PARADISE LOST AND FOUND – Our family’s first trip to Aulani & Hawaii - updated 9/2/16

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Welcome to my first trip report! I have had great fun reading trip reports on the Disboards for a while and have found them so helpful. I do hope our trip report may be a little help to someone else who is planning or considering a trip to Aulani. Yes, I’m looking at you! And if you have been there, you know you need to go back.

We are not DVC owners. When I first heard about Aulani, as a Disney fan of course I knew it would be amazing, but I hadn’t dreamed we would actually go there. And then, some exciting news: my husband goes to a conference for work every year, and I learned it would be held in Hawaii. Truth be told, he was not certain at first about even going (!), but we agreed that if he decided to go we would all go and add some extra time before and after the conference to make it our family vacation. To make it affordable (yeah, right!), we rented DVC points for the Aulani portion of our trip. We also stayed at three other locations during our 11-night stay, including the big conference hotel and a dreamy vacation home on the Big Island. I’m sure you all know which one was the best!

As a brief introduction, here’s a picture of our family: That’s me on the left, Karin, next to my husband, Jeff. Our three sons are Benji (9), Sam (12), and Kevin (9). Yes, the youngest two are twins. (Our oldest son just LOVES it when strangers we bump into ask if they are triplets. It actually has happened many times. Silly.) My mom, Jan, also will appear in the report, as she joined us for most of our vacation.



It was an amazing trip, and I look forward to re-living some highlights with whoever would like to join us. I will try to convince you to go there yourself, I must warn you. You deserve it. Your kids do, too. It will be worth all the hassle, jetlag, and maybe even the expense.

Soon, you will start to see a pattern of events unfolding that explains the title of my report. Let’s just say painstaking planning for over a year did not prevent mishaps and craziness, including an unfortunate happening that put our trip in jeopardy on the very morning we were to leave.

Next up: Chapter One – In Which “Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” (I read that in a fortune cookie once, so I’m sure that it’s true.)


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 - In Which Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
(Packing Ideas)
Chapter 2 - In Which We Lose Something, Forget Something, and Wait a While
Chapter 3 - In Which We Go Hiking, Go Driving, and Take a Bumpy Ride
Chapter 4 - In Which I Go Solo and Take a Photo Tour
Chapter 5 - In Which We Go to Kailua for Lunch and a Swim
Chapter 6 - In Which We See Waikiki Beach, Some Elephants, and the Convention Center
Chapter 7 - In Which We See Fireworks and the Boys Do Not Have Ice Cream
Chapter 8 - In Which We Float, Shop, and Get Our First Dose of Disney Magic
Chapter 9 - In Which We See Our Room, Bump into Some Friends, and Have Dinner
Chapter 10 - In Which We Have a Morning of Ups and Downs
Chapter 11 - In Which a Volcano Hits the Island and We Have a Speedy Luau
Chapter 12 - In Which We Tear Ourselves Away from Aulani to Visit the North Shore
Chapter 13 - In Which We See the Starlit Hui and I Take Some Morning Photos
Chapter 14 - In Which We Play in the Lagoon and the Twins Fall in with a Bad Crowd at Aunty’s
Chapter 15 - In Which There is Ice Cream, an Adventure™, and an Un-Magical Visit to Aunty’s
Chapter 16 - In Which We Enjoy our Last Night and Morning at Aulani, Despite My Vain Attempts to Remain Annoyed
Chapter 17 - In Which We Fly to the Big Island
Chapter 18 - In Which We Hit the Road and Explore
Chapter 19 - In Which We Go Where Molten Hot Lava Has Gone Before
Chapter 20 - In Which We Climb on Lava, Sink Our Toes in Black Sand, and Reluctantly Fly Away

 

[mickeyd78]

Planning our first trip to Aulani in November. Looking forward to reading about your visit!

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Planning our first trip to Aulani in November. Looking forward to reading about your visit!

How exciting! I'm sure you'll love it. I learned as I was planning that many people visit Hawaii from Australia, and a woman from Sydney was on a photography tour that I took.

We learned a lot during our trip, so I'll pass along anything I think could be useful throughout. Our family is going to Pop Century in November for the first time. I see you have been there, too. If you want to throw any tips in that regard my way, feel free.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hi Karin!

I do hope our trip report may be a little help to someone else who is planning or considering a trip to Aulani. Yes, I’m looking at you! And if you have been there, you know you need to go back.

