Cass, Rob & Kira - 20 Hours at Aulani and other Oahu Adventures July 2024
- Thread starter Timon
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- Aug 18, 1999
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Oh I enjoy the temple and the grounds, too. But for me it's the beautiful surroundings, for my husband it's much more spiritual and zen. Kind of hard to explain ..or not, really, since you have been there
Ahhh gotcha!
AWWWWW!Rob is so sweet helping the ladies pack up! A definite keeper, I tell ya! Cass, you are one lucky lady.
I have been a very lucky lady since 1996.
Kira is doing well, she does miss us, her dogs and my cooking though.
She will be home on Friday for a week for Thanksgiving. 
Oh wow! Twenty Four malasadas!
That's hilarious! Didn't they think the price was insane for 24 Timbits?
At 60? Oh my!!
You go, girl!
Yes, there were a lot of small kids, which made my heart sink a little because they tend to wander off and not be wary of their surroundings and you really need to be careful on this trail.
When Rob and I did it in 2000, they were selling certificates in that Fire Station. We didn't have any USD cash on us, we had CAD though and I bartered with them to accept it.
The certificates are in a scrapbook I made.
It was a very good travel year for Kira! She went to Africa for two weeks on a school trip, then NYC on another school trip, then Hawaii, then Orlando with me then she moved to Nova Scotia! She is a lucky kid but she is so amazing and is so deserving of it.
And she is loving University life.
Oh my gosh, good for you guys!!! We have yet to do Diamond Head but I have a feeling next trip my husband will push for us to do itSo glad you get to give Kira all the hugs so very soon
Well, prepare for grouchy teens then.
I would do it as early as you can, it will be cooler and less crowded.
So many hugs!!! We are huggy people and we all miss each other like crazy.
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Part 3
Back out the tunnel we went.
Blue stop sign! I had to google it, it is used on private property since it's not technically legal to put up a red one but it conveys the same thing.
I found a restaurant that serves breakfast until 2pm that is popular with the locals.
No surprise as to what we all ordered. We are all very predictable.
It was all very delicious and while it was still Hawaii prices, it wasn't Ko Olina prices.
We headed back to the resort. They even have trees in the middle of the H-1 highway.
We rested for a good few hours and then decided to walk over to Aulani. We always went left out of the tower but this time we headed right, which led us to the area where day visitors who are lucky enough to get a spot, can park and access the lagoon. In Hawaii, every single beach is open to the public, so even if you own a multi-million dollar house on the beach, that beach can be accessed by everyone.
Looking back at our lagoon.
There are public washrooms and showers at each lagoon.
Headed over to Aulani...
The walk is very pretty, as is my girl.
Here is lagoon 2.
You can see the top of Aulani from the beach.
The stairway that was eaten by nature.
It's hard to see but Rob changed into his Aloha Mickey shirt and Kira wore her DCL Castaway Cay shirt and her new sarong with her bathing suit underneath. I told her before we left that she would be wearing a swimsuit and a sarong most of the time. She didn't believe me and definitely overpacked. When we got back, she said she really missed her Hawaii "uniform."
She sure does look purty.
Here's a map with all of the lagoons.
Can you guess where we stopped first?
Priorities, baby!
We were thinking of maybe trying the shave ice here but the line was insane! Umm no thanks!
Our main goal was to shop! Kira and I only strolled through here quickly last week and Rob didn't even step foot in the shops.
They had already taken down the Pride stuff and had Christmas stuff out, half-way to Christmas, I guess.
We spent a good hour perusing and deciding on what we wanted.
We gave Mickey a good chunk of our spending allowance.
Rob was being a little dramatic, it could have been so much worse.
Dole Whip on the way in and of course, Dole Whip on the way out.
That's how we roll.
Back out the tunnel we went.
Blue stop sign! I had to google it, it is used on private property since it's not technically legal to put up a red one but it conveys the same thing.
I found a restaurant that serves breakfast until 2pm that is popular with the locals.
No surprise as to what we all ordered. We are all very predictable.
It was all very delicious and while it was still Hawaii prices, it wasn't Ko Olina prices.
We headed back to the resort. They even have trees in the middle of the H-1 highway.
We rested for a good few hours and then decided to walk over to Aulani. We always went left out of the tower but this time we headed right, which led us to the area where day visitors who are lucky enough to get a spot, can park and access the lagoon. In Hawaii, every single beach is open to the public, so even if you own a multi-million dollar house on the beach, that beach can be accessed by everyone.
Looking back at our lagoon.
There are public washrooms and showers at each lagoon.
Headed over to Aulani...
The walk is very pretty, as is my girl.
Here is lagoon 2.
You can see the top of Aulani from the beach.
The stairway that was eaten by nature.
It's hard to see but Rob changed into his Aloha Mickey shirt and Kira wore her DCL Castaway Cay shirt and her new sarong with her bathing suit underneath. I told her before we left that she would be wearing a swimsuit and a sarong most of the time. She didn't believe me and definitely overpacked. When we got back, she said she really missed her Hawaii "uniform."
