It’s time once again for “Backpacking Dad Makes You Look At His Vacation Photos”. You love these posts and you wish I would do more of them? Oh, alright then.
We just spent a week in Hawaii with the kids. We split the week between the Hilton Waikiki Village and Disney’s Aulani resort. While both were very fun, and the kids had a great time wherever we were, Aulani was the clear winner for us. If you’re a long-time reader who has seen how much time we spend a Disneyland, right now you are thinking “Well, duh.”
Aulani reminded me of the Disney cruise we took in 2003. Everything was self-contained, within a short walk, and you felt like you were along for the ride. The Hilton felt more like a Vegas resort plopped down at the beach. There were shops and restaurants and bars everywhere, and crowds of people moving from one tourist activity to another (paying a little bit extra at every station). Where Disney invited the entire resort to an outdoor show, the Hilton put on the classic tourist luau. Where Disney had beach chairs set up all along the sand, the Hilton rented them out. Those are philosophical differences, of course. Disney charges for its little extras up front, building it into the room cost, and the Hilton charges as you go. It’s hard to economize at Alauni, and it’s hard not to feel like you need to wring your money’s worth out of the extras you opt for at the Hilton.
Enough review-y words. That’s not what you came here for. You want obnoxious vacation pictures!
First, here’s my giant face.
And Emily’s winning smile.
And Erin glamming it up.
Adrian contemplates penguins in Hawaii.
This is a good-looking group of people right here.
Fire-dancers? Hey, hey Adrian! Look at the fire dancers!
Adrian? Oh, sorry.
Hey! There’s a mouse at my resort!
And another one! This one is kind of cute, though.
The Fourth of July looks better upside down. And on a beach.
And no beach is complete without Watchmen.
In closing, here’s a postcard.
See you again soon, Hawaii.