Exploring Disney’s Aulani Resort Grounds, Part 2 (Oahu, Hawaii)

March 19, 2013InACents 1 Comment

After arriving at the Disney Aulani resort in Oahu, Hawaii, and being greeted by an army of waitstaff at the door, we were not given much direction on where to go, specifically as non-staying guests. We were at Aulani just to take in the resort, and really say we just saw it. With that in mind, we were not really too sure how much of the property we would really be given access.

We were not completely sure how the Disney staff would treat us non-registered guests on the property. We did notice everyone was wearing wrist bands of various colors, obviously depicting that they were paying guests, but who knew how strict they would actually be with the policy.

So as we got settled in, Mrs. InACents and the boys went into one of the pools while I continued lotioning up. However, almost immediately one of the staff came over asking if we were registered guests, and told us we could not use the pools. Totally disappointing. However, the real beauty came by way of the little lagoon and beach that was public property.

The wonderful thing about Hawaii is that no matter how exclusive your property, you can not lay claim to the shoreline. That being said, the Disney Aulani resort backs up to a wonderful little nook that provides for terrific beach access and calm waters.

Overall, what did I think of Aulani? Honestly, after coming off a 2.5 week trip to both Disneyland and now Hawaii, Aulani was just rather lackluster to me. After seeing the resort, I would have been extremely disappointed to have dropped a ton of money on a room at Aulani, as I would have felt there just was not enough there to get my money’s worth.

I think the illusion of having to stay in a Disney resort, specifically when visiting Disney World, but also sister sites such as Disneyland or Aulani is way over rated. I have said it many times before. Our family is all about Disney, not spending time in hotel rooms. I just do not see the value in spending extra money on a Disney room, when we would much rather use our savings from a cheaper location to create better experiences.

Grant it, when you pay for Aulani, you are also getting access to their pools and outdoor experiences, but is it worth the extra cost when the free beach is right outside your door?

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Source: InACents

120620 Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park (6)

Pirate Tales at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park

February 20, 2013InACents Leave a comment

One fine day on the Big Island of Hawaii, a pirate crew set out an uncharted journey for what else, treasure. Come along on their exploration to find out what happened to the traveling legends.

The adventurers set out to find the undiscovered in hopes of bringing home the loot for their brethren at a far away land. Their ship (mini-van) was well equipped for the adventure this fine Hawaiian day, with adequate supplies (towels, pale, and shovels). Nestled behind a marina was Ala Kahakai in Kalaoa, Hawaii. After docking their ship, and a short hike, they stumbled upon a rather desolate beach.

By the looks of these photos found at the scene, they were not the first to explore this uncharted territory as evident of the thatched roof structure on the beach shore. However, there was no remaining supplies left by the natives to ward off the summer heat. The pirate crew had no expectations for this adventure, and did not even fully even know what lied beyond the residential remains. However, during the exploration of the site, it was really refreshing to find untapped coastline with very few humans around, as there surely would have been fear of an attack by the natives.

Fortunately, a little further down the beach was a nice little alcove to get out to the water, since the area was scattered with lava rocks, which would have been detrimental to ships. The secluded beach area, with palms to shield the sun, was a perfect spot for our hearty little crew to settle in. Many of the shipmates headed out for a refreshing dip in the Pacific Ocean, while the Captain (myself), as well as the oldest Powder Monkey (age 3) decided to get out their finest gear (the most expensive crab shaped bucket and shovel on the islands) and search for shallow, buried treasure.

As the crew played in the sand, and as any sea-legged kid would do, the tale goes that they started to dig a small home to fill their bucket. As they rummaged through the particles looking for gold, they were approached by a native (Park Ranger/Maintenance Person), sailing onto the scene on his quadruped (golf cart) and told the pirates they were not allowed to scavenge in the sand.

Is a beach not meant for digging? How do you tell a Powder Monkey (kid) that they are not allowed to dig in the sand? Strange. Were they afraid the pirates might excavate historic remains? Seemed like a strange request considering there was no signage or anything heeding the warning.

Did these pirates dig their own shallow grave? We may never know.

That, my friends, is a tale of the famous InACents pirate clan, and how they spent one of their final days amid the palm trees and sand at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. Heed the warning, “do not dig in the sand at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park on the Big Island of Hawaii,” or otherwise dead men have no tale to tell.