To make it affordable (yeah, right!), we rented DVC points for the Aulani portion of our trip. We also stayed at three other locations during our 11-night stay, including the big conference hotel and a dreamy vacation home on the Big Island. I’m sure you all know which one was the best!

Yeah, those conference centers are pretty swanky.

(Our oldest son just LOVES it when strangers we bump into ask if they are triplets. It actually has happened many times. Silly.)

We get that a lot with our two sons, too. And I don't think they look anything alike.

Let’s just say painstaking planning for over a year did not prevent mishaps and craziness, including an unfortunate happening that put our trip in jeopardy on the very morning we were to leave.

Next up: Chapter One – In Which “Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” (I read that in a fortune cookie once, so I’m sure that it’s true.)

I thought it was: Man plans, God laughs.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I am in! Great start! I hope to plan a trip for next year.

 

[mmouseforpres]

I'll be there in 4 weeks! I look forward to reading your trip reports!

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Hi Karin!

Hi, Mark! Thanks a lot for stopping by.

Yeah, those conference centers are pretty swanky.

It probably looked a lot less swanky with us there! One of our boys practically cried the day we had to leave it to go to Aulani, because he liked the room so much. :

I thought it was: Man plans, God laughs.

You got that right!

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

I am in! Great start! I hope to plan a trip for next year.

Welcome, and thank you! I hope you enjoy your planning.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

I'll be there in 4 weeks! I look forward to reading your trip reports!

Ooooh, how exciting! Happy for you.
Let me know if you have any questions. I had many as I planned, and found so many answers on these boards.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Like most people on the DISboards, I am a planner. I planned like a maniac for this trip. In addition to the DIS and other online travel resources, a couple of books I found helpful were Lonely Planet’s Discover Honolulu, Waikiki, and Oahu (Benson & Dunford) and Oahu Revealed (Doughty). We borrowed a big stack of library books about Hawaii to read with the kids. I also enjoyed reading Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii (not really qualifying as a resource, admittedly, but neither does The Brady Bunch Goes to Hawaii special and we made sure to see that as a family).

I have had some anxiety with flying in the past, so another curious choice I made was to try out the TV series LOST, which of course is about survivors of a plane crash on a deserted (not really) island. I knew it was almost entirely filmed on Oahu, so justified that as "research" also. Plus I picked up some important survival tips that just might come in handy. I ensnared my husband a bit later and we flew through all 6 seasons within a few months, just before our vacation. Flying was easier for me than ever on our trip, and I think the show really desensitized me to the notion of crashing and all the awfulness that could theoretically result. So, tons of fun to watch and also a great help to me. Yay!

Some planning was made easy by the conference I mentioned upfront. We knew when to go, and happily May is a good time for crowds and prices. We booked a room at the conference hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Aulani was a goal right away, so I put in a request to rent points at 11 months out, and we were put on a waiting list for a couple of months. Last August we received confirmation that we had secured rooms at Aulani. We later added a stay on the Big Island and needed to find a place there near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which was a bit tricky for a group our size. I happened to be enjoying Captain_Oblivious’s Hawaii trip report at the time and he suggested looking for a vacation home rental. I did so, and we found the perfect place. Thanks again, Captain! The last bit of maneuvering we did was to add one more night on Oahu to allow additional time for Pearl Harbor. This meant a fourth hotel was needed, so we found one that would work just for a brief stay.

Everything was progressing nicely. Then one day a few weeks before the trip, I was walking down the stairs looking behind me while talking to my son, Kevin, (about Disney World, of all things) and I missed a step and fell… It was only a sprain of two joints in my foot, but it did hurt quite a bit, especially when I put weight on it. I was fitted with a special shoe and boot to use as needed on the trip. I was worried about how the foot trouble would impact hiking and other activities. Would it ruin the trip? Is this the end of the story? Have you all (four) been duped into reading the worst trip report ever? Perhaps. But not really. (I hope, anyway.)

Wow, I did ramble… Enough of this planning talk! I have lots of pictures and they are much more interesting than this stuff. For now, here is Kevin with a map of Hawaii he and his brothers made.

 

[disneypoor]

I'm totally in and can't wait for the rest of your TR. We will arrive at Aulani in about six and a half weeks and can't wait!

Susan

 

[kelly3kids]

We have three boys 9, 7, and 4. We will be at Aulani in 11 days. We are so excited. I am loving hearing your trip report. We too have books about Hawaii that we have checked out and learning what we can. We read Magic Treehouse #28 for fun.

