Aulani Trip report with kiddos (6 months and 6 years)

[dsneygirl]

I had read a few trip reports before our trip but didn't see too many with young children so hopefully our experience will help others.

We were at Aulani from June 9-17 and it was amazing. Far exceeded all of our expectations (which were very high considering the money we spent just to get there) Our family is me, DH, DS (2 weeks shy of 6) and our 6 month old. We have been DVC members since '05 and had been to Maui twice but never to Oahu.

Since we live so far away (southern Ontario) we decided to make this a long trip and stretch out the flights to make it more manageable and easier on the time change.

We started in San Diego and did the zoo, Sea World and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. All we amazing. We had gorgeous weather and no crowds. We also had Mexican in Old Town and hit the outlets right at the border. Loved the whole area and can't wait to go back.

On Sat the 9th we left for Honolulu. Our flight left SD about 6:30am and we were in Honolulu by lunch. We got an SUV from Alamo (even though it's offsite it was really easy) we grabbed some drive thru since we were starving and hit Target for some groceries. It was an easy 25min drive to Aulani and we had no problem getting there.

Checked in and our room was ready, for the first 3 nights we had studio 354 a pool view on the same floor as the lobby. This location was AMAZING! It was about 2 doors down from the lobby, easy access to the pool , the store and first floor laundry (since we had a baby we had a lot). We overlooked the area of the pool right where the characters come out to greet so we could see who was out there and what the line up was like. We also loved leaving the screen open at night to listen to the live music from down below. I had read some reviews that said these rooms were noisy with the character breakfast but we never had any issues. One note this is an HA room but again no issues with that for us.

The first day we headed straight for the pool and started to get the lay of the land. By this time (about 2:30 or so) the pool was already winding down. There were lots of chairs and people really started to clear out by 3:30-4.

We just ate in the room and crashed by 9pm.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 2 Sunday June 10.

The baby was up early (5:30) but it was already light out so I put him in the stroller and we went for a walk. I think lots of mainlanders never really adjust to the time change as there were always lots of people milling about by 6:30am getting coffee, working on their laptops etc.

Since we were up so early we were right at Aunty's at 8am for the family open house. WOW! Is all I can say. Aunty's beach house is gorgeous. The imagineers really outdid themselves on the decor and the theming. There was also a "backyard" with a playhouse and climber that I had no read about. We got my DS registered and played some of the interactive games with DH and I. As usual little DS just took it all in.

We got to the pool around 8:30 and while there were a few chairs saved we had no problem finding a good spot with an umbrella closer to Rainbow Reef. Towels and wristbands are given out a a shack near the Menehune bridge (kids splash area) and they make sure to tell you that there is a 1 hour policy for saving chairs and they will come and clean up your stuff and you can get it back from the shack if it is gone when you return.

My DS#1 is a huge water baby, he would alternate between the pool, slides and lazy river for most of the day, every day.

We got some shaved ice for a snack, it was $3.75 I believe which I thought was reasonable.

A little later on we walked over to the ABC store for some lunch (about 10min walk). got back and it was time for the Pool Party. The characters come out and the staff ran some games. Then they posed for pictures. All the kids had a ball. There were also a couple of Photopass photogs around snapping pics. Later you just visited the Photopass stand in the store and they would add them to your card.

We finally left the pool around 5 that day and ordered a pizza since we were beat. I had to walk down to the bell services stand to meet the pizza guy but it wasn't a big deal since we were so close.

We were all sound asleep by 7:45pm.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 3 Monday June 11

We did a grocery run first this morning and hit Costco. Got a huge jug of ready made Mei Tei for $10. Not as good as fresh of course but at less than $1 per drink we were happy. Also got a huge pineapple upside down cake that we never could finish.

By the time we got back to the pool it was after 11 and it was much busier. Peak time seemed to be from 11-3 each day. Before or after that time we had no issues finding a good spot.

We just had sandwiches at our picnic lunch and got our picture taken with Goofy.

