Aulani with 2 young kids - feasibility, activities, flights, etc.

ray3127

Life goal = Quarterly vacation
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
We are getting a feel for if a trip to Aulani is right for us, and how such a trip might look. Been perusing this Aulani board and picking up some good information, but I feel it's time to post with specifics.

DW & I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon in 2011. Details w/highlights:

2 nights on Oahu, Outrigger Reef on the Beach
- Pearl Harbor w/Honolulu City Tour through Discover Hawaii Tours
- Waikiki Beach on our own

7 Nights on Maui, Hyatt Regency Ka'anapali
- Parasailing
- Old Lahaina Luau
- Sunset Sail w/Trilogy
- Hike Maui (East Maui Waterfall hike)
- Haleakala during the day (not sunrise)
- Had our own car; explored a little (Wailea one day, Lahaina, etc.)

So we are looking at going summer 2021 with our kids. DS would be 7.5, DD would be 3.5. We enjoy visiting California in the summer, as we love Disneyland and have some family spread across Southern California. We also own DVC, with a small-ish contract at VGC and a couple larger ones at BLT/BCV.

Flying from Omaha, the general plan would be:
- Fly to Southern California to visit some family for 2 nights.
- Fly LAX/SAN to HNL, stay at Aulani for 7/8 nights. (probably Hawaiian Airlines)
- Fly HNL to LAX/LGB, stay at Grand Californian for 4/5 nights. (probably Hawaiian Airlines)
- Fly SNA to OMA, home.

The thought behind breaking up the flights is because:
- It's a 12-hour trip from first take-off from OMA-HNL, with a very early morning to boot. I don't really want to do that with my kids (or on my own, for that matter).
- The only option to get all the way home from HNL-OMA is with a redeye. I did that in 2011, and I am never, ever doing it again. Ever.

That puts Disneyland on the back end of Hawaii. I'm very firmly in the "WDW BEFORE a cruise" camp, but given the redeye situation, I'm not considering doing Hawaii last. I also think that having something fun/familiar to look forward to after Hawaii is a nice way to soften the blow of leaving Hawaii. Disneyland is quite relaxing for us, so I'm not worried about it.

Our main objective would be to relax and enjoy the resort (and spa), though an excursion or two off-site would be nice.

Here are my questions:
- Considering our kids' ages, will we have enough to do? i.e., is it worth the trouble/expense of going all the way to Hawaii? We've heard incredible things about Aulani, and we want to experience it for ourselves. We don't believe in "waiting until the kids are old enough" with everything. Otherwise we wouldn't travel for 10 years. No thanks. But I want to make sure that it is a family-friendly trip that suits our needs. We definitely want to enjoy the resort the majority of the time, but are there other off-site activities suitable for a family with a 7.5 and 3.5-year old?
- What kind of excursions are there to do that are suitable for families with kids our ages'? I've seen some on the Aulani website--is it like DCL cruises, where Disney offers some options at a premium price, but you're better off booking yourself?
- Are we okay without a car? Staying on DVC points, parking would be free... but I hate having a rental car on vacation. I imagine the answer to this depends on the answers to my first two questions a little.
- Does this flight idea make sense? We are considering the 2x4x2 configuration Hawaiian Airlines flights to/from the mainland. To save some money, we figured we would be okay in a full row of 4 in the 'Main Cabin'. If it was just DW & I, we would do the 'Extra Comfort'. But our kids wouldn't need the extra space, it would be a waste of money for them. So DW & I would have some 'extra' space, plus each have aisle seats.
- Are Hawaiian Airlines prices fairly consistent? It looks to me like pricing stays pretty consistent most days, with some hikes on some weekends. Should I expect the same for June?
- DVC availability in mid-June? We would be staying on points, and would prefer the higher-category view rooms. I'm fine splurging for the Oceanview or Poolside. Probably a 1-bedroom, though we may consider a Studio if it was available. Any concern about booking this category at 7 months for the second week of June?

Any other thoughts from you seasoned veterans that I should consider as I'm starting to piece this long-range plan together?
 
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We have done this trip with our the following wife, myself, son, wife, grandchildren ages 5, 2 from New Orleans.

