My TR - a bunch of reviews and random thoughts.

[WanderlustNZ]

I'm feeling a bit sad to be home from such a wonderful trip, but am looking forward to printing off some pics today and reminiscing on what a great trip it was.

I am back into work full swing tomorrow for the busiest 2 months of the year. I know if I try to start a really detailed TR I will give up again about half way through.

So rather than put together a conventional TR, I have decided to throw together some random reviews and thoughts on the whole experience. I'll also try to throw in a few photos along the way. (Just give me a few days to get them sorted and onto my PC).

For those who haven't been following my PTR, my 2 week long trip consisted of a week in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, and a week split between Disneyland and Aulani. The undisputed highlight was our first week in the National Parks. My family and I have a a strong appreciation and love for nature and the great outdoors and this experience enriched our souls as well as our brains.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

AULANI

I'll begin with my thoughts on Aulani. It's the freshest in my mind, and the place I had the most mixed thoughts about.

The Good

LANAWAI SPA - I am by no means a spa expert, but this place is awesome. I could only afford one treatment (a signature lomilomi massage), but it was, without exception, the best spa experience I have ever had.
AMA AMA - we had both breakfast and lunch here and thoroughly enjoyed both. The view of the ocean was lovely, and the food tasty. I'm sure dinner would have been equally lovely, but it was beyond our budget.
MENEHUNE GAME - Great fun for the whole family.
THE POOLS AND LAZY RIVER - ignoring the crowds, the facilities are quite stunning.
THEMING - as you would expect from Disney there is great attention to detail. Everything from the artwork in the lobby, to the lamps in the gardens are well thought out. As far as theming goes, I still prefer Animal Kingdom Lodge, but Aulani is close behind.
ELEVATORS - despite the resort being at capacity, there were never waits of more than about a minute for elevators.
SERVICE - exactly what you would expect from a Disney Resort, polite and jovial.
THE WELCOME - there is something quite special about being greeted with leis when you arrive. It puts you straight into holiday mode.

The okay

FOOD - At all other eateries beside Ama Ama, the food was pretty much what you'd expect. The dinner and breakfast buffets were tasty, but a tad expensive.
RESORT LAYOUT - it is a large resort and fairly well laid out as far as fitting everything in goes. However, what I didn't like was the limited views of the ocean. Most of the resort and pools have views of gardens. While the gardens are lovely, there is something special about being able to see the sea and being reminded that you are on a tropical island.
STARLIGHT HUI - it was a nice show that wasn't too lengthy, but it was also quite crowded. We were sitting quite far back on the lawn as we didn't get there early enough to claim a good spot.
GIFT SHOP - I was expecting something a bit larger and more extensive, but it still had a few nice items. It had the Vera Bradley handbag I couldn't find at DLR which was awesome.

