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.
No comments:
Post a Comment