Happy in Hawaii –- Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler ~ Updated 7/20: Final Update and link to new TR!

[Imagineer5]

Yum that looks like such a fun evening! The mai tai is pretty dark, it def looks like it has more alcohol than juice lol! And how awesome to have free noodles! Glad Izzy went to sleep after just a little fuss, but it was so nice you had that time to just walk around and enjoy the sunset - looks beautiful! Neat to have all the resorts nearby.

I can't imagine waking up middle of the night (though I'm used to going to bed at 8pm hahahaha). But the pie looks like it was delicious!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chip and Dale had just made an appearance. Izzy went running/dancing up to see them:

Chip and Dale are always two of the best at character interactions.

Love this!!!!

I appreciated the fact that Izzy’s chair had arms on it, to keep her contained (she was newly over high chairs).

That's so hard. Drew is also not happy to be tied down in high chairs anymore, but if we don't he's up and running around the restaurant within 5 minutes.

And that’s when I noticed what you see over on the left: free meal for the under 3 crowd!

for Monkeypod!

Izzy’s noodles and cheese ended up being a HUGE hit! She loved them and gobbled them up. I love this sequence of pictures:

I remembered reading in Captain Oblivious’ TR that the chocolate cream pie was a special treat – so I got one to go.

Oh, man. Now I'm jealous. We have not had a chocolate cream pie that was as good as that one.

Beautiful!

I had heard that it was better to do the outdoor trails at night because you can see things light up better (and it’s not as hot).

Good idea. That makes sense.

Then she wanted to play with her new Aulani figurines, so she did that while I pulled up our Photopass pictures on the TV. I thought that was a really nice feature at Aulani – easy to check out your pics.

Agreed. So convenient.

Yes, indeed, I had middle-of-the-night pie:

 

[Leshaface]

Thanks to reviews on the DIS, I knew the Pumpkin Patch Ravioli was excellent, as well as the Garlic Truffle Oil Fries. And I had to get a Mai Tai, of course – also discounted for happy hour.

Ooh yum that ravioli sounds delicious!

not eating a lot and being sick makes drinks strong!

Well, at least they're consistent with their pours!

Aw she's loving it!

chocolate cream pie was a special treat

Ooh yum.

I figured this would be a good opportunity for me to try some of the outdoor Menehune Trail. I stopped into the Pau Hana room at about 6:20pm to pick up the tablet and start my adventure (with sleeping toddler):

Great idea and some quiet time for you as well

I love this shot (even though you can't make out the details of your face) it's really cool.

while I pulled up our Photopass pictures on the TV. I thought that was a really nice feature at Aulani – easy to check out your pics.

That is awesome! I'm guessing WDW will soon adapt this?

Oh yeah, that looks bomb!



Side note: Will you be doing a DLR TR???

 

[Dugette]

Yum That looks god! Glad you and Izzy both enjoyed your dinner!

It was a great (and fairly cheap) meal!

Wow..That is gorgeous!

I could look at that view all day.

That seems like a perfect spot to get married. That would be so romantic

Definitely no shortage of brides around the resort.

That is great you were able to get some time to yourself to enjoy the beautiful night! You must have been so happy that it worked out that perfectly since Izzy was napping!

It really was perfect! That night is still one of my favorite memories of the trip. It was just so beautiful and I could actually take it all in and not chase after anyone else.

That pie looks SO good! Seems like a perfect nighttime snack!

Wish I had a slice right about now...

It seems like Izzy had a great afternoon partying with Chip and her new friend!

She really did. That whole activity was a surprise hit, since we just went to try to meet Chip and Dale, but it ended up being a great event.

It looks like you and Izzy both had delicious dinners! That pumpkin ravioli sounds really good. And great bonus that Izzy's meal was free!

I was so excited to see that free meal for her, as I hadn't heard about it. Not to mention that she LOVED it. And I LOVED that ravioli too...so yummy!

What a relaxing night - just you and sleepy Izzy! The sunset pictures are amazing!

Thanks, it was a really fantastic night!

I'm happy Izzy finally agreed to settle down. And there isn't much better than middle of the night pie!

