Trip Report *COMPLETED* Aloha...E Komo Mai to Our Aulani Adventure!

Hi Everyone!

Based on the feedback we received during our last trip report, which you can read here, we have decided to write a trip report chronicling our first visit to the Aulani resort in Ko 'Olina, Hawaii. Not sure if this is the place for such a report as it's not WDW-based but figured I'd start here and if it's moved, so be it.

We just returned yesterday afternoon after a terrific eight days in paradise. Amazing to think how quickly things came and went, especially considering we made this reservation using our DVC points seven months ago, but the visit will be one we look back on for a long time. We didn't put together a pre-trip report or anything so here is a short preamble before we dive into all the sunny details.

So...for those of you who read our last report, you may recall that our last visit to WDW was not supposed to happen. Instead, we were 48 hours away from traveling to Honolulu for our second visit to the island. We were booked to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, not Aulani. Less than two days before we were to take off, hurricane Lane hit the Hawaiian islands and our trip was wiped out. Our last minute scrambling allowed us to salvage our vacation and resulted in an unexpected return to the World. That trip was fantastic but we couldn't help feel lousy about missing out on Hawaii.

It was something we looked forward to for months so when we returned from WDW, Kelly and I decided we would try it again, this time focusing on using our DVC points to stay at Aulani. Our plan was to look at an April 2019 visit and as the seven-month window crept closer, we kept a close eye on the availability of a standard view studio. The day finally came that we were able to jump on the DVC site and we were most pleased to snag a studio for a trip from April 6 - 13!

We were pretty jacked up but felt a little guilty revealing to our moms, Ally and Deb, that we were heading back to Hawaii. They were so excited to be going to the islands with us before the hurricane and you could tell they were disappointed not to be included on this trip. Alas, we had a long-awaited beach vacation to look forward to and the added bonus of some Disney magic!

This report might not be as detail-oriented as a typical WDW visit, but we took a lot of pictures and explored the resort as best we could while we were there. Hopefully it gives you a good look into what Aulani has to offer.

Mahalo in advance for reading along. Kelly and I are excited to share our latest trip with you!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

So fun to see others having a good time at one of my favorite places in the world, my home resort Aulani! (Glad you checked out Monkeypod -- we eat there multiple times on every trip!) Beautiful pics; you have a lovely family. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading along! Aulani is amazing and we can't wait to get back at some point in the (hopefully) near future. Monkeypod was a big hit. I'd have no issues dining there on every visit.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

With our pool time done for the day, we made our way back to the room to grab a bite to eat and ready ourselves for the mall. This meant Kelly and I could finally dig into our cheesecake and man it was worth the wait. The Cinnabon slice was outstanding. And since we essentially still had a full order of salad left over from Kelly's meal the night before, I ate what was left.

By the time we had finished eating and getting ready for a night out in Honolulu, it was the perfect time for us to hit the road and make our way into the city. I was hoping it was early enough that we might avoid some of the heavy traffic but could be sure until we got closer to town.

We set off towards the lobby in search of our car. We got a little sidetracked along the way as I stopped into to browse the shelves of one of the gift shops near the lobby. This one was a little more upscale than its counterpart across the hall. They had some really great merchandise, jewelry, pandora charms, fancier clothing, etc. but what caught my eye from the window was the assortment of soaps and, of course, the H2O collection. I was definitely hoping to find some of my favourite peppermint foot rub to bring back as the supply I brought home with me from WDW in September was nearing the end.

My mom really likes these soap bars so I ended up picking her up one to give her a taste of Aulani. I was quite ecstatic to see my foot rub was available so I made so to grab that too! I was all set.

We left the store and to head to the parking garage but as we passed the large staircase that leads to the pool floor, the girls noticed a character they had yet to meet greeting guests in the courtyard. We hustled our way down the stair and entered the short line to meet ShellieMay, Duffy’s girlfriend. I’m not really keen on Duffy so I had no clue who ShellieMay is but the girls were pretty pumped to say hi and grab a few pics before heading out.

With that behind us, we walked out of the resort and piled into the car. Now, at this point our car was not fully charged but based on the GPS estimates of distance and time, we had more than enough battery power to get us to the Ala Moana Centre. That was good enough for me so we set off for the freeway to head back into Honolulu.

