Disney's Aulani Maka'ala

Took a number of pictures out at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, in the lobby called Maka'ala. Over 200 photos have be stitched together using Microsoft Photosynth to give you a 3-D view of sorts of the incredible details in the entrance to your Hawaiian experience at Aulani. Take some time, keep your eyes wide open as you explore and look around Maka'ala.

Aulani opening day detailed trip report

My trip started at 6am as I hopped the bus out to Ko Olina. At my second transfer point, there was some rain that concerned me but by the time I needed to get off the bus to walk in, it had cleared up. The driver was nice enough to drop me off across from the driveway into Ko Olina rather than another tenth of a mile at the actual stop. It was greatly appreciated. I understand that during the morning there was a nice rainbow that graced the opening ceremony.

This is a rather long report so here’s what I’m covering:

Background Music
Photopass
Logo merchandise
General Excise Tax
Car Rental
Menehune Adventure
Aulani Trivia
Rainbow Reef and Makai Preserve
Mickey Float
Alcohol on the Beach
Aunty’s Beach House and the Adventure’s Club
One Paddle, Two Paddle
Quiet Area
Conference Center and Nani
Loungers and Cabanas
Second Recommendation
The Daily 'Iwa
Aloha, Welcome to Aulani
Water Coolers
The Spas-Painted Sky and Laniwai
The Lava Shack
Shave Ice
Hidden features
Na Menehune
Disney Characters
Oahu Ohana Disney Pin Traders & 10th floor Three Bedroom Suite
Kamaaina Rates
Last First Day Thoughts

Background Music

As I walked into Maka'ala, as I've said in previous, my mouth was on the floor. The activity, the costumes and details I've mentioned in another post. Something that I didn't talk about was the background music. The news was released a few days before the opening that Kealii Reichel has produced several mele (songs) to serenade guests. When I walked in there was one that had some chanting that just gave me total chicken skin (goose bumps) with the vocals and beats blending into the environment creating an exciting aura around what will be for many their first time exposure to Hawaiian culture. I didn't think to check at Kalepa's if there was a CD with the soundtrack available, but will the next trip out.

Photopass

In Kalepa's there is a photo pass available. There are a number of nice overlays that can be added to your pictures. The photopass card for Aulani has a nice plumeria picture on the left side. For the slides and such around Waikolohe Valley, at this time there are no automated cameras like on Splash or Space Mountains. If you want a picture on the slides, you'll need to get a photographer to try to take one and apparently the cameras at the moment can't do the bust photography so it's one at a time shots.
Photopass front Photopass back

Logo merchandise

There was a sign limiting purchases of the Aulani logo merchandise to two items. A Cast Member told me that none of the Aulani merchandise will be available at the Disney Store at Ala Moana Center. No option for mail order either. So, if you want the Aulani pins and Vinylmation items contact me and we can talk turkey about pricing and shipping! I visited the store three times during the day and it was crowded each time. When I purchased some pins, I was offered a nice sturdy folded bag with rope handles and topped with tissue paper. I have not seen this sort of bag at any other Disney resort. This was another example of upping the experience at Aulani. I turned it down as I didn't want to carry it around for the day but did accept it when I purchased two of the Vinylmation figures before I left for the day. A 20 oz Coke Zero cost me $2.59 and with General Excise Tax and deposit, total cost was $2.77.

General Excise Tax

One item that surprised me on the General Excise Tax is how Disney is collecting it. This paragraph could get boring so you might want to jump ahead to the next paragraph if you’re not into those details. Hawaii has a tax that is a tax on the business and not the consumer. The GET is NOT a sales tax. The company is not required to pass it along, but they almost all do. Any money the business collects the State of Hawaii wants a portion so if the business passes along the GET to the consumer, that tax is taxed. Long story short, in order for the company to break even on the tax collection, they should collect 4.712%. Disney is collecting only 4.71%. That is an unusual move not to collect the full 4.712%. On larger purchases, that could be a little bit of money but with the total number of transactions, it could add up. If you made it this far in this paragraph, bless you....now go read some more fun stuff in the paragraph next door!
Receipt

Car Rental

In the Holoholo tour area is where you will find a desk for Alamo rent a car. Archie, Jesse and Savanah are the CMs responsible for the desk. One feature they pointed out is that the Leaf is available for rental and there are charging stations at Aulani. They quoted $59.99 per day not including any taxes. I joked around asking if I needed to bring it back with the battery drained! They laughed. They recommend keeping it less than 80 miles before charging. They are now listed on the Alamo web site, but here is a heads up. They are NOT listed as Kapolei for either the city or using the zip code; you need to look up either Honolulu or Aulani. As another heads up, for Oahu, I'm not aware of any public charging stations. I'll still need to do some more research to see if I can find anything. The number for them directly is 808-676-5924.

Menehune Adventure

Make sure that you check out the Menehune Adventure. If you are familiar with the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure at Epcot, it is similar. You will have a device that will give you clues and activate special animations around the property. I was told there are a number of animations already in place and that more are planned. That sounds exciting!

Aulani Trivia

I spoke with Janice who is a life guard supervisor dressed in red. The funny thing is, her name tag had a different name. Apparently there is a back log on getting the name tags made. She's been in Hawaii for about two years and really excited about Aulani. My question for her was about a bridge that crosses the Waikolohe Stream and has the date of 1923. I asked her what the significance of the date was. When she answered, I said "Ahhhhhh". I will let you find out for yourself when you visit what it means.

Rainbow Reef and Makai Preserve

I ended up walking around the valley for a while checking out the Rainbow Reef where people can snorkel with tropical fish. There is a nice viewing area where you can see into the waters with signs posted with pictures of the fish that you'll find inside the viewing area. Viewing into the window, there are some hidden surprises there as well! From what I could see, the people were not going underwater, but snorkeling while floating on the surface of the water. In the Makai Preserve there are sting rays in a pool. There are sessions where guests can get up close and personal with the animals under controlled conditions.
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Mickey Float

There are several people with whom I've been communicating with about Aulani. One of them works in recreation services. It was great to finally me him in person after corresponding for several months. They are dressed in blue. The waterfront of the lagoon has transformed with the opening of Aulani. With the number of loungers and cabanas available, the beach has more activity. One of the activities is the rental of a float in the Aulani version of Mickey. The standard corporate three circle logo has been transformed for Hawaii. If you look at some of my pictures from around the resort, you'll see the modification! You can use that to enjoy time in the lagoon. The stand on the beach is homage to Joe Rohde thru its name of Makiki Joe’s.

Alcohol on the Beach

For the beach activities, there is something that has totally surprised me. While exiting the property to the beach there is a sign saying "no alcohol allowed beyond this point." But yet, you can have a server bring alcohol out to you on the beach. Now this is where I don't understand the law fully at Ko Olina with their agreement with the State of Hawaii. There is public access to the shoreline. Ko Olina created the lagoons and has provided access to the beach. Alcohol is not supposed to be allowed on public beaches. So, I’m not totally sure under the conditions by which alcohol is not allowed to be brought out, but yet they will serve you alcohol on the beach.
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Aunty’s Beach House and the Adventure’s Club

The keiki (children) that are 3-12 years old are going to have a blast at Aunty's Beach House. The activities that are set up at Aunty's with costume dress up, computers, games, science experiments, nap time and snacks will keep kids occupied! I asked to visit and see the Adventurer's Club items. They allowed me in, I had to sign in, be escorted, allowed to take pictures of props and had to wash my hands upon entry. There is an Aunty's side and an Uncle's side to the location. It's over on Uncle's side where the Adventure's Club items are located. It was fun to see how Aulani has been tied to Pleasure Island over at Walt Disney World *and* to the Tokyo DisneySea theme park. It was a very nice touch! I did talk to the CM about the significance of these items and why they will probably have a number of requests to view them. This was a second reference point back to Joe Rohde.
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One Paddle, Two Paddle

