Aulani & Disneyland - September 2016 Honeymoon PTR! Update 3/25

[Vernie822]

Following along! Can't wait to hear about Aulani and Disnryland!! Also Congrats! Married almost 9 years here, second best decision ever (right under having our son).

Thank you so much! I can't wait for the big day. Trying to get as much planned for the trip beforehand, so that we can just relax and enjoy everything before/after/during the wedding and the honeymoon.

Hey there! Joining in from you visiting my TR. If you have any DLR questions, feel free to ask.

Just reading your plans one thing jumps out at me - the choice of breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe. We've been there on our ABD trip, and it was OK and all, but it is a buffet and a character meal, and if that's what you want - great. But if you want a really GREAT breakfast - head over to the Disneyland Hotel (a little longer walk) and eat at Steakhouse 55. Plus then you can check out the Disneyland hotel, which is much cooler than the Grand Cali in my opinion.

That and you definitely shouldn't miss out on World of Color! But also don't miss out on the Disneyland Paint the Night Parade and the fireworks if they are still doing the 60th show. (Not sure by September, they might have ended by then.) Paint the Night blows the MSEP out of the water.

Hi Pete, thanks for reading! I may take you up on the DLR questions. There is so much to learn there.

Thank you for the Steakhouse 55 suggestion! I am going to have to consider our options. I don't have to have characters, I figured between Aulani we'd probably see a ton, and at the Disneyland parks we may see a few. Originally I had planned on Storyteller since we planned to stay at GCV. I do really want to see the Disneyland hotel so that may be something to think about.

I cannot wait to see Paint the Night and WOC! I love the WDW shows but having seen them all at least a couple times, it will be awesome to see something new.

 

[skier_pete]

Thank you for the Steakhouse 55 suggestion! I am going to have to consider our options. I don't have to have characters, I figured between Aulani we'd probably see a ton, and at the Disneyland parks we may see a few. Originally I had planned on Storyteller since we planned to stay at GCV. I do really want to see the Disneyland hotel so that may be something to think about..

Link to our steakhouse 55 breakfast HERE.

 

[klacey1]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!! So excited to follow along with your plans! My boyfriend and I have a business trip to Anaheim in the fall and are trying to see if we can tack on Hawaii too, so I can't wait to read all of your plans (and the TR when you get back!). We're also from the East Coast, so doing Cali & Hawaii in one trip makes sense.

 

[Vernie822]

Link to our steakhouse 55 breakfast HERE.

Thank you! Looks great. We may have to choose that one instead. The idea of dining with woodland creatures may not be as elegant as it seems, lol.

 

[Vernie822]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!! So excited to follow along with your plans! My boyfriend and I have a business trip to Anaheim in the fall and are trying to see if we can tack on Hawaii too, so I can't wait to read all of your plans (and the TR when you get back!). We're also from the East Coast, so doing Cali & Hawaii in one trip makes sense.

Thank you and thanks for reading! Totally try to fit in Aulani if you can We really didn't know if we could swing both time and money-wise but it ended up working out really well with the schedule. Well, I hope so anyways!

 

[Vernie822]

DISNEYLAND PARK FOOD
​

One of my favorite things about a WDW vacation is the food. Justin and I eat pretty healthy in our day to day meals, so vacation is a splurge for us! We usually do at least 1, sometimes 2 sit down meals a day in WDW. I don't think we'll do that here because we have limited park time and there is so much we want to see.


Breakfast: I don't want to waste park time eating breakfast, so we'll probably grab something in the room or something on the way, maybe a coffee or something small once we get in the park.

Lunch: I'm hoping to do lunch at Cafe Orleans. I have my eye on the pomme frites, Monte Cristo, and MICKEY BEIGNETS! I remember seeing on the Disney Food Blog last year that they have pumpkin ones for a Halloween special, so maybe we'll get our hands on some of those.

We considered Blue Bayou (Justin suggested it) but I have read a number of reviews saying it's not the best. I think we will like the food better at Cafe Orleans anyways, even if we aren't sitting inside looking at POTC! (Someone tell me if I am making a horrible decision here).


Dinner: I would love to just 'go with the flow' for dinner and just grab whatever we're feeling. Some options we've looked at include..

