Aulani and Go Oahu card

[dsnydaddy]

Last time we went, we got the 3 day card. On the attractions, I figured that we about broke even. But the Luau at Germaines made it ultimately worth it. But having said that, I would definitely not buy it again. The Dole Plantation is really showing it's age and wasn't hugely interesting. PCC is one of those things that you either love or hate. We hated it. We went to the Kualoa Ranch. That was amazing and of course Pearl Harbor was worth the time spent. Next time though we'll be doing less touristy things and looking for more relaxation. The above comment about getting the card then feeling you've got to get a lot out of it really hit home. We did exactly that and ended up being a bit rushed for those three days. And out of our 6 day stay we only managed to get one to play on the beach.

 

[disneycrazy2004]

Last time we went, we got the 3 day card. On the attractions, I figured that we about broke even. But the Luau at Germaines made it ultimately worth it. But having said that, I would definitely not buy it again. The Dole Plantation is really showing it's age and wasn't hugely interesting. PCC is one of those things that you either love or hate. We hated it. We went to the Kualoa Ranch. That was amazing and of course Pearl Harbor was worth the time spent. Next time though we'll be doing less touristy things and looking for more relaxation. The above comment about getting the card then feeling you've got to get a lot out of it really hit home. We did exactly that and ended up being a bit rushed for those three days. And out of our 6 day stay we only managed to get one to play on the beach.

Thank you! I ended up getting the 4 day card from Costco - it's all they had. I figured if we do PCC luau, Kualoa Ranch,the canamaran and Pearl harbor we brake even. With the exchange rate being so terrible, i figured this would be the best way to go. I am thinking of it as pre-paying for the attractions we really want to do, anything over that I would consider a bonus.

 

[dsnydaddy]

That's the best way to go into it!

 

[disneycrazy2004]

We bought the 3 day Go Oahu passes for our family of 4. Saved at least $500. I wrote a good bit about it in my post last week. Sea Life, Kualoa, Dole, Pearl Harbor, Waimea, catamaran ride. You can read about it all here, if you scroll down to my (lengthy) entry on our excursions. http://disboards.com/threads/just-b...i-think-tips-and-a-light-trip-report.3516770/

More questions for you Hope you don't mind

How much time did you spend at the Dole plantation? I am trying to do some planning and trying to figure out if Dole, Waimea, Kualoa ranch-movie tour and possibl the byodo-in temple is doable in a day! I was thinking of doing Dole, first thing, Waimea and lunch somewhere there, and then head over to the ranch and only to the temple if we have time. It seems like a lot of driving.....

 

[cmph]

More questions for you Hope you don't mind

How much time did you spend at the Dole plantation? I am trying to do some planning and trying to figure out if Dole, Waimea, Kualoa ranch-movie tour and possibl the byodo-in temple is doable in a day! I was thinking of doing Dole, first thing, Waimea and lunch somewhere there, and then head over to the ranch and only to the temple if we have time. It seems like a lot of driving.....

Honestly, that sounds pretty rough! Definitely a lot of driving. Waimea and Dole are not near the other two. Including driving, we were gone about 6.5 hours for just Dole and Waimea. You'd have to add another 90min to 2 hours of driving in adding Kualoa and Byodo-in plus maybe 30-60min at Byodo plus 3ish hours at Kualoa. That's a long day! My kids wouldn't survive. Sealife park was much more convenient to Kualoa and Byodo-in, and we didn't have anything else planned on that corner of the island so that worked for us. PCC isn't that bad coming from Kualoa, either. There are essentially two driving routes to PCC that are about the same in terms of driving time... Either north past Dole and east past Waimea, continuing along the north shore; or continuing north from Kualoa. If you want to do PCC, I'd try to combine that with Dole/waimea or Kualoa/Byodo.

 

[dsnydaddy]

agree. Kualoa Ranch and Dole Plantation are far from each other via the highways.

 

[disneycrazy2004]

Thank you! Yeah, that is what I figured....wishful thinking I guess Now to rearrange things

 

[cmph]

Thank you! Yeah, that is what I figured....wishful thinking I guess Now to rearrange things

It's not impossible if you're ok with being gone for a very full, long day... But too much for any kids for sure.

 

[disneycrazy2004]

It's not impossible if you're ok with being gone for a very full, long day... But too much for any kids for sure.

My kids are older - 16 and 18, but not early birds, haha...so it might be tough getting them going! I was thinking of booking Kualoa Ranch first thing in the morning and then do whatever we can after....if anything, I think the drive will be really nice

 

[dsnydaddy]

On the way to the Kualoa ranch, there was a great Macadamia stand/store. Free samples. I can't wait to return. Also, I searched out places that locals like to eat and found a place called Papa Ole's Kitchen. It's not much more than a hole in the wall in a strip mall, but I was willing to give it a try when I saw the local fire department eating there. Family liked it a lot. Little things like that can add some lasting memories to your trip.

 

[alohamom]

My kids are older - 16 and 18, but not early birds, haha...so it might be tough getting them going! I was thinking of booking Kualoa Ranch first thing in the morning and then do whatever we can after....if anything, I think the drive will be really nice

My kids are the same ages and this would be my plan. Last thing I want is to have cranky teenagers being shuttled from one "must do" to another and Hawaii just brings out the laid back in everyone so I think this is a great plan. One thing you might want to do is pack some snacks-granola bars, pringles, fruit, whatever they like- because I found that up and around the top of the island there isnt a ton of choice for places to stop for food. There are places but if you have any picky eaters (like my 16 year old DS-arrrggghhh) then you may need to have something to tide them over IF you are going to drive around.

Another thing I do is schedule any morning events or excursions you want to do early at the beginning of the trip because (coming from Toronto) everyone is wide awake and raring to go in the morning due to the time change for the first few days

 

[disneycrazy2004]

On the way to the Kualoa ranch, there was a great Macadamia stand/store. Free samples. I can't wait to return. Also, I searched out places that locals like to eat and found a place called Papa Ole's Kitchen. It's not much more than a hole in the wall in a strip mall, but I was willing to give it a try when I saw the local fire department eating there. Family liked it a lot. Little things like that can add some lasting memories to your trip.

Thank you for the tip - I will definitely look it up. I am trying not to overbook too much, but its hard when there is so much I want to see and do

 

[disneycrazy2004]

My kids are the same ages and this would be my plan. Last thing I want is to have cranky teenagers being shuttled from one "must do" to another and Hawaii just brings out the laid back in everyone so I think this is a great plan. One thing you might want to do is pack some snacks-granola bars, pringles, fruit, whatever they like- because I found that up and around the top of the island there isnt a ton of choice for places to stop for food. There are places but if you have any picky eaters (like my 16 year old DS-arrrggghhh) then you may need to have something to tide them over IF you are going to drive around.

Another thing I do is schedule any morning events or excursions you want to do early at the beginning of the trip because (coming from Toronto) everyone is wide awake and raring to go in the morning due to the time change for the first few days

That is a great idea, thank you for that - I will definitely do that Funny you are saying book early at the beginning,cause I was talking about that last night. We are from PEI...so I book our first early reservation the the day after we arrive. Hope it works out