Following Dr. Seuss to BCV- a November 2011 TR Updates 6/11

[dvc at last !]

Loved the " dangle the carrot " aka french fries -
and bet you thought why did I not think of that sooner.
Us Mom's need to be so clever. Hope it continues to work.

 

[podsnel]

We were finally back to BCV, per Sean's adament request-

Where all he wanted to do was go up to the room. I drew a bubble bath for him, hoping it would comfort and relax him. Which it did, somewhat (who doesn't love a jacuzzi?), but he still was not ready to leave the room. So I popped some popcorn for him, and he read his book-

And then I, once again, shamelessy dangled the carrot.

We were on our way to a french fry lunch at the restaurant I was DYING to try, Captain's Grille!

No...I don't think we'll be swimming here today- it's a pretty chilly Novmber day...

Why was I looking forward to Captain's Grille? The great mystery of it, I suppose. I mean, think about it- EVERYONE knows B&C, EVERYONE knows Cape May Cafe, EVERYONE knows the Yachtsman Steakhouse....but what the heck is that other space for??? Time to find out!

As you can see, it's VERY empty here at lunchtime- no ADR was neccessary. Of course it was empty. Other than people who frequent BC/YC, who knows it's here??? I was still full from the pizza, but I wanted to try some clam chowder. And, of course, order some carrots- aka, fries- for Sean.

Cont'd next post-

 

[mckryan]

Ellen,

You need to try The Captain's Grille for dinner, too. They have a brined pork chop that is out of this world!

 

[podsnel]

My New England Clam Chowder, which cost a whopping $6.99, less my TIW, was...SPECTACULAR!

Sorry I couldn't get my big head shadow out of the pic, but in the bowl are actual whole clams in the shell- I've NEVER seen that before! There were also 3 of these hard "biscuits" which I think were supposed to be like oyster crackers- but I don't like any crackers in my soup, so after one bite, I took them out. This chowder was as good, if not better than, any NE Clam Chowder I have ever had- and I have had plenty! Sean got a BIG bowl of "carrots"-

Ahhh...so happy! Pretty good for a mystery restaurant that most people walk by thinking what's in that room with all the empty chairs???? Can't wait to try it again when I'm much hungrier!

When we were finished, we walked through Fittings and Fairings, the gift shop, as I needed some sudafed. WOW- that gift shop KICKS BUTT over the little Atlantic gift shop at the BC- the clothing selection ALONE is outstanding- there is a MUCH better variety there.

Soon, we were on our way back to the BC side of things-

But I was NOT about to go back to the villa, lovely as it was. I asked Sean to follow me to the beach.

GREAT choice. He could not have been happier! We spent a good hour and a half out there by the lake, and I think it was the PERFECT way to spend a chilly day at BCV with Sean.

Click to play-


I took many pics of Sean that day- here are my favorites...

Up next- a DISmeet with Cammie and family!!

 

[podsnel]

Loved the " dangle the carrot " aka french fries -
and bet you thought why did I not think of that sooner.
Us Mom's need to be so clever. Hope it continues to work.

I sure did think that! And I hope so too- last night we ate at Chili's, and they made the mistake of putting the fries down before his pizza- it did not even matter. He ate the whole pizza, and THEN the fries.

Ellen,

You need to try The Captain's Grille for dinner, too. They have a brined pork chop that is out of this world!

Thanks for the recommendation- I can't WAIT to go for dinner- I plan to book that for November!

 

[Tinks "SS"]

Yay!! So glad you got an update in. I will continue to watch for more updates. I love the beach pics of Sean. He looks very happy and peaceful in them. Can't wait to hear what the other boys are up to later.

 

[dvc4life]

What a nice relaxing afternoon with Sean. Love the pictures you took of him. He looks very happy and relaxed.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Sean looks like he really enjoys feeling the sand on his feet. I am glad you guys had a happy day with one another. I really enjoy the times when Sarah and I spend one-on-one time together.

Yum on the clam chowder. I will need to stop by there and try it. When I was younger we would go clamming. I do miss living near a coast and having access to fresh seafood.

kate

 

[podsnel]

Yay!! So glad you got an update in. I will continue to watch for more updates. I love the beach pics of Sean. He looks very happy and peaceful in them. Can't wait to hear what the other boys are up to later.