The drive was pretty uneventful and we cruised our way down the freeway back into the city in pretty good time. It was a pretty hot day so we did have the AC on in the car turned up pretty high and didn’t think much of it as we drove along. Suddenly, about 15 minutes away from the mall our car shot off a warning…”Low battery, please find the nearest charging station.”

This caused a bit of a panic in the car, especially since we weren’t overly sure where the nearest charging station was but I decided to keep going and try to get to the mall to charge up. As you’d expect, we hit the traffic heading back into Honolulu and we were nearly at a standstill. This caused Kelly to start chirping from the passenger seat about what a horrible mistake it was to rent an electric car and whatnot but I tried to keep my composure (not very well) as I looked for a potential exit.

We had not moved very far when the next warning was given. “Extremely low battery. Find the nearest charging station immediately.”

PERFECT

Now the panic had set in throughout the entire car. Kelly still chirping, and the kids now getting into the act. I was able to find an off-ramp as we set out to charge the battery a bit. With no clue where I was headed we simply drove random streets looking for parking lots or garages that would have a station. The warning continued until we finally found a garage that advertised charging ports. We entered and headed to the third level to find them.


Just our luck. We made it to the third level and there were only two ports, both being used. One by a Tesla and the other a Chevy Volt. Since we were in a bit of an emergency, at least we thought so, I did the only thing I could think of. Pull as close to the Chevy as possible, and unplug one of the cars. The Chevy was locked in but the Tesla was not. I hijacked the charge and plugged in our car. Now that we had a plugin, we pretty much had to wait and hope that the owner of the Tesla didn’t return!

This created a new panic in the car, mostly with Lennon. She felt I was going to jail for stealing the charge and would not stop screaming no matter what we tried to tell her. I explained I would simply talk to the owner, should they return, and let them know our situation. That didn’t help and her crying continued while we waited. Now the car was off, we had no AC, the mood was tense and the sweating was real.

After about 20 minutes I turned on the car, returned the plug to the Tesla and we decided to head off and try to make it to the mall. We were ten minutes away so why not take a chance. The car was still spewing the extremely low warning but I tuned it out and drove on.

I have never been as nervous or sweaty as I was during our ten-minute drive from the garage to the mall. Every light brought on a new jab from Kelly until I saw it, the sign saying turn Ala Moana Centre, next right. We made it! Now…to find the charging station in a giant parkade that I’ve never seen before.

As daunting as this may have been, amazingly we somehow took the exact right entrance and immediately found one of two charging areas for EVs. Sadly, at this point, all the plugs were in use and the nearest stall wouldn’t allow me to borrow a charge even if I needed it.

We parked and Kelly, relieved to have made it without being rescued on the side of the road, took the kids to Target while I decided to camp out on a nearby bench and hope that some EV owner showed up at some point.

I sat, and I sat, and I sat looking around and waiting for someone to show up. My shopping trip was in jeopardy while I waited but at least Kelly and the kids were roaming the mall. They were still at Target during my latest check-in and to my absolute surprise, I looked up from reading the last message just as a nice older gent was heading towards the EV area. I sprung up and followed him once I realized he was definitely one of the drivers. I caught up to him just before he got in the car and asked him if he could just wait until I pulled up to take his space. He kindly agreed and we swapped stalls. Finally, after all this craziness, I had plugged in the car and could join the girls to enjoy the rest of our night.

I found them in the checkout line at Target. My timing couldn’t have been better in that sense. I was somewhat relieved having missed yet another Target visit!

From there we set off to scan the rest of the mall. The Ala Moana is a beautiful complex. Tons of great stores and a bunch of dining options. I loved that there were both indoor and outdoor elements and they clearly made things family friendly as well. Great use of their indoor space to provide unique seating areas for guests along the way.

We hopped from store to store, splitting up at times to check out different places. Kelly was all over but I was more focused on a couple of specific places to visit, namely UniQlo, one of my go-to stops at Disney Springs as well. I spent some time in that store and came away with a great new pair of shorts, a new pink dress shirt and a couple of cheap undershirts. Not exactly the jackpot but I was happy.

