Happy in Hawaii –- Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler ~ Updated 7/20: Final Update and link to new TR!

[Captain_Oblivious]

Man, I really wish that infinity pool had been open when we were there. It looks amazing!

Sorry for the incident with the toddler taking Izzy's toy. I'm glad the parents were understanding.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hi, Dugette! I'm WAY behind but am desperately trying to catch up!

Your last day of touring with Dug (Part I!) sounded lovely. What gorgeous views from the top of the lookout. I'm sorry your stomach was still causing issues for you - it's never fun to feel unwell on vacation. Despite spending the extra money I'm sure the $2.77 for the Diet Coke was well-spent. Caffeine is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

I love your first day alone with Izzy! I'm sorry some of the character interactions were lackluster, especially since the real bummer was her beloved Minnie. I'm glad you had a chance to spend an afternoon at the pool, even if Izzy was a little nervous about the water. It's too bad that your nifty trick to luring her in the water caused the other little girl to be upset, but thing like that can happen. I look forward to seeing what she thinks of the pool on her next trip!

Speaking of which, I'm super excited that you get to go back to Hawaii! It will be great to have a full vacation as a family, and being able to escape Minnesota in January is always awesome! Bravo to you for obtaining DVC rentals for nearly the whole family (although I'm in no way surprised! ).

 

[Dugette]

Sounds like you had a relaxing nap time as well and nice to just have plans to spend the evening at the pool, so you didn't have to worry too much about waking her up.

Yeah, it was a really nice and relaxed part of our trip. The sort of down time we needed more of in WDW.

The pools look beautiful - I love caves and waterfalls and that whole look.

Me too - the whole place is just gorgeous. And you can't beat an infinity pool with a cave at sunset. They did a great job with the place.

My heart sank for you when you said you hadn't actually been taking photos though with the water camera so annoying and upsetting I'm sure!

I was so annoyed! But, at least it was just the first night and I was able to get lots of other pool photos thoughout the rest of the trip, once I figured out what I was doing. But I wish I had more of that first evening.

It is too bad how scared Izzy was at first but glad you got her in the pool eventually.

I'm glad we made progress - I sure hadn't expected her to be so scared of the zero entry area. By the way, she completed the final parent/child swim class at the Y recently and she PASSED and starts the non-parent one next weekend. I can't believe it, as she spent all the weekly lessons (except the last one) basically clinging to either me or Dug (we switched off), begging us to "keep her safe" and she was not very good at all with listening to the teacher or taking instruction. However, that last class, she somehow got over it and did a great job, so they passed her. I'm a little concerned how it's going to go without us in the water with her. I know she can do it, but I'm not sure she knows that, despite me telling her all the time. I've told her what a good swimmer Aria is, by the way.

The whole incident with the other little girl was sad though why weren't her parents right there? I don't let Aria play around a pool by herself so she wouldn't have gotten in that situation to begin with? Seems a bit strange, but anyway. I'm glad they were understanding though.

I was wondering the same thing about the parents - I'm always right there with Izzy and think I would be even if she was more confident. I mean, they were in the pool too, but over on the other side of the zero entry and took their time coming over. At least they did eventually come after her, though.

I don't think I needed to see a photo of your exploded hot dogs LOL! but glad it was an easy dinner

Sorry! But, yeah, easy and still tasted fine. It's funny, we don't make hot dogs often, but I've never had that happen at home - just at Aulani. Maybe our microwave is special.

sounds like a fairly relaxing afternoon/evening and some nice pool time. The pictures you did post made it seem quite nice - though feel so bad about the issue with the waterproof camera. .... though, something else you can remedy on your next trip )

It was really a relaxing time. The whole pool area (and the resort as a whole) is just gorgeous and really well done. We'll have to see about the water camera next time. I borrowed my dad's and I believe he's going to be on vacation while we are, so he probably will want to use it. And I'm too cheap to buy one. I do have a waterproof pouch for my phone, so I could use that, but I'm a little afraid to submerge my phone that much. Hmmm, I'll have to think about this. (ETA: after brainstorming, I think I will suggest it to my dad as a Christmas gift for me ).

