Am I crazy for this DL / Aulani plan?

[Mardigras2025]

Hi all, I am considering a wild pivot in vacation plans with the 7 month mark coming up for us any day and want to get a sanity check:

3 nights - grand Californian 2br villa (renting points)
3 nights - Hilton Hawaiian village in Waikiki or another option (potentially 4 nights?)
3 nights - aulani 2br (renting points)

This is compared to our currently planned base case trip in March 2025 of 7 nights at the Polynesian.

It will be a group of 6. I will have a 6 year old daughter, 4 year old son, and my in-laws. We are coming from the Midwest, so the west coast means time change and longer flights (including no directs to Orange County on the way there and no directs home from Oahu).

The HI trip is actually not much more expensive overall due to less park days (3 at DL vs. 5 at WDW), and less Disney meals. This is our kids first trip with the next one planning for when they are 8 and 10 (but plans can change…).

The middle part is flexible if we find somewhere else to stay. Willing to consider making it a 10 night trip as well to make up for the long flights.

Our daughter has been begging to go to Hawaii, but we also want to take them on their first Disney trip at this age (specifically my daughter who will be 6.5). My wife wants her parents to go with us, and factoring in tickets, food, and two Poly studios - that quickly adds up and makes me wonder if it is worth it vs. taking them to another destination.

We also lived on the west coast for years, and promised these same grandparents a trip to Hawaii at that time so that they could spend time with us and their granddaughter, which was cancelled by covid and ultimately resulted in us moving back to the east. Now they see their grandkids all the time, so that trip quietly disappeared.

If we did DL on our way to HI, the kids and grandparents still get that experience but on a smaller scale. Maybe everyone is adjusted to the time changes a little better on the way to HI. Then the grandparents get to go to a dream destination. My wife and I have been to Maui and Kauai, but not Oahu. I am sure we will take the kids to another island some other time.

I am also attracted to the idea of Disneyland in general for 4 & 6 vs. Disney world - walkability, park hopping, napping if needed, all seem a little easier. Big Thunder, Dinoland, Test Track, and more all being closed at WDW makes me think it could be a good time to choose DL and do the undertaking of a WDW when the kids are a little older.

Apologies for the rambling - really just trying to get thoughts around this and if I am too crazy or not. I posted something similar to Reddit a week or two ago, and thought it calmed me down and kept me in the WDW plan, but surprisingly my wife is excited for this new alternative.

Is this doable? Possible to be enjoyable or a recipe for nightmares?

 

[Heroes_or_Villains]

Sounds like a fun trip! You might struggle to get a 2bdrm at Grand Cal at the 7 month mark but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Better bet if you want to do this plan would be to try and rent points from someone who has Grand Cal as home resort. I'd definitely go on this trip!

 

[VGCgroupie]

I personally would do all Aulani in Hawaii and not Hilton. Mickey and Hawaii together in one

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Totally doable! And I agree with staying at Aulani the entire time instead of moving again.

We did Aulani for 10 days as our “base” to explore the island and alternated between resort days and exploration days this March of 2024. It was awesome. I highly recommend breakfast at Off the Hook early in the morning and watching the sun rise. So relaxing. Also highly recommend brunch at La Hiki at the Four Seasons next door. So pricy but so good.

We did Disneyland on the way back. But I like your idea of doing DL first better. I was usually awake at 2am in Hawaii time with nothing to do but laundry and the gym. Even the resort music isn’t on that early. Plus I was tired from the park days and Aulani would have been a nice way to end the vacation.

I hope you’re able to rent Grand Cal. We loved the location but it was difficult to get on points at the 7 month mark. Good thing about DL is there’s so many hotels within walking distance of the parks. The parks are also super close together, and things felt much more compact at DL vs DW. More rides closer together.

It sounds like this trip is something your daughter, wife, and parents in law are/would be excited for. How does your son feel about Hawaii? How about you?

Personally I know if I promised a trip somewhere to my in laws I’d try to fulfill it asap. Don’t want it hanging over me, especially if they’re older like mine are.

 

[Mardigras2025]

Sounds like a fun trip! You might struggle to get a 2bdrm at Grand Cal at the 7 month mark but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Better bet if you want to do this plan would be to try and rent points from someone who has Grand Cal as home resort. I'd definitely go on this trip!

Well I actually already rented the Poly points from someone. And they looked at availability for the grand cal two bedroom, and it is currently available! So fingers crossed if we go with this pivot and they are online and book right at the 7-month time, that we can get it. The 7-month mark is a few days away.

