...And Then Scotty Happened. A Hawaiian Adventure (CHAPTER 32 Added 5/23--THE END)

[Captain_Oblivious]

Wednesday, June 19

We woke up around 5:30 a.m. Hawaii time. I thought this was a phenomenal success as far as adjusting to the time zone went. Our plan for the day involved touring Pearl Harbor and the Honolulu area. But given the horror stories I’d heard about Honolulu rush-hour traffic, our tour wasn’t until 10:30 a.m. This gave us time to eat a leisurely breakfast in our room (muffins and apple pastries from Costco, which we managed not to burn). We had also decided against getting re-fillable mugs, being unable to justify the cost ($18.99 per mug). So we had the in-room coffee, which was decidedly mediocre. But still better than Nescafe. So we had that going for us, which was nice.

Then again, I have a feeling Pennzoil is also better than Nescafe.

Ready to face the day, we decided to wander the resort some more. All right, show of hands: who’s ready for me to shut up and post more Aulani pictures?

Ok, ok, fine. Put all those hands down already. You too, Julie.

Morning on the balcony:

The Starlit Hui lawn below (it has another name but I’m extremely lazy and didn’t bother looking it up):

Hallway wallpaper. Notice any familiar shapes?:

Snorkeling lagoon. For those of us too chea—uh, thrifty, to pay for the snorkeling experience, they had some observation windows where you could see all of the tropical fish. And maybe a hidden menehune if you looked hard enough.

“Menehune” are little creatures from Hawaiian mythology, known for being exceptional craftsmen and building temples, fishponds and the like overnight. They’re also known for being mischievous creatures. Disney incorporated the menehune into the story behind Aulani, and you’ll find them hidden all over the resort.

The main pool has a zero-entry area and a nice cave feature for shade. Just on the edge of this picture you can see a cart—they had ice water available throughout the day here and in a couple of other spots, which I thought was a welcome touch for the guests.

Here’s the cave over the pool. Just on the other side of this ridge is the exit for Volcanic Vertical, which is a body slide that runs in complete darkness. Sarah and I both tried it and thought it was a lot of fun, although you need to watch for water up your nose.

There’s also a little hidden feature in this cave that is triggered by the Menehune Trail game, but we’ll return to that later.

Classic Disney theming abounds. The snack shop and bathroom area near the pool are made to look like a typical shack at the beach.

Here’s the dual-level infinity hot tub. I think I can let the pictures sell you on this one. They have some cool LED lighting in there at night as well. We thought it would be a great spot to watch the sunset, but in the summer the sun actually sets further to the north (right side of picture) and behind the neighboring hotel. You might have better luck in winter.

Yes, the sky really is this blue. Colors just seemed more vivid to us in Hawaii. I'm no meteorologist but I thought that maybe, just maybe, there is less smog here than on the East Coast.

Here’s the lagoon, where you can swim in the waters of the Pacific. You can snorkel, but there aren’t any sharks, so I didn’t have to worry about scarring my daughter all over again.

This is called a “spider lily”.

We made our way out to the point on the edge of the lagoon to enjoy the view looking back.

Christmas card?

The lazy river is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It finds that happy medium between too long and too short, and there are plenty of features to keep your interest: beautiful gardens, bridges, caves, waterfalls, and a couple of surprises to make sure you don’t stay dry. The second waterslide, the Tubestone Curl, serves as a launch to send you straight into the lazy river. I thought that was an ingenious design. There’s also an exit for you get right back out and back onto the slide if you prefer. Considering how fun the slides were, the kids and I used this option quite a bit.

Before we headed out to our car, we wandered the lobby again. Just because we could. It really is stunning, although it’s a little tricky getting the lighting right for pictures.

We tried some family shots in front of the valley, but again, lighting is a bit of an issue.

And lastly, just for Pat: the bathroom shot. We figured you’d like the bamboo sinks.

Coming Up Next: Remembering a date which will live in infamy.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A few bonus shots I couldn't fit into the update, just because I'm such a nice guy:

 

[eandesmom]

Wednesday, June 19

We woke up around 5:30 a.m. Hawaii time. I thought this was a phenomenal success as far as adjusting to the time zone went. Our plan for the day involved touring Pearl Harbor and the Honolulu area. But given the horror stories I’d heard about Honolulu rush-hour traffic, our tour wasn’t until 10:30 a.m. This gave us time to eat a leisurely breakfast in our room (muffins and apple pastries from Costco, which we managed not to burn). We had also decided against getting re-fillable mugs, being unable to justify the cost ($18.99 per mug). So we had the in-room coffee, which was decidedly mediocre. But still better than Nescafe. So we had that going for us, which was nice.