We had our concerns about GC as this is a long flight so what we did was broke it up NO-LAX 2 days at Disneyland then LAX - HNL. Return trip was late night 10pm HNL-SFA SFA-NO. Only problems we had were the united flight from HNL-SFA was miserably uncomfortable to the point they are now the last airline we look at when booking a flight. But the GC were no issues at all.

TRIP BOOKED same group for Feb 2020 this plan includes no stop over in LA but flights from NO - HNL with the GC 6-3 as after doing the stop over relised that it was not needed and we are planning early am flights with afternoon arrivals. One flight leaves NO 6 am arrives HNL 230 pm through Houston.

Aulani-

My GC (5) loved Aunties Beach house in fact he has asked us constantly when we are going back because he wants to go to ABH. Its included with your stay and fees are minimal for some activities. GC(2) Because of his age did not get to go to ABH minimum age is 3. So no worries there for your group but do take advantage of ABH.

The swimming area at Aulani is first class the children's area, lazy river, hot tubs, beach and lagoon are great.

Rainbow Reef: I would describe this as swimming in your salt water aquarium. We did this just to say we did it but we did not do it again on our second trip. But the GC did enjoy the viewing area where they could see the sea life and swimmers.

Rental Car to me is a must we have been to Aulani 2 times and have used the car to explore the island, eating off shrimp trucks on North Shore, Matsumoto Shave Ice at Haleiwa, Luau at Polynesian Cultural Center (Yes we know they have luau on the grounds but we were not impressed), Pearl Harbor, Aloha Swap Meet (this is a must for us it was a blast), Whale watching cruise (we go in Feb/Mar), Sea Life, not eating every meal on site there are many great place to eat near hotel, Costco (very close to hotel), Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tour, Climb works Zip lining, WaiMea Falls, so yes for us we made good use of our rental car as UBER/Taxi/Private/Shuttle would have cost us more than rental. Car Seats do not rent bring with you airlines do not charge to transport these.

I almost forgot Malasada's from Leonard's Bakery. OMG another not to be missed. Look them up on web. They are lines of locals wait in to get this tasty treat Sweet and Sour was my favorite coating if your children are into the sour candy flavors out there they will love this.

Excursions: Read above there is a lot to do. The State of Hawaii has a great tourist information site on the web look for it as it is a wealth of information. We booked most of ours directly.

DO NOT MISS THE ALOHA SWAP MEET Sat/Sun & Wed this is the place to buy your souvenirs. We were told about this by an Delta Airlines employee at LAX and she was so right about this event. Now it will never be off our things to do list. They have a web site

ZIP LINING: Climb Works what a fantastic experience.

This trip Jurassic Park Movie Set location tour is on our radar we are going yet again in Feb 2020.

Booking: This could be tricky be prepared to move on the exact 7 month day as the Deluxe Suites go fast. We have had Deluxe Suite, 1br, and 2br, while DS would most likely meet your needs if you have points the 1br would be better suited as it will allow for privacy for adults, and room to spread out, laundry, kitchen for fridge to keep the beverages cold doesn't suck.

In plain english you and your wife are the best judge of whether or not you children can handle the flight. If we were and have been faced with same choices we did it and are so glad that we we did the time that we spent there with our family in the beauty of Oahu, and all that she offers was well worth it.

Since our second trip we have purchased points at Aulani so that we can book the weekends 11 months out as they are the hardest dates to get because our DVC plan is that we do WDW/DL odd years and Aulani even years.

Once you've been there you become Ohana'

PM me if you want more info as this is getting long.
 
We have done this trip with our the following wife, myself, son, wife, grandchildren ages 5, 2 from New Orleans.

We had our concerns about GC as this is a long flight so what we did was broke it up NO-LAX 2 days at Disneyland then LAX - HNL. Return trip was late night 10pm HNL-SFA SFA-NO. Only problems we had were the united flight from HNL-SFA was miserably uncomfortable to the point they are now the last airline we look at when booking a flight. But the GC were no issues at all.

