Booked Aulani for 9 nights and now I am worried......

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Hi everyone,

I got a great deal for a 9-night stay at Aulani- standard room. (Not DVC members). Going is my 71-year-old very active mother, DS14, DS11, DD10 and me44. None of us have been to Hawaii. My kids love the pool at Beach Club, the beach and the kids club on DCL.

We LOVE tours and hate exploring on our own so I did not want to rent a car (don't want to pay parking fee or deal with traffic either). Planning to bring some food from home (breakfast bars, mac-n-cheese to go, peanut butter & nutella) and go across the street to the mini mart for some bread and other groceries.

This is my plan. PLEASE tell me what you think.
DAY 1- arrive after dinner
DAY 2- day at the pool
DAY 3- morning: Surfing lessons/ afternoon: beach
DAY 4- Kilauea Volcano
DAY 5- morning: Auntie's Beach House for the kids and spa for the adults/ evening: Sunset Cruise
DAY 6- snorkel with sea turtles/ evening: Paradise Cove Luau
DAY 7- Character breakfast/ afternoon: Manoa Rainforest hike
DAY 8- no plans yet---any ideas?
DAY 9- tour of Pearl Harbor
DAY 10- day at the resort, plane leaves at 10pm

Is that too many days to stay at Aulani? Should I split my stay and stay in Waikiki? This planning is giving me a headache.

THANKS!!!!!!

 

[stitch'sgirl]

Aloha from Aulani! i am here right now, winding down a 10-day stay. There is plenty to do at the resort, so don't worry about not having enough plans. i threw my plans out the window when we got here because there is so much going on. Each day you get a daily 'iwa, which tells you everything throughout the day like you would get on a cruise ship. Your 'tween and teen may never want to leave! We managed to squeeze in visiting the sea turtles on the beach, whale watching on the windward side (at the beach - saw whales and dolphins), Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor, North Shore, Turtle Bay, Dole Plantation (just the gift shop and Dole Whip) Paradise Cove Luau, and Christmas Eve service near Pearl City. We heard lots of good things about Paradise Cove luau, but nothing beats Disney when it comes to shows. We went to the Starlight Hu'i at Aulani tonight, and my husband and I looked at each other and asked why did we spend what we did on Paradise Cove? Aulani's show was beautiful and fun, of course! We go to storytelling every day, it is at 4:45, 9:00 and 9:45. That is something we will miss as we have learned so much about Hawaii's culture.

Don't worry so much about a plan, pick up a weekly 'iwa so you don't miss things at the resort and then plan around it. You will have a wonderful time!

 

[DVC Dude]

I would guess that it is impossible to stay too long in Hawaii.

 

[jimmytammy]

I would guess that it is impossible to stay too long in Hawaii.

Our DD says the same. She went with my folks a few yrs ago and wanted to stay a lot longer. We are planning a Aulani trip and she made sure we at least stay 10 days.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Thanks everyone!!!! I am so excited about our trip!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks everyone!!!! I am so excited about our trip!

I don't blame you, these posters have made it seem like 10 nights would be the minimum stay!

 

[lilpooh108]

Hi! Ok, I will be shamelessly advertising my own Aulani Trip Report which I just finished this morning.

Here it is: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2850176

I think you will have plenty to do for 10 days, especially because the Kids Club (Aunty's Beach House) is awesome. I included tons of pics from the Kids Club (Aunty's Beach House) in Post #9. The CMs at Aulani seem a little bit more laid back as compared to the very enthusiastic Kids Club CMs on DCL.

I will say that if you are really into DCL, the daily activity offerings at Aulani are not jam packed like on DCL, and the character greetings/activities get a little repetitive.

I'm not sure if I can survive w/o a rental car in the hotel portion of Aulani (but that's just me), but if you can do it then more power to you! We had a hard time finding things we wanted to eat there w/o spending a fortune.

If you do decide to split stay w/Waikiki, I'd probably stay in Waikiki first then do Aulani. Aulani is so clean and relaxing, that if you do Waikiki afterwards you might get stressed out in Waikiki. I've stayed there over the years, and have never been a big fan. Shopping is fun there, though, and there's tons of food.

Have fun!

 

[Chuck S]

Day 8, Polynesian Cultural Center?

 

[jdubs808]

Just wanted to let you know that Kilauea Volcano is located on the island of Hawaii, the largest island in the state. You'll need to fly there, which is approximately 45 minutes one way. Have a great time!