Happy in Hawaii –- Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler ~ Updated 7/20: Final Update and link to new TR!

[Dugette]

Sorry I'm late - I was off the DIS for most of December! I'm super excited to hear all about your amazing trip!

Welcome, no worries!

Your travel day went so well - Izzy is a champion flyer! That's too bad about the bathroom incident and the fleece, but all things considered it was pretty darn good for travel with a toddler.

I agree, it went about as well as it could have with a 2-year-old!

I always hate running into a lackluster character at a character breakfast. Although I know food is involved as well, you certainly pay an upcharge for the characters to dine with you. I'm thrilled to hear your second visit was much more impressive.

Exactly, you are paying more for the experience than the food, most places, at least. Mickey was very much there to just pose for a picture and send you on your way (that day, at least). And, for some people, that's all they want. But with a toddler, you're there for the interaction and hugs and not just a posed picture. When we went back the last day, Mickey magically understood that.

A question about the Costco car rental - did you sign in on the website before searching for rental cars or do you enter it once you book? I've started to search for a rental for my May trip, and the Costco site doesn't seem to be a better price than the car rental companies. (But as you stated, perhaps they get lower as you get closer to your dates?) Any insight you can provide would be much appreciated!

You can search without a membership or login! I actually checked the site for months and only got a membership when I was convinced it was the best option.

My experience so far is that Costco is a better deal in some locations than others. It was the best for Hawaii, at least for us. But it was not as good as the discount codes I have through work for NYC. Same with our WDW trip in May (though we are doing one-way rentals between WDW and the cruise port, so that changes things). Keep an eye on it, especially as you get closer, but it may not be your best deal all the time.

I can't wait to hear about your tour and the rest of your day!

Look forward to sharing it!

Catching up here too!

Hi!

So in general...

what an amazing trip! Aulani and First Class on top of that?

First Class sounds just like I have dreamed that it would be! We are Southwest all the way so that sounds amazing!

It really was an amazing dream-come-true type trip! First Class was amazing for the $70 fares we paid , but I don't think I'd ever be able to convince myself it was worth like $2k/person. Probably the best part was that they treat you very well. That and the candy.

The resort is absolutely beautiful!

It really is! I saw everyone on the DVC boards saying that before I went, but I was still amazed. Love that place. It's like a better version of the Poly.

That Mickey meet does sound disappointing - not bad - just not what it should be, if that makes sense? And how weird that they don't guarantee characters at the breakfast!

Can't wait to hear about more adventures!

Yeah, Mickey just wasn't into the whole meet-and-greet thing. He just wanted to get a posed photo and move on to the next guest. Oh, well. Izzy still enjoyed seeing him.

I was really surprised that the characters were not "set". My guess is they have those 3 at least 90% of the time, but they did not on our next visit. They were the whole reason we went back - if we were indifferent to characters, we would have gone to Ama Ama for breakfast instead (Izzy and I had a great oceanside breakfast there while Dug was at his retreat mid-week).

I am up to your last update. I'll save that one for later.

Love that you got a standard view on the top floor. That's awesome. I can't wait to see your day time view. The studio looks lovely.

I know I have some daytime view pictures coming up one of these days! We were out and about so much while Dug was there that I don't think I took them until he left. The room was great, though. Could have stayed there happily a lot longer than 9 nights.

What a fun breakfast. Too bad the characters are not consistent in quantity or how they interact. It does look like Izzy is more interested in her food than the characters, but she did give a good wave goodbye and what a cute hug with Minnie. Minnie is adorable. So if Izzy. Love her little outfit.

Looking forward to reading more!

I actually felt like Aulani was really hit-or-miss on character interactions vs. WDW. I think sometimes they were a bit too Hawaii laid-back. And sometimes they were awesome. More awesome than not, though, so that was good.

Yeah, Izzy was really interested in her food after waiting so long for it!

But she can always make a bit of time for Minnie. She sure loves that mouse!

