Trip Report - Oahu - Dec.28-Jan.4
 

Delayed trip report from end of December. Sorry but just been hectic since we've been back. 7 nights Oahu, 2 nights Big Island, 5 nights Maui. Family of 7--myself, my 80-year-old parents (mother in wheelchair), 2 sisters, 1 niece (17) and 1 nephew (13). Let me know if anyone has questions about travelling with a disabled person. Most of our experiences were positive but I wonder about all the people who use the wheelchair accessible washroom stall when there are others sitting empty. One woman saw us coming and ran to beat us in so she could use the wheelchair stall--I had to speak up and mention that it was meant for people in wheelchairs before she would relinquish it to my Mom. We brought our disabled parking permit with us from home and it was invaluable. Most people and places were very helpful and accommodating. One woman in particular who was a nurse helped me with my Mom in the washroom at the PCC. It was pouring with rain and the washroom floor was very wet and my Mom was having trouble slipping and sliding trying to get out of the wheelchair. I'm a small person and my Mom is like dead weight so I really appreciated another pair of hands that time. It made me feel good that people still care.

Very long flight from the East Coast, changed planes in Chicago, uneventful and tedious, thought we'd never arrive. National Car Rental at Honolulu airport, no problems, left everyone at airport, picked up van and came back for them--worked great except I forgot where I left them! But finally found them just a couple doors up from where I thought I left them.

Checked into Resortquest Waikiki Banyan, 2 adjacent one-bedroom condos. Nothing luxurious but everything was fine except sofa bed mattress was very thin, very uncomfortable with springs ticking into my back all night. Elevators also very slow and always filled by the time they got to our floor, hard to find one with enough room to fit the wheelchair.

Walked around to get our bearings the first day, turned in early due to time change. Next day did the breakfast welcome & photo op. Then went to Ala Moana Mall, bought Hawaii clothes at Hilo Hattie's. Sister and I got good deals on muu muus off the clearance rack and nephew got the buy of the trip--a gorgeous Happy shirt for $5!! Germaine's Luau that night, another photo op, a lot of fun, guide was very entertaining, niece's favorite luau.

Fri. Dec.30 went horseback riding at Kualoa Ranch, bit of a disappointment as we didn't see much, but it was a nice sunny day to be outdoors. This was my niece's favorite thing we did on the whole trip. I thought we would see locations where some of the movies and TV shows were filmed. We just climbed a hill, saw a bay and then came back down. Saw some wild pigs though scurrying around in the bushes. Walked down to International Marketplace and Duke's Alley to buy souvenirs when we got back to Waikiki. Went to John Hirakawa's Magic Show that night, another photo op (they never give up!). Not big fans of magic shows but everyone enjoyed this--very funny guy and tricks were good. My Dad loved the big finish where magician made it snow. When we got back home he told everyone we got snowed on in Hawaii.

Sat. Dec.31 went to Arizona Memorial, nephew's favorite thing on the trip. Went to Blue Hawaii The Show (Elvis impersonator) for sister's birthday, she's a huge Elvis fan. (Another photo op as we entered the theatre!) Loved the show. Lots of audience interaction--he came out & talked to us before the show, sang to my sister for her birthday, gave out little stuffed teddy bears when he sang "Wanna Be Your My Teddy Bear". HIghly recommended for Elvis fans.

Sun. Jan.1 took Circle Island Tour. Weather not great, it started raining everytime we stoppd to see anything.

Mon. Jan.2 went to Polynesian Cultural Center, very long day, poured with rain all day, the low point of our trip, cold wet and miserable. They didn't do a lot of the stuff because it was too wet (e.g. canoe pagent). Buffet dinner was okay (didn't do the luau), Horizons Show was the only thing that redeemed this day.

Tues. Jan.3, we were supposed to go snorkeling today but my Dad felt sick after the PCC tour the day before and we didn't want to leave him alone to deal with Mom. Went to the zoo instead. It isn't a big zoo but nephew enjoyed it--got to see the Komodo Dragon which is his favorite animal. They are big and very active, unlike the ones he's seen elsewhere. Drove down to Aloha Tower afterwards, walked around, had dinner at Don Ho's Grill. Very good meal (nephew loved the Surf Board Pizza) and excllent service.

