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

Hmmmn you know I love my Dukes! But yeah, it's pricey. Not that it isn't any worse than most downtown restaurants here but it's not brew pub pricing (but has that vibe) Pretty much why I always eat in the bar, or go for brunch, so I can order off of the bar menu. I was just crunching some budget numbers yesterday for our trip and it really chaps my hide how the dinner menus everywhere go through the roof. If only the lunch menus were also always available at dinner. But I digress.

Glad you liked it! Cracking up about the beer though, that's pretty funny.

I know that market well. We have stayed multiple times in a friends condo at Aston Kaanapali shores which is practically across the street so we would walk over and buy all our groceries there and not bother driving. Bought one of the best maps ever from that Snorkel Bob's. A $2 "where to hike in Maui" paper "map"/flyer. It was the best off the beaten track random thing we ever could have snapped up!
 
Mai Tai for $6, not too bad. But holy WOW $16.50 for Fish & Chips? Yikes. Definitely not an every day eat out type of place. But the desserts do look tasty, as does the scenery.

Well, look at it this way Dee. You wanted to walk off the meal, so the long way to the Market was possibly just a subconscious way to accomplish that. :thumbsup2
 
The views from Duke's in Maui do not rival the ones of Diamondhead in Oahu, but they are not bad!
One of my favorite things about Hawaii is all the outdoor dining options. We don't get much of a chance to eat outdoors here in the Midwest, and when we do it mostly involves air pollution :faint: , so the soft ocean breezes in Hawaii make it a very special treat. Your restaurant looks very typical of the standard island resort restaurants. I always liked the fact that these were not usually chain restaurants like we get at home.

Beachside Grilled Tacos-Fresh line caught fish
The first place I ever had a fish taco was in Hawaii. I like that the fish is grilled. Around here most of the fish that is served in a fish taco is battered and fired, just like a fish stick. They have no idea how to properly prepare a fish taco when they serve it that way. :sad2:

I wanted to pick up some local beer that was on sale, $10 for a six pack, but Mark said he probably wouldn’t have any. The shocking truth is that we don’t drink much, vacation or otherwise and I knew I wouldn’t drink it all myself. I think I could have purchased a bottle or two for around $3 each, but cheapskate logic prevented me from doing that. I can’t pay $3 a bottle when I can get six for $10. And because of my New England frugality, I can’t buy 6 when I will only drink one or two.
You sound like me ;) We don't drink much, either. And I wouldn't have bought the bottle of beer, either.
 
Yum, POG juice. I just love that stuff; plain, mixed with diet white soda with or without some rum. So good, and I sure miss it. Have tried to find it here, but have not had any success. LOL about the beer. Depends on who I'm with, but our last trip we may have made frequent stops to the store to stock up on liquor. There were six of us, and we cooked at the condo most nights. When we traveled with the kids as they were growing up, I rarely drank, and I can assure you that it wasn't because the trips with kids are more relaxing. Love your view at lunch, some of the best meals are enjoyed outdoors. Can't wait to see more of the Island, even if you did nothing but sit on the beach.
 

Yuummmmy Hula Pie! One of the many reasons to go back to Hawaii. Summer 2016 I think for us! Great update. Looking forward to more.

The Hula Pie was great. Whatever excuse you need to get back to the islands! That is exciting that you are planning on next summer!

Not sure about us. The next trip there will be without Nate and Ben. And our 30th anniversary is in 2016. Hawaii is definitely a contender!

:beach:


Hmmmn you know I love my Dukes! But yeah, it's pricey. Not that it isn't any worse than most downtown restaurants here but it's not brew pub pricing (but has that vibe) Pretty much why I always eat in the bar, or go for brunch, so I can order off of the bar menu. I was just crunching some budget numbers yesterday for our trip and it really chaps my hide how the dinner menus everywhere go through the roof. If only the lunch menus were also always available at dinner. But I digress.

