DL and BEYOND (Hawaii !) pre trip (videoclip pg 4)

[Disney 'Ohana]

Wow! How exciting! Can't wait to hear more!

I'm on Oahu! Are you still coming to Hawaii???

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

I'm on Oahu! Are you still coming to Hawaii???

HI, Disney 'Ohana !!
How lucky of you to live in such beautiful places !!!

Oh YES !! we'll be spending a few days in Waikiki - but plan to tour also the North Shore and the whole Oahu !! Then we'll fly to Big Island for a week ... though I'm a bit concerned about the VOG ...

Marco and I are so EXCITED !!!!!!!!!!! we have been dreaming of Hawaii for years !! and are trying to learn as much as we can about culture, traditions and such !!!

ALOHA , laura

 

[cannp123165]

Your flight tickets sound brilliant, Laura! I love the picture of you and Marco on the mountain! How did they do that?

 

[DGH]

Your flight tickets sound brilliant, Laura! I love the picture of you and Marco on the mountain! How did they do that?

That's not difficult.

1) take a picture of a girl,
2) Photoshp it, cutting away the girl
3) Add the girl to a new picture
4) Merge everything in a single picture

 

[cannp123165]

That's not difficult.

1) take a picture of a girl,
2) Photoshp it, cutting away the girl
3) Add the girl to a new picture
4) Merge everything in a single picture

Hehe! I'm in the picture! It is very clever!

 

[crmscotland]

Hi Laura,

We just got back this afternoon from our holiday in England.
Thanks for posting this pre-trip report, it's great to read. The "Grizzly Peak" photo with you, Marco and Caroline added is such fun.

I hope you and Marco have a fantastic time in Hawaii and California. You both deserve a wonderful holiday.

We visited Disneyland California in Sept 2000 and loved it.

Happy memories of Louise on her 4th birthday there.

I'd recommend the character afternoon tea with Mary Poppins if they still do it (it was held at the Disneyland Pacific Hotel when we were there, l think the hotel is now called Disneyland Paradise Pier)
It was great fun being entertained by Mary Poppins.

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

Hi Laura,


Happy memories of Louise on her 4th birthday there.

Mary Ellen !!!
Your 2000 trip sounds so happy !!! with so many sweet memories !!
WHERE is Louise ? was it the Disneyland hotel ?

I LOVE her outfit !!!!!!!

Marco and I will want to check if that afternoon tea with Mary Poppins is still available ... maybe someone here on the DIS will know about it ...

We are still "fighting" with travel tickets /repositioned ships ... but I guess we'll now plan also the little lovely details , such as meals ...

mmmm it's nearly dinner time here !!!!!!

Stay tuned on next update !!
laura

 

[disneyangel]

It sounds wonderful planning your trip and I love DGH's clever ( I mean grumpy ) pictures .

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

CIAOOOOOOOOOOO Angela !!!

So nice to "see" you ... and dear Jess in your avatar !!

Here I go with a new UPDATE ... for you !!!

laura

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

Ciaooo !! So far our “draft” planning had brought us to LAX and Anaheim !! Yeah !!!
What next ??

We checked many airlines for the “inside US” flight tickets - and find a good deal with UNITED .
Possibly we’ll reserve with them also our flight to /from Honolulu ; Marco would like for us to stay one whole week at Waikiki beach - to rest and … maybe … also tour all of the Oahu island ; he wishes so much to visit the North Shore – where the movie “Blue crush” was filmed … he so loves SURF !!!!