Haha, I think it might be the only time in my life I've ever gotten up and had middle of the night pie. I felt like I was getting away with something.

Yum that looks like such a fun evening! The mai tai is pretty dark, it def looks like it has more alcohol than juice lol! And how awesome to have free noodles! Glad Izzy went to sleep after just a little fuss, but it was so nice you had that time to just walk around and enjoy the sunset - looks beautiful! Neat to have all the resorts nearby.

Very true about the mai tai. I really enjoyed walking around and taking in the sunset view and checking out the other resorts (Aulani was definitely the most impressive looking).

I can't imagine waking up middle of the night (though I'm used to going to bed at 8pm hahahaha). But the pie looks like it was delicious!

The pie was delicious! Do you really go to bed at 8pm? I knew it was early, but that is early! By the time I got up for pie, you would have nearly had a full night's sleep. In all fairness, though, I did intend to get up a few hours before that, but wasn't feeling well and still determined to get up at some point and do the things I'd wanted to do (shower, make notes, eat pie ). I don't normally get up middle of the night (well, not since Izzy started sleeping through them back in the day).

 

[Dugette]

Chip and Dale are always two of the best at character interactions.

I agree - they are almost always the most fun and interactive with Izzy.

Love this!!!!

Me too, thanks.

That's so hard. Drew is also not happy to be tied down in high chairs anymore, but if we don't he's up and running around the restaurant within 5 minutes.

Yep, that's the tricky stage. I liked those chairs with full arms that were kind-of little toddler jails without straps.

for Monkeypod!

I'd say Izzy gave it a Drooling Homer award.

Oh, man. Now I'm jealous. We have not had a chocolate cream pie that was as good as that one.

Thanks for the recommendation of it! We didn't have it on this most recent trip, but we did try some pie at Ted's Bakery on the North Shore - also excellent!

Beautiful!

Thanks.

Good idea. That makes sense.

Worked out pretty well.

Agreed. So convenient.

Makes me wonder why they don't have that at WDW, given that Aulani is otherwise pretty old-fashioned on the Photopass front.

Woohoo, I've earned your top award!

Ooh yum that ravioli sounds delicious!

It is really, really good.

Well, at least they're consistent with their pours!

Indeed they are!

Aw she's loving it!

I was surprised how much she enjoyed that. Back at the time of that trip, she was obsessed with food pouches and wasn't gobbling down a lot of "real" food, so this was great.

Ooh yum.

Great idea and some quiet time for you as well

Worked out perfect, since Izzy hadn't been terribly interested in it earlier in the day and I still wanted to try some more of it.

I love this shot (even though you can't make out the details of your face) it's really cool.

Thanks. My little attempt at a sunset selfie.

That is awesome! I'm guessing WDW will soon adapt this?

No idea, but they really should.

Oh yeah, that looks bomb!

It was a very nice late-night treat!

Side note: Will you be doing a DLR TR???

Haha, yes, but might be a while. Part of me is tempted to start it immediately because I'm excited to write about it, but the rest of me realizes that is silly, given my backlog on TRs right now. I'm 3 days into the 12 night May land and sea TR, I've got another 9 nights in Hawaii to write about when I finish this one, and there is STILL an unwritten June 2014 WDW TR from when I went with Imagineer5 (Lauren and Aria). I think I am going to finish this report and start on the 2nd Hawaii, then finish the Land and Sea simultaneously (as I'm doing now), then start on DLR. No idea when the old WDW trip report will happen, but I keep joking that Izzy and Aria will be able to write it themselves before we have enough of a break in between trips to get caught up and do it.

 

[Dugette]

Giddy Up!

After my late bedtime, I was unpleasantly awakened early in the morning by my phone buzzing like crazy with texts. Here I am thinking it’s some sort of emergency, but no, it’s Dug’s family on a group message playing some sort of silly game (just looked back and saw it was a “brain teaser of the day” and it came in around 7:30am Hawaii time, so nearly lunchtime in MN- hmmm, seemed earlier than that in my memory ). I also saw a message that Dug’s cousin and her husband of only 2 years were separating – that was a huge surprise. And, on that note, I got up and ready. I let Izzy continue to sleep and she woke up as I was just about ready to get her up.