Thanks! Dug's mom got her that outfit and another one (similar) that she wears later in the trip. She got them specifically for Hawaii. Very nice!

On isn't it fun being mom, always the last one to eat!

I know! Someone should be serving me first! Ah, wouldn't that be nice?

Looks like some good interaction with Minnie and Goofy. Too bad Mickey wasn't better interaction.
I just can not get over how beautiful that resort is...ahhh I can only imagine what it's like in person!

Yes, Minnie and Goofy were really good. Mickey was fine, but just very business-like. The resort is incredible! We really didn't want to leave. It was "home".

 

[Dugette]

I'm excitedly waiting to find out how Kualoa Ranch was for you! We are planning on doing 2 tours there (movie tour and jungle tour) while my DH does the 2-hour ATV tour.

Excited to share our experience there! We really liked it. Having a 2-year-old really limited what we could do, but we enjoyed what we did. I've heard great things about the ATV tour and the jungle tour sounds fun too!

Your room looks wonderful and I love the photos around the resort!

I have to say, as great as some of the WDW resorts are, I think this is Disney's best resort (well, that I've been to). Better pool area than Storm Along Bay. Better ambiance than the Poly. On a real and beautiful ocean beach. Can't beat it!

So glad you all got a pretty good night's sleep and made it to breakfast. I love the music and kid's parade they do, I think Aria would really enjoy that along with having her favorite characters there. Speaking of characters - that is what they do at Disneyland's character meals too! Goofy's kitchen - you're greeted by Goofy but then it's a completely random assortment of characters! Kind of annoying.

Well, that is good to know about DL! I will make a note of that (there looks to be a decent chance of us getting there in November - Dug's retreat will likely be in Palm Springs again, but not for sure yet. ) I'm sure Aria would enjoy that breakfast! As long as they are all there, it's a great group of characters. In general, there are not a ton of characters at Aulani, though. Way, way more on the cruises, I've discovered.

I laughed out loud at your plate after running back (though I'd have been pissed at DH if he didn't come back with a plate for DD? what was up with that??).

I know - I couldn't believe that it didn't occur to him that we'd be hungry too, especially Izzy. He can be kind-of oblivious at times and lack common sense. I "joke" that he is an extremely smart person, but he's "book smart" and not "street smart" - I need to find a good book about being street smart for him. I should have reminded him to bring Izzy something, but it just seemed like such a no-brainer to me that the first person up would do that.

All caught up on your wonderful TR. I'm sort of re-living our Aulani vacation thru your posts.

and thank you! Isn't Aulani just amazing?

We went to Disneyland first and to Aulani in November. We were in HI over Thanksgiving. Our DS is 13.

Oh, wow, DL and Aulani! What a trip!

First class flight sounded awesome! What a treat.

It really was. If there's any flight to get a first class seat on, a long one to Hawaii with a toddler is a good choice.

I'm so missing Aulani. Loved that resort. Especially now that the temp in PA is 15degrees. Way to cold.

I know that feeling. We're in MN and it's been below zero with ridiculous wind chills (canceling schools for them, even). I so wish I could hop a plane back to Aulani. I have to admit that I do peek at fares quite often, hoping for another miracle.

We did the Kualoa Ranch tour also. DH did the 2hr AVT and DS and I did the 2hr horse back riding tour. Next time (I'm hopefully anyway) I really would like to do the movie tour. After leaving the Ranch we went for a drive and that ride in our free upgraded rental a Camaro Convertible, was so beautiful. The gorgeous Ocean right there as your driving was amazing.
I could eat at Leonard’s Malasadas now. Yum so good. Much cheaper to buy at the truck then the resort too.
Can't wait to read more!!!

Did you all like the tours you did? The movie one was nice - just a bus ride around the ranch - but the scenery is so beautiful and it's nice to hear about the history and see some filming sites.

Driving around the island is such a treat. And I bet even moreso in a convertible!

Mmmm, I could go for a malasada too. And they were only like $1/each, so not bad at all!