She sure does look purty.
Here's a map with all of the lagoons.
Can you guess where we stopped first?
Priorities, baby!
We were thinking of maybe trying the shave ice here but the line was insane! Umm no thanks!
Our main goal was to shop! Kira and I only strolled through here quickly last week and Rob didn't even step foot in the shops.
They had already taken down the Pride stuff and had Christmas stuff out, half-way to Christmas, I guess.
We spent a good hour perusing and deciding on what we wanted.
We gave Mickey a good chunk of our spending allowance.
Rob was being a little dramatic, it could have been so much worse.
Dole Whip on the way in and of course, Dole Whip on the way out.
That's how we roll.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
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- 9,211
Part 4
Here's the prices and the mug selections for end of July 2024.
These are the two stainless steel mugs we bought. One with Mickey and one with Moana. They are NOT dishwasher safe and they are NOT leak-proof! Just sayin'.
The line was long, even longer than usual.
Once we finished our Dole Whips, we walked over to the grassy area to take some pics.
And then we headed back to our resort.
We got fish and chips for Rob and I to split and some french fries for Kira. Soooooo good!
Then it was time for our last sunset from the lagoon.
I enjoyed it, by myself, in the water, one last time. This was probably one of my favourite things about our trip, being in the lagoon, watching the sunset. It was so quiet, so peaceful and you couldn't beat the view.
Kira wanted to watch one last sunset in her little happy, quiet place. I asked Rob to go over and take a few photos of her for me. You can see him here, taking those pics.
Here's the result.
She really loved watched the waves come in and the crabs walking by, as well as the sunset.
With our last glorious sunset behind us (literally) we took a selfie and then headed over to the pool area.
The lagoon was always deserted at this hour.
We had purchased some tokens for the fish food so Kira could feed the fish.
She was a happy girl.
Once she started feeding them, a cute little boy in jammies appeared and she started talking to him.
She gave him most of her food as he didn't have any. She is such a sweet and kind young lady.
She sat there with him and his sister, chatting, for quite some time. I headed into the pool and Rob followed me while she stayed with the fishies.
I swam briefly in my favourite pool and hot tub and then we moved on over to the quiet pool, just so I could experience that one. I also did a quick swim tour of the kids pool and tried all of the other hot tubs in this area. Kira somehow found me in the very secluded one and we stayed in there for about 20 minutes, chatting.
She lounged with her dad while I enjoyed my last pool time. Boy, do I miss that pool and hot tub!
That concludes our second-to-last day in Hawaii and our last night at the Marriott. I really loved this resort. I could easily spend another week there, eating that incredible fish and chips and watching the sun set followed by some glorious pool time.
For those of you wondering about the cost, I rented a verified listing on Red Week, for 7 nights in a studio suite and it cost about $350 USD per night. That's three nights for about the same cost of our one night at Aulani.
Y'all know how much of a Disney nerd I am, so it is heartbreaking to say this but I much preferred the Marriott over Aulani.
Not only was it a better value, the resort is more spread out, more chill, more peaceful and the pools and hot tubs are open later. The food was a tad bit cheaper for the quick service option and so much better. Also, unbeknownst to us, there was Dole Whip available at the Marriott too! And if you need your Disney fix, you can walk over to Aulani in less than 10 minutes and shop and meet the characters there. 
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Stay tuned tomorrow to see what we did on our last day on Oahu.
Here's the prices and the mug selections for end of July 2024.
These are the two stainless steel mugs we bought. One with Mickey and one with Moana. They are NOT dishwasher safe and they are NOT leak-proof! Just sayin'.
The line was long, even longer than usual.
Once we finished our Dole Whips, we walked over to the grassy area to take some pics.
And then we headed back to our resort.
We got fish and chips for Rob and I to split and some french fries for Kira. Soooooo good!
Then it was time for our last sunset from the lagoon.
I enjoyed it, by myself, in the water, one last time. This was probably one of my favourite things about our trip, being in the lagoon, watching the sunset. It was so quiet, so peaceful and you couldn't beat the view.
Kira wanted to watch one last sunset in her little happy, quiet place. I asked Rob to go over and take a few photos of her for me. You can see him here, taking those pics.
Here's the result.
She really loved watched the waves come in and the crabs walking by, as well as the sunset.
With our last glorious sunset behind us (literally
) we took a selfie and then headed over to the pool area.
The lagoon was always deserted at this hour.
We had purchased some tokens for the fish food so Kira could feed the fish.
She was a happy girl.
Once she started feeding them, a cute little boy in jammies appeared and she started talking to him.
She gave him most of her food as he didn't have any. She is such a sweet and kind young lady.
She sat there with him and his sister, chatting, for quite some time. I headed into the pool and Rob followed me while she stayed with the fishies.