I ended up making my only other purchase of the evening at Nordstrom, a pair of Tommy John underwear (highly recommended!). I debated on buying a sweet Mizzen and Main dress shirt, but couldn’t justify the price tag just to say I have a shirt from the company that outfits Phil Mickelson.

After a while, we were getting hungry so we made our way toward Bubba Gump. This used to be a pace we could only eat at while on vacation but they recently opened one in our giant mall in Edmonton and the girls have become big fans.

It wasn’t too busy and we were seated right away. We browsed the menu and when we were ready, we flipped the famous sign.

Corn dogs for Ella, grilled cheese for Lennon, chicken club burger for Kelly and the fresh berry salad with shrimp for me. Yes, most salad. And surprisingly, even with all the commotion on the drive over, no beer to settle the nerves!

The food wasn’t too bad but definitely nowhere near the best meal we had on the trip. It’s a fun place to eat and we were happy about that. The kids love the shrimp boat their food comes in and the jello is always a big hit. When we were done, we continued our shopping for a little bit before deciding it was time to head home. By this time, the car had been charging for nearly three hours so I felt pretty confident that we wouldn’t run into any issues on the way home.

We found the car, loaded in and set off for Aulani. The drive home was in the darkness and yes, we had plenty of battery life. The drive through Honolulu to the freeway was quite nice. Seeing all the buildings lit up amongst the pitch black sky made for some pretty sights. And the traffic was essentially nonexistent. The ride back was super smooth and we had no issues at all this time around but we’d always have that story of getting there to look back on!

We arrived back at the resort, parked the car, gathered our belongings and slowly made our way back towards the main lobby. As I thought about our ride into Honolulu, I realized we hit the panic button too early. We should have stuck it out and made it to the mall in the first place but since it was our first time with an EV we weren’t exactly sure how to handle it. Bah, just another fun memory to share!

 

[John Dulmage]

With our pool time done for the day, we made our way back to the room to grab a bite to eat and ready ourselves for the mall. This meant Kelly and I could finally dig into our cheesecake and man it was worth the wait. The Cinnabon slice was outstanding. And since we essentially still had a full order of salad left over from Kelly's meal the night before, I ate what was left.

By the time we had finished eating and getting ready for a night out in Honolulu, it was the perfect time for us to hit the road and make our way into the city. I was hoping it was early enough that we might avoid some of the heavy traffic but could be sure until we got closer to town.

We set off towards the lobby in search of our car. We got a little sidetracked along the way as I stopped into to browse the shelves of one of the gift shops near the lobby. This one was a little more upscale than its counterpart across the hall. They had some really great merchandise, jewelry, pandora charms, fancier clothing, etc. but what caught my eye from the window was the assortment of soaps and, of course, the H2O collection. I was definitely hoping to find some of my favourite peppermint foot rub to bring back as the supply I brought home with me from WDW in September was nearing the end.
View attachment 377271


My mom really likes these soap bars so I ended up picking her up one to give her a taste of Aulani. I was quite ecstatic to see my foot rub was available so I made so to grab that too! I was all set.

We left the store and to head to the parking garage but as we passed the large staircase that leads to the pool floor, the girls noticed a character they had yet to meet greeting guests in the courtyard. We hustled our way down the stair and entered the short line to meet ShellieMay, Duffy’s girlfriend. I’m not really keen on Duffy so I had no clue who ShellieMay is but the girls were pretty pumped to say hi and grab a few pics before heading out.
View attachment 377272View attachment 377273


With that behind us, we walked out of the resort and piled into the car. Now, at this point our car was not fully charged but based on the GPS estimates of distance and time, we had more than enough battery power to get us to the Ala Moana Centre. That was good enough for me so we set off for the freeway to head back into Honolulu.

The drive was pretty uneventful and we cruised our way down the freeway back into the city in pretty good time. It was a pretty hot day so we did have the AC on in the car turned up pretty high and didn’t think much of it as we drove along. Suddenly, about 15 minutes away from the mall our car shot off a warning…”Low battery, please find the nearest charging station.”

