Meet Santa @ DL turn right @ Aulani and fly on..Single Digit Dance

[areweindisneyyet]

12 weeks or 84 sleeps to go. We check into Aulani in 13 weeks and then fly on to Disneyland.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Grandma was visiting for the weekend from interstate and so we sat down to look at our days away.

In the middle of this my DB phoned to say that he, his DG and her immediate family will join us in Hawaii for our last two days. They will stay there for Christmas. We had just been looking at Aulani dining, so we have now booked a Character Breakfast on Saturday before they arrive and then all of us for lunch on Sunday at ama ama. We shall see how that goes. A grand gathering of 10.

DG has also had me book a swim with Dolphins for the girls while we in Waikiki at the Sea Life Park in Honolulu.

Now for the important Disney decisions. We have booked a day trip to LA to do the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and visit Hollywood and the Chinese Mann Theatre.

We are also going to book:

• A Holiday Tour
• Fantasmic Package
• World of Colour Dinner
• Goofy for Breakfast and Dinner
• Chip and Dale Breakfast at GCH
• Blue Bayou
• Storytellers for Christmas Day

Weaving these into the days was fun!

Now I just have to wait a couple of weeks to start booking the dining reservations. It was very exciting to be planning this all face to face. We now will meet at Sydney airport before flying off to Hawaii altogether in just 71 sleeps.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Your plans are definitely coming along. How cool that your DB, his GF and her family will be meeting you all in Hawaii!

Nice to have LA all mapped out....but when are you shopping.....and where?

 

[areweindisneyyet]

It is very exciting that they are meeting us in Hawaii. The girls are very excited about it.

We are planning on doing most of our shopping in Hawaii when we are a little more relaxed. If I have to I will do a trip for Anaheim. In the past I have been to the South Coast Plaza and to the Westfield. I quite like the Westfield and we had a great Orange Chicken in the food court which DH and I still think about, and given that it was in a food court I am sure I could find even better I have even had a taxi wait for me in the carpark of Toys R Us which I did like a supermarket game show. Have trolley and legs, fill it up as fast as you can. The cab driver was impressed with the shopping ability, not with the time it took as I guess he was expecting a longer waiting fee. I tipped him nicely.

Am open to suggestions on the best place for a hit and run shopping extravaganza if required. I am thinking of ordering a tree from Target online and having it delivered straight to the hotel. I have also decided against taking wet weather gear - I am just asking for it to rain. I would have to buy new stuff for us all anyway, so if I have to get some I shall just jump in a cab to Target or somewhere and pick it up if the day looks bad.

I am also doing all my Santa shopping over there so I only want empty cases going over.

It is 10 weeks today until we fly out. Back to school next week so time will fly very quickly as it is such a busy term. One of the reasons why I really sat down to get organised now, I even have when to phone to book dining and tours in my diary. Can't have me missing any of those.

 

[craftymama71]

Wow, I feel so excited for you and your family. .I can't wait to here what Aulani is like. We are toying with the idea of going next October-ish.

remember too, if you are planning on bringing home more than you take, you can always buy cheap luggage over in the States, saves you lugging empty suitcases over there.

Enjoy on the home run of your countdown

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Wow, I feel so excited for you and your family. .I can't wait to here what Aulani is like. We are toying with the idea of going next October-ish.

remember too, if you are planning on bringing home more than you take, you can always buy cheap luggage over in the States, saves you lugging empty suitcases over there.

Enjoy on the home run of your countdown

Thanks Craftymama71.

It is getting exciting. Suddenly it is seeming very real. Even DH is getting excited. And to think he never wanted to visit DL.

I will certainly be taking lots of photos and reporting in on Aulani. We are also spending sometime in Waikiki so will be able to compare the experiences.

To buy more bags and luggage, I like your thinking. DH not so much, bags are just a little fetish of mine that he still doesn't quite get.

Thanks for reading along.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Phoned the DLH direct this morning and added club level to our reservation.

Got a little . The CM old me that I am staying at the GCH. A little part of my mind went awesome, but I told her that I had changed he reservation a couple of months ago. While she checked with reservations my heart skipped a little beat, please let me still have a room, I am imagining the grand Californian cancelled and no DLH. But with a little all fixed.