Over at One Paddle, Two Paddle, there was a line for the counter service food. They had items from wraps to burgers and tacos and a number of sides as well as a keiki menu. The prices seem a little on the high side. A delicious smell was floating in the air from the grill cooking the Angus burgers as you stood in the area. This is located at the base of the Ewa Tower next to Aunty's Beach House next to 'Ama'ama restaurant.
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Quiet Area

Over by the base of the Waianae Tower is the Wailana pool bar which is next to the quiet pool that is called the Wailana Pool! How convenient! It is very nice over there, very tranquil as compared to the pools that are part of Waikolohe Valley. A couple of cabanas are available for rental at this location.
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Conference Center and Nani

At the Conference Center, I met Nani. She was kind enough to let me into the ballroom. She was very excited to share about the location and what it offered with its Hawaiian touches. She pointed out the “chandelier” in the room which looked like a lei that they could computer control for the lighting and color control. She also pointed out a beautiful floral pattern woven into the carpet which in many cases will probably be covered with chairs or tables for events and missed by guests. We talked about a bit more which I mentioned in another post. I really want to thank her for taking as much time as she did on the busy opening day to share and talk story with me. She mentioned the 4:15 Aloha, Welcome to Aulani event at would take place at the Maka’ala lanai.
Lights Carpet

Loungers and Cabanas

All around are places to relax. The valley abounds with lounge chairs for use as well as cabanas that can be rented. There were signs identifying the ohana (family) that had rented the locations in front of each cabana. Having a place that you can call "home" while at the pool and knowing that you have ability to have walls to allow or block the sun or wind gives that extra touch for your pool time.
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Second Recommendation

At one point I had found a plug to charge my batteries. It was in the Ewa tower not too far away from the Makahiki restaurant where I could sit down in shade and use the outlet. It was here I met a couple who are big Disney fans, Storm and Bently, who live in Waikiki that had come out for the day. They were enjoying the resort. I did have my copy of The Daily 'Iwa out to see the schedule. One cast member came over and suggested the Aloha Welcome to Aulani event. So that makes twice it was mentioned to me.

The Daily 'Iwa

The Daily 'Iwa is a schedule for guests. It is printed daily and lists all the activities going on around the resort. It is similar to the Personal Navigator that can be found aboard the Disney cruise ships. For guests, this will be a valuable piece to pick up and know what’s happening where and when. This newsletter gives the daily pulse of the events around the resort that guests can take advantage of during their stay if they choose to be active or they could just hunker down in Waikolohe Valley with their towels and sun screen all day.
Front Page

Aloha, Welcome to Aulani

I did attend the first public Aloha, Welcome to Aulani. Cast members started handing out post cards to people who had gathered on the Maka’ala lanai. At the appropriate time, a cast member called the people to order and we had an ice breaker exercise. We had to find someone who had the same postcard that had been handed to you. If you couldn’t find an exact match, then find someone with a similar card. We were asked to share our name, location and something we’re proud of. I met Vincent, a Brigham Young University student who had come over to Hawaii on his own to study at the Laie campus. He worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center as a food vendor.

After the ice breaker, we were introduced to Uncle who then talked more about the resort. Now, Uncle sported a beard which was weird because usually CMs are clean shaven. Actually, I had seen Uncle a couple weeks prior while I was on the lagoon as he was rehearsing lines. It was the first day and he made a little, but understandable mistake by calling one of the towers by the incorrect name. Not a biggie. As he talked he used a few Hawaiian words, gave their definition and pointed out other cast members who briefly talked about activities available that fell into their department. The meeting got cut a little short due to people standing out in the direct sun who were starting to break up. Afterwards I heard him pointing out mistakes that he made. The jitters will go away and the presentation will be refined.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, aunty and uncle in Hawaii is a term of respect and endearment. They don’t necessarily need to be blood relatives, but people who are generally older than you, will share themselves with you, and will let you take the first taste of the poi before they do. They really might be Aunty Leilani or Uncle Kimo, but you don’t always call out their name, just the title will do. They are ohana.

Water Coolers

Something that I noticed around the resort are insulated clear water coolers. I've seen this type of cooler before when I've attended events at hotels or convention centers. There were small plastic cups next to it. Some were just plain water and others had fruit in the water. I personally don't remember seeing this at any of the resorts in Florida including the Grand Floridian. This is one of the aspects of Aulani that I saw and why I say that Disney is raising their game.
Pool area

The Spas-Painted Sky and Laniwai

Inside the Waianae tower are the spas. Painted Sky is the first spa on Oahu for teens and next door is the big spa Laniwai for adults. Painted Sky has the Rip Swirl yogurt bar that's open to anyone in the resort. Teens can get pampered with facials and mani-pedis in a semi-private area. Just outside the door by Painted Sky are the Wailana pool area and the Laniwai hydrotherapy area. As you look up you'll see clouds that will change color giving the idea of the painted sky. Game consoles and computers for the teens are included in this area.

The main spa Laniwai is spectacular. I entered and started talking to the staff. All very friendly and wired up with ear buds to communicate with each other. I had stopped by in the early afternoon to take a look at the spa and was told there was a tour at 6pm. When I returned for the tour, I was offered a seat and then given a glass of water with an infusion of pineapple. While waiting for the tour a local gentleman came in and wanted to buy a package for his wife and daughter. They graciously assisted him using what looked like an iPad to take his order.

The person who gave the tour needs to work a bit on his presentation. He seemed a bit nervous and was speaking like he had memorized a script. It wasn't as natural as some other tours that I've taken. He also didn't know how to keep the group together and everyone in place before he started talking. The looks and feels as you go through the spa are very calming. The main spa is 18,000 square feet and the hydrotherapy outside called Kula Wai Gardens is an additional 5000 square feet and is unique. No other location in Hawaii has a hydrotherapy area. In the Kula Wai Garden are special showers that are like a hard rain, soft rain, side spray and several other choices. There was a hot whirlpool and a cold bath. The water was kept at 52 degrees if I remember correctly. In several locations throughout Laniwai, small snacks and fruits are available.

Going back for a moment to the man who was buying the gift package. He was surprised at the cost. According to him it was affordable. Personally, I've never been to a spa so I have no reference for cost. In any case, the atmosphere was very soothing. Even though I was rush, rush, rush to try to do so many things, just being in Laniwai for the 15 minute tour was very calming! The tour guide also pointed out the driftwood art that was present throughout Laniwai was from driftwood that had been found on the beaches there on the west side of Oahu. Very nice!
Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Pricing and brochure

The Lava Shack

Back in Waikolohe Valley is The Lava Shack. It had a few logo items for sale plus some food. Outside was another location for your refillable mug. Inside was a refrigerator that sold food and drinks. What was funny was the way the shack was themed. All sort of little trinkets and odds and ends. Locals will get a real kick out of exploring this location. Two items that I found particularly of note were a picture of Angela Perez Baraquio and a bobble head. Anglea is notable as being a sister in law for a local radio talk show host and a Miss Hawaii who went on to become Miss America. I sent a note to the host Rick letting him know that his sister in law was now immortalized by Disney at their new resort. The bobble head is funny. We have a person who spent part of his childhood in Hawaii and then went on to become the 44th President of the United States of America. Yes, Barrak Obama is being noted for his ties to Hawaii with a bobblehead of him in a surfing position!
Angela bobble head

Shave Ice

Across from The Lava Shack is a location where you can buy the local treat called shave ice. Many people confuse shave ice with a snow cone. There is a BIG difference between the two. A snow cone is ground ice whereas shave ice is as its name says, shaved. It's much lighter and fluffier than a snow cone. Japan visitors might know it as kakigori. This stand is backed by the Rainbow Reef and next to the reef viewing area.

