Trip Report: Disneyland and Aulani June 2024

[anricat]

I know, I'm a little late on this one. It's from June. I kept trying to figure out where it should belong but I've decided to stick it here since we did stay at two different DVC resorts for our trip. We booked both portions on points and it was our first time at both resorts. Enjoy!

Our trip began in California on Friday May 31. We flew into Ontario airport, rented a car and from there made a quick stop for dinner and a brief unofficial visit to Scripps College so DD could get a feel for the vibe. At this point we've done several campus visits and they are all pretty similar so we felt like we could get a feel for the campus without a full-fledged tour. She loved Scripps and it's jumped close to the top of her list!

From there we drove to our AirBnB in Yucca Valley, CA to stay overnight. As a kid, I spent a fair amount of time with my paternal grandmother at her house in the desert. She loved the desert and when her ashes came to me when I was cleaning out my dad's stuff after he died, I knew that one day I would need to take them back to Joshua Tree.

The last time I was out in Joshua Tree was in 2006 (just after running the inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon) and there had just been a fire. Even 8 years later, you can still see the evidence. The desert is slow to regrow. But it's still beautiful and there are still plenty of Joshua trees.

My relationship with my grandmother was a little complicated. She was often cold, passive aggressive and set in her ways. But she also was incredibly talented and loved me in her own way. She was a phenomenal artist and costume designer and I have fond memories of driving around the desert in her dune buggy. When I was a kid, she loved reading me books with all the voices. She was the first person to read me The Hobbit and Winnie the Pooh.


On Saturday morning we drove out to take a quick look at her old house. It looks just like I remember it! Then we continued on to Pioneertown Mountains Preserve to find a nice spot off the trail. We found a good spot and spread her ashes there in the desert she loved.


We jumped back in the car and headed west, stopping in Riverside for lunch before visiting another campus. At Chapman we used their app to go on a self-guided tour, which was pretty cool. DD liked Chapman as well and will definitely apply there.

After that we checked in at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel. I returned the rental car and Ubered back to the hotel and we relaxed and got settled. We spent our first evening at Disneyland park and enjoyed a parade, rode a few rides and had dinner with an old friend that I went to college with. It was great to reconnect with her and her husband (who was also a theatre major at CU with us) and enjoy a meal at Club 33, which was super cool and definitely a unique opportunity.










We watched Fantasmic, which is such a great show and brings back memories. My dad loved that show. Actually being back at Disneyland was a little bittersweet since the last time I was there was 11 years ago on with my mom on her birthday. So lots of memories of both my parents and good times we shared, but I miss them terribly.

We ended up closing the park down and then doing some shopping at Downtown Disney before returning to the room and falling into bed around 2 AM.

 

[anricat]

On Sunday we slept in then went to California Adventure around lunchtime. I feel like at this point I should mention what's going on with my DD since you'll see she's in a wheelchair in some of the photos. About a year ago she was diagnosed with hEDS (Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) which has been progressively getting worse. She often deals with fatigue and chronic pain and after her first day at Disneyland using her forearm crutches, she was just completely dead. She was in a lot of pain and was exhausted. So we rented a wheelchair for her on Sunday and Monday. She'll be starting PT this week and we have an appointment with a pain management team in Houston next month. Some days she's fine and some days she's not. But anytime she really active, she usually pays for it later.


Back to the trip. We ate lunch and rode some rides before meeting up with my friend again to hang out with her and ride some rides and enjoy 1901, the Club 33 at California Adventure. It was really nice to be able to take some time to recuperate and relax in a quiet space before going back out for more fun. We also got to enjoy World of Color, which is an amazing show. We finished the night back over at Disneyland, getting in a few more rides before we finished another late night.





Some highlights of the day for me:

• Loki interacting with DD. He was a good Loki and he's her favorite character right now so she was thrilled to see him and he spent a lot of time interacting with her.



• The dude next to me on Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. I'm pretty sure his life flashed before his eyes. Poor guy had no idea what he was getting himself into. I was basically sitting next to that guy that was on the news when it first opened (you know who I mean, right?) anyway, I laughed so hard.



