OrcaPotter
Lucky to be local to the Mouse
- Joined
- May 21, 2005
After nearly 2 years of planning and saving and booking, my paradise vacation to Hawaii and Aulani is already over! I have basically lived in this area of the DIS Boards during this time, studying every single Aulani thread posted. It has been an invaluable resource, so I would like to pay it forward and share some comments/insights about my trip that I did not read here and I feel will help others.
Context note: My family consisted of me (a middle school teacher) and my older parents. If there is a lack of anything on the DIS, it's advice for folks with older family members and those with mobility issues. I cannot offer any direct comments about children, as ... well, technically I was the child! And Lord knows I was too old for Auntie's
A lot of what we experienced is relevant to everyone, though, and something folks with children (especially young ones) should consider.
Travel:
- My father has a lot of health issues. Long-distance traveling is hard on him, so I knew there was no way a direct flight from Orlando to Hawaii was a good idea. Breaking up the flight (and as result, the vacation) ended up being a great idea. Originally, I was planning to stay 1 full day in San Diego pre-Hawaii, and at least 2 full days in San Francisco post-Hawaii. Therefore, I booked my flight to San Diego 1-way on Alaskan (they had a sale; great airline!) However, as the number of things I wanted to do in San Francisco grew, the more money it was going to require. 2 years of saving was all on me, so sadly I had to put San Francisco on the back burner for a future, dedicated trip. Our flights to & from Hawaii, therefore, were roundtrip to San Diego.
- This helped us adjust quickly to the dramatic time change. 3 hours difference from Florida to California. It's another 3 hours on top of that (a total of 6) in Hawaii. We had no problems with the time change. (Then again, we are night owls, but I would imagine children who are used to going to bed early would benefit from the gradual shift).
- San Diego was great and the weather was GORGEOUS for this first visit. We actually needed sweaters! Unless you are from Florida, you don't really know hot. Right now, we are really missing the summer weather in SAN and Hawaii! We rented a car through Costco (the airport's directions to the rental car shuttles was very vague and somewhat confusing) and stayed at the brand new Hampton Inn on Hotel Circle. This was probably the BEST and nicest budget brand I have ever stayed in! Only bummer was they charge for parking. We did the San Diego Zoo for our full day and it was amazing! Probably the best zoo and most unique zoo I have ever been to. IT IS A MUST SEE. It is HUGE and you will NOT see everything in one day. We did Sea World San Diego on our return trip (staying in a very false advertised Holiday Inn Express less than a mile away) and it was borderline cold to us! The park (the original) is smaller than Orlando's but just as enjoyable with new things to see.
- We flew Hawaiian to Hawaii. Last domestic airline to offer complimentary meals (but they take plenty of opportunities to sell you Hawaiian snacks) and boy, now I understand why people despise airline food! It was a great flight, and a very nice (and huge) airplane that puts you in the Hawaiian spirit immediately.
- The Honolulu airport, though? Probably the WORST airport I have ever had to navigate. It is old, sprawling, and the layout makes absolutely no sense. There is little signage and we deplaned very confused. The terminal is practically barren with no signs (we somehow found the little restroom) and you are hastily told to board the Wiki Wiki Shuttle to get to bag claim. We didn't really understand this direction at first, and began walking (outside, mind you, most of Hawaii is outside) but after several minutes we found a sign that said that the bag claim was at least a 15 minute walk! Finally, we had to drag our carry ons onto the shuttle, which took us 5 minutes around the airport to be deposited in this descending maze and journey through 1965 to find bag claim. Once bags were, finally, claimed, we found the corral outside for the rental car shuttles. Again, NO signs! You had to pray that when your rental company shuttle showed up, it pulled up next to you!
- Departing Honolulu was worse. The Hawaiian ticket area is all self-serve, down to tagging your own bags and bringing them to be inspected. Be prepared with your boarding pass and ID; they will not let you leave for security, either, until your bags pass the agricultural inspection. This was a crazy, crowded, confusing mess. Once through security, it was at least a 5 minute walk--ending up outside, to go through security AGAIN. This time, it is just your carry ons and they are checking, once again, for agriculture. Hawaii is serious about not brining in anything that could harm their ecosystem. But it was crazy that we basically went through 3 levels of security just to LEAVE. Then, our gate was at the far end of the terminal; all access is from the outside. When we arrived, a Korean Airlines flight was using our gate and therefore, we were not allowed to enter! I was confused that an international flight was using the domestic terminal. Our flight had to wait outside until about 35 minutes prior to our boarding time. For a top tourist destination, the airport is NOT user friendly and is in poor need of a remodel.
