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Cruisin’ Hawaii - Final Island

Thursday (Kauai): Our final stop was to Kauai... we once again woke up early for a packed day. We started north to the Kilauea Lighthouse and bird sanctuary. The goal was to visit with the Hawaiian state bird... the Nene Goose. While we were disappointed in the numbers we saw, the bluff views were great and we were able to snap some great photos.

Next we went south to visit two waterfalls followed by a lunch at Duke’s and capped it off with a traditional Hawaiian Shave Ice.

The final stop on all adventure was to the Waimea Canyon. While we weren’t sure we wanted to invest the time to get up to the Lookout, we are sure glad we did! The view was spectacular and probably only second to the actively erupting volcano as far as best view of the trip. It was WELL worth the effort!

Friday (Kauai): We decided to stay on the ship for resting and, of course, packing. The ship did sail by the Napali Coast for another great view of beautiful Kauai.

There is no doubt we loved our Hawaiian adventure! Unfortunately Nina and I both were under the weather during parts of the trip. This caused us to miss a number of things we wanted to do. The good news is that we have already started the list for next time! We are sad to say Aloha to Hawaii but are greatful to say Mahalo to the people and adventure it gave us (and a special Mahalo to Grammy and Pop for making it all happen). Aloha until the next Aloha, Hawaii!

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Cruisin’ Hawaii Con’t

Tuesday (Hilo): Next stop was the Big Island. The main reason the ship goes to Hilo is because it is close to Volcano National Park, but visiting the park wasn’t really in the cards due to Kīlauea’s recent activity. We made the best of the trip though by spending time in the Discovert Center and walking around town.

The highlight came later that evening when the ship passed by the active lava flow... and it was amazing and breathtaking! Photos do NOT do it justice but we could see the lava shooting up in the sky and the entire flow to the ocean. One of the best parts of the entire trip!

Wednesday (Kona): As we anchored on the other side of the island we had a jam packed day! More snorkeling... this time with a lot easier entry. The fish were plentiful but the current was a little strong for the boys.

We then were able to hike through a huge lava tub... the boys enjoyed some spelunking and we got some great shots.

Grammy and Pop took us to lunch at the Lava Lava Club... another great meal in a great location! I would recommend the casual, beachside Lava Lava Club to anyone!

We ended our stay on the Big Island with some shopping (new item for Trader Jay’s) before setting sail to Kauai.

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Cruisin’ the Hawaiian Islands

Keeping up on the blog on the cruise was tough so as we sit in the Honolulu airport waiting for our flight to the mainland I thought I’d try to summarize...

Saturday (Honolulu): We checked out of Aulani and went to meet some family friends at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki for a quick Outrigger ride. Then on the the ship and pretty much spend the afternoon organizing and getting settled. All cruise ship cabins are small but these were REALLY small!

Sunday (Maui): After arriving and figuring out the rental car mess we were off for a Hana Highway Adventure! The highlites included a number of waterfalls, some amazing banana bread, a decent blow hole and a black sand beach with a lava tube.

Since the ship was staying in port overnight, Nina and I had the chance for a date night at Mama’s Fish House. It was an amazing evening with great food and drink... but the scenery/location/decor is second to none. Mama does it right!

Monday (Maui): The goal today was snorkeling. We headed off to the west side of the island and after some searching found a great spot at the Honolua Bay. It was a beauitful jungle hike to the Bay and while entry was rocky we saw some decent fish. Then we took a swing through Lahaina for lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise and some quick shopping. We said goodbye to Maui as we boarded the ship headed to the Big Island.

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Pool Time, Surfing & More

Our last two full days on O’ahu have been action packed...

Thursday: This was our last full Aulani day. We filled it with pool time, beach time, even adult drink time! The boys did some good swimming (with underwater photos) before heading off to the kid’s club for some Krakamora Khaos. Nina and I did some laying in the sun, drinking in the sun and even a little snorking (again, in the sun).

After picking up the boys there was a pool party with Mickey and the gang and we ended with a little Menehune scavenger hunt.

Rex wasn’t feeling 100% so we took it easy for the evening to rest up for...

Friday: SURF LESSONS!!! Pop was kind enough to arrange surf lessons for the boys and Nina and Jenna and her friend Teresa. We got up early to head to Waikiki for the two hour lesson. Pop and I rented boards to “try” and take some videos.

The boys and Nina did AMAZING! The Ohana Surf Project instructors were amazing, especially with the boys! Everyone got up many times and there will eventually be pictures to prove that. I even was able to catch one wave and get myself up for a really decent ride.

Everyone had fun and to celebrate surfing (and Teresa’s birthday) we went to Duke’s for lunch. I really enjoyed my pork sandwich and the boys loved their Keiki tropical drinks.