• Carnation Cafe - Not quick service, but I hear it's outstanding. I love fried pickles. (We'd probably have to make a reservation for here, right?!)
• Harbour Gallery - Clam chowder, lobster bisque, etc.
• Plaza Inn - I read that this is a QS for dinner & that the fried chicken is amazing. Although I probably wouldn't want something that heavy.
• Rancho Del Zocalo - Justin loves Mexican food.

Snacks: I'm also thinking maybe I will just snack a couple times because lets be honest there is so much I want to eat in Disneyland, lol.. A few things that are on my list of possibilities..

• Dole Whip- Duh!
• Pooh Corner - I have seen so many delicious looking treats on Instagram
• Bagel Twist at Maurice's Treats - Justin is eyeing up the garlic cheddar bagel twist
• Jolly Holiday Bakery - Matterhorn Macaroon

OH! And I saw this on Disney Food Blog a few weeks ago. It seems new so I'm not sure if it is a permanent fixture or if it is just a temporary offering, but can you say CHURRO FUNNEL CAKE.. WHAT WHAT!

Photo from Disney Food Blog
​

I need to figure out a touring plan, even if it's just a loose one. I know we'll want to stake out spots for Paint the Night, which is why I thought QS dinner was probably our best bet. We can always each get something from a different spot and find our parade/fireworks seat.

Off to do more research..

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Definitely do Café Orleans over Blue Bayou! Blue Bayou is a never again for us. It was so blah and so few tables can actually see the water/bayou at the restaurant. Café Orleans was so good when I ate there in January!

There are so many great snack options in Disneyland/California Adventure - you can't go wrong! I loved the make your own ice cream bar at Clarabelle's

Tortilla Jo's in DTD (easy walking distance) is probably better Mexican than Rancho - we really enjoyed our lunch there as well

 

[amalone1013]

I'm so with you on breakfast. I always want to fit in as many things as possible! We debated about our honeymoon too. We're also not beach bums, though I think I surprised my fiance a little last year with how, go go go I was! Originally, I always wanted it as an excuse to go somewhere in Europe (one of the only wedding things I had picked out before getting engaged). After a bit, though, we decided Disney World. Neither of us have been there, and we'd definitely like to do it at least once pre-kids. Plus I was able to do a 2 week London/Paris trip with a friend last fall, so that helped satisfy the travel bug in me.

My fiance did a character breakfast reservation as a surprise for me last year (first time to Disney ever), which was okay because it was before the parks opened. We did BB and had a good time at lunch, I think we were the 2nd row from the water, but I've been reading less nice things lately. We're going back in July with some family and debating - no one else has been, and we really think FI's parents would enjoy doing it once, but reviews concern me. I've been reading up on food options for this trip. I missed a lot last time between areas being closed, and being a bit dazed (he proposed ), so this time I'm determined to do some of these awesome things and eat some of these awesome things I see on here! We ate at the Jolly Holiday, and I missed the matterhorn macaroon and that it was Mary Poppins themed - the shame. And BB or no, I want to hit Cafe Orleans. If it comes in a mickey shape, it has to be good, right?

 

[Vernie822]

Definitely do Café Orleans over Blue Bayou! Blue Bayou is a never again for us. It was so blah and so few tables can actually see the water/bayou at the restaurant. Café Orleans was so good when I ate there in January!

There are so many great snack options in Disneyland/California Adventure - you can't go wrong! I loved the make your own ice cream bar at Clarabelle's

Tortilla Jo's in DTD (easy walking distance) is probably better Mexican than Rancho - we really enjoyed our lunch there as well

Good to know, I think we will stick with Cafe Orleans! Everything I have read about it makes it sound like a good choice. BB seems so dark and with the prices being that expensive (I know I'd get the monte cristo anyway!) I think we are better off with Cafe Orleans.

I have me eye on Clarabelle's!! Those ice cream bars look so cute.

Good to know about Tortilla Jo's! I figured we would get to DTD at some point.

I'm so with you on breakfast. I always want to fit in as many things as possible! We debated about our honeymoon too. We're also not beach bums, though I think I surprised my fiance a little last year with how, go go go I was! Originally, I always wanted it as an excuse to go somewhere in Europe (one of the only wedding things I had picked out before getting engaged). After a bit, though, we decided Disney World. Neither of us have been there, and we'd definitely like to do it at least once pre-kids. Plus I was able to do a 2 week London/Paris trip with a friend last fall, so that helped satisfy the travel bug in me.