If not, we can stay at a good neighbor and save a lot of money to apply to the Aulani portion. I guess I wanted to little Disney bubble at DLR though, including early entry and the shortest walk.

 

[Mardigras2025]

I personally would do all Aulani in Hawaii and not Hilton. Mickey and Hawaii together in one

Very interesting idea! It is definitely an option we will consider. I think if we do a split stay on Oahu, it allows us to explore the island for the first few days, and then just settle in at Aulani and relax for the end of the trip. Ending the trip on a high note with Mickey. At least this was my idea, and it likely saves a good amount of money too (which helps keep this crazy plan somewhat comparable to the original WDW Poly idea).

 

[Mardigras2025]

Totally doable! And I agree with staying at Aulani the entire time instead of moving again.

We did Aulani for 10 days as our “base” to explore the island and alternated between resort days and exploration days this March of 2024. It was awesome. I highly recommend breakfast at Off the Hook early in the morning and watching the sun rise. So relaxing. Also highly recommend brunch at La Hiki at the Four Seasons next door. So pricy but so good.

We did Disneyland on the way back. But I like your idea of doing DL first better. I was usually awake at 2am in Hawaii time with nothing to do but laundry and the gym. Even the resort music isn’t on that early. Plus I was tired from the park days and Aulani would have been a nice way to end the vacation.

I hope you’re able to rent Grand Cal. We loved the location but it was difficult to get on points at the 7 month mark. Good thing about DL is there’s so many hotels within walking distance of the parks. The parks are also super close together, and things felt much more compact at DL vs DW. More rides closer together.

It sounds like this trip is something your daughter, wife, and parents in law are/would be excited for. How does your son feel about Hawaii? How about you?

Personally I know if I promised a trip somewhere to my in laws I’d try to fulfill it asap. Don’t want it hanging over me, especially if they’re older like mine are.

Thank you for all of the tips! This has me excited and your trip sounds amazing!

Normally my wife hates the idea of switching locations or “living out of a suitcase” but for some reason she is all for this plan. My kids have been obsessed with a sing-along video that features “Surfin’ Safari” and my daughter has school friends that went this past spring break, which is how she knows about Hawaii and surfing, so that is what makes her say she would prefer Hawaii over Disney World. My son does not know any better at 3.5 currently… but I could definitely see him preferring Grand Cal, 3 park days vs. 5, and the beach. As long as he can handle the travel logistics. I personally would be excited, despite the slightly higher price and fear of the long flights with the kids. I was second guessing the giant WDW trip - the cost for 4 adults and 2 kids vs. another destination, marshaling everyone together for 5 park days including early entry, and now thinking the kids would prefer it at a slightly older age.

We bought the in laws HI guide books for Christmas 2019 and had hotels booked for September 2020. That trip got cancelled, then we moved back to their city to be closer later in 2021. We sort of figured the move and being close to their grandkids made up for the lack of the Hawaii trip, but it would be nice to be able to surprise them by revisiting it!

 

[FrannyFrogs]

I did a really similar trip in May and it was excellent! My cousin and I flew from MA and KY to meet at SNA airport (early connecting flights) late morning.
3 nights VDH: one evening of pool, downtown Disney, explore the 3 hotels; one day DL; one day DCA
Flew to HNL in the morning
2 nights Hyatt Regency Waikiki (free on credit card points transferred to Hyatt, great redemption value, upgraded to Ocean view): explored Waikiki, hiked Diamond Head at sunrise, visited aquarium and Bishop Museum
4 nights Aulani: just enjoyed the resort activities and dining
Then I flew home direct to Boston.
We loved how the trip was front-loaded with active tourism and more chill at the end. The time zones worked in our favor to rope drop both Disney parks and Diamond Head. At Aulani we were awake early but not too early... Like 5:30 or 6, which was a great time to snag prime lounge chairs and get a frozen coffee and watch the resort come to life!
I think your plan is great. Depending on the grandparents energy level, all your hotels will be nice for them to just hang out and enjoy the atmosphere if they get worn out

 

[Mardigras2025]