Hidden features

As I walked around Waikolohe Valley throughout the day I tried to take pictures of the different animals hidden in Puu Kilo, the big volcano like structure within the valley. All throughout the day new animals kept appearing. I might have looked at a location in the morning receiving direct light and didn't notice anything. I come back later in the afternoon when the sun had shifted position so there were shadows and BOOM! a new life form was staring back at me. Within the rock work you'll find hidden creatures out by the lagoon going all the way in towards Maka'ala.
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Na Menehune

And speaking of BOOM! The same is true of the menehune. They are all over the place! Make sure you look up, look down, look behind you, in rafters, behind branches. In case you don't know what a menehune is, in Hawaiian legends, the menehune are crafts people who live in the forests who come out at night and use their superb skills to create structures like ponds, temples and roads overnight. You'll find both male and female menehune. Although I have pictures of any that I saw, you might not find them there. They are mischievous and could move at any time. I was surprised at some of the locations where I found them. So keep on the lookout because you just don't know when and where you will see them!
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Disney Characters

Over the course of the day I did see Mickey, Minnie and Stitch. When I asked about Lilo, I was told that she’s staying over on Kauai and one CM said that she’s in school over there! During the Character Breakfast at Makahiki, you’ll see more than just the three I mentioned above. Still no sighting of Duffy Bear! Character appearances can be found in The Daily 'Iwa.

Oahu Ohana Disney Pin Traders & 10th floor Three Bedroom Suite

I did two things to finish off my day. The first was the chance to meet up with the Oahu Ohana Disney Pin traders. The second to visit the tenth floor three bedroom suite. I haven't gotten into the pin trading because I know that I could very well go overboard. Although I do have some pins; my claim to fame is having the complete framed collection of the Walt Disney World Fifteenth Anniversary Coke pins with plaque and when I was a cast member I collected pavilion sponsor pins like Kikoman’s and AT&T. I had the chance to meet some of the collectors here on Oahu and see parts of their prized collections. In the suite, I took pictures of it with the interior and views from the lanai (patio) looking out onto the beautiful Pacific Ocean while down below people were gathering on the lawn.
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Kamaaina Rates

For Hawaii's local residents, the question about Kamaaina rates has come up. From what I understand, the hotel rooms have a 25% discount. For other discounts on parking, meals or merchandise, there none at this time. What I would think is that after they have been open for a number of months Disney will go back and reevaluate what they are offering the local residents. Just as the Florida and California resorts offer specials for locals, I would expect them to eventually offer discounts to help fill up the slow seasons. But for right now, only the room discount is available and future discounts are just speculations.

Last First Day Thoughts

At his point, my day was just about over. I was tired, hungry and a little sun burned. I headed back down and was surprised by a menehune in the elevator. So really, keep an eye out as these little guys could be hiding ANYWHERE! My last treat for the night was running into Joe Rohde again. I asked if I could get his picture and he said sure. He back up a little bit to head to Maka’ala where I took the shot. I once again thanked him and he went along his way. So that was a great way to cap off the evening and my visit to Aulani on its opening day.

To see the complete set of over 600 pictures from opening day, click here
To see all the video of the site before any construction started, click here
To see the complete collection of pics of Aulani as it was being construction, check here

Finally, as a special gift commemorating the opening of Aulani, right click here and then choose the save option.

The wave has arrived at Disney's Aulani!

The day had finally arrived. Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa within the Ko Olina resort has opened its doors to the public. It was just a little shy of four years passing since the project was announced in October 2007. I had gone out and shot video of the plot of land when it was barren, untouched ground. Now Phase I has opened on the 21 acre lot located on the Koloha lagoon within Ko Olina. I don't think I could have a bigger smile on my face as I walked through and saw the final product, that is after I picked my jaw up off the floor from all the beauty and grandeur displayed.

Let me say right off the bat that even though I had a long day, I still didn't get done all that I wanted to do. Not including travel time I was there for just shy of twelve hours. I didn't even sit down to eat. I was walking around the majority of the day taking a ton of pictures, talking to cast members and other visitors. I had my list of questions and I did ask some along the way, but lost my way as I kept discovering new items, new detail and flourishes and meeting people. I'll need to go back out for more exploration.

When I had been in Aulani two weeks earlier, the product still have finishing touches that needed to be used but none of the cast members were in costume. As I turned into the property from the sidewalk there were three new kii at the base of the taro patches. Walking up the drive way into the porte-cochere area, it was bustling with activity. As I walked into Maka'ala, the bellmen and greeters have costumes that are just stunning. The colors, patterns are silhouettes create an atmosphere that just blends perfectly with the whole look and feel of your entrance into the Aulani experience. They were working in an area that also had some new kii added. To me, all the new kii were a different style than what you would find over on the Big Island at Puuhonua O Honaunau but they still looked amazing.

At Kelepa's, the general store the greeters there were welcoming people with "E komo mai" meaning "come on in!"and as guests were leaving saying "a hui hou" meaning "until we meet again". It was touches like this that as a long time resident of Hawaii I could identify with in addition to having the background from back in the day as a former cast member and being an active part of the Disney fan community and podcaster.

Over the course of the day as I turned around, talked to people, explored visually making sure to look both up and down and straight ahead, I kept saying "oh" and "ahh" and "that's cool" to myself. This happened all day. The executive designer for Aulani is Joe Rohde. I spotted him around the resort but he was usually doing some sort of press. At one point I had sat down to breath and he walked past me as he exited the building. I stopped him, shook his hand and thanked him for what he's done with the project. He acknowledged my thanks and suggested that I talk to some of the Hawaiians and see how they feel.

I did as Joe suggested and did talk to a number of cast members and specifically asked them how they thought the culture was being represented. They all had positive things to say. In particular I had the opportunity to talk with Nani. We talked for longer than I talked with others. It was a good conversation as we discussed the Hawaiian language and a bit of its history and use and how Disney went about asking advisers how can they represent Hawaii as compared to Disney saying this is how we want to represent it. If you're thinking Polynesian Pop and the tiki culture like the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World, you won't find that here.

From what I could see on this trip, Disney is upping their game significantly. I saw things here that I hadn't seen at other Disney resorts in both resort details and in the cast members. Steve Eng should be complimented for what he's been able to do with the training. As I talked to the CMs, their training was often brought up as a topic. One aspect I noticed was that many more of the cast members at Aulani as I passed them acknowledged me. Some with nods, but many, many more with verbal greetings. At one point I apparently planted myself where the CMs transition between on and back stage. During that time, almost every one that passed me greeted me whether I was looking at them or not and most of them gave the spoken greeting of "Aloha".

The only shortcoming that I could see was something that I'm not sure Disney could do anything about at this time. With the hiring of CMs for Aulani drawing from the local pool of talent, many of them have not been exposed to the Disney fandom and how a number of items relate to each other. Quick example, the Menehune Adventure: most of the CMs that I talked to didn't know about the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. Eventually as any mainland transfer CMs share with the local CMs and the local CMs have their own interactions with the fandom their personal expertise on all things Disney will expand to fill in some of those gaps.

The way that I would describe Aulani is that is not a Disney hotel with a touch of Hawaii. I feel that it is a Hawaiian hotel with a touch of Disney. Everyone involved with the project should be very happy with what they have done. Over the next weeks and months, I look forward to seeing how the resort changes, evolves and grows as they gather more experience working in their day to day operations and interactions with the guests and the community.