- The Honolulu traffic is just as they say: bumper to bumper. Ko Olina is really only about 20 minutes from downtown, but the traffic makes it longer. Fortunately, we really only had a problem with traffic on our way to the resort from the airport. There is really only 1 major highway on the island, and it ends just before Ko Olina and goes around toward Diamond Head. The rest of the roads are 2 lanes or less. We had rented a car and Siri got us almost everywhere on the island with no problems. Nevertheless, for any scheduled excursions anywhere on the island, you need to allow yourself at least an hour to get there.
Aulani:
- I rented points through David's and had completed online check-in; I called David's to ask them to contact the member so a room request could be placed on our reservation. We arrived around 2:30 and I was just in awe. The resort is just as amazing and gorgeous as expected. Cast Members gave us our leis and water, then confirmed that our villa was not ready. I asked if my room request was noted and they looked confused. "What did you request?" they asked. This resulted in a hassle of juggling our small bags that we did not feel comfortable leaving with the bell cart and me sputtering all I could remember of Ewa tower, highest floor. I got a script about how villas are not ready yet and they do not know nor could guarantee anything but if I gave them my cell number they will text us the room number when ready. Then there was the brief intro about the resort and the lobby before we were given the day's Daily I'wa and a map. We managed to find our way to the Ulu Cafe and immediately bought our mugs for our stay and some lunch. Before we were done, I got a text that our room was ready. However, all it said was 11484. No tower name.
The map did not show room numbers. I had not memorized the one here on the DIS. We wandered back to the online check-in desk up at the lobby and was initially told we were in the Waianae tower. Then when I show him the text, he corrects himself that it's the Ewa tower. No helpful directions on a map. Ok, turn left. Then there was the next question: Was it on the 11th floor? We go up to 11 and begin walking around. None of the doors have 5 numbers. We get back on an elevator and go up to 14. Finally, we find 1484. They must've entered an extra 1. This was the studio. The connecting door to what we knew was the 1-bedroom could only be opened from the 1-bedroom side. So, confused, I went and sure enough, our key opened 1482. This adventure in finding our (gorgeous) villa took at least 15 minutes; I was disappointed that none of the Cast Members made sure we knew where to go and that signs were spotty and not detailed.
- The resort. Is. HUGE. From your villa to the lobby alone can take you several minutes. There is only 1 bank of 6 elevators for both towers. At peak times of the day, you could be waiting with a crowd hoping for an empty enough elevator. Fortunately, we didn't have very many problems. Walking around to anywhere takes you time; it's a shame to pay for the mugs when you have to go so far to refill them. They are best when you are hanging out by the pools.
- We rented a scooter that could be disassembled and put in a car trunk from ugomobility.com My dad cannot walk long distances and this resort alone made the scooter invaluable. Renting was easy and they delivered it to the hotel; the delivery guy was incredibly nice and showed me and Dad how to use it and take it apart and put it back together. Unfortunately, I felt that guests frequently seemed oblivious to him and maneuvering around the crowds was challenging at times. Using the elevators revealed some surprisingly rude guests. Finding the wheelchair accesses outside was also difficult; we didn't stop getting lost until halfway into our stay.
- The Starlit Hui was great! I did not book a luau due to the cost, as well as the mixed reviews and the fact that the resort had a free one (sans food). The resort was at capacity and there were 3 shows during our stay: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. What was not so great was there was no warning that you should show up at least an hour ahead of the show. We ended up on a huge line, with a stream of people excusing themselves to the front of the line--which got very annoying after a while. Once we finally saw the lawn and a cast member, we showed our key and then asked about my father being in a scooter. She told us he could sit in the chairs, but because space was limited, my mother and I still had to sit on the lawn. There were at least 30 or 40 chairs. Maybe 15 or less were already being used. With all the emphasis on "ohana" we were very irritated that we would have to view the show separately. This, in my opinion, was very unlike Disney to be so unaccommodating. If we were a party of 5 or more, I could understand being asked that only a few could sit with their loved one. When it was clear we were not happy and they were trying at warp speed to get everyone in and placed on a mat, they tried to put our mat as close to Dad as possible.