TRIP BOOKED same group for Feb 2020 this plan includes no stop over in LA but flights from NO - HNL with the GC 6-3 as after doing the stop over relised that it was not needed and we are planning early am flights with afternoon arrivals. One flight leaves NO 6 am arrives HNL 230 pm through Houston.

Aulani-

My GC (5) loved Aunties Beach house in fact he has asked us constantly when we are going back because he wants to go to ABH. Its included with your stay and fees are minimal for some activities. GC(2) Because of his age did not get to go to ABH minimum age is 3. So no worries there for your group but do take advantage of ABH.

The swimming area at Aulani is first class the children's area, lazy river, hot tubs, beach and lagoon are great.

Rainbow Reef: I would describe this as swimming in your salt water aquarium. We did this just to say we did it but we did not do it again on our second trip. But the GC did enjoy the viewing area where they could see the sea life and swimmers.

Rental Car to me is a must we have been to Aulani 2 times and have used the car to explore the island, eating off shrimp trucks on North Shore, Matsumoto Shave Ice at Haleiwa, Luau at Polynesian Cultural Center (Yes we know they have luau on the grounds but we were not impressed), Pearl Harbor, Aloha Swap Meet (this is a must for us it was a blast), Whale watching cruise (we go in Feb/Mar), Sea Life, not eating every meal on site there are many great place to eat near hotel, Costco (very close to hotel), Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tour, Climb works Zip lining, WaiMea Falls, so yes for us we made good use of our rental car as UBER/Taxi/Private/Shuttle would have cost us more than rental. Car Seats do not rent bring with you airlines do not charge to transport these.

I almost forgot Malasada's from Leonard's Bakery. OMG another not to be missed. Look them up on web. They are lines of locals wait in to get this tasty treat Sweet and Sour was my favorite coating if your children are into the sour candy flavors out there they will love this.

Excursions: Read above there is a lot to do. The State of Hawaii has a great tourist information site on the web look for it as it is a wealth of information. We booked most of ours directly.

DO NOT MISS THE ALOHA SWAP MEET Sat/Sun & Wed this is the place to buy your souvenirs. We were told about this by an Delta Airlines employee at LAX and she was so right about this event. Now it will never be off our things to do list. They have a web site

ZIP LINING: Climb Works what a fantastic experience.

This trip Jurassic Park Movie Set location tour is on our radar we are going yet again in Feb 2020.

Booking: This could be tricky be prepared to move on the exact 7 month day as the Deluxe Suites go fast. We have had Deluxe Suite, 1br, and 2br, while DS would most likely meet your needs if you have points the 1br would be better suited as it will allow for privacy for adults, and room to spread out, laundry, kitchen for fridge to keep the beverages cold doesn't suck.

In plain english you and your wife are the best judge of whether or not you children can handle the flight. If we were and have been faced with same choices we did it and are so glad that we we did the time that we spent there with our family in the beauty of Oahu, and all that she offers was well worth it.

Since our second trip we have purchased points at Aulani so that we can book the weekends 11 months out as they are the hardest dates to get because our DVC plan is that we do WDW/DL odd years and Aulani even years.

Once you've been there you become Ohana'

PM me if you want more info as this is getting long.
Thank you so much for the reply! It is so helpful to hear from others who have done similar trips.

It sounds like our kids will be okay with the flights--they are experienced fliers already, so I'm not too concerned about it. Coming back we are stopping in LA for Disneyland, but going out we could do the early morning flight straight to HNL, as you did. My biggest concern is something you had to deal with--flying an airline you don't want to. For us, the direct options are United or American, which I try to avoid at all costs. I'd rather fly Hawaiian between HNL & the mainland, so a stopover allows that. But I'll dig some more!

We are generally studio people, but will likely shoot for a 1BR after thinking and reading your post. We will appreciate that space at Aulani moreso than when visiting WDW.

Biggest question is a little more about the activities. Which activities are both doable and enjoyable with a 7 & 3 year old? Some of the things you listed I recognized, some I did not. I will research the things you mentioned, but any immediate insight as to what works best with kids our ages? For example, we loved the hike we did 8 years ago, but are unlikely to want to haul a 3-year old around on it. Ziplining sounds fun, but again, can we do that with the youngest? And Pearl Harbor was amazing, but something we will take the kids to when they are older. Once I get the activity idea list whittled down a bit, I'll think about a car a bit more.

