Our Stay At The Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort

The Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa is a short twenty minute ride, from Honolulu. You arrive to an open main lobby.

At check in they will give you a map of the resort, it will come in handy. This place is big!!

  View from the fifteen floor of the Ali’i Tower.

Ali’i Tower offers its guest a private pool, whirlpool and a pool terrace. The famous Tropics Bar & Grill Waikiki Beach is located in the Ali’i Tower, on the beach front. Hawaii Five-O was film here. Pronto Pickle is small deli type restaurant, grab & go. They had sandwiches hot and cold, hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, pizza, brownies, and nachos.

If you like Starbucks coffee, there are two locations at the resort. One is around the corner of the Ali’i Tower and another inside the Kalia Tower.

Many animals live at the resort. 



Several pools are located in the resort. Some towers have there own pool, for the guests of that tower. The Super Pool is located outdoors near the beach, and is in the middle of the towers. Previous picture above is the pool from the 15th floor. Super Pool area, wristband is required

Paradise pool has multi-levels, four waterslides, two whirlpools and waterfalls. No matter if you go to the Super Pool, Paradise Pool, Tapa Pool, Kalia Pool, or Ali’i Pool make sure you check the hours.  They are not open all day.  Times vary.  Towels are provided at the pool.

Atlantis Adventures leaves the pier at the Hilton Resort. Children must be 36” tall to ride the submarine.

The resorts brochure stated it has 90 retail shops and 19 restaurants. I personally didn’t count, but there are a lot of shops. Some of the restaurants were: CJ’s New York Style, Round Table, Benihana of Tokyo, Hanajuban Noodle Shop, Rainbow Lanai, Pronto Pickle, Sergio’s Italian Table, Bali Steak.

Most restaurants and retail shops will allow you to charge to your room. You need to set this up with the hotel when you get there. Don’t assume the shop will do this, ask before eating/shopping. Or just have a backup if they don’t. If you charge items to your room, it’s a good idea to check your bill everyday or every other day.

No coin laundry service. The ABC store did have small boxes of laundry soap, to wash clothes in bathtub or sink.



Traveling with Delta Airlines

This was my first time traveling with Delta Airlines. Our plane was delayed by about four hours. They did have soda, peanuts, and crackers at the gate for the passengers.

It was nice that two Delta workers were at the gate. If your flight is delayed, ask for a food voucher. We received two six dollar vouchers. Once on board, everyone received the movie for free. They really did make up for the delay.


You have to pay extra for a meal on board. Our fight offered; vegetable plate (carrots, celery), and small finger sandwiches.



NO CASH TRANSACTIONS ON BOARD - MUST PAY WITH CREDIT CARD

Mazatlan Mexico

The waters were nice and smooth to Mazatlan. Our ship arrived around 9:00 am, hot out already. The port here is small, we were docked right by the shipping containers. Transportation via carts pulled by a small motor car to the exit. Here you had to take the transportation, no walking to and from the exit.

Carnival’s Fun Ashore here include; Sightseeing Tours, Cultural Tours, Golf Tours, Beach Tours, Water Adventures, Jet Ski, Fishing Tours and Horseback riding. These adventures do cost extra ranging from $30-$150 per person. Always check with the cruise in regards to price, since they can change.

At 6:00 pm sharp we set sail for Cabo San Lucas. Tonight some events are going on such as; a show in the Spectacular Theatre, Karaoke Party, Casual Portrait Taken, $600 Black Jack Tournament, Live Latin Music, Singles Meet and Greet, Big Screen Movie.

Carnival’s Seaside Theatre showed Sheryl Crow Live in London, Bob Marley, Beyonce Live at Wembley starting at 11am. The 8:00 and 10:45 pm movie was Terminator Salvation. Night time shows you can purchase popcorn at the bar for $1.50 small bag.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Our ship arrived at the Puerto Vallarta port, three days after Long Beach California. We woke just in time for the docking at 8:00 am. Stepped out on our stateroom balcony to find it foggy and very humid. As the day went on the sun did come out, it was hot. Sunburn happens fast, so make sure to wear sunscreen. We still got sunburn with 30SPF.

The port area had green grass and was clean. Tall fence just beyond the port area. Walmart and Sams club right across the street.

Fun Ashore activities (booked with Carnival Cruise); Jeep Tours, Canopy Adventure, Off Road Bicycle Adventure, Beach Hideaway, Shopping Tours, Exclusive Resort Getaway, Sea Lion Encounter, Snorkeling Tours, Sunset Sail and Golf are just to name a few.

Fun Ashore require additional fees ranging from $25-$200 per person. When you book with the cruise line, the ship will not leave without you. At least that is how I understood it. If you go ashore by yourself, if you are not back in time the ship will leave if you are there or not.