Then my DS went to Aunty's Beach house for the volcano activity. The counsellors had told us this fills up quickly and to be there about 45min before the scheduled start. The kids doing the activity are on one side of the house (aunty's) and the other kids have "free play" in Uncles side of the house. (Uncle's is where the video games and the movie room is). This activity is free and my DS loved it. Again photopass photographers were there and we got some great pics.

We were so impressed with aunty's all week. It was clean, gorgeous and the staff was fantastic. It was so nice to see familiar faces in there day after day. My DS probably spent about 2 hours in there each afternoon as a nice break from the sun and the heat.

Dinner I don't remember so it must have just been quick in the room. Some days we just had a bagel or even a bowl of cereal. I find for me after all that sun I don't have a huge appeteite at night.

Again we were all passed out by 8pm.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 4 Tuesday June 12

This was the day we moved to a 1 bedroom and unfortunately my DH was laid out with a brutal head cold. He stayed in the room while I took the boys to the beach. This was our first day we really spent any time at the beach and it is gorgeous. We got an umbrella and a bag of sand toys from the shack at the beach (no charge). the CMs even set up the umbrellas for you. No towels at the beach so you have to bring them with you from the pool. My older DS played in the sand for nearly 3 hours running back and forth in the surf. He also liked the huge floating mat that was anchored just off shore.

My little DS like sleeping on the chaise lounge and trying to put sand in his mouth.

Our new room was ready by just after 1. We were in 1653 an island view 1 bedroom. After a studio this was like the ritz. Even I only had points for the studio no problem we would have managed but it was great to have all that room. My older DS slept on the fold out bed under the TV. It was perfect for him and I would say any kid younger than 8 or 9. I wouldn't put an adult on there.

That night we got all dressed up for the Starlit Hui in our finest Hawaiian attire and were on our way when the sky opened up and started POURING. It only rained hard for about 10min but they cancelled the show

We had ducked into Community Hall to get out of the rain so did another round of the Menehune adventure trail. My DS loved this activity and I think we did it 6 or 7 times. A few times we had technical difficulties where it would lose the signal and not be able to give you the next clue. Also one time the screen went black right in the middle and we had to quit.

We also signed out a DVD and a board game and just hung out in our room for the night.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 5 Wednesday June 13

We were up by 6 again and were headed for the beach by 8am. This recreation CMs warned us that there were a lot of jellyfish in the area and they had been cleaning them up all morning. They even had one in a jar to show DS and it looked like a ziploc baggie floating around. So we got some sand toys and got our spot and DS played for quite a while. Many people were swimming and snorkeling so eventually we ventured in and never met a jellyfish thankfully.

I noticed the beach seemed to be the opposite of the pool it didn't start getting busy until much later in the day. There were dozens of loungers and I never saw them run out of umbrellas during our stay. I imagine during peak time it will be a lot busier.

That afternoon DS went to Aunty's for Stitch's Space Goo. It was also no charge and DS loved it so much he did it 2 more times.

That night we had dinner in our room went for another swim and watched a movie. The lazy river and slides shut off around 8pm but the pool was open later.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 6 Thurs June 14

We decided this would be our day to tour so we set out towards the north shore. The baby slept the entire first 2 hours. We stopped for shrimp at a truck and he kept on sleeping while we sat at a picnic table right beside the car.

We also stopped at Sunset Beach. This was gorgeous but again they had the jellyfish warning signs so we were a little nervous to venture too far. It was also busy and 3 busloads of tourists came up right behind us to look around.

Next stop was "Turtle Cove" and we were rewarded with many sea turtle sightings. One came right up on the sand in front of DS and promptly lay down for a snooze. We probably saw another 7 or 8 swimming in the water. My DS loved this (he is a wildlife nut) and it was very cool to see. The baby was unfazed.

Drove through Waimea town and stopped at Ted's bakery for treats. Waimea was very pretty and lots of shops. We did not bother stopping for shaved ice here as the line ups were huge.