Also, what do you think about a one week visit? With the point cost of an upgraded view 1BR, I think 7 nights is where we'd like to be. Plus we're doing another 4-5 nights at DL after, so we're pushing a 2 week vacation. We both teach and have summer off, so it's fine, but getting past 2 weeks is a long time away from home.

Thank you again for your help!
 
1. Yes I think you should go! We have the same travel philosophy that you do and since we are able to do it, we go. You'll make awesome memories.
2. We have not been yet but are deep into planning our trip for January 2020. Sounds like there is so, so much to do, even for young kids. We're looking forward to the Dole Plantation and the submarine tour Oahu Atlantis Submarine - along with what was mentioned above. It's also my opinion that family vacations should not be geared only towards the littlest. Your DD can come along to Pearl Harbor or wherever you want to go, too. I think your kids would enjoy a ride around Oahu. Stop and get shaved ice, malasadas, watch surfers, get something from the shrimp food trucks, etc.
3. We will get a rental car. We want to be able to get groceries and other supplies so we can make meals in the room. Also, we are planning on having a day to drive around the island and stop wherever we want.
4. I like your flight idea with the extra room sitting next to the kids. We wouldn't pay for the bigger seats for that reason, too. I don't know about Hawaiian Airlines.
 


Check this out for DVC availability https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-studios-1-bedrooms-june-2018-update.3689931/ Scroll down to the Aulani part. It says "you can get more expensive categories pretty much any time of year. The exceptions are June - which is extremely popular, and Christmas / New Years." Looks like June is the hardest month to get DVC, but what you have going for you is that you're willing to go for the ocean view.
 
1. Yes I think you should go! We have the same travel philosophy that you do and since we are able to do it, we go. You'll make awesome memories.
2. We have not been yet but are deep into planning our trip for January 2020. Sounds like there is so, so much to do, even for young kids. We're looking forward to the Dole Plantation and the submarine tour Oahu Atlantis Submarine - along with what was mentioned above. It's also my opinion that family vacations should not be geared only towards the littlest. Your DD can come along to Pearl Harbor or wherever you want to go, too. I think your kids would enjoy a ride around Oahu. Stop and get shaved ice, malasadas, watch surfers, get something from the shrimp food trucks, etc.
3. We will get a rental car. We want to be able to get groceries and other supplies so we can make meals in the room. Also, we are planning on having a day to drive around the island and stop wherever we want.
4. I like your flight idea with the extra room sitting next to the kids. We wouldn't pay for the bigger seats for that reason, too. I don't know about Hawaiian Airlines.
Thank you so much for the reply!

I was all gung-ho on the extra comfort seats, then my wife says "what about just a regular row of 4 seats; the kids don't need the space" ... and just like that, we saved $640.

Lots of good arguments for a car; I think it will come down to what exactly we want to do while there. Thank you for the suggestions and thoughts on this!

I had looked at the availability tool when initially buying points last year, as Aulani was an enticement to buy for us... we could go there "someday" (didn't take long!). Thanks for bringing it up up; as you say it looks like we ought to be able to get some sort of 1BR. The nice thing is I can do a trial run looking at June 2020 later this year to get a better feeling on it.

Where are you traveling to Aulani from in January?
 
Aulani is our home resort and I don't know if I can wait until November to go!

I wanted to double down on the praise for Auntie's Beach House. Our son first went there when he was 3, and he's 5 now, and he has a great time every time he goes. Even if it's only for a couple of hours to allow for a quick date night, Auntie's is the best for the kids!

On the rental car, I agree with everyone else that it is worth getting. We always get a rental. Aulani is out on the west end of the island, and I would imagine costs for Uber/Lyft or taxi service will start to add up. And renting a car at Aulani is really expensive compared to the airport. Personally, I think it is worth it.

Our son really enjoyed the train ride at the Dole Plantation. And we can't get him out of the pool at Aulani! We tend not to do a lot of site seeing when we go, but there is so much to do on Oahu that's suitable for kids that you won't be at a loss of events once you venture off property.