We also cancelled our hire car I Hawaii and will just get transfers to and from Aulani. There will be so much in such a short space of time we just wont need to leave, plus my brother will have a car so if I am desperate for something he can take us.

 

[kaoden39]

I just sat and read your trip report. You led me on a wild ride so far so I figure I am here to stay. I have to know how it is going to end.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Less than 10 weeks to go now. Better get organised SOON!

We normally shop at SoCo Plaza and the Westfield Main Place. We also like the outlets down by Carlsbad (near where legoland is). The outlets there are a little further afield and quieter than most other.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I just sat and read your trip report. You led me on a wild ride so far so I figure I am here to stay. I have to know how it is going to end.

Welcome aboard kaoden39


Thanks for reading along. I believe that half the fun is planning so I am always tweaking my DH just smiles and nods his head. Since everyone always ends up having a great time they just let me make the arrangements and we all are go with the flow type people once we are there.

I had to laugh when my dad got the final itinerary. A couple of days in LA would have been good, hello, have been asking for your ideas for months. hence our day trip to LA. He wants to show the granddaughters Hollywood.

Our girls finish school in just under 7 weeks and new sports seasons are starting, so the normal family chaos will be around. I work full time and I have my own business and DH works full time so we are looking forward to stopping.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Less than 10 weeks to go now. Better get organised SOON!

We normally shop at SoCo Plaza and the Westfield Main Place. We also like the outlets down by Carlsbad (near where legoland is). The outlets there are a little further afield and quieter than most other.

Surprise Surprise that we both love to shop in the same places. The DDs both love Lego and we are keeping a day trip down to Legoland in the back of our minds. We would look to hire a car for the day. Perhaps the big boys could take the wee girls to Legoland after dropping the big girls at the outlets for some retail therapy. Oh PIO you put wonderful thoughts in my head.

Yes, my name is Mia and I am an orginisationaholic.

 

[kaoden39]

Welcome aboard kaoden39


Thanks for reading along. I believe that half the fun is planning so I am always tweaking my DH just smiles and nods his head. Since everyone always ends up having a great time they just let me make the arrangements and we all are go with the flow type people once we are there.

I had to laugh when my dad got the final itinerary. A couple of days in LA would have been good, hello, have been asking for your ideas for months. hence our day trip to LA. He wants to show the granddaughters Hollywood.

Our girls finish school in just under 7 weeks and new sports seasons are starting, so the normal family chaos will be around. I work full time and I have my own business and DH works full time so we are looking forward to stopping.

I love planning the trip. I am going crazy. My DH and I are going in February and I want to make all these plans but he wants to take it easy and not over plan. Crazy man.

 

[Mum from oz]

I only just saw this from your signature! Great planning so far. I am so jealous of your stay in Aulani. I loved Hawaii and would love to go back there one day. You have to make sure you take lots of photos!! On another note I am also very jealous of your Christmas stay. What a fabulous way to spend Christmas with your family.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I only just saw this from your signature! Great planning so far. I am so jealous of your stay in Aulani. I loved Hawaii and would love to go back there one day. You have to make sure you take lots of photos!! On another note I am also very jealous of your Christmas stay. What a fabulous way to spend Christmas with your family.

Thanks for reading along. We are very excited about Aulani. I haven't been to Hawaii since I was a teenager and have always wanted to return. So glad DH finally gave in.

I will be sure to take lots of photos and report back.

Our family Christmas is also very exciting. It has been quite sometime since we have had one, we leave in exactly two months today.

My ticker is a little out as it is set to when we would have originally arrived in DL but since then we have added two days and then the Hawaii part before. We have counted down for so long that I just can't bear to alter it. Tink has flown across the ticker for so long we need to finish the countdown together.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

50 DAYS AND COUNTING
This also means 60 days to Disneyland which means that I can start making our dining reservations. Now I would not normally go overboard but we have decided to book at least one meal each day for the six of us. One it will make us sit and also eat something nice.

I have thought about contacting Vacation Planning to do the reservations but I love phoning Disney, it makes me happy all day. I am so sad, so for the next week I will be staying up to 1am local time here to phone the DINE line at 8am local time at DL to make my bookings. . It will be OK, I just keep thinking of meeting at Disney and all is OK.

