A long awaited trip finally came! Back in 2016 there was some discussion about this trip. We didn’t know what we were going to do. We didn’t know where we were staying and honestly we didn’t know when we were going. All we knew or at least I knew we were going. This year was the year it happened—we crashed Hawaii. I’ve traveled to many places and don’t usually plan them unless it’s a few people. Hawaii was one place, in this country, that I just had to see. This one needed to be planned especially since it ended up being a family trip. Obviously there’re a few ways to see Hawaii once you’re there. This is just how we did it for four adults.

So, my parents have had a timeshare I believe starting the year I went to high school. Their’s is with Disney and I know what you’re goin to say because most people do. Why Disney? Why do you want to be around all those kids? Why didn’t you do a more adult timeshare. Well calm down, take a breather and hear me out. Disney calls their timeshare owners Vacation Club Members and does not technically consider this a timeshare. Now this is from pure experience and how we did it. If you don’t already know Disney has parks and they also have resorts. Once you sign up, you purchase points and you then have a “home resort;” ours is Animal Kingdom in Orlando. We are not tied to the one resort it’s just where we started. The points are applied on an annual basis and from there you choose where to go and how to stay there. You are using points per se instead of money. This year we decided to go to the island of Oahu and stayed at the Aulani Disney Resort & Spa. From there we chose which rooms and view we wanted for the week. Just to put the variety of way to use these points in perspective; between the year we got it and now the points have been used for Orlando, FL., New Orleans, LA., Hilton Head, SC., and 3 cruises. Needless to say you have options.

Back to Hawaii, like I said we stayed there for a week. It was as beautiful as I imagined. Oh wow I sound like I’m daydreaming. That was corny. Anyway, at this point the only thing we definitely had to do was take a helicopter ride. Speaking of being in the air. Do you know what is cost to fly four people to Hawaii. I would say only look if you know four people are going don’t do that to yourself. The flight was eight hours! EIGHT HOURS! I was ready and wide awake until that 5th hour hit and I was gone. Wake me when we get there! The time change hurt too. I’m in central time and Hawaii is in Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time. In other words my flight took off at 7 AM CST and that time in Hawaii was 2 AM. No ma’am the struggle was real trying to stay awake when we got there. I was told in order to adjust better it is best to not sleep after you land. Hard I tell you HARD! The resort was really nice; it was in an area that looks sort of like a resort area. It was setup well; there was golf course, few other hotels, shopping area, it was gated and our resort was huge. When we arrived on the property we were welcome with leis and lemon water—much needed with the way the sun was beaming. The rooms were setup with all the essentials at most hotels when you’re staying longer than two days. They added Disney touches, but stayed very close to the Hawaiian feel you get outside of Disney. We had a view of the beach every morning and comfortable beds.

While we were there we did a few things, in particular my favorites were the drive we took and the helicopter ride. I want to say maybe the third day we drove around majority of the island exploring, eating and taking photos. We missed maybe less than a fourth of the island; in other words we didn’t miss much. The best places we stopped at was The Byodo-Temple and Giovanni’s Shrimp truck, yeah a shrimp truck! Giovanni’s wasn’t close to the resort, I think we ate at there three or four times and it was worth the drive. The staff could tell we went and would ask for a plate next time we went. I tried a couple of foods I said I would never try until I got there. I didn’t get with everything, but most of it was good eating. I’ve been near and in the ocean one other time, but this felt different from the other. The water was so clear, I’m from New Orleans, I know what water looks like and nothing is prettier than ocean water. The weather was a good 72 degrees and that made the sand really cool until the sun was at its highest point. By that time though I was in the water and chillin’. The very last thing we did was the helicopter ride with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. I believe the ride is an hour and you get to choose what route you rather see; we went the complete island package. This had to be the most interesting photography I’ve taken. Nobody takes knowing they're going to take pictures from a helicopter—well somebody does, but I don’t so I was truly fascinated. I saw Jurassic Valley (where they filmed a few Jurassic Park/World movies), the Stairway to Heaven (the highest spot on a THE mountain) and Diamond Head (a volcano). The water was prettier from the air. We were in the clouds. I was scared out of my mind, but at the same time I felt at peace.

The trip was amazing and I’d love to do it again. It’ll have to wait obviously cause the money spent was no joke! Plus, I’m still good with the visit I just had. I’m just glad I was able to experience it personally.

- Tia Renai