Hawaii 2023 Day 4 & Beyond

Must remember to move the first post to this blog...  

Day 4: Disney A'ulani Resort 

The day started very early, with the unmistakable whoop whoop of a house alarm, at 3:30 we put on shoes, grabbed the car key, room keys to the other hotel, wallets and phones and headed outside for a quiet pool side star gaze. We were very much in the wrong location, but it was the closest "out" nearest our room and we weren't alone. After the fire trucks came, there was an announcement in the hotel that we could not hear, and Jessica called the front desk. We were given the all clear, so back to bed we went. It wasn't easy but we all managed to get another couple hours of rest. 

At a more reasonable hour, we joined our friends at the pool, and they had secured six lounge chairs in the shade. We spent a lovely day swimming in the pools, floating the lazy river and the LT's popped out to the lagoon for a dip in the ocean. In the afternoon we moved our luggage from our room to the K's room, and then to the cars. We hung out at the pool until we were done with Disney. The pools were great, the service fantastic, but the age group was very much younger. Lots and lots of babies and little kids. Our main hotel also has lots of families, but the demographic seems to be a bit older. 

Once back and settled in our primary hotel, I did the mom thing and used the washer dryer. It has been nice to wash as we go, not only so that we don't bring home a giant pile of heavy wet stuff, but to keep the favorite items in rotation. We dined at the "good" restaurant at the hotel. and I don't think any of us was too impressed.

Off to bed to get ready for our tourist day.

Day 5:  

The plan for day 5 was to visit the Pearl Harbor national Park.   The drive into Honolulu wasn’t too challenging, but parking was a bit of an event.   One thing to note about the park is hat bags are not permitted, so I paid $7.00 to stow my bag in an air conditioned hut.   The bag had almost nothing in it once I removed my credit card, phone and trusty hair tie.  Oh well…

Everyone should visit the Memorial at least once.  It was moving, interesting, and very well done.   I think both my dad and Jason’s dad were with us in  spirit as we experienced the sites.   We had tickets to the Arizona memorial, but paid extra to wander around the Submarine museum.   The feature attraction was the USS Bowfin Submarine, a decommissioned World War II submarine.  The USS Bowfin was a “silent service” vessel meaning that to be stealth the servicemen on board were required to be silent so as to not be detected.    It was commissioned one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor.   

There was a ramp from the park to the top of the submarine  and before I knew it we were ushered  to a set of stairs, nope a ladder that led into the submarine.   The self-guided tour was incredible, but also hot, sweaty, and spaces were TIGHT.   This was not a simulation, but we were moving through the sub from the aft to the stern through about 6 bulkhead doors, (not a hatch) of rather small nature.  Not at all ADA compliant.   Once we were in the sub, the only way out was to keep moving forward.   It is apparent that the navy submariners were not ever going to be in the NBA.  The cots, or bunks were at most 5 feet long., and the head was not made for comfort.   It’s impressive that these men lived like that.    The subs to today are much bigger, but probably still not like a fancy cruise ship.

Once topside, we took many photos and then purchased the photo of our family that was printed on the “newspaper” from 1941, the day after the attack.   Cheesy - yes, but nicely done and the proceeds returned to the museum.   Better money spent than a tacky water bottle in the shape of a large missile.  (Available for purchase at the USS Bowfin gift shop for $39.99.)

We wandered through a couple of the on site exhibitions that talked through the Second World War, the Cold War, and then the information about the attack on Oahu.  (It was much more than just Pearl Harbor.). Lucy and Sophie were noticeably disturbed by the actions of humans and were confused as to why anyone would sign up to participate in something that would most likely lead to their deaths.   Hard to explain …

Our time to go to the Arizona arrived and our group was lead into an auditorium where a very somber US Park ranger, Daniel made it clear that this was not an exposition, or an experience but a living cemetery where 1200 bodies were still entombed beneath the water.  We were instructed that we could take photos but no social media would be tolerated.  I can only imagine how they had to come to the point of being crystal clear that that activity was not appropriate.  

