It's My Turn to Press the Button- Aulani with Preschoolers June 2015

I am SO loving your TR! I have LOL so many times at work while reading it! I have DS7 and DS5 and can totally relate to so much that you have said. I cannot wait to read more =)

We are headed to Aulani next summer. I am beyond excited! We plan on flying Hawaiian as well. Can I ask if you were able to check the booster seats for free? We have yet to fly with our kiddos and I am not sure of the logistics of all that stuff yet. I have just started doing some research. I have learned a ton of info from you and your TR already! Note to self: pack sand toys just in case! I am totally going to bring up the cabana rental to my DH......sounds awesome! Especially since DS5 is a ginger ;) I am sure I will have more questions....but I cannot wait to read more. Thank you for sharing =)
 
I had the Hawaiian Railway Society as a "maybe" for our trip too, but it didn't end up fitting in. For what it's worth, I'd read some reviews (maybe on yelp?) and they were very mixed. Generally, people seemed rather bored, but if you have a big train fan, then still worth it, I guess? We did the Dole Plantation train ride to

Hey, those look like nice kid-sized Dole Whips! They told us all they had were these massive bowls:


(note the familiar shirt! :goodvibes)


Like the semi-truck? That's what Izzy got too. I think she played with it that day in the car, then never again. :confused3

Ooooh yeah. Glad people thought it was lame and we didn't miss anything awesome! Wow! That is a HUGE Dole Whip! I am not sure we were offered different sizes. Great taste in clothes!

Great report!
We felt the same way about whether or not to keep the cabanas during our trip. Whenever it started raining, I was always thankful we kept them.

Thank you! We were so hoping for a short shower- but that was not to be!

I am SO loving your TR! I have LOL so many times at work while reading it! I have DS7 and DS5 and can totally relate to so much that you have said. I cannot wait to read more =)

We are headed to Aulani next summer. I am beyond excited! We plan on flying Hawaiian as well. Can I ask if you were able to check the booster seats for free? We have yet to fly with our kiddos and I am not sure of the logistics of all that stuff yet. I have just started doing some research. I have learned a ton of info from you and your TR already! Note to self: pack sand toys just in case! I am totally going to bring up the cabana rental to my DH......sounds awesome! Especially since DS5 is a ginger ;) I am sure I will have more questions....but I cannot wait to read more. Thank you for sharing =)

Thank you! Yes, pack some sand toys. We probably (okay, really) didn't need all we brought, but I would totally bring a shovel at least. I bought these collapsible buckets and then didn't use them in Hawaii, but they are surprisingly sturdy. I don't think you could build a castle with them, but for hauling sand and water they are great.Oh, hey, they are even on sale right now!

Yes, you can check cars seats for free. A lot of people say you shouldn't because they get thrown around in cargo and they recommend you gate check them. We just checked them and took our chances. We have a car seat backpack things, but a big duffle would be fine I think. We really liked Hawaiian. As we are starting to plan our WDW trip, we are lamenting the loss of miles, so next time we will probably fly American, but we had a good experience with Hawaiian. You will have the best time!
 
Tuesday June 2

IMG_8497_zpsmfqjmcmm.jpg


Oh look! Space Goo and Hula!

IMG_8498_zpsgg7esvjo.jpg


IMG_8499_zpsxwaqfejz.jpg


Quick note on the Iwa- on the cover it describes the photography class. DH signed up for this for Thursday. I think it was this day he signed up, but we were in and out of the Photopass station so many times I really can't say.

The kids woke up at 6:15 and therefore, so did we. We had some cereal for breakfast with our old pals Chip, Dale and Gadget. The plan for the morning is Matt and I have surf lessons while DH and Kate hang at the resort. This means I have to relinquish control to DH to sign everyone up for our activities. EEK!!! I prepared a sticky note with directions. Really, he is a very competent man and it isn't exactly hard. It was a control thing. I gave him way too many instructions and at 7:00 he and Kate headed down to the line. He said he was again about 15th. I asked him if he chatted with people in line and he looked at me like I had 4 heads. "No. It was a bunch of Dads. We don't chat." I also asked him if there were people with deck chairs and he said no. I guess it was a totally different crowd! He was shocked at how long the line got and agreed 7:00 was the right time to head down. He signed the kids up for dinner and Aunty's Aloha Party. Then he headed over to the Pua Hauna room to return the movies and sign us up for the Animation Class. He really does not like the animation classes at Disneyland so this was purely for me- what a guy!