The Bad
CROWDS - we stayed mid week during what is considered to be a quieter travel period for Americans, yet the resort was full. This meant that the pools and public areas were always very busy. Recent reviews I have read suggest that since the building extensions have been finished this resort is almost always busy.
CHAIR HOGGERS - The staff do monitor this, but it is hard to police. There were always plenty of chairs down by the beach, but everywhere else in the resort chairs were often near impossible to come by. During the hottest part of the day, we would often walk around for about 10min just to find one spare chair for the four of us to share and on which to put our belongings. When we walked to breakfast one morning we watched as one woman pushed a stroller full of towels and random pieces of clothing and claimed about 9 chairs. I just shook my head at her and gave her my most disgusted look. However, to be honest, I blame Aulani management more than the guests for this issue. They have simply created a resort that is too big and doesn't have enough facilities to cater to the crowds. And at the price most people are paying, facilities is what they should be getting.
KIDS CLUB - I heard rave reviews about the programmes offered at Aunty's Beach House, but my son never had the chance to try one. This is because the club worked on reservations, and they booked out extremely quickly. The club opened at 8 and lines for reservations started forming around 7. I spoke to one woman who got to the front of the line about 8am one morning and the programme she wanted was already booked out. I thought I would try to get my son into 'Space Goo with Stitch' one day, but when I saw the line which was about 80metres long I decided I couldn't be bothered queuing knowing there was a chance I could be unsuccessful. This whole process seemed insane to me. The kids club on Disney Cruiseline was so easy. When your child decided they wanted to attend, you just took them. No reservations. No queues. Aulani is such a huge resort and it needs to perform in the same way as the cruiseline. I would never consider an extended stay at Aulani because I think the concept of adults only time is much more difficult than the advertising makes out. If you and your partner decided to having a relaxing day together at the spa, you would have to begin the day in a very unrelaxing manner queuing for an hour to guarantee your child will be catered for.
THE BEACH - it just isn't that pretty. When you think of a South Pacific Resort, you think of stunning beaches. But I think Aulani is a bit like a Denarau resort in Fiji - customers are expected to excuse the uninspiring location because the resort itself is so nice. The colour of the sand and visibility of the water (or lack thereof) reminded me of beaches I can visit at home. In fact, I can think of NZ beaches that are nicer. It didn't help that the small fish in the water were aggressive. Perhaps they liked the taste of our sunscreen as they kept biting us. They bit a mole on my husband's back so hard that it started pouring blood.

Overall judgement.

It is unlikely that I will return to Aulani (or Hawaii). I didn't like Hawaii when I visited many years ago because of it's built up nature and the crowds. I thought an Aulani experience might be different since I love Disney so much, but once again I felt a bit oppressed by all the people.
Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful resort and I really did enjoy my three days there, but nothing like the way I enjoyed my favourite Fijian resort (Navini) or our Disney Cruise on the Fantasy. When I go to a tropical Island to relax, I don't want to think about things like 'Where am I going to sit when I get out of the pool?' or 'How early should I set my alarm to register DS for the kid's club?'. That's not my idea of a relaxing holiday.

I give Aulani 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

 

[Tashinwdw]

Thanks for that feedback, I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but I am thinking it would be better to put it further down the bucket list. DH hates crowds and I think I was imagining a tropical paradise, not quite what you described. I wonder if they have a quiet time or its busy all year round. What are the menus like - I always find it hard to find something to eat as I dont eat seafood - do they have a good variety?

 

[zanzibar138]

Yay a TR! Even if it's not a traditional TR, it's still great to hear about your trip, so thanks for doing one for us

Great review of Aulani. I've heard about the crowding problem before, which TBH has really put me off going. What I hadn't heard about was the biting fish I'm not a big fan of oceans anyway, but I am NEVER going in that water!

Hawaii is still high on my list, but I'm more interested in Kauai and Big Island.

 

[Meemoo]

That's a shame you didn't get to really enjoy Aulani. We usually stay the end of October and early November, it has always been a quiet time, the pools are peaceful but I can imagine at full capacity it would be hard to enjoy, we like to avoid the busy periods also. I saw groups of little silver fish in the water but didn't have any problem with them biting, maybe it was your sunscreen

Tashinwdw - I'm not a huge fan of the food in Hawaii, or America for that matter. We always stay in the villas with a kitchen and buy/cook our own. Some people don't like to do this on holidays, but we think it is fun to go to a different supermarket and get some different things to make

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thanks for that feedback, I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but I am thinking it would be better to put it further down the bucket list. DH hates crowds and I think I was imagining a tropical paradise, not quite what you described. I wonder if they have a quiet time or its busy all year round. What are the menus like - I always find it hard to find something to eat as I dont eat seafood - do they have a good variety?

I didn't mind the food. DH and I are quite adventurous in our food choices, while my MIL always opted for fairly simple meals. There was enough variety to keep us all happy. Also, there were plenty of options that weren't seafood. Food was expensive there by American standards, but not too bad by Aus/NZ standards.