Back at Aulani it was a little sad to realize it was time to pack... but not before one more happy hour drink.

Thank you, Aulani, for a great family vacation! (And thank you Grammy & Pop for making it happen!) Now on the NCL’s Pride of America to explore more islands!

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First Few Days in Hawaii

It has been a busy few days on O’ahu, here are the highlights...

Monday: We had a great Aulani Day! Pools, beach, all the great things that Aulani has. The boys did some kids club fun in “Fish are Friends”. They had a great time and loved feeding the fish.

Then we tried a little boogie boarding on a close by beach. It was a little rocky but Rex had great time!

We finished the day with a great dinner with loca family friends at Monkeypod across the street.

Tuesday: Adventure day out! We jumped in our Jeep, took the top off and drove up to the North Shore. We had a great hike to the Waimea Valley Water Fall. It is a cool but refreshing swim.

After the hike and waterfall we wanted to go to Haleiwa Joe’s... this is a restaurant in Haleiwa that the family loved last time. Xander dumbed it “Sauce Town” and it likes up to its name... they really have some amazing dipping sauces!

We decided Sauce Town wasn’t enough so we headed back east along the North Shore to Ted’s Backery for Pie. It is touted as “the most amazing pie” and it does NOT disappoint. It is by far the creamiest pie ever! It is a MUST for visitors to O’ahu! We sampled two pieces and brought a whole pie back for in room dessert.

Speaking of, Grammy Cocorullo whipped up an amazing Homemade Italian dinner for all to cap off the day!

Wednesday: Today Nina really wanted to head to Kualoa Ranch to do a Jungle Jeep ride and it was a great pick! First off, the East side of the island is AMAZING! High green mountains, beautiful coast, just all beautiful!

The Jeep ride was so fun! Great views (pictures mostly on the big camera) of mountains, coastline, movie sets and more! There were tikis, a recreated Hawaiian Historical Site, fun jeeps and great drivers. I would recommend to anyone. We got to see sets from Jumanj and Jurassic World and more! The boys enjoyed it a lot.

We came back to Aulani for some relaxing and kids club fun!

We have a busy 2 days as our Aulani stay starts to wrap up...

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First Day at Aulani

While the flight to Hawaii was fairly uneventful, obtaining the rental car was a HOT mess (damn you, Avis/Budget).

But we arrived Saturday afternoon and were able to get organized and enjoy some Corner Pizza before bed.

True to form, the boys were up before 5:30am, but we had a very enjoyable day at the resort! We did lots of pool time, some beach time and the boys even enjoyed the Kid’s Club for a few hours.

We capped off the day with a trip to the last old Tiki Bar in Hawaii... La Mariana Sailing Club. It is extremely hidden and a great little spot. The service is was great and the food enjoyable. I got a new Tiki Mug for Trader Jay’s. It was a very wonderful Father’s Day.

Still an early bedtime as we continue to adjust.

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Jam Packed Days!

What a jam packed two days the Cocos have had here at Disneyland!

Thursday we started by heading to Disney’s California Adventure to experience some of the newer experiences.

We started with what used to be Tower of Terror but last summer was re-imagined into Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout and it was some of the most fun you can have on an attraction! It really feels like you are part of a GOTG Adventure! It got a ton of #cocothumbsups from everyone!

Then we cruised over to Radiator Springs and did some Racing... once again, this attraction is non-stop fun!

One of my first roommates when I moved to Orlando swung by (her and her husband are loving life here in LA). It was great to catch up with Kimberly for a bit before heading back out to the park for lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria, rides and meetings with some of our favorite heros!

We took a nice afternoon break before watching the Paint the Night Parade... once again, how doesn’t WDW have something like this? Amazing music (with a ELP undertone) and fun floats.

Boys were asleep pretty much as they hit the pillows!

As we awoke on Friday, our last Disneyland day, we went back to DL park to finish up (and do a few repeats). We did Matterhorn and Buzz and Space (again)... took the Monorail back to Disneyland Hotel for lunch at Trader Sam’s and then finished up with Indiana Jones Adventure and Jungle Cruise (and some shopping).

As we pack up we are sad that our DLR Adventure is over but are excited to arrive at Aulani tomorrow!

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Disneyland: The Original & Best

After our few hours of sleep we couldn’t let the day pass us by... and we made the most of it!

We got organized (and coffee) and headed out to Disneyland Park. We took the DL monorail in... a new experience for most of us. Then proceeded to Nemo Submarines (an “old” favorite of the boys’). We had a jam packed morning filled with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (an old favored of Nina and I that’s been absent from WDW for many years now), lunch at the Hungery Bear and Original Tiki Room.

