Hawaii Here I Come! TR July/Aug 2011 UPDATED 8/23 - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you! Sophia is especially excited about Eggs 'N Things and the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. She's been talking about it every day!
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Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Sounds like fun-- a day of shopping with a like-minded friend! Leave those grouchy people at home and take your time. It looks like you can find everything and more at that swap meet.
To be honest, I'm not even sure we'll make it through the entire thing. The description on the website says there are over 700 vendors there! I think I'll be happy if we can make it through even half of it, but at least I know this time we'll be able to take our time and not be rushed out of there!
__________________
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'll have to look up info on the sandals - always looking for comfy ones!
You really should! A few years ago, I couldn't find them anywhere on the mainland. I see that they now have some places carrying their products. Unfortunately, nothing showed up for Virginia, but maybe soon!
The sandals really are comfy. The one I originally fell in love with is the Tropical Print Slide. The sole is padded and is made of a suede like material. It's really comfy, but keep in mind that over time the suede becomes smooth, or if you get it wet, it will smooth out even faster.
Anyhow, I love them, but I know they're pricey. Since I just wear these casually, or some even semi-casually, I don't fuss too much about the fabric. I'm happy to check out their discount section and just pick something comfy! But still, I think they're worth their retail price...I just wouldn't be buying as many pairs!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Well, I guess I didn't need to worry about running out of things to share. Ideas just keep falling onto my lap!
The last time our group vacationed in Waikoloa, we ate at a restaurant at Kings' Shops called Merriman's Market Cafe. It was one of those things where this big group of people with varying tastes in food couldn't decide where to go for dinner. We saw Merriman's and decided to eat there. There was patio seating covered with large umbrellas (though the sun was mostly down by the time we ate there). It was a beautiful warm night out, and we had a really good meal (the menu had an Italian flare, if I recall).
Anyhow, I'm very active with my college alumni group. I was speaking with someone from the college office when I mentioned that I would be in Hawaii later this month. She told me that there was a pretty famous chef in Hawaii who's an alumnus. She looked into it and told me it was Peter Merriman, the owner chef of Merriman's Market Cafe and 3 other restaurants on the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai! She put me in touch with some alums in Hawaii who in turn told me that they would get word to Peter to see if he would be on the Big Island while I'm there!
Anyhow, whether he's there or not, I'm going to see if I can dine at his main restaurant on the Big Island, in Waimea/Kamuela. His website says that 90% of the ingredients in his dishes are grown locally! Supporting a fellow alum and supporting local growers! Double win!
If you're ever in Hawaii, check out one of his restaurants! Merriman's Restaurant - Peter Merriman I know you won't be disappointed. I'll try to eat either at his main restaurant or again at the Market Cafe and report back!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Jeannie, I just started reading Unfamiliar Fishes by Sara Vowell. It's a short history of the missionary movement in Hawaii and subsequent annexation as a US territory. You probably already know much of what's in the book, but I'm finding it fascinating! Just the information on how the food has evolved with the Polynesian, Asian, Portuguese, Philipine influences is interesting (and sometimes peculiar!).
Jeannie, I just started reading Unfamiliar Fishes by Sara Vowell. It's a short history of the missionary movement in Hawaii and subsequent annexation as a US territory. You probably already know much of what's in the book, but I'm finding it fascinating! Just the information on how the food has evolved with the Polynesian, Asian, Portuguese, Philipine influences is interesting (and sometimes peculiar!).
That sounds interesting! I love all kinds of history, and the evolution of food history is up my alley! I'll look into that! And yes, what little I do know, is very interesting and peculiar, but it ends up being tasty nonetheless!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Thanks for following along, everyone! I know this is kind of just humdrum regular vacation planning stuff, but it's getting me so excited about my trip! Plus, I'm a storyteller at heart, so every time I think of something related, I just have to share the story with you!
Anyhow, I have a vacation planning update today. I finally got the rental car reserved last night. Remember how I told you James made his reservation weeks ago and spent over $300? Well bless his heart, he's a sweetie, but he's not the obsessive planner I am! It really is worth it to him to reserve something when he thinks about it so he doesn't have to worry about it later. I, on the other hand, want to make sure I'm getting the best deal possible!