I liked the family dinner options that you could order to your villa and plate up yourself. We paid $25 p/p (tax and tip inc.) and were delivered a huge feast of meatloaf, steamed vegetables, pasta salad, garlic bread rolls and butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, and an apple pie. It was a meal for 4, but there was easily enough to feed 6.

I'm not sure when the quiet periods are. I had assumed that we were there during a quiet period, but it wasn't the case. I have been reading more and more reviews lately from DVC members who have seen it get busier and busier. It's a shame, because without the crowds and Chair Hoggers it would be blissful.

 

[losfp]

Thanks for the report! I'm sorry you didn't have a great time We are planning a trip which will include a few days at Aulani to finish up the holiday next November.. I would be keen to see what difference the time of year makes.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yay a TR! Even if it's not a traditional TR, it's still great to hear about your trip, so thanks for doing one for us Great review of Aulani. I've heard about the crowding problem before, which TBH has really put me off going. What I hadn't heard about was the biting fish I'm not a big fan of oceans anyway, but I am NEVER going in that water! Hawaii is still high on my list, but I'm more interested in Kauai and Big Island.

Yeah, the crowds certainly put me off going back. I'm probably a bit biased as I have already found my idea of beach nirvana, and it was hard not to compare. I also found it hard not to compare Aulani to a Disney cruise, given that I consider both to be the relaxing version of a Disney holiday.

I was speaking to DH before and we agreed that out of DCL, WDW, DLR, and Aulani, DCL was our favourite experience and Aulani our least favourite. Funny given that I think the two are catering to similar clientele.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

That's a shame you didn't get to really enjoy Aulani. We usually stay the end of October and early November, it has always been a quiet time, the pools are peaceful but I can imagine at full capacity it would be hard to enjoy, we like to avoid the busy periods also. I saw groups of little silver fish in the water but didn't have any problem with them biting, maybe it was your sunscreen Tashinwdw - I'm not a huge fan of the food in Hawaii, or America for that matter. We always stay in the villas with a kitchen and buy/cook our own. Some people don't like to do this on holidays, but we think it is fun to go to a different supermarket and get some different things to make

I did wonder if it was the sunscreen as other holidaymakers seemed much less concerned by the fish than we were. They kept nipping me on the legs and DH on the back. Unfortunately his mole was just the right size for one of their mouths. I can laugh about it now, but it wasn't great at the time.

DH had to go back into the water the next day for Uncle's canoe race so he learnt from experience and kept his t-shirt on

The problem is that we thought we were visiting during a less busy time. There were quite a few Japanese people there, so perhaps we hit the resort during Japanese school holidays?

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thanks for the report! I'm sorry you didn't have a great time We are planning a trip which will include a few days at Aulani to finish up the holiday next November.. I would be keen to see what difference the time of year makes.

We did actually like Aulani, we just didn't love it. I think because there are places closer to home that we do love, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to return.
In saying that, I can see myself craving a return visit to that spa - absolute bliss!

I should mention that my son absolutely loved Aulani, more so than Disneyland and Yellowstone. But he is at an age where crowds don't concern him.

 

[dabecs]

I didn't know about the hour long early morning queue for the kids club - that doesn't sound like a relaxing way to start your day!

And chair hogging is the worst!

Thanks for doing a TR of thoughts, I know how hard a full TR can be but it's so great to hear other 'locals' opinions on places

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Thanks for the update - wasn't sold on the idea of Aulani and now even less so! We enjoyed our time in Maui last trip MANY years ago! But would also like to see Kauai. Appreciate the time a big TR takes but do hope you will show us nature lovers some pics of the Tetons and Yellowstone ..if I ask pretty please

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thanks for the update - wasn't sold on the idea of Aulani and now even less so! We enjoyed our time in Maui last trip MANY years ago! But would also like to see Kauai. Appreciate the time a big TR takes but do hope you will show us nature lovers some pics of the Tetons and Yellowstone ..if I ask pretty please

Will definitely put some nature pics up. I love my animal pics. Some were taken from a distance or a bit blurry (such as my bear and wolf pics), but I feel so blessed just to have seen these animals in the wild.