Matt and I headed downstairs at 7:15. We used Surf HNL because they would give lessons to 4 year olds. Last summer in San Diego, he loved watching the surfers and declared he wanted to take lessons. I told him he had to pay attention at swim lessons and maybe we could do it in Hawaii. He needed a few reminders about good swim lesson behavior :rolleyes1 throughout the year, but he made great progress so I signed him up. Kids under a certain age have to have private lessons and I signed up for a private lesson too. I have always wanted to take surf lessons, but I was pretty unsure how it would go. Frankly, I wondered if I was too fat to surf. I had hoped to lose 30-40 lbs for Aulani and I lost 5. Oh well, what can you do? You know, besides diet and exercise. I figured I would give it a shot and see how it went.

Practicing by the elevator
IMG_5820_zpsk0p2qb9j.jpg


Thos was my first time driving so I took a few minutes to get familiar with the car. My phone was also having battery issues. We had forgotten the car charger and my phone would only hold a battery for a little while. I was concerned with using it for directions so I wrote down the directions back in the room. Once I got off the highway, I then turned on the navigation to guide me the rest of the way. This worked out pretty well. You meet at a campground which was a little tricky to find and then when we pulled into the campground, I was unsure where to go. I drove in a circle and realized I missed the turn. As I backed up, I got stuck in the sand. Luckily, it was only about 10 seconds, but I was freaking out! I decided to just park and we would walk to the surf van. There were only a few campsites being used and it looked like those people probably lived there. We were surprised by the large number of homeless people on the island. Not a bad place to live I guess, but we just weren't expecting that.

We found the van and introduced ourselves. I was given a rash guard and Matt was given a wet suit. We were a little early so we hung out a bit while they set up. As we waited a dad and his son who was 8 arrived and just the boy was doing the lesson. The Dad already knew how to surf and was excited to watch his son learn. We saw them later at Aulani!

Surfer selfie
IMG_5822_zps9gup08df.jpg


We each had our own instructor and there was a girl taking photos. We bought the photo package so these pictures are from that. I brought the Go Pro and then didn't use it- other than that selfie!

We spent about 10 minutes on land practice how to paddle and pop up. I started to realize I was probably not going to be able to pop up fast enough to make this work. You have to get your knees under you and my boobs and fat were making that basically impossible. I am not sure my instructor knew exactly what to say to help me. I tried to swing my knee around the boobs, but I could not do so without picking up my hand. Of course, i was too embarrassed to ask for advice, but not to tell you guys somehow.

So we head on out to the water. Paddling out was super hard! We rode the waves for about 45 minutes. Matt had no trouble because a- he's 4 and limber and b- he was going tandem. I on the other hand.... well, I never got up. I started to feel sort of nauseous from the bouncing on the waves. I am prone to sea sickness but I didn't think to take any Dramamine. I pushed myself as far as I could and ended up riding the last wave in on my knees. I am not at all disappointed that we did this though. I don't blame HNL for me not getting up. Every time I had to prop on me knee, I fell because I had to take my leg around the side of my boobs. If I was in better shape, I think it would have been easier. I am really glad I experienced it (sorta). Matt LOVED it and was smiling the whole time. That in itself was worth it for sure!

IMG_8978_zpsuxjmgrgk.jpg


IMG_8986_zpshfnsbxhi.jpg


IMG_8991_zps7tzniekn.jpg


Yep, this is where it always fell apart

IMG_8992_zpsge5lw85m.jpg


IMG_8997_zpswjrpanwq.jpg


IMG_9025_zps9sfgfscq.jpg


IMG_9056_zpsmx5nh67v.jpg


IMG_9096_zpsilogdxw0.jpg

IMG_9104_zps7devqnoc.jpg


IMG_9118_zpstm15yajk.jpg


I was hoping to track down Leonard's Malasada truck on the way back as a surprise, but it was a little further than I had thought, so we just headed straight to the resort. We got some Malasadas from Ulu Cafe instead and they were pretty good. While we were surfing, DH took Kate to the Infinity Pool. He said the water was freezing but she refused to get out. She was not interested in the Splash Pad at all. He tried to get her to go in the hot tub, but she said it was too hot.
IMG_2297_zpst3ylwwq7.jpg


They ran across a Photopass photographer with a Go Pro taking pictures. You add these to your account the same way you add the Aunty's ones. You have to go to the shop and tell them about what time the pictures were taken and look through and find yours. It is pretty easy.