I'm so glad you liked it! I hope to post more regularly now- so sorry i have been so sporadic in the past few months. Life has just been crazier than usual, I guess!

What a nice relaxing afternoon with Sean. Love the pictures you took of him. He looks very happy and relaxed.

Thanks for liking the pics! I took SO MANY- but, sadly, my DELL computer had the hard drive die AGAIN, so those are all I have of all the pics from that day, because I had uploaded those few online. The computer wa all of 15 months old- I guess that's the max for a $2000 Dell.

Sean looks like he really enjoys feeling the sand on his feet. I am glad you guys had a happy day with one another. I really enjoy the times when Sarah and I spend one-on-one time together.

Yum on the clam chowder. I will need to stop by there and try it. When I was younger we would go clamming. I do miss living near a coast and having access to fresh seafood.

kate

You're right- he does love the sand in his toes!

I hope you enjoy the chowder- and I would miss living by the coast, too. I honestly don't know if I could do it, because I never have!

 

[podsnel]

Pods & boys came back from golf, and we all went back to hang in the villa for a bit. I got a text from a good friend of mine, who happened to be on vacation at the same time- and staying just across the lake at BWV. Would I like to meet her for a drink? Of course!! We decided to meet at Crew's Cup because of this-

That yummy delicious Gran Marnier cocktail I had tried last night at YS. I was meeting Cammie, a lately occasional DISer (so occasional, in fact, I can't recall her screen name!) and a current forever original DISmom! Cammie loves her some Gran Marnier, and she and her family were in the area, so- we all met up. It was really nice to meet her sister, and to see her daughter Lauren again. Her sister mentioned she had been having a hard time finding sweatshirts for the cold outside- I mentioned checking out the Yacht Club's gift shop-and I saw them all later in their new stuff! That YC store is IT!! Here's a quick pic we took before we all went our seperate ways-

Back at the villa, everyone was ready to head over to DHS. Of course. we arrived at the dock and the first boat was full, so we had to wait. And wait. And wait.

Wheeeeeeeeeeere's the boat?

Seriously.

The boat pulls up. And allllllllll the people who got to the dock after us get on the boat....and we get shut out AGAIN!

Pods was a little...ummmm...upset.

We really should have just stood right by the boat entrance the whole time, but it was a LONG time between boats, so we had wandered. Not far, just not right on top of the boat ramp.

Really, in all the times I have ever stayed at BC or BW, I have never had this issue before. What the heck?

Clearly, we were not going to wait for another boat. So...we hoofed it.

'Cuz I've done that once or twice before.

Once Tyler got past "All the way to DHS?????????" we were on our way.

Piece of cake. Don't know why we didn't do it sooner.

 

[rentayenta]

Ooooooo.....two updates! Looks chilly but oh so beautiful.


French fries are Chloe's carrot too.

 

[spleen]

That was a very good steak- but the rolls are truly my favorite.
Last night I was scoping out Kapolei restaurants on Yelp- did you mention Thai Lao or Pho & Co to me? Both look like they would be good for takeout to bring back to our ocean view villa to eat while we enjoy the sunset- what do you think? I also was looking at the Fia Fia Luau- I still haven't decided whether or not to do a luau, to be honest. But that one seems much smaller and more intimate. When we were on Hawaii for our honeymoon, we did the luau at our resort, Kona Village- it was EXCELLENT, because it was small and (they told us) authentic. Have you ever heard of the Fia Fia one?

Sorry, Ellen - lost my subscription to your thread (not sure how that happened??) In any case, I hadn't mentioned Thai Lao or Pho & Co because i haven't been to those 2 restaurants - they came up after I stopped working in Kapolei. But a former co-worker that's in the area states that Thai Lao is pretty yummy so I'm sure that it'd be a great take out option! The Evil Jungle Curry is a Hawaii thing apparently so I'd recommend getting that as one of your choices - choose mild spiciness unless you really like heat!