I'll do a future post about more specifics of the day including what I saw, did and more of the encounters of the day.

To see over 600 pictures from opening day, Click Here.

If you are subscribed to Meandering Mouse Club TV, I sent a special gift in honor of Aulani's opening down the feed on Sunday. One click subscribe for i-tunes found on the side.

Two weeks to Disney's Aulani opening!

Link for pictures at bottom of article

The date is almost here. The single digit countdown is rapidly approaching and the excitement level is heightening for a couple of different reasons.

Raising the attention level for the resort is the news that broke on Friday night, August 12. Jim Lewis, the head of the Disney Vacation Club, was released from the company. The rumor was that it had something to do with Aulani. Two weeks ago I had heard from a DVC owner with points in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland that points for Aulani could not be sold. They had heard a rumor that there was something with the Hawaii paperwork at issue.

When the news of the firing became public, Jason Garcia at the Orlando Sentinel tweeted asking what people knew. I went to the Aulani kiosk at Ala Moana Center and asked when the person would be able to sell Aulani points and the response was now. When asked about Jim Lewis, the same person responded they didn't know about it. Less than 24 hours later when I asked the person at the on-property DVC kiosk if I could purchase Aulani points, they replied "We can't comment on that." Jason published a report on Monday, August 15 and apparently the release was related to Aulani. Jason's story is here.

In any case, it's providing publicity for Aulani and bringing an awareness of the project and property that wasn't there before. In the long run, that will be a good thing!

My latest set of update photos contain pictures from inside the resort. I went out to the resort and the first thing that I noticed was a change in the entrance. It looks different. Apparently there have been changes to the entrance and Disney is now manning the gate to direct people to the resort.

Around the resort the green construction wall is down except for a small area in the back near the project management office.

Along the beach front they have new beach cabanas available for rental. They were so new that the wrapping still remained on the cover. Not far behind them were stacks of beach loungers that were piled high and chained up for the time being.

There were workers still all over the place finishing up to get the resort ready for the opening date. Something that I didn't know how they did was railings that looked like wood. There were workers putting a putty or clay around the metal pipe and then they were individually creating little pukas (holes) and creases. The clay was a gray color so I'm thinking that after it dries or cures that they will paint it before putting on some sort of sealer. Now I know how they do that!

Walking with a lot of other people into the resort there is something that the operations folks might want to look at. Along the left side of the lo'i (taro patch) is a path leading from the sidewalk up towards the main entrance. It dead ends at the top tier. I saw several people jumping the wall and walking through a garden area rather than walk around. A sign saying no exit or putting a couple of stairs to allow an exit might be a valuable addition.

Walking into the lobby, Maka'ala, was a feeling that I can't fully describe. Here I was walking into a location that I filmed four years previously that was nothing but a vacant lot of land. I was shaking with excitement. I had a huge smile on my face. Here it was, one of my most favorite passions being materialized right there, right in front of my eyes, right under my feet. Just on the other side of the lobby out in Waikolohe Valley, Mickey Mouse was greeting people who were previewing the facility. Disney had come to me in Hawaii instead of me having to move to Orlando or Anaheim!

I walked around and was amazed at the details I saw. The calabashes, the art, the plants, the background music. At one point I did glimpse Joe Rohde. He was sitting on a couch near a wooden statue of a menehune talking to an individual. Across the way a little bit was a pahu (drum). I didn't get a chance to approach him. Someone came up to him and said something. Joe put on his hat and quickly walked away with the requester and another person following them.

On the lanai (patio) looking out into Waikolohe Valley you could hear live entertainment coming from the distance. Immediately below was a fountain where four streams of water were intersecting at a single point. A little beyond that was the line to meet Mickey. Off to the left was a small stage area where later on a trio would be playing live Hawaiian music.

From Maka'ala to the left was the Ewa tower that would have the DVC rooms. On the right was the Waianae Tower where the Laniwai spa could be found along with the regular hotel rooms. As a local, it was funny looking at the tower names. Usually when you look mauka (towards the mountains) and you're in Honolulu when you say ewa for directions you usually mean left, meaning out on the west coast of Oahu. With the location of the resort in Kapolei, you are past Ewa so at Aulani, ewa would mean east or towards Honolulu. For locals it may be a little awkward, but for guests who are visiting Hawaii and specifically Oahu for the first time, it will make perfect sense.

There is so much more that I could talk about but I'll hold off until the resort is fully open except for a specific topic. The one item I want to touch on is the refillable souvenir mugs. They've made some news lately as mugs with RFID chips are being tested out at the All Star Sports resort over at Walt Disney World. Get details here. These mugs are molded white plastic with the design screened on. They currently cost $13.99. The mugs at Aulani have a clear plastic exterior with an insert with Hawaiian designs and Aulani logo between the outside and black inside and comes in four design colors. Here's the kicker...it costs $32.99 for the mug! The sign reads "Unlimited refills available from any beverage station until the end of the stay in which the mug was purchased." When I talked to the cast member, she didn't know about the RFID chips being tested at All Star Sports. She did say that there are three beverage stations in the resort where refills can be obtained. I didn't think to look at the price of a single drink but when I get a chance I'll find out what the price and break even point would be. The $32.99 with Hawaii's General Excise Tax of 4.712% brings the total for a mug to $34.54 so the price does seem a bit high.

Between now and opening day there will be cast members staying on property to give it a shake out. Making sure that the rooms have what they need and the recreation CMs have a chance to test out the patterns and flows of the equipment and crowds will be the point of the stays. So that's it for this moment. I don't plan on going back to the resort until the official opening day although I've heard rumors of a public preview. We'll have to see about that.

Complete set of pictures here

Aulani Construction update for July 30

To see the full collection of update photos go here

Spoiler photos

I received another message last week informing me that the construction wall along beach side had been removed. When I went out, there were thirty days left before the resort is to open.

• Coming in the guard shack has a new Ko Olina resort sign.
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• There are now a couple of Ko Olina resort direction signs in the median.
  Pic Pic
  


• Around the front and Diamond Head side of Aulani, there is new grass planted and the irrigation systems are in place.
  Before After Pic Pic


• The kiosk in the front is now gone. It has been replaced with one beach side once again!
  Front Before Front Front Back Back
  


• The sign for the resort has the name, but not the title
  Pic


• Those items that I thought might be torches are. I was shown a picture of a unit and it looked cool! There were several units in the front of the resort that are now darkened and had their bases removed. Looks like they were working on them. I imagine they would contain an electric start.
  Before After
  


• There was additional plant work still being doing in the front. A couple of utility boxes are now being hidden by puakinikini plants and a tree was arriving at the resort.
  Pic Pic
  

The main changes were the back with the removal of the construction wall. I got as we say in Hawaii, chicken skin....other places would say goose bumps! The area looks amazing!

• There is a place where cactus is growing. Yes Hawaii does have some dry zones!
  Pic


• There is new lighting. There is path lighting and what looked like atmosphere lighting. It looked a little modern for the area, but I'm sure once I see it at night, it will look good. For Atmosphere there were two types. The first is a large bubble sitting on the ground. The other is a unit with three small white globes about the size of a golf ball. I'm wondering if they have LED lighting and can change color!
  Pic Big spheres Small Spheres


• The staff was doing rehearsals. One was for a pool party for the kids. There was a man in an outfit that was practicing his speech with a script. I don't know if he was going to be for the pool party.
  Pic Pic


• The beach had what appeared to be a small version of a Hawaiian double hulled sailing canoe which has been used in their commercials and updates. There were also lime green stand up paddle boards that may be Disney's. There were a number of them out and the Marriott said they weren't theirs.
  Pic
  

Lastly, spoiler alert! As you walk along the beach path and if you look at the Disney property, you will see menehune and lava animals. These fun discoveries have been talked about for some time. For the regular update section, I have not included these pictures in case you want to see them when you come out for a visit. If you would like to see the ones that can be seen as you follow the beach walkway around the lagoon you can check out this special set over on my Flickr site.
Spoiler pics

To those people who have helped be my eyes and ears as to what's happening at the resort, a big mahalo for your continued help and support.

