Mandymouse's 'Legend'ary Trip Report

[mandymouse]

Friday 23rd September


I didn't sleep well. I never do when I know we're having to disembark early. I woke at 5.15am and caught up with my trip report. I had a shower, finished the last of our packing then went down to deck 2 to see Michelle for one last large skinny latte

Then it was time to disembark. We arranged to meet at 8am and we were taking our own luggage off and excitingly waiting for the next part of this adventure .. Two nights in Honolulu


There had been lots of announcements not to go down to deck 2 where we'd be disembarking due to people crowding around, so when we all managed to get down there with our luggage, exiting the ship was really easy. There were no lines or crowds of people and within moments we were off and heading to the taxi stand


We got 3 taxis to our home for the next two nights which was the Waikiki Resort Hotel. Well this hotel was lovely and just minutes from the beach. We checked in and were allowed to leave our luggage with bell services as our rooms weren't ready till 3pm, then we wandered over to Waikiki Beach


All I can say is wow! wow! wow! What a beautiful place. It was only coming up to 9am and it was already warm and the beach was busy. We all split up, and Paul and I went to explore. We walked past the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku statue, and over the next few hours wandered by shops, beaches and down little side streets that looked interesting and always lead to a different part of the beach. Paul bought himself a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt and some board shorts, then when we needed a little break we found a Starbucks attached to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and stopped for a couple of lattes and cakes

When we'd finished our coffees we wandered through the Hilton Hawaiian Village and it was little a little town of its own with lots of shops, restaurants and bars. We made our way through to the beach and decided to stop and have a cocktail

It was getting very warm by now and we were ready for some lunch, so we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory. We ordered a cocktail each, a Mai Tai for Paul and a Blue Hawaiian that I had purposely left to try in Honolulu. We then both ordered our favourite, the shepherd’s pie and we shared some fries. Once we placed our order our server brought some bread over then our mains arrived

We were both really full, but you can't go to the Cheesecake Factory without having a piece of cheesecake. I insisted that we try a piece that we hadn't had before, so we shared a slice of the lemon meringue cheesecake, it was lovely, really light, but we just about ate half of it

We really enjoyed our lunch and once we’d paid our bill, $73 we headed back to the hotel stopping in the shops along the way


It was only 1.45pm, and our rooms weren't ready, so we went up to the 2nd floor to use the pool. Kerry, Becky and Bex were already there, so we sat by the pool chatting till our rooms were ready at 3


Our room was lovely. It was on the 16th floor and had a view of the beach. Perfect! The others were jealous, especially when one of the rooms overlooked a car park lol. We chilled for an hour or so, got showered and ready for an evening on the beach

...

 

[mandymouse]

...


Now Paul and I are big, no huge Hawaii Five-0 fans, and about a month before our holiday it was announced on Facebook that tonight there would be an event, Sunset on the Beach, where the Hawaii Five-0 cast would appear and we could watch the premiere of season 7 episode 1


We all wandered up to the top end of the beach, and already it was looking busy. Near the red carpet it was already 5 deep, so we sat on a wall and people watched till the event began, we were especially interested in the couple who had a cute little dog and were putting its life jacket on and taking it surfing

There was a lot of nothing going on for the first hour or so. The cast slowly arrived, so I wandered down to the red carpet. I got a photo of the guy who plays Kamekona and the young girl who plays ‘Book him Danno’s’ daughter Grace (well the side of her ), but once the main cast arrived I just couldn’t see a thing, and the screaming was doing my head in lol

The rest of our group went off to get some dinner, some country guy called Darius performed and while he performed we also watched the weekly fireworks going off at the Hawaiian Hilton Village

The cast arrived on stage and Sheila & Pete came back from dinner and the episode finally began. It all took far too long, but afterwards we all agreed that we couldn't believe we had watched the premiere of season 7 while sitting on Waikiki Beach

We even made it onto the CBS taping of the event, we’re literally on 2 seconds in cheering while we sat on the wall (hopefully this link will work)

Once the show was over Paul & I headed down the beach to Dukes for a couple of cocktails then grabbed a Big Mac before heading to bed

What another fab day we’d had !!