Next it was on to Xander’s first flight on Space Mountain on either coast... he was silent but indicated he had a great time. We finished with a plunge on Splash Mountain.

We took a little afternoon siesta then back out for dinner at the Blue Bayou inside Pirates of the Caribbean. People give it mixed reviews but we love it! And even though the boys were running on fumes they did a great job! An actual ride on Pirates and Thunder Mountain before our Fantasmic! night cap.

It was a fantastic day! We fit so much in and had a great time! I cannot say enough how so many things are so much better at Disneyland compared to Walt Disney World. Here is our collective family scoring:

Thunder Mountain = Disneyland (enhanced C lift)

Space Mountain = Disneyland (darker and in spaceship music

Pirates = Disneyland hands down! (Longer, story makes sense, 2 drops, the list goes on and on)

Fantasmic! = Disneyland (you’d think that WDW having a whole theater would be a benefit but DLR has done so much with the little Rivers of America area. The show enhancements are phenomenal compared to the version that WDW hasn’t updated ever {do kids know Pocahontas anymore?}).

Splash Mountain = okay, this is WDW’s one point

Disneyland 5 - WDW 1... we have DLR 2 points for Fantasmic!

Straight to bed to get a good nights sleep for two more days of adventure!!!

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Rough Start

Our Disneyland/Hawaii Adventure has started! (But it was a bumpy beginning...)

We were set to leave Orlando at 7pm on a non-stop to LAX, landing at a reasonable 9:30.

Twenty minutes before our flight was supposed to take off Delta announced that our non-stop would have to stop in Atlanta to pick up a different flight crew. Something about our original pilot having too many hours today, etc. So that’s bad but then about a third of the way through boarding they tell us they we can’t use the plane... we are now delayed more. The Delta people kept trying to sell a “quick stop” in Atlanta but everyone knows that’s not possible. Long story, a tiny bit shorter... we arrive at 1am instead of 9:30pm.

I have to say the boys were troopers!!! They slept when they could, they helped and listened and were good travelers... a lot less cranky than their Dad.

We had a nice Lyft driver to the Disneyland Hotel (no traffic at 2am) and were in bed by 3am. The lobby is also very deserted at 2:30am!

Currently everyone is still resting... so hopefully we’ll be ready to hit the parks with full energy!

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Back to DLR & Hawaii

The Cocos are headed back to Disneyland and Hawaii!  Figure I’ll chronicle our adventures here again... More to Come SOON!!!

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Now it's time to say goodbye... Our final day of vacation has come to an end. The final flight home is early tomorrow morning. What a great 2 week adventure! Lots of great memories! Today had a little bit later start due to Xander not feeling well and being up a lot of the evening, but we still had a good final day. Finished up a few rides, including Mr. Toad, Alice, Star Tours and Storybook Canal Boats. Then, in the middle of all that, a great lunch at Blue Bayou, right on the water. Finished the afternoon with a little shopping and then capped the day with pizza and fireworks from our porch. Sad that the trip has ended but I think we also will be happy to get home to a little normalcy. Thank you, Aulani, Waikiki and Disneyland for an unforgettable trip! See you real soon (we hope)!

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Tikis, Ghosts, Toys and More Tikis Very busy day at DLR today! Started back at Disneyland with the Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion (the new Hat Box Ghost is REALLY cool). Then it was back to Toontown for another spin on Gadget's coaster with the entire family (Rex missed yesterday due to a nap that turned into 12+ hours of sleep). After we met the rest of the family for a great lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria. This earned us reserved seating for World of Color. Then a jump over to Toy Story Mania, where the line was a manageable 30 minutes instead of the 100+ average wait at the WDW version. It was time for a pool break for the boys and Grammy and Pop were nice enough to take the boys so Nina, Jenna and I could do a few older kid rides... First stop, the best Disney ride in the USA, the Indiana Jones Adventure. It was amazing, as always, and the first time Nina and I were able to do it together. Then we bounced around on the Matterhorn and after that bumpiness we decided we needed a tropical beverage at Trader Sam's. The Enchanted Tiki Bar is a new favorite of Nina and I! Great drinks, great scenery, great staff... An all around great time. (My newest favorite discovery is the beer taps each do a different tiki chant when pulled... Amazing!) After a regroup at the hotel we finished the day with our World of Color viewing. We thought it was really good... Though the highlight for this crew was the Star Wars section. Another great day with one day left!