Sounds like a frustrating situation with the Minnie toy and the other child - at least there was a parent there to see how it went down and to explain it too ... I think most parents would totally understand. Would have been worse if he didn't see why she was crying.

Yeah, I don't know if they heard the whole thing, but I think they understood enough to know their child needed to be told no and we hadn't done anything to her. It was just so uncomfortable, though. I knew that Izzy would lose her mind if the other girl took off with her prized Minnie, but I hated having to upset the other girl.

And it's these tips (including fridge tips) you won't find in the Aulani fact sheet

I do my part to help out my DIS-friends! I think I will need to pull out those shower tips on our return visit to remind myself and help family.

This is exactly what we were doing with DS over at a friends house. Their pool is split off into two sections, an actual swimming area and a wading area where you can sit in the water without getting your chest and up wet. We'd throw rings to get him to get further down into the water and it took a LONG time for him to actually bend down to pick them up, but we eventually picked up speed and got him to do more and more until he was finally ready to be picked up and held in the deep end.

I'm glad it worked for him! Great minds think alike!

Ugh that stinks. Cause we're always trying to teach them to share but in certain instances, like this, it's hard. I think you handled it as best and as nicely as possible.

Thanks! And we did actually share with another girl later in the trip. But that moment just wasn't the right one if I wanted a calm toddler.

I'm glad the parents didn't feel like their girl was entitled to the toys and totally understood! Awesome.

Me too. I hate telling someone else's kid no, but I didn't really see any alternative at that point, as Izzy was so attached to the toy (I mean, that was her sole motivation for tolerating the pool).

Wow, so so pretty!

It really was!

I love her little cover up!

Thanks! I got it at JCPenney's for almost nothing. I think I used a $10 off $10 or more coupon and it was like $2 after that or something. I think it should still fit her next time too. Hopefully.

Try making 4 slits in the hot dog next time and it shouldn't explode

And this is the kind of tip I need! Thank you, I will try that!

Man, I really wish that infinity pool had been open when we were there. It looks amazing!

I wish it had been open for you too - it's great! I think you have no choice but to return.

Sorry for the incident with the toddler taking Izzy's toy. I'm glad the parents were understanding.

Thanks, me too. Just an uncomfortable moment. I mean, their kid was polite and all, "I'll take Minnie, please." But I just couldn't do it.

Hi, Dugette! I'm WAY behind but am desperately trying to catch up!

Welcome back! So happy you've returned from your hiatus! I wondered if I scared you (and Tracy) away!

Your last day of touring with Dug (Part I!) sounded lovely. What gorgeous views from the top of the lookout. I'm sorry your stomach was still causing issues for you - it's never fun to feel unwell on vacation. Despite spending the extra money I'm sure the $2.77 for the Diet Coke was well-spent. Caffeine is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

It was a great day of touring, save for the stomach issues. And the Diet Coke was very needed that night. But, guess what, I think I've weaned myself off pop over the last couple weeks!

I love your first day alone with Izzy! I'm sorry some of the character interactions were lackluster, especially since the real bummer was her beloved Minnie. I'm glad you had a chance to spend an afternoon at the pool, even if Izzy was a little nervous about the water. It's too bad that your nifty trick to luring her in the water caused the other little girl to be upset, but thing like that can happen. I look forward to seeing what she thinks of the pool on her next trip!

The characters were still fun, but Minnie wasn't exactly the best. Luckily, we get in a LOT more character meets this trip. The pool was fun, but I really didn't expect Izzy to be so hesitant. I'm glad she got more comfortable, but sad we had to upset another little girl in the process. Lots more pool time coming on this trip still!

Speaking of which, I'm super excited that you get to go back to Hawaii! It will be great to have a full vacation as a family, and being able to escape Minnesota in January is always awesome! Bravo to you for obtaining DVC rentals for nearly the whole family (although I'm in no way surprised! ).

