Post #13534 by thejab on Tue, Nov 12, 2002 5:33 PM

When you drive towards the Mai Kai at night it's like the first time you went to Disneyland as a kid - at least it was for me and my companions. You see the sign appear on the horizon (it's most magical after dark) then as you get closer you start to make out the buildings and gardens and then you start to hear the cascading waterfalls and see the larger tikis in front and the burning torches and colored lights and you realize how huge a place it is and then you turn into the driveway and proceed over the wooden bridge that makes a rumbling noise and the valet takes the keys to your chariot and you excitedly head for the front door - but you want to go around the outside and take a closer look - you can do that later - you just want to run around inside like a little kid into each room that are named after islands in the South Pacific but you get stopped by the attentive but friendly maitre'd who asks if you have reservations and you reply "Yes, I have reservations for dinner and the 9:30 show" and he asks if you would like to wait in the bar until your table is ready - like he had to ask - so you head for the Molokai Lounge and it feels like stepping into the cabin of an old clipper ship and you find a table and then a lovely wahine in a skimpy top and sarong in tropical print hands you your menu and you can't believe the variety of drinks (or the prices) and you just want to order all of them but you order only one and you look at the water running down the outside of the windows like rain even though it wasn't raining outside (?) and there is the sound of thunder outside too but after a while you realize it's the rumbling of the wooden bridge you drove over coming in and so on.

The feeling is similar to the way the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland felt when I was a kid. All dark and cool and mysterious and exciting,