• The Avengers shows in the Avengers campus section of the park. Everything was so well done. I loved it all.


• All the little secrets, tidbits, photo ops, and hidden Mickeys that my friend shared with us. It was fun on both days to have someone with us with so much knowledge.







• World of Color. Wow, what an amazing show. My friend told me it was her favorite and I can see why. It was phenomenal.

 

[anricat]

We were on our own for Monday. We slept in and had a leisurely morning, did some packing and then started at Disneyland. Roger and DD took the monorail to Tomorrowland and I picked up the wheelchair and met them over there. We arrived at pretty much exactly the same time. So if you're wondering what's faster the answer is both are similar, but probably the walk is faster since I had to get the wheelchair and we arrived at the same time. We did some rides, went shopping, and had lunch at Disneyland.

After a few more rides, we hopped over to California Adventure because DD wanted to see the Pixar parade that was happening over there. The parade was actually really cute. We did a couple more rides there, ate dinner (at which point the parade came by again as we were eating outside), we did a few more rides, and then DD and I hopped back to Disneyland to catch the fireworks while DH went back to the room because he was done.


Before it was time to find a spot for the fireworks we met Mickey and perused a special Disney 100 exhibit they had in the front part of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which was closed for refurbishment. Haunted Mansion (MY FAVORITE! *cry*) was also closed and Splash Mountain was in the process of being converted to Tiana's Bayou Adventure so we didn't get to experience those either. Ah well, we are just going to have to go back!



The Disney 100 thing was cute with concept art and maquettes on display. The fireworks? I dunno. They were fine but I have to say that Disney World definitely has Disneyland beat in this department. After fireworks we went straight back to the room to get some sleep because we had an early morning flight the next morning.

 

[anricat]

We woke up early, finished packing and got an Uber Long Beach airport. The Uber driver was uber chatty and we...were not. When we got to the airport there was a huge line of people trying to check bags and some people were cranky and it was a whole thing but we were plenty early so it was no problem except that we sort of wanted to get some food. After we got into the airport I raced to get into the long line at the coffee shop/bakery and ended up getting us some bagels just in the nick of time before we boarded.

The flight was pretty uneventful and we arrived on time, got our bags and went to get our rental car, which ended up being this giant Jeep thing and the lady was really rude when I went back and asked for what I had actually reserved. She said they didn't have anything else. So we took the giant Jeep thing.

Our first step was to Bogart's in Honolulu for some lunch. DD and DH had acai bowls and I had a quinoa bowl and everything was really good. I think, ultimately, these were everyone's favorite acai bowls of the trip. Bogart's was recommended by my sister-in-law, who grew up on the island. She and my brother-in-law would be joining us in a couple days time.



After lunch, we went over to Ala Moana, which is a shopping mall. We were hoping for some more local type shops and there were a couple, but it was mostly more upscale chains. We did have some good coffee from Island Vintage Coffee and DD had her first of many shave ice.

Around this time we learned that our room was ready, which was nice, so we went over to check in at Aulani. Check in was really smooth and easy and we went up to our room to get settled in. We had a pretty nice view. We had booked an oceanview room and we definitely had a nice view of the ocean, but we also had a view of the Four Seasons parking garage with rooftop tennis courts next door, which, really, was fine. I had asked to not face the pools, mostly because of the potential for noise. So we had a nice high floor which was good.




Later in the afternoon, DD went out to meet some characters and explore the resort and DH and I took a walk over to the "Secret Beach" to check it out. Our plan for dinner was to try a local Italian restaurant, however, they were closed on Tuesdays. We made a plan B and headed out, but plan B restaurant had live music and it was super loud and we were tired and jet lagged and did not want loud. Then we tried another place that also had loud music and left there. Eventually we settled on a Japanese place in the same shopping center that was...fine.






After dinner we went to a nearby ice cream shop called Milky Cereal Bar where they blend sugar cereal with ice cream to made a sort of soft serve with crushed up cereal and then they put even more toppings on top. It was good, but we didn't even make it through two small ice creams between the three of us.