My fiance did a character breakfast reservation as a surprise for me last year (first time to Disney ever), which was okay because it was before the parks opened. We did BB and had a good time at lunch, I think we were the 2nd row from the water, but I've been reading less nice things lately. We're going back in July with some family and debating - no one else has been, and we really think FI's parents would enjoy doing it once, but reviews concern me. I've been reading up on food options for this trip. I missed a lot last time between areas being closed, and being a bit dazed (he proposed ), so this time I'm determined to do some of these awesome things and eat some of these awesome things I see on here! We ate at the Jolly Holiday, and I missed the matterhorn macaroon and that it was Mary Poppins themed - the shame. And BB or no, I want to hit Cafe Orleans. If it comes in a mickey shape, it has to be good, right?

CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement and upcoming wedding/Disneymoon! A WDW honeymoon sounds like so much fun, especially since you've never been!!! I am so glad we finally made a decision because there were SOOOO many great options to choose from, it was hard to narrow done one honeymoon spot!

If it comes in a Mickey shape it's gotta be good I think CO is more our speed, I am really excited to see the New Orleans square area of Disneyland. Oh and the Jolly Holiday bakery just sounds so cute.

 

[kastoney]

I'M HERE!!!!!!!!!!

All caught up and your plans sounds amazing. Any chance you have room of room for one more on your honeymoon? I promise drinks will be one me

How you are quite the flight wizard. I thought I was good but you just put me to shame.

So glad to hear you are stopping in Maui. It is absolutely gorgeous and will give you a different perspective than Oahu. You'll love biking down the crater. It's one of those once in a lifetime experiences you'll never forget. And Wailea is gorgeous and much more centrally located than Kaanapalli. Of course it's Maui so you really can't go wrong with either.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

I can't believe that I missed you starting your PTR Ashley!!! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding and honeymoon plans.

 

[Vernie822]

I'M HERE!!!!!!!!!!

All caught up and your plans sounds amazing. Any chance you have room of room for one more on your honeymoon? I promise drinks will be one me

How you are quite the flight wizard. I thought I was good but you just put me to shame.

So glad to hear you are stopping in Maui. It is absolutely gorgeous and will give you a different perspective than Oahu. You'll love biking down the crater. It's one of those once in a lifetime experiences you'll never forget. And Wailea is gorgeous and much more centrally located than Kaanapalli. Of course it's Maui so you really can't go wrong with either.

YAAAAAY! I am so glad you made it!

Of course we have room for one more, I need you to show me all that Hawaii has to offer in terms of food and booze

I really stalk Southwest's website constantly - they are my fave and I love their liberal flight change policy. I did have to do quite a bit of research on this one with the United credit but I am so glad (and thankful to my awesome brother) that we were able to use it.

I am so excited for Maui! Justin wasn't understanding my need to see more than 1 island. I think 3 nights will be just enough to relax and see some sights before moving to Oahu. I'm really excited for the crater tour, my coworker said that was one of the best things they did.

I can't believe that I missed you starting your PTR Ashley!!! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding and honeymoon plans.

Hey! Thanks for joining! I need to get caught up on your PTR too

 

[Vernie822]

TRANSPORTATION
​

I had researched a little bit on rental cars (cost, where to pick up, etc) and we decided that we will probably be renting cars on both Maui and Oahu. With all the sights we want to see, I'd hate to be confined to just our hotel and its immediate surroundings.

I have thought about renting a car for only the first half of our Aulani stay, because we plan to do a few resort days and a few activity days, but I think we'll just spread our days out and keep the car the whole time.

Fun fact: Aulani charges for parking. $37/day I believe. DVC members get free parking. If we weren't DVC members, I probably would look at the rental car situation differently. $37 is a lot!

We've only rented a car a few times in the past, but we had success with Alamo. I like that (with pretty much any rental car company) you can book and re-book when the price drops.

"Re-book when the price drops & get your money back" should be my middle name.

When we first went to WDW a few years ago, we re-booked our car a week before the trip and saved like $40. Now since a week before our trip will be a week before our wedding, I'm sure re-booking the rental car will be the least of my worries, but hey I can keep checking until then.