Meanwhile, not even half the seats ended up being occupied. A family with the mother in a wheelchair opted to all sit together, with her wheeled up next to the mat. I felt so bad for them because we were on the far side of the stage; when some hula dancers tried to walk away, guests began leaping up in droves to have photos taken. This blocked our view, and completely obscured this poor family and this woman who clearly had no ability to move herself. She kept flagging these people to move to the side, and they just STARED at her. No cast member came to control the situation, and the hula dancers made a very slow departure before finally, just as the main show was due to start, a cast member managed to pull them away and shoo the remaining guests back to their mats. The only other problem with the show was they frequently invited kids up to the stage to perform. This resulted in a lot of leaping up and walking in front of your view. While they asked everyone to remain seated the rest of the time, of course, you cannot prevent it.
Is the whole sitting on a mat on the grass thing fun? Sure. For a young family. But I was very disappointed and shocked that not more care was put in to accommodate families with mobility issues. They clearly use that lawn for other things, so putting in a dedicated theatre is probably not on their minds. But they certainly know better and can do better to accommodate families that cannot sit on the ground.
- The towel-chair saving problem was big. This resort goes to bed early and wakes up before the sun. Most days, we woke up very early to make it to an excursion. Every morning around 6 AM I looked down at the pools and most of the front row chairs already had towels on them. I did not even know they distributed towels that early. By 9 AM, most chairs were occupied by towels. The 1 hour policy posted clearly everywhere was enforced sporadically and infrequently. Now, as Floridians, our priority is not pool lounging but it was annoying; it was not important enough, though, to get us to wake up at 6 am just to snag 3 consecutive chairs with a water view. You either need to go the adult pool, which is very serene but lacking an ocean view, or wait until around 5 PM when the kids' main water play area closed.
- The drink stations were almost always out of ice. If they had any, they spat out in very small doses. On 2 of the days, the Ulu Cafe's station had most of the drinks out of syrup. They were also closed and shut off promptly at 9 PM. For the size of the resort, especially when completely full, they really need to extend their hours and expand the stations. Was it worth it for the mugs? I'd say so; we went out of our way to make sure we used them daily. But for the mornings and your trips off the resort, as well as your evenings, you will want some options available in your villa.
- If you want photos with characters, make sure you have a Daily I'wa. They come out at the posted times but if you want anyone specific, ask the handlers or even some of the other cast members. They have their schedules. I happened upon Goofy in the lazy river and, though I missed Mickey & Minnie, I had a photo with Donald, too. I asked the handler if Stitch was due out and she told me his time--that he'd be wandering--and which door he would come out of. I saw Duffy walking around shortly after that; he has a very loyal fanbase in Japan and had a group of admirers following him! And sure enough, I caught Stitch. What was nice was, despite the resort being at capacity and crowded, waiting for photos was nothing compared to the parks and the cruise ships.
- The gift shops were small and surprisingly limited. One of my favorite Disney films is Lilo & Stitch; I was so disappointed that nearly nothing with Lilo & Stitch was available. At their Hawaii resort!! In fact, a lot of items sold out while I was there. The only Aulani pin with Stitch sold out before I went back to buy it. He was featured on some of the dated Aulani merchandise and that was it. Toward the end of our stay, they stocked some of the generic Stitch plush from the parks. It took a trip to the Ala Moana Mall in Waikiki to find Lilo & Stitch Hawaii items in the Disney Store there.
- I wish they stocked the Daily I'wa in other places other than the lobby. However, I did start checking the lobby the night before for the following day.