Amazing what staying up until midnight will do! This is why I PACK coffee. Great job not burning the pastries.

Here’s the dual-level infinity hot tub. I think I can let the pictures sell you on this one. They have some cool LED lighting in there at night as well. We thought it would be a great spot to watch the sunset, but in the summer the sun actually sets further to the north (right side of picture) and behind the neighboring hotel. You might have better luck in winter.

Somehow I totally FAILED to get a picture of this, at all, so I'm glad you did!

Before we headed out to our car, we wandered the lobby again. Just because we could. It really is stunning, although it’s a little tricky getting the lighting right for pictures.

We tried some family shots in front of the valley, but again, lighting is a bit of an issue.

I had the worst time with photos here. You did ok! For the longest time...like until we were actually there...I thought all those little square abalone tiles by the photo mural were...

price tags.

And lastly, just for Pat: the bathroom shot. We figured you’d like the bamboo sinks.

I still want one of those sinks

 

[afwdwfan]

But given the horror stories I’d heard about Honolulu rush-hour traffic, our tour wasn’t until 10:30 a.m

Really... you'd think there might be a civil engineer out there somewhere that might actually be able to fix the screwed up transportation infrastructure they have.

Then again, I have a feeling Pennzoil is also better than Nescafe.

I think you're probably right. But then again, I'd probably thinkg Pennzoil is better than Starbucks coffee too.

And it would definitely be cheaper.

Hallway wallpaper. Notice any familiar shapes?:

Nemo?

Sarah and I both tried it and thought it was a lot of fun, although you need to watch for water up your nose.

That little detail can ruin any good water slide experience.

I'm no meteorologist but I thought that maybe, just maybe, there is less smog here than on the East Coast.

I don't know if you're right or not, but I'd believe it. Makes sense to me.

Coming Up Next: Remembering a date which will live in infamy.

Well, I hope there will be Aulani pictures.




Just kidding, I look forward to seeing your take on touring this historic site.

 

[middlepat]

Wednesday, June 19

We woke up around 5:30 a.m. Hawaii time. I thought this was a phenomenal success as far as adjusting to the time zone went.

This is a success, I start with a time zone head start on you and if I can sleep until 5:30 by the end of our stay in HI I feel that was a success.

Honolulu rush-hour

High tide on the north coast?

So we had the in-room coffee, which was decidedly mediocre. But still better than Nescafe. So we had that going for us, which was nice.

Muddy water and bleach is also better than Nescafe so nice low bar there sir.

Then again, I have a feeling Pennzoil is also better than Nescafe.

or this.

Hallway wallpaper. Notice any familiar shapes?:

3 olive martini?

The main pool has a zero-entry area and a nice cave feature for shade.

For those of us with "celtic" pigment?

Just on the edge of this picture you can see a cart—they had ice water available throughout the day here and in a couple of other spots, which I thought was a welcome touch for the guests.

(at how much per serving?)

Yes, the sky really is this blue. Colors just seemed more vivid to us in Hawaii. I'm no meteorologist but I thought that maybe, just maybe, there is less smog here than on the East Coast.

You may be on to something there.

{aside} when we would visit Hawaii back in the day prior to digital photography, we used to get our film developed on island because no one at home could get the color balance quite right.
{/aside}

Here’s the lagoon, where you can swim in the waters of the Pacific. You can snorkel, but there aren’t any sharks, so I didn’t have to worry about scarring my daughter all over again.

Who would ever put their child in peril like that?

Coming Up Next: Remembering a date which will live in infamy.

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[Mrs. Knowitall]

We had also decided against getting re-fillable mugs, being unable to justify the cost ($18.99 per mug).

And....uh......given my "medical condition", my coffee consumption has been drastically reduced. So yeah....couldn't justify $18.99....

Ok, ok, fine. Put all those hands down already. You too, Julie.

“Menehune” are little creatures from Hawaiian mythology, known for being exceptional craftsmen and building temples, fishponds and the like overnight. They’re also known for being mischievous creatures. Disney incorporated the menehune into the story behind Aulani, and you’ll find them hidden all over the resort.

