Lama pa'ipa'i on the Lanai – an Aulani TR -Aloha and Mahalo Aulani! Link to PTR 11/5

[rentayenta]

I hope you post before my post goes through.

So - nice plans - love them. Nice long trip. Now that you have that all wrapped up you can start working on our plans for May!

What a shame that the Ono got thrown out. I would have been sick about that too. Can you say fish sandwich for lunch? Your meal looks great and what a view. I'd be totally up for that.

So lovely watching the sunset. Perfect!

Adding that I am surprised Jeff flunked Mickey Bars 101!

Bold is mine.





I can't believe that fish got thrown out. The Mahi looks great though. We like to grill on vacation too. We did twice at the THV and have at the GCV too. I start to miss *home* food and the smaller portions.

Mickey bars are so messy if you don't gobble them down. My plan is to have one daily on the cruise.

 

[teekathepony]

Sounds like some great plans in the making for NYE!

Oh man, what a waste of that fish! Too bad they weren't a little more clear about why they were offering.
Gorgeous sunset! Wow!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[englishrose47]

Great pix of Hawaai!! The evening shots were gorgeous !!! To bad about the fish being tossed !!

 

[emmysmommy]

I don't think there's a better place to enjoy a nice quiet dinner than right where you were on your lanai! That was a seriously awesome sunset and you probably saw that every day you were there!! What a great option of being able to grill your own fresh seafood/meats.

Your Dec/Jan trip plans are shaping up nicely. It makes it a little easier once people make their reservations so you know who is where and when,

 

[glennbo123]

Ono! If they had just said "we're only going to throw them out" I know you would've taken them. Bummer.

Really nice (and relaxing) sunset pictures!

If I'm following Jeff's Mickey Bar experiences correctly, I think this might be #3 for him? (I remember reading about one that you thought was his first, but found an earlier picture of him with one.)

 

[Moira222]

mmmmm cheeseburger. Just caught up (again!) and your final choice of burgers looked like it was worth the wait & the restaurant hopping! I would guess burgers are $$ because they have to import everything to HI, right?

You will appreciate that reading your Burger write up and seeing the drink menu reminded me that I need to call & reserve space for a Mixology seminar in October. Saw rum on the menu and ding ding the bell went off

What is ONO? I've never heard of it, but truth be told waste like that always makes me sad. That definitely would have helped your turkey sandwiches for 5 days issue

Your dinner on the lanai is right up my alley. Love the idea of kicking back, enjoying dinner & a sunset. I do like your dishes that you brought along -- it really is so much nicer than paper plates.

I just realized this weekend that our trip is in 61 days --- and I have not finished even our second full day of our April/May trip. so I'm trying to catch up on dis while my photos upload!

 

[franandaj]

Wow! I can't believe that they actually put the fish in the trash. I always save everything until it's practically growing before throwing it away on the off chance that I might just want to eat it. Too bad they didn't tell you the whole story.

Sounds like a wonderful dinner. Personally I love Mahi and could eat it grilled every third or fourth day (can't eat anything every day).

You NYE plans are shaping up, but I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the whole trip. it's so complicated with so many folks. I'm glad that two are easier to plan for!

 

[Leshaface]

Very weird about the grilling hours Some people don't start eating until 7:30 or 8pm so for them to close at 7 is a little crazy. Luckily we're oldies (or eat like oldies at least) and would have totally made the cutoff

Aw man, poor Ono That's really too bad that it had to go to waste.

Your view is so amazing at sunset. Could never get tired of that!

Also, your plans for your NYE trip sounds great! What a fantastic way to start of 2014. Did I write 2014? Dang, it just seems that we welcomed 2013..

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We just returned from a week in Denver visiting Jeff’s mom and really had a lovely trip.

Sounds great! One of these years we'll make it to that part of the country.

Let’s go back to Hawaii!

I have more of a chance of being able to follow along here than with the NYE plans!

As we were cooking and enjoying our drinks a couple of guys came up and threw some fish on one of the other grills.

"Hey, do you want some Mahi or Ono?" they said

I assumed they were asking if we wanted some of their meal, as in they’d made to much.

Oh no thanks, we have some Mahi on the grill already, thanks though!

And with that they put 2 HUGE pieces of fresh fish directly into the GARBAGE.

Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fresh ONO! I swear I reached for the garbage can like a slow motion cartoon.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

It was in time for the tail end of the sunset. Which Captain O has confirmed if you get your behind OFF of your lanai and down to the beach…you can see from the beach as suspected.

I still think it's probably a better view during the winter months. You have to go all the way out to the point for an unobstructed view in the summer.

Tired of our view yet? We clearly weren't

You did have a pretty sweet view! I would have had a hard time giving up on that too.

Zoomed in but&sun is still hiding from me

Maybe Disney can get rid of that other hotel.

After an hour or 2 of this (yes, one loses track of time easily on the lanai) we decided we needed to fix something. We had been remiss to date on the trip. Wed yet to have a Mickey Bar!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

"So where did you buy your timeshare?"