I'm in! We're heading to Aulani in April for the first time

I hope you have a wonderful trip! It's such a great resort on a beautiful slice of paradise!

Those are some cute PP pictures of just Izzy, but, yeah, the ones with Dug too he kinda comes off like the bad guy in a family movie that is kidnapping Izzy or something

Yeah, those pics are kind-of scary.

I've had that happen at another hotel (I think it was the Hershey Lodge) where I pulled up to pick people up and workers come out wanting to check me in and take my stuff and when I told them I was just picking people up they got all confused and like didn't know how to handle that

Yeah, it was very similar here. I felt kinda bad for getting them all worked up.

Yeah, I'd say that is a scenic highway - slightly better than what I have to drive on every day for my commute

I'd commute on that any day! Really gorgeous!

 

[cindianne320]

You have to take this fellow Minnesotan if you find a deal like this again!

Aulani is on my list of someday must-dos, but like you, I just cannot fathom the price of airline tickets for the whole family. (DH and I went to Honolulu for our honeymoon in 2006, but Aulani wasn't there yet.)

The resort looks beautiful. I hope you started to feel better so you could enjoy the food. I wanted to kick your DH for you for not getting the toddler food. Been there, done that!

I hope you enjoyed your movie tour. We loved Lost and would love to see some places where it was taped!

 

[Dugette]

You have to take this fellow Minnesotan if you find a deal like this again!

The trick is finding a deal again! I have my doubts...

Aulani is on my list of someday must-dos, but like you, I just cannot fathom the price of airline tickets for the whole family. (DH and I went to Honolulu for our honeymoon in 2006, but Aulani wasn't there yet.)

I know, it's just not a cheap place to get to (usually). But you know it's an awesome place when I see a fare for $600 and think, "Huh, that's not bad...maybe we should go back..." Someday...

The resort looks beautiful. I hope you started to feel better so you could enjoy the food. I wanted to kick your DH for you for not getting the toddler food. Been there, done that!

Yeah, that was annoying that he came back (after being gone for a fair amount of time) and didn't have a thing for us. Guess I need to remind him of "obvious" things a bit more.

I hope you enjoyed your movie tour. We loved Lost and would love to see some places where it was taped!

We did enjoy the tour. It ended up being a lot less about movies than we thought, but that was okay and it was enjoyable. For what it's worth, another DIS-er sent me a long list of LOST locations on Oahu, if you ever need it. We didn't end up having much opportunity to specifically seek them out, but there are a lot!

 

[Dugette]

We parked and headed into the gift shop at Kualoa Ranch. I think we used the restrooms and changed Izzy before heading out back to the ticket booth. We’d pre-purchased our tickets online in advance and saved 10% (it was around $50 total for the two of us and Izzy was free). After checking in, we still had some time before we needed to meet up for the bus. Izzy and I headed over towards the petting zoo (and Dug caught up with us – was probably taking pics or something, based on this):





I had walked through here and was going to try to put Izzy in the saddle, but she ran off:



Horsies:



There was nobody except an employee and us in the petting zoo most of the time. It was a very casual and random petting zoo. We saw this guy relaxing:



We were able to reach through the fence and pet the very rough coat.

The big turtle intimidated Izzy a bit, but she eventually worked up the courage to give it’s shell a quick pet:





On a somewhat related note, in the time since the trip, Izzy has begun to “play turtle” at times. She climbs in our bed and holds a pillow on her back saying, “I toi-tle and it’s my shell.” Too cute.

There was also a favorite of Izzy’s – a cow! This cow was kind-of intimidating, though. Anytime you touched it’s nose, it jerked it’s head rather unexpectedly. Kinda frightening, actually. But Izzy seemed to get a kick out of it:





And there were goats:





After that quick play session, we headed over to the bus pick-up area. This is not what we were doing, but we saw one of the jungle expedition vehicles:



The view behind the buses:



And the buses:



(Our group was just on one and they left separately, so no caravan or anything).