Photo%200083_zpscknxoxq9.jpg


Photo%200086_zps8jdznoop.jpg


He did not bring her goggles, which I would have thought would have been fine, but her eyes got bright red and swollen. Have you read that article that says it is not chlorine, but pee that irritates your eyes in the pool? EW gross!! I also thought the pools were salt water... so the pee theory makes sense, but she was pretty miserable by the time I got back and DH felt awful. I told him not to be so hard on himself, Mary Ingalls went blind and had a good life. It took a couple hours for her eyes to fully recover and she still talks about that time in Hawaii with Daddy (she always remembers who the culprit was- ha ha) that she got the owie eyes.
 
:rotfl2:
I told him not to be so hard on himself, Mary Ingalls went blind and had a good life.
:rotfl2:

too funny!

Good for you for trying to get out there on the surfboard! Kids make it look too easy but your son looks like a natural!
 


Surfing looks awesome!! Good to know about goggles in the pool!

I thought of another question......what did you do with your stuff while swimming? Are there lockers near the pools you can use? I see myself constantly running up to the room to pick up and drop off stuff and I don't really want to do that.
 
No- there are no lockers :( We just left our stuff on a chair buried in the bottom of the bag. Really though, you don't need to carry cash or ID- your room card is all you need. We also have these cases that we have used in the past, but didn't this time for some reason, the thinner one holds 4-5 cards and the thicker one, probably about 20.I am not totally sure, but I think they sold these in the shop by the pools as well.

I bought my husband this for Christmas and quite a few people asked where we go it. We tested it with a paper towel before trusting it with the phone, but it worked awesome.
 


When we got back, we headed over to the Pua Hauna room and picked up some iPads to play the Menehuene Adventure Trail. While we were there, they were still taking postcard pictures, so of course we got one done!
Photo%200088_zpsrfau8oeu.jpg

They asked us if we had played before, which we hadn't, so they recommended we start with an outside adventure. I believe there are 4-5 different "tasks" that each take 45 minutes or so to complete. I didn't get any pictures of this, but it was pretty fun. Aunty gives you some clues and you go find a statue or something around the resort. When you get to the right spot (she shows you a picture of the spot after you think you have it so you can check, only once were we way off) you set off a little surprise. I don't want to give too much away, but think like music plays or other things more interesting than that. There were about 6-7 various clues all leading up to a big finale. The kids took turns holding the iPad and pressing the buttons. This actually went pretty well and they really enjoyed this. When we returned the iPad, they noted where we stopped so we could pick up and not repeat the tasks a different time.

I forgot in the earlier post that we rain into some friends on the bridge near the Wainae Tower that goes over the lazy river. This was a frequent spot to see characters.

IMG_5826_zpszqz4bm23.jpg


IMG_2305_zpsojvcjt3e.jpg



We went up to the room and made some sandwiches for lunch. My tummy wasn't feeling great- I think I was still a little sea sick. I am an essential oils hippy nut so I had brought some with me, including a tummy blend for Kate. I put some on my tummy and in a few minutes I felt so much better. Love my oils! After lunch, we brought the kids to Aunty's for her Aloha Party and we went to the Pua Hauna room for animation class. There were about 30 people signed up for the class and all the seats were full. There was no age requirement, but everyone seemed to be above 8 or so. I can't imagine trying to do this with my children, but if yours don't freak out when things don't go just right, go for it!

On the way to Aunty's we saw Stitch and he really liked Kate's glasses. Matt was not into this interaction at all!