Um...in my living room?

I really like the shots of the pool area lit up at night from your lanai. Looks magical!

 

[afwdwfan]

Right now the plans look like this

I'm glad that there are some bookings taking place and that people are starting to firm their plans up so that you can work it into the overall plan, but I still go crosseyed reading all of it. I'm impressed.

Grills were easily found and as best we could tell, at least 2 of the 4 looked operational. What surprised us was, they were only "open" from 4-7pm!

That really is a surprise and inconvenient. I wonder why???

There are also picnic tables nearby but I didn't take any pictures.
Why not?
Well…guess who was eating there

Owen Wilson! Well his slightly flabbier and possibly younger twin

I kid you not. And his companion, enjoying a nice bottle of wine as well. It would have been really obvious if I'd have taken a picture but I definitely thought about it!

Ok, I could buy the story about not taking the picture before, but this is just inexcusable.

And with that they put 2 HUGE pieces of fresh fish directly into the GARBAGE.

Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fresh ONO! I swear I reached for the garbage can like a slow motion cartoon.

They had been out fishing and it was freshly caught fish by them, that day.

Freshly caught???? That makes it even worse!!!

"So where did you buy your timeshare?"

Huh?

Still earning her ears???

It shows up better if you take a bite out of it first

I'm sorry, but once I took the first bite, it wouldn't survive long enough for anymore pictures.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

you guys will really like the people set up in the fort with there decorations some look better than peoples houses.

 

[KatMark]

Trying to catch up before we leave in three days.

NYE trip plans sounding good.

I can't believe they threw out "fresh" fish. How very sad you didnt' realize that ahead of time.

Love the sunset pictures.

I don't think it matters if they have lessons in Mickey bar eating or not...men still tend to end up wearing part of it.

 

[CarolynK]

We have never taken advantage of the grills while on vacation, though your fish looks really good - maybe we'll try it out when we're at WDW next time! I don't remember if you mentioned it, I guess you have to buy your own charcoal? Though, I'm really rusty on starting a charcoal grill - at home our grill is hooked up to the house gas, so it's a no-brainer! Still, maybe worth a try! Of course, that depends on what kind of fish the Publix close to WDW has to offer....

 

[annmarieda]

Yay for progress on your NYE trip! Flights help to make it so much more real. I am still watching for our January... Your ADRs look very similar to my own for January... Great minds do think alike!

Oh my! I can't believe the fish went into the garbage like that!! What a shame...

Your sunset pictures are just breathtaking!

Too funny about the "timeshare" conversation... and especially Jeff considering your points "where ever points" that would be Steve too...

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Glad your NYE plans are coming together so well! I had a really great meal at Flying Fish on a previous trip, so that one definitely stands out, and dinner at O'hana followed by the pre-NYE fireworks on Poly Beach sounds like a great plan! Would love to be there for that one!!!

Too crazy about the limited use of the barbecue area. I would probably be more likely to grill up some burgers or something during the afternoon, so 4-7 seems a little strange??? And how sad you didn't realize what the guys were offering you when they asked about the Ono, and then watching them just throw it in the trash........

In spite of the restricted view of the total sunset from your lanai, it is still a wonderful way to end the day, and you were able to get even more beautiful pictures!

 

[Chilly]

What a lovely evening.

Glad you've got a bit further with your NYE plans.

 

[dinodad]

Aulani looks amazing! Thanks for posting.

 

[eandesmom]

I hope you post before my post goes through.

So - nice plans - love them. Nice long trip. Now that you have that all wrapped up you can start working on our plans for May!

And my April Plans...and figuring out when Jeff can do his trip too (and not overlap ours lol!).

What a shame that the Ono got thrown out. I would have been sick about that too. Can you say fish sandwich for lunch? Your meal looks great and what a view. I'd be totally up for that.

It really did make me ill, I would have totally taken it had I realized!

So lovely watching the sunset. Perfect!

Adding that I am surprised Jeff flunked Mickey Bars 101!

Yes, he flunked. On a white shirt. You need to eat them fast! Or be prepared with napkins lol. Eric's the worst, should have seen him Saturday with a Klondike bar.

Great NYE trip plans - glad you're doing Epcot the 31st instead of MK! (It boggles my mind how many people don't do that, especially since you can see MK's fireworks the night before!) I can't wait for THAT TR! I dream of the day someday when my brothers and I can do this kind of a Disney pilgrimage with our families!

I am hoping it will be less painful this way and we get the best of both worlds. Plus we can walk home from Epcot, which at that hour will be wonderful.

What a fish-aster! (I couldn't resist ) Such a waste of perfectly good fresh fish! No crying of spilled ono I guess...

Fishaster is right!!!!!!!!!!!

I swear, there is no better sunset than a Hawaiian one - I feel like I took hundreds of similar photos on our Maui trip several years ago. Simply beautiful!