Back to where we started was about 4 hours (we had packed a cooler with snacks and drinks). My DH decided he really wanted to go to the Rainbow Drive IN in Waikiki. This was a bit of a disaster. It was later in the day and traffic into Waikiki was brutal. It was 90min roundtrip from where we would have headed towards Ko Olina on our detour to dinner.

The food was decent (traditional Hawaiian plates) but definitely not worth a special trip unless you were already going to be down there.

That night was the Starlit Hui and we were not going to miss out as it was our last chance. We got in line right at 7 and they opened the doors at 7:30. The CMs had laid down mats and we got a spot right down front. DS enjoyed the games they had during the 30min "pre show" and my little one fell asleep. Everyone sits on the ground but the CMs did set up several chairs at the back for older folks and those that didn't want to sit.

We all loved the show. The entertainment was great and my DS loved getting up and dancing along (he is a bit of a ham).

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 7 Friday June 15th

This morning was our character breakfast at Makahiki. I thought the food was delicious and at $32 it's not really that different from what you pay at the theme parks now. "Aunty" was there singing songs and playing games with the kids. We didn't eat until 10:15 so it was more like "brunch" which worked out well. We had just switched our time the day before so even though they only do the breakfast a few mornings a week it didn't seem to be full at any time.

The rest of our day consisted of the Pool Party in the afternoon swimming, swimming and more swimming. DS went to the kids club in the evening for the first time (7-9) it was a good wind down and he watched a movie.

At 9pm we got him from aunty's to go see the story teller at the fire pit by Ama Ama's. This was really nice but it was a little chilly with the breeze so bring a towel or blanket if you can.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 8 Saturday June 16th

This was our last full day We finally managed to sleep until 7! We did the "family open house" at Aunty's one last time. And I finally convinced DS to go in Rainbow Reef with me. He loved watching the fish from the windows but was so apprehensive about going in. We paid one price and you can go back in as many times as you want all day long. There was also a 10% DVC member discount. After about 2 min DS decided he had enough so I passed him off to DH so I could keep swimming. I convinced him to go in again and he loved it. We went a third time as well. I was really wishing we had gone earlier in the week as we could have got the length of stay and got our money's worth.

The lagoon is pretty small but for younger ones it was perfect and not too intimidating. The water is cooler than the pool but it was fine once you adjusted. That night we grabbed dinner at the new Mama's Snack Shop. It was pretty decent and not too expensive.

 

[dsneygirl]

Day 9 Sunday June 17th

We weren't leaving until 9pm (a red eye to LAX) so we knew we wanted to make the most of our time. Today was by far the busiest day of our week. By 8am there were already tonnes of chairs reserved which we had not seen earlier in the week. We pretty much did everything "1 last time". One last shaved ice, one more trip to Aunty's beach house, 1 more shaved ice.

Did lots of swimming and trips around the lazy river. We went back up at 11 to clean out our room. Instead of bell services we just took everything to our rental car in the parking garage.

We stowed our carryon bags in the lounge and didn't get cleaned up until about 5pm. The lounge was not crowded at all and we had no problems.

We left Aulani all very depressed, stopped at Jack in the Box and then on to HNL. We flew 5.5 uneventful hours to LAX (both boys were asleep in the first 5min). DH and I slept in spurts on and off as the only people using their lights to read were seated directly in front of us and next to us. Gah!

Got to LAX at 5:30am. grabbed Super Shuttle and were checking into the Disneyland Hotel by 6:30. Our room was ready, we dropped all our junk and were at Carsland by 7:30 for the last part of early entry...but that's for another TR

 

[dsneygirl]

Final Thoughts/Comments/Musings

For a family vacation with young kids I can't imagine anything better, the activities, water slides, pool, lagoon etc were perfect. Disney has made it really easy NOT to leave the resort. We had plans to do more touring but it was just too easy to stay. The beach was perfect and it was so easy to navigate with a sleeping baby in the stroller.

Aunty's Beach House! Again amazing, I think even better than the kids club on the cruise line because it is smaller and more intimate. Also the "backyard" is an awesome feature.

Kids Activities~we did not do any of the "premium" kids activities as my DS really enjoyed the regular activities and enjoyed the "free play" in the kids club.