If you are on Oahu on September 3, I'm want to get together with people out at Aulani to walk around the grounds and maybe go for some food. If you're interested, please contact me so I can get an idea of numbers!

To see the full collection of update photos go here

Spoiler photos

July Disney Aulani Construction Update v1.5

To see the complete collection of pictures, go here

Received a call from my friend who lives out in Ko Olina. She gave me some information and I made a special trip out to the resort on Saturday, July 23 to take some more pictures. I walked around the Aulani property, took some shots and in just ten days since my last visit there were noticeable changes. I tried to take pictures from Ihilani looking over where Laniwai will be. Unfortunately, most of those pictures didn't come out. I went out a couple hours earlier in the day from when I usually go. The windows were dirty and with lower angle of the sun, my camera kept focusing on the glass and not the view beyond.

Here is what I noticed:

• More road paving had been done leading into the Ko Olina property.
  Pic
• The water feature at the entrance to Ko Olina now has water!
  Before After
  
• Just after the security station, there is now a sign warning people of the property improvements happening.
  Pic
• New lagoon signage on both sides of Aulani.
  Pic Pic Pic Pic
• Sprinkler/irrigation was being tested on the west side of the resort along Olani Street.
  Pic
• There was some stone laid in Laniwai.
  Pic
• The public parking lot before Aulani is now repoened.
  Before After
  
• Flag stone was done being installed at the base of the path from the west side public parking lot.
  Pic
• The planters by Ihilani were completed.
  Before After
  
• The embankment on the east side of the lagoon had grass planted/laid in.
  Before After
  
• The east side public parking is still closed.
  
• The irrigation/sprinkler system on the west side was installed.
  Before After
  
• There was a crew working to take up the top soil along the front of the property.
  Pic Pic

AND....what caused me to head out in the first place - The large green construction wall along Aliinui Drive was removed for the most part and replaced with orange safety netting. This allowed direct unobstructed view into the property along the front of the property.

Before

After

The opening is getting close. When I entered the Marriott, there was a sign for a rehearsal room. They are gone now, but there were posts that I saw talking about Kealii Reichel and I think it was the Tau dance company who were practicing for the opening of Aulani. For those that don't know, Kealii is a singer, song writer and a kumu hula. Over the years he has also won a number of Na Hoku Hanohano Awards which is Hawaii's equivalent of the Grammy award in different categories including Favorite Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year.

When you look at the collection over on Flickr, I have some different detail shots and some fun ones of people and activities happening over there. If you are interested in making a kamaaina or military discount booking contact Lindsey and let her know that Joel sent you!

To see the complete collection of pictures, go here

June Aulani update

Here is a link to the complete set of pictures that I took today

Only a little more than two months before the resort opens. It's getting exiting. More and more on Twitter and Facebook about people in the different stages of the hiring process.

For this update I was planning on taking the tour to try to gather interior pics as the resort nears completion. I had received the information needed in order to book a tour. I had a date in mind but needed to double check before committing. When I stopped at the Ala Moana kiosk their systems were down. Apparently they were down for a while. I asked to confirm for the next morning and was informed of the system issue and it wouldn't be possible to set it up. I asked about calling someone else and was told that the office closed at 5:30pm. I would have figured if the main kiosk at the largest shopping center in the state of Hawaii was having system problems that the call center would have remained open to support the kiosk. No such luck. More on this later.

Now if you take the tour at one of the mainland theme parks they would give you extra fast pass tickets as a thank you for your time. Here in Hawaii, they are offering either a plush Mickey Mouse that is a bit "shaggy" or the other option? A Duffy the Disney bear. For those of you who don't know, Duffy is a stuffed bear made by Minnie for Mickey to keep him company on his travels. The furry guy was imported to the US from Tokyo DisneySea where Duffy is a headliner there as part of the kawai (cute) culture of Japan. They are crazy for Duffy in Japan bringing him along to the park, giving him his own seat and taking pictures with him everywhere. When new costumes for Duffy are released people will line up...ah, why get into the craze details. Just know that at Tokyo DisneySea people go nuts for Duffy and there is a lot more to the craze than just the stuffed bear and his outfits. So, since Disney is making a large marketing effort into the Japanese market, it would make sense that they would use Duffy as a reward for checking out Aulani. With the emphasis on the Japanese market, I asked if Duffy would be at the resort vacationing with Mickey and Minnie and if Duffy's companion, Shellie May would be there too. My contact didn't know.

One amenity that I found out for guests at Aulani is in regards to their internet access. Yes, it will be wireless! Hallelujah! After my last trip to Walt Disney World I wrote a letter. I was in a room where they provided wired access tethering me to the wall and their table and chair. For a 15 minute session, that would have been fine, but for sitting for hours to do a blog report or anything longer than 15 minutes, the chair was very uncomfortable. Afterward some fellow techie Disney fans clued me into bringing my own wireless router and how to set it up for usage. Hassles to carry, but better for working. Luckily the people at Aulani will not have to deal with those issues.

Guests at the Marriott Ihlani next door should thank Disney. Ihilani has been the home to the NFL Pro Bowl players for a few years now. Disney is going to be major competition for Marriott. It was just announced in USA Today this week that the Ihilani has completed an $18 million dollar renovation. They are also offering some specials who are staying three or more nights per the article. Note Disney, they are offering free internet!!

Heading out to the resort for this update was a very rare experience. At the stop I had several other people exit the bus with me and we all crossed Farrington Highway to head into Ko Olina. I was very surprised. It's usually just me or one other person every once in a while. To have a small group and walk to the main entrance in single file must have looked a little strange to any passersby zooming along to head into town.

The entrance to Ko Olina has a water feature on the right with the resort signage. For the past several times I've headed in, it's been empty but loaded with garbage and mushy stuff lining the bottom. Today it was cleaned out and had several special markings. I'm thinking that it will be operational next month when I venture in for my update.

I did a little different routine today for viewing the resort. After hitting the comfort station I did a clock wise walk of the resort when I've been doing counter clockwise all the other times. Noticed lots of smaller changes. The parking structure had a roadway with a gate installed. I saw bamboo planted around the resort. The main driveway entrance was paved with a stone like pattern where last month was preparing for a cement pour. The wall was moved back and I could walk on the sidewalk along the front of the property without having to walk in a special walkway constructed in the roadway. On the Diamond Head side of the resort some of the construction wall was removed and what appears to be the regular fencing wall was exposed. I could get a view without having to peer over the high construction wall.




The biggest changes were happening at the lagoon. My friend who lives in Ko Olina gave me a heads up but I didn't understand what she meant by construction traffic was crazy. Once I got there I viewed heavy construction equipment on the beach. Along the sides of the lagoon there were several locations where there was erosion resulting in little cliffs or edges. There were piles of sand, some pumped in from the lagoon itself that is being used to level out and create nice slopes for beach goers. You could already see in one area how badly the fix was needed once it was done!






Due to the construction, I wasn't able to get to my regular spots to get shots showing some the the work in the Waikalohe Valley and other structures.

Along the Waianae side there were several spots where the construction wall was removed and I could get direct views into the site. It was nice not having to view up and over or back away from the wall in order to take some pictures.