I am so looking forward to this trip. And, yes, getting the heck out of MN in January is on everyone's to-do list. I'm really glad the DVC worked out - I love our point gal. I've basically used all her points the last few years. But she's actually planning a WDW trip now, so I guess we need to take a break.

 

[Dugette]

Table for Two

We got up around 8am this morning, as we had a 9am breakfast reservation downstairs at Ama Ama, the nice sit-down restaurant at Aulani. We had hoped to have Dug at this meal too, but the timing just wouldn’t work out on any of the days he was there, so next time! I was texting with Dug’s dad while we got ready, though. He had shoveled the driveway and cleared snow off his deck , so he wanted to hear how Hawaii was. I sent him some pictures that just may have made him a bit jealous.

Speaking of pictures, we stopped to check out the view from the windows on our floor, near the elevators:





Yep, not a bad day at all.

We got down to Ama Ama, checked in, and waited for a few minutes:



Looking inside the restaurant from our bench at the entrance:



And then we were brought out to the patio and seated with an AMAZING view! We need to come back here again for breakfast next time – between the view and the food, it’s fantastic! Here’s a look:









Yes, I could get used to such things. I think I posted the one with Izzy on Facebook or something. You know, just to mess with all the Minnesotans digging their way out of the first snow of the season.

Our waitress came by and was very friendly. I must have told her we had a dinner scheduled here later in the trip and she mentioned that the dinner menu was changing over to a brand new one on Thursday and it was MUCH better. I was happy to hear this, as the food had pretty mixed reviews previously. She told me that she’d tried the new items and really enjoyed them. I know she made some recommendations that I tucked away in my memory to share with Dug before we dined here on our last night.

The waitress brought Izzy a water glass with a top on it and a straw, so Izzy proceeded to make a mess of that immediately (water comes out of the straw hole in the top if you tip it too far). Oh, well, it’s just water. I just gave her the thermos of milk I’d brought and she was good.

I ordered Izzy the kids’ meal with strawberry yogurt, fruit, and a bran muffin, but asked if we could get some other type of pastry instead of the bran muffin, as I suspected she wouldn’t eat it. We got a guava pastry instead. Which, being a toddler, she still didn’t eat. However, I was quite happy eating that vs. a bran muffin. Here’s Izzy plate:



Izzy is a big fan of yogurt, so she loved that, BUT they had actual strawberries in the yogurt and that freaked her out, so I had to spoon them all out so that she’d eat. Silly girl - she actually does like strawberries, apparently just not in her yogurt. Also, the waitress never brought the drink that was supposed to be included in the kids’ meal, but no big deal, as I’d brought milk anyway. (By the way, is this normal? Nearly every time I’ve gotten Izzy a kids’ meal anywhere, it says it includes a drink, but they almost never bring one or ask what you want. I usually have a milk thermos with me anyway, so it’s not a big deal, but it just seems strange.)

I ordered what I’d come here for: Chocolate Milk-dipped Haupia Bread French Toast - stuffed with Bananas and Peanut Butter. It did not disappoint. Here it is accompanied by the chocolate and peanut butter (I am a weirdo that doesn’t like syrup, so this was perfect for me!):



Looks like Izzy’s going to town back there :



A better view of the inside of the French toast:



And then I made the magic:



Yummy! I won’t lie, I’ll probably order this again next trip!

Izzy noticed that some birdies joined us overhead:



Clean plate club:



In the background, you can see how I had to remove all the strawberries from Izzy’s yogurt and pile them up:



She really enjoyed that yogurt, though:



She also ate some of the mixed fruit.

Our waitress actually disappeared completely for the whole meal, then finally reappeared once we were done and waiting. I could have used a water refill much earlier, but it was okay. I think I had some of Izzy’s. Chocolate peanut butter can make you thirsty.

I believe the waitress boxed up Izzy’s leftover fruit and we brought that back to the room for later.

This was overall a great meal and you just can’t beat that view while you’re eating breakfast.

