DS Update: Ghiradelli Renovations

A couple weeks ago we published a photo of the Ghiradelli temporary location in Disney Springs Town Center. It's located in the former Sprinkles building adjacent the No. 2 Bridge to Pleasure Island. This is their permanent location in Disney Springs Marketplace where their building is under heavy renovations. And that is why they are operating from the temporary spot. We don't think they will be back here until sometime in 2027.

 

Club Report: Glow Party @ Mardi Gras Nightclub (Pride Of America)

Time for one more party on Pride of America, led by DJ Tidal Wave (USA). The pics are on sister website Orlando Entertainment News HERE.

 

Trip Report: The Na Pali Coast

We're sailing on NCL ship Pride of America. The sailing was supposed to end today in Honolulu but the port is closed due to Hurricane Lala's approach. Instead, the ship is spending the day at sea north of the Hawaiian islands. Before heading out to sea, we passed the north coast of Kaua'i, home to these amazing cliffs. 

 

This is known as the Na Pali Coast, home to the world's tallest sea cliffs.

Some cliffs extend 4000' above sea level. We had sun, drizzle, fog during the pass-by.

Aloha! A good time was had by all.

Friday Funny

 

Trip Report: A Tale Of 4 Volcanos

Departing from the cruise ship from sea level on the island of Maui, we traveled to our first volcano of the trip via Hawaii State Road 37. That's Haleaukala straight ahead but you can't see it here because of the cloud cover.

Switching to State Road 378, just 22 more miles to go up a steep, winding road climbing ultimately up to over 14,000 ft elevation. Reservations are required between 3AM and 7AM because of the popularity of being at that elevation to watch sunrise. 

 

No need to worry about those clouds because eventually the road takes us above them!

There's a Haleakala National Park visitor center near the entry toll booth and another up there near the peak where there are numerous weather stations and astronomical observatories.

 Take care of the Nene, the state bird which is a protected species. Because it is generally fearless, it does not know to run away from approaching cars.

The trade winds bring in moisture and clouds mostly from the northeast side of each Hawaiian island. The famous "Road to Hana" down below can be a rainy drive because it traverses the northeast side of Maui.

 

 Climb, Climb! For the most part, we've left vegetation behind in favor of volcanic rocks and cinder cones.

The rare Silversword (Ahinahina) only grows on the slopes of Haleakala. A related plant only grows on the slopes of Mauna Kea on Hawaii, the big island.

The caldera of Haleakala. While not currently active, the volcano is considered to be Hazard Category 3 and thus very much alive. They believe it last erupted around 400 years ago.

Those clouds kept creeping closer.

Signs remind you to take it easy at this elevation! The air is thin here and you don't want to experience altitude sickness which can impact people above 8,000 ft.

A small observation building at the peak. Definitely worth the drive.

While we went to Haleakala National Park via a rental car from Maui Airport, our journey from Hilo to Hawaii Volcanos National Park on the island of Hawaii was via a ship's excursion. (Rental cars are much-cheaper.)

The route to this National Park is via Hawaii State Road 11. And from the moment you depart Hilo, the road is a mostly straight climb slowly uphill with no curves or switchbacks like the previous national park. You're going from sea level to only about 4,000 ft. to this park.

From a distance, you can see this volcano is much lower.

But the caldera is far more interesting. This is the Kilauea Volcano that was erupting just a few years ago, spewing lava upwards and down towards the ocean and destroying entire neighborhoods of homes such as the Leilani Estates. You may have seen it on the news.

Cinder cones scattered everywhere. This is a Hazard Zone 1 volcano and she's active! UPDATE: The day after our visit there was an eruption here with a lava plume shooting up around 50' into the air.

That's steam coming out of the ground. Sadly, no sulphur smell. 

This is called Hawaii Volcanos National Park (plural) because there's a second volcano too. That's Mauna Loa over there which is 13,679 ft. tall. There's no road to the top but there is a hiking trail. It too is a Hazard Zone 1 volcano. Active.