Food: We bought groceries/snacks/beer and wine. I know everyone says groceries are so expensive on Hawaii but coming from canada they were not far off what we were used to. Far more than we would pay in say Kissimmee but only about 10% more than what we pay at home. Gas on Oahu was actually cheaper than what we are paying right now in Ontario. We ate at Mamas a couple times and Makahiki for breakfast and lunch once. Lunch was ok, nothing to write home about. A lot of days we just snacked, bagels, yogurts, fruit, rather than big meals. We also bought our own wine and booze.

The pool~Like I posted earlier we never had a problem getting a decent spot and 2 or 3 chairs together. If you needed 5 or 6 chairs it would be more difficult. There also seemed to be lots of umbrellas and it was quiet enough that you could move spots as the sun/shade moved during the day.

CMs~so friendly, helpful and plentiful. There were times when I would pass the front desk and there would be 6 CMs standing around and not 1 guest.

We loved it! We all had a ball and would go back in a heart beat.

I'm happy to answer any questions

 

[WestCoastMama]

Wonderful! Thanks for the info on the kids club! Sounds like so much fun! We too are taking a red eye home the last day. It's good to know we can hang out at the pool, shower then head to the airport. Really take advantage of every last minute there. How awesome your son got to see turtles close up. My 5 year old is nuts about animals too! Really looking forward to that. Thanks again for taking the time to share your trip.

 

[zeferjen]

Loved your trip report! I hope to visit Aulani Nov 2013 for my and dh's 10th wedding anniversary (with the kids).

 

[dsneygirl]

Thanks for reading

 

[LisaT91403]

Thanks for the great TR! We are going in November, with DS who will be 4 1/2 then. A few questions ~

We were planning to ship a box ahead of time to the resort. One of the things we planned to ship was sand toys. But now it sounds like maybe we don't need to do that?

Did you leave your son at Aunty's alone, or were you with him for projects like the volcanoes and so forth? DS goes to preschool no problem, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to convince him to stay at Aunty's (an unfamiliar environment) when we are out at the pool and beach!

Is there water out by the pool or beach, or do we need to buy bottled water at Costco and bring it down with us?

Thanks!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Thanks for posting this trip report. I was kind of wondering what the whole allure was about Aulani. Now I'm excited to go once my boy is old enough to enjoy Auntie's. Would you say six was a good age? Or would old or younger have been better? My son is currently 2.5, which I still think is a bit young to enjoy everything you talked about. Thanks again for the great report.

 

[my3princes]

Great TR!!. Thanks for taking the time to write it. We are heading to Aulani on Saturday. I hope my boys enjoy it as much as yours did. Mine are older 16,14,9 so who knows?!

 

[Cruiser1969]

Food: We bought groceries/snacks/beer and wine. I know everyone says groceries are so expensive on Hawaii but coming from canada they were not far off what we were used to. Far more than we would pay in say Kissimmee but only about 10% more than what we pay at home. Gas on Oahu was actually cheaper than what we are paying right now in Ontario.

As a fellow Southern Ontarian, it's good to hear the prices are comparable!!! The sticker shock should be minimal!! Lol Great Report!! We are going to be there in a week. Did you happen to notice any teen activities offered? I have a 15 and 13 year old.
Thanks!!

 

[OurDogCisco]

As a fellow Southern Ontarian, it's good to hear the prices are comparable!!! The sticker shock should be minimal!! Lol Great Report!! We are going to be there in a week. Did you happen to notice any teen activities offered? I have a 15 and 13 year old.
Thanks!!

There is a teen club as well. We didn't use it though. One thing my oldest wanted to do but never did was one day they had fitness training in the gym for teenagers. Lots to do, hopefully, they won't get bored. Mine loved the slides (they are 14 and 11).

 

[Bellies23]

I am in the initial stages of planning a trip for either 2013 or 2014 and found your report useful! I am leaning towards doing what you did and split up the trip with a stop in California before heading on to Hawaii.
Did you fly out of Canada or US?