Tomorrow ~ Pearl Harbour & a Luau

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

That will be a night you'll always remember, and it all looked so good. A quick disembarkment followed by a perfect day from all accounts, and fireworks on the beach as well!

 

[mandymouse]

Saturday 24th September


I slept reasonably well and woke around 6.30am. Our plan for this morning was to visit the USS Arizona memorial so we arranged to meet in the lobby at 9am. I showered, caught up with my trip report and around 8 Paul & I wandered up to Starbucks for a latte and cake


Kerry had spoken to someone at reception about the best way to get 9 people to Pearl Harbour and he said a taxi would cost about $50 each way, and we would need 2, so to take the bus which would cost $2.50 each, each way


So we met in lobby and walked a short way up the street to the bus stop. We didn't have too long to wait for a bus to arrive. It was great value to get the bus, which was one fare wherever you were going on its route, but it seemed to stop within every short block, it took a good hour to get there


We arrived around 10.15 and our tickets were for 11. We dropped our bags at the lockers as no bags are allowed inside the memorial which was $3 per bag


[

As our tickets were free we could only watch the short film and go to the memorial site, but you could pay extra for other tours. Shortly before 11 we lined up to watch the video, it was really interesting to find out the history leading up to the events of that fateful day, and what had brought Japan and the USA into World War II


After the video we were taken onto a boat that took us to the site of the USS Arizona. It was very well organised, one boat would empty out, and the people from the previous group would get back on it, and you had a good 20 minutes to look around and take quiet reflection till the next group arrived

I think we stayed there a couple of hours so we exited to get the bus back to Waikiki. I would definitely like to come back and take one of the other tours should we be lucky enough to come back. When we boarded it was already packed so we had to stand. You could understand why it was popular as it was such a cheap way to travel, I doubt I could take the bus into town back home for a couple of pounds. Anyway it was a long, bumpy ride back to Waikiki and for the last 20 minutes I sat on the back row obviously above the engine, it was too hot and uncomfortable, but thankfully Paul who was sitting further down the bus caught my attention and signalled to get off at the next stop for something to eat


Everyone else went back to the hotel, and Kerry, Becky & Bex went for something to eat and to return the IPhone 7 Kerry had bought the previous day that had problems


Anyway Paul & I wanted some lunch, not too much as we were going to a Luau tonight. We stopped off at the Hard Rock Cafe and we enjoyed a Strongbow and Stella, which was very much needed to cool us down after that hot bus ride, and we shared a club sandwich with fries and a stack of onion rings. It was all very nice

We returned to the hotel and I bought a top along the way. We chilled by the pool for a short while then showered and got ready for our evening out

Once again Kerry our great organiser had booked our tickets and the bus pick-up that was at a hotel over the road. We had to meet there at 4.40 and the coach arrived a few moments later. The journey took about 30 minutes, we even drove past Pearl Harbour but this coach was so much more comfortable than the bus earlier


Germaine's Luau was on the beach, next to a lighthouse and it was a lovely venue. Ron who works there and had escorted us on the bus gave us a Lei, we had a photo taken, then we were allowed to choose where we sat, just avoiding the reserved tables

Ron had given us a ticket on the coach, part of it was for a prize draw, and the other was for a free drink. We found a table, took some photos then had our first drink, we both had a Mai Tai, the first one tasted very sweet, though they seemed to get better as the night went on

The entertainment started as soon as we got there, and throughout the evening we listened to the musicians, watched dances from Hawaii and the South Pacific, saw the ceremonial pig brought out of the ground oven where it had been cooking all day and enjoyed the food. We were taken up a table at a time to the buffet and there was so much food, salads, pineapple coleslaw (which was amazing), fruit, various chicken dishes, teriyaki beef, breads, cakes, and of course the pork, it was all very nice

It was a very entertaining evening and it really was something not to be missed


We got back to our hotel just before 10pm, it was too late to go out and we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so it was off to bed for us


Tomorrow ~ Last day in Waikiki & a flight to LA

 

[mandymouse]

That will be a night you'll always remember, and it all looked so good. A quick disembarkment followed by a perfect day from all accounts, and fireworks on the beach as well!

