The Last Aloha - 08.08.26
As the saying goes, last day, best day!
We started off our final hours in paradise with breakfast at Makahiki – The Bounty of the Islands, which is Aulani's character breakfast. Here we met Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, and Dale. We had one of the first timeslots of the day, so it was relatively empty in the restaurant. The meal was a three-course prix fixe menu which included malasadas, fresh fruit, and an entrée. I, of course, selected the Mickey and Minnie Belgian Waffles as my entrée. The character interactions, entertainment, food, and service were all excellent! We had a very nice final meal reminiscing together.
After breakfast, we finished packing our belongings which required us sitting on our suitcases to ensure that they closed as we gathered many souvenirs during our time on the island. As we were admiring our beautiful balcony view one last time, we saw that Goofy had a meet and greet going on below us. I hastily rushed to get my wooden character signature surfboard as I had yet to collect his autograph. Thankfully I made it in time to catch the line which went by quickly. Afterwards I met Avery's family in the lobby as they were taking us to our departing flight back to the mainland.
At the airport, Avery and I got some food after making our way through bag drop and security. We then headed to our gate to wait for our soon departing flight. Our flight ended up being overbooked and we offered to give up our seats and catch the next flight the following day, because who wouldn't want to spend an extra day in paradise. However, a few people ended up missing our original flight, so Avery and I were able to get on our flight as originally scheduled. While another day in paradise would have been great, I appreciated sticking to schedule as I wanted the time to settle back in at home before returning back to work.
Our journey home went smoothly, and we took a well-deserved nap when we finally made it back home the following morning. The time zones were an adjustment, but well worthwhile for a vacation of a lifetime.
Hawaii is an amazing place to connect with nature and be grateful for all that you have. I was in constant admiration of how beautiful and amazing the Earth is. My gratitude extends to Avery's family for including me on their vacation and for making our engagement one that I will never forget.
Aloha A Hui Hou
Comments