I made her some toast for breakfast, along with the leftover fruit from Ama Ama. I probably gave her a pouch or a stick of cheese or something too. Oh and, of course, milk.

I made an egg sandwich for myself. For some reason, the egg didn’t turn out very good, but I ate it anyway, as I was running around and getting everything ready for the day.

Izzy vetoed whatever outfit I’d chosen for her that day and instead selected what I think of as her “Animal Kingdom” outfit – Minnie with animal prints. Fine by me.

I made a quick call to the character hotline to check on today’s character meet schedule for when we returned.

We made it out the door at 8:15am, which was about 15 minutes behind my “goal” time, but still okay.

On our way:



The outfit she chose:



We made it out of the parking garage at 8:25am, with my phone/Siri directing us up to the North Shore and Gunstock Ranch. We passed the Dole Plantation and Waimea Valley on the way (future destinations ). I was able to catch glimpses of the North Shore as we drove along and it was beautiful. At one point, my lane suddenly turned into a turn lane and I was able to loop through a gas station and quickly get back on track without losing much time. We actually made up time and got there right around 9:30am, which I think was the plan. The entrance to the ranch was a long and bumpy road with peacocks and turkeys roaming around. We got to the parking area and pulled in.

As we got out, we saw kids coming in from a ride:





Izzy said she liked it and wanted to do it too. Yay! As some background, this adventure came about in a random way. I saw something in my pre-trip research about pony rides on the island, I think at Kualoa Ranch, where we were going anyway. But then I found out that there was a minimum age requirement and Izzy didn’t meet it (like 5 or something). I probably had already told her about riding a horsey, so I started searching for another option on the island and came across Gunstock Ranch. They do actual horseback trail rides for kids as young as 2, so Izzy qualified. And they had great reviews online. So I set it up – figured it would be a fun place to ride a horse for the first time.

Our handler, Cammie, searched the helmets for one small enough for Izzy. Even their very smallest one slipped down on her face, but they had to go with that. Honestly, they do trail rides for 2 year olds and Izzy had a large head for her age, so they probably need a smaller helmet available. And I think that was a big contributor to what is coming…

Cammie led us out to Nellie, a very sweet and calm horse. She helped Izzy get all situated:



And, thankfully, I started taking a few pictures as soon as Cammie moved out of the shot (was just going to do this quickly, then walk alongside her, as Cammie recommended):





I say “thankfully” because that first minute was the extent of her horseback riding. If you are good at reading toddler body language, you might be able to identify that reach in the second picture as a “please get me off of this thing” gesture. You can also see that her helmet is already starting to slide down her head. I think that was really bothering her. We kept trying to get her to ride some more, but she kept freaking out and wanting off. And I had to keep sliding the helmet back off her eyes.

Cammie then suggested that Izzy could come down and pet the horse. She enjoyed that and they went through all of Nellie’s facial features together. Then Cammie suggested that Izzy could help her walk Nellie. Izzy approved of this idea and picked up the reigns:



At some point, I asked Cammie if I could ride with Izzy, since I knew she’d be more willing to do that, but she said it wasn’t allowed – only one rider at a time. So, I asked if I could ride Nellie by myself, just to show Izzy it was okay. She said yes, so I got to ride for a few minutes while Cammie and Izzy walked Nellie. Izzy still was not willing to ride, though. Well, hey, at least one of us got to ride a horse.

At one point, a donkey followed us around and Izzy decided it was the “baby” and Nellie was “the mommy.” The donkey soon wandered over in here:



We tried to use that in our favor and told Izzy that “baby wants you to ride mommy over to him.” She’d agree and get on, but then freak out and want off. Oh, well. I’m glad that Cammie at least kept working with us for our whole time slot, despite Izzy being so uncooperative.