After a day a shore, we returned to our stateroom and found this wonderful elephant made with towels. The stateroom attendants are so creative.

We sailed off around 10:00pm, on our way to Mazatlan, Mexico. Mega Deck Party starts at 10:15pm. Other evening events included; Legend Auditions, a Mega Mexican Buffet, Casino, Paradise Lotto Drawing.

On Board Carnival Cruise

Recently, my family went on a Carnival Cruise. With having a cold spring, my husband and I decided to head south. A Mexican Riviera Cruise for 7 days on The Carnival Splendor.

Our Spa Balcony Stateroom was wonderful. All of us enjoyed the spacious rooms that could sleep at least four people comfortably. Better yet, some staterooms have connecting doors. Which allows your kids to have there own room giving your family even more room.

When returning to our room for the night, the stateroom attendant would leave us towel animals.

Each stateroom has it’s own bathroom, with shower. The shower gel, shampoo dispenser and detachable shower unit, was a nice touch.

Several pools, one with a waterslide, several whirlpools. The waterslide seems to be a big hit for the kids and adults.

Certain areas of the ship are for adults only. If you prefer to have a quiet swim or soak in the whirlpool/hot tub, check out the adult pools.

The Carnival Splendor also has a Spa, Fitness Center, Basketball, Volleyball, Mini Golf, Pool Side Theater, Formal Nights, and Pictures Taken for you, Trivia Sessions, Bingo Sessions, Lotto, dancing, shows, comedy acts, Karaoke Party, Single Party’s, restaurants, and a large buffet of food. One night they had desserts that were only made with chocolate. The line was 10-15 minutes long; we thought we were back at Disneyland. But it was worth the wait.

Above picture of this poolside theater. The balcony in this area has two hot tubs, lots of tables and two ping pong tables. Flowers overhang to the lower level.

The casino usually was open one hour after leaving port and closed when at port. The shops on board also are closed when at port.

Smoking was permitted on the ship in designated areas. You can purchase cartons of cigerettes on board. They were alot cheaper onboard the ship. The custom form stated you can carry one carton off the ship per person (must be 18). You should check each ship can be different and the laws can change.

Keep in mind that some activities on and off the ship my cost extra. No need for paper money when you are on the ship. All purchases go on your Sail & Sign Card, except the casino. You want to check with the Guest Services from time to time, to check your balance. It can add up fast. Be Warned the Arcade takes cash and the cruise card. Cruise card and kids can get out of hand. Even with adults sometimes !!

Your children can have supervised activities of their own. Sign them up for the clubs.

Camp Carnival for 2 to 11 years old.
Circle O for 12 - 14 years old
ClubO2 for 15 - 17 years old
　
　
　
　
　

Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

When vacationing in California, we always find ourselves staying at the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. We recently visited to find that they added another pool, whirlpool and a wing of rooms. This wonderful hotel full of natural textures and was the first to be immediately adjacent to the Disney Theme Park.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, has four pools; Fountain Pool, Children’s Pool, Redwood Pool and the Mariposa Pool. The Redwood Pool has a big waterslide and a very small waterslide for the infants and toddlers.

Pinocchio’s Workshop is a great service for those with small children. For a fee, you can leave your children and enjoy a quiet meal or whatever with the kids. For the older kids Grizzly Game Arcade a great addition to the hotel.

Disney’s Grand California has an entrance to the Downtown Disney and to The California Adventure Park. It’s a short walk or Monorail ride to Disneyland.

This time my family stayed in the new wing. We had a balcony view of California Adventure. I thought the rollercoaster outside my balcony would be really noisy. To our amazement the sliding glass window had really good windows. Great view without the noise.

Princess Cruise To Alaska

Our first cruise was with Princess Cruise Line. For several weeks, the four of us; studied the information we received from the AAA Travel Agent.



We arrived at the Seattle port parking lot, they have a great drop off area. Pull up, drop of family with luggage and go park the car. Attendants, come to you at the drop off area to collect your bags. We didn't see our luggage until we got to our stateroom.


The Star Princess offers several dining options. My family prefers the buffet, pizza and grill. You can really over eat with the endless amount of food.


Every morning outside our stateroom door, a Princess Patter is in the slot. What is this, you say? The Princess Patter is a like a newsletter telling you what is going on the ship for the day. Some of the activities are; bingo, movies, dancing, horse racing, casino, shuffle board, swimming, kid zones, spa service specials.


We stayed at the ports most of the time for half a day or a little more. Princess offers sightseeing trips, at a additional cost. We enjoyed just getting off the ship and walk around the ports. Found some great deals, at the little shops.


Tracy Arm took my breath away. This was my first time seeing huge ice formations in the water, only feet away from our ship. The ice has a beautiful color to it. Glad I got to experience it in person.