Once inside Ihilani, I took more pictures that showed more construction where Laniwai is going. There was stone work going on to give the walls lava rock appearances. Lots of construction workers and tons of different trucks with vendor names on them going in and out. In the front entrance area there were very few construction workers roaming or working in the area.

There was one detail that I am a little confused at to what it is. It's in the driveway leading up to Makaala. I look at it and think street lamp, but it doesn't look like it could have light bulbs. It does look a bit like kukui nuts that have been skewered. Kukui nuts are also called Candle Nuts because they have an oil that can be burned. I'm wondering if this is what they are supposed to represent and are actually torches that line the driveway. If you know, could you let me know. Mahalo!

One area where I have been disappointed is the detailed information available. There is one cast member that any question I ask them the response is "I don't know." I've talked to this individual before and they know that I'm not buying. They are pleasant, but I get the feeling from this individual between responses, lack of effort to find answers or curiosity of the questions or even small talk and banter they come across as cold and uncaring. A couple other Cast Members are interesting to watch. They don't want to answer questions, they keep pushing me to take a tour of the facility, but they forget that even if I take the tour, information is going to change. I was originally told that there were not be a bus from the airport to Aulani. Now two different reps give different answers and when I asked if they are sure the answer was to take the tour. Even though I was looking at taking the tour, I still feel awkward and that it seems wrong since I know up front that I won't be buying. When I went back to the Ala Moana kiosk after taking the update photos the computers were still down!

Each time I've been going out over the past six months for update photos, I've stopped across the street at Two Scoops to pick up a quick bite. It's a small shop that serves hot dogs, BLTs and ice cream. Flavors for ice cream include Coco Mac, Hawaiian Mud Pie and Cotton Candy plus some traditional flavors like strawberry and vanilla. Check them out when you visit!

In any case, the Aulani Resort and Spa is really shaping up and I watch and see details filling in. The plants, lettering, the moving and removing of walls, the lack of workers in one area but heavy in another...all this with a little over 70 days to opening (at least as I write this). When all the walls come down the place is going to be amazing both with the resort and the lagoon. If you are interested in making a kamaaina or military discount booking contact Lindsey and let her know that Joel sent you!

In case you're wondering, I am not receiving income from mentioning anyone or anything in my postings. I am completely independent although a huge Disney fan. If you would like to support these postings and the updates I've been posting, at the top of the blog there is a PayPal Donate button. As an added bonus, in Hawaii we just celebrated Kamehameha Day. Part of the celebration is draping the Kamehameha Statue with giant lei. If you would like to see what putting a 30 foot lei on a statue is like, check out my video on YouTube.

Here is a link to the complete set of pictures that I took today

Aulani Photo Update for May 19, 2011

To see the whole collection of pictures from today's shoot go here.

It's been two days of Aulani. Yesterday was the Job Quest event and today was another trip out to the resort to once again review what progress has been made.

First thing I noticed heading to the property was that the DVC kiosk had moved from the back of the property near the beach to the front corner of Olani and Aliinui Dr. It's previous location is walled up while they do construction behind a new wall.

On the side and towards the back of the resort, based on what I viewed on the Samantha Brown Aulani DVC video, they are building the spa area. I spoke with someone today who had applied for a massage therapist position and she was told that the spa will have 18,000 square feet indoors and 5,000 square feet outdoors. That's pretty huge!

More plants and trees are in place or being put in place including a big cactus. I have no idea what that is doing there and can't wait to find out why! Although, you will find cacti in several places including a large collection at the Koko Crater Botanical Garden.

Lastly the construction wall along the front of the property facing Aliinui Dr was being pushed back as I was taking photos. The part of the pedestrian sidewalk that was blocked by the construction wall is now showing AND the entrance driveway and its cuts are exposed and taking shape.





And the porte cochere as you'll see from across the street

To see the whole collection of pictures from today's shoot go here.

DC2CERUMA - Day 12

I need to make a correction to yesterday's post. I mentioned Thomas and Eric who are visually impaired people that I met. I got one name wrong. It was Matt and Eric. I wanted to correct that one right away!

Today was the final day of DPN Westfest along with a day of goodbyes and the day that I hit the wall. Today passed quicker than I would have liked. It signaled the end of the DPN gathering at Disneyland. I am sad to see it go. There were lots of good times over the past several days. At the same time, I'm on day 12 of the adventure with every day being a very fully day and today was the day that I hit my limit. After being up to 2:30am today, I once again decided to sleep a little. I was up at 7:30am and could have used more zzzz's but needed to be at the park for the 10am photo gathering. I was going to use my PhotoPass card!

What was more exciting than going into the park was spotting the Bat Day people in the esplanade even before they had a chance to enter either park.. Some just wore black whatever and some were dressed in outfits, costumes or attire that was simply stunning. There was this one couple dressing in a purple and velvet ensemble that was beautiful. I did ask to take a picture, but they said they were running for a meet and that if I ran into them in the park, they would be more than happy to let me take a shot. Unfortunately, I did not run into them again.

The photo meet went well I thought! With my photopass, I was grabbing an individual or individuals to pose with me with the photopass photographer and then they did one large shot and a bunch of smaller shots to get more detail. All went on my card. I can't wait to see ALL the shots I have taken. I was really excited getting a pp picture with the Skurvy Monkeys

More events, more people; after going to see the Lincoln we broke for lunch. I could feel it right at that time. I had hit the wall. I was growing impatient with people and events. I basically had lunch alone to try to keep myself in check and not bark at someone. I was going to head back to the hotel room to sleep, but I had made promises to myself about going to a couple particular meets and I wanted to make sure I kept those.

The Billy Hill and the Hill Billies is a fun event. Their highlight is when they fiddle to the Orange Blossom trail. They do such a great job with it. The sound is wonderful and the entertainment value is just as good.

Mike and Steve from the newest member of The DPN, Disney Park Hoppin' Party are such fun to be around. Their meet at the tea cups was a hoot. They had picked up new mad hatter hats marked like the new Mad Hatter as portrayed by Johnny Depp. I even won some of their materials for a couple of DVDs. I managed to get them in front of the photo pass while they were dressed up.

I watched the Tiki Room before I left he park for the day. I know that I have half a day on Wednesday but won't be able to get in a lot of rides before I have to leave to get the shuttle back to the airport. And again, I was/am cranky. I didn't want to unload on someone. This adventure between the different theme parks, which 2 full days and 2 parks to go has just wiped me out. I almost got into it with the guest relations because they aren't selling post card stamps. Something that I learned tonight is that contrary to popular belief, is that a ticket from WDW by policy it cannot be used at the Disneyland resort.

I'm looking forward to Magic Mountain, but need to cut this short. I am nodding off while typing in this report. I must first apologize to a lot of Westfesters in than I did not say good bye. There were some people to whom I wanted to spend more time or get photopass but it didn't work out. Maybe next time. They're all a great bunch of people and am glad that we had the chance to get together.

DC2CERUMA - Day 7

Today was the wind down day for Florida. Tomorrow I leave for California and the DPN Westfest event. It was a good day. I spent the day at the Universal parks on my own and this time I didn't take the camera bag. My phone has a camera and I used that extensively, but no zoom, no tight shots, no flash shots. My shoulder didn't get killed by the strap and I didn't have to worry about putting it in and taking it out of a locker while riding rides. I didn't even close out the parks.

Meers Transportation provided a shuttle service between Pop Century and the Universal Orlando Resort. Eighteen dollars for a round trip I think was reasonable as I was told by several people a taxi would have been about $30-$40 each way. So I think I got a reasonable deal. The only suggestion for them would be to have the destinations on the pickup vehicles. When I asked the Customer Service agent when I moved my pickup time about what sort of vehicle, van or bus, she wasn't sure. So as the different vehicles pulled up you had to ask as they weren't labeled.