The flights coming back from Honolulu to the mainland on Hawaiian are either red eyes or afternoon flights, so you're going to get in early morning or late at night. Take your pick as to which is easier. We always fly Hawaiian and have never had a problem with staying in the main cabin. It's a comfortable enough flight and only 5-5.5 hours from California, depending on where you're departing from.

Safe travels and have fun!
 


Aulani is our home resort and I don't know if I can wait until November to go!

I wanted to double down on the praise for Auntie's Beach House. Our son first went there when he was 3, and he's 5 now, and he has a great time every time he goes. Even if it's only for a couple of hours to allow for a quick date night, Auntie's is the best for the kids!

On the rental car, I agree with everyone else that it is worth getting. We always get a rental. Aulani is out on the west end of the island, and I would imagine costs for Uber/Lyft or taxi service will start to add up. And renting a car at Aulani is really expensive compared to the airport. Personally, I think it is worth it.

Our son really enjoyed the train ride at the Dole Plantation. And we can't get him out of the pool at Aulani! We tend not to do a lot of site seeing when we go, but there is so much to do on Oahu that's suitable for kids that you won't be at a loss of events once you venture off property.

The flights coming back from Honolulu to the mainland on Hawaiian are either red eyes or afternoon flights, so you're going to get in early morning or late at night. Take your pick as to which is easier. We always fly Hawaiian and have never had a problem with staying in the main cabin. It's a comfortable enough flight and only 5-5.5 hours from California, depending on where you're departing from.

Safe travels and have fun!
Thank you! It sounds like Auntie's Beach House is a lot of fun, and it will be great for our kids at their ages when we go.

On Hawaiian, I'm finding 8AM departure to LAX (arrives 4:30PM), and a 12:00PM departure to LGB (arrives 8:35PM) that may suit us. 8AM is a bit early to leave, but the noon one looks promising. Then Uber to Disneyland from LGB. I hate to take daytime hours to fly, but the redeye is not an option.

Thank you again--all very helpful!
 
We have done this trip with our the following wife, myself, son, wife, grandchildren ages 5, 2 from New Orleans.

We had our concerns about GC as this is a long flight so what we did was broke it up NO-LAX 2 days at Disneyland then LAX - HNL. Return trip was late night 10pm HNL-SFA SFA-NO. Only problems we had were the united flight from HNL-SFA was miserably uncomfortable to the point they are now the last airline we look at when booking a flight. But the GC were no issues at all.

TRIP BOOKED same group for Feb 2020 this plan includes no stop over in LA but flights from NO - HNL with the GC 6-3 as after doing the stop over relised that it was not needed and we are planning early am flights with afternoon arrivals. One flight leaves NO 6 am arrives HNL 230 pm through Houston.

Aulani-

My GC (5) loved Aunties Beach house in fact he has asked us constantly when we are going back because he wants to go to ABH. Its included with your stay and fees are minimal for some activities. GC(2) Because of his age did not get to go to ABH minimum age is 3. So no worries there for your group but do take advantage of ABH.

The swimming area at Aulani is first class the children's area, lazy river, hot tubs, beach and lagoon are great.

Rainbow Reef: I would describe this as swimming in your salt water aquarium. We did this just to say we did it but we did not do it again on our second trip. But the GC did enjoy the viewing area where they could see the sea life and swimmers.

Rental Car to me is a must we have been to Aulani 2 times and have used the car to explore the island, eating off shrimp trucks on North Shore, Matsumoto Shave Ice at Haleiwa, Luau at Polynesian Cultural Center (Yes we know they have luau on the grounds but we were not impressed), Pearl Harbor, Aloha Swap Meet (this is a must for us it was a blast), Whale watching cruise (we go in Feb/Mar), Sea Life, not eating every meal on site there are many great place to eat near hotel, Costco (very close to hotel), Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tour, Climb works Zip lining, WaiMea Falls, so yes for us we made good use of our rental car as UBER/Taxi/Private/Shuttle would have cost us more than rental. Car Seats do not rent bring with you airlines do not charge to transport these.