Oahu:
- Here was the conflict: The resort was amazing. We did not want to leave. But not to experience the island would have been a waste. I booked 2 excursions through private companies. A wild dolphin catamaran snorkel charter with Wild Side Specialty Tours and a movie filming location tour at Kualoa Ranch. The only option I was given was an early morning time for both. This means you need to be up very early for most of your vacation! This was stressful with a slower family with mobility issues, and the fact that we adjusted very quickly to Hawaiian time. The dolphin snorkel was "up the road" about 35 minutes further up the west coast from Aulani. It took that long because this is real suburban Hawaii. Nothing is tourist there. We caught every single traffic light. The company provided detailed directions, which was good, because Siri did not know where this marina was at all. However, we spent several minutes circling the parking lot because we could not find the landmarks both the directions (and the employee on the phone) kept telling us were there. The stress was worth it. This was AMAZING and the highlight of the trip; great crew and even better wildlife. I was about 8 feet from a pod of 30-40 spinner dolphins! They were very kid friendly (a family with 2 young girls also from Aulani were with us) but please do your kids a favor and practice snorkeling with them. This is deep ocean water and if you are unfamiliar with snorkeling, you'll cheat yourself out of an amazing experience due to getting tired or overwhelmed. I think their kids became the latter, because the girls lasted only a few minutes in the water. Such a shame!
Kualoa is where Jurassic Park was filmed, amongst a host of others. It's on the other side of the island and offers several different kinds of activities other than their movie tour, so make sure you leave no later than an hour prior to your schedule time to get there. This was amazing to see, too, and we spent the rest of the day around the ranch and then drove around to the North Shore. Do yourself a favor: research which beach you want to see at the North Shore and be prepared to fight for a spot to pull over on the side of the road. Otherwise there is nothing special about the North Shore in the summer. We got our garlic shrimp at the ranch. The Dole Plantation became a pit stop on our way back down south to Aulani. A cute diversion; it was MOBBED with tour busses and tourists, so be prepared. You'll pass fields of pineapples on your way down from the North Shore, so we didn't feel compelled to pay $9 a person to ride a train to see more. I got a Dole Whip ... because ... hey, authentic! And then walked around the giant gift shop devoted to the spikey fruit. This is something you can do as part of larger day; do not make this your sole destination.
- Waikiki was just like Daytona, or Miami, or Fort Lauderdale: insanely congested and crowded and touristy. Parking was not easy at all to find. There are no helpful signs to direct you around the area. We had lunch at Duke's ... which was good but nothing special (although the dessert was) and gazed at Diamond Head. That about satisfied our Waikiki need. Unless you want to surf or body board, stick to the lagoon at Aulani.
- Pearl Harbor. Tickets opened up at 7 AM the day before we wanted to visit, so I nabbed 11:45 for the Arizona. We got there with plenty of time. However, it is NOT communicated that you need to be in the area (which is not clearly marked) for the Arizona tour at least 15 minutes prior to your tour time. Dad wanted to visit the air museum and we were told we had plenty of time to see it and the Missouri. Well, if your dad is an Air Force veteran, 2 1/2 hours is NOT enough time to see the air museum. You need to take a shuttle to take you to the museum and the battleship, so that adds to your time. We arrived back at the Arizona building at exactly our time, only to be told our tour had already left! However, the park ranger made a special exception for us due to Dad's rank and allowed us on with the next tour. DO NOT SKIP PEARL HARBOR. This was an incredible, moving, emotional experience. If you have young children, it may be lost on them, though. Everything at Pearl Harbor, if you choose to see it all, will take the entire day. If you have a later tour time, still go early so you can do it all.
Final Thoughts:
- If I could do it over again, I would have extended my stay to at least 10 full days. I would have booked us to stay at a hotel more toward Honolulu and get all the sight-seeing done in 5 days. Then, the rest of our stay would be at Aulani and not leave. I regret we did very little relaxing. Mom and I did have spa appointments; both of us got a mani/pedi early in our stay. Later, I had a massage and Mom had a facial. They only had late appointments available (and I booked months ago) so it was a shame we did not have a lot of time to use the spa services. I loved the spa there a lot more than the Grand Floridian.
- But don't NOT leave, unless you've already toured the island previously and the cost of both getting out there and Aulani is NBD. The island is amazing.
- Pack light. No, really. My family tries but we fail miserably. In fact, we were made fun of by several different people upon seeing our 3 large bags and 2 carry-ons each. Packing light will make the Honolulu airport more tolerable. We did at least 3 loads of wash in our villa; we really didn't need everything we brought.
