Back to Disneyland. There's always something new!

 

My children left us as empty nesters in August.  Besides the usual feelings and adjustments that this life event causes, it left us certainly with a new approach to travel, as it now was going to be hard to negotiate having all three "children" available at the same time.  Well, the ubiquitous family trip to Disneyland was going to happen, so we made it happen when my "students" were off for the week of Thanksgiving.  This was the first time in many years that we were coming during the "Christmas Season," (which in Disneyland begins around Veterans Day) and to boot the weekend before Thanksgiving, which we knew would be busy.  By now, we are seasoned Disneylanders, but every time you go there is something new to report so here goes:

VIRUTAL QUEUE:

We have been coming to Disneyland for years and years and never had to make use of the virtual queue until we came for a single day in September earlier this year.  Virtual queue is usually employed when a ride is brand new and thereby extremely popular.  The day we went in September virtual queue was in place for Haunted Mansion Holiday, as they seemed to be doing some construction and expanding the queue area.  As Tiana's Bayou Adventure made its grand opening just one week before we left on November 22nd, a virtual queue was also in effect for this new and very popular ride.

So this is how it works. At seven am you can join one virtual queue only for a park in which you have a reservation for that day.  So if the park is employing two virtual queues, you need to choose.  If your reservation that day has you starting in a park where there is NO virtual queue, in this case DCA, you cannot join the virtual queue until NOON, and then you still need to choose.  You cannot join the virtual queue for the other ride with a virtual queue until you have redeemed your first virtual queue pass, and there is no guarantee that space in the virtual queue will remain.  Once you join you are given a boarding group number which later will be announced on your phone through the Disneyland app, but is does go in order so it is pretty easy to make plans around your boarding group number.

The first day we got immediately in the VQ for Tiana's Bayou Adventure at 7am on the dot.  It took a long time for them actually start calling the boarding groups but once they did, we seemed to be in group 84 or so.  Then when we went to redeem at about 11am or so, the ride broke down and we were given a Lightning Lane pass to return.....when the ride was open.  Well, we rode this finally after dinner, like 6pm.  We immediately tried to get into the VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday, which gave us a number like 198 and reported there were no guarantees we would be called but we did get called anyway.

The second day we started in DCA so at NOON we were able to request Haunted Mansion Holiday (our choice, not so enthused about getting as wet as we did the day before on Tiana's.)  I don't think we rode until after dinner again, and by the time we got on, there were no spots left in the VQ for Tiana's.

Here we are, NOT standing in line
at Tiana's Bayou Adventure

There are a few good things about the virtual queue: 1)  You can spend your time walking about the park and experiencing other attractions instead of standing in line.  Disney likes that while you are not standing in line, you can spend your money in other parts of the park. 2)  Virtual queue is open to everyone with a park reservation without an additional upcharge.  This pretty much guarantees that with a little advanced planning on the part of the average Disney patron, the new fun ride is not just for those who have money to burn on the lightning lane add on.

The only disadvantage is that you have to be on it--even down to just knowing a VQ is in place.  I found out less than a week before we left about the VQ on Tiana's.  I saw people turned away from both VQ rides, as the VQ makes it so there is NO standby line. Period.

We found out that the VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday ended the day after we left and returned to being a ride covered by Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

TIANA'S BAYOU ADVENTURE:

So here's the moment you've been waiting for.  The beloved Splash Mountain was taken out of commission at Disneyland on May 31, 2023 to make way for the overlay of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which as aforementioned opened November 15th, 2024, which runs the same track with a different story and theme.

The reason for the change was, as is common for many changes in Disney rides (i.e Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean---you can see my comments on those changes here and here), is in keeping with Disney's attempt to be more progressive and inclusive.  Anyway, Splash Mountain did not offend me, it was all animals so I don't know how that was non-inclusive, and the story of Tiana's Bayou Adventure just confused me, especially like why the drop particularly was part of the story...

Well, I only got to ride it once, so it may need to grow on me to be fair.  One thing is for dang sure, we all got way more wet than we ever got on Splash Mountain.

We were already wet,
and we got wetter!!

FIREWORKS:

So super cool that I hate to even give away this secret.  Now you can watch an equally impressive fireworks show nightly from Galaxy's Edge, called Fire of the Rising Moons.  Apparently, this started in April, but somehow we missed it in September when we went. Anyway, you are actually watching the same fireworks show that is going on on Main Street, but your show is set to the iconic music of John Williams and the pyrotechnics are exploding behind the Millenium Falcon and the mountain peaks of  the Black Spire Outpost.  While thousands are crammed onto Main Street watching the same ol' Christmas show we have been watching forever, you are in Galaxy's Edge with plenty of room to spare, in Star Wars heaven.  And to boot, you walked up at 9:28pm and claimed your spot for the 13 minute show beginning in 2 minutes.  