I swam briefly in my favourite pool and hot tub and then we moved on over to the quiet pool, just so I could experience that one. I also did a quick swim tour of the kids pool and tried all of the other hot tubs in this area. Kira somehow found me in the very secluded one and we stayed in there for about 20 minutes, chatting.
She lounged with her dad while I enjoyed my last pool time. Boy, do I miss that pool and hot tub!
That concludes our second-to-last day in Hawaii and our last night at the Marriott. I really loved this resort. I could easily spend another week there, eating that incredible fish and chips and watching the sun set followed by some glorious pool time.
For those of you wondering about the cost, I rented a verified listing on Red Week, for 7 nights in a studio suite and it cost about $350 USD per night. That's three nights for about the same cost of our one night at Aulani.
Y'all know how much of a Disney nerd I am, so it is heartbreaking to say this but I much preferred the Marriott over Aulani.
Not only was it a better value, the resort is more spread out, more chill, more peaceful and the pools and hot tubs are open later. The food was a tad bit cheaper for the quick service option and so much better. Also, unbeknownst to us, there was Dole Whip available at the Marriott too!
And if you need your Disney fix, you can walk over to Aulani in less than 10 minutes and shop and meet the characters there. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Stay tuned tomorrow to see what we did on our last day on Oahu.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Part 1
We slept in a little and then got ready for the day. I had packed up most of our stuff the day before, so I just needed to throw in all of our toiletries that we used that morning and our dirty clothes. Check-out time here is 10am and because it is a timeshare resort, there is no such thing as a late check-out. We were out the door exactly at 10am.
I said goodbye to my tree bouquets and my family of black swans...
And the well-travelled, beautiful, monkey pod-lined street.
I asked Rob and Kira where they wanted to eat breakfast. I said we could try one of the places we've been to or a new place and they both agreed that they wanted to go back to Eggs N Things, across from Aulani.
Rob was happy to be drinking his Kona coffee again.
He also discovered the syrups they have. I think it was guava and coconut, along with the regular syrup.
We all had our usual.
This time, Kira's Nutella came in a little container instead of drizzled on top.
I don't think I posted a photo but when we were here last time, the strawberries that she ordered came in a big bow and she had her fill and then Rob and I finished them for her. Well, this time, her side of strawberries was way smaller and came on a plate. They were very chintzy on the berries, especially considering that cost $6 USD!
It was all very delicious but a little on the pricey side.
If you park at the far end, you get a really nice view of Aulani.
We spotted several mongooses here in Ko Olina and yes that is the correct pluralization of the word mongoose. I looked it up.
I had told Kira to keep a lookout for them and the first time she spotted one, she yelled out "Ohhhh! A thingamabob!!!"
That was on day two, so for the rest of the trip, all mongooses were henceforth referred to as thingamabobs.
Good-bye trees, good-bye Ko Olina, it's been nice getting to know you. Good-bye thingamabobs.
I saw this painted mural the day before, when we were going to Diamond Head but I was not quick enough to get a photo of it. This time I was ready. I like it.
Our destination was new to all of us. When planning this trip, I was unsure of what to do this day. Our flight didn't leave until 10pm and I didn't want to get wet, so no water related stuff. I didn't want to get all hot and sweaty and gross before our long flight back to Calgary. I also didn't want to stray too far from our Jeep since all of our belongings were now crammed into the back of it. Our options were a little limited.
The one thing I knew we could do is a little sightseeing and one of the best spots to do that is the Tantalus Lookout. To get there, you go through small neighbourhoods, higher and higher. Then you hit some amazing switchback roads closer to the top. Some of the driveways we saw up here were insanely steep!
It was quite the journey getting up there!
Check out the view though.
Most people like to visit here during the sunset hours so when we got there, it wasn't busy at all. We got to park right at the lookout. There's more parking further down and then you can hike up.
A small walk over and voila!
There's a canopied platform that provides some shade but if you keep walking, the view gets better and better.
It was quite windy up here. Hard to take photos when you have long hair.
Here's a nice, zoomed in photo of two gorgeous palms that stick right out of all of the other foliage.
A nice close-up of the only cruise ship that calls Hawaii home, the Pride of America, which was in port today.
We enjoyed the views for awhile but it was quite hot out in the sun. While I was taking my photos and videos, Kira headed back to the shade. Even the mountains behind us were just gorgeous!
I loved how she was just perched on the side, with the mountains behind her. I wanted to take some photos of her so I headed under the canopy too.
Of all the photos that I took on this trip, (you know there were thousands taken, right?
) this next one just might be my favourite.
Picturesque background, her hair flowing in the breeze, the sheer look of content on her face as she was enjoying the view.
Look at those mountains!!!
And one last photo in this chapter, a nice close-up of Diamond Head. This one captures the size of this crater and gives you a good idea of how high that hike was to get up to the tippy top of that sucker!
Stay tuned for the next chapter to see where we go next.
We slept in a little and then got ready for the day. I had packed up most of our stuff the day before, so I just needed to throw in all of our toiletries that we used that morning and our dirty clothes. Check-out time here is 10am and because it is a timeshare resort, there is no such thing as a late check-out. We were out the door exactly at 10am.