It really was a fabulous day !!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Reading your report on the Luau has made we want to book the Disney one, though I know it won't be the same as yours!

 

[mandymouse]

Reading your report on the Luau has made we want to book the Disney one, though I know it won't be the same as yours!

I don't think you'd regret it, it's a lovely entertaining evening

 

[mandymouse]

Sunday 25th September


I woke just after 7, Paul woke 1/2 an hour later then we got ourselves ready. We were to check out at 11am today, so to kill a few hours we went to get a coffee and pastry at Starbucks, then we sat on the beach for an hour with us both dipping our toes in the ocean to varying degrees. Paul went full into the sea and I had a little paddle. It really was hard to believe we were sunbathing at 8.30am on Waikiki Beach

We went back to the room and got showered and finished off our packing and met up with everyone in the lobby at 11am and left our luggage with bell services for the day, then we split off and arranged to meet back at the hotel at 5.30


Becky wanted to go to the Alamoana Shopping Centre and Paul & I were going to get our Hawaii Five-0 geek on and visit the King Kamehameha Statue at the ‘Iolani Palace, and as both were on the same bus route she came along with us


We caught the bus at the top of the road and 15 minutes later our first stop was the Hawaii Five-0 headquarters. It was a popular tourist spot, and quite busy, so we took some photos by the statue then took another bus to the shopping centre, which was huge, though sadly outside as I was hoping for some air conditioning for few hours

Becky treated herself to some dresses and tops then we made the decision to walk to our next destination which was Dukes Restaurant for some lunch. It was a fair old walk in the sunshine, so half way we stopped off at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for a cocktail at their pool bar


After our well needed cocktail we headed to Dukes where Paul & Becky had burgers and I had fish & chips, it was all lovely

We made our way back to the hotel stopping off along the way at the ABC shops (my fave souvenir shops) and I also bought a top and Christmas decoration. We met up with the others and Kerry arranged for some taxis to pick us up at 6pm then we set off for the airport

Check-in was pretty straight forward, especially as it was just a domestic flight. We made our way to our terminal and began the long wait till our 10.10pm flight which we broke up with a couple of ciders and lagers at the bar


The flight was on time, and I was already tired and planning on sleeping the moment I got onboard. Sadly this didn't happen, I just dozed the whole way as I found the seats really uncomfortable, never mind, let’s see what tomorrow brings


Tomorrow ~ Disneyland !!!

 

[ukintheus]

Just catching up after your mammoth posting session! What a great last day you had on board and so nice to have that later departure time. The couple of days in Honolulu look amazing and you packed in a lot in just a couple of days. It looks like it was all a lot of fun, what a great trip so far.

 

[mandymouse]

Just catching up after your mammoth posting session! What a great last day you had on board and so nice to have that later departure time. The couple of days in Honolulu look amazing and you packed in a lot in just a couple of days. It looks like it was all a lot of fun, what a great trip so far.

Honolulu was the BEST Jenny I'm on a bit of roll now, I may get this trippy finished in the next day or so

 

[mandymouse]

Monday 26th September


Like me, the others weren't too impressed with the previous night’s flight. Me, as I was so tired and them as there was no food and you had to pay for any movies


Anyway we landed at LAX at 6.30am and we were all shattered. Kerry super organiser extraordinaire had booked a shuttle to pick us up which we had all forgotten about (she tended to say she'd booked things and we'd just transfer various amounts of money over to her lol), and the shuttle could fit all 9 of us including the luggage in it


We drove through the morning traffic and arrived at our hotel around 7.40am. We checked in to the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn which was over the road from the Disneyland Resort entrance (though Rachel & Steve were staying next door as they had left booking the hotel too late). Once we'd checked-in and left our luggage at the front desk me, Paul, Kerry, Becky, Bex, Sheila & Pete headed over to Disneyland. We all had 5 day tickets and first stop was the Disneyland Park

It was surreal how much alike the Magic Kingdom is to this park, but the one thing you notice straight away is how small the castle is. First things first though, we all had a well needed coffee and pastry stop then went our separate ways. The girls had been here before, but it was all new to me, Paul, Sheila & Pete. First stop for me & Paul was Star Tours, which wasn’t showing the more up-to-date Force Awakens video, we then had a wander through the Star Wars shop then headed to the Launch Bay to see Chewbacca & Kylo Ren