This show was so beautiful I almost cried, no kidding.  The second night we were in exactly the same spot, ready to watch again.

ALL TECH.  

So here's something else.  The only person who survives a day in the Disney Parks is the person who has a firm handle on the use of the Disneyland App.  

The Disneyland App is your connection to your whole day.  It has your tickets and your dining reservations.  It has wait times and operational status of all the rides in both parks.  It's your method of mobile ordering at park eateries and snack carts.  As I mentioned, it is how you get your spot in the virtual queues and how you are notified it is time to ride.  The app is also how you purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass (if you didn't already add this on) once you are ready and then is how you reserve your lightning lane times.  

I don't need to spell it out for you.  Managing Disneyland without the app is nearly impossible.  It saves time and disappointment.  Do not approach Disneyland without a good knowledge of how to use it unless you want to spend your day doing two things you already are doing plenty of-WAITING and WALKING.

And you better have your battery pack with you, because if your phone runs out of charge, that is the end of your lifeline.

SO EXPENSIVE:

Do I even need to bring this up?  Disneyland just gets more and more expensive.  All the add-ons to an already very expensive ticket are just going through the roof--but everyone knows the advantage to having them so they buy them anyway.

Better enjoy, cuz it's gonna cost you!!

The basic one park per day ticket is $165 per day if you go for two days.  Add the park hopper feature (which allows you to go between parks and is nearly essential because there is not enough to do in DCA for a whole day) and that is 85$ more--now, if my math is right we are up to $415 for two days.  The Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which we bought both days, was 36$ on Saturday and 39$ on Sunday.  I remember when Genie Plus (as it used to be called) was 20$ and I thought THAT was ridiculous.  Any chance you want to add on single ride lightning lane passes for the rides NOT covered by the Multi Pass so you don't have to get there at rope drop or wait over any hour?  Well, that too is gonna cost you--22$ per person to ride Cars and 27$ to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure or Rise of the Resistance. Note that these do fluctuate somewhat depending on the day but you get the picture.  These used to be 15$.  Gotta draw the line somewhere--we don't buy any of these.  But you see, now your ticket is basically about 235$ give or take each day, and you have not bought anything to eat yet.... Blue Bayou cost the five of us nearly $500..no joke.

RIDES BREAKING:

With the increased technical nature of the rides at Disneyland comes the greatly increased frequency of

rides breaking down.  Rides being "temporarily closed" has become such a common thing that it becomes part of your daily planning-in other words, unless you want to waste a lot of walking you might want to check that that ride you are headed to across the park is even open.  Most of the newer rides are down at some time during the day, and many of the older ones too.  Cars in DCA and Rise of the Resistance are almost NEVER operational at rope drop, leaving the stampede to regroup and form an alternate plan.  

We have kind of a family joke now at how many rides we have either been stuck on for some length of time or actually evacuated from, giving us a new perspective of these rides, as the music stops and the lights go on.  We've been stuck on Indiana Jones, Cars, Space Mountain (that was cool), and actually removed from Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland.  This weekend, the new addition to the list was Mr Toad's Wild Ride, on which we barely got through the first bend before all the black lit characters became lifeless paintings as we sat trapped in our buggies.

This weekend we saw the brand new Tiana's Bayou Adventure being evacuated....twice.

Anyway, I think this weekend just about every Lightning Lane ride was down for some portion of the day.  When several rides are down, other standby lines get longer.  Once in DCA, so many rides were broken we were at a point we were just like, "what CAN we ride??"

Well, I have taken quite the opportunity to gripe about what gets under my skin at Disneyland...

Is the still the most magical place on earth...well, yes, it is!  I'll likely be there next year with another report!

Merry Christmas from Disneyland Resort

What I Did for the Rest of the Summer 2024, All Close to Home!

So this year was strange. We usually travel right in the middle of the summer, late July and early August, but things worked out differently for us this year, and we wound up leaving for our lengthy "summer" adventure at the end of May and returned on June 15th, before summer was officially declared.  So on returning, I looked out over a long three months lending themselves to a lot of long days of boredom without any plans.  Well, I was determined to ensure that this was not going to happen.  I wasn't wasting the long daylight hours and the beautiful California weather, so I got busy determining what we were going to do, and DO we DID.

This is how we filled the remainder of our summer days and avoided the doldrums. None of it was very far from home, and most of it was not very expensive...