While there, we noticed that there was a Budget car rental office. The Jeep was seriously not working. The parking garage at Aulani was narrow with incredibly narrow spaces and it was hard to park. But the main issue was DD was having a hard time getting in and out of it so we decided to see if we could get in touch with them the next day to swap it. Then we made a quick trip to the grocery store that was in the same parking lot to pick up some breakfast items and snacks we went back to our room and crashed out.

 

[anricat]

DH and I started the day with a visit to a nearby 24 Hour Fitness for a BODYPUMP class. It was a good class and the instructor was super nice. The parking lot of the gym was the same as the one we were at the previous night with the Milky Cereal Bar, Japanese restaurant, grocery store, and Budget car rental. So we went over to the Budget to see what could be done about our car situation. The lady there was super nice and helped us get a more suitable car, for which we were grateful.

While we were gone, DD met some characters. When we got back, we all went down to the pools and had some fun with the lazy river and slides. We also ate lunch at the Snack Shack next to the pool which was...fine. After that I went up to the room to grab our laundry and get that started since we were running low on clean clothes. While the laundry was going, I walked across the street to grab some coffee then went back to the pool, book in hand to enjoy my coffee and book.


DH and DD took a break from their water activities and DH had his coffee before we swapped roles and DH went to monitor the laundry and DD and I went down to the lagoon to check out the ocean. We busted out the snorkles and got into the water and were disappointed to find that the water was completely murky and we couldn't see anything. What a bummer! DD decided she wanted to rent a stand-up paddle board so I went to do that but they were on a waitlist and it was already getting late so we just grabbed a free boogie board instead.


When we were done in the water, I took her over to show her the secret beach before we went back up to the room to get laundry put away and get showered and changed for dinner. For dinner we pressed the easy button and walked across the street to 808 Craft House which was actually pretty good. Then we did a little shopping at the little shops over there and we tried to get some ice cream at the shop there but they were sold out of most flavors so instead we went back to Aulani and grabbed some dessert from the little quick serve place there and ate our dessert while we watched the finale of The Bad Batch.

 

[anricat]

I wasn't sure how this day was going to shake out. I made a lot of these plans before DD boarded the struggle bus but she said she would give it all a try, especially since she tried to take it easy the day before. We got up at 6 AM because we needed to leave by 7 AM to make sure we would arrive at Diamond Head for our reservation between 8:00-8:30 AM. They only take so many reservations in advance and I decided earlier would be better before it got too hot.


We left right on time, encountered minimal traffic on the way, and arrived right on time. It's a good thing we went early because it was already getting really hot out as we started the 1.6 mile round trip journey up, around, and back down Diamond Head. We were rewarded with fantastic views and even though I could tell it was getting a little hard at times, DD did great. Unfortunately, someone else did not. A young woman (20s?) had fainted and was regaining consciousness when we got near the top. Someone was on the phone with 911 and she seemed to have a lot of help and she was talking so that was a good sign so we got out of the way and made our way down as multiple EMS and fireman raced up to the summit. They also had two helicopters. I am hopeful that she made a full recovery and just got a little overheated. I did a google search to see if I could find anything and she was apparently one of two hikers airlifted off that day. Two people were airlifted off earlier in the week: one on Monday and one on Tuesday. This is apparently a regular occurrence! If you're going to hike Diamond Head, make sure that you're properly hydrated, go early in the day, and take breaks as you need to!












After our hike, we decided we needed a snack or coffee or something so we went to try to find another Island Vintage Coffee. We made for the one in Waikiki but it was a madhouse over there and there was no parking so we gave up on that. Then we tried to go get malasadas (very popular Portuguese donuts) at Leonard's but that was also lacking parking and had a line out the door. DD had spotted a cat cafe so we circled back and decided to give that a go. The coffee was pretty good and we enjoyed the little rescue kittens for 30 minutes.






Once we were done at the cat cafe we drove the short distance to Pearl Harbor. We began by spending around 45 minutes walking around and looking at some of the exhibits that they have about the events leading up to the attack. Then we were feeling hungry for lunch so I added our name to the virtual wait list at the restaurant next door and we started making our way over there. Once there, we only had another 10 minute wait or so before our table was ready at Restaurant 604.