So yesterday I booked our 3 days on Maui, and our 6 days on Oahu, with Alamo. They seem to have some decent pricing. I used Cheap Car Rental dot com to price out our options and compare the different companies. We are totally fine with a small car, we don't need anything fancy.

I have been reading in the Aulani forums & I read a thread that said some companies have their rental desks right there in the terminal, and the other companies require you to take a shuttle to get to their rental counter. I'm not sure we'll mind a shuttle, but it's something to consider when booking. I believe Alamo is one of the companies that requires a shuttle.

For our transportation in Disneyland, we are planning on not renting a car. LAX traffic scares me to death. We are thinking of doing a car service (not a limo, just a ride to the hotel). Still haven't decided. I know there are shuttles out there too, so that is also an option. On our first night in Disneyland, we are planning to do Napa Rose at 8:30 PM. Our plane lands at 2:30 PM so I hope 6 hours is enough time to get from LAX to Disneyland and check in/freshen up/scoot off to dinner. I've heard the shuttle can run late and stuff which worries me, only because we'll have a bunch of luggage and at that point maybe a car service will just be easier. Something to think about!

On the way back to LAX, I'm thinking maybe a shuttle will be easy if we want to take the least expensive route. Our flight leaves at 2:50 PM that afternoon, so I am working on figuring out what time we would need to leave to be at the airport on time for our flight! We are used to flying in/out of the Pittsburgh airport which is not nearly as big as LAX. Justin likes to be really early for everything so we usually end up sitting at the gate for 2 hours before every flight. But better safe than sorry!

 

[ariane37]

Fun fact: Aulani charges for parking. $37/day I believe

Holy Crap Yeah that's a fun fact alright, just not for anyone having to pay it I was recently helping a friend plan a trip to WDW and she wanted to stay offsite; some of the parking fees at the hotels we looked at were between $17-$28 and we both thought that was crazy for a day! Just because it's an added expense.....in your case definitely good you're DVC!

Hope you guys had a nice Easter

 

[Vernie822]

SCHEMING
​

On my drive to my parents' for Easter, I had 2 hours of boring highway. I did listen to some DisUnplugged Disneyland podcasts on the way down which kept me entertained.

Of course, I got to thinking.. well since our flight doesn't leave until nearly 3 PM, I wonder what we can do on our last day?

My original plan was just to have breakfast somewhere, browse Downtown Disney, and take it easy. I know we will be exhausted.

But I just HAD to see what our other options were... including just one more day at Disneyland.

I know that with only 2 days, we won't get to do everything we want. If we add a 3rd day to our ticket, and drop the hopper we currently added on, we'll have a 3 day base ticket which comes with a MAGIC MORNING! We bought our tickets before the price increase, so we're looking at $66 total if we drop the hopper and upgrade to 3 days.

In my limited research, I've found that Magic Morning allows you to enter Disneyland one hour early, one time during your stay. So this would be a big help on either our first day (Thursday) or our last day (Saturday).

I'm not sure how long we'd have in the parks if we add a 3rd day. But I think the parks open earlier on the weekends, TP has Disneyland opening at 8 on that Saturday. So if we need to leave Disneyland by say, 11 at the latest, that gives us 3 hours, possibly 4 (if we enter at 7 AM) in the park that morning.

We were considering a character breakfast, I've heard the one at Plaza Inn with Minnie is great! So that's a possibility for that morning, though it would eat into park time.

I pitched the idea to Justin, having no clue of the price, and he shot me down. He thinks we'll be exhausted at that point, and I do agree. Plus, ending the night before with World of Color sounds like a great way to end our trip. We'll see though. I'm just always scheming to get as much park time in as possible.

 

[Vernie822]

Holy Crap Yeah that's a fun fact alright, just not for anyone having to pay it I was recently helping a friend plan a trip to WDW and she wanted to stay offsite; some of the parking fees at the hotels we looked at were between $17-$28 and we both thought that was crazy for a day! Just because it's an added expense.....in your case definitely good you're DVC!

Hope you guys had a nice Easter

LOL! $37 is CRAZY HIGH! If we weren't newly DVC I don't think I could suck it up and pay it. I can't stand when hotels add on random fees like that.. cough cough Disney and their potential resort fees

I hope you and your guys had a lovely Easter too!!