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS GAMES (5):

The San Francisco Giants play at Oracle Park in (where else) San Francisco, which, as the crow flies is one hour from our home.  There is no parking onsite so you have to make use of the Parkwhiz app, with which you can usually get a parking space for about $32 within a half mile of the stadium.  Getting to the stadium on a week night can really stink, often taking 90 minutes (and then remember you have to walk to the stadium). Because of traffic we missed first pitch twice on a week night, on which games begin at 6:45pm.  Traffic on a weekend day game, we went one Sunday and one Saturday during the summer, is virtually non-existent, BUT, the giveaways happen on the weekends, and one hour before the game those giveaways are gone, and some of them are pretty cool.  On the 2014 World Series team reunion day we got there TWO hours in advance and the line to get in was already a quarter mile long, if not more, filled with people waiting for the giveaway shirt. Once you are in, you cannot leave, so for those 21 and over, a detour to 58 Social, the restaurant connected to the ballpark, is in order.  The beer selection is there is good and I thought cheaper than in the ballpark.

Now you might say this is a pretty big splurge, cuz Giants tickets are expensive, right?  Well there is definitely truth to this statement.  THREE of the nights we went we went Monday thru Wednesday.  I bought tickets through SeatGeek sometimes as close as the day before.  This year we were converted to the peace and quiet of the Club Level, where I was able to find M-W tickets for as little as 40$.  The weekend games I did purchase in advance--both were in the View Box (NOT View Reserved as this is just too nose bleed for me) and both were closer to 65/70$.  Both were sell outs.  Both were giveaway days.  Food and drinks are expensive.  They are now serving Pliny the Elder in the Club Level....for 25$.  I couldn't pass it up, not even once.

One advantage. if you can call it that, to going to Oracle Park is that it's cold there, for summer anyway, at least at night, so if it's 90 in San Jose by the end of the game, you will be looking at a chilly 60-65 degree temperature.  This does not apply however to day games in the top deck, when even at 65, you better be in your shorts and tank top with sunscreen well applied.

Incidentally, prior to the summer, we went to two games, one on a Wednesday on the Club level and one on a Sunday in the View Box--making our grand total of games for the season seven.

These were our days out at Oracle Park this season:

Wednesday, June 26th vs Chicago Cubs
Tuesday, July 9th vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Saturday, August 10th vs  Detroit Tigers   2014 World Series Team Reunion and                            Shirt Giveaway
Monday August 19th vs. Chicago White Sox
Sunday, September 1st vs Miami Marlins  Buster Hugs Funko Pop Giveaway
and
Monday, April 22 vs New York Mets

Sunday, May 19th vs Colorado Rockies

Weeknight game from the Club Level

Buster Hugs Funko Pop Giveaway

A beautiful summer evening!

SAN JOSE GIANTS GAMES: (6)

The San Jose Giants are the low Single A affiliate for the San Francisco Giants.  Many of the players we have seen here have gone on to play in the Major Leagues.  If the players are of this caliber, they do not last long at this level, so it is rare that they will complete a season.  There are always new guys coming and going. Anyway, the SJ Giants play at Excite Ballpark very near downtown San Jose, which is about a 15 minute drive from our house.  They are always running a special on tickets-buy one, get one, buy two, get two, etc., and every Thursday free tickets are available at "participating Rotten Robbie gas stations."

Except maybe on the 4th of July, the place never sells out, not even on opening day (we were there and we froze), so I never get tickets more than a day in advance.  Parking is plentiful, costs about $15, and is conveniently located right across the street from the ballpark.  The San Jose Giants are convenient and relatively inexpensive.  Beer is still $13, but if the Beer Batter strikes out (and this can happen 2-4 times in a game...or not at all), draft beer is 50% off for 15 minutes, even the good stuff-but I must confess with much disappointment that the beer batter was pretty unproductive this year.  

The stadium seats about 4200, so you are really close to the action, so even a trip to the bathroom or to the beer stand will not cause you to miss more than a few batters.

The food at Turkeys Mikes BBQ is not cheap, so we eat there on special occasions, and on those days, it's worth it.  Ribs, chicken, pulled pork, tri tip, hot links....sigh.  Also don't miss the churros, which are the best on the planet.

No jacket required at Excite Ballpark

Excite ballpark is HOT.  Everyone sits on the shade of the first base line.  It's just unbearable otherwise.  You can't even put your butt on the bleachers.  One night this year it was 100 at game time.  My first time ever wearing a dress to a baseball game....

Another cool thing about the SJ Giants is that occasionally an actual San Francisco Giants player will come down and do a rehab start here--mostly pitchers.  We saw Sean Hjelle this year and Sergio Romo in the past.  They pitch like one inning and then depart the game.

We're not THAT vested in what is going on with this team, meaning, we don't follow them particularly.  The baseball is not top notch by any means.  Apparently, they are not that bad though, as they have been to the playoffs for the last few years (and were promptly eliminated).  A few years ago we attended the game in which they captured the California Cactus League Championship.  That was pretty cool.

