island we were traveling to. After at least thirteen hours of flying time and a heck of a long day, we had to figure out how to find our way in the dark to our resort. Hawaii doesn't have street lights like they do in the Chicago metropolitan area. And for some reason my eyes didn't want to work.

Our second rental car experience is similar to yours. It was the trip to Maui with our two teenage daughters and we though it would be fun to get a Mustang convertible for the island. What a mistake that was. The back seat was very small and the girls complained a lot about it. I sat back there once and indeed, it was tight. And we had done a lot of traveling, like the road to Hana, for example. We really regretted that decision to rent a small car, especially when it got too hot to have the convertible top down.

The late night drive to find your hotel sounds miserable!

Too funny about the Mustang! That is my favorite car, and although I would like to drive one (as much as I would want to drive anything), I'll stick to a sedan. The boys were cramped to and from the airport, but the rest of the time they were ok. Not great, but ok.

 

[natebenma]

Honua Kai Resort

The Honua Kai would be our home on Maui for the next 4 nights. It is one of the newer, if not newest, resort on Ka’anapali Beach on the west coast of Maui. It is about 10 minutes away from Lahaina, a former whaling village and current quaint shopping spot.





We really loved this resort. The villa was huge, the location was great, it is on a beach with fantastic snorkeling and the grounds are gorgeous. Duke’s Restaurant is right on property (and in fact is the only restaurant on property), which is both a blessing and a curse. 00

















There are a number of beautiful pools all around the property.











There was a plaza nearby (walking distance) that has a Times Market grocery store, pizza/Mediterranean restaurant, Hawaiian deli, shave ice, a pancake restaurant, Snorkel Bobs rental and more! I’ll talk about this later.


Next up: You Need an Engineering Degree to Stay in this Room (And That Doesn't Even Help!)

 

[natebenma]

You Need an Engineering Degree to Stay in this Room (And That Doesn't Even Help!)

Room 324, 1 Bedroom villa



We have never stayed in a villa-style room with the boys before (only hotel rooms) and they could not believe all of the space we had.


















[/URL
]



[URL=http://s657.photobucket.com/user/natebenma/media/Hawaii/Maui/P1240632.jpg.html]






The bathroom was enormous and had a separate tub and shower.














I loved the huge balcony and the view!













We loved the room, and all of the appliances were new and upscale, but within 5 minutes of being in there we couldn’t figure out how any of them worked, I made two calls to housekeeping and we had a visit from maintenance.


The room was very warm and Mark tried and tried to adjust the thermostat, but he could not get it working. That was one call and visit from maintenance. I can’t remember what the guy did to reset the thermostat, but it was not something we would have been able to figure out on our own.


We had trouble figuring out how to get ice and water from the dispenser in the refrigerator door and I had a moment of panic when it took me awhile to determine how to operate the coffee maker.


I never did figure out the washer/dryer. It was a combo unit and you couldn’t run one without the other. There were a lot of times we ran a load of laundry, but when we were finished, it wasn’t dry. We couldn’t figure out how to adjust the drier so we had to keep redoing the laundry and hope it would dry. It seems like we were constantly running the washer/dryer whenever we were in the room.

It was great having high tech appliances, but I wish they would have left the manuals in a drawer or something.

Next Up: Duke's Restaurant[/URL]

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Wow that villa is gorgeous. Sometimes I fantasize about staying at a villa simply for the ease of doing laundry but that only works if you can actually figure the machines (ok pretend that's a washing/dryer combo)lol