Have heard of the Fia Fia luau - the big attraction seems to be the Samoan fire knife dancing. Authentic in the sense that it's Polynesian, not authentic in the sense of Hawaiian. You may want to wait and see how you like the Starlit Hui before deciding on a luau. I generally don't think that luaus are something that people have to do ... food generally isn't all that great and you'll get the majority of the entertainment from the free Starlight Hui. If you really want Hawaiian food, I can direct you to a couple of places that would do it better than any luau would ...

Back on topic for this thread - glad to hear that Sean liked his fries at Captain's Grille. Too bad about the Lego store though ... that looked cool! We weren't planning on going to DTD during our upcoming WDW trip but now we may have to go

 

[kid-at-heart]

How wonderful to see Cammie again. Hi Cammie!

I have to say it; Tyler has the most awesome eyelashes. He could compete with Sarah for long, thick eyelashes.

Pods was a little...ummmm...upset.

Yea, I would be POed also.

kate

 

[podsnel]

Ok, I am not usually one for PTRs, but this time I am just SO super excited with my planning that I have to share!! Last night I booked the final piece to our airfare puzzle- the flights between Oahu and Kauai. I am happy to say I used ALL miles to book everything, including First Class for the 4 of us on the way home to NJ. Which is great, because it's a red eye. So we actually might sleep on the plane. The miles saved us BIG bucks- just coach round trip on our flights would have cost us over $4000. We fly direct to HNL on the way out, so that flight will be a challenge- 10 hrs 40 min! I think we're all going to have some Benedryl and hopefully take a nap! We'll have dinner in the airport before hopping over to Kauai, arriving at 8pm. After we pick up our luggage and get our rental car, we'll head directly to the hotel (for just the first night)-Kauai Beach Resort in Lihue-

It is close to the airport, and it gets good reviews on Trip Advisor- plus it's CHEAP! Less than $200 a night including the tax (and that's REALLY good for Kauai!). I remember from our last visit to Hawaii...when we were in our early 20's and had just gotten married, that we were completely thrown off by the time change- for us, it will be the middle of the night, so I'm anticipating we might be a little zombie-ish for a couple of days. Hopefully that means we will be up VERY early on our first full day, when we'll head over to Waimea Canyon (after having great big yummy Mac nut pancakes at Ono Family Restaurant)

I hope to do some hiking there on one of the many trails- one that is rated family friendly and doesn't require camping equipment or put us on top of a trail with imminent death by falling down a cliff and rappeling. Afterwards, we may walk around Waimea town for a bit, or check out some of the South Shore beaches...but I have a feeling we may just be stopping somewhere for lunch and one of THESE-

-our first shave-ice, before heading to our destination for the rest of our stay- the North Shore of Kauai. We have a studio rented at Hanalei Bay Resort, and THIS is our lanai view-

We rented unit #4303 and the woman who owns it has been lovely to deal with! Originally, we were planning to rent a 1 bdrm condo from her, unit 4302, but we decided to save some cash because we are going to be so busy all over beautiful Kauai that I don't know how much we would use it. But let me just say, if we were staying longer, I would have rented that space hands down- it is GORGEOUS!! This rental also comes in well under $200 per day.

That night, we may choose to have dinner at Tahiti Nui-

which has local entertainment and has been there forever. It was in the movie The Descendants- it's the bar where George Clooney finds his uncle.

On Sunday, we're going kayaking down the Hanalei River and into Hanalei Bay, with some snorkeling and a little morning beach time-

OMG, can you even stand how incredibly beautiful that is??? After our kayak adventure, we'll spend the day in Hanalei- maybe we'll have a plate lunch here-

at a lunch truck called Hanalei Taro & Juice Co. that overlooks the taro fields. I'm sure someone will try kahlua pork-

or maybe one of their specials-

Then we'll explore around Hanalei and hit some north shore beaches-

That night, we might go next door to Makana Terrace (at the Ritz Carlton, which we share a beach with) for happy hour and the sunset- I hear they have reduced $ Mai Tais as well as a not too shabby view-

On our next morning we are taking a cruise out of hanalei on the boat called UFO and checking out the Napali Coast-