If I left anything out that you're curious about (keeping in mind I did not travel with kids so I cannot tell you anything regarding kids) please feel free to ask. I hope I helped!
Context note: My family consisted of me (a middle school teacher) and my older parents. If there is a lack of anything on the DIS, it's advice for folks with older family members and those with mobility issues. I cannot offer any direct comments about children, as ... well, technically I was the child! And Lord knows I was too old for Auntie's
A lot of what we experienced is relevant to everyone, though, and something folks with children (especially young ones) should consider.Travel:
- My father has a lot of health issues. Long-distance traveling is hard on him, so I knew there was no way a direct flight from Orlando to Hawaii was a good idea. Breaking up the flight (and as result, the vacation) ended up being a great idea. Originally, I was planning to stay 1 full day in San Diego pre-Hawaii, and at least 2 full days in San Francisco post-Hawaii. Therefore, I booked my flight to San Diego 1-way on Alaskan (they had a sale; great airline!) However, as the number of things I wanted to do in San Francisco grew, the more money it was going to require. 2 years of saving was all on me, so sadly I had to put San Francisco on the back burner for a future, dedicated trip. Our flights to & from Hawaii, therefore, were roundtrip to San Diego.
- This helped us adjust quickly to the dramatic time change. 3 hours difference from Florida to California. It's another 3 hours on top of that (a total of 6) in Hawaii. We had no problems with the time change. (Then again, we are night owls, but I would imagine children who are used to going to bed early would benefit from the gradual shift).
- San Diego was great and the weather was GORGEOUS for this first visit. We actually needed sweaters! Unless you are from Florida, you don't really know hot. Right now, we are really missing the summer weather in SAN and Hawaii! We rented a car through Costco (the airport's directions to the rental car shuttles was very vague and somewhat confusing) and stayed at the brand new Hampton Inn on Hotel Circle. This was probably the BEST and nicest budget brand I have ever stayed in! Only bummer was they charge for parking. We did the San Diego Zoo for our full day and it was amazing! Probably the best zoo and most unique zoo I have ever been to. IT IS A MUST SEE. It is HUGE and you will NOT see everything in one day. We did Sea World San Diego on our return trip (staying in a very false advertised Holiday Inn Express less than a mile away) and it was borderline cold to us! The park (the original) is smaller than Orlando's but just as enjoyable with new things to see.
- We flew Hawaiian to Hawaii. Last domestic airline to offer complimentary meals (but they take plenty of opportunities to sell you Hawaiian snacks) and boy, now I understand why people despise airline food! It was a great flight, and a very nice (and huge) airplane that puts you in the Hawaiian spirit immediately.
- The Honolulu airport, though? Probably the WORST airport I have ever had to navigate. It is old, sprawling, and the layout makes absolutely no sense. There is little signage and we deplaned very confused. The terminal is practically barren with no signs (we somehow found the little restroom) and you are hastily told to board the Wiki Wiki Shuttle to get to bag claim. We didn't really understand this direction at first, and began walking (outside, mind you, most of Hawaii is outside) but after several minutes we found a sign that said that the bag claim was at least a 15 minute walk! Finally, we had to drag our carry ons onto the shuttle, which took us 5 minutes around the airport to be deposited in this descending maze and journey through 1965 to find bag claim. Once bags were, finally, claimed, we found the corral outside for the rental car shuttles. Again, NO signs! You had to pray that when your rental company shuttle showed up, it pulled up next to you!
- Departing Honolulu was worse. The Hawaiian ticket area is all self-serve, down to tagging your own bags and bringing them to be inspected. Be prepared with your boarding pass and ID; they will not let you leave for security, either, until your bags pass the agricultural inspection. This was a crazy, crowded, confusing mess. Once through security, it was at least a 5 minute walk--ending up outside, to go through security AGAIN. This time, it is just your carry ons and they are checking, once again, for agriculture. Hawaii is serious about not brining in anything that could harm their ecosystem. But it was crazy that we basically went through 3 levels of security just to LEAVE. Then, our gate was at the far end of the terminal; all access is from the outside. When we arrived, a Korean Airlines flight was using our gate and therefore, we were not allowed to enter! I was confused that an international flight was using the domestic terminal. Our flight had to wait outside until about 35 minutes prior to our boarding time. For a top tourist destination, the airport is NOT user friendly and is in poor need of a remodel.