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A Video Tour Guide to Teddy Bear World Hawaii (Waikiki)

January 18, 2013InACents 14 Comments

The number one post that no one has asked to see, yet everyone is waiting with excitement to read about is our adventure into Teddy Bear World in downtown Honolulu. We happen to learn of the attraction by shear luck, if you can call it that, due to our addiction to Groupon (the Teddy Bear World offer is currently available again at this link), especially when planning a trip.

After our half week in Oahu, and full week on the Big Island, we headed back to Oahu for a couple days before coming home. First on our list was to use our Groupon, and what would be a full day of fun, kieki (kid) filled activities. By this point in the trip, the boys really needed a day where the entire focus was on them and their enjoyment. No running around to see historic sites or fancy meals. This day was entirely meant to give our boys a release and let them enjoy being kids in paradise.

So off to see a side of Hawaii that really had started out our trip. On the way to the islands, we built in a multi-day stop-over (for free using miles) in Los Angeles, which allowed us to see the birthplace of animatronics, Disneyland. Therefore, some animatronic bears might be the perfect dose to childize Hawaii.

The first half of the museum is dedicated to the 8 Wonders of America, depicting classic scenes, with the main characters being played by lovable, stuffed bears. Who would not love seeing their favorite celebrities, Presidents, or even sports stars played as a bear character?

120624 Teddy Bear World Hawaii- Aloha Luau

Luau Scene

(For those reading this post via email, click here to watch the videos over on my site.)

120624 Teddy Bear World Hawaii- Empire State Building

NYC

Broadway/Times Square

Hollywood

Sports

San Francisco

White House

Lincoln Memorial

Mt. Rushmore

Cape Canaveral

Rocky Mountains

Following a scene out of Hell’s Bear-Angels, guests were led into the frightening Dinosaur Park. Despite scenes of bears and large scale dinosaurs, this is where Bug (3) decided to have a meltdown of epic proportions for fear Jurassic Park had come to fruition. As we proceeded through the scenes with Lan-Shark (1), we were reminded of the terror screaming back at the entrance, painfully more frightening than his reptilian counterparts. Thank goodness we were the only ones in the entire museum.

After making a quick backtrack to carry Bug through the Dinosaur Park, we were beyond the reach of the monsters and back into lovable Bear-dom. What followed in the next section of the museum was an area dedicated towards saving the environments of the bears. There is nothing like a scene of panda riding a unicycle on the roof of a Chinese structure to influence me not to cut down the bamboo forest.

North Pole

Pandas of China

Grizzley Bears

Next up was the actual museum portion of Teddy Bear World. Not only was their historical pieces of relevance detailing the history of the teddy bear, there were scenes depicting all kids of important periods of time in human history. One could see recreations of famous paintings…

Or how about some important, historic scenes…nothing like some bears going down with the ship, or the massacres that were the World Wars to lighten up the moods of the children. Thankfully, some underwater scenes near the end helped liven everyone’s moods.

Titanic

World War

Unknown Scene

Underwater Scene 1

Underwater Scene 2

The finale for the museum included a sideshow of the famous Elvis, performing his historic classics of his time spent in Hawaii. Who is ready to shake their hips?

A stop at Teddy Bear World just would not be complete with a stop at the restroom, and after washing your paws, the kids get some free cotton candy and a balloon when leaving. Actually, Mrs. InACents reminds me that the only way to get free cotton candy at the end was to complete a scavenger hunt, which she got a perfect score on (and may have been the only person in history of actually completing while in Hawaii).

Ready to visit Teddy Bear World? In reality, the boys I think did enjoy their time, minus the dinosaurs, and Teddy Bear World was cutely put together. For us Disney fans, we can appreciate the cheesiness of the exhibits and the light play on scenes to market their stuffed bears. In all, visiting Teddy Bear World was an entertaining hour of our day, and while I would have no need to ever return or see another one, it was an excellent value due to the Groupon discount.

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Hawaii

Exploring Disney’s Aulani Resort Grounds, Part 2 (Oahu, Hawaii)

Pirate Tales at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park

A Video Tour Guide to Teddy Bear World Hawaii (Waikiki)