We were lead down to a pier where three active Naval service persons were on hand to get us onto the boat and tot he memorial.  Once across the harbor to the memorial the size of the Arizona became clear and the somber news of the location was palpable.   Most everyone was in their own quiet groups, some asking questions of the park ranger on hand, and others moving about the memorial.   At one end, there is a space that had the names of the servicemen who perished on the Arizona, and the names of the survivors who had chosen to be interred with their fellow servicemen.   It was “just a big white room” but you could really feel the importance of it.  Everyone was quiet and purposeful about taking in the names, but at one point a young boy about 6 or 7 noted the excellent acoustics and belted out a very loud chorus of “who let the dogs out?”, the mom, who obviously had never had to threaten the sweet prince before, shushed him, but he was a defiant little jerk and dropped an additional chorus in a slightly quieter, but equally less reverent manner.   I had to walk away… but from that moment on, any time there is a quiet moment in our group travels, I think a round of “who let the dogs out” will ring through the car. Maybe Lucy and Sophie will sing a round at my funeral someday.  

Back to the hotel for a refreshing dip in the pool and dinner in the room. All parties agreed that our hotel room dinner was better than the one from the night before.  

Day 6: The Dole Plantation

The K’s attended a sales pitch for their vacation club, so the LT’s had a quiet morning and a homemade breakfast. Something about the scrambled eggs made by a vacationing Jason that just hit the spot.  

We reconnected at noon to head to the Dole plantation for a tour and “dole Whip”.  Upon arrival the line for the train was one hour, so we opted not to park and just head over to the North Shore. We were in search of food trucks  and then off to Turtle Bay.

Oddly, we haven’t spent any cash on this trip and the $20 I threw in just in case it was needed meant that we were limited to food trucks that would take credit cards. Lucky for us, that is most (but not all). Our food truck lunch has probably been the best food we’ve had so far. This is likely owing to the fact that we’ve been eating at resorts.  My taco salad made me very happy and I know Jason and Lucy loved their burrito and pork tacos.

We then ventured north to Turtle Bay.  The traffics was slow, but it was an interesting ride.    On the way back I was on the Ocean side and spotted dolphins jumping in the water.  

After a short ride we arrived at the Turtle Bay Resort.  This is a beautiful property and a bit of a price jump from our location.  The lobby was open on all sides and the views were stunning. We made use of the restrooms, spent some money in the hotel general store, and then popped out to the beach.    It is our understanding that all beaches on the island are public. No one questioned our group as we marched through the fancy beach chairs to the beautiful lagoon. We hopped right in the water and played until we were watered out. 

The K’s popped back into the hotel to change and  buy some stuff at the Turtle Bay gift store while we sanded off at the car.  The drive back was longer than the trip out, but the sights were amazing.

Back at the hotel, the families split into their own pods and dined separately .  No drama just different agendas.   Lucy, who was shorted out of shave ice AND dole whip today decided to skip the Mud Pie at dinner.   We also opted to skip the pool tonight in favor of a good shower and quiet time in our room.

Tomorrow looks to be a beach day, which is perfect for our last day.

Hawaii 2023 - Journal

Travelers: Jason, Lucy (12) & me (aka "the LTs") Zack, Jessica & Sophie (11) (sometimes called "the K's") 

Reason for travel: summer vacation, and to celebrate Jessica's 50th birthday 

Location of trip: Oahu, Hawaii Day 1: travel day, Seattle to Honolulu 

Our 11:20 am flight left a bit late, but spirits were high with the three in our party. The flight was smooth, nothing exciting to report, but we did notice the two house cats, one dog and two babies on the flight who seem to call to one another from row 6 to row 20. "Are you still here?"..."Yes, I'm stuck back here, am unhappy. You?", "Heck yeah, I'm pissed." 

With the time zone change, we arrived 6 hours later at 3pm. My only complaint about the whole day is that the Honolulu airport has very little signage as to the location of the rental car wing. It wasn't until I was at the door to cross the street to the rental cars that I saw the first sign for the rental cars. With the key fob to the sexiest, no frills Dodge minivan we loaded up our luggage and headed off to the Marriott Ko' Alina to meet our friends. They were already at the pool, so we found our gear and plopped ourselves into the water to cool off, and begin the process of "un-pleugging" 

Small segue: On our Disney cruise last spring with the K's, the adults took part in a Mojito tasting. The gentleman who was leading the event had an interesting accent and told us that it was so great that we were all there to unplug. However, it sounded like "un-pleuge". Un-pleuge has become part of our friend lexicon. It is used in many ways, such as "my toilet is pleuged", "Did you un-pleuge the iron?", and of course "It it so wonderful to un-pleuge in this pool." 