Wed. Jan.4 left for Big Island early in the morning on Aloha Airlines. No problems, allowed us to pre-board because Mom in a wheelchair. Got good seats at front of airplane.

Will continue Big Island report on a separate messge.

Hello antlori - nice report. You're such a dear to take your parents with you. I have traveled with my parents who are the same age, and I know it can be difficult. But what a blessing it is to have you show them around!

I look forward to reading your next segment. For consistency, please continue to post to this thread. No need to start a different one. This way, everyone can read the whole report at once rather than switching back and forth.

Okay, I'll continue with the Big Island on this thread.

Wed. Jan.4 arrived Big Island. Alamo car rental. Left everyone at airport again, picked up van and came back for them. Worked great, airport small and easy to find them. Rental cars very close to airport. No express check-in for Club members at Alamo so had to line up but this was the best van we had on the trip. Dad and the kids took pictures of it they liked it so much. Checked into Outrigger Fairway Villas, 2-bedroom + loft. Best place we stayed on this trip. Everything looked brand new, kitchen was great. Master bedroom beautiful with huge ensuite bathroom. Plenty of space for 7 people. I had the loft to myself (bed very comfortable!). Overlooking the golf course, very quite. Washer and dryer in kitchen. Grocery store a 15-minute drive + shopping plaza 5 minutes away. Couldn't get into our room until 2:30 p.m. so shopped at plaza and had lunch, weather beautiful, sunny and warm, gorgeous property. Bought groceries and dined at home.

Thurs. Jan.5 drove to Hilo (approx. 2 hrs.) for Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour (Circle of Fire). This was the highlight of our trip--totally amazing. We flew over top and looked right inside to see the molten lava (magma)--unbelievable!! Weather was overcast and raining but we didn't even feel it in the helicopter. Ride was so smooth it was just like sitting in an easy chair in your living room. Only one who had a problem was my niece--the helicopter was circling the volcano so my Dad could get good pictures on his video camera and she felt a little sick but everyone else was fine. Bought DVD of our flight; they made personalized DVDs of each trip. Afterwards stopped at chocolate factory and bought some great chocolate to bring home (chocolate with macadamia nuts and potato chips in it--delicious).

Fri. Jan.6 left for Maui on Island Air, no problem, allowed to pre-board again, small Dash 8. Niece again felt sick but everyone else okay. Quite a bit of turbulence.

National car rental, no problem again except airport very busy. Car rental agent did paperwork at airport so van was ready when I go to the lot. This was a bigger van, more like a truck than a minivan. No passenger door on driver's side of van so harder to get Mom in and out of the vehicle but more room for luggage.

Mom's a real trooper. Long flight from east coast, helicopter ride, dragging in and out of van, sopping wet at the Cultural Center, Dash 8 airplane, lining up for the bathroom, nothing bothered her. Although in Honolulu, she did keep trying to go out on the balcony thinking that was the door to the bedroom.

Maui to be continued....

Hi antlori, glad to hear you liked Don Ho's surfboard pizza--I do, too! I wonder if I would have seen you there? (I work at the marketplace.)

As for the disabled bathroom stalls: You know, there are a LOT of people who like to use it because it feels roomy and luxurious to them. I never felt like using it (if there are other stalls) because I always felt it was for wheelchair people only. My siblings, however, all like to use it. hmmm.

I don't like using the wheelchair stalls because the toilet is usually very high and my feet dangle over the side. I'm short and my feet don't touch the floor. Makes me feel like Lily Tomlin's Edith Ann. And that's the truthththth!

I just remembered I didn't finish my Maui trip report.