I said goodbye to my tree bouquets and my family of black swans...
And the well-travelled, beautiful, monkey pod-lined street.
I asked Rob and Kira where they wanted to eat breakfast. I said we could try one of the places we've been to or a new place and they both agreed that they wanted to go back to Eggs N Things, across from Aulani.
Rob was happy to be drinking his Kona coffee again.
He also discovered the syrups they have. I think it was guava and coconut, along with the regular syrup.
We all had our usual.
This time, Kira's Nutella came in a little container instead of drizzled on top.
I don't think I posted a photo but when we were here last time, the strawberries that she ordered came in a big bow and she had her fill and then Rob and I finished them for her. Well, this time, her side of strawberries was way smaller and came on a plate. They were very chintzy on the berries, especially considering that cost $6 USD!
It was all very delicious but a little on the pricey side.
If you park at the far end, you get a really nice view of Aulani.
We spotted several mongooses here in Ko Olina and yes that is the correct pluralization of the word mongoose. I looked it up.
I had told Kira to keep a lookout for them and the first time she spotted one, she yelled out "Ohhhh! A thingamabob!!!"
That was on day two, so for the rest of the trip, all mongooses were henceforth referred to as thingamabobs.
Good-bye trees, good-bye Ko Olina, it's been nice getting to know you. Good-bye thingamabobs.
I saw this painted mural the day before, when we were going to Diamond Head but I was not quick enough to get a photo of it. This time I was ready. I like it.
Our destination was new to all of us. When planning this trip, I was unsure of what to do this day. Our flight didn't leave until 10pm and I didn't want to get wet, so no water related stuff. I didn't want to get all hot and sweaty and gross before our long flight back to Calgary. I also didn't want to stray too far from our Jeep since all of our belongings were now crammed into the back of it. Our options were a little limited.
The one thing I knew we could do is a little sightseeing and one of the best spots to do that is the Tantalus Lookout. To get there, you go through small neighbourhoods, higher and higher. Then you hit some amazing switchback roads closer to the top. Some of the driveways we saw up here were insanely steep!
It was quite the journey getting up there!
Check out the view though.
Most people like to visit here during the sunset hours so when we got there, it wasn't busy at all. We got to park right at the lookout. There's more parking further down and then you can hike up.
A small walk over and voila!
There's a canopied platform that provides some shade but if you keep walking, the view gets better and better.
It was quite windy up here. Hard to take photos when you have long hair.
Here's a nice, zoomed in photo of two gorgeous palms that stick right out of all of the other foliage.
A nice close-up of the only cruise ship that calls Hawaii home, the Pride of America, which was in port today.
We enjoyed the views for awhile but it was quite hot out in the sun. While I was taking my photos and videos, Kira headed back to the shade. Even the mountains behind us were just gorgeous!
I loved how she was just perched on the side, with the mountains behind her. I wanted to take some photos of her so I headed under the canopy too.
Of all the photos that I took on this trip, (you know there were thousands taken, right?
) this next one just might be my favourite. Picturesque background, her hair flowing in the breeze, the sheer look of content on her face as she was enjoying the view.
Look at those mountains!!!
And one last photo in this chapter, a nice close-up of Diamond Head. This one captures the size of this crater and gives you a good idea of how high that hike was to get up to the tippy top of that sucker!
Stay tuned for the next chapter to see where we go next.
missjackiemcg
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2013
- Messages
- 3,582
I was a few updates behind, but just wanted to say WOW! You really got some breathtaking pictures! Hawaii has never been on my MUST visit list, but your trippie is changing that for sure.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Part 2
I had wanted to show Kira Hanauma Bay but they were closed, so that was not happening.
So we just carried on to our next stop, the Halona Blowhole.
If we were not flying home later tonight, I totally would have climbed down to swim here, it was gorgeous.
The blow hole was not really blowing but people were down there walking.
At least the views were pretty.
It was very windy, as you can tell from our hair.
We spotted the Batmobile.
And a really old Bug.
We stopped at the Koko Head crater lookout to take photos. This is a tough hike with over 1000 stairs made of old railroad ties and rails that were used to haul cargo supplies up to old WWII pillbox bunkers.
Yeah, no thanks! I would die!
In 2000, Rob and I stayed a few nights in Waikiki before hopping over to the Big Island and I really did not care for it. It was just like a big city but with a pretty beach that was always so packed full of people. It was not what I had pictured when I thought of Hawaii but Waikiki Beach is iconic, with it's amazing views of Diamond Head and I wanted Kira to be able to say she walked on Waikiki Beach. We weren't there to explore all of Waikiki. It was sooooo dang hot and busy, our goal was to just walk down a bit, walk a few minutes on the beach and then head back.
I figured parking near the zoo was the cheapest option as all of the lots and hotel parking was very expensive. I think the zoo parking was only $5 and close enough to where I wanted to go.