Once again, in addition to the six games during the summer, we went on Memorial Day (the day before we left on vacation) and on Opening Day.

So these were our days at Excite Ballpark watching the San Jose Giants

Tuesday June 25th vs. Fresno Grizzlies

Thursday June 27th vs. Fresno Grizzlies Rotten Robbie Night

Tuesday. July 2nd vs. Stockton Ports

Thursday, July 25th vs. Modesto Nuts   Rotten Robbie Night

Tuesday, Aug 13th vs. Stockton Ports

Thursday, Aug 29th vs Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Rotten Robbie Night

and

Tuesday, April 5 vs. Fresno Grizzlies OPENING DAY

Monday, May 27th vs Fresno Grizzlies  GIGANTE BOBBLEHEAD GIVEAWAY

Sitting in our favorite seats!

I said this a lot this season

OUTDOOR CONCERTS: (4)

There is little that is more sublime than listening to great music outdoors on a summer night.  There are many free opportunities, as many municipalities have their own versions of "Music in the Park," weekly or occasionally, whatever that music or wherever that park may be. 

Paid concerts these days are expensive, often ranging into the multi and I do mean multi hundred dollar range.  This pretty much reserves the nose bleeds for yours truly, and I'm pretty firm about not paying for a show I need to watch on a JumboTron.

Well, I paid for four live concerts over the summer. Three were at Mountain Winery in Saratoga and one was at Frost Amphitheatre on the Stanford Campus.

I found out about the Music of John Williams concert as I was perusing San Francisco Symphony's "Film with Live Orchestra" series.  We had been looking for a concert featuring the music of John Williams for years.  It was a not to be missed opportunity and I got the whole family on board and purchased tickets right away.

We had never been to Frost Amphitheatre despite the fact that I was born and raised in the Palo Alto area and my husband got his Master's degree at Stanford! What a beautiful venue!  There is a large seated area with a lawn area behind, with a capacity of 8000. Parking is easy peasy and just a short walk from the venue.  Tonight was a sold out show!  Our tickets, which I believe all told were about 99$ apiece were in the front row of the back section, so there was no one immediately in front of us, and when you are listening to music, you don't really need to be up close.

We were all in music heaven.  The music of John Williams has filled our home since the children were babies.  All his compositions are revered and respected, his musical genius appreciated.  Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Olympic Fanfare, ET, Star Wars and Superman--all included.  Seriously amazing. On such a beautiful night in such a beautiful place. 

A sellout crowd on the lawn at Frost Amphitheater

Front row seats-a least of the lawn section

The remaining three concerts were at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, about a 20 to 25 minute drive from our house.  Leaving the venue following the concert can be congested so it is wise to allow extra time to get home.  Mountain Winery is a winery just like any other.  As I do understand it, it was the former site of the Paul Masson Winery (remember Orson Welles in the 80's-"we will sell no wine, before its time").  Anyway, Mountain Winery is better known as a concert venue, particularly for its yearly summer concert series, which runs from May through October, in its beautiful outdoor amphitheater. Parking is on site for 20$ if you are a carpool, more if not.  Concessions on site.

Now you are not going to see Adele, Taylor Swift, Elton John, or any other major headliner at Mountain Winery.  Mountain Winery attracts both musical and comedy acts which have a smaller, and dare I say it, older following, such as UB40, Rick Springfield and Richard Marx, Air Supply, Harry Connick Jr., Melissa Etheridge with Jewel--just to name a few.  Last year I saw Pat Benetar and her husband Neil Giraldo there.  This year Rod Stewart, One Republic, and Jerry Seinfeld came.  Anyway, stuff that is my speed.  Tickets in the front sections can range up into the 350-400$ area, but we find that the first several rows of section 4, where we sat for all three of the concerts we attended, offers a great view without breaking the bank.  I could not say exactly, but my tickets this year ranged from 90-160$ a piece.  I always get on the day the sale opens.  I have not found a lot of competition, but better to be safe than sorry.

Mountain Winery seats 2500, so the concert experience is very intimate and generally more mature.  

So these were our outdoor concert nights and who we saw...

Wednesday July 17:  A Night of Queen @ Mountain Winery

Saturday, July 20:  The Music of John Williams by San Francisco Symphony @ Frost Amphitheater

Saturday, August 3:  Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons @ Mountain Winery

Thursday, August 15:  Scott Bradlee's Post Modern Jukebox@Mountain Winery

All ready for a Night of Queen

CROW'S NEST BEACH PARTY (3):

Now this was a great family party!

The Beach Party on Crow's Next Beach ran every Thursday from May 23rd until they were prematurely shut down on the 8th of August (they were scheduled to go until August 29th).

