It All Started with a Massive Price Glitch - Aulani Nov. 2014 PTR ~ Updated 12/6 - TR

[LuvEeyore]

Love the slide show. Izzie sure is growing!!
I was thinking about an Adventure's by Disney for the Goddaughter's graduation from college in May or December 2017-might end up being Aulani!!

 

[Dugette]

Love the slide show. Izzie sure is growing!!
I was thinking about an Adventure's by Disney for the Goddaughter's graduation from college in May or December 2017-might end up being Aulani!!

Thanks! We LOVED Aulani. Such a nice resort on a beautiful island paradise!

 

[Dugette]

I am sitting here at work with the slideshow from Aulani showing on my digital picture frame. It's super cold and winter-y here, so the pics look AMAZING right now - almost hard to believe a place like that exists!

I do want to start the TR soon, but haven't quite gotten to it yet. But, in the meantime, I figured I would just post a couple preview pics each day to brighten everyone's mood a bit, perhaps...

Enjoy!

 

[Leshaface]

I can't get over how big Izzy looks in those pictures! Does she not sit in high chairs anymore? In a few of those photos it looks like she's in a regular chair.

I love the 'surfboard' photos! Super cute.

Wow, more kids that i expected to see at Aulani! That's actually really cool.

I see dole whips!

The pool that looks like it's in a cave and the lights are illuminated up through the pool, is that at Aulani?

From the looks of it, it looks like Izzy was happy the entire time! Can't wait to hear the stories behind the photos.

 

[schmass]

What wonderful pictures! They make me wish I was there right now!

 

[Dugette]

Here's some more pretty pictures for today. I'll post replies later.





Happy Thursday!

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I love the photos!!!

I have so many questions:

Photo #105: Where was that taken?

Did you enjoy Kualoa Ranch? I'm thinking about taking our kids on 2 tours there (Movie and Jungle tours) while my husband does the 2-hour ATV ride.

How was the Diamond Head hike? What time did you get there? Looks like a beautiful sunrise.

Photos 191-197...where were those taken? Punch Bowl?

Thanks!

 

[Dugette]

I can't get over how big Izzy looks in those pictures! Does she not sit in high chairs anymore? In a few of those photos it looks like she's in a regular chair.

I know, it's like she's turning into a little kid lately! Crazy!

You know, a couple months or so ago, she started really protesting high chairs in restaurants (strangely, she still ALWAYS sits in the one we have at home). So, we let her try out the "big kid" chairs to calm her down. And she was perfectly happy and good. Not at all interested in booster seats, though - likes to just sit on her knees. So, I stopped pushing the issue and will let her sit in a regular chair, but I try to find one with arms whenever possible, since she's still two and sometimes isn't paying enough attention (as we will see at some point in the TR...). I also found out that she has been sitting in the regular dining room chairs at (in-home) daycare for some time now and is the best kid as far as staying in her chair. So, I guess that explains some things.

I love the 'surfboard' photos! Super cute.

Thanks! I couldn't believe that she actually got into the surfing lesson and tried to do the stuff...we went there solely to see Chip and Dale, but it ended up being super fun!

Wow, more kids that i expected to see at Aulani! That's actually really cool.

There are for sure lots of kids there. It is Disney, after all. We heard that one of the other nearby hotels doesn't have many kids at all, since it's much more geared to adults. Aulani is very family-friendly.

I see dole whips!

Yeah, it took three tries to get them (I'll save that for the TR). Oh, also, the Dole Whip machine AT Aulani was broken during our trip.

The pool that looks like it's in a cave and the lights are illuminated up through the pool, is that at Aulani?

Yes!! Isn't it awesome?! That's the infinity edge pool and there's a hot tub there too. They light up the cave at night and it's so pretty.

From the looks of it, it looks like Izzy was happy the entire time! Can't wait to hear the stories behind the photos.

She was mostly quite happy and even declared, "I'm happy!" at one point. However, if you look closely at this picture, you will see that she had some moments of devastation (not being able to hug Minnie during the pool dance party, in this case):

What wonderful pictures! They make me wish I was there right now!

Me too! I sit there at work looking out the window to winter on my left and seeing these amazing photos on my frame on my right. I'm constantly going, "Oh, man, look at that! Why am I not THERE right now?!"

I love the photos!!!

Thank you!

I have so many questions:

Photo #105: Where was that taken?

I believe that was the Lanai Lookout, part of our drive on the east coast. So many beautiful stops along that drive!

Did you enjoy Kualoa Ranch? I'm thinking about taking our kids on 2 tours there (Movie and Jungle tours) while my husband does the 2-hour ATV ride.

We did enjoy it! We did keep it sort-of short, as we figured a 2-year-old's attention span would only be so long and there was not a lot she could do, so we just did the movie tour. We enjoyed it and it actually ended up being a lot more about the history of the ranch itself vs. the movies, which we actually liked. It's just beautiful there. And Izzy LOVED riding in that open-air bus. I have heard nothing but good things about the ATV tours, by the way. We did see an ATV tour go by us, so maybe you can time things to see your husband from the tour.

How was the Diamond Head hike? What time did you get there? Looks like a beautiful sunrise.

I LOVED it. I got there early - in fact, I have times in my notes, so here we go:
5:43am - left room at Aulani
6:36am - got out of car in Diamond Head parking lot
7:08am - at top and heading back down
7:30am - back to parking lot and leaving
It was really pretty. There was a girl walking down behind me, talking on her cell phone the whole way, so I knew that she got there before me and actually watched the sunrise and was just on cloud nine from that experience. I didn't see the whole thing the way she did. Both she and I (and everyone else, I'm sure) noticed huge hoards of biting bugs flying around at the very top. It was gross. She was saying they didn't come out until sunrise. Not sure if this is normal, but it really detracted from the VERY top - the rest was fine. Bring water and be ready for lots of stairs. My timing worked out well as I didn't have many people going up with me - some of the big Japanese groups were already coming down. Worked out really well and still early enough for close, easy parking in the lot.