Afterwards, we will rent bikes from Coconut Coasters and go for a nice ride on the Coconut Coast, stopping occasionally to hang on the beach-

I'm sure we'll make time for another one of THESE-

That day will be busier than most, but I was so excited when I saw there was a bike path that is nice and flat AND runs along the beaches, I just can't pass it up! Still haven't figured out what we're doing for dinner that night, can you imagine? It's lass than 6 months away!!! The next day is our last on Kauai, but we are not leaving until an 8:30 pm flight, which means....we can do LOTS before we head on over to Oahu! Like.... go ziplining and hiking to a waterfall at Princeville Ranch-

I am sure if you open your windows that day you will be able to hear my terror filled screams, wherever you are....

We will probably hang at a beach for the rest of that day before going back to Lihue, where we'll have our last dinner at Duke's- because I REALLY need to try some Hula Pie!

We won't be arriving on Oahu until 9pm, but that's ok- I think we'll be a little more used to the time zone difference by then.

I'll be back in a minute with Aulani plans!

 

[podsnel]

We are hoping to get to Aulani by 10 pm- and we may just crash, but I bet I won't be able to sleep before we take a little walk around!

On Wednesday morning, we are going to take it easy and enjoy Aulani. We will probably have breakfast at Makahiki's buffet-

before enjoying the resort-

We will also probably go to the ABC store across the street to get a few things, too. I think it will help to have breakfast items and sandwich supplies on hand (as well as some bottles of wine!). We may golf at Ko Olina's course after 3, when I believe they have a great deal for families- 1 free kid for each paying adult.

If you look closely in the pic, you can see Aulani in the distance. That night we might try Roy's for dinner, since we will already be there-

On Thursday, our hope is to explore the North Shore, and our first stop will be Lanaikea Beach, where the honu hang out-

We'll also check out other beaches and Haleiwa and eat some shrimp and more of THIS-

I sure do hope we like this shave ice stuff, because it looks like it's a BIG part of our vacation! Hopefully the line won't be too long at Matsumoto's that day.

Since Thursday will be the only Starlit Hui of our vacation (although I know the schedule keeps changing) we'll be sure to be back in plenty of time for it. Maybe we'll pick up some take-out from Thai Lao or Pho & Co.

Friday will be Hanauma Bay for snorkeling-

And if I don't lose my nerve, all of us will take surfing lessons from Hawaiian Fire that afternoon.

To reward myself for all that bravery, I may have to try malasadas-

Friday night might be a good one to order a pizza for the kids and go have a nice dinner alone with Pods- maybe at Ama Ama, if reviews continue to improve-

Saturday is going to be a Spa day. We are also planning to horseback ride at Kuoloa Ranch- not sure which will come first, but maybe a Lomi Lomi massage would be REALLY nice AFTER 2 hours of riding.

I still need to decide what to do for dinner on these nights, but I am sure to use Spleen's awesome advice for that! We also might go next door to the Marriot for Happy Hour Mai Tais-

Sunday, we will visit Pearl Harbor. I thinkl we will get the audio tour for this.

Following PH, we will either go back to Aulani or go to Byodo In Temple-

Which brings us to Monday, check-out day, and flying home to reality day. Also when we stop hemmorraghing cash day. We will most likely spend it at Aulani, our flight leaves at 7:30pm. That morning, if we haven't been already, we'll make sure we go to KOA Pancake house. We'll have either or first or last Loco Moco of the trip-

We'll also hit whatever we have missed at Aulani- including snorkeling in their fish tank.

Thanks for letting me blabber on and on- it's kind of nice to see it all written out like this, and will also make it easier to show Pods- when I just talk about Hawaii, he can't absorb ANY of it, because he is ensconced in tax season and his brain is all numbers and tax laws lately!

 

[franandaj]

Nice updates! It looks like you and Sean had a great time together.

Your Hawaii trip looks amazing, but I already tired just reading about it! Hope you all have a blast!

 

[kid-at-heart]

I have to admit, I am pathetic, I use your trip research and vacation plans to help me make my vacation plans – which in reference to Hawaii, are years and years down the road. Keep the plans acoming Miss Ellen! Heck, 2/3s of the fun is in the planning.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

OMG, your Hawaiian plans look fantastic!!!