Next we got a FP for Splash Mountain and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, which was a lot longer than the WDW version. Our Splash Mountain time came round so we got on. OMG, I have never gotten so wet as I did on this, I was soaked through I didn't really dry off either, even after standing in the soon to be 42c heat

Here’s the wall of water heading towards us

Dripping wet, we next rode The Haunted Mansion which was done up for Halloween and had been changed into the Nightmare before Christmas which was really good, it was great to see a different version of it though I did feel sorry for whoever would be sitting in my soggy seat when I got off (oops!)

We were flagging big time by now, and the heat didn't help. We needed some lunch, so we enjoyed a Star Wars themed burger and fries before heading out of the park via the shops of course

We arrived back at the hotel at 1.45, but our rooms were still not ready till 3, so we sat in the lobby dozing, it was amazing how quickly our room became available once a couple of dishevelled tourists were sleeping in their lobby The hotel was more of a motel, so no-where as nice as the place we had in Waikiki, but it would do us for a few nights

We sorted out a bit of our luggage, showered, then set an alarm for a few hours later, then went to bed


We woke around 5.30pm, and felt a little better, then headed to Disney California Adventure Park. We wanted to wander around Cars Land and take photos while the sun sets and the lights come on


As we entered the park the Pixar Play Parade was just finishing. Once it passed we made our way to Cars Land

We were both very excited about being here and knew we’d be spending a lot of time here over the next few days. We watched as the lights were switched on in Cars Land and it really was lovely

We wandered around the park, which was quite busy as there was a Halloween Party on at Disneyland. It was lovely just wandering around and seeing what rides we would do the following morning and just taking the atmosphere in

An hour or so later we headed out into Downtown Disney where we explored a couple of bars, enjoyed a couple of drinks and shared some yummy chicken tenders and onion rings at the Rainforest Cafe

We lasted out till 10pm then we called it a night


Tomorrow ~ Disney California Adventure

 

[mandymouse]

Tuesday 27th September


I woke about 6am, caught up on my trippy then made the decision to get some laundry done (ugh!). Whilst it was washing and drying I got showered and dried my hair then it was time for some breakfast. The hotel offered a free breakfast upstairs at the restaurant next door. There was toast, bagels, cereals and a few cooked items like waffles, ham, eggs and potatoes. It didn't look good but I tried a few things as I was there, it wasn't anything to write home about, but would've been perfect for a family just for the cereals, toast and juice. The scrambled eggs were ok, but I left the rest and decided to wait till I could get to Starbucks


Anyway both parks opened at 10am, so as you can imagine it was very busy at opening. Our first ride of the day was Radiator Springs Racers. Like the 90% of the rest of the visitors we all hot footed it to this ride, running into the young ‘uns along the way, and it didn't disappoint, it's so much more fun than Test Track and the theming both inside and out is great

This is my shaky GoPro video from the ride

And the kiddos pic

We got a few pics with the young ‘uns, then we went our separate ways

Next we got a FP for the Tower of Terror which was only 45 minutes away, so we called in at Starbucks for a skinny latte and cookie (for me) and a slice of lemon loaf (for Paul), I now felt human again lol


As our FP time came around we first went to get a FP for the racers for later that day, between 4 -5pm. We then rode TOT, which was very good too, though the Hollywood Tower Hotel looked a bit stumpy compared to the one in WDW

We wandered around the park, and thankfully it wasn't as hot as yesterday, though still 34c, which meant a well needed cider and Stella were needed with a bag of Lays for lunch. We found a lovely little bar near Cars Land called the Alfresco Tasting Terrace which became a regular haunt of ours which served a new favourite of mine, Angry Orchard Hard Cider (Mmm) and it also had Rosa Regale here (yay, happy days !!)