Spent the morning at Universal doing Jaws, Rip Ride Rockit and a couple other shows. Slow pace. There were several times characters became available like Ricky and Lucy, Scooby Doo, Fiona and Donkey. For the most part other than Fiona and Donkey there wasn't a line. It was very easy to get a picture of the character by itself or it was easy enough to jump in and have someone take the shot for you.

The afternoon was spent at Islands of Adventure. I rode Cat in the Hat which did NOT have spinning cars even though they had signs posted saying they would spin. Poseidon and Sindbad were two shows I saw. Sindbad wasn't bad as the 20 minute show passed very quickly. I just wish I could have gotten something better with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I really would have liked to try the butter beer and pumpkin juice drinks!

The ride that takes the cake for me is Spider Man. I really thought it was an awesome ride. Once the levitation and anti-levitation rays were activated, the ride stepped it up a notch in the excitement factor! The Simpsons was also very fun, especially if you are into amusement parks at all.

The two rides I didn't do was the Bilge-rat Barges and Rip Saw Rapids. You got wet on those and I just didn't want to deal with it on this go around. I was already having issues of being uncomfortable and I didn't want to take THAT to the next level.

The one BIG disappointment was the food. On day one I had the meal plan. Ate at five of the six eligible restaurants. Spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, chicken fingers were eaten on the plan. Today was a cheese burger and a gyro. Other than the chicken fingers, the food was bland, tastless, or worst of all cold! At Mel's diner I had the apple pie today. I was told it would be hot, but the outside was cold and the interior was meh as far as hot heat. It tasted good, but if it was ala mode as they showed, the ice cream would have melted due to room temp and not the pie itself. They need to up their game on the food.

During the bus ride back to Pop, met two girls from Canada. We got into a health care debate. They don't have it as well up there as the news says. Four days to set a broken arm? Two weeks to diagnose a broken wrist. Anyway, I hope I was able to turn them onto Bob Jackson over at Riverside!

While I was running around, I made an effort to get my laundry done first thing when I got back and it paid off. I've been by the laundry room several times and the people are lined up waiting for either washer or dryer to open up. I'm lucky in that choice!

The fun aspect of this trip was the plurking, tweeting and facebooking. It added a whole other dimension to the adventure. There were a couple conversations going on and got lots of feedback on the photos I posted. I think I said it earlier, I was traveling solo, but I was not alone!

As I write this, I'm was trying to sleep but haven't been able to do so. I will be picked up at 4:15am for a 7am flight so I'm up at 3am. I'm hoping to catch a couple of zzzz's at the airport and stay asleep on the 4.5 hour flight from MCO to LAX.

This first week of the Disney Coast to Coast-er Universally Magic Adventure is coming to a close there one big overall disappointment for me is that I wasn't able to give out as many of the Awesome Job cards as I had hoped. Three is a low number in my book. We'll have to see if I can do better in California. SO until then, ALOHA

DC2CERUMA - Day 5

Today was a beautifully mellow day! It was my last day at Walt Disney World before two exciting days at Universal Orlando Resort. It was going to be my day to enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. The day did not disappoint on many levels.

The day started a bit late. The time zone difference and with all the running around. I spent extra time getting ready the morning. Yesterday was the first time that I wore as we say in Hawaii, rubbah slippahs for the entire day. It wasn't bad until just before getting back to Pop. I had a feeling on my foot like a blister was forming. It hadn't, but it was on it's way if I had not headed it off with going back to the sneakers and double socks. Extra baby powder was also in order.

Once in the park I used photopass again and again and again.

I was milking that for all it's going to be worth! Photos for F&G items and then went to Inoventions about the Kim Possible Adventure. There I met Ricky and did a little filming. This guy was in a wheel chair with no legs and hand issues. He was a cast member for the KPA and explained it. He recommended Germany and got me started after a couple of adjustments. Before I left, he grabbed my hand to shake his as I personally wasn't sure what to do because his right hand had a thumb but the other fingers were stumped. He used his left hand to help complete the shake. He took the lead in figuring out what for me was awkward because I wasn't sure what to do. After doing the KPA, I went back later in the day to try to find him to give him my Awesome Job card but he wasn't there. I'm going to make sure that I contact Disney about how he handled himself and that the recommendation was right on!

Did the Great Piggy Band Adventure and headed to Club Cool. I drank a Beverly in honor of all my hommies and peeps who couldn't be there.

I met up again with John Corigliano from Mousetimes as we set about to do the KPA. As we were entering World Showcase there was an alligator snapping turtle that was trying to get onto the walk way but eventually went back into the water. Together we did three KP Adventures, Germany, Japan and France. They were all very fun and would recommend them to anyone. Along the way we met a princess, eat snacks, talk to a cast member from Kiyoshu who explained the brown square with teeth called Domo and had fun cutting loose while John recorded the adventures!

John and I enjoyed Impression de France and got Fish and Chips to eat from the UK where were gave part of our chips to the seagulls and ducks. We headed into the old Millennium Village to watch part of the dance competition that was happening that weekend. There were teams from all over the world. While we may think it dorky, gotta give them props for those routines!

After enjoying Marty Short and his problems playing Hockey, John and I made a bee line for the old Wonders of Life pavillion that was housing the F&G festival center.

They had a few display items, many heavily pushing the local Florida agriculture. I picked up a limited edition of the Flower and Garden vinylmation that I will use as a give away. I really LOVE the package delivery service. I really wish Disneyland would implement such a service or at serivce to drop off the items at the front of park. it was great not having to worry about carrying around a bag even if the item was a small item!

After John and I returned to Innoventions to try to find Ricky, we did the Stormchasers. I really like what they did to simulate a house blowing away in a storm. Hawaii like Florida has the potential for high hurrican damage and while I knew some of the information, there was more that I didn't know. Before John left for the day together we did the piggy bank adventure. The technology there with the pig itself is cute. I particularly liked when you had "money" in the bank when you shook the bank you could hear the coins jingle. It's that sort of detail that allows Disney to stand apart from everyone else.

Off in the distance there were dark clouds and then you could hear the faint rumbling of thunder and the flashes of lightning that interuppted my picture taking at Imagination. I wish they would do a bit of tweeking to this attraction. With the two changes, the underlying concepts for imagination has gotten blurred and in some cases lost. Oh well, Dreamfinder was past and is not current, unfortunately. I had just managed to make it to the bus stop when the heveans opened up. The rain was blowing sideways! It cut my day short by a few hours, but there was a positive to it.

My former trailermate from the College Program lives here in Florida and was attending a conference while I've been here. Since I was back at the room earlier, we were able to get together. We had dinner at Ragalan Road at Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney. We ate and had a good time catching up with each other. He presented me with something from one of his friends that will help me with Universal over the next two days. Again, my sincere thanks for the assistance that will be provided over the upcoming 48 hours. We managed to close up Raglan Road. I'm sure if they had live entertainment that night, we would have been able to stay until later.

one part that I really enjoyed today took place up at the Imagination water area. I was taking some video of the water in action as well as the passing monorail trains as others would come up to have their picture taken. I would volunteer to take a shot so everyone could be in it. I did this about half a dozen times. I had fun helping them and they really enjoying having a picture with everyone in it.

While today was mellow, I'm expecting high energy as I venture to Universal Orlando Resort for the first time! I will be putty in my tour guides hands as they expertly and adeptly show me the ins and outs of UOR. Following this I'm sure that interesting conversations are going to happen on In The Loop podcast. That is I'm hoping to make it. As I write this the thunder and lightning is still happening at the rain is coming down.