- The Honolulu traffic is just as they say: bumper to bumper. Ko Olina is really only about 20 minutes from downtown, but the traffic makes it longer. Fortunately, we really only had a problem with traffic on our way to the resort from the airport. There is really only 1 major highway on the island, and it ends just before Ko Olina and goes around toward Diamond Head. The rest of the roads are 2 lanes or less. We had rented a car and Siri got us almost everywhere on the island with no problems. Nevertheless, for any scheduled excursions anywhere on the island, you need to allow yourself at least an hour to get there.
Aulani:
- I rented points through David's and had completed online check-in; I called David's to ask them to contact the member so a room request could be placed on our reservation. We arrived around 2:30 and I was just in awe. The resort is just as amazing and gorgeous as expected. Cast Members gave us our leis and water, then confirmed that our villa was not ready. I asked if my room request was noted and they looked confused. "What did you request?" they asked. This resulted in a hassle of juggling our small bags that we did not feel comfortable leaving with the bell cart and me sputtering all I could remember of Ewa tower, highest floor. I got a script about how villas are not ready yet and they do not know nor could guarantee anything but if I gave them my cell number they will text us the room number when ready. Then there was the brief intro about the resort and the lobby before we were given the day's Daily I'wa and a map. We managed to find our way to the Ulu Cafe and immediately bought our mugs for our stay and some lunch. Before we were done, I got a text that our room was ready. However, all it said was 11484. No tower name.
The map did not show room numbers. I had not memorized the one here on the DIS. We wandered back to the online check-in desk up at the lobby and was initially told we were in the Waianae tower. Then when I show him the text, he corrects himself that it's the Ewa tower. No helpful directions on a map. Ok, turn left. Then there was the next question: Was it on the 11th floor? We go up to 11 and begin walking around. None of the doors have 5 numbers. We get back on an elevator and go up to 14. Finally, we find 1484. They must've entered an extra 1. This was the studio. The connecting door to what we knew was the 1-bedroom could only be opened from the 1-bedroom side. So, confused, I went and sure enough, our key opened 1482. This adventure in finding our (gorgeous) villa took at least 15 minutes; I was disappointed that none of the Cast Members made sure we knew where to go and that signs were spotty and not detailed.
- The resort. Is. HUGE. From your villa to the lobby alone can take you several minutes. There is only 1 bank of 6 elevators for both towers. At peak times of the day, you could be waiting with a crowd hoping for an empty enough elevator. Fortunately, we didn't have very many problems. Walking around to anywhere takes you time; it's a shame to pay for the mugs when you have to go so far to refill them. They are best when you are hanging out by the pools.
- We rented a scooter that could be disassembled and put in a car trunk from ugomobility.com My dad cannot walk long distances and this resort alone made the scooter invaluable. Renting was easy and they delivered it to the hotel; the delivery guy was incredibly nice and showed me and Dad how to use it and take it apart and put it back together. Unfortunately, I felt that guests frequently seemed oblivious to him and maneuvering around the crowds was challenging at times. Using the elevators revealed some surprisingly rude guests. Finding the wheelchair accesses outside was also difficult; we didn't stop getting lost until halfway into our stay.
- The Starlit Hui was great! I did not book a luau due to the cost, as well as the mixed reviews and the fact that the resort had a free one (sans food). The resort was at capacity and there were 3 shows during our stay: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. What was not so great was there was no warning that you should show up at least an hour ahead of the show. We ended up on a huge line, with a stream of people excusing themselves to the front of the line--which got very annoying after a while. Once we finally saw the lawn and a cast member, we showed our key and then asked about my father being in a scooter. She told us he could sit in the chairs, but because space was limited, my mother and I still had to sit on the lawn. There were at least 30 or 40 chairs. Maybe 15 or less were already being used. With all the emphasis on "ohana" we were very irritated that we would have to view the show separately. This, in my opinion, was very unlike Disney to be so unaccommodating. If we were a party of 5 or more, I could understand being asked that only a few could sit with their loved one. When it was clear we were not happy and they were trying at warp speed to get everyone in and placed on a mat, they tried to put our mat as close to Dad as possible.
