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

[Captain_Oblivious]

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Baby Drew and his long-lost relative. Can you see the resemblance?

 

[Dugette]

Love the picture!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Love the picture!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Mark! I've been sneaking peeks at your TR for awhile, but never could quite catch up to comment. I finally finished! I loved your TR - loved seeing a "down to earth" report on a trip with kids. Looks like you were able to have a great time, make great memories, and share new experiences and history on a budget!
Congratulations on beautiful baby Drew! I know it's a little late, but I'm happy for all of you. Love the Marshmallow pic - Shame On You! He's cuter than that!
Arizona in Summer? It is 120 in the day, 100 at night You can feel the heat coming off the inside walls at night. Sedona is awesome though - much cooler - little shops and artsy - I guess you've probably been there. There is a great resort there that has a fun place to sit out and enjoy some nachos and just look at the scenery - http://enchantmentresort.com/ Okay, sit IN and enjoy the nachos and scenery!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[mrp4352]

We have saved off every chapter of your trip report, not only because it was fun reading, but also because we hope to go to Hawaii in a couple of years and this seemed like a great planning tool!

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I just power read you TR in 2 days! It was easily one of the funniest, most informative and best written TRs I have read! Thank you for sharing your adventure. I truly hope you write a TR for this summer's adventure.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I was on a DIS sabbatical for a while but have thoroughly enjoyed catching up on your Hawaiian adventures. One day I definitely hope to make it out there and I will be coming back to this report to do my planning! So many great tips and as a fellow burger/dive lover, I have made many notes!

Drew is absolutely adorable! Congratulations!!!

Your summer plans sound terrific. So glad you're able to fit Disneyland and the Grand Californian in there. I will be anxiously awaiting your next TR!

Love your advice on trying something new and at a minimum having a great story. So true! Something I definitely need to remind myself of.

Thanks again for sharing your story and safe travels this summer!

 

[Steppesister]

Oh goody. Just in time for the end of a great TR. Guess it takes Garage Sale Hostage status to find time to sit still long enough to open a DIS tab.

Thoughts:

You'll LOVE the SW! I went to NAU in Flagstaff and spent a lot of time in Oak Creek Canyon. Make sure to take the kids to "Slide Rock" in the Canyon; they'll have a blast!!! (take swimsuits you won't mind trashing).

The North Rim is better. Even in summer- NO ONE goes. You'd have the entire park to yourselves. And Drew could scream all he wants. But yeah, I get the traveling with baby thing. Totally.

Tuscon>Phoenix. but a bit out of the way. There's a SUPER cool desert museum there with oodles of desert animals and stuff- really well done.

Check out a "town" called Amboy. Very near (like within minutes) are some cool cinder cones you can hike up and salt pits where salt is mined. Your kids (and probably you too) would find these extremely interesting. Don't step in- it's very tempting- you'll sink up to your knees, if you're lucky, and probably lose your shoes. I believe the entire town is for sale, and has been for 30 years. Just think of the possibilities when you're mayor!

Just above Montezuma's castle are some ruins that you CAN go in. Maybe hard with a baby, but it is do-able. You'll find pottery chards, petrified corn husks and cobs, and all kinds of stuff. It's pretty cool. You'd have to go on a narrow trail along the cliff, but you're all pretty adventurous.

Well, let me know via FB when you start the TR... I'll make it when I can between learning nursing skillz.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Fixed it for ya'

 

[Flossbolna]

I am finally caught up with your trip report. Just when it ends... But it was wonderful to read! What a wonderful vacation you had and it sounds like this summer's vacation will be fantastic as well!

I read some discussion about eating at Flo's in Disneyland. We ended up eating there twice, so I guess you can see we rather liked it. Is it something extraordinary? Most likely not. But to me it was "exotic" enough to be appealing. I had the pork twice and I really liked the barbecue sauce it came with. I loved the baked beans that I got as a side. Michael had the turkey once and the beef the second time and liked both. He loved the mashed potatoes he got as a side. I also really liked the roll we got with the meal. The portion was not huge, but plenty. The cole slaw was standard cole slaw and the only side that was a bit boring were the carrots and peas, which Michael got in an attempt to be healthy...