Around 2pm we exited the park for a chill and sunbathe by the hotel pool. We met up with the girls there and got chatting about our day


After another quick shower we headed back to DCA to use our racers FP. The single rider lady next to me said how quickly it was going on the ride, so when we got off we waited 5 minutes in the single line queue and rode it again. We decided to come back when it got darker to ride it again

By this time we were getting hungry, so we went to Flo's V8 Cafe and had a 1/4 rotisserie chicken dinner, it was all very nice, though I'm sure you get 1/2 a chicken at Cosmic Rays in WDW

We continued wandering around the park agreeing on what rides or food we would try next time then we stopped for a glass of Rosa Regale for me and a Heineken for Paul. Ahh if I closed my eyes I could be sitting at one of those high tables in Italy, Epcot with that annoying guy blowing his whistle in the background haha

We left the park and wandered over to Downtown Disney. We strolled through the World of Disney getting ideas of things we may buy then we treated ourselves to a double scoop of Haagen-Dazs cookies & cream ice-cream

To finish off the night we had a couple of drinks at the ESPN bar then we called it a night


Tomorrow ~ Hollywood & Santa Monica

 

[mandymouse]

Wednesday 28th September


I woke at 7am and dozed. After a quick shower we got changed for our drive out to Hollywood and Santa Monica


The Alamo office was the other side of Downtown Disney, so on the way I got me & Paul a latte and choc chip cookie & muffin from Starbucks


Once all the paper work was done we followed Kerry and the young 'uns for the next hour & 20 minutes through freeways and heavy traffic for our first stop, Hollywood. We parked at the Hollywood & Hyland Center where we all split up and agreed to meet back at 2pm. Paul & I made our way onto Hollywood Boulevard. To say this was underwhelming was an understatement, the only place I wanted to see was the Chinese Theater, but this had a huge advertisement for an upcoming JJ Abrams tv show premiere, Westworld covering it, so there wasn’t much to see. We went into some souvenir shops and looked at some of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I did giggle at how someone had defaced Donald Trump’s star .. oops sorry I can’t show that photo

We made our way back to the shopping centre and decided it was time for some lunch at Dave & Buster's. We ordered some diet cokes, then Paul had a Buster's Cheeseburgers and I had the sliders, and we shared some frazzled onions. It was all very nice. The waitress wasn't very attentive, and even gave us the wrong bill, but she wasn't in our face and we never felt rushed

We all met back up and got back into the cars and we followed Kerry up to the Hollywood Hills. She had been here before, but how she remembered how to get through the side roads and tracks was beyond me. We finally arrived at our location and took some great photos of the Hollywood sign

Once back in the car we set off for Santa Monica. We parked at Santa Monica Place and once again we all split up arranging to meet back at the Disney Store at 7pm


We wandered around the shops then headed down to the pier. It was lovely here. We strolled along the pier looking in the little souvenir shops and ended up in the Pacific Park. We decided to go on one ride, so went on the Pacific Wheel. This was so cool, a nice relaxing big wheel looking over the pier and the ocean. When we got off the park was beginning to close, which we thought was a bit early for such a busy location. We continued along the pier taking photos as we went along

As we walked around the back of the park we found out why it had closed so early, someone had hired the place out for a private party. Wow! That was one party I wish I had an invite to, lucky things


We next enjoyed a couple of Starboard Sunrise cocktails at Bubba Gump and chilled while we waited for the sun to set

What a beautiful sunset it was, we had really enjoyed our few hours here, and I’d love to come back

We met up with the others and hopped back into the cars for our journey home. According to Google maps it was going to take 1hour 26 minutes due to very heavy traffic. We crawled through the freeway for the first part of the journey then it thankfully cleared to just rather heavy traffic lol


We needed to find a Wal-Mart as we wanted a few supplies and I wanted to buy an extra case. We found one close to Disney and after a detour due to Paul knowing better than the sat nav and never living it down for the rest of the evening, we managed to get our shopping done. Once back in Disney we left the car at the parking structure where we had picked it up from then dropping the keys through the letterbox of the Alamo office


To thank Pete for all his driving, we took him and Sheila to the ESPN bar for a Mai Tai or 2. We had a good laugh about our day and ended back at the hotel around 11.30pm

What a good day !!!