I almost forgot Malasada's from Leonard's Bakery. OMG another not to be missed. Look them up on web. They are lines of locals wait in to get this tasty treat Sweet and Sour was my favorite coating if your children are into the sour candy flavors out there they will love this.

Excursions: Read above there is a lot to do. The State of Hawaii has a great tourist information site on the web look for it as it is a wealth of information. We booked most of ours directly.

DO NOT MISS THE ALOHA SWAP MEET Sat/Sun & Wed this is the place to buy your souvenirs. We were told about this by an Delta Airlines employee at LAX and she was so right about this event. Now it will never be off our things to do list. They have a web site

ZIP LINING: Climb Works what a fantastic experience.

This trip Jurassic Park Movie Set location tour is on our radar we are going yet again in Feb 2020.

Booking: This could be tricky be prepared to move on the exact 7 month day as the Deluxe Suites go fast. We have had Deluxe Suite, 1br, and 2br, while DS would most likely meet your needs if you have points the 1br would be better suited as it will allow for privacy for adults, and room to spread out, laundry, kitchen for fridge to keep the beverages cold doesn't suck.

In plain english you and your wife are the best judge of whether or not you children can handle the flight. If we were and have been faced with same choices we did it and are so glad that we we did the time that we spent there with our family in the beauty of Oahu, and all that she offers was well worth it.

Since our second trip we have purchased points at Aulani so that we can book the weekends 11 months out as they are the hardest dates to get because our DVC plan is that we do WDW/DL odd years and Aulani even years.

Once you've been there you become Ohana'

PM me if you want more info as this is getting long.
I am curious - what was wrong with the United flight?
 
Where are you traveling to Aulani from in January?

We live in Wisconsin. It'll be an excellent getaway from a Wisconsin winter!

Regarding activities for a 3 year old. A luau sounds amazing! I imagine the dancing and music would be very entertaining.

I found this list for you regarding toddlers in Oahu. It includes "what to skip" which I find just as helpful as what to hit.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...-Oahu_with_toddlers-Honolulu_Oahu_Hawaii.html
Two highlights:

"Waimea Valley on the northshore with a stroller. A paved wide road of 3/4 mile each way will lead your little ones to a small waterfall with shallow entry. My kids "body board" at the entry for over an hour."

"Tide pools next to Shark cove on the north shore. I call this toddler town. Bring your own shade and you're little ones can spend hours splashing in 6 inch water teaming with sealife."

Both of those sounds amazing!
 
We live in Wisconsin. It'll be an excellent getaway from a Wisconsin winter!

Regarding activities for a 3 year old. A luau sounds amazing! I imagine the dancing and music would be very entertaining.

I found this list for you regarding toddlers in Oahu. It includes "what to skip" which I find just as helpful as what to hit.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...-Oahu_with_toddlers-Honolulu_Oahu_Hawaii.html
Two highlights:

"Waimea Valley on the northshore with a stroller. A paved wide road of 3/4 mile each way will lead your little ones to a small waterfall with shallow entry. My kids "body board" at the entry for over an hour."

"Tide pools next to Shark cove on the north shore. I call this toddler town. Bring your own shade and you're little ones can spend hours splashing in 6 inch water teaming with sealife."

Both of those sounds amazing!

We did both of those things when we took my then 3 and 4 year olds a few years back. We also did the Dole plantation that same day which I think both ages would enjoy. We went for a week and spent one day off property (doing the things I just mentioned). One day I took my 4 year old for surf lessons who,e my husband stayed at the hotel with my younger one. But that was like 2 hours. Other than that, we stayed at the hotel the whole time and had plenty to do! You can read my trip report in my signature.... but I was a bad trip reporter so it’s like 80% finished. But those things are all covered.

We return in 10 days for a week with my now 7 and 8 year olds. We are planning:
-One half day in Honolulu hiking Diamond Head and going to the swap meet and Leonard’s for Malsadas!
-Polynesian Cultural Center full day with lunch beforehand at a Shrimp truck
- Surf lessons for my older one (younger one still not interested)
- Moana premium activity for my younger one

The rest of the time is resort time! We can’t wait to go back!
 