On the way back to our room, we passed Aunty’s and Izzy wanted to take a picture with the Stitch statue nearby:









Then we were back on our way to the room, with Izzy leading:





However, when we arrived, this is what we found:



We peeked in and found housekeeping making the bed. Seemed odd, as we’d just had service the prior day and this was a DVC room (not made up every day). She told us we could come in, but Izzy was freaked out by someone else being in our room, so we chose to wander around until she was done. We went back to those windows at the end of the hall again:



Sat in the chairs and enjoyed the view:



And then I realized we could do the same thing on the top floor! We were on 7, so headed to 16 to see what a difference it made:



It was pretty awesome all the way up there! This is looking down on the lazy river and you can also see the Menehune Bridge (kids’ water playground) in the upper left:



Looking straight down:



Looking out:



To the right:



And ocean to the left:



Zoomed in on the Menehune Bridge:



File that image away for later this day!

Zoomed in on Rainbow Reef, Aulani’s snorkeling tank:



A little more distant view of them:



After that fun, we came back down to our room and found that housekeeping was done. Time to change into swimsuits and hit the pool area!

Up next: The Terrifying Menehune Bridge! And Donald Duck! And we stalk Mickey!

 

[hokieinpa]

I'm not sure you could ask more a more perfect view for breakfast!

Izzy is a big fan of yogurt, so she loved that, BUT they had actual strawberries in the yogurt and that freaked her out, so I had to spoon them all out so that she’d eat. Silly girl - she actually does like strawberries, apparently just not in her yogurt.

I'm glad Nate isn't the only one! I have to buy "smooth" yogurt (his words) only - no actual fruit pieces allowed!

And then I made the magic:

Why yes, I believe you did. That looks like perfection!

That place does look intimidating!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

But, guess what, I think I've weaned myself off pop over the last couple weeks!

Good for you! I've tried several times to wean myself off of soda, but I always crawl back. At least I drink more unsweetened iced tea now than soda (baby steps, right?).

Oh my goodness, your breakfast looks DELICIOUS! Where is your drooling smilie when I need it? I'm a HUGE fan a French toast anyway, but you had me at chocolate and peanut butter. You absolutely have to have this meal again!

I love the Stitch statue! It reminds me of the similar statue at Kona Café at the Polynesian.

What a great idea to go to the top floor! What a view!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I mean, I guess that's an ok view for breakfast ..... If paradise is your thing

I feel like we always get the reverse where a waitress will ask the kids what they want to drink even before food is ordered - but maybe that is because they are old enough to answer?

Your breakfast does look pretty great!

Bonus housekeeping!!!! Wish that happened at my regular house

Great view from up high - though never realized how close the next resort was

 

[AussieMumma]

Still loving following along your TR. We went to Aulani in April this year for the last 5 nights of a 15 night Hawaiian trip, it was just paradise

 

[Dugette]

I'm not sure you could ask more a more perfect view for breakfast!

It was so wonderful. I really wasn't expecting something that beautiful.

I'm glad Nate isn't the only one! I have to buy "smooth" yogurt (his words) only - no actual fruit pieces allowed!

I was so surprised Izzy didn't like it - she loves yogurt and loves strawberries, so I thought it would be perfect. Shows what I know!

Why yes, I believe you did. That looks like perfection!

It was quite tasty!

That place does look intimidating!

It really is a huge play structure with a LOT of water splashing around.

Good for you! I've tried several times to wean myself off of soda, but I always crawl back. At least I drink more unsweetened iced tea now than soda (baby steps, right?).

Gotta start somewhere! I just kept decreasing the amounts and increasing the water until I was off. Though I might still have it on special occasions, but I wanted to get away from the dependency on it.

Oh my goodness, your breakfast looks DELICIOUS! Where is your drooling smilie when I need it? I'm a HUGE fan a French toast anyway, but you had me at chocolate and peanut butter. You absolutely have to have this meal again!

I know, we need a drooling smilie! I am a huge fan of chocolate and peanut butter together! Yummy!

I love the Stitch statue! It reminds me of the similar statue at Kona Café at the Polynesian.

Izzy was quite fond of that statue during our trip.