We want to snorkel, enjoy the beach, pools, slides, Aunty's, and we will be traveling to North Shore. We have been to Oahu a few other times and we love North Shore. We also eat at Jameson's By the Sea.

Any packing tips would be great.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Awesome start! My worse nightmare is that someone is sick or injured before a big trip

 

[alohamom]

WOW-Captain America did an incredible job with his 3D map. Good job Kevin!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

In addition to the DIS and other online travel resources, a couple of books I found helpful were Lonely Planet’s Discover Honolulu, Waikiki, and Oahu (Benson & Dunford) and Oahu Revealed (Doughty).

Good choice.

I have had some anxiety with flying in the past, so another curious choice I made was to try out the TV series LOST, which of course is about survivors of a plane crash on a deserted (not really) island.

Ok, this just cracked me up. I've never, ever heard of anyone who worked on gettnig over their fear of flying by watching a show about a plane crash.

Good show, though!

I happened to be enjoying Captain_Oblivious’s Hawaii trip report at the time and he suggested looking for a vacation home rental. I did so, and we found the perfect place. Thanks again, Captain!

I missed a step and fell… It was only a sprain of two joints in my foot, but it did hurt quite a bit, especially when I put weight on it. I was fitted with a special shoe and boot to use as needed on the trip. I was worried about how the foot trouble would impact hiking and other activities.

Well, I'm sure there's no good hikes on the islands anyway...

Would it ruin the trip?

Is this the end of the story?

Have you all (four) been duped into reading the worst trip report ever?

For now, here is Kevin with a map of Hawaii he and his brothers made.

Nice work! It's very recognizably Hawaii!

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

I'm totally in and can't wait for the rest of your TR. We will arrive at Aulani in about six and a half weeks and can't wait!

Susan

Welcome and thanks for reading, Susan! I trust you will have an amazing time at Aulani. The six and a half weeks will pass quickly, I'm sure. So fun to look forward to a new adventure.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

We have three boys 9, 7, and 4. We will be at Aulani in 11 days. We are so excited. I am loving hearing your trip report. We too have books about Hawaii that we have checked out and learning what we can. We read Magic Treehouse #28 for fun.

We want to snorkel, enjoy the beach, pools, slides, Aunty's, and we will be traveling to North Shore. We have been to Oahu a few other times and we love North Shore. We also eat at Jameson's By the Sea.

Any packing tips would be great.

Wow, you get to take 3 boys to Aulani, also! Perfect ages to go, too. Oh, when is a bad age for Hawaii, anyway? Can't think of one.

We read that Magic Tree House book, too. Our boys also liked the "You Choose: History" books about Pearl Harbor and World War II. I don't know if you are planning on going to Pearl Harbor, but our guys really enjoyed them & it was nice preparation.

We loved the North Shore, too (spoiler alert!). So hard to leave Aulani, but worth it to go to such beautiful places.

Is this your first trip to Aulani? Nice that you have prior experience on Oahu to inform your planning.

Packing tips coming shortly....

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Awesome start! My worse nightmare is that someone is sick or injured before a big trip

I agree. But this time I think the worst part was the worrying about it in advance - that it would mess up the trip. I'm great at coming up with terrible "what if" hypotheticals.

Last time we went to Disney World, my oldest son and I got food poisoning at a quick service in MK and were stuck in the room for two days. That was much worse.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Ok, this just cracked me up. I've never, ever heard of anyone who worked on gettnig over their fear of flying by watching a show about a plane crash.

Good show, though!!

It was not my original plan. I just found it entertaining in the beginning, but I could tell as I watched it that the prospect of flying was seeming much easier. I also just loved seeing how amazing the island looked on the show, having never been there before. It's an intense show, but I could never get over how gorgeous the setting was, even with all the creepy stuff going on. Anyway, to bring us back to official Disney business, check this out:

Nice work! It's very recognizably Hawaii!

Thanks! He is planning on being a Disney Animator, so takes his artwork seriously. Oh, and thanks for the tip on Oahu Revealed. I believe you mentioned that in your TR. There were so many good tidbits there. You will see we learned a lot from you as you read this TR, I am sure.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

WOW-Captain America did an incredible job with his 3D map. Good job Kevin!

Thank you! We loved learning about Hawaii in advance of the trip. There are so many good books about it and we wanted them to learn about the land, the people, and the history.

Love your screen name, by the way. If you have not been to Aulani, you must go immediately. With a Mickey Hat with "Aloha Mom" stitched on it.