Meanwhile, not even half the seats ended up being occupied. A family with the mother in a wheelchair opted to all sit together, with her wheeled up next to the mat. I felt so bad for them because we were on the far side of the stage; when some hula dancers tried to walk away, guests began leaping up in droves to have photos taken. This blocked our view, and completely obscured this poor family and this woman who clearly had no ability to move herself. She kept flagging these people to move to the side, and they just STARED at her. No cast member came to control the situation, and the hula dancers made a very slow departure before finally, just as the main show was due to start, a cast member managed to pull them away and shoo the remaining guests back to their mats. The only other problem with the show was they frequently invited kids up to the stage to perform. This resulted in a lot of leaping up and walking in front of your view. While they asked everyone to remain seated the rest of the time, of course, you cannot prevent it.
Is the whole sitting on a mat on the grass thing fun? Sure. For a young family. But I was very disappointed and shocked that not more care was put in to accommodate families with mobility issues. They clearly use that lawn for other things, so putting in a dedicated theatre is probably not on their minds. But they certainly know better and can do better to accommodate families that cannot sit on the ground.
- The towel-chair saving problem was big. This resort goes to bed early and wakes up before the sun. Most days, we woke up very early to make it to an excursion. Every morning around 6 AM I looked down at the pools and most of the front row chairs already had towels on them. I did not even know they distributed towels that early. By 9 AM, most chairs were occupied by towels. The 1 hour policy posted clearly everywhere was enforced sporadically and infrequently. Now, as Floridians, our priority is not pool lounging but it was annoying; it was not important enough, though, to get us to wake up at 6 am just to snag 3 consecutive chairs with a water view. You either need to go the adult pool, which is very serene but lacking an ocean view, or wait until around 5 PM when the kids' main water play area closed.
- The drink stations were almost always out of ice. If they had any, they spat out in very small doses. On 2 of the days, the Ulu Cafe's station had most of the drinks out of syrup. They were also closed and shut off promptly at 9 PM. For the size of the resort, especially when completely full, they really need to extend their hours and expand the stations. Was it worth it for the mugs? I'd say so; we went out of our way to make sure we used them daily. But for the mornings and your trips off the resort, as well as your evenings, you will want some options available in your villa.
- If you want photos with characters, make sure you have a Daily I'wa. They come out at the posted times but if you want anyone specific, ask the handlers or even some of the other cast members. They have their schedules. I happened upon Goofy in the lazy river and, though I missed Mickey & Minnie, I had a photo with Donald, too. I asked the handler if Stitch was due out and she told me his time--that he'd be wandering--and which door he would come out of. I saw Duffy walking around shortly after that; he has a very loyal fanbase in Japan and had a group of admirers following him! And sure enough, I caught Stitch. What was nice was, despite the resort being at capacity and crowded, waiting for photos was nothing compared to the parks and the cruise ships.
- The gift shops were small and surprisingly limited. One of my favorite Disney films is Lilo & Stitch; I was so disappointed that nearly nothing with Lilo & Stitch was available. At their Hawaii resort!! In fact, a lot of items sold out while I was there. The only Aulani pin with Stitch sold out before I went back to buy it. He was featured on some of the dated Aulani merchandise and that was it. Toward the end of our stay, they stocked some of the generic Stitch plush from the parks. It took a trip to the Ala Moana Mall in Waikiki to find Lilo & Stitch Hawaii items in the Disney Store there.
- I wish they stocked the Daily I'wa in other places other than the lobby. However, I did start checking the lobby the night before for the following day.