DD2 went to camp yesterday, Early. In my lack of coffee state I reminded her that when she gets home there will be 7 days to go she turns all excited, realizing my error I shout WEEKS WEEKS. Wishful thinking.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Rainforest cafe, the night we arrive, Booked.

A volcano is on the menu, we had lots of fun here on our last trip. It will be a nice close walk to the hotel and we can get all organized for our first day in the parks.

We will have been flying all day, so to have dinner organized will be lovely.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Surprise Surprise that we both love to shop in the same places. The DDs both love Lego and we are keeping a day trip down to Legoland in the back of our minds. We would look to hire a car for the day. Perhaps the big boys could take the wee girls to Legoland after dropping the big girls at the outlets for some retail therapy. Oh PIO you put wonderful thoughts in my head.

Yes, my name is Mia and I am an orginisationaholic.

I did exactly that on one trip. I was travelling with my parents and DH and DS went to Legoland whilst the rest of us headed for Carlsbad. We also ended up heading to the Westfield that is off the 78. It will take you about 20 - 30 minutes to get to that Westfield from Carlsbad....but traffic can be bad around the 78.

Rainforest cafe, the night we arrive, Booked.

A volcano is on the menu, we had lots of fun here on our last trip. It will be a nice close walk to the hotel and we can get all organized for our first day in the parks.

We will have been flying all day, so to have dinner organized will be lovely.

Excellent! I actually enjoy Rainforest cafe.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

After a few hours sitting on the couch last night I phoned Disney Dining and got a nice early reservation at Goofy's for our first breakfast. Bit of a tradition, this is.

Then off to the parks...


7 weeks, 49 days, yay we are in the forties.

Now hopefully I have had enough sleep to manage a day at work, picking up the camper, two lots of sporting activities and a school play this evening.

 

[taaren]

Found this thread from over on the DVC-Mousecellaneous Aulani thread. I think we're going to be at Aulani at the same time, though you're getting a much longer and more relaxing experience than our quick weekend get-away. We'll be visiting the resort from Dec 17-19.
Very jealous of your Christmas at Disneyland plans they sound wonderful! We just tried Goofy's for dinner on our last trip and it, the characters were wonderful and I think I ate 3 plates of dinner plus 2 more of dessert. Haven't done Xmas at DLR in a few years so we may have to in 2013 as your PTR is making me wax nostalgic. Hope you found good airfare! They're starting to run some good fares from HI-West Coast now ...

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Found this thread from over on the DVC-Mousecellaneous Aulani thread. I think we're going to be at Aulani at the same time, though you're getting a much longer and more relaxing experience than our quick weekend get-away. We'll be visiting the resort from Dec 17-19.
Very jealous of your Christmas at Disneyland plans they sound wonderful! We just tried Goofy's for dinner on our last trip and it, the characters were wonderful and I think I ate 3 plates of dinner plus 2 more of dessert. Haven't done Xmas at DLR in a few years so we may have to in 2013 as your PTR is making me wax nostalgic. Hope you found good airfare! They're starting to run some good fares from HI-West Coast now ...

Hi Taaren

We will be at Aulani at the same time. We check in on the Friday and the rest of the clan arrive Saturday. The boys are looking into golf and us girls the spa. We plan on doing all our sightseeing during our week in Waikiki so that we can stop and smell the roses at Aulani and experience all that it has to offer. We are so looking forward to it. The DVC head seems to be the best place to find out about the tricks of the trade there.

Thanks for the review of Goofy's for dinner, have been tossing this around as a potential dinner spot. We love the breakfast but it would be great to see what it is like for dinner.

It is funny that you are thinking of DL in 2013, we are tossing around the idea of WDW and a cruise. I shall wait and see how much damage this trip does.

We got great flights finally, a little over budget but we are all flying or most of the trip together which is great. Honolulu is a stopover on ou Australia to LA tickets. We are flying with American airlines and get our baggage allowance the whole way go the Christmas shopping. My dad is even talking new golf clubs, trying to keep DH away from that idea.

Thanks for joining in and I shall enjoy planning Aulani with you.