What a great idea to go to the top floor! What a view!!!

It was pretty sweet. I never would have thought to do it if we hadn't been killing time next to an elevator.

I mean, I guess that's an ok view for breakfast ..... If paradise is your thing

Yeah, I guess it was acceptable.

I feel like we always get the reverse where a waitress will ask the kids what they want to drink even before food is ordered - but maybe that is because they are old enough to answer?

Huh, so that's where all the drinks are going.

Your breakfast does look pretty great!

It was!

Bonus housekeeping!!!! Wish that happened at my regular house

I wish that happened here too. No such luck.

Great view from up high - though never realized how close the next resort was

Yeah, there's definitely not a Disney bubble here, at least regarding what you can see from property. It's a very quick jaunt over to the neighboring resorts.

Still loving following along your TR. We went to Aulani in April this year for the last 5 nights of a 15 night Hawaiian trip, it was just paradise

Thanks! 15 nights - wow, sounds amazing! And finishing with Aulani is perfect.

 

[Dugette]

Pool Time and Character Meets

Izzy and I got changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the pool area. I decided to just bring Izzy’s key card and leave mine in the room, as hers worked on the door, but didn’t have charging privileges, just in case it got swiped off a chair.

Heading out:



Once down at the pools, we went straight to the booth where they give you wristbands (blue today!) and towels. Then we found a chair over by the Menehune Bridge play area and stopped to put on our sunscreen:



The play area was just over there:



Izzy really wanted to do the “playground” and eagerly headed up the stairs:





You might be able to see that there are a few streams of water coming down at the top of that stairway. That scared Izzy , so I snuck up the steps (no adults allowed on this, not even to help your kid) and guided her between the streams of water. She did not want to get soaked. So, you can imagine what a great idea it was to go on a WATER playground.

She was happy once I got her through and then ran along to the bridge:





(I may have lingered on the stairs for a moment, snapping pictures with the water camera ).

I headed back down to try to follow along with her from below. However, I managed to lose her almost immediately. I ran around a bit, getting pretty wet from all the water sprayers, but found her and tried to get under the bridge she was on:



She was crying and upset and the water was too loud for her to hear me calling to her. I think she thought she was lost and had no idea I was right below her. There was a Cast Member nearby, though, so I got his attention, hoping he could show her I was there. However, he felt that she was too upset and actually went to get her and bring her down to me. So, that was the end of our highly anticipated water playground time. Hoping she will be willing to try again next trip – it does look really fun, but I think she was just too young/scared.

I took her out of that area and we walked around a bit. I asked a nearby CM what time it was, as I knew that Donald Duck would be meeting soon (I called the prerecorded line each morning to find out times/locations of character meets).

It was getting close to that time, so we headed over to the meeting area and asked another mom if they were waiting for Donald Duck. They were, so we got in line. Soon enough, he was coming down the path to us:



Izzy was a bit hesitant at first:





But then Donald played some peek-a-boo:





And we got a nice picture together:



I have to note that it seems so strange to meet characters when you’re in a wet swimsuit, but they meet in the pool area and it’s not really practical to go change and then change back, so it is what it is, I guess.

Izzy even gave Donald a high-five, which warmed his ducky heart:





No video of this meet, as I left my phone in the room (didn’t want to get it wet or stolen). I'm glad that the CM took lots of photos for me, though (with the waterproof camera).

Izzy apparently enjoyed the meet, as she was talking about Donald (and Daisy, who isn’t even at Aulani) for the rest of the day.

Despite her protests, I convinced Izzy to give the lazy river a try. I really, REALLY wanted to go on it and with Dug gone and Izzy too young for Aunty’s, my best bet was getting her to enjoy it with me. So, I found a tube, got in, pulled her in on my lap, then pushed us off. I promised her that I would try to keep her from getting wet (there are various waterfalls at parts of the river). She snuggled up and actually enjoyed the ride:





This is the Makahiki patio:



I did a great job of avoiding the water sprays (not easy!), but the one right at the end got us. Izzy was highly displeased and that concluded our time at the lazy river (for the day). She was definitely done with pool time for the morning, so we packed up to go back to the room. Looks like we walked by the windows into the snorkeling tank:



On our way out, I happened to spot Mickey walking along:



I don’t know what got into me, but I went into crazy stalker mode and told Izzy we were going to catch Mickey, then we ambushed him :



Then we followed him over to an area where he did a few improptu character meets (us first):





That was fun! I think I was really trying to cheer Izzy up, as getting soaked was not her idea of a good time.