So, I had checked out Expedia, Travelocity, and all those places a few weeks ago, and I couldn't beat James' deal. How is that possible?! Anyhow, we had let our AAA membership lapse last year (to save a few bucks, I mean who hasn't been trying to save a few bucks, right?). I'm thinking that I'll probably want to get a membership again now that my car is getting older (it's only 4 years old, but I have horrendous luck when it comes to cars...they always seem to die on me around 4 years!), plus I could take advantage of the AAA rental car discount. Well, long story short, I wanted to get the membership through a friend of a friend who works in Northern Cal to see if we could get her points for signing up a new member, but she told me that she can't get credit for selling a Southern Cal AAA membership. Ugh, oh well. I've put in a call to another friend of a friend who lives in So Cal, so maybe I can help her out. In the mean time, I wanted to reserve a car now so I wouldn't forget about it!
I was checking my email last night, and there was a message from Costco about their current sales/specials. I opened up the email (I hardly ever look at them because I get tempted to buy all these cool things at great prices but would never really use in the first place, lol!). Right there in front of me was an ad for Costco Travel..or in other words, rental car discounts! So, I checked that out and settled on Avis for a one week rental of an intermediate size car for...$238! I'm happy about that. I might be able to save a few bucks if I tried looking harder, but it sounds like a good deal, and I'm satisfied for now.
And I think that's about it! All of the "official" planning is complete. The only thing that's really left is looking out for a coupon for airport parking. That's Pat's job.
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Sounds like you have a great trip planned! I can't believe the prices for plane tickets. But having not much hotel expense, that helps I'm sure! Love all the details so far. Can't wait for more!
Sounds like you have a great trip planned! I can't believe the prices for plane tickets. But having not much hotel expense, that helps I'm sure! Love all the details so far. Can't wait for more!
I really think the cost of the plane tickets were so high for two reasons...we were travelling during the super busy season plus gas prices have been so high recently that airlines just had to increase their prices to cover their costs. While I was flight shopping, I saw that Hawaiian Airlines was advertising round trip from LA to Honolulu "starting" from $535, so I knew I wasn't too far off since I did have to hop islands on top of that. Just recently, I saw Hawaiian advertising that same round trip starting from $435 (or was it $465, now I forget), but flying from August 1 and after. That wouldn't work for us since we couldn't really change the dates. So yeah, even though the flight costs were super high, the hotel expense was low so that our overall cost for this trip is still very reasonable for a 10 day trip to Hawaii. Unfortunately, all my points I had to transfer over to Hilton are gone, and it'll take me a few years to build it up again! Next time, no more crazy plane fares!!!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
The suitcase was pulled out a month ago, and it's now half full with mostly things I didn't want to forget...like a swimsuit and my handy dandy waterproof keycard holder on a rope for when I go swimming and don't want my room key lying around where it can be lost or stolen. I've also got 2 bottles of sunscreen and a bottle of aloe vera.
I also packed my Minnie Hawaiian beach sack (I think they're actually called hobo sacks, not sure) that I will use every time I head to the pool or beach. I took a pic of it so you can see it and also to improve my photo uploading and posting skills!
I bought it a few months ago at the Disney Outlet for about $9. It's so cute, and very lightweight (hence easy to dry if it gets wet)! I'm trying to decide what shoes to bring now. I'll most likely bring my Disney Crocs, which are perfect for the pool and beach. I'll bring one pair of sneakers for any hiking/lots of walking activities. I'm not planning on any formal activities, but it's always nice to have one "dressy" outfit in case we decide to go somewhere nice. I had a really nice wedge sandal with a 3" heel that I wore to my brother's wedding in Hawaii many years ago now, but I've really worn that sucker out because the back of the wedge/heel is so scuffed and dirty. I need to buy a replacement...something that you can wear casually yet will also pass for pseudo-fancy! I'll add that to my last minute shopping list.
__________________
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 just checked the 10-day weather forecast! I know, I know, I'm still 14 days away.... Anyhow, almost every single day is high of 81 and low of 73. That's just so hilariously consistent! There are a few days of rain, but I can deal with that when I'll be in HAWAII!!!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
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