Convenient parking is available for 10$ right in the harbor parking lot.  The party starts at 5:30pm right on the sand outside the Crow's Nest restaurant and admission is FREE. There are beverages (adult and other) available for purchase including cocktails, wine and beer.  There is a great selection of food too, including burgers, shrimp, and ribs.  All the kids that work are friendly patient and helpful.  There are a number of plastic tables and chairs set up in the the sand area, but people tend to kind of park it there for the night, so bringing your own chairs, or at least a blanket is an option.  We have been fairly lucky eating our food sitting on some pipes right at the rocky edge of the harbor.  We had excellent weather all three times we went, but I would probably say that capri jeans and a t shirt with a back up sweatshirt is a good choice as far as apparel goes.

Anyway, after eating it is time to dance!  People of all ages sing along and get down and boogie until the bands clear out at 8:30 to make way for the paid gig inside the Crow's Nest which begins at this time.  The bands are fabulous.  We all truly enjoyed ourselves each time we went.  It IS Santa Cruz, so expect a fair amount of doobage in the air.  For the most part, though, people are well behaved.  Once I went for the first time, I hoped to go every Thursday until they were done.

These were our three nights at the Crow's Nest

Thursday July 18th:  Fishhook (my favorite)

Thursday August 1st:  The Houserockers

Thursday August 8th:  The Joint Chiefs

Good friends of all ages!

Great Food!

Great music and drinks!

WINE TASTING: (4)

Well, what would a summer be without relaxing with a little wine!  Luckily we live very close to a lot of good wine, and just a quick 20 minute drive can land you at the very least at some reputable tasting rooms in both downtown Saratoga and downtown Los Gatos, and at the very best at local wineries themselves.

We are members at Savannah Chanelle Winery on Hwy 9.  We have been members of this winery since like Christmas of 2004, at which time we bought our first case of 2002 Armagh Vineyard Pinot Noir.  Our membership requires us to purchase about 12 bottles per year, but don't expect this deal because this membership is so old that now new members are required to commit to about double that amount.  In return we get free tasting at the winery (normally 25$) for ourselves and two of our guests (we heard once a month but who's counting), club discounts on any wine purchases and free admission to weekend music performances.

Anyway, we get notified about 8 times a year that our wines are ready, and of course with the winery only being 20 minutes away, we usually make a late Sunday afternoon of it, drive to the winery and enjoy the lastest tasting menu while we are there.  This summer we went twice:  Sunday July 7th and Sunday July 28th.

We also happen to be members at a lovely St Helena Winery, V. Sattui Winery.  This membership looks quite a bit different than our membership at Savannah Chanelle.  V. Sattui is a good two hours from our home in NO traffic (and there's often traffic).  In order to maintain our membership, we are required to purchase 500$ of wine in one purchase, not quite sure why they set it up that way.  They recently changed their 'requirements,' if you would like to put it that way.  Previously, you had to buy one case a year, admittedly, for us, a cheaper option, because we would buy two great bottles and then complete the case with, well, less expensive wine.  Well now, it's 500$ no matter what we buy, so if we want to just buy 5-100$ bottles, we can, but we don't.  Well, in exchange for our 1/2K, we get FREE admittance to Cellar Club tasting for up to 6 guests (a 45$ ticket per person!),  and discounts on winery parties--which are FABULOUS!

In June I took my mom, though I did most of the drinking, since we were in the neighborhood.  Our second night was at the Festa Italia party on July 26th, which we attended with our daughter.

Cara Chardonnay and delicious appetizers

Wine tasting fun at V.Sattui

Well, the summer is now over and who knows what the Fall will bring.  I have my fingers in a lot of different travel pies right now!

Follow me on Instagram.  Posts and reels come often with bits and pieces of travel insights and pictures.  You will be entertained!!

A Slightly Less Magical Maui September 7-14th, 2024

We had not been to Hawaii for over 3 years.  In a sweeter time, when my father was alive and my children were growing, we went every other year for two weeks, including a week on Maui, where my parents owned enough time share to accommodate both them and my family.  Time, sadly, gave way to the COVID pandemic of 2020, the poor health and subsequent passing of my father, and the ever evolving adult lives of my children, causing our dear trips to Hawaii to become more sporadic.  My mom has reduced her ownership to one unit every other year, and in September of this year, my husband, one daughter, and I  joined her in the use of her timeshare.

So, not to put too fine a point upon it, Maui has changed.  On August 8, 2023, downed power lines and high winds ignited the West Maui town of Lahaina, its shops, restaurants, attractions, and residential community. The fires killed 102 people, destroyed over 2000 structures, and displaced 10,000 people, many of whom are still living in West Maui hotels.  Though a very few businesses have managed to rebuild and reopen, most of Lahaina is an inaccessible wasteland of flattened structures.