Here is the description of the tour that they sent when I reserved it, to give you some idea:

The Ranch/ Movie Site tour will take you through the fascinating ranch complex, view an old WWII military defense bunker made into a mini museum, with Hawaiian historical exhibits, drive by the old Sugar Mill established in 1863, and hear stories of the ranch's background with Hawaiian legends and more.

As you travel to Ka'a'awa Valley you'll see aquaculture ponds in the distance and pass by 30 acres of orchids grown for world-wide distribution. You may also see cattle grazing in the fields and you'll stop near the Hawaiian Village while the guide explains the different structures.

You'll continue deep into the valley where JURASSIC PARK, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, PEARL HARBOR, WINDTALKERS and other feature films were made. There are remnants of some of the more recent films and guides will point out filming locations of previous movies. There are several stops for photographs so bring your camera.

We got on and found a seat. The windows were open-air and Izzy got a kick out of sitting by one:



Izzy and I sat together and Dug sat right in front of us:



Dug’s view looking forward:



Huh, I see a selfie stick in there. So, I hadn’t even known about the existence of these before this trip. But we saw them EVERYWHERE. Interesting way to get large-group “selfies”, as we’ll see later. Don’t have to worry about some stranger messing up your group shot, I suppose.

Once we started moving, Izzy was ecstatic:











I think we could have been in a bus anywhere in the world and she would have been thrilled. But it was nice to have these types of views, for sure:



Up next: more gorgeous views!

 

[schmass]

By the look on Izzy's face, it looks like she was really enjoying the tour (or at least being on the bus!).

So cute about her "playing turtle". It's so funny what kids pick up.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Awe the petting zoo looks like lots of fun! Love the turtle story! Everything is so pretty there, really looks like a dream!

 

[Dugette]

By the look on Izzy's face, it looks like she was really enjoying the tour (or at least being on the bus!).

She was LOVING that bus ride! I mean, really, riding forward-facing and unrestrained with the wind blowing through her hair?! Wild and completely opposite of the normal rides she gets.

So cute about her "playing turtle". It's so funny what kids pick up.

It really is. I was so amazed when I first understood that's what she was doing. I had to ask her to make sure - "So, you're a turtle? And that's your shell?" Definite yes! Just too cute!

Awe the petting zoo looks like lots of fun! Love the turtle story! Everything is so pretty there, really looks like a dream!

It was a fun little diversion, especially with a toddler. Glad it was right there and free! It really is gorgeous pretty much everywhere on that island and Kualoa Ranch is a great example of some of the best scenery Oahu has to offer.

 

[hokieinpa]

Now I see where she learned "turtle"! And how cute is she playing turtle with her pillow! Adorable!!

Aren't busses just the best? I love that she is so excited about just riding the bus!

The tour sounds like lots of fun! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Imagineer5]

Beautiful! Can't wait to see more! So glad Dug was able to experience it with you too, and the petting zoo was definitely a fun way to start out the triP!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Izzy seems to be having a blast on the bus. Those open windows would freak me out though - well, at least if Peter was anywhere near them as he would be constantly trying to get a better view I am sure

I heard that some Futbol stadiums in Europe have banned Selfie Sticks - wonder if that will happen soon in WDW - one law suit from oneone who gets beaned in the head by one and I bet that will be enough

 

[CarlaT]

"""Huh, I see a selfie stick in there. So, I hadn’t even known about the existence of these before this trip. But we saw them EVERYWHERE. Interesting way to get large-group “selfies”, as we’ll see later. Don’t have to worry about some stranger messing up your group shot, I suppose.""

That's funny about the selfie stick b/c we never saw one before our trip too. People had them in Disneyland, but more so in Hawaii. We got a kick out of them. lol. We went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet before Pearl Harbor and there were a lot of stands selling them. At the Swap Meet I bought some of that yummy pineapple that was at the character buffet. I can't remember the name, but it was delicious.
Yes, the horseback and ATV tours were awesome. I would have liked to hear more stories on the movie tour tho. We were Lost fans so it was cool when they pointed out some of those areas. The scenery at the Ranch is fantastic. Got to see the Godzilla foot print also and the heard the story about how they had to fill in part of the hole because of the cows getting in and not being able to get out.

