Hawaii Here I Come! TR July/Aug 2011 UPDATED 8/23 - Page 21 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
The wrap-up info will be very useful when trip planning. Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Thanks for the wrap up!
Thanks! I really want to make sure I share as much detail as possible in case anyone reading wants to pick up hints for their own trip. I love reading all of your TRs so I can learn from what you all liked and didn't like, so I want to do the same here!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Let me just do a quick wrap-up here on travel and getting around.
What Worked - Travel
Hawaiian Airlines was great. I've flown them before from the mainland and wish I could've flown them this time, but for some reason their prices were always significantly more than I could find elsewhere. Then, about a week or two before our trip, I saw Hawaiian start to advertise round trip LAX to HNL for about $400, which is more in line with what I would've expected. Oh well. Paying only $10 for our checked bag was really nice. I checked on their website and it looks like after August 31, their inter-island fee will go up to $17. Trans-pacific is $25.
I ended up purchasing my tickets through Cheap Tickets. I could've saved about $20 per ticket on Expedia, but for some reason that site wouldn't let me indicate 1 adult and 2 children...it only let me put 3 adults, and with all the TSA warnings on the site about making sure each person had identification, I didn't want there to be an issue when I showed up with 2 kids in tow without drivers licenses!
Avis Car Rental was great. I think Avis and Budget are "related" so the shuttle at the airport stopped at both Budget and Avis. It's very convenient at Kona Keahole Airport (well, you saw how tiny the place was!). When you exit the baggage claim area (which is covered but outdoors...well, the whole airport is "covered but outdoors" ) you can pretty much just walk across the street and wait for your rental car shuttle to drive by. I know they also have rental car desks across the street, but there's no need to go there if you already have a reservation. I usually go with Hertz on the Big Island, but this time the best rate I found was with Avis, and I was very happy with their service.
Rental Car Tip #1 - be sure you reserve a car ahead of time. When I was picking up my car at Avis, two people approached the desk without a reservation and were turned away. The only thing Avis had left was a large (luxury?) size car which would've run I think $80 a day plus fees and taxes, etc., so both parties walked away in search of a less expensive rental elsewhere.
Rental Car Tip #2 - if you plan to be doing a lot of driving around the Big Island, especially to see things like Mauna Kea or Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, make sure you get more than just an economy car. It wasn't mentioned to me this time, but in my prior visits, we were told we could not take our car (we usually get something between compact and intermediate) up to Mauna Kea or any other hilly roads. The Volcano area isn't so bad, but if you want to drive up to the Onizuka Observatory which is halfway up Mauna Kea, you'd better have a 4 wheel drive car because you sure don't want to get stuck on those roads.
What Sort Of Worked - Travel
United was ok. I don't mind flying United. I usually end up choosing them if they cost the same as everyone else. I know all airlines are cutting costs, but I just couldn't believe they didn't even give us a bag of peanuts for a 5 1/2 hour flight! James flew Hawaiian, and they at least got a sandwich!
Driving around Oahu is a bit like driving around a major city. Traffic seems to get worse each time I visit. I'm thankful I could borrow Perri's car and not have to deal with a rental. Waikiki does have some one lane roads, so you have to be careful. Also, Honolulu is not laid out in a grid pattern, so there are lots of windy curvy roads that make no sense when you're not sure if you should turn left or right. Also, they do try to alleviate congestion by making traffic lane changes during high traffic hours (remember that day I tried to get on the freeway and then got sent right back off at the next exit?). Freeways are the same. They actually have a giant truck that moves those giant concrete block dividers from one side of a lane to the other side, so that it can increase a lane on the side that needs it (does that make any sense to you?). We saw it the day we drove to Ko Olina, but since I was driving and Perri was on the phone, neither one of us could take a picture of it.
Anyhow, it's really no different from driving on the Mainland. The freeway signage is good. It's not a difficult place to navigate. Driving from the airport to Ko Olina isn't difficult at all. Going into Waikiki is a little tricky but pretty simple if you have some kind of navigation device (or a passenger who's good at reading a map!). Parking in Waikiki is very difficult, though, and hotel parking is expensive (I paid $24 a night for self parking at the Hilton...didn't even ask how much valet was). There's very little public parking available, and what little street parking is usually filled by locals who live in the area. If you stay in Waikiki, try to stay in the middle of Waikiki beach. It's very walkable, but if you stay on one end (like the Hilton), then it's quite a walk down to the other end...no more than a mile or two, but it feels like 10 miles when you have to do it in the heat!
What Didn't Work - Travel
Please don't let me fly a red eye with the kids again! The kids did great. I was the one who didn't get any sleep! Thank goodness it was on the way home, and Pat offered to pick us up. We would've been in bad shape if I had to drive home after that flight! Going to Hawaii it's 5 1/2 hours. Coming back it's 5 hours. In case you were curious.
I think I'll just have to take daytime flights with the kids from now on, even if we end up arriving late on the first day or leaving early on the last day (I hate missing out on the first or last days!). I just don't think it's worth it to arrive as a zombie!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Sorry for the lack of update, but it's been a couple of crazy days. I'll try to do my wrap-up of shopping and food tomorrow. I still want to take pictures of some of our purchases to share with you, too!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
I need to keep going on this, or I'll never get it done!
What Worked - Food
I really didn't have any bad experiences on this entire trip, so pretty much everything "worked" for us food-wise!
Well, you already know what my favorite dining experience was...Merriman's in Waimea! That was a really really really yummy meal! Good food, good service. I recommend reservations for dinner, especially for a weekend night, as that place was packed!