Then we headed back towards the room. So, my notes say that we stopped outside the door and got some Photopass pictures and also a second Photopass card, as I didn’t have ours on me. However, I don’t seem to have those photos in Photobucket, so I have no idea what happened. Oh, well, at any rate, we got back to the room and dried and changed.

I got online and redeemed a deal I’d found on Yelp for Hawaii Nautical, as we were going on a sunset catamaran ride that evening. I’d held off on the deal until I was fairly certain we’d be going. I think it was something like pay $40 for a $50 gift card – so, basically, a $10 savings.

It was 12:17pm by then and there were a bunch of character meet times coming up, so I got Izzy in her stroller and we headed out. (I’m not sure that we had any lunch this day – perhaps the big breakfast and early dinner on the catamaran were all we needed? )

My first planned stop was at the lobby to pick up a copy of the Daily Iwa (newsletter), but I got distracted at the gift shop and ended up getting one later on. We enjoyed browsing around the gift shop:



Yes, that’s Santa Minnie holding a Duffy bear – Duffy is very big at Aulani, as they draw a lot of Japanese tourists and he is a hit there. I just heard recently that Epcot is going to remove Duffy (and replace his meet with Daisy Duck) and also stop selling all the merchandise (I think?), so I’m curious if that is just WDW or if it will spill over to Aulani at all. Because, I mean, the shelves at Aulani look like this:



Why, yes, that is Duffy’s female counterpart. I guess she is Shellie May. Izzy was more interested in the wall of Minnies, though:



I got her to try on a pair of Aulani Mickey ears:



Naturally, Olaf needed a warm hug:



We ended up getting a coffee mug as a gift for Dug’s dad, an Aulani Minnie Christmas ornament for us, and a clearance-priced set of Hawaiian-attired character figurines for Izzy to play with (you’ll see them later and they were definitely worth the $10 ).

Then we headed out towards the Halawai Lawn (where they do the Starlit Hui show), because Stitch was meeting there and Izzy was asking to see him. Hmmm, looks like we stopped for a Photopass on the way out here, wonder if that’s what my note was supposed to refer to? Well, anyway, here they are:





It was nice to walk around the resort and see the sights on the way. I believe that’s Ama Ama up there:



Here’s the firepit where Uncle tells stories at night (you’ll see that later):



There’s the backyard of Aunty’s (which I think was closed while we were there – just the inside was open):



And here’s where you could grill some meals:



We had initially planned to do this for a meal or two, but with Dug being gone, it wasn’t something I wanted to attempt on my own while watching a 2-year-old. Maybe next time!

We made it over to the lawn with a few minutes to spare before Stitch came out.

Up next: Lots and lots of character meets!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Going to a water play area and not wanting to get wet must be a challenge. Does look like a fun area though can understand Izzy getting scared if she wasn't sure where you were

See what you mean about sort of weird meet while in your swimsuit- though yours was a nice one and could almost pass for like a halter top or something. Probably be more awkward if you were in a string bikini

The Duffy meet is definitely going (I think Oct 3 is last day) but I did read at least one person say merchandise will still be available

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It's too bad that the water play area seemed a bit scary to Izzy. Hopefully she'll be more excited when you go back as she'll be a year older.

Ah, lazy rivers. I love them.

I think your character pictures turned out really well! Donald looked really fun!

 

[hokieinpa]

I'm sorry Izzy was so nervous in the water play area. And how strange that parents aren't allowed in, even with young kids!

Very cute pictures with Donald. It must have been so strange to meet a character in your wet bathing suit!