I can't say for sure if the fire triggered anything, but in general we found Maui to be more restricted, more rules-bound, and less welcoming to visitors.  Things we had done many times in the past freely were different experiences.  I'll get into all this in a bit.  

MAUI IN SEPTEMBER:

The very uncrowded Napili Pool 

I think before I do I will mention the fact that this time we were in Maui in September after Labor Day, instead of in the middle of July.  Now I don't know if tourists are still avoiding West Maui because Lahaina is not open for business, but, in general, Maui was FAR less crowded.  At the hotel, it was easy to find lounge chairs at the pool, there were no teenagers throwing footballs in the water, and there was no line for the slide.  There was no wait for BBQ's or outdoor tables and the gym was empty.  Out and about, the wait times at popular restaurants (Hula Grill, specifically) were shorter and parking was easier at frequently hard to park places like Hamoa Beach.  Snorkeling was clearer, less crowded and with better fish counts at popular spots like Molokini.  The weather was still excellent, with no rain falling during our stay.  Surf was relatively calm at all beaches, both in west and south Maui.  Our snorkeling and sunset cruises were significantly below capacity and hiking trails were drier.  We ran into only one problem at the Olivine Pools, where the water was kind of mucky from not being refreshed regularly by the surf, but we did not find this problem to be repeated on the Hana Highway.

Our very empty morning snorkel cruise

Very clear snorkeling!!

FOUR WINDS III: 

Maui Classic Charters replaced their morning snorkel vessel, the Four Winds II, with a brand new catamaran, appropriately named, the Four Winds III.  The morning snorkel is still a blast with a great crew, great food, great snorkeling, and a great boat with a slide and a few jump off points, so there is not much to complain about, but, they did make some changes that we were not so fond of. 1) You have to chose your lunch when you board at 7am between a hot dog, a pulled pork sandwich, a chicken salad sandwich, or a vegie burger (they no longer BBQ chicken on board) so no changing your mind.  2)  All the food is packaged up and put away as soon as the boat leaves Molokini, so you have to eat during your potential snorkel time and no relaxing lunch with your beer on the ride back.  Also, there is no opportunity for seconds (remember the boat was not full) until just minutes before departure, at which time the horde descends to the galley like starved pigeons.  Previously, there had been no obvious limit on the food. 3) And this one was the kicker--once you start drinking, you can't go back in the water.  LIKE WHAT?  For a family like ours that is constantly on and off the boat, this was seriously ridiculous!  180$ and you are going to limit the food AND the alcohol?  AS IF!

The beautiful new Four Winds III

No beer yet for you!

I guess by this time I was done swimming!

Additionally, and this affects not just the FW3 but anything related to the ocean (and that's kind of a big draw on Maui), as of October of 2022, Maui has banned the sale, distribution, and USE of all non-mineral sunscreen.  Basically, gonna tell ya, any sunscreen you buy on the mainland is a chemical sunscreen, so if you brought your own (we did) you are not supposed to use it as it is bad for the reef, SO..to be in accordance with the law you are going to have to buy new sunscreen when you get to Maui.  Though inconvenient, this is probably good in the long run for the fishies, and it eliminates all those spray on aerosol sunscreens that I really hate.  Anyway, not sure your sunscreen is reef safe?  Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, Oxinoxate and Octocrylene are no-no's.  Look for Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide. Incidentally, the Big Island of Hawaii has also implemented this measure.

TERALANI SUNSET COCKTAIL CRUISE:

The Teralani Sunset sail is still good fun, but again, for $125, I want much stronger drinks and way more food.  I probably had 4 drinks and I was so full of juice I almost floated away.  They also require you to remove your shoes but give you no place to store them, as was provided previously.

Keep those drinks coming, please!!

THE HANA HIGHWAY:

Now the road to Hana clearly requires no outlay of funds.  The highway for us has always been a collection of little off road activities which mostly involve hiking to secret pools, swimming under waterfalls, and jumping off rocks, usually without anyone else nearby.  These days it has become boldly apparent that visitors are not welcome to share in the natural delights the highway has to offer.

Ever feel like you're not wanted??

In at least 3 places, the four falls of Na'ili'ili'haele, Ching's Pond, and Hanawi Falls we saw the same ugly red signs at the entrances warning visitors to keep out.  Each had the same diatribe (good luck deciphering the fine print as you drive by on the highway) about being the "chosen people to protect the 'aina" and letting visitors know they are not welcome. "No visitors.  Locals Only!" I thought this to be a pretty crappy attitude, not to mention an illegal one.  Luckily, this time we had not intended to stop at any one of these places.  