We opted for a no frills dinner at the pool café, and Lucy said that the pork sandwich was the best she's ever had and hopes to eat it every day. (We're on day 4 now and we haven't been back, but there is still time.) Our room at the Ko' Alina is a "one bedroom villa" which means we have a king bed in a separate zone, a dining table for 6, and a pretty functional kitchen with zero storage, but a dishwasher and washer/dryer. Lucy, sadly has to sleep on the couch pull out, but she's not complaining and sleeping well. She is aware of the fact that these amazing vacations are in our budget, but sometimes the cost of an extra room, or the suite with multiple real beds is not. 

Day 2: Sunday We awoke at 3 am local time and did our fair best to go back to sleep. Later, but still early, we popped out to a grocery store to pick up beverages, and things that should not be purchased at Costco when you're only around for 7 days. At 10, when Costco finally opened the adults went to gather supplies. With a haul in hand, we unpacked our treasures and ate a hearty lunch in our villa. We estimate that each meal we eat here will save us at minimum $80 or more. We aren't on a room PB&J budget, but it's supper nice to be able to scramble eggs in the room. Costco has begun to test out fresh sushi in certain locations, and we were excited to see it in the store. The sushi makers are sort of caged in a mini-kitchen and are rolling Japanese treats for the masses. Zack picked up a platter of sashimi, and I grabbed the platter with the dragon roll and California rolls. Between the 6 of us, we made quick work of it. With all caution aside we skipped the 30 minute waiting requirement for swimming and popped down to the pool for the afternoon. As adults, we now know that the 30 minute waiting period was just a plot to let the adults un-pleuge for a tiny window between the effort to feed kids and the next activity. 

Dinner that night was at a place that Jason's colleague suggested "Monkey Pod". I had the boring fish and chips, which were fabulous. Sophie, who had reached the end of her energy ordered a noodle soup that the adults loved, but she was not impressed. It was unfortunate for her. She is an adventurous eater, but her food critic ratings see a dramatic decline when she is exhausted. 

Day 3: Monday Zack & Jason, the big breakfast fans took themselves on a man-date to the Four Seasons to try their breakfast buffet. One of the many great things about traveling with friends is that there's usually someone who wants to play your game. I don't mind going out for breakfast, but I'm more of a lunch person and for sure, I'm only going to eat one egg and never come close to justifying the cost of a $60 buffet. While the boys had fancy eggs (and probably a bloody mary or two) we packed up an overnight bag because we all were going on a sleep over to the Disney A'ulani resort (which is next door to our Marriott resort.) Jess used some vacation club points to get us each a small room for one night. This allowed us two full days on property to enjoy the pool and amenities. We didn't check out of the Marriott, so we only had to deal with stuff for one night. This was a bit more work that we thought, so I'm very glad we chose do to this activity early in the trip. People can write entire articles about the A'ulani experience, so I won't go into it too much but it was wonderful. The pools are nicely done, the lagoon is superb, pool food is probably the best we've ever had. Finding 6 deck chairs together was not easy, but we did it both days. The second day we were in the shade and it was delightful. Goofy stopped by while we were eating breakfast to let Jason know his food looked yummy, ran into Moana while we were in the lazy river and had to dodge a gaggle of tiny humans who were trying to get hugs from Pluto. It was cute. The room was more fancy than our Mariott villa, but far more compact. I could never live in a place that has shutters for doors between all the spaces, including the toilet. It's hard to un-pleuge when people can hear you. 

We planned to attend the Paradise Cove luau, that was next door to A'ulani that evening, so after a fun day in the water we cleaned up and headed over. It was a short walk and when the show was over I know we were back at A'ulani before some of the folks were out of the parking lot. The show was great, Sophie got pulled onto the stage by the fire eating guy and was a great sport about it. Jason and I privately noted that the Feast of LeLe in Maui was a much more elegant event but the K's seemed to have a great time, which is all that mattered. No need to go on an on about a different event. Back at A'ulani we settled in for a good night sleep. 

Day 4: Tuesday 3:30 a.m. the unmistakable whoop of the emergency alarm woke us up, and we were instructed to leave the building due to an emergency. We grabbed phones, the car key, and our wallets and headed to the nearest exit. Because we were on the ground floor, this meant we exited to the pool area and were met with 4-5 other families. we convinced ourselves that it was all nothing and that we should go back in to bed but decided to hold off once we heard the sirens. We do know that in certain situations the fire department must clear any alarms, so we didn't think the hotel was going to burn down, but it did make the event a bit more real. Once we got the all clear we headed back in and were able to go back to sleep. We were up at an later, but still early hour and were at the pool before breakfast. That's it for now, I'm on the lanai (Wed am) and am out of coffee and need to either put on sun screen or step inside.