I did a really similar trip in May and it was excellent! My cousin and I flew from MA and KY to meet at SNA airport (early connecting flights) late morning.
3 nights VDH: one evening of pool, downtown Disney, explore the 3 hotels; one day DL; one day DCA
Flew to HNL in the morning
2 nights Hyatt Regency Waikiki (free on credit card points transferred to Hyatt, great redemption value, upgraded to Ocean view): explored Waikiki, hiked Diamond Head at sunrise, visited aquarium and Bishop Museum
4 nights Aulani: just enjoyed the resort activities and dining
Then I flew home direct to Boston.
We loved how the trip was front-loaded with active tourism and more chill at the end. The time zones worked in our favor to rope drop both Disney parks and Diamond Head. At Aulani we were awake early but not too early... Like 5:30 or 6, which was a great time to snag prime lounge chairs and get a frozen coffee and watch the resort come to life!
I think your plan is great. Depending on the grandparents energy level, all your hotels will be nice for them to just hang out and enjoy the atmosphere if they get worn out

Sounds amazing! Rope drop is definitively a big positive, and we were planning the same thing - to relax more at the end of the trip.

I would love to fly into SNA, but we unfortunately rarely get directs. LAX lands before 8am, so we were planning to do a late start day at Disneyland, then early entry GC the next day, and early entry DL on day 3, all with park hopper since the parks are basically connected.

Grandparents are fairly young and healthy. Grandma turns 60 this year (another good excuse for this trip), so they can likely handle some mild hiking.

 

[FrannyFrogs]

Sounds amazing! Rope drop is definitively a big positive, and we were planning the same thing - to relax more at the end of the trip.

I would love to fly into SNA, but we unfortunately rarely get directs. LAX lands before 8am, so we were planning to do a late start day at Disneyland, then early entry GC the next day, and early entry DL on day 3, all with park hopper since the parks are basically connected.

Grandparents are fairly young and healthy. Grandma turns 60 this year (another good excuse for this trip), so they can likely handle some mild hiking.

The GCH is a fantastic choice with your little children! If you get up super early and rope drop the parks, it's so easy to get back to the room for a midday break (even if they don't nap, a couple hours lounging in a cool dim room will be helpful). And a 2 bedroom unit is soooo nice with a common room for hanging out (as opposed to the Poly where both rooms are someone's bedroom).

 

[Tigger's ally]

Sounds amazing! Rope drop is definitively a big positive, and we were planning the same thing - to relax more at the end of the trip.

I would love to fly into SNA, but we unfortunately rarely get directs. LAX lands before 8am, so we were planning to do a late start day at Disneyland, then early entry GC the next day, and early entry DL on day 3, all with park hopper since the parks are basically connected.

Grandparents are fairly young and healthy. Grandma turns 60 this year (another good excuse for this trip), so they can likely handle some mild hiking.

My wife and I both just turned 60 and we are going on our 40th anny trip next May doing exactly what you have planned. Fly into LAX from Chicago. Two full days at DL and CA staying at the new DLHV's. Then on to Oahu with three days at Waikiki beach, then 5 nights at Aulani. My three children and three grandchildren will be surprising my wife for the Aulani part of the trip. Neat to see someone else with similar plans! Enjoy!

 

[Mardigras2025]

The GCH is a fantastic choice with your little children! If you get up super early and rope drop the parks, it's so easy to get back to the room for a midday break (even if they don't nap, a couple hours lounging in a cool dim room will be helpful). And a 2 bedroom unit is soooo nice with a common room for hanging out (as opposed to the Poly where both rooms are someone's bedroom).

We love having the option for 2 bedrooms with a living area, kitchen, laundry. Honestly, when we first selected Poly we were having a hard time deciding between the two poly studios and a 2br at wilderness lodge. Poly won out mostly for the transportation and being able to take breaks if needed, but also a little bit of the “vacation vibes” coming from the Midwest in March. So now we get the best of both worlds!

 

[Mardigras2025]

My wife and I both just turned 60 and we are going on our 40th anny trip next May doing exactly what you have planned. Fly into LAX from Chicago. Two full days at DL and CA staying at the new DLHV's. Then on to Oahu with three days at Waikiki beach, then 5 nights at Aulani. My three children and three grandchildren will be surprising my wife for the Aulani part of the trip. Neat to see someone else with similar plans! Enjoy!

Wow! So if this is a crazy plan, we can be crazy together! This makes me think I should consider making it a 10 night trip though…

 

[alohamom]

I really like your pivot plan! We are fairly regular Hawaii travelers and coming from Toronto the time change can really play a big part in how you experience those first couple of Hawaii days.