We also had a pie for dessert both times and those pies are quite delicious! When we were there the seasonal one was strawberry-rhubard which was wonderful, the apple pie was very good, too, but the other one was better.

Also, make sure to try to get a table on the side that overlooks Radiator Springs Racers, great view during your meal!

We ate at a number of DL/DCA counter service places and they were all good to very good, we did not have one meal that we did not like. I did not find Flo to be any worse or better than the others. My advice would be to pick a place where the type of food being served appeals to you, there are so many different things to choose from! I found the variety of food amazing. At WDW I often have the feeling that after a few days of counter service food, that I am eating the same type of food over and over again, at DL/DCA it was so much easier to not repeat food choices! I guess that also speaks to our enjoyment of Flo that we chose to repeat that!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hi Mark! I've been sneaking peeks at your TR for awhile, but never could quite catch up to comment.

Ninja reader! Thanks for sticking with me!

I finally finished! I loved your TR - loved seeing a "down to earth" report on a trip with kids. Looks like you were able to have a great time, make great memories, and share new experiences and history on a budget!

Thanks! I don't know about the "on a budget" part, though--especially after seeing the credit card bills when we got back!

Congratulations on beautiful baby Drew! I know it's a little late, but I'm happy for all of you. Love the Marshmallow pic - Shame On You! He's cuter than that!

I forgot how much fun babies are, when they can't complain about all the ridiculous stuff you're doing to them.

Arizona in Summer? It is 120 in the day, 100 at night You can feel the heat coming off the inside walls at night. Sedona is awesome though - much cooler - little shops and artsy - I guess you've probably been there. There is a great resort there that has a fun place to sit out and enjoy some nachos and just look at the scenery - http://enchantmentresort.com/ Okay, sit IN and enjoy the nachos and scenery!

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks! Like you said, Julie and I have experienced Arizona in the summer twice and lived to tell the tale. I think if you prepare for the heat, you can do just fine...just like preparing for heat and crowds at Disney. Julie has already fallen in love with Sedona on our past trips and wanted to make sure we stopped by!

We have saved off every chapter of your trip report, not only because it was fun reading, but also because we hope to go to Hawaii in a couple of years and this seemed like a great planning tool!

and thanks for reading! I hope it helps you with your planning.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I just power read you TR in 2 days! It was easily one of the funniest, most informative and best written TRs I have read! Thank you for sharing your adventure. I truly hope you write a TR for this summer's adventure.

Why, thank you! There will most definitely be a TR for the next trip, mostly because I really enjoy writing them. It will most likely be buried on the "California & the West" sub-thread on the Disneyland TR board.

I was on a DIS sabbatical for a while but have thoroughly enjoyed catching up on your Hawaiian adventures. One day I definitely hope to make it out there and I will be coming back to this report to do my planning! So many great tips and as a fellow burger/dive lover, I have made many notes!

Great to have you back! I hope you do get out there someday. Such a wonderful place to visit.

Drew is absolutely adorable! Congratulations!!!

Thanks! He's much more adorable when he's not screaming.

Your summer plans sound terrific. So glad you're able to fit Disneyland and the Grand Californian in there. I will be anxiously awaiting your next TR!

Well, we won't be staying at the Grand Californian--just wandering through. But it'll be fun to look at it. And the Disneyland visit will mostly be the nickel tour, but we'll do the best we can.

Love your advice on trying something new and at a minimum having a great story. So true! Something I definitely need to remind myself of.

I'm one of the worst people at trying new things, so it's a lesson I need to re-learn often.

Thanks again for sharing your story and safe travels this summer!

Thanks, and thanks for reading along!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Oh goody. Just in time for the end of a great TR. Guess it takes Garage Sale Hostage status to find time to sit still long enough to open a DIS tab.