Looking forward to your next post.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I love that east coast of Oahu! Just amazing scenery everywhere you look.

Glad Izzy did well at the petting zoo. It's always a good feeling when the kids get over their skittishness.

Selfie stick! Ok, I know I complain about the composition skills of strangers, but I still prefer to take the chance. It makes for a good running gag and avoids the embarrassment of being seen with a selfie stick.

 

[AprilRenee]

Bahahaha those selfie sticks were all over WDW last week. They're pretty hilarious, yet I can imagine useful...

Love the happy bus pics. Too cute!

 

[Nermel9]

I'm here! Love your TR so far! I can't believe you got such cheap first class tickets to HAWAII!!! That's crazy! I want to go to Hawaii so bad, but one of the things I'm most nervous about is the flight over...that's a LOOOOONG time to sit in Coach...

Aulani looks beautiful! I love that they have characters there and character meals and everything! Just like WDW but without the parks!

Ugh see, now I can't remember everything I wanted to comment on since I read this a few days ago but I'm loving it and looking forward to reading more!

 

[Dugette]

Now I see where she learned "turtle"! And how cute is she playing turtle with her pillow! Adorable!!

Yes, and there is another turtle appearance later in this trip too, to solidify her love of them!

Aren't busses just the best? I love that she is so excited about just riding the bus!

That bus could have been driving down some grungy alley and she would have been JUST as excited, I'm sure. Really, any form of unrestrained travel is a thrill to the toddler crowd.

The tour sounds like lots of fun! Can't wait to hear more!

It was a nice way to start our day and get out and see some of the island.

Beautiful! Can't wait to see more! So glad Dug was able to experience it with you too, and the petting zoo was definitely a fun way to start out the triP!

Pretty much everything out there is just gorgeous. Though it made for a rough schedule, I'm glad we were able to cram a lot of sightseeing in while Dug was with us - he didn't miss much Oahu, but could have gone for a lot more time at Aulani. Guess we'll have to go back. The petting zoo was a fun way to pass a little time.

Izzy seems to be having a blast on the bus. Those open windows would freak me out though - well, at least if Peter was anywhere near them as he would be constantly trying to get a better view I am sure

Yeah, the windows freak me out more in the pictures than they did while we were there. I think it would have been pretty hard for her to endanger herself. But, then again, she was just so excited to be sitting on a bus that she didn't try anything TOO crazy.

I heard that some Futbol stadiums in Europe have banned Selfie Sticks - wonder if that will happen soon in WDW - one law suit from oneone who gets beaned in the head by one and I bet that will be enough

Interesting! I can see how they would be a danger. Although, I will say that we didn't notice any "incidents" in Hawaii - it seemed people who had them knew how to use and transport them properly, so that was good.

"""Huh, I see a selfie stick in there. So, I hadn’t even known about the existence of these before this trip. But we saw them EVERYWHERE. Interesting way to get large-group “selfies”, as we’ll see later. Don’t have to worry about some stranger messing up your group shot, I suppose.""

That's funny about the selfie stick b/c we never saw one before our trip too. People had them in Disneyland, but more so in Hawaii. We got a kick out of them. lol. We went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet before Pearl Harbor and there were a lot of stands selling them.

I wasn't sure if it was a new thing or a Hawaii thing or what, as I'd never seen them prior. It did seem like a LOT of the people who had them were Japanese, so I am guessing they are more common over there?

At the Swap Meet I bought some of that yummy pineapple that was at the character buffet. I can't remember the name, but it was delicious.

Mmm, wish I could have more of that right now. So tasty!