We walked down and crossed the street and then headed towards the hotels.
See that pink hotel? That is the Royal Hawaiian and that is where we walked to.
If we didn't already have some tikis from our first trip, I totally would have bought some here, they were amazing!
Boy was it hot out! Remember when I said I didn't want to get all sweaty? Well, within a few minutes, we were all sweaty, even being in the shade for most of the time and walking slowly. 
Loved this big, gorgeous banyan tree!
The famous Duke Statue.
As we were walking down near the hotels, knowing that Kira would be running out of steam with the walking and the heat, I spotted a place that sells Dole Whips and we headed in for a much-needed treat.
It was just what we needed to get us through to our destination.
We walked through a lovely garden area to get to the Royal Hawaiian.
We reached our destination!
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, one of the first hotels in Waikiki, is considered one of the most famous and luxurious hotels in Waikiki. The Mai Tai bar here is the home of the original Mai Tai cocktail.
It was very lovely inside and it smelled quite nice but it was very strong and Kira and I are allergic to fragrances so we didn't explore too much.
We passed the Mai Tai Bar and then headed out onto the beach, walked down a bit and took some photos.
Rob was wearing runners and socks so he stayed up much further up on the beach while Kira and I walked through the water. He did end up getting a little wet from a rogue wave. He had to change his socks and shoes when we got back to the Jeep.
That's the limit on images for me, so we will have to continue this in the next chapter.
I had wanted to show Kira Hanauma Bay but they were closed, so that was not happening.
So we just carried on to our next stop, the Halona Blowhole.
If we were not flying home later tonight, I totally would have climbed down to swim here, it was gorgeous.
The blow hole was not really blowing but people were down there walking.
At least the views were pretty.
It was very windy, as you can tell from our hair.
We spotted the Batmobile.
And a really old Bug.
We stopped at the Koko Head crater lookout to take photos. This is a tough hike with over 1000 stairs made of old railroad ties and rails that were used to haul cargo supplies up to old WWII pillbox bunkers.
Yeah, no thanks! I would die!
In 2000, Rob and I stayed a few nights in Waikiki before hopping over to the Big Island and I really did not care for it. It was just like a big city but with a pretty beach that was always so packed full of people. It was not what I had pictured when I thought of Hawaii but Waikiki Beach is iconic, with it's amazing views of Diamond Head and I wanted Kira to be able to say she walked on Waikiki Beach. We weren't there to explore all of Waikiki. It was sooooo dang hot and busy, our goal was to just walk down a bit, walk a few minutes on the beach and then head back.
I figured parking near the zoo was the cheapest option as all of the lots and hotel parking was very expensive. I think the zoo parking was only $5 and close enough to where I wanted to go.
We walked down and crossed the street and then headed towards the hotels.
See that pink hotel? That is the Royal Hawaiian and that is where we walked to.
If we didn't already have some tikis from our first trip, I totally would have bought some here, they were amazing!
Boy was it hot out! Remember when I said I didn't want to get all sweaty?
Well, within a few minutes, we were all sweaty, even being in the shade for most of the time and walking slowly.
Loved this big, gorgeous banyan tree!
The famous Duke Statue.
As we were walking down near the hotels, knowing that Kira would be running out of steam with the walking and the heat, I spotted a place that sells Dole Whips and we headed in for a much-needed treat.
It was just what we needed to get us through to our destination.
We walked through a lovely garden area to get to the Royal Hawaiian.
We reached our destination!
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, one of the first hotels in Waikiki, is considered one of the most famous and luxurious hotels in Waikiki. The Mai Tai bar here is the home of the original Mai Tai cocktail.
It was very lovely inside and it smelled quite nice but it was very strong and Kira and I are allergic to fragrances so we didn't explore too much.
We passed the Mai Tai Bar and then headed out onto the beach, walked down a bit and took some photos.
Rob was wearing runners and socks so he stayed up much further up on the beach while Kira and I walked through the water. He did end up getting a little wet from a rogue wave.
He had to change his socks and shoes when we got back to the Jeep.
That's the limit on images for me, so we will have to continue this in the next chapter.
missjackiemcg
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2013
- Messages
- 3,582
Perfect way to spend your last few hours in Hawaii!!
NAB
<font color=green>That first page just got too hea
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- May 31, 2006
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The pink hotel was where we stayed for 4 nights after getting off the Wonder. Our room was on the 15 floor on the water side. Loved watching the surfers in the morning.
Some don’t like it down in that area but we loved but so much more to see around the island to just go there.
Some don’t like it down in that area but we loved but so much more to see around the island to just go there.
lucas
°o°
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2005
- Messages
- 24,127
My heart dropped when you mentioned Hanauma Bay. Seriously.
Fun fact:
Dh and I were married way back in 1986. In 1987 we went to Hawaii for a cruise with my parents, brother and my best friend along with her family. Right before the cruise we had a snorkeling excursion to good old Hanauma Bay. My husband lost his wedding ring there while snorkeling. Yep. He sure did. It slipped off his finger while in the water and he didn't even know it. We know when he last had it on, based on pictures we had taken. When we got home, we immediately replaced the ring, but man, it still stings after all these years.