Tomorrow ~ More DCA fun

 

[mandymouse]

Thursday 29th September


I didn't sleep well and woke around 6.30am. I put some laundry on, got showered and updated my trip report


Most of our group were planning on heading to the parks for 9.00am, but we made a late start as Becky needed Paul's laptop to email some documents back home for a car she was picking up when we got back off our hols. So we left for DCA around 9.30. With Becky in tow we headed straight to Cars Land for some FP's for the Radiator Springs Racers, then we wandered over to Paradise Pier where I had promised myself a go on California Screamin' the big rollercoaster there. I love rollercoasters, but I'm always anxious on my first go, well I loved it, and as there was still no line when we got off it we went back on it again. As we got on for the 2nd time we saw Kerry & Bex in the queue so waited for them to come off, then me, Paul, Kerry & Becky rode Mickey's Fun Wheel, Bex didn't as she's scared of heights

The girls went off to do their own thing, so Paul & I joined the single ride line for Radiator Springs Racers, and as the family of 4 who were supposed to have a 2& 2 in the car did a 3 & a 1, we were able to sit next to each other .. sorted .. and only a 5 minute line


Next we headed to the Tower of Terror for a FP, next we had a couple of skinny lattes and a cookie & lemon loaf slice in the lovely quiet and air conditioned Starbucks


After our coffees we used our FP for the Racers again, then the kid in us took over and we rode Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters

We got a FP for Soarin' then rode the Tower of Terror. The FP times were never too far ahead of time, so in no time we were riding Soarin'. The new film is really good, I didn't want to like it, as I'm not good with change but parts of it are stunning, I just love the polar bears and whale part


As we exited Soarin' we picked up a FP for the World of Color show tonight. By now it was just gone 1.30pm and the temperature had hit 34C, so a couple of Angry Orchard ciders for me and Heinekins for Paul were well due. We sat at the Alfresco Tasting Terrace for a little while just people watching in the shade


We'd had a packed morning and it was now time for some lunch. We both had an Asian Bowl from the Lucky Fortune Cookery at Pacific Wharf. I had the chicken teriyaki and Paul had the Thai coconut chicken, both dishes were really tasty

As we exited the park around 3pm, we grabbed a FP for the Racers again for tonight and bought a few gifts in the shops


We went back to the room, then chilled by the pool for an hour before our last evening in Disneyland


Around 5pm me & Paul headed back to DCA, we wandered down to ToT, but all the FP's were gone so we headed to Paradise Pier and picked up a FP for California Screamin'. We didn't have long till our FP times would arrive so we strolled around the pier, rode Golden Zephyr a kiddies rocket ride, had a quick cider and lager then rode California Screamin', I love this ride. We rode Radiator Springs Racers in the dark, then found a decent spot to watch World of Color

After the show we exited the park and met up with the kiddos for a quick chat who were having a drink at the Uva Bar. Pete & Sheila didn't meet up, so Paul & I left them to it, as they probably didn't want us cramping their style


So Paul & I finished our last evening in the ESPN bar with a couple of Mai Tai's and sharing a spicy chicken sandwich and fries before heading to bed


Tomorrow ~ one last bit of Disneyland & Flying Home

 

[mandymouse]

Friday 30th September


There was no rush this morning. I still woke around 6.30am, but just lay in bed as we weren't planning in getting to the parks till around 10 after doing the depressing job of packing


We showered, packed and checked-out just after 9am, much earlier than we thought we’d be ready by. We really thought we should head to the Disneyland Park as we hadn’t been back since our first day and we wanted to ride Space Mountain and the Indiana Jones ride

First stop was an FP for Space Mountain, then we joined the standby line for Star Tours which once again took us to the Wookie planet and the pre-Force Awakens version


As there was still a while till we could go on Space Mountain, we joined the Indiana Jones Adventure line. We both didn’t know what to expect, I thought it was a rollercoaster, but it turned out to be similar to Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom, it was still good though and the line had moved quickly


We went back to Tomorrowland as Paul wanted to order a BB8 Iphone 7 case (even though he hasn’t got an Iphone 7 just yet). As he was ordering it, we got a message from the girls that they had just arrived, so we met up with them outside Sleeping Beauty’s castle and took a few photos

It was now time to ride Space Mountain. It had been changed for Halloween and was called Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. Well to be honest it was very underwhelming. It was so dark in there that you didn’t know where the drops were, there was nothing spooky to see. I wish it had just been the regular Space Mountain version


We picked up Pauls phone case then exited the park


As we entered DCA Paul went off to get some Tower of Terror Fastpasses and I went to get some coffees and cakes from Starbucks


After our coffee break we rode the single rider Radiator Springs Racers, then our ToT FP time came around

We got FP’s for California Screamin’ and while waiting for our time to come around Paul announced it was Heinekin o’clock (yay !!)