Liesa, you have so much going on I'm just grateful when you take the time to check in.

You'll LOVE the SW! I went to NAU in Flagstaff and spent a lot of time in Oak Creek Canyon. Make sure to take the kids to "Slide Rock" in the Canyon; they'll have a blast!!! (take swimsuits you won't mind trashing).

I know exactly where you're talking about! I've done that Oak Creek Canyon drive a couple of times (what a gorgeous drive) and have never stopped into Slide Rock state park. I don't know if we'll have the time to do it, but it sure would be fun. I definitely want to get over to Red Rock Crossing if we can.

The North Rim is better. Even in summer- NO ONE goes. You'd have the entire park to yourselves. And Drew could scream all he wants. But yeah, I get the traveling with baby thing. Totally.

I did the drive to the North Rim once with my parents, and it was really cool to see it--the whole Canyon seemed so much greener from that side. We hemmed and hawed over it and finally thought that the drive we need to do that day is so long, adding the north rim would put us over the edge. Seems like you can never do absolutely everything you want to do.

Tuscon>Phoenix. but a bit out of the way. There's a SUPER cool desert museum there with oodles of desert animals and stuff- really well done.

We've been there! The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. And I agree! Julie and I both thought it was fantastic. Again, it fell victim to the "are we trying to cram in too much?" discussion.

Check out a "town" called Amboy. Very near (like within minutes) are some cool cinder cones you can hike up and salt pits where salt is mined. Your kids (and probably you too) would find these extremely interesting. Don't step in- it's very tempting- you'll sink up to your knees, if you're lucky, and probably lose your shoes. I believe the entire town is for sale, and has been for 30 years. Just think of the possibilities when you're mayor!

Now that sounds really cool! After all the public workshops I've had to attend over the years, I'll pass on being mayor. I keep the taxes low every year and all they want to do is whine about losing their shoes.

Just above Montezuma's castle are some ruins that you CAN go in. Maybe hard with a baby, but it is do-able. You'll find pottery chards, petrified corn husks and cobs, and all kinds of stuff. It's pretty cool. You'd have to go on a narrow trail along the cliff, but you're all pretty adventurous.

Narrow trails along cliffs?? Awesome! I'm sure Julie will be right behind me.

Well, let me know via FB when you start the TR... I'll make it when I can between learning nursing skillz.

Will do! And good luck with nursing school and wedding planning!

Fixed it for ya'

Nice work!

 

[jedijill]

Fixed it for ya'

This should be your Christmas card this year.

Jill in CO

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I am finally caught up with your trip report. Just when it ends... But it was wonderful to read! What a wonderful vacation you had and it sounds like this summer's vacation will be fantastic as well!

Thanks Magdalene! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope we can pull off this year's trip--I'm still worried about how the baby will do.

I read some discussion about eating at Flo's in Disneyland. We ended up eating there twice, so I guess you can see we rather liked it. Is it something extraordinary? Most likely not. But to me it was "exotic" enough to be appealing. I had the pork twice and I really liked the barbecue sauce it came with. I loved the baked beans that I got as a side. Michael had the turkey once and the beef the second time and liked both. He loved the mashed potatoes he got as a side. I also really liked the roll we got with the meal. The portion was not huge, but plenty. The cole slaw was standard cole slaw and the only side that was a bit boring were the carrots and peas, which Michael got in an attempt to be healthy...

It all sounds good to me! We definitely prefer home cooking to fancy foods, so this seemed like it would be up our alley. However, I think I may need to change my dining plans for DL anyway just based on trying to get a FP for Radiator Springs Racers. We may end up doing counter-service for lunch and then Cafe Orleans for dinner.

We also had a pie for dessert both times and those pies are quite delicious! When we were there the seasonal one was strawberry-rhubard which was wonderful, the apple pie was very good, too, but the other one was better.

I'm a sucker for good pie!