We made up for missing Dukes on Oahu while staying at the Honua Kai! I'm not sure if they had a brunch at the Dukes in Maui. I'm thinking no.

We find we often eat our big meal at lunch, so that works in our favor. Would not want to be around when you were crunching your meals budget for Hawaii!!!

We missed out on Monkeypod on Maui, but I bet that will be part of your upcoming plans!

:goodvibes


Glad you liked it! Cracking up about the beer though, that's pretty funny.

Looking back, I really should have just got the six pack. :drinking1


I know that market well. We have stayed multiple times in a friends condo at Aston Kaanapali shores which is practically across the street so we would walk over and buy all our groceries there and not bother driving. Bought one of the best maps ever from that Snorkel Bob's. A $2 "where to hike in Maui" paper "map"/flyer. It was the best off the beaten track random thing we ever could have snapped up!

We loved stopping by the market. We went 3 or 4 times.

Oh, the Maui hiking map sounds awesome! Such a bargain! We didn't really have a lot of extra time, but a hike would definitely be something I would try to fit in if it was convenient.

:thumbsup2


Mai Tai for $6, not too bad. But holy WOW $16.50 for Fish & Chips? Yikes. Definitely not an every day eat out type of place. But the desserts do look tasty, as does the scenery.

Well, look at it this way Dee. You wanted to walk off the meal, so the long way to the Market was possibly just a subconscious way to accomplish that. :thumbsup2

Dining in Hawaii is NOT for the faint of wallet!

I guess the Fish and Chips are expensive compared to what you get at Rose and Crown. Who knew Disney could be considered "inexpensive"

All the food was good.

We probably needed to walk twice as far as we did to walk off that Hula Pie!

:cool1:


One of my favorite things about Hawaii is all the outdoor dining options. We don't get much of a chance to eat outdoors here in the Midwest, and when we do it mostly involves air pollution :faint: , so the soft ocean breezes in Hawaii make it a very special treat. Your restaurant looks very typical of the standard island resort restaurants. I always liked the fact that these were not usually chain restaurants like we get at home.

Dukes was the perfect open air restaurant. Mark is not a huge fan of dining outdoors because you can't control the weather or the flies, but we enjoyed Dukes and we ate outside on the balcony of our room. We have a large screened in 3 season porch here at home and that is where we eat in the summer.

:sunny:

The first place I ever had a fish taco was in Hawaii. I like that the fish is grilled. Around here most of the fish that is served in a fish taco is battered and fired, just like a fish stick. They have no idea how to properly prepare a fish taco when they serve it that way. :sad2:

You are correct! A fish taco should be grilled fish. Otherwise it is just a fish sandwich, even if it is served in a tortilla.

You sound like me ;) We don't drink much, either. And I wouldn't have bought the bottle of beer, either.

I think we would get along just fine, having drinks together. Or not!

:goodvibes:


Yum, POG juice. I just love that stuff; plain, mixed with diet white soda with or without some rum. So good, and I sure miss it. Have tried to find it here, but have not had any success. LOL about the beer. Depends on who I'm with, but our last trip we may have made frequent stops to the store to stock up on liquor. There were six of us, and we cooked at the condo most nights. When we traveled with the kids as they were growing up, I rarely drank, and I can assure you that it wasn't because the trips with kids are more relaxing. Love your view at lunch, some of the best meals are enjoyed outdoors. Can't wait to see more of the Island, even if you did nothing but sit on the beach.

:love: POG!!!

Is that what the juice is at Kona or Ohana at Disney?

The main reason we don't drink a lot is the expense. When we vacation at an all-inclusive place we have a few drinks each day, but still not a lot. I am encouraged by my kids reactions when they see others who drink in excess. The boys comment about how stupid they look!

:dance3:

We dined outdoors more in Hawaii than we normally do.

:cool2:
 
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Loved Dukes in Oahu. Ate there twice. The Hula Pie was amazing. We stayed at the hotel and the same view from our room that the restaurant did.
 