After our meal, which was actually quite good, we went back over to Pearl Harbor because it was just about time for us to check in for our 2 PM reservation to go over to the USS Arizona Memorial. The memorial is really well done and it was a moving experience.






On the way back on the boat, DD expressed that she was having a lot of pain so we called it a day and went back to Aulani to relax. On our way back we saw a Leonard's truck and stopped to get some malasadas with no line! They actually are worth the hype, wow!


DD decided she wanted shave ice instead so we found a good option along the way and mapped our way over there to find...a Leonard's truck next to the shave ice truck. We could have made just one stop, but oh well! Ultimately I ended up having shave ice too and I'm glad I did because it was really good (and actually my only shave ice of the whole trip).

By this time, my DH's brother and his wife had arrived in from Seattle and were settling in at her parent's house so we made plans to meet up with them for dinner. We sort of lazed about in our room and relaxed until it was time for dinner. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant called Assaggio in Kapolei. It was solid, basic Italian. After dinner we parted ways with plans to meet up the following day for a trip to the North Shore.

 

[anricat]

DH and I started our day with another BODYPUMP class with my new instructor friend Katie at 24 Hour Fitness in Kapolei. There was another instructor there too and we all became fast friends. (I'm also a BODYPUMP instructor so we bonded.) Katie asked where we were staying and I told her Aulani and she said she worked across the street at Monkeypod. By coincidence, we already had dinner reservations over there for that very evening. How funny!

After class we returned to Aulani, showered and changed and went to pick up DH's brother and his wife at her parents house. It was nice to see her parents again. They are lovely people and we met them at Christmas a couple of years back. After her mom loaded us up with waters we started out for the North Shore, stopping first at Island X Hawaii for a little local shopping along the way. DD got (another) shave ice while we picked up some local coffee, chocolate and other souvenirs.

After that, we got back in the car to see if we could find some turtles. We went to a beach where my SIL said that they often were. We saw one in the surf and another one way way down the beach, but it wasn't quite as turtley as it normally is, apparently.


We got back in the car and continued our scenic drive, stopping off for lunch at a healthy little outdoor eatery called Raised by the Waves (survey says acai bowls are better at Bogart's). After that, my SIL said that we had to sample one of her childhood favorites, Chocolate Haupia Pie from Ted's Bakery. We all enjoyed the pie very much (Hawaii is good at treats) but after that it was time for coffee and we went to find an Island Vintage Coffee that my SIL knew of nearby. (Side note: I made her some chocolate haupia pie for Christmas this year and she loved it.)




We continued our scenic drive, with bonus traffic, dropped DH's brother and his wife back at her parent's house so they could grab their car (it was on the way) and then went back to Aulani for a super quick change of clothes before racing over to the Ko Olina Marina for our sunset catamaran sailing with Ko Olina Ocean Adventures.

I have sort of mixed feelings about the catamaran sailing. It was very pretty and it was nice and chill. The crew was great and they had plentiful snacks and drinks. However, it felt a little long and I got very seasick, even with motion sickness meds. Maybe it was long because I was feeling sick? But I don't think so. I think it could have been 30-45 minutes shorter and been better. They said it would be from 5-7, however, it was actually closer to 7:20 and so we were running behind for our dinner reservation at 7:30 so that was stressful.




After the sailing, we popped back to the room really quickly to change and then went across the street to Monkeypod for dinner. Katie, the BODYPUMP instructor wasn't our server but she came over a couple of times to chat and we also got comped some cornbread and she gave us a piece of pie for dessert. We were too stuffed to eat it, but we took it with us and put it in our fridge for later. After dinner we walked back across the street to collapse into bed and BIL and SIL drove back to their place.

 

[anricat]

On Saturday I decided to try one of the workouts at Aulani. I had signed up online in advance but it really wasn't necessary. There was plenty of space. It was a beach bootcamp and we did some stuff up on the (shaded) grassy area and then we would run down and back up the beach. It was challenging but fun and the trainer was great. I was impressed.