There are a lot more no parking signs at waterfall sites and early in the morning enforcement comes to cone off what remains.  We were swimming at Waikamoi Falls at literally 8am when a guy came and told us to move the car (very nicely though I might add).

Ale'ale Falls on the far side beyond Kipahulu is now closed to the public.

Some good news is that Hana Bay at Ka'uiki Head after being closed the last time we visited is back open for business! This is a mighty treacherous yet short hike leading to some of the very best snorkeling in all of Hawaii.  Also still open for swimming are the falls at Pua'a Ka'a State Park.  At about 9am we were able to swim unaccompanied in the lower falls (we were nervous about disobeying the signs to the upper falls this year).  By 9:30 however FOUR tour buses full of gawkers started to upload, so we got out.  

Ready to snorkel in Hana Bay!

Swimming at Pua'a Ka'a State Park

Back to the bad news, as on January 2024 the road "all the way around" has been closed (due to structural integrity issues) forcing us for the first time to go back the way we came.  Can't believe I would ever say this but I actually liked it more and I think it was faster.  No known time when the road will open again.

OKAY, SO A FEW MORE THINGS, DEVELOPMENTS.

1) You now need reservations (timed and paid) at Haleakala State Park and Waianapanapa State Park.  At Makena (aka Big Beach) State Park you now have to pay to park $10, and every member of your party has to pay $5, so we made our way over to Po'olena'lena, which is still free.  You can make reservations at this website

2) Remember the Ka'anapali Beach Path extending from the Hyatt all the way to the Sheraton?  Well, it's now washed out in front of the Ka'anapali Ali'i, leaving a 100 yard stretch which is sand.  Again, no plans for repair.  Not so fun in tennis shoes if you are running (or any shoes for that matter) and hard on those with balance issues, like my mom, who decided she could not walk to Whalers Village on her own anymore.  There is a long paved detour, like 300 yards.

3) Another disturbing site is the occasional upside down display of the Hawaiian flag.  We saw this in prominent places, like at the Westin.  I looked it up to learn that such a display of the flag is a protest against the US government.  Apparently many Hawaiians want Hawaii to be its own sovereign country again.  Well, I'm not sure how that would go.  Just disappointing to see all the anger.

Photo courtesy of UH Hilo

Speaking of anger, in summer I tried to contact a Lahaina establishment we had been to before to try and make a breakfast reservation. Their website is up and says open for business and had a number to call.  After multiple patient emails, FB messages and voicemails, finally I got a FB message in response, "Lahaina town burned down.  Nothing has been rebuilt!"  I thought this was rather uncalled for so I said, "Gosh, your website says you are open.  A polite response would have been fine.." to which I was replied, "Yesterday was the one year anniversary.  I don't owe you anything.  Your rudeness is not what we need on island!"  Excuse me, what?  I told him/her they were the rude one and blocked them.  So much anger.  Noted, Maui.

Maui is a paradise.  On any day it is so much better than any day at work, but increasing prices and decreasing aloha have marred some of its allure.  Maybe some healing leading to mutual respect and compromise can be achieved in the future so locals and visitors alike can continue to say Maui No Ka Oi.

Thank you for reading this post.  If you are reading this on your phone, please pop over to your laptop to subscribe.  Please follow my Instagram page, @templestravel, which has far more frequent posts that this one.

And now for some pictures!!!

Beautiful Kahekili Beach

Good Night, Maui!

Beautiful West Maui Sunsets

Eight things it's helpful to know before embarking on a Croatian vacation July 2024

 

Well, I wrote this while I was still on the plane about three weeks ago, but it doesn't age, so here it goes.

Well, I'm still on this plane and will be for quite a while longer so I might as well plan ahead and see if I can write a bit more. Last year we went to Greece in the height of the heat and the pinnacle of the European travel season.  When we were there, we were surprised by quite a bit but learned a lot, some things particular to Greece and some particular to European travel in general.  These are outlined in my blogpost, "Some Hard and Fast Truths about Greece."   Many of the things noted during our trip to Croatia this year were similar to those experienced in Greece, but here is a list of eight things it helps to know coming to Croatia that stand on their own. Why eight?  Because that's how many I can think of right now.

1)  STAIRS-- OMG.  Stairs, stairs, stairs--stairs, and steep stairs, as far as the eye can see, and then more stairs.

Stairs were a thing in Split, as when climbing to the top of the St Domnius Cathedral Bell Tower or hiking to the top of Mt Telegrin on the Marjan Peninsula.  Stairs worsened in Bol, but were not so bad as Bol was a small city.  Where the stairs truly rolled themselves out to destroy us was in Dubrovnik.  Imagine hauling your fifty pounds of luggage plus your carry on bag/pack/purse, etc. up 80 narrow, shallow, steep stairs in the burning heat of the day after travelling from God knows where.  We saw many suffering faces doing exactly this during our time in Dubrovnik and we did it ourselves.  We think of ourselves as fit people, but dang, these stairs sobered us.  Everywhere we went involved stairs.  Though we figured out more gradual (less strenuous) ways to get to Old Town, the over-reaching reality was that whatever went down had to come up.