That ride on the lazy river does sound very relaxing, even with the unwanted waterfall at the end!

Excited to hear about your night on the catamaran!

 

[SuperRob]

Been loving these updates. Funny story ... Just booked a trip to Aulani in April, my wife and 14 month old daughter going, also First Class. I got a great deal ($810 round trip for all of us), just not quite what you did. My wife has already started counting down (205 days), which is a funny little quirk of hers I've missed.

It'll be interesting to see how our daughter does. She won't have her own seat on the plane, but it's also a shorter flight than you dealt with, so I think we'll be good.

 

[Imagineer5]

That water play area looks like fun, though I think Aria might feel the same way as Izzy. I wish they'd allow parents on places like that she prob would have had a much better time with you there (or a friend). Too bad about the lazy river being a bust too. Aria used to be like that but now thinks it's funny (esp when *I* get wet and she doesn't lol).

That snorkeling area looks so neat, I didn't realize they had that there. Did you ever get a chance to check it out??

Cute character meets! Sounds like a relaxing day overall. Oh, delicious breakfast too - that French toast looks delicious! And no, not normal not to ask you what she wants to drink - although I normally start the convo by saying I'm getting her this kids meal - can I order her milk or juice etc so they know it's part of the meal. (I usually have milk with us so unless it's almost empty I'll order a juice instead).

 

[Schmagurty]

Hi Dugette,

I just wanted to say thank you for posting all this information. It is very helpful! We are heading to Aulani in January 2016 with a 4 year old and 6 month old and these posts provided a lot of very useful tips!

 

[AZMermaid]

I'm catching up but Kate is still obsessed with taking off her shoes in the car. Usually when we are two inutes away from our destination, I hear the Velcro ripping open!

 

[AZMermaid]

I hate that awkward feeling when a kid wants your toy. We shared some of our beach toys and lost "the best shovel ever." Which okay, it's a Melissa and Doug starfish shovel, but it's awesome. I don't mind sharing, except for the paranoia I'm never getting it back, but it's that awkward "okay, we are leaving... Can we please have our (cheap plastic junk that we can't live without) back? Then the kid freaks out and I feel like a jerk!!

 

[AZMermaid]

Oh man that French toast looks good. I loved our breakfast at Ama Ama... But.... I'm not sure that was on our menu. I'm SURE my husband would ha e ordered it!

Those Mickey ears are darn cute! I saw them in the shop and then never saw anyone actually wearing them! Interesting about Duffy at Epcot.

 

[Dugette]

Going to a water play area and not wanting to get wet must be a challenge. Does look like a fun area though can understand Izzy getting scared if she wasn't sure where you were

Haha, definitely a challenge! Poor thing had no clue I was right below her, despite me yelling up to her. The water was just too deafening and she was too panicked. Poor thing.

See what you mean about sort of weird meet while in your swimsuit- though yours was a nice one and could almost pass for like a halter top or something. Probably be more awkward if you were in a string bikini

Luckily, I only own pretty high-coverage swimsuits. Still felt weird, though. Just felt like I should be wearing WDW clothes or something.

The Duffy meet is definitely going (I think Oct 3 is last day) but I did read at least one person say merchandise will still be available

We'll miss Duffy. I wonder if he will move to Aulani? He should be there. Good to know the merchandise will still be available, but it's more fun to hug a giant bear than a little plush one.

It's too bad that the water play area seemed a bit scary to Izzy. Hopefully she'll be more excited when you go back as she'll be a year older.

I hope she will enjoy it more next time. Though she still hates getting splashed (she turns her head away and tries to avoid it during swim lessons). We'll see how it goes.

Ah, lazy rivers. I love them.

Me too! I could just go around and around and around and around for hours. Aulani has a really good one too.

I think your character pictures turned out really well! Donald looked really fun!

Thanks!

I'm sorry Izzy was so nervous in the water play area. And how strange that parents aren't allowed in, even with young kids!