Last part of our holiday - IN THAT FIRST PLAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!! - would have been a “one week cruise” aboard the latest , brand NEW ship of Norvegian Cruise Line , the (we thought at the moment !!! ) beautiful Pride of Hawaii .
Here “she” is ( or should I say WAS ??! )

NCL is the unique Company to cruise inter Hawaiian islands , departing from Honolulu ; we did not want to take a looong cruise from Alaska or California … and spend too many days at sea !!!
What we love about cruising is to wake up each morning in a different port of call ( …hehehehe WITHOUT packing /unpaking …).
We had read on Tripadvisor very bad reviews about the new ship , but we loved so much our previous Hawaiian cruises, years ago, with another ( now bankrupted) company that we decided to take the risk and cruise again : hopefully the crew will be well trained by August and we’ll enjoy our time on board !!!
Possibly Norvegian Cruise Line won’t give us the same “magic atmosphere” we had on our previous trips ; one of our fondest memories is the “wow renewal” that Captain Mark Zarinoff celebrated for us and other couples on the S.S. Patriot :

DO you see the “romance” in this photo ??? Myself , dear husband AND … his BELOVED videocamera !! All other “couples” had TWO persons … our “couple” was made of the three of us !!!!! DGH never ever would leave his camera apart !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm used to it : you know , after MORE than thirty years of marriage , you keep him or ... kill him !!!!

Well , let’s go back to the Pride of Hawaii itinerary :

This was the itinerary we should have done ... we loved very much in past cruises to be able to have a “taste” of each different island ...
We were SO EXCITED !!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT

Early in November 2007 we had to change plans : the Pride of Hawaii had been repositioned in … Europe. Oh NOOOOOOOO !!!

This is the same ship as above … after a few cosmetic touches and … loosing that Hawaiian feeling I loved !!

OK !! DGH … grumped a lot !!! and we decided to change our cruise ship; the NEW plan was now to cruise on the sister ship “Pride of Aloha”.

BUT
… in December 2007
We were still having lot of difficulties to book our stateroom.
From one day to another all the low cost staterooms disappeared … what a mystery !! . .. NCL had available only VEEERY luxurious suites … they REALLY cost you a fortune ! (IMHO ! )

We cannot ( and do NOT want to !! ) afford those high rates … and , in any case, even if we would like to spend a fortune … what’s going on with NCL ?
Why don't they accept any reservation ?? why travel agents tell you “ no rooms available “ ?!?
What’s going on? What will happen at the beginning of 2008 ?

To be continued...

Is someone STILL reading ??? laura

 

[TotallyAngelic]

I am still reading Laura - the excitement is building! I wonder if you will get to cruise after all these disappointments! Fingers crossed that you do! I love the comment about the vow renewal and there being 3 in your relationship!

 

[disneyangel]

I'm still reading too Laura

and enjoying it all .Your trippies are always very entertaining

 

[diberry]

I'm reading and enjoying your excitement and enthusiasm as always!!!

 

[DGH]

DO you see the “romance” in this photo ??? Myself , dear husband AND … his BELOVED videocamera !! All other “couples” had TWO persons … our “couple” was made of the three of us !!!!! DGH never ever would leave his camera apart !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What do you have against my videocamera? Isn't appropriate for a wedding? Look how it is cute on a wedding cake!

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

I'm reading and enjoying your excitement and enthusiasm as always!!!

Ciao Diana !! how nice to "see" you !

You must be so excited about your trip to WDW !!!!!!!!!!!
NOT long now !!!!

laura

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

Look how it is cute on a wedding cake!

Dear , do YOU really think that your videocamera is cute ???


laura

 

[diberry]

Just noticed the green turtle in your ticker Laura - how appropriate for Keauhou Beach Resort - just like Crush!!

 

[crmscotland]

Mary Ellen !!!

WHERE is Louise ? was it the Disneyland hotel ?

Hi Laura,

Yes, that photo was taken in the lobby of our hotel (Disneyland Pacific, now called Disneyland Paradise Pier), the main Disneyland hotel is much larger l think.

About to read the next part of your pre-trippie.

 

[crmscotland]

I enjoyed reading more there, your trippies are always fun.

The Hawaiian style painting on the outside of the ships looks lovely. The picture of you and Marco (and video camera ) is really nice too.

I can just imagine the wedding vows "Do you Laura, take this man and video camera to be your lawful wedded......?

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

The picture of you and Marco (and video camera ) is really nice too.

DO YOU LAURA, TAKE THIS MAN AND VIDEOCAMERA to be your lawful wedded ...

I had to laugh so much at your comment , Mary Ellen !!!!

Laura