I'd be inclined to say that if you had any mobility issues whosoever, you would be completely S.O.L.  Bad knees, bad back, overweight--forget it, you are toast.

Most of the pedestrian passageways, though actual streets with residences, all walled on either side with only a few doors visible. There is no telling what is behind the walls until you peek through the occasional open door, revealing a bar, a cemetery, a residence, or worse, 80 stairs descending to the street below.

Curiously, these alley ways are safe.  We saw no homeless, no creepy characters, and even saw young ladies walking them at night on their own.

Yes, we hauled our luggage up this monster

Goodbye knees....

2)  COFFEE  Coffee in Croatia is a big deal.  There is not a single Starbucks in all of Croatia and, in fact, take away coffee is almost unheard of.  Coffee is expensive, and generally you are going to stay to drink it where you bought it, that is unless you have a better way of making it at home.  Of the five places we stayed, only two had a drip coffee maker, and the grind used to make drip coffee is virtually unavailable.  In Split we were forced to our friend YouTube to learn to make Turkish Coffee on the stove, also warming the milk up on the stove and drinking from very small espresso cups.  This did tend to grow on us and we did get more proficient at it as the days went on.

3)  BEACHES  While the water on Croatian beaches is possibly the clearest and the most gentle I have ever encountered, the beaches are made of fine pebbles, which hurt your feet.  Entry into the water at some beaches is ok, especially if you leave your flipflops at the water's edge so you can get back to your towel without the agony of stepping over the rocks, but at some, like at Banje, Dubrovnik's most well known beach right outside the Old City walls, we just went in with our water shoes on. While sand beaches exist, well never mind, they don't really.  We always wore water shoes to the beach.  Don't go expecting to curl your toes in the sand.

This as you might imagine can definitely impact the experience of laying in the sun, but we managed it. Unlike in Greece, rented beach chairs were expensive, sometimes ranging upward of 60 Euros for two chairs and an umbrella, but, also unlike as in Greece, there was plenty of space on the beach to lay out your towel, and as a matter of fact, this is what most people choose to do.  There is always a bar nearby, you just have to get up and get your beer instead of someone bringing it to you.

Pebbles on Martinica Beach on Brac

Lunch on Kasjuni Beach on the Marjan Peninsula in Split

4)  ICE   Ice is hard to come by, in fact, we did not encounter a single grocery store in which you could just "buy ice."  One of our tri-daily chores was emptying out the single ice tray, some of them making as few as 10 small cubes at a time, and refilling the tray to immeidately make more.  We were constantly low on ice, which made ice water impossible and the sustenance of our gin and tonic habit a struggle at best.

5) HOLIDAYS  Try not to arrive on a Sunday or a national holiday.  The Croatians take these days very seriously so popping into a grocery store for something as simple as a bar of soap may prove to be quite difficult.

We arrived the day before what turned out to be both a national AND a religious holiday.  Both National Statehood Day and Corpus Christi fell on May 30th.  We strolled out in the morning hoping to find a cafe or a grocery store open and found ourselves striking out on many levels, to the point that when we drove to quite remote Plitvice, we feared being able to get any dinner at all.

6)  APPLIANCES and RENTAL CARS  If your place has major appliances, like an oven, dishwasher, or a washing machine, make sure your host shows you how to use it.  If your place has a washer, it will not have a dryer, but it will have a drying rack, so don't wash your clothes right before you have to pack them.  Similarly, if you rent a car, get instructions on the basics.  European models are not the same as their American counterparts.  In the middle of a parking garage in Zagreb, we had to get out our trusted friend YouTube again and learn how to put our rental car into reverse!

7) FERRIES ARE PLENTIFUL, INEXPENSIVE, COMFORTABLE, AND ARE THE PREFERRED WAY TO TRAVEL.

There is no bus or train service between Split and Dubrovnik.  If you chose to drive this road, though lovely, you will have to cross the non-EU Bosnian border. We heard the delay here can reach into the hours-long category.  All the ferries we rode were precisely on time, if not a few seconds early.

Seriously like airplane seats!!

Super comfy ride to Hvar..

8)  Several mobile apps can be downloaded to make your life easier, such as the SplitParking App (should you have a car) and the Dubrovnik Bus System app, without which, good luck!

I hope these tips will make your trip to Croatia a little easier!  Hope you enjoyed reading.  Please follow me on Instagram at @templestravel for more frequent travel related tips! Scan the QR code to follow!