If you look back at the pictures of the kids, they are wearing menehune necklaces that they were given upon arrival.

Yes, the sky really is this blue. Colors just seemed more vivid to us in Hawaii. I'm no meteorologist but I thought that maybe, just maybe, there is less smog here than on the East Coast.

Ya think?

We tried some family shots in front of the valley, but again, lighting is a bit of an issue.

And we seemed to have really bad luck when we asked someone else to take our picture.

 

[marvali]

A really great tour around Aulani so far! You got some great pictures. Easy to see why you guys are so excited about being there! What a great view from your non ocean view room.

And nice job dealing with the time change!

We were also given cups of ice-cold flavored water, given a subtle Disney touch.

So cool!!!

Funny, she doesn't look like she has a, uh, "medical condition."

hey i live by the same rules.


nice kukui nuts, i have a few pairs of those from our maui trip.

If you've had them that long, you might want to ask the doctor for a stronger prescription........

 

[Poolrat]

And lastly, just for Pat: the bathroom shot. We figured you’d like the bamboo sinks.

See a bathroom, tile, Sink and lights can be so unique and special.

Amazing - that's all I can say - simply amazing. Someday I will make it out there.

 

[MEK]

I LOVE apple pastries from Costco. They are the BEST! I think I said that about the Costco pizza, too. Can you tell I shop there A LOT!

Gorgeous gorgeous pictures! So glad the time zone change worked in your favor to get these gorgeous shots. Just lovely.

Bring on Pearl Harbor!

 

[podsnel]

I completely agree- the colors are much brighter there- the air smells better, everything is just...better. Sigh....

Quite the shark tale there, Daddy- but don't be too hard on yourself. She looks like she's almost over it!

Great, great photos- I am loving your vacation!

 

[rentayenta]

The sky is so blue. Like wow blue.

Great pics and you're family is beautiful. What a fun trip.

 

[chattadisser]

I just found your TR and WOW! Such a beautiful place and a very entertaining write-up. I can't wait to hear how the rest goes.

Now I've got to go...I've got to figure out how to get to Hawaii!

Christine

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

For you, beginner luck.

A flyswatter would still have been easier….

We will go far and wide for donuts.

Consume enough of ‘em and you’ll have that “wide” part covered nicely.

Everywhere I looked, I saw something that reminded me of her...

Naked Gun
(Yah I know there ain’t any points this time around, but I couldn't resist.)

We woke up around 5:30 a.m. Hawaii time. I thought this was a phenomenal success as far as adjusting to the time zone went.

Agreed.
Still a might early but then again you got to take in a beautiful Hawaiian sunrise.

But given the horror stories I’d heard about Honolulu rush-hour traffic, our tour wasn’t until 10:30 a.m.

I’ll keep this in mind.
So are we talking “LA bad” or just worse than say… “Hot-lanta”?

This gave us time to eat a leisurely breakfast in our room

So did you figure out the oven by now?

(muffins and apple pastries from Costco, which we managed not to burn).

I’ll take that as a yes.

We had also decided against getting re-fillable mugs, being unable to justify the cost ($18.99 per mug). So we had the in-room coffee, which was decidedly mediocre. But still better than Nescafe.

The mugs are only justifiable if you going to be on site for a week or more
The coffee should’a been better than that though, I mean they grow the stuff there for peats sake.

So we had that going for us, which was nice.

Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga

Then again, I have a feeling Pennzoil is also better than Nescafe.

The dregs out of a chum bucket are better than Nesca-crap.
So that’s a pretty low bar.

Ready to face the day, we decided to wander the resort some more. All right, show of hands: who’s ready for me to shut up and post more Aulani pictures?

I’m pliable… I’ll go with whatever Julie says.

Ok, ok, fine. Put all those hands down already. You too, Julie.

See… I knew I could count on her.

Morning on the balcony:

And you skillfully aimed the shot away from that other site that reminds you of other things.

Ok… smarta** remarks aside…
Great shot of three very happy young’ens. Memories for a lifetime.
Nice work sir.

Hallway wallpaper. Notice any familiar shapes?:

A bit abstract… but I’ll count it.
(or were you talking about the bits that look like various serrated knives, daggers and sharp scissors reminding you of a different procedure that you now have scheduled for the near future?)