Fun fact:
Dh and I were married way back in 1986. In 1987 we went to Hawaii for a cruise with my parents, brother and my best friend along with her family. Right before the cruise we had a snorkeling excursion to good old Hanauma Bay. My husband lost his wedding ring there while snorkeling. Yep. He sure did. It slipped off his finger while in the water and he didn't even know it. We know when he last had it on, based on pictures we had taken. When we got home, we immediately replaced the ring, but man, it still stings after all these years.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Part 3
Just like our Aulani visit, we had a Dole Whip on the way in and a Dole Whip on the way out.
We really needed it! In fact, this was the one and only time where I got my own! Usually Rob and I split one but it was so freaking hot out, I was easily able to eat one all by myself.
As we were walking back, I snapped a couple of lovely photos of my girl, who is currently home from University to celebrate our Thanksgiving.
We still had tons of time to kill so Rob dropped us off at the Ala Moana Mall and then he headed off to Mass. There were other Catholic Churches closer to us but I encouraged him to go to the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which looked really pretty and well, it's a cathedral.
Love the fanny pack! It goes well with his Saturday-best!
Kira and I were hungry so went to the food court and shared an order of chicken strips from Raising Cane's. We don't have this chain up in Canada, or at least, in Alberta and we almost tried the one in Webster, Texas last Christmas before our cruise but ended up at the Waffle House instead so this was our first taste of it. I thought it was pretty good. I didn't care for the coleslaw but everything else was pretty good.
Once we finished eating, we explored the mall a little. Rob and I had visited here in 2000. Back then it had a nice big Disney Store and a Warner Brothers store and we bought stuff from both. Those stores aren't around anymore but we did pop into a few of our faves.
The only thing I didn't like about this mall on that particular day was the fact that it was an open air mall and the only A/C was inside of the actual stores and we never stayed long enough in any of them to cool down.
Oh look! Kira found her spirit animal.
You bet your sweet lovin' crab grass, they do!
There was a Macy's at Ala Moana and inside of Macy's there was a Liliha Bakery and Kira and I both wanted to get more chocolate croissants. Once we were done our window shopping, we headed over to Macy's but sadly they only had one chocolate croissant left.
You can probably guess who got that last croissant.
Rob was now done and was back in the parking garage where he had dropped us off so we met up with him there. While Kira ate her croissant, I looked at Google Maps and found a Liliha that wasn't too out of the way on our journey back to the airport.
I popped in real quick and they had four croissants, so I bought them all up.
It was now time to head to the airport.
The sunset was quite beautiful. Not the same as swimming in my lagoon, but I will take it.
Back to Ah-LAH-mo, we went!
She is never going to live that one down. I have too good of a memory to let that slip past me.
We said goodbye to Mike Wazowski.
We were all hot and tired and sweaty and DONE! Unfortunately, Air Canada is on the very opposite side of the airport than the car rental place. We lugged six suitcases and three backpacks all the way there and collapsed when we got to the check-in desk.
Going home, I always check the carry-on bags for free since I always fill them with dirty clothes and don't care if they lose them.
So, we only had our back packs and Rob's laptop case to deal with on our journey home.
Once we dropped everything off and got our boarding passes, we had to go all the way back to the other terminal to go through TSA pre-check, since the one that is next to Air Canada doesn't have it.
Then, all the way back to the end again once inside. Oh my dog! We were exhausted already and we still had to fly all the way home!
Thankfully, we were smart and kept a change of clothes for the flight home.
The open air terminal was very pretty though!
The moon looked quite beautiful too.
Our flight to Vancouver would be leaving at 10pm so we still had a couple of hours to go still.
Rob didn't eat dinner so he headed over and grabbed a pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. I had a piece and it was delicious!
Pre-boarding and everybody and their dog were standing right at the gate.
A tired airplane selfie.
We got to Vancouver just before 7am local time.
I always love flying in and out of Vancouver, it is so beautiful!
You can spot a couple of ships in port, if you look closely enough.
We landed, went through Canadian Customs and Immigration and then headed to our next gate.
About two hours after we landed, we were on our flight home to Calgary. We all got a couple hours of sleep on the last flight but we were still pretty exhausted and ready to be home.
Mount Baker from my window.
Flying from Vancouver to Calgary, we basically just go through mountain range after mountain range. First, the Coast Mountains, then the Central Plateau and Mountains and then the Caribou Mountains and finally the gorgeous Rocky Mountains, which are about an hour away from our house.
We landed, grabbed all of our luggage and then waited for Rob's dad to come pick us up.
30-minutes later, we were home and with our doggies again!
And that, my friends, is the final chapter of this trip report.
Because so much was going on in my life while I was writing this trip report, I forgot to look at my notes of funny things that we all said during the trip, so I will give you a very brief list of some of my faves before I bid you all a fond farewell.