Fri. Jan.6 - arrived Kahului Airport, picked up National Car Rental, drove to Resortquest Ka'anapali Shores. Got a very good rate by using the Entertainment Book (saved about $100/night) on a 2-bedroom unit with sofabed. This sofabed was much better than the one at the Resortquest Waikiki Banyan. Unit was also more luxurious than the Waikiki Banyan--Master Bedroom was great, very spacious, plus we had washer/dryer right in the unit. Our only complaint was the wind whistling through the door all night made quite a racket. Had to pile the sofa pillows up around the door to block out the noise so we could sleep. Beachfront very small (short & narrow) but the kids enjoyed the pool. Plaza across the street had a grocery store where we shopped for dinner supplies and a pizza parlor that made excellent pizza. Only problem we had was getting Mom across the road. There was no wheelchair ramp from the curb on the hotel side of the road. A couple of us had to lift her and the wheelchair up the curb while traffic was whizzing by!
Sat. Jan.7 - We drove to Lahaina and walked around town, saw the giant Banyan Tree, did some shopping. Went to the Royal Lahaina Resort Luau. Everyone loved this luau. The food was better and the entertainment was great. At the end, all the performers came out to do the fire dancing, even the women--very impressive! Mom and Dad were also given real flower leis for being the couple who'd been married the longest. We also liked that they brought your drinks right to the table so you didn't have to go line up all the time. You didn't even have to ask, just suddenly a new drink appeared by your elbow. What great service.
Sun. Jan.8 - Got up early and did the Road to Hana tour. This was something the kids were not too excited about but we told them to trust us they would like it. They didn't like it, they LOVED it! This was a big hit once we got onto the "unpaved" section. My sister and I and her 2 kids sat in the four seats across the back of the minibus and we really got a thrill ride. We bounced around so much that my sister's can of coke was flat by the time we were through. The kids were laughing so hard the driver said we were having entirely too much fun at the back! We came around one hairpin turn and my nephew came flying across my lap and rolled onto the floor laughing. We stopped for a picnic lunch which was one of the best meals we had on the trip, simple but delicious. We also stopped and swam at a waterfall which the kids enjoyed (saw a mongoose on the way back to the bus). When we came back around the other side, we stopped at a winery and I bought a couple of bottles of pineapple wine to bring back. This tour was one of the highlights of our trip. Mom and Dad were seated at the front of the bus so Dad got some awesome pictures with his videocamera through the front windshield.
Mon. Jan.9 - Did a whalewatch trip with Pacific Whale Foundation (Mom & Dad stayed home and rested). This was a disappointment for me as I had a previous great experience with whale watching out of Monterey, Calif. We saw a lot of spouts and whales off in the distance but nothing what you could call close. I tried to use my binoculars but it was hard to focus on anything with the boat bobbing up and down. I wanted to get on the earlier smaller boat but it was filled so we had to take the bigger boat. Maybe that was why we didn't get close enough to see much. Niece had a little "mal de mer" and spent most of her time inside with her head resting on the table. One of the guides thoughtfully brought her some ginger ale to help settle her stomach. After the whalewatch, we drove back to the hotel to pick up Mom & Dad and then drove down to the Maui Whale Center which is featured in the Pacific Whale Foundation brochure. When we got there, though, we found out it was closed. The kids were really disappointed. Apparently they do close without warning so it's best to call ahead to check. Change in plans--we grabbed a burger at Carl's Jr. and drove to Kahului to do some shopping at Walmart. Niece bought a new (larger) suitcase to replace the one that broke while we were away and the rest of us picked up some last-minute souvenirs. Drove back to the hotel and decided to have our last dinner at the hotel restaurant. We phoned down for reservations and it's a good thing we did as there was a lineup. They had our table for 7 all set up and whisked us in past the lineup. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Atmosphere was very nice as it was all open air, breeze coming through the open windows and doors, lights from the outside torches. I tried the fish of the day which was marlin. I had never had marlin before and I found it a little tough--don't know if that's how marlin usually is or if it was just overcooked. My family doesn't enjoy fish/seafood so they all had beef and said it was great.
Tues. Jan.10 - Our last day, packing our bags and trying to get psyched for going home. Kids had one last dip in the pool and walk on the beach. Drove into Kahului and stopped at the Bad Ass Coffee Company so my sister could get a T-shirt she wanted. Stopped at Old Navy, across the street from Bad Ass, and bought a couple of things on sale. Proceeded to airport and dropped off luggage and family. Took van back to National. Started planning return trip to Hawaii!

"Mon. Jan.9 - Did a whalewatch trip with Pacific Whale Foundation (Mom & Dad stayed home and rested). This was a disappointment for me as I had a previous great experience with whale watching out of Monterey, Calif. We saw a lot of spouts and whales off in the distance but nothing what you could call close."

This was in today's paper:

Humpback calf struck by whale watch boat

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...603110335/1001

I realize there are laws about how close you can get, but in California, we just stayed where we were and the whale came up to us. The same with the dolphins, they came to us. In Maui, we weren't anywhere close to hitting anything. I never saw so much open water in my life.