 

[NittanyKK]

Just happened upon this PTR when looking into Aulani! I know I've read your trip reports before and commented because I remembered that you're from PA too (I'm from State College!). I'm so excited to find this because we are getting married in December and actually just got approved to rent DVC points for Aulani for our honeymoon! And we are actually also planning on visiting Disneyland for a few days on our way back because it just makes sense. I will for sure be following along because I've never been to Aulani or Disneyland and I'm constantly looking for recommendations for activities and dining at both!!
Also, love your engagement pictures!! Super cute.

 

[Vernie822]

Just happened upon this PTR when looking into Aulani! I know I've read your trip reports before and commented because I remembered that you're from PA too (I'm from State College!). I'm so excited to find this because we are getting married in December and actually just got approved to rent DVC points for Aulani for our honeymoon! And we are actually also planning on visiting Disneyland for a few days on our way back because it just makes sense. I will for sure be following along because I've never been to Aulani or Disneyland and I'm constantly looking for recommendations for activities and dining at both!!
Also, love your engagement pictures!! Super cute.

Ooooh yes State College! I always remember you b/c your avatar is fierce, haha!

CONGRATULATIONS! That will be amazing! Let me know if you have any questions along the way and I would love to hear your planning strategies, too.

Thank you! I loved the way our photos turned out!

 

[Vernie822]

PSA: Southwest Flight Changes & Rapid Rewards Visa
​

Because I like to save money, I am constantly checking Southwest Airlines prices. We almost always fly Southwest to WDW (except for our first time, when I had no clue what I was doing and we just booked everything through Disney and flew Delta with layovers in ATL both ways, it took us like 6 hours each leg, that was dumb and I'll never do that again!)

Recently I applied for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa through Chase. I received an offer in the mail for 50,000 SW points when you spend $2,000 in 3 months ($1 usually equals 1 point). I figured this would get us to LAX and back for free, so I jumped at the opportunity last July. We've been putting our regular purchases (gas, cell phone bill, groceries, etc) on the card and paying it off as we go, so we have been accumulating lots of points that way as well.

We received our 50,000 points and by the time February came and we could book SW flights, we had 60,000 points from previous flights & purchases.

Pittsburgh just came out with a direct flight to LAX. We had no idea what it would cost in SW points, but generally a flight to WDW one way is anywhere between 7,000-13,000 points, so I assumed we'd probably need all 50,000, if not all 60,000, for our LAX flights.

When we first purchased our flights, they were $233 to LAX, and $139 on the way back. This came to a total of $744, or 43,662 points.
This week I checked the price again. Our PIT-LAX flight dropped from $233 to $205. A difference of $56 total, or 3,646 points refunded.
I checked again two days ago. The same flight dropped from $205 to $165. That's huge! A $68 price drop in the matter of 2 days. So that was another 5,208 points back into our account.

In 4 days, I was able to get 8,854 points back just by checking SW's site. Now our total flight price for a RT ticket from PIT-LAX is $304, which I think is really reasonable. I always figured it was like $500 to fly to California. Currently the flight is costing us 17,000ish points per person, also pretty reasonable considering I thought it would be somewhere like 25,000-30,000 per person!
That 8,000 points is probably the equivalent of a one way ticket from PIT to MCO, so I'll take it!

When you see a lower fare, you can rebook it by clicking "Change Flight" on SW's website. You then choose the leg of your flight you want to rebook (obviously you don't want to rebook both legs if only one went down) and rebook it. If you paid with points, Southwest will refund them. If you paid with a credit card, Southwest will issue you a credit called "Travel Funds". You have 1 year from the original date of booking to use this travel credit. So you can apply it to a future flight!

I also rebooked our flights for our April trip, they got down as low as $89 each way which was awesome!

So, while not totally honeymoon related, I just wanted to share some tricks. It's worth it to check a few times a week, if you can!

 

[NittanyKK]

Ooooh yes State College! I always remember you b/c your avatar is fierce, haha!

Thanks... I make a mean Cruella De Vil! Actually, this is just how I dress in everyday life.

CONGRATULATIONS! That will be amazing! Let me know if you have any questions along the way and I would love to hear your planning strategies, too.

Definitely! I already have my list started for things I want to do in Oahu and I'm just starting my Disneyland list. So exciting! Difficult to plan the wedding now that we have officially booked our honeymoon... planning activities for an awesome Disney vacation just brings me so much happiness!