DC2CERUMA - Day 3

Viscerally would be a good word to describe several of today's events. Some feelings that I just felt down in my gut. Feelings that just happened. They were unexpected.

The day started at Disney Hollywood Studios. Toy Story Mania. Got to the park before rope drop at the intersection of Hollywood and Sunset. Once the rope dropped the mad dash was on to Pixar place and Toy Story Mania. I was towards the front of the pack and went into the line to get a fast pass. I stood by as the line where I was didn't move due to one lady having problems getting FPs to spit out.

As I stood by, there were what seemed like legions of people passing me by. The green army men were out to help with the crowd. One even commented that I must be from Hawaii because my shirt was so loud. I didn't know what to say, while I was wearing an aloha shirt, it was one of my more subdued shirts.

Inside the queue, I really liked it better than California's version. When someone says the parks are the same, you can point to this as a difference. In line the lady in front of me and myself got talking. Turns out she's a knowledgeable Disney fan. We ended up riding together. I just edged out Becky from Ohio and got to share with her about my podcasts and pictures of Aulani, the Disney Vacation Club Resort that is coming up in Hawaii.

The two big rides were next with Tower of Terror and Rock n Rollercoaster starring Aerosmith. I like WDWs ride mechanism for Tower, but Tokyo's has a kick butt story. When someone says the parks are the same, you can point to this as a difference. The only problem that I have with RnR is the big safety harness with makes it a bit awkward trying to get in and out. But, you manage because it's such a cool ride!

Heading back down Sunset Blvd, I checked with a couple of cast members to see if they knew if Rosie would be out. Neither knew. In the animation building, I met up with Joseph who worked at Disneyland and transferred to WDW. It was good to see him. Fun lunch talk at the Studio Catering Company. He needed to get home to sleep so I walked up to the front of the park to say bye, but I'll see him next week at DPN Westfest.

Just about each time I passed a photopass person, I stopped for pictures! But what I really wanted to do was find Rosie. I stopped at the Information Booth and talked to the girls there. They said that didn't know what Citizens of Hollywood would be out. They depended on the Citizens telling them. Come on now, they have a list of what characters would be where for characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the rest of the gang, they should be able to do the same for the Citizens.

The American Idol Experience took up my 2pm time slot.

I was impressed with the stage and how the show was pulled off. My singers weren't that impressive in my opinion. The "Winner" was a 14 year old who likes theater. He chose Lion King's Circle of Life and it was so over the top. Well, it is what it is. Who knows, maybe he had a lot of relatives in the audience.

About this time I discovered a couple people were going to be in the parks and made some arrangements. I was lucky with Toast when he called. My phone battery is dieing quickly. To save the battery, I was putting the phone in plane mode which shut off searching for signal which was draining the battery. Every so often i would take it out of airplane mode to pick up new twitters and Facebook updates. I had just enabled the phone for regular service when Toast called. It was a fun lunch because I had enabled regular calls again.

So, a note to people. I might be answering my phone right away at WDW with the poor signal quality I don't want to drain the battery. If you call or are looking for an answer, please leave a message and I'll get back with you!

I went back to animation after the Great Movie Ride. I waiting in line for the UP! characters. There was a long line, but it was worth it. When I got up to Carl, Dug and Russell, I just had this really strong feeling in my gut.

I asked Dug if he could sit and he obediently did so. The photo pass photographer took a number of shots. I felt wonderful with the three of them. I don't totally know why. I think it's because of the message that was conveyed. As I sit here writing this paragraph, those same feelings are on me. When I went to leave Dug, I hugged him and in the position I was in, my head was near his mouth. I heard a slurp like I was being licked. It was one of those moments.

Back on Hollywood Blvd, there a director there setting up a shoot with his assistant. I asked them if they knew if Rosie was working. When asked why I said that I had been there before and she had a really, really good way to remove stubborn spots and I couldn't remember what she told me. He let me know that she usually worked Fridays but that she was off today. This corroborated what someone had told me earlier in the day and that Rosie was semi retired. Within hour of the first one, I had that same strong feeling in my gut. I was soooo disappointed. I love the character!

My choice of transportation to get between the Studios and Epcot was a water shuttle. I was so tired that I apparently dozed off. After we hit the last stop before arriving at Epcot, I startled awake and then heard "each seat can accommodate three people. If there aren't three people, please more towards the outside allowing other people to sit down." I looked around and I was the only bench that had open space. I know who the captain of the Friendship III was talking to!

When I entered Epcot via the International Gateway, I turned right to head over to the American Gardens. When I got near the bridge to the French pavilion, there was a third reaction and this one was strong enough that I could have said I had major allergies flaring up with the sniffling nose and runny eyes. But this one I know why. Back in December 2007 Mousefest I had pictures taken showing me with Paris in the background. I wanted to get to Paris to complete my Disney Park World Tour. In 2008, I made the trip and accomplished a major dream for me. It was there at Epcot that I was able to visualize that goal and 29 months later realizing the power that that moment in 2007 had done to affect me. It took a while for me to get myself under control.

In the American Gardens Theater, Atlanta Rhythm Section was about to get started on the Flower Power Concert Series. With the help of a regular CM, I was able to reconnect with a fellow college program custodial cast member. The funny part was when I asked for this person I got the eye, like "What, you trying to serve a subpoena or something?" I took out my phone and showed a text message saying to look him up. Once I did that, it was only a matter of minutes before the now manager appeared by the concert's control booth. We took a few minutes to say hi and talk. I posted on Facebook that I had met up with a former college program alumni and he responded in the positive to my post. One of the other alumni also asked who it was. Given some of the issues with Facebook, one thing that can be said is that it does make it easier to reconnect with people!

After the meeting in the American Gardens, I moved over to the Kidcot area there at the American Adventure and connected with The Legend. He and I are hosts on the In the Loop podcast and have communicated via e-mail and on the show for several years. It was great to be able to meet in person. For those of you reading this that are trying to get me to the Intimidation Meet for the Intimidator 305 coaster next weekend so we can meet, all I can say is sorry since I've had plans for DPN Westfest for many months and knowledge of the dates for two, almost three years. It is very cool to meet people who you have listened to and watched .

The Legend, excuse me, the Award Winning Legend, and I spent the evening in the park doing some attractions and eating. We tried Tangerine Cafe. Rides included but not limited to Sum of all Thrills, Spaceship Earth and Nemo and Friends. The Turtle Talk with Crush here is cooler than that at Califonia Adventure since this holding room has real jellyfish, puffer fish and rays to look at. When someone says the parks are the same, you can point to this as a difference. He pointed out some items for the Flower and Garden and I got to show him new interpretations to the wall hanging in The Circle of Life theater. The same carpeting is hanging on the walls 24 years after I had worked there. We're going to do Universal at the start of next week and I'm looking forward to it!

Jeff Lange entered the picture today. As The Legend and myself were exiting I saw Jeff. I introduced the two. Jeff introduced us to Bruce Lau, an artist who creates collector items for Disney. He was in the park to sign some of his art. Before we all separated ways, I got Jeff's attention and yelled "JUICY!"

The Legend dropped me off at Pop Century. I decided to hop in the pool for a little bit. When I did there were two ducks outside my door in the grass. Although I didn't write about it, last night there was a rabbit and tonight ducks.

I don't get animals like that outside my door in Hawaii.

For the Awesome Job cards, none were given out today. I made 60 cards, but so far only one has gone out. None of the situations/questions I asked today were things really outside the norm and didn't require complex answers. Maybe tomorrow! It was good to meet new people and reconnect with old friends. While I maybe traveling solo, I'm not traveling alone!

Tomorrow will start at the Magic Kingdom and not sure what after that. But, I will do a little bit of a sleep in before going out!