"Tide pools next to Shark cove on the north shore. I call this toddler town. Bring your own shade and you're little ones can spend hours splashing in 6 inch water teaming with sealife."

This response is not for the OP but for any one else with small children looking at going to Sharks Cove in the winter
This really depends on the time of the year. Sharks Cove is up in the North Shore area and it can get pretty dangerous in the winter months. Conditions can change from day to day as well, look up the surf heights and conditions before you take the drive up if you are going just for Sharks Cove
 
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Lots of great info already, but just my two cents!

Considering our kids' ages, will we have enough to do? i.e., is it worth the trouble/expense of going all the way to Hawaii? We've heard incredible things about Aulani, and we want to experience it for ourselves. We don't believe in "waiting until the kids are old enough" with everything. Otherwise we wouldn't travel for 10 years. No thanks. But I want to make sure that it is a family-friendly trip that suits our needs. We definitely want to enjoy the resort the majority of the time, but are there other off-site activities suitable for a family with a 7.5 and 3.5-year old?
I think Aulani is an awesome resort for a family with kids those ages, BUT I am very much in the camp that you should want a *Hawaiian* vacation rather than an *Aulani* vacation if that makes sense. Even Disney designed Aulani with the thought in mind that it would be a place for people to rest their heads after exploring Oahu. IMO, Aulani is not a destination in and of itself, although I do think a solid 1 or 2 full resort days are worthwhile during a stay there. Ko Olina is an isolated planned/gated tourist community. You wouldn't even really know you're in Hawaii until you leave that area. It feels like any tropical tourist destination until you set foot outside Ko Olina. To be frank, you could have a similar and cheaper experience without as much travel hassle at a Beaches resort in the Caribbean. And the beaches are nicer there too! So while I do think the resort would suit your family well, I don't think its worth the trouble/expense of going all the way to Hawaii if you plan to spend the majority of the time only at the resort.

- Are we okay without a car? Staying on DVC points, parking would be free... but I hate having a rental car on vacation. I imagine the answer to this depends on the answers to my first two questions a little.
IMO, a car is a must. You will need to get to and from the airport anyhow which is a 30-40+ minute drive depending on traffic. Since you're staying DVC, you will have access to laundry and a kitchen. We thought it was worth it to stop at Target in Kapolei to stock up on things like laundry detergent, bottled water, breakfast items, drinks, snacks just to help our budget and how much we had to pack. Aside from this, having a car gives you flexibility to get outside of Ko Olina, which is also a must per my response to your first question above. You can explore when and how you want to, or even just to go up to Kapolei for a meal off property.

We also hate having a rental car on vacation - we like to have drinks and don't want to worry about driving, we hate having to try to figure out where we are going and how to get there, having to contend with traffic and parking in unfamiliar areas, and we get some anxiety and tension about it. But before our trip, I had repeatedly read about how imperative a car was so we decided to get one and I am SO glad we did. The only time it was challenging was driving in rush hour traffic, but we knew it would be that way and we could have avoided driving at that time if we wanted to. Otherwise, all the places we drove to were on two lane roads, very easy driving, and most places had ample parking.

- Does this flight idea make sense? We are considering the 2x4x2 configuration Hawaiian Airlines flights to/from the mainland. To save some money, we figured we would be okay in a full row of 4 in the 'Main Cabin'. If it was just DW & I, we would do the 'Extra Comfort'. But our kids wouldn't need the extra space, it would be a waste of money for them. So DW & I would have some 'extra' space, plus each have aisle seats.
Definitely. DH and I did the 2-4-2 seat configuration on Delta, but on the 2 seat side, and we were in regular coach. It was very comfortable for us, and since we didn't have others in our row, it was very easy to get up and stretch our legs when we needed to. The extra couple inches of leg room would not have been worth the cost to us.