The other two TS place I tried on the Big Island are tied for second. Merriman's Market Cafe at Kings' Shops-I only went there once for the tapas, but James went there twice and loved both times. Eddie Aikau Restaurant also at Kings' Shops - this was really good, too. The 3 course meal was really good, and the service was good as well!
Island Gourmet Market was extremely convenient if you are staying in a condo/apartment in the Waikoloa area. It was a full size market with everything you need, but it was quite pricey. I guess you pay for that convenience!
If you are a Costco member, you should definitely consider doing most of your food shopping at the Costco that's just a few minutes from the Kona airport. The prices were almost half what I paid at Island Gourmet. Of course it's about a 25 minute drive from Waikoloa, but if you're going to be heading down to Kona anyway, it's worth it.
Eggs 'n Things on Oahu was really good and fun. The waiting was NOT fun so I recommend if you really want to try it, arrive around 7am, not 8am! Also, keep in mind there's no parking there, so if you're not walking from a nearby hotel, I'd look into parking before you head over there...and that goes for all of Waikiki really. Most restaurants that aren't part of a hotel don't have parking lots, so keep that in mind.
Breakfast at Tropics Bar and Grill at the Hilton Hawaiian Village was really good. We only tried the breakfast there, but the continental breakfast buffet we had was great, and eating so close to the beach/ocean was just a perfect way to wake up! I wish we had returned for lunch, as the menu looked very good.
Thoughts on eating at Aulani - it looks like there will be several fine dining choices both at Aulani and in the Ko Olina area. There's already a Roy's in Ko Olina (really good food...I've eaten at his Kauai restaurant, and it was wonderful!). Peter Merriman is opening his Monkeypod Kitchen bistro restaurant some time next year. I'm sure Disney has some great offerings lined up for Aulani itself.
If you are staying at Aulani, I think going to Kapolei for groceries is very convenient. The town is just one exit away on the highway (going back toward Honolulu). I saw a market, a Longs Drugs, and lots of QS and CS type restaurants...plus a gas station (I don't recall seeing a gas station in the Ko Olina resort area, but I don't think I've driven through the entire resort so there might be one hidden somewhere in there).
Malasadas are really yummy. I think there are other places on Oahu which sell them, but Leonard's is probably the best known. The main bakery is in Waikiki, but there's a smaller place (Leonard's Jr.) that we went to that's just a tiny little storefront in a strip mall in Aiea (sort of near Pearl Harbor).
Shave ice is also a great Hawaiian treat. You can get them at lots of places, but Minnie says Waiola Shave Ice is the best. They're in Honolulu, not too far from Waikiki and Hilton Hawaiian Village (but too far for us to walk). If you go to the North Shore, Matsumoto and Aoki's are two shave ice places that are popular. I've had the one at Aoki's, and it was very very good!
Dole Plantation was fun, and the Dole Whip was just what we needed on a hot day!
For more food (and shopping and activities) ideas, grab one of the many tourist magazines and pamphlets that you'll find at the airport near baggage claim, walking the streets around Waikiki, and in many other tourist destinations. A lot of them contain coupons for discount dining as well!
I think that's all my tips for food in paradise. Overall, just enjoy the tropical fruits...almost all of it is grown locally, so it's fresh and yummy!
I have a few thoughts on shopping that I'll try to share tomorrow. I know, I know, when will she finally stop talking?!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
I'm really late to the party, but I'm all caught up now and I just LOVED your TR! I definitely hope to visit Hawaii someday, so this has been very interesting for me.
I don't know if you've seen High School Musical 2, but I've got the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a song stuck in my head now!!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Sounds like a great trip start to finish!! Looking forward to the rest of your wrap up and tips as I definately hope to make it to Hawaii in the not too distant future
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'm really late to the party, but I'm all caught up now and I just LOVED your TR! I definitely hope to visit Hawaii someday, so this has been very interesting for me.
I don't know if you've seen High School Musical 2, but I've got the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a song stuck in my head now!!
It's never too late to join! Thanks for reading! Yeah, once you learn how to say humuhumunukunukuapua'a, it's really hard to stop! HSM2 was big for my daughter, so I got to hear the music ALL THE TIME, lol!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Great wrap-up of all the food you enjoyed!
Thanks! Next time, I'm going to try to really give more description of the flavors like you do, and whether they go well together! Now if I could learn to appreciate wine better, I could try to review wine pairings like Heather does!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Can't beat the food you had! I'll definitely be referring back to this report when I plan my trip.
I really hope you can visit Hawaii some day! The food is extraordinary...the freshness of the fish dishes and the flavors of the tropical fruits all go so well together!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great food notes!
Thanks! It's all about the food with me on my trips! Before I scout out the sights to see, I scout out all the best restaurants!
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.M.
Sounds like a great trip start to finish!! Looking forward to the rest of your wrap up and tips as I definately hope to make it to Hawaii in the not too distant future
I sure hope you can! You won't be disappointed as there really is something for everyone in Hawaii...and it's not all about surfing and beaches (although there's plenty of that if you're interested!).
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
I had really hoped to do a shopping wrap up tonight, but I was at an alumni event this afternoon that I put together, and it just has me beat. Tomorrow I'm taking the kids to DLR since it's our last day before our passes expire and we probably won't be getting new passes until closer to Christmas time...which means, we'll probably be at the parks open to close to make sure we see everything we want to see! I'll try to put my thoughts together early next week as well as take some pictures of some of our purchases to share. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