That Hula pie looks amazing. You whole dinner looks delish and that view is phenomenal.

How great that you found a convenient grocery story, but I definitely think you should have bought that beer. ::yes::
 
Dukes looks lovely and I didn't think the price was too bad for such a tasty meal but maybe that's just because I'm used to Disney/Belfast prices! Love that you found a grocery store and your budget conscious logic sounds scarily like my own although I'd probably have bought the beer and then convinced my husband he really wanted one lol
 
I'm very slowly getting around to all my subscribed threads. I can't imagine what will happen when I'm gone for 8 days in May. :(

Your resort looks lovely (love the pools) and your villa is absolutely spectacular. Too bad about the appliances and not figuring them out.

Dinner looks extremely yummy. I don't eat pie, but that chocolate cake looks really good.

Glad you finally found the grocery store and were able to get some things.

Can't wait to hear about the first full day on Maui.
 
Yum! Food porn looks really, really good. That hula pie... omg... looks and sounds so good.
Glad you found the grocery store!
 
Loved Dukes in Oahu. Ate there twice. The Hula Pie was amazing. We stayed at the hotel and the same view from our room that the restaurant did.

We were sorry we didn't get to eat at Dukes in Oahu, but we made up for it in Maui. Yes, the Hula Pie was incredible! I'm glad there were four of us. Are you able to post a picture of the view from your hotel room? Bet it was spectacular!!! I can't remember, were you there one night or two, before/after the cruise?

:goodvibes:


That Hula pie looks amazing. You whole dinner looks delish and that view is phenomenal.

How great that you found a convenient grocery story, but I definitely think you should have bought that beer. ::yes::

Yes, the meal was great. Almost all of the food we got at Dukes was great. There was just one dish that we weren't wild about.

Beer Run Fail!!! You are right! I should have gotten the beer. Still regret it a bit.

:sad2:


Dukes looks lovely and I didn't think the price was too bad for such a tasty meal but maybe that's just because I'm used to Disney/Belfast prices! Love that you found a grocery store and your budget conscious logic sounds scarily like my own although I'd probably have bought the beer and then convinced my husband he really wanted one lol

Your approach to a potential excess of beer is much better than mine!!!

:lmao:


Wow $10.99 a pound for culls. That is horrible.

Well, the $10.99 is for chicken lobsters, but still... :scared1:


I'm very slowly getting around to all my subscribed threads. I can't imagine what will happen when I'm gone for 8 days in May. :(

Your resort looks lovely (love the pools) and your villa is absolutely spectacular. Too bad about the appliances and not figuring them out.

Dinner looks extremely yummy. I don't eat pie, but that chocolate cake looks really good.

Glad you finally found the grocery store and were able to get some things.

Can't wait to hear about the first full day on Maui.

That's ok, I'm behind everywhere too, especially on my own threads!

The villa was fantastic!

The pie is actually more of an ice cream pie/cake.

Maui coming up.

:beach:


Yum! Food porn looks really, really good. That hula pie... omg... looks and sounds so good.
Glad you found the grocery store!

Not only do I have enticing pictures, I included a sultry description of the Hula Pie, too. I take my Food Porn seriously!

::yes::
 
Monday July 21, Maui
Our "Do Nothing" Day

I am missing a series of pictures from this day. Not a lot- 35 or so- but I can’t figure out what happened. The last pictures I have from the previous day are from exploring the beach and the next pictures I have are from the following day, back at the beach after breakfast.

This was the only morning of our trip when we had breakfast plans. I mentioned earlier that on all the islands we visited, there is an orientation breakfast put on by the tour company we booked with. They provide a continental breakfast, show slides about the island and then describe the various excursions that they have available for you to book. Representatives from some of the tours talk about their outings.