I know - if I hadn't read about it in advance, I wouldn't have thought twice about going up there with her. But they definitely don't allow it. Even when she was upset, the CM had me wait below while he went to get her.

Very cute pictures with Donald. It must have been so strange to meet a character in your wet bathing suit!

It was rather awkward. You know, can't get his feathers wet and all.

That ride on the lazy river does sound very relaxing, even with the unwanted waterfall at the end!

It was pretty nice, despite the waterfall.

Excited to hear about your night on the catamaran!

Excited to get to that! It was a lot of fun!

Been loving these updates. Funny story ... Just booked a trip to Aulani in April, my wife and 14 month old daughter going, also First Class. I got a great deal ($810 round trip for all of us), just not quite what you did. My wife has already started counting down (205 days), which is a funny little quirk of hers I've missed.

Wow, congratulations on scoring a First Class deal! Yeah, I don't think I'll ever beat the $70/each for First Class (heck, I'm happy with $395/each coach for next trip), but you did indeed score a great deal! I hope you have a fantastic time! Aulani is a incredible resort.

It'll be interesting to see how our daughter does. She won't have her own seat on the plane, but it's also a shorter flight than you dealt with, so I think we'll be good.

I hope it works out well for you. Are you flying during her normal nap/sleep time at all? That could help. Otherwise, I remember flying with Izzy at 14 months (our first WDW trip with her) and she was a pretty good lap-baby. At 18 months, though, well - different story. So, I think you're going at the right time.

That water play area looks like fun, though I think Aria might feel the same way as Izzy. I wish they'd allow parents on places like that she prob would have had a much better time with you there (or a friend). Too bad about the lazy river being a bust too. Aria used to be like that but now thinks it's funny (esp when *I* get wet and she doesn't lol).

Yeah, the water play area is very big, VERY wet, and rather intimidating - to anyone, much less a young child on their own. I'm hoping it will help that we'll have another kid in our party next time (BIL's niece who is 5, I think), so maybe they can explore it together. Honestly, I was just happy to get to do the lazy river at all. I didn't have high hopes of making a full lap, as Izzy was very against even trying it. Thank goodness she relented and I was able to avoid enough of the splashes that she found it acceptable and was willing to do it more later in the trip. It was really my only chance to do the lazy river, as my grand plans of having Dug watch Izzy while I floated around blissfully went out the window when he had to do the work trip.

That snorkeling area looks so neat, I didn't realize they had that there. Did you ever get a chance to check it out??

We never went in, but we did look in the windows every time we went by (you can see underwater). Looks fun, but the idea of people watching me from underwater freaks me out a bit, so I doubt I'll ever do it. And I hear the water is quite chilly in there.

Cute character meets! Sounds like a relaxing day overall. Oh, delicious breakfast too - that French toast looks delicious! And no, not normal not to ask you what she wants to drink - although I normally start the convo by saying I'm getting her this kids meal - can I order her milk or juice etc so they know it's part of the meal. (I usually have milk with us so unless it's almost empty I'll order a juice instead).

It was a relaxing day. And, mmm, that breakfast was tasty! Yeah, I usually have milk too, so if they don't bring a drink, it's not a crisis. But we've had that happen with both drinks and desserts when the menu clearly says they are included. One place (not Disney) acted really strange when we asked to get the ice cream that came with Izzy's meal. Like we were trying to cheat them or something. So uncomfortable. It's like they don't know what their own menus say.

Hi Dugette,

I just wanted to say thank you for posting all this information. It is very helpful! We are heading to Aulani in January 2016 with a 4 year old and 6 month old and these posts provided a lot of very useful tips!

Wow, I am honored to be your one and only post on the DIS so far! Happy to help and if you have any questions, just let me know. There are not a ton of TRs about Aulani with young kids, but there are some (and some articles and blogs elsewhere on the internet) and they were all helpful for me when planning this trip (if you haven't already, check out @AZMermaid's report too). When in January will you be there? Makes me wonder if we'll overlap. Our return trip is January 8-17, but we'll only be at Aulani the last 4 of those nights. Hope you have a wonderful trip!