Yes, the horseback and ATV tours were awesome. I would have liked to hear more stories on the movie tour tho. We were Lost fans so it was cool when they pointed out some of those areas. The scenery at the Ranch is fantastic. Got to see the Godzilla foot print also and the heard the story about how they had to fill in part of the hole because of the cows getting in and not being able to get out.

Looking forward to your next post.

Oh, funny - I don't think they told us about the cows getting stuck in Godzilla's footprint!

I love that east coast of Oahu! Just amazing scenery everywhere you look.

Totally agree! Eye candy everywhere.

Glad Izzy did well at the petting zoo. It's always a good feeling when the kids get over their skittishness.

Yeah, she really had to work up a lot of courage for that turtle. Something about the hard shell vs. soft fur scared her, I think. She did it, though!

Selfie stick! Ok, I know I complain about the composition skills of strangers, but I still prefer to take the chance. It makes for a good running gag and avoids the embarrassment of being seen with a selfie stick.

I was thinking of you when I wrote about it - at least they can control whether or not the landmarks are in the background. A sneak preview of what we saw later in the trip, just since we are talking about the selfie sticks so much in the comments here:



I'm pretty sure we would have been willing to take a group shot for them.

Bahahaha those selfie sticks were all over WDW last week. They're pretty hilarious, yet I can imagine useful...

As seen above. I don't remember having seen any at WDW before - either I am oblivious (quite possible) or they are just becoming popular.

Love the happy bus pics. Too cute!

Thanks, she was so thrilled with the ride. Well, until the thrill wore off...

I'm here! Love your TR so far! I can't believe you got such cheap first class tickets to HAWAII!!! That's crazy! I want to go to Hawaii so bad, but one of the things I'm most nervous about is the flight over...that's a LOOOOONG time to sit in Coach...

Thanks for coming over and catching up after your DIS break!

It is a long way to fly - and you have even further coming from the East Coast. It's worth it, though! Might be a good way to compromise on a travel locale with Brandon - you get Disney and he gets Hawaii.

Aulani looks beautiful! I love that they have characters there and character meals and everything! Just like WDW but without the parks!

Pretty much! We will meet a lot of characters later in the TR too, by the way. It's an interesting resort - it's very Disney, but also very Hawaii, if that makes sense. Though, their selection of characters is slim: Mickey, Minnie, Stitch, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Donald - I think that's it. The CMs were fantastic, by the way, so very Disney in that aspect.

Ugh see, now I can't remember everything I wanted to comment on since I read this a few days ago but I'm loving it and looking forward to reading more!

No worries, I know how that goes! Glad to have you along for the ride!

 

[Dugette]

So, when you have two TRs going and one pending, what is the best thing you can do? Yes, that's right, start a PTR on top of all that.

So, here it is:

"Is Mickey a Captain or a Jedi? Both!"

Our trip is 4 months from today and we finally got our plane tickets booked! This will be our first "Land and Sea": WDW for 4 nights, Disney Dream for 4 nights, and back to WDW for another 4 nights!

Please stop by and join me for the planning (you know, if you have time after reading all of my other current reports... )

See you there!

 

[Leshaface]

Caught up!

You know you're on vacation when you get to wear the Disney robes. I got to wear mine a couple times too!

Aw how cute about Izzy 'catching' Dug!

I laughed probably more than needed at Dug's video!

Love the interview video of you and Izzy.

What a strange CM to not know what to do with a phone?! Like you're the first person she's ever encountered being asked to take video on their phone?

But you did capture such a sweet moment between Mickey and Izzy just in time.

Lol the 'mine' video!

A stitch waffle!! Awesome!

The elevators! That's one thing I was going to mention in my next update. DS was absolutely TERRIFIED of the elevators when we had to take them at the airport. He was trying to hide behind a blanket he had on him and scooting back in the stroller as much as he could. I felt so bad! Luckily, he started to like them during our trip.

Glad Dug made the best out of the photopass pictures!

What a fun petting zoo!