Remember the whole bit about "Hi, Biscus!" ? Well, I forgot to mention that when I was killing myself laughing over the whole thing, Kira said "You're hilarious", to which I responded "No, I am Hi Larious" and then we kept saying to each other "Hi, Biscus!" and Hi, Larious!"
Rob was talking about stingrays, when he bought his very expensive hoodie in that store across from Aulani. He meant to say "I'm partial to stingrays, but instead he said "I'm particular to stingrays."
In the middle of the trip, Rob started yapping about stuff that we had to do once we were home and I blurted out "Please don't talk about reality to me."
I don't recall what day it was but honestly it could have been any day really because I get a tad grouchy when I overheat but one time I got a little grouchy and I said "I apologize for being grumpy later" instead of "earlier". Then I paused and said, "Well, later too probably."
Remember how I said I say things backwards all the time? Well, when we were shopping one day, I said "You're like a candy in a kid store."
And finally, when we dropped off Mike Wazowski, AKA our Jeep, and she found out how much we paid for it, Kira said "WOWzowski!"
Okay, that's all I have for you folks. I am going to work on my videos for this trip over the next few weeks and once those are done, I am going start my next trip report for the Mother/Daughter trip that Kira and I took in August.
Stay tuned for the vacation videos, I will post them here once each one is done.
Thanks so much for tuning into this tale.
I appreciate you following along and so much love and gratitude to everyone who posted comments and "liked" my posts.
Until next time, Adios, Amoebas!
Just like our Aulani visit, we had a Dole Whip on the way in and a Dole Whip on the way out.
We really needed it! In fact, this was the one and only time where I got my own! Usually Rob and I split one but it was so freaking hot out, I was easily able to eat one all by myself.
As we were walking back, I snapped a couple of lovely photos of my girl, who is currently home from University to celebrate our Thanksgiving.
We still had tons of time to kill so Rob dropped us off at the Ala Moana Mall and then he headed off to Mass. There were other Catholic Churches closer to us but I encouraged him to go to the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which looked really pretty and well, it's a cathedral.
Love the fanny pack! It goes well with his Saturday-best!
Kira and I were hungry so went to the food court and shared an order of chicken strips from Raising Cane's. We don't have this chain up in Canada, or at least, in Alberta and we almost tried the one in Webster, Texas last Christmas before our cruise but ended up at the Waffle House instead so this was our first taste of it. I thought it was pretty good. I didn't care for the coleslaw but everything else was pretty good.
Once we finished eating, we explored the mall a little. Rob and I had visited here in 2000. Back then it had a nice big Disney Store and a Warner Brothers store and we bought stuff from both. Those stores aren't around anymore but we did pop into a few of our faves.
The only thing I didn't like about this mall on that particular day was the fact that it was an open air mall and the only A/C was inside of the actual stores and we never stayed long enough in any of them to cool down.
Oh look! Kira found her spirit animal.
You bet your sweet lovin' crab grass, they do!
There was a Macy's at Ala Moana and inside of Macy's there was a Liliha Bakery and Kira and I both wanted to get more chocolate croissants. Once we were done our window shopping, we headed over to Macy's but sadly they only had one chocolate croissant left.
You can probably guess who got that last croissant.
Rob was now done and was back in the parking garage where he had dropped us off so we met up with him there. While Kira ate her croissant, I looked at Google Maps and found a Liliha that wasn't too out of the way on our journey back to the airport.
I popped in real quick and they had four croissants, so I bought them all up.
It was now time to head to the airport.
The sunset was quite beautiful. Not the same as swimming in my lagoon, but I will take it.
Back to Ah-LAH-mo, we went!
She is never going to live that one down. I have too good of a memory to let that slip past me.
We said goodbye to Mike Wazowski.
We were all hot and tired and sweaty and DONE! Unfortunately, Air Canada is on the very opposite side of the airport than the car rental place. We lugged six suitcases and three backpacks all the way there and collapsed when we got to the check-in desk.
Going home, I always check the carry-on bags for free since I always fill them with dirty clothes and don't care if they lose them.
So, we only had our back packs and Rob's laptop case to deal with on our journey home.
Once we dropped everything off and got our boarding passes, we had to go all the way back to the other terminal to go through TSA pre-check, since the one that is next to Air Canada doesn't have it.
Then, all the way back to the end again once inside. Oh my dog! We were exhausted already and we still had to fly all the way home!
Thankfully, we were smart and kept a change of clothes for the flight home.
The open air terminal was very pretty though!
The moon looked quite beautiful too.
Our flight to Vancouver would be leaving at 10pm so we still had a couple of hours to go still.
Rob didn't eat dinner so he headed over and grabbed a pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. I had a piece and it was delicious!
Pre-boarding and everybody and their dog were standing right at the gate.
A tired airplane selfie.
We got to Vancouver just before 7am local time.
I always love flying in and out of Vancouver, it is so beautiful!
You can spot a couple of ships in port, if you look closely enough.