IMG_2313_zpsddsurskt.jpg


The first part was a lot like the animation classes they have at the parks, but the instructor is not an animator. We drew Mickey Mouse. I feel like it is really not a complete Disney vacation until you draw a Mickey that looks liked he had a rough night out, so I was now complete. Notice how we signed and dated them, as if we were going to hang them up or something!

IMG_2324_zpsdtcqwsog.jpg


IMG_2325_zpsdeynchvo.jpg


After we destroyed Mickey's likeness, we got to paint! We had a choice between Mickey, Minnie and Stitch. You actually paint the back side of the cell. So you have to keep flipping it over to make sure you covered it all. This was really fun and made this class totally worth the zero dollars it costs.

IMG_2328_zpsyj0guoty.jpg


IMG_2330_zpsynhspvcn.jpg


After the class we had about 30 minutes before we needed to get the kids, so we went back to the room to get the things we needed for the beach. On the way back to Aunty's we ran into Goofy at the lazy river! We thought about grabbing the kids and running them back here, but it seemed like too much trouble. Crazy thing- in line, we ran into DH's old co-worker and his family!! Small world!

IMG_2333_zps9uk36jhb.jpg


What in the world is in my pockets here?

IMG_2341_zps0z9meje7.jpg


IMG_2352_zpsxt8h6f3k.jpg


Meanwhile, the kids were having a great time at Aunty's Aloha Party which didn't seem all that different than Keiki Hula... hmmmm.... does a Hawaiian party by any other name still smell like pineapple?

Photo%200090_zpskw2qlxgs.jpg


Don't worry, this one did not get strewn across the back of the car!

Photo%200099_zpsvzdrkxks.jpg


Photo%200106_zpsq2zceexp.jpg


Hmmm.... only one kid is dancing... wave your hands in the air like you just don't care!

Photo%200108_zpsjc6vvehi.jpg


We picked the kids up and they said they had a great time. We took them to the bathroom at Ama Ama and changed them into their suits for the beach. Well, it looks like Matt was wearing his, so I guess just Kate, which means just I changed her. Again, changing rooms Aulani... I'm just saying....
 
You are so brave to try surfing- and WITH a 4 Year OLD! DD would love that, but I am way to chicken. I'm sure if my dad goes with us next summer as he plans to (he is as much of a surfer as you can be in AZ, you know with Big Surf) he would take her.

And ugh, right to the Aloha Party and Stitches Space Goo, these were on the schedule every.single.day when we were there- never once the volcano. DD was into them, but not enough to do them every.single.day!
 
I am really interested in this funny trip report, currently considering Aulani for next summer! :rose:
Now that I have seen the cabanas, I will totally rent one for a day, worth the money and that fruit plate looks awesome!
Lol the shaved ice are gigantic.
Do they happen to sell beach toys at the shop?
The pink pineapple, so cute lol
As for extra activities @auntie's, I've read that you can pre book them 4months ahead instead of queing at 7am?
 
Disdreamprincess - we head to Aulani in October. Inwas able to book the premium Aunty experience -Fish are Friends at 4 months out. The other, Surf's up with Chip & Dale didn't show in their system until this week for our dates there. The helpful CMs at Aulani guest svcs kept telling me "call back, it should open up". I kept trying, and got it booked yesterday, approximately 10 weeks away!!
 
Oh - and the CMs encouraged me to fill out all Aunty's registration forms online within 90 days of our arrival. You do need your reservation # for online registration and when you call to reserve the premium experience. I recommend not using Internet Explorer for the forms - had issues with it until I switched to Chrome!
 
Enjoying reading your report. We just booked a trip to Aulani in Feb 2016. We are also a family of 4...me, husband and sons who will be 9 and 4:)
 
Just caught up on the last couple updates. Wow, that surfing lesson experience looks really cool. Even if you weren't able to completely get up on the board, I'm glad you had fun. And Matt sure did!

Glad the kids had a good time at the club again. Those painted cells look really nice!
 
Loving your TR! Your kids are adorable. Until now, I hadn't considered a DVC stay at Aulani with our kids, but now I'm reconsidering. They're three now (twins), but maybe in a few more years. Can you drop them off at Auntie's in the evening if you want to go out for a grown-up's dinner?
 