Also, make sure to try to get a table on the side that overlooks Radiator Springs Racers, great view during your meal!

We'll do our best. I'd really like to see Cars Land lit up at night!

We ate at a number of DL/DCA counter service places and they were all good to very good, we did not have one meal that we did not like. I did not find Flo to be any worse or better than the others. My advice would be to pick a place where the type of food being served appeals to you, there are so many different things to choose from! I found the variety of food amazing. At WDW I often have the feeling that after a few days of counter service food, that I am eating the same type of food over and over again, at DL/DCA it was so much easier to not repeat food choices! I guess that also speaks to our enjoyment of Flo that we chose to repeat that!

Sounds like I can't go wrong! I have heard many good reviews of the fried chicken at the Plaza Inn on Main St. I'm also a sucker for good fried chicken, so that may end up being our counter-service meal. It may end up being a spur-of-the-moment decision! Anyway, thanks for the tips!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

This should be your Christmas card this year.

Jill in CO

We could do a lot worse!

 

[Flossbolna]

We'll do our best. I'd really like to see Cars Land lit up at night!

Sounds like I can't go wrong! I have heard many good reviews of the fried chicken at the Plaza Inn on Main St. I'm also a sucker for good fried chicken, so that may end up being our counter-service meal. It may end up being a spur-of-the-moment decision! Anyway, thanks for the tips!

Remember that scene in the movie when they switch the neon back on? They do that every evening at DCA's Radiator Springs at dusk (and they won't give you an exact time even if you ask). We just tried to hang out there around 8pm which was right around sunset time when we were there and managed to catch it one evening. It is rather cute, they play the same music and one shop after the other switches on the neon. Not something you have to be there for, but if you happen to be in the neighbourhood around that time, look out for it!

Once thing I found out at DL: It is so much easier to do spur-of-the-moment decisions there. Even with regard to attractions. Everything is so much closer together. Even hopping from one park to the other is so much easier!! Just try to avoid the Tomorrowland entrance bottleneck (just where the spinner is) as much as you can! This bit of walkway seems to be constantly congested.

I hope you will have so much fun there!!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Remember that scene in the movie when they switch the neon back on? They do that every evening at DCA's Radiator Springs at dusk (and they won't give you an exact time even if you ask). We just tried to hang out there around 8pm which was right around sunset time when we were there and managed to catch it one evening. It is rather cute, they play the same music and one shop after the other switches on the neon. Not something you have to be there for, but if you happen to be in the neighbourhood around that time, look out for it!

Sounds cool! I'll have to try and check that out. I do want to spend some time in Radiator Springs, because it looks like the Imagineers really out-did themselves in terms of the details and theme. I'm worried we'll have to spend a decent amount of time sitting in line for World of Color, though.

Once thing I found out at DL: It is so much easier to do spur-of-the-moment decisions there. Even with regard to attractions. Everything is so much closer together. Even hopping from one park to the other is so much easier!! Just try to avoid the Tomorrowland entrance bottleneck (just where the spinner is) as much as you can! This bit of walkway seems to be constantly congested.

I hope you will have so much fun there!!!

Me too! Thanks for the tip on Tomorrowland. It looks to me like the most stressful part of the day will be getting fastpasses for RSR. If we can get that accomplished, then we'll just watch the wait times and see what we can get done. I think we'll try and spend the majority of our time in DL. It is great that they're so close together!

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Sounds like you did great! I agree, Aulani was so special that I think we would really want to incorporate it again on a return trip. Not that we can afford it, but when has that ever stopped us?

Let me know if you get your TR started, I'll be happy to follow along.

Just wanted to check in and let you know I started my report. BTW, loved the photo you posted of Drew with the marshmallow guy. That made me laugh out loud. That would be a hilarious card. We have friends who do insane cards and they would not hesitate with such a fine specimen.

Hope you're enjoying your countdown to your big vacation!

 

[Deirdres]

Thanks for the great trip report, it was fun to follow along