Am I crazy for this DL / Aulani plan?

[Karebear]

Hi, we live in CA and go to Hawaii a lot. I do recommend staying in a Waikiki hotel for part of your trip (Diamond Head, etc.). We often do a split between Hilton Hawaiian Village and then Ko Olina Beach Villas (which is right next to Aulani). In my opinion, it is worth switching hotels to experience Waikiki. I like Hilton Hawaiian Village but it can be pricey.

As far as Disneyland, maybe stay at one of the good neighbor hotels. We like the Camelot because it is close and has suites. The Disney hotels usually have insane prices but I do get wanting the early entry. I guess it just depends on how much more they are per night.

 

[Mardigras2025]

Hi, we live in CA and go to Hawaii a lot. I do recommend staying in a Waikiki hotel for part of your trip (Diamond Head, etc.). We often do a split between Hilton Hawaiian Village and then Ko Olina Beach Villas (which is right next to Aulani). In my opinion, it is worth switching hotels to experience Waikiki. I like Hilton Hawaiian Village but it can be pricey.

As far as Disneyland, maybe stay at one of the good neighbor hotels. We like the Camelot because it is close and has suites. The Disney hotels usually have insane prices but I do get wanting the early entry. I guess it just depends on how much more they are per night.

Thank you! We went ahead with this crazy plan and have all of our hotels booked!

We have one night at Park Vue (we land in the mid-morning and want to visit a couple of spots in LA since we lived there), then 3 nights at Villas at DLH (was able to rent points), 3 nights at Aston Waikiki Beach Tower, and 4 nights at Aulani (renting points).

A lot of moving around, but I think the Waikiki portion is good for having never been to Oahu (and not spending on 7 nights at Aulani). We could do diamondhead, windward beaches to the east, the lighthouse hike, and get Waikiki / Honolulu sights done so that we do not need to come back during the week with traffic. Then at Aulani, we can enjoy the resort and visit the north shore.

 

[Karebear]

Thank you! We went ahead with this crazy plan and have all of our hotels booked!

We have one night at Park Vue (we land in the mid-morning and want to visit a couple of spots in LA since we lived there), then 3 nights at Villas at DLH (was able to rent points), 3 nights at Aston Waikiki Beach Tower, and 4 nights at Aulani (renting points).

A lot of moving around, but I think the Waikiki portion is good for having never been to Oahu (and not spending on 7 nights at Aulani). We could do diamondhead, windward beaches to the east, the lighthouse hike, and get Waikiki / Honolulu sights done so that we do not need to come back during the week with traffic. Then at Aulani, we can enjoy the resort and visit the north shore.

You will have a lot of fun...sounds like a good plan! Make sure to go to Dukes in Waikiki and book restaurants there in advance because they really book up. My kids also really like Money Pod which is across the street from Aulani.