It's a sickness, you can't stop, even though you've taken a ton already

How could they possibly just throw it away! They could have at least explained the situation. Such a waste Glad you were able to use the grill, odd times though.

The times were silly, I don't get that at all. Why not all day and at least until 8:30??? The only thing I can think is maybe not wanting people at the grill during the Hui...or if there are private events on that lawn but it really doesn't interfere. The loss of the Ono was truly heartbreaking.

Glad your NYE plans are firming up and people are getting some of their stuff booked.

Getting there!

Nope, definitely not tired of that view! Absolutely gorgeous!!

We never got tired of it either

Grilling hours do seem very odd. Sorry you missed out on the fresh fish. That would have been a treat. But your mahi looked good! I am very impressed with all the prep you did in order to make so many of your own meals -- and good ones!

The mahi was good, no complaints there, but Ono would have been better (or at least different). Not much prep...I bought a bottle of salad dressing and packed a small jar of rub. Bigger prep was packing dishes,silverware and the wine glasses. I did miss the 1 bedroom for that but didn't miss spending all those points!

Timeshare does seem like an umagical term for it. Guess she hasn't gotten all the training.

No kidding, I was completely lost when she said that! As in maybe she thought we'd traded in from RCI to get to stay there?

Gotta have a mickey bar!

Your December trip plans are shaping up nicely!!

Mnnn, LOVE Mickey Bars! December is coming along. I will be glad when we all have flights...and someone else may be glad when I cancel the 3 cars I've reserved as we may end up going without entirely. Though then again I imagine they will just rent them at today's higher prices...

Loving your report. Yes sad for wasted fish

Thanks!

The fish episode was very sad. Apparently they didn't even bring it all back there was so much. Which makes the lack of it in the stores even more frustrating.

 

[eandesmom]

Hey there! Just checking in after being off the boards for a while. I just got caught up and I have been really enjoying seeing all of the pictures. Again, I've done absolutely NO research on this resort, so it is all new to me.

Sometimes that's the best way! I didn't do all that much research ahead of time this trip either, which made it fun.

I'm happy for you that you have discovered you like running! I'm glad that you are able to do the exercise and feel satisfied with it. I started doing the Couch to 5K program (and I HATE running), and I was actually starting to enjoy it about week 3. But then I had my latest sinus surgery and I haven't gone back to it again. I really should, because I think it would be cool to be a runner...if I didn't hate it so much. Seriously, my hatred stems all the way back to my childhood, so I don't know if I'll be able to turn it around.

Like is perhaps a stretch. It doesn't totally suck. I have always always hated it so for it to get to the point of not sucking and occasionally being enjoyable is pretty cool. I'm slow as all get out but it does get easier and going farther gets easier and that is a nice feeling. I've hated it my whole life too, mind over matter I guess or in my case, having run out of other options. LOL! Moving is what counts, however you do it.

I can't believe you are going back to WDW for NYE. We have been there the last 2 years on NYE (in fact, the exact dates that you are planning to go), and this year we aren't planning on it. I'm so bummed because we could have planned to meet if we were going again. We really love going during that time of the year, and it feels weird to know we won't be there this year. Your plans look great so far!

I am SO excited to be going at that time of year, crowds and all, I hope fall flies by.

I can't believe that fish got thrown out. The Mahi looks great though. We like to grill on vacation too. We did twice at the THV and have at the GCV too. I start to miss *home* food and the smaller portions.

The mahi was good, I was just sick about the Ono! I can only eat out so much...

Mickey bars are so messy if you don't gobble them down. My plan is to have one daily on the cruise.

One daily is a very good goal!

Sounds like some great plans in the making for NYE!

I am very excited!

Oh man, what a waste of that fish! Too bad they weren't a little more clear about why they were offering.
Gorgeous sunset! Wow!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I was SO sad about the fish but we did enjoy our dinner, and our view!

Great pix of Hawaai!! The evening shots were gorgeous !!! To bad about the fish being tossed !!

Thank Rosie! We really loved that lanai that is for sure

I don't think there's a better place to enjoy a nice quiet dinner than right where you were on your lanai! That was a seriously awesome sunset and you probably saw that every day you were there!! What a great option of being able to grill your own fresh seafood/meats.

Almost every day at least! We loved that lanai and definitely used it. I'd guess at least 3 hours a day, every day! I love DVC for that reason, the flexibility with dining. A little more planning in a studio but it was doable.

Your Dec/Jan trip plans are shaping up nicely. It makes it a little easier once people make their reservations so you know who is where and when,

Yes, I will breathe a sigh of relief (and cancel any more extra ressies) the minute we all have our flights.

 

[scottny]

I am walking trying to prep for my surgery.
That is too bad about the burger and outside. The burger you got looked good.
The bbq sounds like a nice thing to do. Too bad about the fish the guys offered you.
What a gorgeous to view to sit there and take in.
I could go for a Mickey bar.
Great updates and pics.
The NYE plans sound great too.