- DVC availability in mid-June? We would be staying on points, and would prefer the higher-category view rooms. I'm fine splurging for the Oceanview or Poolside. Probably a 1-bedroom, though we may consider a Studio if it was available. Any concern about booking this category at 7 months for the second week of June?
I agree with PP that June is a busy time of year due to schools being out, including local schools and Aulani tends to draw a lot of locals. If you're flexible with dates, room size, and view and jump it on it right at the 7 month mark, that will be your best bet. I would highly advise against the studio though - we stayed in a studio as just 2 adults for 6 nights and it was crowded. Its smaller than a standard hotel room. The room has a queen size bed and full size sleeper sofa, and when the sleeper sofa is out in the bed position, it mostly blocks the sliding glass door to the balcony and leaves very little room for walking around. Personally, if a 1BR wasn't available in any view category, I would splurge on the 2BR before I'd do a studio as a family of four for 7+ days.
 
Hello from Omaha. My daughter and I flew SWA to Anaheim and went to DL for 3 nights before we flew out of LAX(hawaiian air). On the way back we spent the night in Vegas, but my daughter is older and wanted to see it. From where we live, you need to break up the flights and stay somewhere and I think your idea of DL after is great. I would definitely get a car and go out and explore the Island. Maybe drive up to the North Shore, go to the Polynesian Cultural Center, and go and walk around Waikiki. You guys might enjoy the Ala Moana mall, it is huge. Aulani has a bunch of daily activities like the character pool party, the menehune hunt, etc. You will not have any problems filling your days.
 
Lots of great info already, but just my two cents!


I think Aulani is an awesome resort for a family with kids those ages, BUT I am very much in the camp that you should want a *Hawaiian* vacation rather than an *Aulani* vacation if that makes sense. Even Disney designed Aulani with the thought in mind that it would be a place for people to rest their heads after exploring Oahu. IMO, Aulani is not a destination in and of itself, although I do think a solid 1 or 2 full resort days are worthwhile during a stay there. Ko Olina is an isolated planned/gated tourist community. You wouldn't even really know you're in Hawaii until you leave that area. It feels like any tropical tourist destination until you set foot outside Ko Olina. To be frank, you could have a similar and cheaper experience without as much travel hassle at a Beaches resort in the Caribbean. And the beaches are nicer there too! So while I do think the resort would suit your family well, I don't think its worth the trouble/expense of going all the way to Hawaii if you plan to spend the majority of the time only at the resort.


IMO, a car is a must. You will need to get to and from the airport anyhow which is a 30-40+ minute drive depending on traffic. Since you're staying DVC, you will have access to laundry and a kitchen. We thought it was worth it to stop at Target in Kapolei to stock up on things like laundry detergent, bottled water, breakfast items, drinks, snacks just to help our budget and how much we had to pack. Aside from this, having a car gives you flexibility to get outside of Ko Olina, which is also a must per my response to your first question above. You can explore when and how you want to, or even just to go up to Kapolei for a meal off property.

We also hate having a rental car on vacation - we like to have drinks and don't want to worry about driving, we hate having to try to figure out where we are going and how to get there, having to contend with traffic and parking in unfamiliar areas, and we get some anxiety and tension about it. But before our trip, I had repeatedly read about how imperative a car was so we decided to get one and I am SO glad we did. The only time it was challenging was driving in rush hour traffic, but we knew it would be that way and we could have avoided driving at that time if we wanted to. Otherwise, all the places we drove to were on two lane roads, very easy driving, and most places had ample parking.


Definitely. DH and I did the 2-4-2 seat configuration on Delta, but on the 2 seat side, and we were in regular coach. It was very comfortable for us, and since we didn't have others in our row, it was very easy to get up and stretch our legs when we needed to. The extra couple inches of leg room would not have been worth the cost to us.


I agree with PP that June is a busy time of year due to schools being out, including local schools and Aulani tends to draw a lot of locals. If you're flexible with dates, room size, and view and jump it on it right at the 7 month mark, that will be your best bet. I would highly advise against the studio though - we stayed in a studio as just 2 adults for 6 nights and it was crowded. Its smaller than a standard hotel room. The room has a queen size bed and full size sleeper sofa, and when the sleeper sofa is out in the bed position, it mostly blocks the sliding glass door to the balcony and leaves very little room for walking around. Personally, if a 1BR wasn't available in any view category, I would splurge on the 2BR before I'd do a studio as a family of four for 7+ days.

I was on the fence about a car but this convinced me. After all it's really not a huge expense, especially compared with Aulani.
 

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