“Our island experts will introduce you to beautiful Maui and inform you of the most exciting activities and sights to visit. Many exclusive discounts will be offered and just for attending you will be eligible for door prize drawings”


The breakfast was at 8 am at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Ka’anapali, about a 10 minute drive from our resort.


I KNOW I took a few pictures of the breakfast offerings, but those are some of the missing. There were muffins, pastries, some fruit and coffee. I don’t remember it to be exceptional- not fantastic, not bad.


We already had the one excursion we wanted to do booked- a snorkel tour to Molokini crater. The only other thing we were interested in hearing about was surf lessons.


Some of the other popular tours were the Old Lahaina Luau (and other luaus), various “Road to Hana” excursions and sunrise at Haleakala Volcano. One of the door prizes they were raffling off was a bike ride down from the peak of Haleakala. This did not appeal to us because 1) Nate does not ride a bike 2) according to what I had read, this excursion results in a lot of injuries and 3) it is not near the beach.


Apparently you can’t give this trip away! Out of the 10 families who were there, the first 3 who were picked turned it down with the following excuses- heart condition, no free time, already booked or did it (right!). We were sweating it out trying to come up with an excuse to politely turn it down, but fortunately, someone finally accepted the prize.


Nate was impressed with the representative from Maui Wave Riders in Lahaina, so we booked surf lesson for Nate and me for Wednesday. The other thing that both boys wanted to do was the Maui Ocean Center, an aquarium that is at Ma’alaea Harbor, right where our Molokini snorkel excursion sailed from on Tuesday.


Convenient, no?


No! :sad2: But we will get to that tomorrow.


Here is the brochure with the booking prices and the websites for Maui Waver Riders and the Maui Ocean Center.

Maui brochure 1.jpg




Maui brochure 2.jpg


Maui brochure 3.jpg




Maui Ocean Center logo.jpg

http://www.mauioceancenter.com/


mwr.png

http://www.mauiwaveriders.com/


I can’t remember exactly when the orientation ended, but after we returned to our resort, it was long past due time to hit the beach!


:beach:


Continued in Next Post
 
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Continued from previous post

We headed to the beach at our resort, part of Ka'anapali Beach.

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Nate doesn’t really like snorkeling that much, so he hung out on the beach, reading (or looking at his phone), while we were in the water.


P1240713.JPG


I think some of my snorkeling pictures are missing, but this is what I have:

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Turtle


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Corals


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Humuhumu Nukunuku Apuaa (Triggerfish), Longnose Butterfly Fish, Raccoon Butterfly Fish



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Raccoon Butterfly Fish



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Ornate Butterfly Fish



We swam until it was time to head back for some lunch in the room- PB&J Sandwiches and Sushi.


Next up on our “Do Nothing Day”- Shave Ice is Nice, Another Trip to the Strip Mall and More Snorkeling!
 
Looking at those brochures, I'm having flashbacks to how expensive everything is in Hawaii in general but Maui in particular. Maui was also a little too laid back for us! I enjoyed it on my honeymoon and on our family visit but we never did get on "Maui time" as they say. We have that New England puritanical need to be "getting stuff done". When we arrived in Waikiki Beach after a lovely week of beaches, snorkeling, and sunsets on Maui, DD (10 at the time) actually sighed and said "Ahhhh, civilization!" I thought our driver was going to pee himself he was laughing so hard. It's now a running joke in our family when we go somewhere new for her to determine if we've reached civilization or are in "the country". I have definitely raised a city chick.

I know your request wasn't directed toward me but we also stayed directly above Dukes on Oauhu (8th floor) and had the best view imaginable of Waikiki Beach. We could hear the music from Duke's at night which was nice. Hope it's ok to share a pic. I looked but I couldn't find the ones that were not zoomed in. Diamondhead was much further away than this pic indicates.


Oahu_0917a.jpg
 
“Many exclusive discounts will be offered and just for attending you will be eligible for door prize drawings”

Wow, that kinda sounds a bit like time share speak.