We ate lunch at the resort and then met up with my BIL and SIL to drive into Honolulu to go to Iolani Palace. I'm usually really good at researching stuff but their website wasn't clear to me that you needed to have a reserved time. However, it wasn't a huge deal because we were able to get a time slot about 30 minutes after we arrived. Unfortunately that meant that we didn't put enough money in the parking meter so I sort of ended up racing through the second part of the upper floor to get back in time to get the car.


It was a nice audio tour, however, and we all enjoyed our time there learning more about the rise and fall of Hawaiian monarchy and the last queen who lived (and was eventually imprisoned) there. After our tour we set off in search of coffee with parking (easier said than done) but we ended up finding a spot and enjoyed some afternoon caffeination. Our original plan was to also hit up the Bishop Museum, however, we didn't have enough time to do that before they closed so instead SIL suggested that we take a scenic drive up to Tantalus Lookout.






The drive was really pretty and we really enjoyed the lookout at the top. The timing worked out just right for our reservation for dinner at Fete. We met up with my SIL's parents and had a really good meal (probably my favorite of the trip). After dinner we went for a short walk around the area and then parted ways and went back to Aulani.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Loving all the pictures and the read!

 

[anricat]

It was our last day so we had a fairly leisurely morning. I went to another workout with trainer extraordinaire, Tyrus who took us through a beach kettlebell workout. Once again, his programming was top notch and the workout was accessible for all levels but also challenging. I showered and we finished packing, checking out pretty much on the dot at 11 AM.

We drove to my SIL's parents house and dropped off baggage for safekeeping, picked up BIL and we were off to the windward side of the island (east). SIL stayed behind to spend some one on one time with her mom. Our first stop was to Island Snow, President Obama's favorite shave ice and also inexplicably, a clothing shop. DD had her final shave ice of the trip. I was saving myself for a coffee.

After shave ice (and my BIL bought hat) we headed off to a recommended local coffee shop and had some really not great coffee that made me wish I'd had that last shave ice. Oh well, you win some you lose some and we helped a small business. After this, we made the drive to Byodo-In Temple. I have to say that this was my favorite portion of the island. The drive was absolutely breathtaking and if I ever came back, I would want to stay on this side of the island. I really just liked the scenery and the vibe so much.



















Byodo-In was a beautiful temple in a breathtaking setting. There are also a number of different cemetery plots surrounding the entire area around Byodo-In. I'm really glad we took the trip. It was completely different and unique. We drove back, making a stop to pick up some local honey from Manoa Honey. We got a bottle for ourselves and a couple of extras as a gift. The macadamia nut honey is so good! I love buying honey from various places we visit and tasting how the different plants and flowers change the flavor of the honey.

We dropped off BIL and picked up our luggage so we could make our red eye flight back to Austin. We had a direct flight home on Hawaiian Airlines, which was nice but the red eye is rough (though it's nice to have the last full day of sight seeing). We had a nice time, but it was also good to be home.

 

[PinkPaper]

What a great trip report! So many photos and lots of details, will try some of your restaurant and coffee suggestions next time I’m on Oahu. And one day I hope to stay at Aulani!!

 

[Finerfam]

After shave ice (and my BIL bought hat) we headed off to a recommended local coffee shop and had some really not great coffee that made me wish I'd had that last shave ice. Oh well, you win some you lose some and we helped a small business.

Very much enjoyed reading your trip report! Any chance you remember the name of the not so great coffee shop?

 

[anricat]

Very much enjoyed reading your trip report! Any chance you remember the name of the not so great coffee shop?

Chadlou's

 

[Finerfam]

Chadlou's

Oh man, it has good reviews online! That's a shame.

 

[anricat]

Oh man, it has good reviews online! That's a shame.

Maybe it was an off day? My SIL recommended it so I dunno.

 

[EllieBride]

Enjoyed your report. Sounds like you had a great trip. Your daughter is a trooper for tackling Diamond Head.

 

[Ashlotte]

Great report. Thank you for all the great details!

 

[Orbitz2003]

Great report !