 

[podsnel]

Ooooooo.....two updates! Looks chilly but oh so beautiful.


French fries are Chloe's carrot too.

That's funny- I think french fries might work as a carrot for a lot of people!

Sorry, Ellen - lost my subscription to your thread (not sure how that happened??) In any case, I hadn't mentioned Thai Lao or Pho & Co because i haven't been to those 2 restaurants - they came up after I stopped working in Kapolei. But a former co-worker that's in the area states that Thai Lao is pretty yummy so I'm sure that it'd be a great take out option! The Evil Jungle Curry is a Hawaii thing apparently so I'd recommend getting that as one of your choices - choose mild spiciness unless you really like heat!

I'm so glad you're back!!!! I need your help!!! Glad to hear that Evil Jungle Curry is good- I saw it on Yelp, and it looks soooo good!! And I do like spice- so how spicy are we talkin'? Pho & Co is Vietnamese- I LOVE Vietnamese food, and there really aren't any V restaurants nearby at home, so I will definitely be going there, too. I have to look up your post from that other thread with your restaurant recs- I had saved them all in my favorites, but my DELL computer crashed and I lost everything in January. I really hate Dell. A lot. Even if they were REALLY nice to me and helpful last week. Just can't justify a bad harddrive in Sept 10, they sent me a new laptop in Oct 10, and then that one's harddrive is shot in Jan 12. Kind of hoping for more from a $2K computer, KWIM??????? Oops! Sorry for the rant!

Have heard of the Fia Fia luau - the big attraction seems to be the Samoan fire knife dancing. Authentic in the sense that it's Polynesian, not authentic in the sense of Hawaiian. You may want to wait and see how you like the Starlit Hui before deciding on a luau. I generally don't think that luaus are something that people have to do ... food generally isn't all that great and you'll get the majority of the entertainment from the free Starlight Hui. If you really want Hawaiian food, I can direct you to a couple of places that would do it better than any luau would ...

We decided against the luau- thanks for the advice. I am not big on super-touristy stuff, anyway. What are the Hawaiian restaurants you speak of???

Back on topic for this thread - glad to hear that Sean liked his fries at Captain's Grille. Too bad about the Lego store though ... that looked cool! We weren't planning on going to DTD during our upcoming WDW trip but now we may have to go

We NEVER used to go to DTD when we were going as a family every 2 years- just didn't fit into our schedule. But since we have gotten DVC, we go pretty much every time, because we can slow down and enjoy more off-beat attractions at WDW. There are some good restaurants over there- I especially like Raglan Road, Earl of Sandwich and WPE- sometimes I enjoy Fulton's (I always enjoy their bar, but that's a different vacation than what you'll be doing anytime soon, I think! ). It's fun to walk around, and there is a great variety of shops (I LOVE Basin and TrenD).

kate

I always think Tyler is so lucky to have those eyelashes and how it seems that gorgeous lashes like that are always given to boys instead of girls who would REALLY appreciate them- so I am THRILLED to hear your daughter has them too!! LUCKY girl!!!

 

[podsnel]

Nice updates! It looks like you and Sean had a great time together.

Your Hawaii trip looks amazing, but I already tired just reading about it! Hope you all have a blast!

Yes, we do have alot planned- but we also have a ton of down time in there- lots of time on the beach and at the pool, I think! All of our excursions last 3 hours or less- except for the Napali coast cruise- I think that's maybe 5 hours. If we get tired, we'll have all day to recover before the next event!

I have to admit, I am pathetic, I use your trip research and vacation plans to help me make my vacation plans – which in reference to Hawaii, are years and years down the road. Keep the plans acoming Miss Ellen! Heck, 2/3s of the fun is in the planning.

I am SOOO excited for this trip, because it involves so MUCH planning! Going to the Caribbean is really nice and very relaxing- but it's a completely different thing somehow. Hawaii just has SOOO much more to see and do! Can't WAIT!!!!

OMG, your Hawaiian plans look fantastic!!!

THANKS!!! I'm really excited for it!!