This caused a bit of a panic in the car, especially since we weren’t overly sure where the nearest charging station was but I decided to keep going and try to get to the mall to charge up. As you’d expect, we hit the traffic heading back into Honolulu and we were nearly at a standstill. This caused Kelly to start chirping from the passenger seat about what a horrible mistake it was to rent an electric car and whatnot but I tried to keep my composure (not very well) as I looked for a potential exit.

We had not moved very far when the next warning was given. “Extremely low battery. Find the nearest charging station immediately.”

PERFECT

Now the panic had set in throughout the entire car. Kelly still chirping, and the kids now getting into the act. I was able to find an off-ramp as we set out to charge the battery a bit. With no clue where I was headed we simply drove random streets looking for parking lots or garages that would have a station. The warning continued until we finally found a garage that advertised charging ports. We entered and headed to the third level to find them.


Just our luck. We made it to the third level and there were only two ports, both being used. One by a Tesla and the other a Chevy Volt. Since we were in a bit of an emergency, at least we thought so, I did the only thing I could think of. Pull as close to the Chevy as possible, and unplug one of the cars. The Chevy was locked in but the Tesla was not. I hijacked the charge and plugged in our car. Now that we had a plugin, we pretty much had to wait and hope that the owner of the Tesla didn’t return!

This created a new panic in the car, mostly with Lennon. She felt I was going to jail for stealing the charge and would not stop screaming no matter what we tried to tell her. I explained I would simply talk to the owner, should they return, and let them know our situation. That didn’t help and her crying continued while we waited. Now the car was off, we had no AC, the mood was tense and the sweating was real.

After about 20 minutes I turned on the car, returned the plug to the Tesla and we decided to head off and try to make it to the mall. We were ten minutes away so why not take a chance. The car was still spewing the extremely low warning but I tuned it out and drove on.

I have never been as nervous or sweaty as I was during our ten-minute drive from the garage to the mall. Every light brought on a new jab from Kelly until I saw it, the sign saying turn Ala Moana Centre, next right. We made it! Now…to find the charging station in a giant parkade that I’ve never seen before.

As daunting as this may have been, amazingly we somehow took the exact right entrance and immediately found one of two charging areas for EVs. Sadly, at this point, all the plugs were in use and the nearest stall wouldn’t allow me to borrow a charge even if I needed it.

We parked and Kelly, relieved to have made it without being rescued on the side of the road, took the kids to Target while I decided to camp out on a nearby bench and hope that some EV owner showed up at some point.

I sat, and I sat, and I sat looking around and waiting for someone to show up. My shopping trip was in jeopardy while I waited but at least Kelly and the kids were roaming the mall. They were still at Target during my latest check-in and to my absolute surprise, I looked up from reading the last message just as a nice older gent was heading towards the EV area. I sprung up and followed him once I realized he was definitely one of the drivers. I caught up to him just before he got in the car and asked him if he could just wait until I pulled up to take his space. He kindly agreed and we swapped stalls. Finally, after all this craziness, I had plugged in the car and could join the girls to enjoy the rest of our night.

I found them in the checkout line at Target. My timing couldn’t have been better in that sense. I was somewhat relieved having missed yet another Target visit!

From there we set off to scan the rest of the mall. The Ala Moana is a beautiful complex. Tons of great stores and a bunch of dining options. I loved that there were both indoor and outdoor elements and they clearly made things family friendly as well. Great use of their indoor space to provide unique seating areas for guests along the way.
View attachment 377274View attachment 377275


We hopped from store to store, splitting up at times to check out different places. Kelly was all over but I was more focused on a couple of specific places to visit, namely UniQlo, one of my go-to stops at Disney Springs as well. I spent some time in that store and came away with a great new pair of shorts, a new pink dress shirt and a couple of cheap undershirts. Not exactly the jackpot but I was happy.

I ended up making my only other purchase of the evening at Nordstrom, a pair of Tommy John underwear (highly recommended!). I debated on buying a sweet Mizzen and Main dress shirt, but couldn’t justify the price tag just to say I have a shirt from the company that outfits Phil Mickelson.