Snorkeling lagoon. For those of us too chea—uh, thrifty, to pay for the snorkeling experience, they had some observation windows where you could see all of the tropical fish. And maybe a hidden menehune if you looked hard enough.

Thrifty? You took them to Hawaii… that’s extravagant.
But that’s also a very cool detail built into the resort so Disney gets a point too.

Just on the edge of this picture you can see a cart—they had ice water available throughout the day here and in a couple of other spots, which I thought was a welcome touch for the guests.

That would be a nice touch at the Florida resorts as well where the humidity is worse and the sea breeze is a might lacking. We need to the Imagineers to get on that one.

Yes, the sky really is this blue. Colors just seemed more vivid to us in Hawaii. I'm no meteorologist but I thought that maybe, just maybe, there is less smog here than on the East Coast.

My pitiful old lungs might not know what to do with air that clear. Besides, that’s not smog we’re breathing out here… It’s “enhanced air”; enhanced with known carcinogens, yes, but enhanced none the less.

Here’s the lagoon, where you can swim in the waters of the Pacific. You can snorkel, but there aren’t any sharks, so I didn’t have to worry about scarring my daughter all over again.

Those were only little sharks…

Christmas card?

Not bad… but I bet you got better ones.
We’ll wait for the rest of the TR and then vote on ‘em.

Before we headed out to our car, we wandered the lobby again. Just because we could. It really is stunning, although it’s a little tricky getting the lighting right for pictures.

A slightly overexposed picture taken in Hawaii is still a picture taken in Hawaii (which immediately beats most other pictures regardless of technical excellence). Besides… being a might over exposed in Hawaii is a bit of a metaphor in the first place.

A few bonus shots I couldn't fit into the update, just because I'm such a nice guy:

Odd…
That’s the same basic thing that I heard from that guy in the ally offering me just a little bit of this really cool white powder. “Here’s just a little bit more for you to try, just because I’m such a nice guy…”

Coming Up Next: Remembering a date which will live in infamy.

Patiently waiting for this part.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

If you've had them that long, you might want to ask the doctor for a stronger prescription........

 

[KatMark]

Wednesday, June 19

If no other picture does it, this one certainly has convinced me that we MUST GO BACK TO HAWAII (and do that stopover in California as you suggested). Absolutely stunning...as are all of the pictures.

 

[GettinReadyforDisney]

Wow, the sky is soooo blue!

We are planning a trip to Aulani next June . . . living vicariously through you, in the meantime!!

Thanks for a great trip report. I'm looking forward to hearing more!!

 

[glennbo123]

I read this yesterday, but coming back to comment...

We had also decided against getting re-fillable mugs, being unable to justify the cost ($18.99 per mug). So we had the in-room coffee, which was decidedly mediocre. But still better than Nescafe. So we had that going for us, which was nice.

I swear by Starbucks Via. Curse like a sailor, seriously. No, just kidding, but Via is great for just such an occasion.

Oh, and there's my favorite Caddyshack quote stuck in there, although I'm sure someone has pointed that out by now.

Then again, I have a feeling Pennzoil is also better than Nescafe.

Yes, it goes Pennzoil, Quaker State, Nescafe, Beverly. But in fairness to Beverly, the vote was very close.

All right, show of hands: who’s ready for me to shut up and post more Aulani pictures?

Ok, ok, fine. Put all those hands down already. You too, Julie.

I saw her, she had her hand up before you got to the "and post more Aulani pictures" part.

The main pool has a zero-entry area and a nice cave feature for shade. Just on the edge of this picture you can see a cart—they had ice water available throughout the day here and in a couple of other spots, which I thought was a welcome touch for the guests.

For the ch-, I mean thrifty, when you say "available" do you mean "for free"?

Here’s the cave over the pool. Just on the other side of this ridge is the exit for Volcanic Vertical, which is a body slide that runs in complete darkness. Sarah and I both tried it and thought it was a lot of fun, although you need to watch for water up your nose.

I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the nose-water warning.

Classic Disney theming abounds. The snack shop and bathroom area near the pool are made to look like a typical shack at the beach.

So cool.

Christmas card?

Coming Up Next: Remembering a date which will live in infamy.

When construction started on Rt 141?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Amazing what staying up until midnight will do! This is why I PACK coffee. Great job not burning the pastries.

We were so tight on our luggage that coffee may have thrown us over the edge of the weight limit.

Somehow I totally FAILED to get a picture of this, at all, so I'm glad you did!