So much hate on your thread about the selfie stick! I have one But couldn't use it on this trip. I got the GoPro for Christmas and was a little interested in the stick but didn't 'ask' for it, so I didn't get it and didn't think I would need it...until I tried holding the thing. The camera is so stinking tiny, I need something to make sure I don't drop it!

Anyways, I ordered it using the Amazon Prime 2 Day shipping (first time using it!) 3 days before we left --thinking 2 days, it will be here. It didn't come until January 2nd and it was supposed to be in the 31st So I struggled the majority of the time holding the darn thing and ended up not using it the last few days of our trip. It takes great video, especially with a little guy running all over the place, it steadys the shot, but darn it, I wish I had that stick!

 

[Dugette]

Caught up!

You know you're on vacation when you get to wear the Disney robes. I got to wear mine a couple times too!

Oh, nice - do they have them in all the DVC rooms? I guess I just assumed it was an Aulani thing, but maybe it's a DVC thing?

Aw how cute about Izzy 'catching' Dug!

I laughed probably more than needed at Dug's video!

Love the interview video of you and Izzy.

Glad we could amuse you!

What a strange CM to not know what to do with a phone?! Like you're the first person she's ever encountered being asked to take video on their phone?

I think she just wasn't paying attention and/or didn't understand that it was the actual meeting that I was trying to capture, not just a posed shot afterwards. Weird, though.

But you did capture such a sweet moment between Mickey and Izzy just in time.

Missed the hug, but still got the little stroll. I captured a lot of great moments with characters later in the trip, though!

Lol the 'mine' video!

A stitch waffle!! Awesome!

She was guarding that food. Mmmm, waffles...

The elevators! That's one thing I was going to mention in my next update. DS was absolutely TERRIFIED of the elevators when we had to take them at the airport. He was trying to hide behind a blanket he had on him and scooting back in the stroller as much as he could. I felt so bad! Luckily, he started to like them during our trip.

Oh, no - sorry he was scared at first. I did notice that Izzy often wanted to be held while riding the elevator, but wanted to walk on and off by herself - so maybe a bit scared. The buttons were the big hit, though.

Glad Dug made the best out of the photopass pictures!

Silly boy. He seemed very proud of himself that he decided to act silly in the pictures to make them look less awful.

What a fun petting zoo!

It was a neat little diversion. And the price (free) was right!

So much hate on your thread about the selfie stick! I have one But couldn't use it on this trip. I got the GoPro for Christmas and was a little interested in the stick but didn't 'ask' for it, so I didn't get it and didn't think I would need it...until I tried holding the thing. The camera is so stinking tiny, I need something to make sure I don't drop it!

Anyways, I ordered it using the Amazon Prime 2 Day shipping (first time using it!) 3 days before we left --thinking 2 days, it will be here. It didn't come until January 2nd and it was supposed to be in the 31st So I struggled the majority of the time holding the darn thing and ended up not using it the last few days of our trip. It takes great video, especially with a little guy running all over the place, it steadys the shot, but darn it, I wish I had that stick!

You know, I really don't have anything against the selfie sticks, but I've seen a lot of DIS and FB things lately that are pretty negative about them. However, I think the negativity is for when people use them badly and block others or hit others, etc. I didn't notice any of that on our trip. I just thought it was fascinating, as I hadn't even known about their existence.

I also think using it for a GoPro makes more sense than doing these group shots with iPhones and stuff. Probably because I ran across a TR here where she had a GoPro and got amazing photos and videos while on roller coasters and such. I had no idea you could do stuff like that. And hearing what you said about trying to hold the GoPro, it seems a necessity if you want to do anything like that.

Sorry you didn't get yours in time and couldn't use it as much as you hoped. It seems like Amazon Prime is usually really good at 2-days unless you REALLY need something in that time.

 

[MEK]

You got a nice early start on your first day. Isn't the H3 known for a lot of traffic?

You bus tour sounds like a lot of fun. Izzy, of sure, looks like she is having a blast.

Cute PP of her at the resort.

Going to sub to your new TR now.