After a while, we were getting hungry so we made our way toward Bubba Gump. This used to be a pace we could only eat at while on vacation but they recently opened one in our giant mall in Edmonton and the girls have become big fans.
View attachment 377280

It wasn’t too busy and we were seated right away. We browsed the menu and when we were ready, we flipped the famous sign.
View attachment 377276

Corn dogs for Ella, grilled cheese for Lennon, chicken club burger for Kelly and the fresh berry salad with shrimp for me. Yes, most salad. And surprisingly, even with all the commotion on the drive over, no beer to settle the nerves!
View attachment 377277View attachment 377278View attachment 377279


The food wasn’t too bad but definitely nowhere near the best meal we had on the trip. It’s a fun place to eat and we were happy about that. The kids love the shrimp boat their food comes in and the jello is always a big hit. When we were done, we continued our shopping for a little bit before deciding it was time to head home. By this time, the car had been charging for nearly three hours so I felt pretty confident that we wouldn’t run into any issues on the way home.

We found the car, loaded in and set off for Aulani. The drive home was in the darkness and yes, we had plenty of battery life. The drive through Honolulu to the freeway was quite nice. Seeing all the buildings lit up amongst the pitch black sky made for some pretty sights. And the traffic was essentially nonexistent. The ride back was super smooth and we had no issues at all this time around but we’d always have that story of getting there to look back on!

We arrived back at the resort, parked the car, gathered our belongings and slowly made our way back towards the main lobby. As I thought about our ride into Honolulu, I realized we hit the panic button too early. We should have stuck it out and made it to the mall in the first place but since it was our first time with an EV we weren’t exactly sure how to handle it. Bah, just another fun memory to share!

Oh, man - I would have been FREAKING OUT had I been in that situation with the car giving warnings. There's no way I wouldn't have had a couple of drinks at dinner!! Or before! Glad it all worked out.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Oh, man - I would have been FREAKING OUT had I been in that situation with the car giving warnings. There's no way I wouldn't have had a couple of drinks at dinner!! Or before! Glad it all worked out.

It was pretty crazy for a while there! I was glad it all worked out fine but it wasn't so much fun while it was going on!

 

[kja1269]

I have never been as nervous or sweaty as I was during our ten-minute drive from the garage to the mall. Every light brought on a new jab from Kelly until I saw it, the sign saying turn Ala Moana Centre, next right. We made it! Now…to find the charging station in a giant parkade that I’ve never seen before.

My wife wanted to buy the fully electric Volt. I said no way, I am not going to be a thousand miles away on a business trip and have you call me to say your car is dead, what should I do? We bought the one with the gas engine and the 60 mile range battery.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I have never been as nervous or sweaty as I was during our ten-minute drive from the garage to the mall. Every light brought on a new jab from Kelly until I saw it, the sign saying turn Ala Moana Centre, next right. We made it! Now…to find the charging station in a giant parkade that I’ve never seen before.

My wife wanted to buy the fully electric Volt. I said no way, I am not going to be a thousand miles away on a business trip and have you call me to say your car is dead, what should I do? We bought the one with the gas engine and the 60 mile range battery.

It's definitely something you have to think about. Whether it fits your needs or not. For me, I've made up my mind that the next car I buy will be fully electric, but at the same time I have no need to travel great lengths for work, there are charging stations right at my office and I would get tremendous use and cost savings from it. That obviously doesn't fit for everyone but I can't wait!

What model did you guys end up getting? Still the Volt?

 

[sheriffwoody]

Glad I'm reading this so I know not to get an electric car on vacation Sorry you guys had to deal with that! The description of Kelly "chirping" was cracking me up though. I would definitely be chirping too!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Glad I'm reading this so I know not to get an electric car on vacation Sorry you guys had to deal with that! The description of Kelly "chirping" was cracking me up though. I would definitely be chirping too!

Now, now! Don't bag on the EV yet! Bag on the operator! Sure, in hindsight I potentially should have rented a car with a longer range, however, the thing I should have done was fully charge it! It costs a couple bucks, if that, but I wasn't on top of it for that trip in particular.

Even with the hiccup, which was easily avoidable, I loved the EV!

