Squealing tires; u-Turns; and Hospitalsan Aulani Trip Report - COMPLETE

[DisneyRegulars]

Oh my gosh a SCHWEENIE!!!!!! He was so cute!!! I'm a bit of a weasel person, used to own not 1, not 2, but 5 ferrets, and that SCHWEENIE looked just like a weasel. Our January 2016 WDW trip has now been rerouted to Aulani so I can see all these cool animals.

 

[lumpydj]

Day 8 – 7.27.13

Departure Day – After breakfast, the first thing we all did was get our lime green wristbands – even though we weren’t going to the pool, we wanted a full set – we had all kept our wristbands from each day and took this photo before we left.



We had to pack and empty out the refrigerator. I also wanted to walk around one last time and get some last minute photos. We were all packed up and were ready to go 15 minutes early – which was good, because we had to get gas on the way.

Rob was driving this time – and he took the wrong exit. I guess we were so used to getting off exit 1A for Target, that we forgot the gas was at the next exit. More U-Turns! I guess it wouldn’t be fitting for us to have a day without U-Turns or to go to Target - LOL! We found the gas station and filled up, then drove to the airport, returned the car, and took the shuttle to the airport. We felt bad for the rental car workers that had to clean the cars before the next renter used it. Ours was full of a LOT of sand!

We all checked our bags (one thing to mention – your bags need to go through agriculture inspection before you can check your bags. You’ll need to find an open inspection area – because the one right near where you check in may not be open). Once our bags were checked, we headed to the security line. Apparently, we don’t look foreign – and the security person told us we were in the wrong line – the line we were in was for international flights. Good thing we weren’t in that line long! They directed us to the correct area and we were worried the line was so long we’d miss our flight. The line moved quickly enough and we were on our way – dreading the 16-hour trip home.



Although the flight was long, we all agreed it was well worth it!

Thank you all who stuck with me through this trip report. I learned so much before I went on my trip, so I hope I was able to help someone out with their planning.

 

[lumpydj]

Oh my gosh a SCHWEENIE!!!!!! He was so cute!!! I'm a bit of a weasel person, used to own not 1, not 2, but 5 ferrets, and that SCHWEENIE looked just like a weasel. Our January 2016 WDW trip has now been rerouted to Aulani so I can see all these cool animals.

That's awesome you're getting to go to Aulani! You will LOVE it. You're right, the schweenie does look like a weasel! All I could think of was Timon! Have fun planning your trip!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Aulani is on my wish list in a major way and I have been obsessively reading trip reports in preparation. Marking my place and looking forward to coming back and reading all about your adventure. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[pamlet]

So enjoyed this trip report and all the pictures!

We have tentative plans to go this coming March for my oldest son's 30th birthday!

Looks like y'all had a great time! (other than the illness .. which had to have been a real bummer!)

Thanks for the report!

 

[DisSarahK]

Loved reading your report! We aren't DVC (ahh, I wish!) but we are going to Aulani for a week at the end of March/beginning of May.

 

[blondietink]

Love your trip report! We will be getting to Aulani one week from today!!!!!

 

[mkunichi]

Great trip report! I've got to talk the wife into going out there but she really does not like flying to 12 hours on a plane may take me a lot of talking!

Hey, are you talking about a mongoose?

 

[lumpydj]

Love your trip report! We will be getting to Aulani one week from today!!!!!

Have a great time! I'm sure you'll love it!

 

[lumpydj]

Great trip report! I've got to talk the wife into going out there but she really does not like flying to 12 hours on a plane may take me a lot of talking!

Hey, are you talking about a mongoose?

On the way out to Hawaii, DH claimed we probably would not be going back again. He was not enjoying the 16 hour trip. However, on the way home, he admitted that it was well worth the trip and we would go again. Good luck!

I think you're right! It probably was a mongoose! Cool - thanks for that! The carvings only had the Hawaiian name - so we had no idea.

 

[jerseygal]

Hoping to head to Aulani end of May for our youngest son's high school graduation! First time to Hawaii! Can't wait; AULANI LOOKS AWESOME!

Thanks very much for taking the time to post your beautiful pictures and details! LOVE THE SUNSETS; JUST BEAUTIFUL!

 

[Disney Addicted]

We tossed around ideas for the afternoon and I suggested a drive up to the North Shore and stopping at Waimea Valley. No one had heard of it, so I explained that it’s a botanical garden that you can hike through then see a waterfall.

Luckily, we had our bathing suits on, because we found out we could swim and sit under the waterfall. This was so awesome! For many in our group – this was the best thing we did all week! I wish we had thought to bring our water shoes though – very rocky…

Here's DH and DD



Me and DD

Hi, thanks for your trip report and all the photos! I've been spending the past few days reading as much as I can when I realized our Air Miles are very close for cashing in a RT flight. I need to start, subtly, convincing DH that it's his great idea to take a vacation at Aluani!

I have a question about swimming under the waterfalls. Pretty much everyone is wearing life-jackets in the photos. Is the water that deep? Or has a strong current? I've never swam near a waterfall before so I'm not sure. Ohh, and did you bring your own life-jackets with you or rent them somewhere?

 

[Disney Addicted]

I LOVE the sunset photo. I think it's amazing and one of the best I've seen.

And what a great idea to take a photo with everyone's pool bands on!

 

[lumpydj]

Hi, thanks for your trip report and all the photos! I've been spending the past few days reading as much as I can when I realized our Air Miles are very close for cashing in a RT flight. I need to start, subtly, convincing DH that it's his great idea to take a vacation at Aluani!

I have a question about swimming under the waterfalls. Pretty much everyone is wearing life-jackets in the photos. Is the water that deep? Or has a strong current? I've never swam near a waterfall before so I'm not sure. Ohh, and did you bring your own life-jackets with you or rent them somewhere?

Sorry I'm just seeing your post now! The water is deep but that's not much of the concern. When you are trying to climb up on the waterfall, it's tiring and you'll probably have to try a few times. The vest allows you to rest. There was a place there to borrow the life jackets (not sure if it's required-we didn't ask). The jackets were free to use. You do need to bring a towel. There may have been a place to rent these but I'm not sure - we brought our own.

 

[jerseygal]

THANKS for posting! I had much of the same questions!!!!

 

[GiantsNiners11]

Thanks for posting your trip report! Enjoyed it!!

 

[wanderlust17]

Thanks so much for your report! It was a great read. And yes those are mongooses! We live here and it took us a few weeks to figure out what they were. LOL. They are everywhere! We are going to Aulani for the first time in 13 days and we can't wait! :good vibes