I tend to be quite fine with Continental breakfasts. Usually very little waiting (unless a big crowd). Not to mention I am usually quite fond of the price.

OMG that's kind of hysterical (and sad) that the one prize couldn't even be given away.

So very cool to see the underwater photos. Seeing that stuff in an aquarium just doesn't compare.
 
Wow...those are some steep prices. I remember it was expensive almost 32 years ago but that is just crazy.

I love your snorkeling pictures...such pretty fish.

I don't like either...but PB&J and sushi sound like an odd combo.
 
Looking at those brochures, I'm having flashbacks to how expensive everything is in Hawaii in general but Maui in particular. Maui was also a little too laid back for us! I enjoyed it on my honeymoon and on our family visit but we never did get on "Maui time" as they say. We have that New England puritanical need to be "getting stuff done". When we arrived in Waikiki Beach after a lovely week of beaches, snorkeling, and sunsets on Maui, DD (10 at the time) actually sighed and said "Ahhhh, civilization!" I thought our driver was going to pee himself he was laughing so hard. It's now a running joke in our family when we go somewhere new for her to determine if we've reached civilization or are in "the country". I have definitely raised a city chick.

I know your request wasn't directed toward me but we also stayed directly above Dukes on Oauhu (8th floor) and had the best view imaginable of Waikiki Beach. We could hear the music from Duke's at night which was nice. Hope it's ok to share a pic. I looked but I couldn't find the ones that were not zoomed in. Diamondhead was much further away than this pic indicates.


Oahu_0917a.jpg

Beautiful picture!!! Thanks for sharing! We really liked our city view from our resort on Waikiki, but wow, I would have loved this scene with my coffee on the lanai every morning!!!

That story about your daughter arriving "to civilization" cracks me up. I think Maui was a little laid back for my teens, too. I'm normally go-go-go, but I enjoyed the laid-back vibe of Maui, especially after the chaos of Disneyland and all of the activity on Oahu. There is nothing better than being able to get to a beach easily and to snorkel when we want!

:fish:


Wow, that kinda sounds a bit like time share speak.

I tend to be quite fine with Continental breakfasts. Usually very little waiting (unless a big crowd). Not to mention I am usually quite fond of the price.

OMG that's kind of hysterical (and sad) that the one prize couldn't even be given away.

So very cool to see the underwater photos. Seeing that stuff in an aquarium just doesn't compare.

I'm glad we went to the breakfast. I wish it were a little closer to our resort (like, right there) but it wasn't bad and we didn't have any set plans that day. It is definitely a sales-y type of presentation.

It was starting to get embarrassing when everyone was turning down the trip. The four of us were looking at each other with a "what will we do?" expression.

I'll have some aquarium pictures coming up, but it is so much more special when we see fish and other marine creatures in the wild.

:goodvibes:



Thanks for sharing the link to your pictures!!! I saw some of them- I think in your cruise report- before our trip, but it was funny to see how similar our Diamond Head pictures were. Took that one! That one, too! Yup, got that one. There's one picture in there that is a closeup of the water, where you can see the reef below. I love that! The sunset pictures are great! And front row on the outrigger- is that a good seat or not?

:boat:


Wow...those are some steep prices. I remember it was expensive almost 32 years ago but that is just crazy.

I love your snorkeling pictures...such pretty fish.

I don't like either...but PB&J and sushi sound like an odd combo.

We rarely book excursions through tour companies or when we have cruised. The internet can be a great thing, and we are often able to find recommended excursions that are similar (or better) and much less expensive than the ones offered in presentations like this. But I'm glad we went to this.

We were really amazed at the variety and beauty of the fish in Hawaii.

I kind of thought that sounded like a weird lunch when I wrote it.

:lmao:
 
The price for the bike ride down the volcano is super expensive. I've seen those bikes going down the volcano while we were driving up it and they really travel fast. I can't see where it would be worth that cost, either. All the interesting stuff is in the Haleakala visitor center. ;)
 
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