I have no doubt Kelly will say just the opposite though!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Just a quick shot of the goods I picked up from the gift shop before finishing up the rest of our day…

Now that we were back at the resort safe and sound, we had arrived just in time for the DVC member meet and greet with Disney characters. The kids were fired up to head down to pool level to line up and find out which characters we would be able to interact with. As we walked back into the main lobby we noticed a very clever hidden Mickey in the big water jugs that awaited arriving guests.

I ran to the room to drop off our bags and met up with the girls on the ground level. We weren’t exactly sure what to expect from the meet and greet but in our minds, it was a bunch of characters gathered around for DVC members to go meet and get pictures with.

When we found the line for the gathering we asked a Cast Member who informed us that Stitch would be available at the top of the hour, and Mickey would follow and the bottom. Not quite what we had in our minds but still, the line was short so why not.

We waited a few minutes until Stitch arrived and guests started moving into the lounge area for the photo op. The line moved quickly and we were next in line in no time.

Even if it wasn’t multiple characters, it was still a nice perk for DVC members to take advantage of. The girls wanted to get back in line for Mickey but we decided to call it a night instead. It was back to the room for us. Before heading up I snapped a quick picture of one of the lounges just off the main building. It looked like a great place to relax and have a drink. I was hoping we would get back there to check it out later in the trip.

At this point, I cracked a beer and relaxed a little before turning in for the evening. I was still taking heat about the trip but all in all, it was a really fun day! We had character dining reservations for breakfast the next morning so after a little relaxation, the lights were out and we were off to bed.

 

[Darstarr]

A hidden Minnie also!!!

And Kelly, you are my hero! I would not have been chirping, I would have been completely freaking out on my husband! I might still be freaking out about the Situation!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

A hidden Minnie also!!!

And Kelly, you are my hero! I would not have been chirping, I would have been completely freaking out on my husband! I might still be freaking out about the Situation!

Let’s just say that the use of the word chirping was done to ensure I have a place to sleep tonight. Her reaction was far more along the lines of what you have described!

 

[PacNWTigger]

I'm sure I would've been more of a "squawker" for the lack of a better term. I'm sure Steve would have a much different word than that too.

 

[Lensman]

This trip report reminded me a little of the Brady Bunch Hawaii episode. At first you think it's going to be all smiles and aloha. The next thing you know there's tension and drama! The EV battery segment was riveting! (And educational!)

I decided to look up EV charging locations on Oahu and I see the main problem, which is that although there *seem* to be a lot of charging stations, most of them are in parking lots. Some of these you have to pay for and I'm sure that during normal shopping hours most of them would be taken. Hawaii has committed to 100% renewable energy by 2045 including a changeover to EVs so they'll have to solve the problem over the years.

hawaii.gov | EV Charging Stations

Official Website of the Aloha State

portal.ehawaii.gov

Hey, I noticed that Aulani is supposed to have a charging station now! It says, "ask Valet". Don't tell Kelley!

Note: I'm going to have to remember your use of the term "chirping". I think I'll find it useful!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

This trip report reminded me a little of the Brady Bunch Hawaii episode. At first you think it's going to be all smiles and aloha. The next thing you know there's tension and drama! The EV battery segment was riveting! (And educational!)

I decided to look up EV charging locations on Oahu and I see the main problem, which is that although there *seem* to be a lot of charging stations, most of them are in parking lots. Some of these you have to pay for and I'm sure that during normal shopping hours most of them would be taken. Hawaii has committed to 100% renewable energy by 2045 including a changeover to EVs so they'll have to solve the problem over the years.

hawaii.gov | EV Charging Stations

Official Website of the Aloha State

portal.ehawaii.gov

Hey, I noticed that Aulani is supposed to have a charging station now! It says, "ask Valet". Don't tell Kelley!

Note: I'm going to have to remember your use of the term "chirping". I think I'll find it useful!

Haha! Glad our report is providing such entertainment! And thanks for reading along.

Aulani was well equipped with charging stations and space was always available. We parked there every night but this was the one occasion I had not used the charger to fill up the battery. It will be the one mistake I will not hear the end of!