Oh my gosh I am going to cry!!! I just wrote a super long update and the computer froze on me! :mad: I was working on it for like 45 minutes! Argh!!!!! Okay... once I regroup, I hope to update later today!
 
And ugh, right to the Aloha Party and Stitches Space Goo, these were on the schedule every.single.day when we were there- never once the volcano. DD was into them, but not enough to do them every.single.day!

I know! We had the volcano thing at like 7:00 the first night and then never again.

Thank you for the awesome links!!!!! Cannot wait to read more =)

You're welcome!

I am really interested in this funny trip report, currently considering Aulani for next summer! :rose:
Now that I have seen the cabanas, I will totally rent one for a day, worth the money and that fruit plate looks awesome!
Lol the shaved ice are gigantic.
Do they happen to sell beach toys at the shop?
As for extra activities @auntie's, I've read that you can pre book them 4months ahead instead of queing at 7am?

Yes and my darn kids didn't even eat it!! Of course, they had one yesterday at this festival we went to. heybets30 gave you good answers about the premium activities. I believe we booked it about 3 months ahead of time. I think I saw beach toys at the shop yes. They also had them at the ABC store, right across the street.

Gorgeous Pictures! I love the waterfall. :)

It was amazing!

Enjoying reading your report. We just booked a trip to Aulani in Feb 2016. We are also a family of 4...me, husband and sons who will be 9 and 4:)

Ooooh getting closer! You will have a great time!

Glad the kids had a good time at the club again. Those painted cells look really nice!
They were pretty nice. Can't tell you where they are now- but it was a fun experience!

Loving your TR! Your kids are adorable. Until now, I hadn't considered a DVC stay at Aulani with our kids, but now I'm reconsidering. They're three now (twins), but maybe in a few more years. Can you drop them off at Auntie's in the evening if you want to go out for a grown-up's dinner?

Oh my gosh, do it! My kids talk about Hawaii at least once a week. We weren't planning on going back for 4-5 years, but I am starting to consider going there instead of WDW next summer. We'll see how Disneyland goes this year. Yes, we dropped them off twice while we went out to eat. You can reserve dinner ahead of time for the kids and then they are secured a spot in Aunty's because it did fill up a few times while we were there.
 
Okay..... I'm back. I think I am going to do this is shorter posts.... I am a little gun shy now!

So, we had just changed the kids and headed down to the beach. On the way there we found a photgrapher taking pictures near the walkway. I can't remember if I said this before- but there is a photo scavenger hunt for DVC members. The more various spots you get a photo taken, you earn a larger and larger free picture. Good ploy Disney- I'm onto you, but I like it! This was my favorite set of pictures. I really appreciated how much time the photographers took with us. It was like a mini photo shoot every time!

Photo%200117_zpsexoycqou.jpg

Photo%200124_zpscn85el4w.jpg


Photo%200128_zpsvibqm5to.jpg


It was about 2 at this time and there were lots of chairs available. I moved a few times because closer and shadier chairs opened up. DH sat down on the beach with the kids while I alternated. The kids played for about two hours. Again they LOVED jumping off the platform thing. They did this for a while until a group of rowdy tweens took it over and I felt like they might get knocked off. The kids weren't overly poorly behaved.... just unsupervised 10 year olds with lots of energy. We ran across a Photopass guy with a Go Pro. I spotted him down the way and called my family in from the water like I had seen Jaws lurking around. Then we casually strolled down to the photographer and got some shots!

That's the new Four Seasons in the background.

IMG_2358_zpsebls6pvm.jpg


IMG_2363_zpsh8xutbou.jpg


Photo%200138_zpsfekcetl2.jpg


When we were in San Diego, we had a few pretty big water fights in Mission Bay. Matt remembered this (how can her remember this but can never find his shoes?) and wanted a redo. The Photopass photographer caught this and took some fun pictures of it! Most people were turning him down for pictures so I think he had some time on his hands!

Photo%200150_zps4hud2otj.jpg


After a few hours it was getting close to dinner time. We packed everything back up and went to the changing room, oh I mean Ama Ama bathrooms, and got the kids ready to go to Aunty's for dinner and free play. As we walked up- we saw the Orange Sign of Doom!!!

IMG_5866_zpsdlc3dwau.jpg
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top