We enjoyed a couple of drinkies at our favourite bar terrace, which was well needed as it was 31c


Our last ride of this amazing holiday was California Screamin’,and what a great ride to finish off on

We had another Asian Bowl each at the Lucky Fortune Cookery again, then we slowly walked out of the park and back to the hotel

Over the next 10 minutes everyone else turned up and we retrieved our luggage. The Super Shuttle transfer arrived and took us back to LAX


We were flying back to Gatwick with Norwegian Air for the first time. Check-in was a breeze and we were through security quickly too


Once through to departures and after a quick wander around the shops, Paul & I had one last drink at the Lucky Fish


We caught up with the others at the departure gate and the flight was running 20 minutes late. We were flying home on the Norwegian Air Dreamliner and it really looked the business

The seats were very comfortable and after dinner was served – you could choose between chicken ravioli or beef & rice. We both had beef & rice which was nice then I settled down for a sleep

Saturday 1st October


Thankfully we all slept reasonably well. The flight was pretty good and there wasn’t much turbulence. We arrived in Gatwick ½ an hour early at 1.30pm


Once we had picked up our luggage we caught the shuttle back to the airport parking and said our goodbyes to everyone before we found our cars. I was dreading the drive home. On the way down the traffic on the M25 towards the M40 was horrendous, but luckily for us the traffic wasn’t too bad


The girls got home around 6pm and we weren’t too far behind as we had stopped off on the M40 for a coffee each to keep Paul awake


And there you have it. The end to an absolutely A-MAZ-ING holiday. So what did I learn ?


I learnt that I absolutely love Hawaii, and need to go back as soon as possible, but probably not till 2018


I learnt that Paul could enjoy another cruise line other than Disney


I also learnt that Paul is a gambler


So what's next ? Well we have flights to Florida booked for next May and maybe trying some different cruise lines from either Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale. Maybe I'll keep you updated on this thread

Finally I'd like to thank you for reading and for taking the time to leave your comments .. till the next time

 

[ukintheus]

My goodness!! You weren't kidding that you were on a roll! There's just so much to take in here that I'll have to go back and read it a couple of times at least. What an amazing holiday and how lovely to spend it with your girls and enjoy it as a family as well as having time to yourselves. I'm completely jealous and now want to go to Hawaii and to Disneyland. I went to Disneyland back in the 80's but it's changed so much since then. We love DCL but the cost combined with the limited itineraries are something that you just can't overlook - I'm glad that Paul has now tested the waters and decided he can live without DCL. Just so fabulous and you did so much! Scott wants to read it too, he was just waiting for it to be finished.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Well it's been an enjoyable read catching up after work tonight. I really like the sunset pictures at Santa Monica and the pictures of Cars land. We went to Disneyland before the 2nd park was built and TBH I can't really remember that much, so it was lovely to see all your pictures and read your reports. I couldn't remember the castle being that small either, must be old age setting in!

Thanks for sharing your trip Mandy

 

[jjk]

Wow what a fantastic adventure Mandy, thanks for Sharing its Given Pete and I some ideas for the future

 

[Chilly]

Cheers for sharing Mandy your report kept me entertained while I rested.

 

[Cruisin]

Thanks for the trip report Mandy, I'm very happy that I found it.

We are sailing next fall to Hawaii by way of Vancouver on a Royal Caribbean Ship. Disney will always be our favourite but we don't sail with them very much anymore. We do more Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruises now.

We were booked on the Disney Westbound Panama Canal cruise for April/May of next year but we have our second grandchild due at exactly that time, so we have cancelled it and decided to go with the Hawaii cruise in the fall instead.

A question about Disneyland. How did you find the crowds at that time of the year? I've been thinking about maybe adding a few extra days to our trip to visit Disney while we are out that way.