 

[kja1269]

It's definitely something you have to think about. Whether it fits your needs or not. For me, I've made up my mind that the next car I buy will be fully electric, but at the same time I have no need to travel great lengths for work, there are charging stations right at my office and I would get tremendous use and cost savings from it. That obviously doesn't fit for everyone but I can't wait!

What model did you guys end up getting? Still the Volt?

We did get the Volt with the 60 mile(ish) range plus gas engine. That is my wife's car. There were so many incentives on the table that is was cheaper to get the more expensive Volt over what my wife was thinking of getting, I think something like $7500 worth. The garage she parks in for work has charging included in the ridiculously high monthly rate. That said, in a year and a half I think she has only gone through 6 or 7 tanks of gas with a daily round trip commute of about 30 miles. I don't know about you but I was very surprised at how peppy that car is. The electrics tend to have better acceleration than gas, I was not expecting that. My problem with the Volt is that I am getting older by the minute and the seats in the Volt are a long way down thus a long way up to get out of!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

We did get the Volt with the 60 mile(ish) range plus gas engine. That is my wife's car. There were so many incentives on the table that is was cheaper to get the more expensive Volt over what my wife was thinking of getting, I think something like $7500 worth. The garage she parks in for work has charging included in the ridiculously high monthly rate. That said, in a year and a half I think she has only gone through 6 or 7 tanks of gas with a daily round trip commute of about 30 miles. I don't know about you but I was very surprised at how peppy that car is. The electrics tend to have better acceleration than gas, I was not expecting that. My problem with the Volt is that I am getting older by the minute and the seats in the Volt are a long way down thus a long way up to get out of!

Thanks for following up on this. Very cool to hear you were able to take advantage of some great incentives. We, too, are offered incentives for EVs/Hybrids that fall under a certain price (pretty much all EVs at the moment outside of the high-end models) but with the federal election coming later this year I'm not sure if those will remain should there be a change.

You're absolutely right about the acceleration! While I didn't experience it for myself with our old Leaf in Hawaii, my office mate just got a Tesla Model 3 a few weeks back and took me for a spin. He gunned the "gas" at one stop light and it felt like taking off on Rockin' Roller Coaster! That short test drive essentially convinced me that a Model 3 will be my next car!

 

[Darstarr]

Then there is this. I am still laughing!!!

 

[Rista1313]

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Then there is this. I am still laughing!!!

Hahahaha! Too funny! I’m glad this is making you laugh. I look back and laugh too...after a few drinks.

View attachment 377807

Haha! Right?! That’s kinda why I quoted “gas” in one of my recent replies!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

April 10 - Breakfast and Beach Shots

With the excitement of the dying electric car behind us, we had a character breakfast at 830 am to look forward to. Since we seemed to get up so early we tried to change the check in time to something earlier but no dice.

The trend continued and we were all up around 630. Since we had a little extra time before breakfast I slipped out for a quick 4km run along the beach. No pics this morning, just business! Yet again it was smooth sailing for the first km and nothing short of a struggle the rest of the way in.

Thankful to have finished in a decent pace, I made my way back to the room to shower and get ready. Kelly has already showered and the girls were slowly getting their stuff together for the day. We had planned to go grab seats by the pool and our daily wristbands before heading to breakfast just to ensure we had some decent seating.

We all had ourselves ready to go and the pool bags packed so we made our way down to the pool shortly after 730. We ended up in pretty much the same seats we’d hd the previous days so far.

The kids seemed just fine with that

Off in the distance we could see hotel guests running through a morning yoga class. This one, however, looked like it was a tad too advanced for my liking!

While we watched for a few minutes not a single person bailed off the boards. I was thoroughly impressed!

The girls dipped their toes in the pool just to wake themselves up as we made our way over towards the towel hut to grab our wristbands and towels to hold our deck chairs.

With our towels in hand, and a new colour wristband, we set up our camp and made our way over to the main building to check in for our breakfast.

Just before we made it inside we ran into a really cool PhotoPass opportunity that even I didn’t wanna pass up.

With the early morning pics outta the way, we were ready for some food. Ella was a little behind her normal eating scheduled so we were hoping we wouldn’t have to wait too long by the time we checked in.

We were all looking forward to a little fun and a great meal!