And some really sad pictures to commemorate the occasion – even Nellie looks embarrassed (and check out that helmet!):





Strangely, after all was said and done, Izzy insisted that she’d had fun. I guess walking a horse is a good time when you’re 2. Bye, Nellie and friends:



We started to drive off, but soon came upon the playground I’d noticed when we drove in. I stopped the car and let Izzy play a bit – might as well get the most value we can out of Gunstock Ranch. She just loved this little old playground and could have stayed here all day:







Our rental car parked under a palm tree:



So, the funniest thing at this playground was that Izzy found this telescope and declared, “I point this at Minnie!”:



I tried to get some video follow-up on that too:

(click to watch)

I checked out some of the area wildlife while Izzy played:





I had a really hard time getting her to leave the playground. At one point, I even pretended I was going to get in the car and leave:



It didn’t work. I eventually had to literally carry her off the playground and put her in the car. Cause, you know, there was other fun to be had. Our next stop was Waimea Valley to hike through a botanical garden to a waterfall. Seemed like a very stroller-friendly activity, so why not? I guess I stopped for an ocean picture on the way:



Also, my phone/Siri was not very helpful and insisted, “I can’t help you with Estonia.” Ok, then. We made it anyway, a bit later than planned (11:23am), due to the extended playground time, but that was fine.

Up next: A beautiful stroll.

 

[cindianne320]

Man is Hawaii beautiful. I mean, I've been there, but you forget! I'm sorry Izzy wasn't having the riding lesson. She looked so cute, and I'm impressed you even got her on it! And funny that the playground that could be anywhere was the hit of her day!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

The outfit she chose:

Love the outfit!

Aw she looks so cute on the horse! Sorry she didn't enjoy it too much...and that helmet does look way too big! Who would want to be on a big animal when they have something annoying on their head..

Too cute. That's great she felt more comfortable walking Nellie.

Well, hey, at least one of us got to ride a horse.

Mommy's need some fun too! Glad you enjoyed it!!

 

[Dugette]

Man is Hawaii beautiful. I mean, I've been there, but you forget! I'm sorry Izzy wasn't having the riding lesson. She looked so cute, and I'm impressed you even got her on it! And funny that the playground that could be anywhere was the hit of her day!

It really is just gorgeous there.

I'm glad she at least got on the horse for a minute, haha.

She could have stayed at that playground all day.

Love the outfit!

Thanks, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that one.

Aw she looks so cute on the horse! Sorry she didn't enjoy it too much...and that helmet does look way too big! Who would want to be on a big animal when they have something annoying on their head..

Exactly!

Too cute. That's great she felt more comfortable walking Nellie.

At least she got some bonding in with the horse.

Mommy's need some fun too! Glad you enjoyed it!!

Somebody's gotta get that horseback ride I paid for!

 

[Schmagurty]

Finally got my Aulani/Hawaii trip report started! Check it out if you're interested: http://disboards.com/threads/aulani...-hawaii-with-a-4-year-old-and-a-baby.3490562/

 

[Dugette]

Finally got my Aulani/Hawaii trip report started! Check it out if you're interested: http://disboards.com/threads/aulani...-hawaii-with-a-4-year-old-and-a-baby.3490562/

This is great! I just read it over lunch - will have to reply later on. If anyone here is looking for another Aulani report to read, I highly recommend it!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I probably had already told her about riding a horsey, so I started searching for another option on the island and came across Gunstock Ranch. They do actual horseback trail rides for kids as young as 2, so Izzy qualified.

Nice idea! Cool that they try and incorporate little kids.

If you are good at reading toddler body language, you might be able to identify that reach in the second picture as a “please get me off of this thing” gesture.

I've definitely seen that look before!

Then Cammie suggested that Izzy could help her walk Nellie.

Cammie FTW!

Well, hey, at least one of us got to ride a horse.

You can rub it in when Izzy is older.

We started to drive off, but soon came upon the playground I’d noticed when we drove in. I stopped the car and let Izzy play a bit – might as well get the most value we can out of Gunstock Ranch.

I would have said the same thing!

Also, my phone/Siri was not very helpful and insisted, “I can’t help you with Estonia.”

Go home, Siri. You're drunk.

 

[schmass]

Your food at Mokeypod looks so good. It's funny, I was looking at the menu you posted and thought how I'd eat the pumpkin ravioli and truffle fries, and then read that it was your order! That pie looked good, too.