Oahu:
- Here was the conflict: The resort was amazing. We did not want to leave. But not to experience the island would have been a waste. I booked 2 excursions through private companies. A wild dolphin catamaran snorkel charter with Wild Side Specialty Tours and a movie filming location tour at Kualoa Ranch. The only option I was given was an early morning time for both. This means you need to be up very early for most of your vacation! This was stressful with a slower family with mobility issues, and the fact that we adjusted very quickly to Hawaiian time. The dolphin snorkel was "up the road" about 35 minutes further up the west coast from Aulani. It took that long because this is real suburban Hawaii. Nothing is tourist there. We caught every single traffic light. The company provided detailed directions, which was good, because Siri did not know where this marina was at all. However, we spent several minutes circling the parking lot because we could not find the landmarks both the directions (and the employee on the phone) kept telling us were there. The stress was worth it. This was AMAZING and the highlight of the trip; great crew and even better wildlife. I was about 8 feet from a pod of 30-40 spinner dolphins! They were very kid friendly (a family with 2 young girls also from Aulani were with us) but please do your kids a favor and practice snorkeling with them. This is deep ocean water and if you are unfamiliar with snorkeling, you'll cheat yourself out of an amazing experience due to getting tired or overwhelmed. I think their kids became the latter, because the girls lasted only a few minutes in the water. Such a shame!
Kualoa is where Jurassic Park was filmed, amongst a host of others. It's on the other side of the island and offers several different kinds of activities other than their movie tour, so make sure you leave no later than an hour prior to your schedule time to get there. This was amazing to see, too, and we spent the rest of the day around the ranch and then drove around to the North Shore. Do yourself a favor: research which beach you want to see at the North Shore and be prepared to fight for a spot to pull over on the side of the road. Otherwise there is nothing special about the North Shore in the summer. We got our garlic shrimp at the ranch. The Dole Plantation became a pit stop on our way back down south to Aulani. A cute diversion; it was MOBBED with tour busses and tourists, so be prepared. You'll pass fields of pineapples on your way down from the North Shore, so we didn't feel compelled to pay $9 a person to ride a train to see more. I got a Dole Whip ... because ... hey, authentic! And then walked around the giant gift shop devoted to the spikey fruit. This is something you can do as part of larger day; do not make this your sole destination.
- Waikiki was just like Daytona, or Miami, or Fort Lauderdale: insanely congested and crowded and touristy. Parking was not easy at all to find. There are no helpful signs to direct you around the area. We had lunch at Duke's ... which was good but nothing special (although the dessert was) and gazed at Diamond Head. That about satisfied our Waikiki need. Unless you want to surf or body board, stick to the lagoon at Aulani.
- Pearl Harbor. Tickets opened up at 7 AM the day before we wanted to visit, so I nabbed 11:45 for the Arizona. We got there with plenty of time. However, it is NOT communicated that you need to be in the area (which is not clearly marked) for the Arizona tour at least 15 minutes prior to your tour time. Dad wanted to visit the air museum and we were told we had plenty of time to see it and the Missouri. Well, if your dad is an Air Force veteran, 2 1/2 hours is NOT enough time to see the air museum. You need to take a shuttle to take you to the museum and the battleship, so that adds to your time. We arrived back at the Arizona building at exactly our time, only to be told our tour had already left! However, the park ranger made a special exception for us due to Dad's rank and allowed us on with the next tour. DO NOT SKIP PEARL HARBOR. This was an incredible, moving, emotional experience. If you have young children, it may be lost on them, though. Everything at Pearl Harbor, if you choose to see it all, will take the entire day. If you have a later tour time, still go early so you can do it all.
Final Thoughts:
- If I could do it over again, I would have extended my stay to at least 10 full days. I would have booked us to stay at a hotel more toward Honolulu and get all the sight-seeing done in 5 days. Then, the rest of our stay would be at Aulani and not leave. I regret we did very little relaxing. Mom and I did have spa appointments; both of us got a mani/pedi early in our stay. Later, I had a massage and Mom had a facial. They only had late appointments available (and I booked months ago) so it was a shame we did not have a lot of time to use the spa services. I loved the spa there a lot more than the Grand Floridian.
- But don't NOT leave, unless you've already toured the island previously and the cost of both getting out there and Aulani is NBD. The island is amazing.
- Pack light. No, really. My family tries but we fail miserably. In fact, we were made fun of by several different people upon seeing our 3 large bags and 2 carry-ons each. Packing light will make the Honolulu airport more tolerable. We did at least 3 loads of wash in our villa; we really didn't need everything we brought.
If I left anything out that you're curious about (keeping in mind I did not travel with kids so I cannot tell you anything regarding kids) please feel free to ask. I hope I helped!