We have done the Disneyland/Hawaii combo twice and while it is a lot of living out of suitcases it is also tons of fun. What was great was that is makes the flights a little more bearable. Even though you are still travelling a similar distance, it just isn't as hard. Aulani at the end is amazing, especially for children the age of yours.

What I love about this kind of vacation is being able to look forward to the next leg once the first or second part is over.

 

[Heroes_or_Villains]

Wow! So if this is a crazy plan, we can be crazy together! This makes me think I should consider making it a 10 night trip though…

If you can swing 10 days, I'd suggest doing that. It's a lot of flying between midwest to LA to Honolulu. Also, I can appreciate the many points of view that said do Aulani the whole time, but as someone who grew up in Honolulu, I think your original plan of splitting between Waikiki and then Aulani is a good one. Aulani is in Ko'olina and while it doesn't look far from Waikiki or other locations on a map, the traffic on Oahu sucks so it would take quite a long time if you wanted to go from Aulani to exploring Waikiki or the East shore (which IMHO is the best) where you can go to the Aquarium, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc. It's a lot less time to get to the East side of the island from Waikiki vs trekking all the way from Aulani.

 

[Van@Disney]

One note, you mentioned not spending money on meals in the park, which would usually be a savings but meals in hawaii are actually pretty comparable or more expensive if you want to eat somewhere nice. Just be prepared, sticker shock on food can be startling.

 

[Mardigras2025]

One note, you mentioned not spending money on meals in the park, which would usually be a savings but meals in hawaii are actually pretty comparable or more expensive if you want to eat somewhere nice. Just be prepared, sticker shock on food can be startling.

Thanks - totally recognize that. I guess I thought more quick service and counter service at DL, maybe some more groceries overall. There won’t be any fine dining in Honolulu unless we get a date night. WDW we were considering Topolino’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hoop Dee Doo, Garden Grill. But agreed and noted - milk and eggs are much more expensive in Hawaii! Probably all too granular overall to factor into the budget vs. budget calculations with a few days to decide…

 

[VandVsmama]

Some thoughts/ideas to consider:

• breaking up the long flight from east coast to Hawaii with a stop at DL is a great idea.
• 3 days at DL is great. First time we took our kids was when they were 4 and 6. Truly magical. Make sure you get park hopper tickets. If you stay somewhere w/in walking distance of the parks, then you can very easily take an afternoon break at the hotel. Get there for rope drop, go on rides all morning, have lunch in the park, 2-4 hr hotel break, then go back late afternoon.
• Character breakfast at the Plaza Inn at DL is awesome, especially for kids in your children's age range.
• If no DVC rooms available to rent on points are available at Grand Californian, you could always stay somewhere on Harbor Blvd. Best Western Park Place Inn and the Tropicana are closest to the crosswalk and, honestly, are way closer of a walk than if you stayed at the Disneyland Hotel (5 min vs 15).

Your trip sounds awesome. Hope you have an amazing time!

 

[VandVsmama]

Re: things to do and cheap places to eat on Oahu - go take a look at some of Sean Kaleponi's videos on Youtube ("HawaiianTraveler"). We found his videos to be really helpful when looking for cheap local places to eat out that wouldn't break the bank.

That being said, you should expect Disney theme park prices at all of the quick service type of restaurants everywhere on Oahu.

Eating well at QS places at DL is really easy because the QS food at DL is, in my opinion, a lot better than at WDW. There's menu prices at https://allears.net/dlr/dining/menu/.

 

[jimmymc]

It sounds like a fantastic trip! Either one does, even with construction going on at Disney World. But Oahu and Disneyland are both amazing, and if you can make the timing and cost work, I would go for it.

Some comments, in no particular order:

• Try to fly in and out of John Wayne airport in California if you can. It's much closer to Disneyland
• The Hilton Hawaiian Village is huge and can be crowded, but it's also on a nice section of beach
• Parking in Waikiki can be tough and expensive, but parking in Aulani is free if you rent points. Waikiki is walkable, Aulani has a few restaurants nearby, but you generally need a car or taxi to get around.
• You'll want to rent a car for at least a day or two to explore the north and east sides of the island
• Food recommendations for Hawaii:
  • Sunrise Shack
  • Leonard's Malasadas
  • Foodland deli and poke
  • Moke's Bread and Breakfast
  • Jax Wood Fired Pizza
  • Kono's BBQ
  • Food trucks on Kamehameha Highway - I though Giovanni's was overrated, but there are tons of other options
  • Zippy's
  • Any ramen, pho, or other noodle place you find. Oahu has great noodles