Further off in the distance is Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano at 13,803 ft. and not part of the national park. There is a road to drive up there as there and it's a great place to view stars at night. Both Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea had 10" of snow on them this past January. It doesn't typically snow here at Kilauea. Both national parks are excellent and a good time was had by all.

This Weekend In Techno Town

We're in Hawaii but you don't have to miss these events:

FRI     14AUG     CELINE     DJ Wax Motif (AUS)

FRI     14AUG     BROKEN STRINGS     DJ Sandy (USA)

FRI     14AUG     IRON COW     DJ Quivver (GB)

FRI     14AUG     ALFIE'S HIFI     DJ Just Jason (USA)

SAT    15AUG     ABBEY     Gimme Gimme Disco Night

SAT    15AUG     ALTIRA POOL     DJ Frankmatik (USA)  2:30p - 8:30p

SAT    15AUG     ALFIE'S HIFI     DJ Byrd (USA)

SAT    15AUG     TACO KAT     DJ Oscar P (USA)

 

Club Reports: Ocean Drive Bar, Pink’s Champagne Bar, Mardi Gras Nightclub (MS Pride Of America)

It was 70's night last night on cruise ship Pride of America and sister website Orlando Entertainment News was there. The ship's band "The Wave" opened the night before the DJ took over later. We're doing 7-nights around Hawaii. You can find ship pics on OEN here. 

 

CW Update: Remembering The Groove

Ten years ago this month we reviewed the resident DJ's that played each week at The Groove in Universal CityWalk. The Groove closed during the pandemic and never reopened, the space being repurposed as an escape room. Wednesday nights: DJ Rincon (USA)

Thursday nights: DJ Poproxxx (USA)

Friday nights: DJ Chino (USA)

Saturday nights: DJ M-Squared (USA)

DS Update: Shore Out, Vuori In

During our most recent visit to Disney Springs we saw that Vuori is coming to this retail spot in the Town Center section. We had no clue what Vuori is and we wondered, what was in that spot? Something was missing. So we had to check our older Disney Springs Guidemap to learn that Sarasota-based Shore was previously in that spot! We recall how excited they were back in 2015 when they prematurely announced this new location. Sorry to see they didn't make it. We still don't know what Vuori is though.

 

DS Update: Summer At Disney Springs

Looking for DJ's this summer at Disney Springs?

Waterside Stage:

Tuesday: DescenDANCE Party x Camp Rock Jam(6:00pm-10:00pm)

Wednesday: DescenDANCE Party x Camp Rock Jam(6:00pm-10:00pm)

Thursday: DescenDANCE Party x Camp Rock Jam(6:00pm-10:00pm)

Saturday & Sunday Interactive Fountain next to Earl Of Sandwich/Marketplace:

• Elite Beats - DJ KD Queen (USA): 10:15, 11:00 & 11:45am
• Ohana Kids Club: 10:30 & 11:15am, 12:00pm  

Exposition Park / West Side 

 Friday & Saturday Evenings until 10:00pm Elite Beats 

 

Friday Funny

 

King Bob On The Go

We're off on another trip to try to use up all those accumulated frequent flyer miles on several airlines. Because of time differences, Blog articles may appear at irregular times. Don't worry, we're always keeping an eye on Pleasure Island and will report any news.

Expected Flights:

AA   MCO-DFW

AA   DFW-HNL

UA   HNL-LAX

DL   LAX-ATL

DL   ATL-MCO 

 

This Weekend In Techno Town

Very odd; just a few on Friday while Saturday night is jammed!

