Just back from a week at Aulani with babies!

[MrsPinup]

I just arrived home this morning and had the most wonderful week at Aulani. Just my best friend and I went with her son (17 months) and my DD (10 months) and feel like super moms for surviving the week! We went to Dole, Pearl Harbor, Rainbow Drive In, and attempted Waikiki. If you have any questions, fire away

 

[mickeyd78]

We'll be visiting Aulani in November with our 3 yo and 12 month old. Would love any insights on how Aulani was for kids this age. Also, how was Pearl Harbour with toddlers? I'd love to go, but we are worried that the kids might be too young.

 

[MrsPinup]

How fun! I saw many kids around age 3 while there. The Menehune Bridge will be a blast for your 3-year-old, but your LO will have to stay down. They do not allow adults to climb the bridge with their children, so this feature was something we ended up having to miss. Our babies loved floating with us down the lazy river though and swimming in the pools. The splash pad was the best part though because even my DD (who is just starting to walk) was able to toddle and crawl throughout that area.

We packed toys for the hotel room which kept the babies entertained while we got ready. Snacks were also key. We also requested bed rails, outlet covers, and a high chair for our room. They brought us one more rail than we actually needed, but the extra one worked great as a baby gate!

If you cannot get reservations in time for Pearl Harbor, my best advice is to head for the boat/movie cue first thing (after you get standby tickets.) There they will take people if the boat isn't full. I wish we had known about this line ahead of time because we were wandering around for 3.5 hours and the kids were getting restless. It would have been better to jump in the standby line and see the USS Arizona earlier.

Also, you cannot have a diaper bag with you while at Pearl Harbor. They make you check your bag and give you a plastic bag to put a diaper, wipes, and any snacks inside it. Considering we went without husbands, we had our hands full. Babywearing was a life saver - we both have Ergo's. Especially when you are on the memorial where strollers are not allowed, the Ergo allowed us to view the memorial without having to hold or chase the babies around (mine even napped.) Tula carriers are made to carry larger kids and your 3-year-old should fit (I have friends that use Tula's on 4 year olds.)

Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[MrsPinup]

We were in room 927 with a garden view (but could also see a good portion of the ocean from our patio)

 

[AZMermaid]

How far was Rainbow drive in? Was it worth it?

 

[MrsPinup]

How far was Rainbow drive in? Was it worth it?

It took us about 25 minutes to get there and we pulled in while there was still ample parking. The food was as amazing as the Yelp reviews say. I ordered a slush freeze and the mix plate (Rice, mac salad, mahi mahi, bbq beef, and fried chicken all for $10 total including the drink) and everything was fantastic. The mac salad was too heavy on the mayo, IMO, but my friend enjoyed hers. Food was ready quickly and there were plenty of places to sit. There were no high chairs that we saw though.

 

[Dugette]

Just saw this post and have a few questions, as we'll be at Aulani in 3 months with our toddler. She will be 25 months old at the time of the trip.

1.) Sounds like you can request high chairs for the room, then? We're renting DVC points and staying in a Standard Studio, if that matters. If we can get one there, I'll leave our travel high chair at home, I think.

2.) You said the Menehune Bridge doesn't allow adults (first time I've heard about that!) Our daughter is currently 22 months (again, will be 25 months on the trip) and she LOVES climbing up on playgrounds and going down slides, etc. What would you think about a toddler of this age going up there, since you've seen it? It is enclosed and safe? I would think so, but I'm not really clear on what she could get herself into. And sometimes she wants me up there on playground equipment with her, so it would be difficult to not do that if she was having any trouble. So, any thoughts are welcome - I'm hoping it will work for us!

3.) Did you go to the open parent/child times at Aunty's Beach House at all? I know we can't leave her there, as she won't be 3 yet, but I understand we can do some activities with her. Just wondering how that is and what all you can do. I've seen pictures of a playground - not sure if she could do that or not?

4.) Did you do the train ride at the Dole Plantation? If so, would it be worth it for a 2-year-old? I hear it's nothing too special, but she does like train rides.

5.) We're planning to switch off at Pearl Harbor. We have one ticket for 8:15am and one for 10am on a day where the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is going on nearby. Planning to have one person over there with her while the other is doing Pearl Harbor, then switch. Do you think that would work okay, having been there? I just didn't think the no bags and keeping a toddler calm would be worth the trouble for us to go together. And I want to be able to pay attention, which could be hard with a 2-year-old.

Any other feedback about bringing a newly 2-year-old is welcome. Thanks!

 

[Girimama33]

Just saw this post and have a few questions, as we'll be at Aulani in 3 months with our toddler. She will be 25 months old at the time of the trip.

1.) Sounds like you can request high chairs for the room, then? We're renting DVC points and staying in a Standard Studio, if that matters. If we can get one there, I'll leave our travel high chair at home, I think. You can request a High Chair...they are available.

2.) You said the Menehune Bridge doesn't allow adults (first time I've heard about that!) Our daughter is currently 22 months (again, will be 25 months on the trip) and she LOVES climbing up on playgrounds and going down slides, etc. What would you think about a toddler of this age going up there, since you've seen it? It is enclosed and safe? I would think so, but I'm not really clear on what she could get herself into. And sometimes she wants me up there on playground equipment with her, so it would be difficult to not do that if she was having any trouble. So, any thoughts are welcome - I'm hoping it will work for us! DD spent a lot of time at the Menehune Bridge...this is where our cabana was too for two days. The bridge is enclosed. There are two small slides. The CM's will ask you not to go on the structure, but you can walk around the bottom and always can see where your keiki is.

3.) Did you go to the open parent/child times at Aunty's Beach House at all? I know we can't leave her there, as she won't be 3 yet, but I understand we can do some activities with her. Just wondering how that is and what all you can do. I've seen pictures of a playground - not sure if she could do that or not? Didn't use Aunty's...DD just wanted to be at the pool/beach with us.

4.) Did you do the train ride at the Dole Plantation? If so, would it be worth it for a 2-year-old? I hear it's nothing too special, but she does like train rides. The train ride is nothing special, but a 2 year old may like it...my 6 year old did.

5.) We're planning to switch off at Pearl Harbor. We have one ticket for 8:15am and one for 10am on a day where the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is going on nearby. Planning to have one person over there with her while the other is doing Pearl Harbor, then switch. Do you think that would work okay, having been there? I just didn't think the no bags and keeping a toddler calm would be worth the trouble for us to go together. And I want to be able to pay attention, which could be hard with a 2-year-old. This sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't want to bring my 6 year old to PH.

Any other feedback about bringing a newly 2-year-old is welcome. Thanks!

Have fun!