The Menehune Trail looks like fun!

Sorry Izzy's horseback riding experience didn't go so well. I did a trail ride at Ft Wilderness when I was little and HATED it, and then the next year started riding lessons and eventually owned a horse. So you never know! At least you got a few minutes of riding in!

Funny that her experience was still a good one, even though she hated it. Toddlers are funny. Rory went skiing the other day (and loved it), but when I asked him what his favorite part was, he said "I spinned out. I fell on my bum!" And that was his favorite part. Ha.

 

[hokieinpa]

Oh, sorry the horse ride wasn't a full on success! But at least she had fun walking the horse. Small victories, right?

And of course she loved the playground! It looks like the one we have in our backyard. But I'm sure it's much more fun in Hawaii!

 

[Dugette]

Nice idea! Cool that they try and incorporate little kids.

I was happy to find a place that had something for a 2 year old.

I've definitely seen that look before!

Cammie FTW!

You can rub it in when Izzy is older.

Indeed. She already is telling me that she wants to ride a horse again and won't ask to get off, etc.

I would have said the same thing!

Great minds! (And, "If it's free, it's for me!")

Go home, Siri. You're drunk.

So true! This is why I don't use Siri often. She needs to sober up a bit.

Your food at Mokeypod looks so good. It's funny, I was looking at the menu you posted and thought how I'd eat the pumpkin ravioli and truffle fries, and then read that it was your order! That pie looked good, too.

Haha, good taste! They were definitely good choices - so much so that I ordered them again on the next trip.

The Menehune Trail looks like fun!

It's a fun activity for everyone, I'd say. And we did some other parts of it on the return trip. Lots to try!

Sorry Izzy's horseback riding experience didn't go so well. I did a trail ride at Ft Wilderness when I was little and HATED it, and then the next year started riding lessons and eventually owned a horse. So you never know! At least you got a few minutes of riding in!

Haha, maybe she'll be asking for a horse someday. (Possibly just to take it on walks. )

Funny that her experience was still a good one, even though she hated it. Toddlers are funny. Rory went skiing the other day (and loved it), but when I asked him what his favorite part was, he said "I spinned out. I fell on my bum!" And that was his favorite part. Ha.

I love their logic! Cute story!

Oh, sorry the horse ride wasn't a full on success! But at least she had fun walking the horse. Small victories, right?

Yes, indeed. She had fun, so I guess that's what matters, even if it wasn't close to the picture I had in my head.

And of course she loved the playground! It looks like the one we have in our backyard. But I'm sure it's much more fun in Hawaii!

All playgrounds are infinitely more fun in Hawaii, it seems. (Well, she thinks they're fun anywhere, though, so I'm sure your backyard would suffice).

 

[Dugette]

Waimea Valley Stroll

We pulled off the main road and made our way into Waimea Valley:



A lot of people were parking further back, but I decided to drive all the way up to the entrance and, sure enough, there were parking spots in the dirt lot there. I got Izzy’s stroller out and we headed for the nearby entrance:



We stopped on the way in and squeezed into a very cramped restroom (as most are when you and a kid need to fit in – especially if you have a stroller). Then we moved on to the ticket counter to pay admission (Izzy was free and I was like $15, I think?) Once inside, we stuck to the main pathway, but there were a lot of side trails. I avoided those because I had the stroller and they were not paved. Otherwise, they would have been fun to explore. The botanical gardens were really beautiful:























I am not a person who is really into trees and flowers and all, but I was really amazed at how beautiful this place was. Everywhere I looked was just unique and lovely scenery.

Izzy was content in her stroller as we walked along. But she was clear that it was a No Paparazzi zone:



She found a leaf and was happy to play with it. Later, she added a couple more, as it’s very important to have a mommy, a daddy, and a baby leaf :



Soon enough, we could see the waterfall at the other end of the park:





People can get in and swim under this waterfall, but we obviously did not do that. One, because it was just me and Izzy. Two, because I’ve read reports about dangerous bacteria or something in the water and that’s nothing I am tempted to mess with. Izzy really wanted out of her stroller to watch the waterfall, but I didn’t want to chance her tumbling down there, so she was not very happy that I made her stay put:



Strangers playing in the waterfall:



Part of the reason I wanted to keep her in the stroller was because my phone (camera) was giving me trouble and I needed to attend to it and not worry about her. This had happened on a previous Disney trip too – phone started freezing up and I couldn’t take pictures. I managed to get into the settings and delete some unnecessary apps and that was enough to get it working again. Always great timing when these things happen – just when I’m trying to take waterfall pictures!