Unfortunately my Teton mountain pics are pretty lousy. It rained all 3 days we visited. It didn't stop us from hiking and spotting the animals, but it did hinder my landscape pics unfortunately.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I didn't know about the hour long early morning queue for the kids club - that doesn't sound like a relaxing way to start your day! And chair hogging is the worst! Thanks for doing a TR of thoughts, I know how hard a full TR can be but it's so great to hear other 'locals' opinions on places

I wasn't aware of the kids club queues either until we got there. We also had to queue early for family activities, but these queues weren't as bad. We did a canoe building and racing activity one day and I arrived at 7:45 for sign up. At that stage there was only 3 people in front of me which was good.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK AND YELLOWSTONE

Our trip to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park was from 27th September to the 4th October. While this is considered late in the season - a lot of services are closed and the weather at this time is very much a gamble - it turned out to be an absolutely wonderful time to travel. The roads were nice and quiet, the trees were changing colour, and the wildlife were reasonably active (particularly the elk). It was cold, yet comfortable.



For those who aren't familiar with the area, Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and Yellowstone are two separate National Parks that share a border. The landscaping of both is quite different, yet the wildlife roaming both is similar. GTNP is generally considered to be the prettier park, while Yellowstone is the much larger and more diverse park. They are at a high altitude, particularly Yellowstone, so weather can be all over the place. The air is also very dry which makes it feel warmer than it actually is.



The towns that border the two parks are very quaint (if not slightly touristy) and remind you of something out of a Wild West movie. The wooden architecture everywhere is quite charming.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS

Waking up to snow during our stay at Old Faithful Inn. It was truly magical. It turned the geyser basin into a winter wonderland. I was really worried about snow hindering our trip, but I found it to be a blessing. It didn't settle for long on the roads which was great. It was the first time my son got to experience snow falling from the sky.









Seeing wildlife. We were extremely lucky and saw almost everything on our wishlist. This included moose, beaver, 5 black bears (including a mother and her 3 cubs), bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, red fox, coyote, bald eagle, great horned owl, chipmunks (perhaps not exciting for some, but exciting for us), bighorn sheep, and my personal favourite, a pack of wolves (the Junction Butte Pack).

Helping my son earn his Junior Ranger and Junior Scientist Patches. I love when fun and education combine. We also visited the Grizzly and Wolf Centre in West Yellowstone (a very worthwhile establishment that takes in animals that would otherwise need to be euthanised). For just $2 we enrolled our son in the Keeper Kids program. During this programme he had a 30min lesson on Grizzlys and then he got to hide food for the bears. It was a fantastic programme which my son loved.



To complete the Scientist badge my son got to borrow a backpack full of scientist gear. It included this infrared thermometer.






Grizzly and Wolf Centre

 

[WanderlustNZ]

FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION

This would be a tie between Old Faithful Inn and the Yellowstone Gateway Inn in Gardiner.
Old Faithful Inn was probably my personal favourite as it had so much charm and history. We managed to score one of only 9 ensuite rooms in the old original part of the Inn and having a claw foot bath on a snowy morning was pretty special. On the downside, the walls were paper thin and it was a bit of a squeeze for the four of us.








Yellowstone Gateway Inn was a clear favourite for the rest of my family. We had a 2 bedroom unit which provided us with huge amounts of space and a fully-equipped kitchen to self-cater. It was beautifully furnished with every modern comfort from large comfortable beds to cable TV. Plus it was a quick walk across the road to the grocery store. I had originally booked a cabin for those nights inside the park at Mammoth Hot Springs. I changed my mind due to a need for more space and I am so pleased I did. We still had plenty of wildlife hanging around our accommodation z(elk and deer frequently walked past the window) and we really liked the town itself. Gardiner had a nice feel to it and we preferred it to the larger towns of West Yellowstone and Jackson. I think it just felt a bit less touristy and 'dressed-up'. It also probably helped that Gardiner was at the gateway to the North of the park and we much preferred the Upper loop of Yellowstone to the lower loop. (The main roads of Yellowstone are shaped like a figure 8).