THU   06AUG     CELINE     DJ Friction (GB)

THU   06AUG     MCQUEENS     Tun Tun: DJ Antonia Rivano (USA)

THU   06AUG     BROKEN STRINGS   Thump: DJ Kris Kokopelli (USA) 

FRI     07AUG     BIKKURI    House of Queens: DJ Mr. Nukem (UAE) 

FRI     07AUG     ALFIE'S HIFI     DJ Zack Hill (USA) 

FRI     07AUG     IRON COW     DJ Ed Abisada (USA) 

SAT    08AUG     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Sam Wolfe (USA)

SAT    08AUG     BIKKURI     Unlisted: DJ Mr. Nukem (UAE) 

SAT    08AUG     ABBEY     Day Fever: 80's - 00's  2PM-6PM

SAT    08AUG     ALFIE'S HIFI     DJ  Frankmatik (USA) 

SAT    08AUG     RAYN     DJ X (USA), Kid Digital (RUS) + more

SAT    08AUG     BARBARELLA     DJ Rob Bates (USA) 

SAT    08AUG     PERLA'S PIZZA   DJ The Reverend (USA) 

SUN   09AUG     ALFIE'S HIFI     DJ Brian Burnside (USA) 

 

 

 

DS Update: Ghiradelli Temporary Relocation

Renovations are now in-progress at the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop in Disney Springs Marketplace which has necessitated their temporary closure. It won't reopen until early 2027.

During the renovations, they will be operating from this temporary location in the former Sprinkles building, Disney Springs Town Center. 

 

The Labor Day Bash Is Within Range!

The House of Blues event flyer (which you can find in the little cubbies in front of the HOB ticket windows) always has the latest concert lineup. And included in the current flyer is the Labor Day Bash taking place on Sunday, September 6th. All your faves will be playing and all your friends will be there. Advance tickets HERE.

 

Club Reports: House Of Mouse Afterparty, CityWalk Waterfront Stage, Palm Tree Club

DJ Elliot (USA) at Disney.

DJ Josh Lawrence (USA) at Universal.

Saturday night pics can be found on sister website Orlando Entertainment News HERE. 

Concert Report: Season 5 (Venice)

There were a number of headliners playing at the Season 5 concert last night/this morning in Venice but the biggest of them all was DJ BT (USA). You can find all the photos posted on our sister website Orlando Entertainment News HERE.

 

Friday Funny

Promises made, promises delivered. Not.

 

Trip Report: Visiting Transnistria, The Country That Doesn't Exist

The Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991 and many of the Soviet socialist countries that made up the Soviet Union declared their independence from Russia. One of those was Moldova which today remains an independent country. However, a far eastern slice of Moldova, an area with many ethnic Russians, was fearful that Moldova was going to try to merge into Romania and they declared their own independence from Moldova. A brief war was fought in 1992 and a ceasefire was declared after a few months of fighting. That eastern slice, known as Transnistria, remains a separate country today almost 35 years later.

They call themselves a separate country except that no other country in the world has recognized them as a country. The world still considers Transnistria to be a part of Moldova. During our visit earlier this month to Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, we took a day trip over to to Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria. We had our passports checked at the Transnistria border. (Moldova does not check passports on the return because as far as they're concerned, there is no Transnistrian country so why bother.)

 

Welcome to Transnistria, a "country" where the old Soviet Union is revered.

Lots of statues of Lenin abound along with Soviet style architecture.

The red & green flag of Transnistria contains a Soviet hammer & sickle in its upper corner. It stands here beside the Russian flag. (The other flags belong to the cities of Transnistria.)

They have their own currency called the Transnistria Ruble. It's not good anywhere except Transnistria. Western credit cards can't be used because the country is unrecognized anywhere else and they are only tied to the Russian banking system which itself is under sanctions. So to buy anything, you must exchange your Dollars, Euros or Moldovan Leu to Transnistria Rubles. Please note that they themselves call their country Pridnestrovie in the Cyrillic alphabet.

We purchased this Transnistria coin set of plastic coins as a souvenir. They have metal coins now so the plastic coins seem only to be for tourists.

There are up to 1,500 Russian soldiers stationed in Transnistria but with Moldova on one side and a closed border with Ukraine on the other side, they are kind of stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Transnistrians are free to visit Moldova since there are no passport checks and Moldova considers them Moldovans. They can't travel further without a Moldovan passport since their own passport is worthless. For now, things are status quo. Moldova has applied for EU membership and is on track. A merger into Romania is also possible which brings not only EU membership but also membership into NATO. A fascinating little part of the world not many know about. Everyone we met was friendly and we're so glad we got to visit.