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The Original! So we skipped yesterday but let's go over the cliff notes... Woke up at 4:30am Hawaii time, flew to LA, got to Disney's Paradise Pier at the Disneyland resort at 7pm PDT, grabbed dinner at downtown Disney at tortilla joe's and then watched Disney Junior until midnight since everyone's clocks were all messed up. This morning, even on 6 hours of sleep, we got up to catch the extra magic hour... Needed to get a jump start on the Disneyland fun! First we did some Cars Land. Rex, Pop, Aunt Jenna and myself all were able to experience Radiator Springs Racers for the first time. Very good story/ride/ect! Xander and Mommy and Grammy took a few spins on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and even hung out with Lightning McQueen himself! Then off to Disneyland to do the highly requested Buzz and Nemo Subs. A little Fantasyland Fun followed with one of my old favorites, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Then nap time for Xander turned into Rex's first ride on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness... Big Thunder Mountain! The best comments were "how'd that goat get up here?" And "can we go again?" After a second BTM visit it was off to a family favorite... Pirates of the Caribbean... The long version here in Cali... As it should be! After it was time for another Buzz fix and a little wind down at the hotel. Rex hasn't napped but we went to try to fit a few more things in... Even though Rex didn't stay awake it was Xander's turn for a roller coaster first... His first EVER to be exact. Almost 3 years ago Rex's first coaster was Gadget's Go Coaster here at Disneyland so only fitting that Xander's was the same. He too wanted a repeat ride! Thinking we could do some fireworks, we tried to scope out a spot. Even though we did get to see them, the boys did not as they just were out of energy. Time for some rest before another busy day tomorrow!

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Love and Boogie Boarding

Today was our last day in Hawaii. It has been a great visit to paradise!

The day started with Nina and I renewing our marriage vows beachside at Waikiki. It was a very nice ceremony and we were thrilled that Rex and Xander were able to be a part of it. It has been an amazing 6+ years with my beautiful wife and I look forward to 60+ more!

After a celebratory breakfast at Hula Grill it was time to hit the beach! Rex has a new "love" and she is called boogie boarding! He caught some good waves (with the help of mommy, pop and I) and really enjoyed it. Xander, on the other hand, has felt a little under the weather today. He still enjoyed the beach and pool and even caught some Z's in his tube in the ocean, but still not 100%.

Some baths and resting, we thought, would finish out the sun... But Rex wanted to hit the waves one last time before dinner (Pop was kind enough to bring him).

As we pack up, I can't help but thinking "crap, we overpacked!" :)

And I think about all the family fun we have had here. Lots of great memories to hold in our hearts as well as via the multiple cameras/phones and this blog.

We look forward to the final leg of this adventure (Disneyland for 3 days) but will be sad to start the long flight over the Pacific tomorrow.

Aloha and Mahalo Hawaii... Coconuts and Tikis Forever

#cocosinparadise

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Rainbows and Tikis

Another great day in Hawaii!

The day started with a trip up the beach to the Outrigger Canoe Club for breakfast with my parent’s friends. Nice little beach for the kids to play at.

Then back to our resort for Duke’s on Sunday Father's Day lunch and lots of beach/pool fun. We even had someone who was checking out give us their boogie board. Rex really enjoyed most of the wave riding.

We ventured out for some shopping and treats but the kids just wanted treats and were pretty tired. They hung with Grammy, Pop and Aunt Jenna and Nina and I did a little shopping and a little enjoying of the town.

Tomorrow (which is really today) is our last day in Hawaii. As much sand and surf as we can fit in!

#cocosinparadise

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On the beach at Waikiki…

In the busy-ness of the switchover yesterday, I missed my blog. Here is a catch up…

We packed up and left Aulani. A quick Target stop for a few necessities (fruit snacks) and then a quick drive to the Outrigger Waikiki Beach resort. We have a beautiful view on the 14th floor.

The boys literally fell asleep as we pulled into the resort so what better way to take advantage of that time (and wait for our room) then to get a drink at Duke’s. I had a few Duke’s Beach Blond Ale while Nina had one of the best tasting frozen drinks ever (Endless Summer) followed by a tropical itch (hence the backscratcher Rex is holding).

After checking out the view we did happy hour at the Hula Grill (went classic Hawaii with mai tai and blue Hawaiian) and then some pool fun.

We capped off the day with a trip to Tiki’s grill… Needed my pork quesadilla fix.

Two more days in the islands to get as much sand and sun as we can.

#cocosinparadise

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Mahalo and Aloha Aulani…

The sun has set on our last day at Aulani. There is more adventure ahead but our time here was definitely memorable!

Today we fit in as much pool/resort action as possible! Rex even got Grammy on the water tube slide.

Pool, sun, menehunes and a DVC sunset happy hour all filled the day. I won a Disney trivia prize (don’t tell them I’m a champion Goofy’s Mystery Tour-er).

Tomorrow we will pack up and head to Waikiki for a few nights. (I’ve been waiting for pork quesadillas at Tikis for 8 years.)

See you in 3 years, Aulani!

#cocosinparadise