Deer outside our hotel






The Roosevelt Arch. The entrance to Yellowstone from Gardiner


Other places we stayed included the Grand View Lodge in Jackson, The Lake Lodge (in a Western cabin) and Three Bear Lodge in West Yellowstone. We had a Goldilocks themed room at Three Bear Lodge and the attention to detail in the theming was great. My son absolutely loved having his own kid-size cabin to sleep in.







A strange sight in West Yellowstone


Lake Lodge inside Yellowstone


I loved the small details


including the soaps


GETTING TO YELLOWSTONE

To keep down costs, we flew in and out of Salt Lake City. We hired a car from Alamo and on the first day drove only as far as Logan, Utah. This worked out extremely well as we were tired and adjusting to the different time zones and driving rules. As an international traveller, Logan turned out to be a lovely place to stop for the night and do a bit of cheap shopping (Walmart, Hobby Lobby etc.)
On the flight there from L.A we used Delta (just okay) and on the flight back to L.A. we used JetBlue (great domestic airline). Having flown quite a few US domestic airlines now, JetBlue and Virgin America have been my favourite. It helped that JetBlue flew into Long Beach rather than LAX. Long Beach is a smaller, more relaxed, airport than LAX and is closer to Anaheim.



Our accommodation in Logan. It was a huge room and was really cheap.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

TOURS

To maximise our time in GTNP and Yellowstone we did a couple of day tours.
On our first full day in the area we did a GTNP tour with the Teton Science School. We absolutely loved it and had the most passionate, knowledgeable, guide. We saw beaver, moose, bison, elk, pronghorn, bald eagle, and (wonderfully) a Great Horned owl. Our guide was great at pointing out all the signs of bear (scat, tracks, scratches in wood), but the bear remained elusive on that day. We also visited the Teton Science School campus and got to enjoy a great educational experience touching skulls, antlers, pelts etc.

Beaver skull at the Teton Science School Campus. Check out the teeth!


We had lousy weather the whole time we were in GTNP and never really got the chance to see the famous mountains in their full glory, but we still had a fabulous time hiking and wildlife spotting in the rain.

I loved the fall colours


On one of our last days we did a full day wildlife tour with the Yellowstone Association. This guide was at a disadvantage as by this stage we had seem most of the wildlife on our wishlist. However, she still managed to provide us with an excellent tour and I attribute her with finding us the pack of wolves. She knew where to look, she helped convince us to wait patiently in the hope they would reappear (they had been spotted earlier), and she provided the high-power spotting scopes through which to watch them properly. In all, we spent about 2 hours of the tour wolf watching - one hour waiting and hoping they would appear, and another hour observing their antics and pack behaviour. It was very special.

Lastly, on the days we self-drove we used a Gaper Guide. It is a GPS device that gives you a running commentary of everything you are passing. It gives you a heads-up when you are approaching bathrooms and describes the difficulty of walks and hikes. It was just like having a tour guide in the car. For first time travellers to Yellowstone, I can't recommend one of these GPS devices enough. I had done heaps of research prior, and bought a few of the recommended books, but the Gaper Guide made self-touring so relaxing. We returned the guide half a day early and converted to the use of a guide book. Let's just say I really missed the Gaper Guide.



OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS

The wildlife held much more appeal to me than the thermal activity. I think it is because we have a collection of mud pools and geysers here in New Zealand (albeit on a smaller scale).

I was particularly disappointed in Grand Prismatic. It was the thermal feature I had most looked forward to, but the cold air thickened the steam and made it near impossible to see properly. Plus the frost on that particular day turned the boardwalks around Grand Prismatic into an ice skating rink. It was quite scary to walk upon.