With my phone working, I was able to get a video clip:

(click to watch)

Once we walked far enough away from the waterfall, I let Izzy out of her stroller to walk part of the way back with me. Clearly, my hopes of her napping in the stroller during this walk were not fulfilled:





She was having fun balancing along the little curbs at the edge of the bridges. She was moving VERY slowly, so I finally convinced her to get back in her stroller for a snack:



Mmmm, pretzels! With her riding, we got back to the entrance much more quickly. Still saw pretty flowers on the way:







On the way out, I saw this on the wall of movie posters there:



Izzy told me she “didn’t know” who this was! Well, she would find out soon enough…

Other movie posters:



And a couple more colorful flowers:





We got back to the car at 12:55pm, so we were there for about an hour and a half total. Definitely could have spent more time, but we zipped through, as I had other things on the agenda that day. Next on the plan was a stop at the Dole Plantation on our way back to Aulani. Mmmm, Dole Whip. Well, as we drove, I had a pretty good feeling that Izzy finally decided to take her nap – very quiet breathing coming from the backseat.

I parked at the Dole Plantation and went back to take a look:



Sure enough, she was passed out. I decided to skip the Dole Plantation for today (we had contingency plans to get back there) and just let her nap. I knew that Mickey and Minnie were meeting at 2pm, so I figured we’d just go back to Aulani and do that.

Making a left out of the Dole Plantation wasn’t the easiest, as it’s a 2-lane highway and it was constant traffic. Thankfully, after several minutes, another car stopped to let us pull out. They must have known how difficult that turn was. Nice of them to help! And, with that, we were on our way back “home.”

We made it back a few minutes before 2pm and parked on my favorite ramp level that leads right over to the lobby:



Up next: Izzy figures out who Stitch is and a spontaneous Photopass session.

 

[AZMermaid]

Great update! We passed all the people parking on the driveway at the botanical garden too and pulled up to the lot and found a spot!

 

[hokieinpa]

Beautiful pictures! I think it's so amazing because the scenery there is so completely different from anything close to home!

And I agree with skipping the swim in the waterfall. No one needs to mess with bacteria in the water!

Glad Izzy got a nap in and you had flexible plans!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Then we moved on to the ticket counter to pay admission (Izzy was free and I was like $15, I think?)

Not too bad! Especially for all the pretty stuff you saw.

The botanical gardens were really beautiful:

Very pretty - it looks so peaceful!

Soon enough, we could see the waterfall at the other end of the park:

Love this! I always find waterfalls very pretty to look at.

People can get in and swim under this waterfall, but we obviously did not do that. One, because it was just me and Izzy. Two, because I’ve read reports about dangerous bacteria or something in the water and that’s nothing I am tempted to mess with.

Oh! This waterfall has definitley been used in a few movies! I know for sure it was used in " Just Go With It" with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston (great movie by the way). It looks fun to swim in but if there is suppposedly bacteria within the water, I wouldn't be too excited going in there lol.

On the way out, I saw this on the wall of movie posters there:

Other movie posters:

Love all the movie posters! Nice touch.

 

[Imagineer5]

Oh no- at the horseback riding session! That is too bad how freaked out she was over the whole thing, BUT they at least salvaged it by letting her walk around. Funny how the playground was the hit of the stop there lol!!

The botanical gardens looked like an absolutely perfect stop!! Nice you were able to stroll with the stroller too. That bacteria sounds awful, good choice on avoiding that!

Looking forward to more! I've done the dole plantation - its been so long I don't remember all that we did on Oahu (I was like 10&12 when I went to Oahu after that we went straight to Maui) but I do remember going there!