Actually, we never went to Hawaii. I just stole these pictures from the interwebs and photo-shopped my family in.

I had the worst time with photos here. You did ok! For the longest time...like until we were actually there...I thought all those little square abalone tiles by the photo mural were...

price tags.

Being Disney, I wouldn't put it past them!

I still want one of those sinks

They are pretty cool. I would totally re-model my bathroom to look like that if I could do it for free.

Really... you'd think there might be a civil engineer out there somewhere that might actually be able to fix the screwed up transportation infrastructure they have.

You can solve any of their problems if you have an unlimited budget, cultural resource agencies who see the big picture instead of simply protecting their own turf, and property owners who are more than willing to give you whatever room you need. Failing that...it gets a little trickier.

I'd settle for better signage, though.

I think you're probably right. But then again, I'd probably thinkg Pennzoil is better than Starbucks coffee too.

And it would definitely be cheaper.

Not a Starbucks fan, so I'd tend to agree on both counts.

Nemo?

I think that's Gil, actually.

That little detail can ruin any good water slide experience.

It doesn't stop you from going again, though.

I don't know if you're right or not, but I'd believe it. Makes sense to me.

You can just say I'm right. Quicker that way.

Well, I hope there will be Aulani pictures.

There will be...eventually.

Just kidding, I look forward to seeing your take on touring this historic site.

If you're an American and you happen to be in Hawaii, there's no excuse for not going to see it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

This is a success, I start with a time zone head start on you and if I can sleep until 5:30 by the end of our stay in HI I feel that was a success.

I figured it was actually a good thing if we stayed slightly ahead of Hawaii time. It would help us beat crowds by getting to places early and set us up to take advantage of some of the early-bird specials at restaurants.

High tide on the north coast?

People have to go to work even in Honolulu.

Muddy water and bleach is also better than Nescafe so nice low bar there sir.

Can't argue with you there.

3 olive martini?

You would pick that one, wouldn't you?

For those of us with "celtic" pigment?

Pretty much. I only come in two colors.

(at how much per serving?)

You may be surprised to note that the ice water stations were free.

You may be on to something there.

{aside} when we would visit Hawaii back in the day prior to digital photography, we used to get our film developed on island because no one at home could get the color balance quite right.
{/aside}

I believe it. There were a few instances where we tried to take some pictures and I came away disappointed because we couldn't seem to capture how vivid the colors were.

Who would ever put their child in peril like that?

You'd have to be a moron to do that.

And....uh......given my "medical condition", my coffee consumption has been drastically reduced. So yeah....couldn't justify $18.99....

We made up for it at the gift shop.

If you look back at the pictures of the kids, they are wearing menehune necklaces that they were given upon arrival.

And we seemed to have really bad luck when we asked someone else to take our picture.

We didn't run into many future Ansel Adams's on this trip.

A really great tour around Aulani so far! You got some great pictures. Easy to see why you guys are so excited about being there! What a great view from your non ocean view room.

Thanks! I wish we'd had the means to extend our stay there.

And nice job dealing with the time change!

Funny, she doesn't look like she has a, uh, "medical condition."

Well, we were still in the first trimester at that point. But of course, she would look good at any time.

If you've had them that long, you might want to ask the doctor for a stronger prescription........

I'll never look at that lei the same way again.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

See a bathroom, tile, Sink and lights can be so unique and special.

I don't often take pictures of bathrooms. But when I do, it's because they're Hawaiian.

Amazing - that's all I can say - simply amazing. Someday I will make it out there.

You will love it!

I LOVE apple pastries from Costco. They are the BEST! I think I said that about the Costco pizza, too. Can you tell I shop there A LOT!

They do have a lot of good stuff. My problem is that every time I find something there I really like, they stop carrying it for some reason. They used to have pretzel sandwich rolls that were awesome. Now I can't find them anymore.

Gorgeous gorgeous pictures! So glad the time zone change worked in your favor to get these gorgeous shots. Just lovely.

Bring on Pearl Harbor!

Yes ma'am!

I completely agree- the colors are much brighter there- the air smells better, everything is just...better. Sigh....

Better than Delaware?! Let's not get too carried away.

Quite the shark tale there, Daddy- but don't be too hard on yourself. She looks like she's almost over it!

Just don't ask her if she wants to go snorkeling again.

Great, great photos- I am loving your vacation!

We're just getting started!