Apart from the geyser basin which was still quite busy with plenty of tourists, Yellowstone was like a ghost town while we were there. It was wonderful. I don't think I would be happy visiting in July or August when cars are pretty much bumper to bumper.

We enjoyed the Wildlife Art Museum in Jackson. The museum provides great interactive activity packs for kids.



Part of the activity pack involved indentifying the scat (poop)


We found food in the parks to be perfectly adequate and reasonably priced. We particularly enjoyed our dinner at Old Faithful Inn.

Bison Pot Roast


Huckleberry Ice cream


I was really disappointed by the behaviour of many tourists. I often saw tourists doing really stupid things such as getting too close to elk, or throwing snow at ravens. I admired the patience and resolve of the park rangers.

I wasn't expecting to find animal tracks and scats so interesting. We went for a hike with our Yellowstone Association Guide to an old unused wolf den. She pointed out track, scats, and bones on the way, and we were fascinated by all there was to learn. She also shared a dramatic story about the wolf pack who had once inhabited the den. It was like listening to a juicy novel about a family of humans and we hung on every word.

Badger Hole


Trying to identify the jaw bone


Wolf den






As far as tourist prices go, we thought the gift shops inside Yellowstone and Grand Teton were quite reasonable.

For anyone wondering, our credit cards did work at Yellowstone petrol/gas pumps and did not prompt us for a postcode.

When you want to see wildlife, it is worth it to get up really early. I was like a bit of a drill seargant when it came to getting my family up early. But once we were on the road it was worth it.

I also learnt the importance of letting the parks present themselves to you, rather than scheduling every spare minute. It was when we took a wrong turn that we stumbled upon a coyote, and it was when I decided on a last minute change of route that we came across the family of bears.

Yellowstone Grand Canyon


Lastly, a visit to Yellowstone requires quite a bit of advance planning. I equate it to a visit to WDW - there is a lot to consider. Ideally accommodation should be booked at least a year in advance, but you also need to be prepared to change all your plans once road closures are released. Don't let it frustrate you, it will all be worth it in the end. I overheard a conversation one day between a park visitor and an Old Faithful Park Ranger. The visitor hadn't done any research and wasn't aware of a nearby road closure. It was 4pm in the afternoon and she needed to get to Jackson for the night. The detour was not a short one, and instead of the drive taking her about 2 hours, she was in for about a 4 1/2 hour drive without stops (assuming no bison jams). I could tell how frustrated she was, but I had no sympathy. Information about this road closure was everywhere and had been known about for at least 4 months.

 

[zanzibar138]

Great information about the national parks This part of your trip sounds so amazing, just my cup of tea! I also agree that a light snowfall can have the most magical affect, which we soon learned in Europe where we saw both Paris and DLP under a thin blanket of snow.

Anxiously awaiting the photos!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Great information about the national parks This part of your trip sounds so amazing, just my cup of tea! I also agree that a light snowfall can have the most magical affect, which we soon learned in Europe where we saw both Paris and DLP under a thin blanket of snow. Anxiously awaiting the photos!

Thanks

I'm uploading some pics to photo bucket now and will go back and edit each post with pics. The upload just seems to be very slooowwwww.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

ANIMALS ANIMALS ANIMALS
My favourite part of the whole trip

Black Bear









Pronghorn - the fastest animal on the planet over distance


Bighorn Sheep (this is a female. The males have much larger horns)


Chipmunk


Moose


Red Fox


Raven - a very clever, interesting bird


Coyote


Bison




A rare special sighting of a Great Horned Owl


Evidence of Beaver. Unfortunately our sighting was so fleeting we couldn't get a pic


The dam is in the centre of the pic, the beavers home is in the forefront. We could hear him inside gnawing at wood


A fine example of a Bull Elk



A pack of wolves - unfortunately our camera wasn't strong enough to get a close-up pic.