Itinerary opinions

[DisneyJade]

Hello! We are creating a loose itinerary for our 5-night trip and would love feedback. We are renting a car and have two 5 year olds.

arrival day - settle in and explore resort, pool and beach time
full day 1 - resort day: pool, beach, snorkle, MonkeyPod (not yet booked)
full day 2 - day trip to Waimea Valley and Haleiwa, *5pm Aulani Luau (booked)*
full day 3 - Makahiki character breakfast (not yet booked), day trip to Kualoa Ranch and Polynesian Cultural Ctr
full day 4 - resort day: pool, beach, etc.
departure day - early flight home

We are trying to strike a balance between laid back resort time and adventure/exploration. I also considered doing just one day away from the resort, to minimize driving (two trips to north shore), but I don’t think we can get to all of the above spots in one day, right?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

For a shorter trip like this, I would personally skip Kualoa Ranch and PCC. They're both wonderful attractions, but they're FAR, so that's a ton of driving. If you're definitely going to keep them, I would move the character breakfast to day 4 so you can get on the road as early as possible.

On your Waimea Valley day, you can stop at the Dole Plantation and/or Green World Coffee Farm on your way up. You'll literally drive right past them, and they're fun diversions for an hour or two.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

For reference, here's my 8 night itinerary. We're East Coast, so we have a lot more travel time than you.

Travel day - Fly and go to bed early, that's it
Full day 1 - Church, grocery shopping, resort day
Full day 2 - Character breakfast, Bishop Museum, Monkeypod
Full day 3 - Green World Coffee Farm, Dole Plantation, Waimea Valley
Full day 4 - Pearl Harbor
Full day 5 - Morning hike at Ka'ena Point, resort day
Full day 6 - Morning hike at Diamond Head, resort day, lu'au
Full day 7 - Kualoa Ranch and Bydo-In Temple
Travel day - Fly to WC
Travel day - Fly to EC

 

[DisneyJade]

Thanks! I’ve had so many people say the PCC is THE attraction not to be missed, so I was a little scared to skip it, and we have the ranch on the list because one of our daughters is a HUGE Jurassic Park fan, plus the scenery looked really appealing to me and my hubs. Are these places farther away than Waimea Valley? Google maps shows them approximately the same distance from Aulani as Waimea.

We’ve been advised that Dole Plantation is a bit of a tourist trap and boring for kids, but if it’s on the way, we might get out to stretch our legs and have a Dole whip!

Edited to add: moving the character breakfast to day 4 sounds like a good plan!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

The Dole plantation is definitely a tourist trap…. But in many years of taking visitors, nieces and nephews, and now my own daughter there, I can’t remember any of the kids being bored. It makes for a good 1-2 hour stop for a train ride, running around the maze, and having a DoleWhip, before you continue on to Haleiwa.

You might consider doing Kualoa Ranch and PCC on different days. A more relaxing day itinerary would be : head over the Pali Highway towards Kaneohe. Stop at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout (bring jackets), before crossing to the Kaneohe side. Stop by the Byodo-In Temple, feed the fish and birds (they’ll land on your hands to eat). Bring bug spray! Then head over to the Ranch for one of their tours. Stop by Yummy Huli Huli Chicken for some local food. Head back to Aulani.

That would be a full day, without feeling like you have to rush anywhere.

 

[DisneyJade]

The Dole plantation is definitely a tourist trap…. But in many years of taking visitors, nieces and nephews, and now my own daughter there, I can’t remember any of the kids being bored. It makes for a good 1-2 hour stop for a train ride, running around the maze, and having a DoleWhip, before you continue on to Haleiwa.

You might consider doing Kualoa Ranch and PCC on different days. A more relaxing day itinerary would be : head over the Pali Highway towards Kaneohe. Stop at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout (bring jackets), before crossing to the Kaneohe side. Stop by the Byodo-In Temple, feed the fish and birds (they’ll land on your hands to eat). Bring bug spray! Then head over to the Ranch for one of their tours. Stop by Yummy Huli Huli Chicken for some local food. Head back to Aulani.

That would be a full day, without feeling like you have to rush anywhere.

Thank you. You sound like a local, and we always seek the insight and advice of locals! We are for sure adding Dole to the list, and I’m considering taking PCC off the list entirely in favor of your recommended itinerary on our second off-property day. Another option we are considering is a boat excursion in hopes of seeing dolphins and whales. if we do this, it would replace our Kualoa Ranch day.

 

[OKW Lover]

We’ve been advised that Dole Plantation is a bit of a tourist trap and boring for kids, but if it’s on the way, we might get out to stretch our legs and have a Dole whip!

Yes, its definitely a tourist trap. I wouldn't say its boring for kids though. It is fairly conveniently located if you are heading to the North Shore for the day.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Thank you. You sound like a local, and we always seek the insight and advice of locals! We are for sure adding Dole to the list, and I’m considering taking PCC off the list entirely in favor of your recommended itinerary on our second off-property day. Another option we are considering is a boat excursion in hopes of seeing dolphins and whales. if we do this, it would replace our Kualoa Ranch day.

I grew up on the island, and go back to visit family almost every year. Our little family has outgrown the guest bedroom, so just bought DVC this year.

PCC is a great place to visit - a very unique experience which will introduce a lot of Pacific Islander culture to you and your kids. On the other hand, Kualoa ranch will give everyone great memories whenever you watch almost any movie or TV show set in a tropical location.

I’d hate to steer you away from visiting either one. Part of the magic of being in the islands though, is adjusting to “island time”…. Taking it a little slower and relaxing more. It’s hard to stop for an extra shave ice if you have to be somewhere quickly!

If I had to choose between Kualoa and PCC, not sure which I’d choose, but I definitely would avoid doing them on the same day. And you can’t really go wrong doing either. Since I get motion sickness really easily, I wont comment on the whale watching!