We landed, went through Canadian Customs and Immigration and then headed to our next gate.
About two hours after we landed, we were on our flight home to Calgary. We all got a couple hours of sleep on the last flight but we were still pretty exhausted and ready to be home.
Mount Baker from my window.
Flying from Vancouver to Calgary, we basically just go through mountain range after mountain range. First, the Coast Mountains, then the Central Plateau and Mountains and then the Caribou Mountains and finally the gorgeous Rocky Mountains, which are about an hour away from our house.
We landed, grabbed all of our luggage and then waited for Rob's dad to come pick us up.
30-minutes later, we were home and with our doggies again!
And that, my friends, is the final chapter of this trip report.
Because so much was going on in my life while I was writing this trip report, I forgot to look at my notes of funny things that we all said during the trip, so I will give you a very brief list of some of my faves before I bid you all a fond farewell.
Remember the whole bit about "Hi, Biscus!" ? Well, I forgot to mention that when I was killing myself laughing over the whole thing, Kira said "You're hilarious", to which I responded "No, I am Hi Larious" and then we kept saying to each other "Hi, Biscus!" and Hi, Larious!"
Rob was talking about stingrays, when he bought his very expensive hoodie in that store across from Aulani. He meant to say "I'm partial to stingrays, but instead he said "I'm particular to stingrays."
In the middle of the trip, Rob started yapping about stuff that we had to do once we were home and I blurted out "Please don't talk about reality to me."
I don't recall what day it was but honestly it could have been any day really because I get a tad grouchy when I overheat
but one time I got a little grouchy and I said "I apologize for being grumpy later" instead of "earlier". Then I paused and said, "Well, later too probably." Remember how I said I say things backwards all the time? Well, when we were shopping one day, I said "You're like a candy in a kid store."
And finally, when we dropped off Mike Wazowski, AKA our Jeep, and she found out how much we paid for it, Kira said "WOWzowski!"
Okay, that's all I have for you folks. I am going to work on my videos for this trip over the next few weeks and once those are done, I am going start my next trip report for the Mother/Daughter trip that Kira and I took in August.
Stay tuned for the vacation videos, I will post them here once each one is done.
Thanks so much for tuning into this tale.
I appreciate you following along and so much love and gratitude to everyone who posted comments and "liked" my posts.
Until next time, Adios, Amoebas!
EatMoreVeg
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2019
- Messages
- 313
Hello, from Edmonton 
Always nice to see a fellow canuck on these boards. Loved your trip report! We will be staying at Aulani for a week in December, so I got so much inspiration from your excursions and photos! Thanks for taking the time to share them. It was lovely getting to know you and your family through this trip report!
Always nice to see a fellow canuck on these boards. Loved your trip report! We will be staying at Aulani for a week in December, so I got so much inspiration from your excursions and photos! Thanks for taking the time to share them. It was lovely getting to know you and your family through this trip report!
NAB
<font color=green>That first page just got too hea
- Joined
- May 31, 2006
- Messages
- 14,861
Love how Rob goes to church. I noticed he is belongs to the Knights of Columbus, I belong to the Catholic Woman’s League. The Cathedral was beautiful.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy family time this weekend.
I’m cooking this year and we leave for WDW for the Halloween party then a cruise. Tuesday coming fast , so it was a nice break to read the end of your trip.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy family time this weekend.
I’m cooking this year and we leave for WDW for the Halloween party then a cruise. Tuesday coming fast , so it was a nice break to read the end of your trip.
jtkboston
hooked on cruising
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2012
- Messages
- 512
Looks like you found the original Liliha! My family has gone there each trip for their counter service breakfast/lunch on our way to the airport. Our flights have all departed early/mid afternoon so that works out well for us.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Stunning sunset photos as always
And now it's all over, just like that!
Went by so fast!!! Thanks but really, Hawaii is breathtaking, all you have to do is point and shoot.
It's definitely an amazing place to visit if you can.
Beautiful pictures!!
Thanks!
It sure was!
Wow, that must have been amazing!!
Oh my dog!!!
You probably have PTSD about that place now!
Hello, from Edmonton
Always nice to see a fellow canuck on these boards. Loved your trip report! We will be staying at Aulani for a week in December, so I got so much inspiration from your excursions and photos! Thanks for taking the time to share them. It was lovely getting to know you and your family through this trip report!
Hello my fellow Albertan!
Thanks for being here, I hope you have a wonderful time at Aulani!
Yes, he is a 4th degree Knight and is very involved in his church and he loves to visit new churches and attend their Mass to see how different it is.
Thanks so much, and the same to you! Have a wonderful trip!!
Thanks so much!
Glad you enjoyed my crazy sense of humour.
Oh, I had no idea that it was the original! If we ever go back, I would 100% have a meal there. And then get a dozen chocolate croissants.
I look forward to the videos and for the Cass/Kira trippie Kinda like Paige saying..."I don't want to go back to earth!" LOL I totally get it!
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