Oh, also, I found a tip somewhere on these boards and want to pass it along, as I highly recommend it: after hiking, drive a couple blocks to the Diamond Head Market and get a blueberry scone. SO GOOD!! Moist and delicious! And, after that hike, it disappeared mighty quickly while I drove back to Aulani!

Photos 191-197...where were those taken? Punch Bowl?

Thanks!

191-194 were at Punchbowl. Really beautiful overlook there! It took us a few tries to find it, though - you have to turn to the left (from the entrance) and go up and around, then park on the street and walk over. Very few people there - I don't think a lot of people know it's up there.

195-197 were at Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Wayside. We happened to get there right near sunset. Also beautiful. And the drive to it is really neat. We followed the instructions in the "Oahu Revealed" guidebook and did the Tantalus/Round Top Drive. Really cool drive of switchbacks and near-jungle going up and up (and down and down). Amazing that people live there, with houses on the edge of the cliff.

We did both of those in one late-afternoon (after picking Dug up from the airport).

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[AprilRenee]

Oh that sad face!! Poor baby!! I just wanna snatch her up and snuggle her!

Isn't it so amazing when they start saying "I'm happy"? I totally melted when Caden first said it!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Love the daily pictures!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Oh man, these Hawaii photos are killing me. I miss Aulani so much! You really did a great job covering a lot of ground on the island!

 

[Dugette]

Oh that sad face!! Poor baby!! I just wanna snatch her up and snuggle her!

I know, poor heartbroken baby! She just wanted to hug her "Mimmie" and got pulled away by a CM. The hard part was that we were in the water, so we couldn't really go get her either (she eventually came over to us, though).

Isn't it so amazing when they start saying "I'm happy"? I totally melted when Caden first said it!

Super sweet! I had no idea she could say or understand that, so it really caught me off guard. It may end up in the TR title... (well, either that or "I point this at Minnie" , but probably that).

Love the daily pictures!! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! There are so many pretty pics, it's hard to choose!

Oh man, these Hawaii photos are killing me. I miss Aulani so much! You really did a great job covering a lot of ground on the island!

I know, they are killing me too! I keep seeing them on my digital frame and I can't figure out why I'm here and not there.

Yeah, we did pretty good with covering the island, though we didn't quite get to everything we wanted. Keep in mind that we had a lot more time than you did - since you did a really good job with your short stay too! But it's never enough time - just when I was like, "Hey, I think I've figured out how to get around this place" - we had to leave.

 

[Dugette]

Some more Hawaii pics for your enjoyment...I can't stop myself today, so you get more than two!

 

[AprilRenee]

Super sweet! I had no idea she could say or understand that, so it really caught me off guard. It may end up in the TR title... (well, either that or "I point this at Minnie" , but probably that)

I was totally surprised when Caden said it too! I didn't realize they could put names to emotions yet. We were in the car and i ignored it the first time thinking I misunderstood, then he said it again and I realized that's really what he said.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow, what a terribly unattractive place to have to visit - I am sorry you had to suffer through it

Seriously, looks amazing and that you had a great time! I am sure Dug wishes he got to be there for more of it but it kinda resulted in you having 2 vacations in one. Looks like a lot of good weather too which is great

 

[Dugette]

I was totally surprised when Caden said it too! I didn't realize they could put names to emotions yet. We were in the car and i ignored it the first time thinking I misunderstood, then he said it again and I realized that's really what he said.

Same here. I had no idea she knew how to express her emotions in words. She said it and I repeated, "You're happy?!" and she was like, "Yeah, I'm happy." So, I said, "Me too!" She says it quite a bit now, so I love that. She does seem to be very in touch with emotions - anytime she sees a "sad" character (like the bunny in her book that just doesn't look super happy), she starts going, "He's sad! Bunny is sad!" And she looks all concerned for him. Too sweet. (Oh, yeah, also she is terribly concerned for Eeyore ).

wow, what a terribly unattractive place to have to visit - I am sorry you had to suffer through it

I know, what a dump, right?!

Seriously, looks amazing and that you had a great time! I am sure Dug wishes he got to be there for more of it but it kinda resulted in you having 2 vacations in one. Looks like a lot of good weather too which is great

Yeah, he got a vacation within a vacation - and he really enjoyed Palm Springs. And I got a chance to catch my breath and enjoy the resort and some parts of the island while he was away. We so want to go back, though!!

 

[Dugette]

Aloha!

I wrote up an intro:

"Happy in Hawaii – Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler"

Let's get this Trip Report started!

Please follow me over and relive our amazing adventure! Mahalo!

 

[my3princes]

You guys were talking about kids vocalizing emotions and it reminded me of the cutest statement ever. Our youngest son Colby was 10 when we went to Aulani. One night we were sitting in the infinity hot tub and he looked at me and said "this is my idea of paradise". I will never forget that moment.

 

[Dugette]

You guys were talking about kids vocalizing emotions and it reminded me of the cutest statement ever. Our youngest son Colby was 10 when we went to Aulani. One night we were sitting in the infinity hot tub and he looked at me and said "this is my idea of paradise". I will never forget that moment.

Awwww, that's so sweet! And smart kid! I think many of us feel the same way about Aulani.

 

[a742246]

This is a nice well written trip report, thank you for sharing it.