Touring the island in one day?

[ericstac]

Hey everyone!! We are heading to Aulani over the July 4th weekend and I am totally lost on this trip lol. We are regulars at WDW and have it down pat but this trip is totally new to me and I need help!!!

We were wanting to see the North Shore, stop by the Dole plantation and see Pearl Harbor.

At first I was planning on doing the Dole and North Shore one day and then PH the next day. But after looking at it more it seems like it is an easy day trip, am I wrong?

I was thinking about waking up and hitting Pearl Harbor early around 7-8am, then about 10am head to North Shore, then over to Dole on the way back to Aulani.

Does this sounds feasible?

My only hang up now is car rental... any recommendations on how to handle that?

 

[catmegs]

It depends... are you traveling with kids (and if so, what ages?). When we went with our two sons, then 4 and 5, we split those trips into two days. We did the North Shore for a whole day at a leisurely pace and could have gone back a second day if we had more time (we stopped at two different beaches for swims and did a shrimp truck for lunch, no Dole plantation). The drive was longer than I expected and we didn't even hit much traffic as we went on a Saturday. As for Pearl Harbour, my husband went by himself and spent at least 4-5 hours and still wants to go back again on our next trip.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been to Aulani three times and are going again tomorrow. We always rent a car for the 10'days we are there directly from the airport. But I know you can rent from Alamo at the resort. With the holiday weekend though I wouldn't wait until you get there to reserve a car. We rarely leave the resort and just use the car to get groceries and go to mass...maybe a movie in Kapolei if the weather gets bad.

Usually we leave the morning of our return flight and drive around the north shore but the dole plantation doesn't interest us. But you can definitely drive around in a few hours. As for Pearl Harbor you definitely want to do it in the morning as early as possible, but you do have to buy tickets ahead of time. And over the 4th I'm guessing tickets may already be sold out. Go to the Pearl Harbor web site and see what's available. We spent about 2 hours there which was more than enough for us.

 

[Mom2disneygirls]

Yes rent now. We could not get the minivan we wanted (SUV will be packed with our family of 5) from the hotel and our first few days at Hilton before we transfer to Aulani where we are retuning the rental . We will also be there for 4th July. We are doing most of our sightseeing while at Hilton (first 3 days) then spending 8 days at Aulani but do have one day with horseback riding and dole plantation scheduled and rented a car for that day only at Aulani. We are doing a tour of Pearl Harbor to avoid lines.

 

[TraceyPoppins]

In my experience, the Dole Plantation is not worth the time or effort. It's basically a large shop and a little train tour (which is a few dollars) around the property. The Polynesian Cultural Center has much, much more. It's like a little world showcase of the South Pacific! Activities, shops, food, and some history. As Disney fans, we were impressed with this park.

 

[NovemberPapa3]

Pearl Harbor will require more than 2 hours if you want the visit to be worthwhile. You can skip Dole unless you want a TRUE Dole whip but it's really not necessary or even notable. Unless you're on the North Shore during the winter (big wave season) you'll likely be disappointed by the sets you'll see. The best thing to do out there at that point is to visit PCC and eat at Giovanni's.

 

[ggc]

One day is not enough for what you want to see. A good stop that most people will overlook is to visit Waialua Estate Coffee and Cacau.
The real deal about growing and harvesting coffee beans and chocolate on the north shore. The Dole Plantation is not what the Dole Cannery tour used to be. Before it closed many years ago you had a true experience of what Dole brought to the Islands. The cost of doing business and real estate pricing won in the end.
Imagine, the entire island of Lanai covered in pineapple fields, it was quite a sight to see.
Give yourself a chance to enjoy what you will see. There's always next time.
Keoki

 

[ericstac]

I should have mentioned the kids lol..three boys 7,12,14.

It sounds like we should think about the Dole trip. It wasn't big on my list so I will have to see what the wifey says and I will definitely look into the other suggestions yall brought up.

As for Pearl Harbor, I've tried a few times to get tickets on their website with no luck so my plan was to be there around 6:30am or so and grab tickets for that morning.

We are doing a tour of Pearl Harbor to avoid lines.

What is this and how does it avoid lines?

 

[crystal1313]

The day before you want to go to Pearl Harbor, you can go on the website at 7am and try to get tickets online, that way you won't have to get there so early. Aulani has tours you can book for Pearl Harbor as well.

 

[PlutoFan10]

We did the North shore on the same day that we did the Dole Plantation but we didn't do the tour -- just the store and a Dole Whip with fresh pineapple that was delicious! Pearl Harbor was another day. Actually spent a second day exploring North Shore also.

 

[CarolynFH]

Don't underestimate the length of time required to drive anywhere in Hawaii! Most of the roads other than "Interstate" highway 1 are narrow and wind around. So it's easy to need an hour or more to drive 30 miles even though you're in a rural area.

 

[GooglyBear808]

Skip the Dole plantation and go straight for the North Shore! Your kids will probably enjoying walking around Haleiwa, grabbing food, eating shave ice and maybe swimming at the beach for an hour or so. Also, choose a day and time that allows you to not get stuck in Honolulu traffic! That could easily eat up some valuable time.

 

[cleophus12]

We had PH tickets for the 9:00 tour on Wednesday of last week. We left Aulani about 7:15 and hit morning traffic that caused us to arrive at PH about 8:20. By the time we saw the movie and went out to the Arizona and spent some time walking around, we were there about three hours. We went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet afterwards. We did go to Dole on our North Shore day. We didn't do the train or the maze--just had a Dole Whip and enjoyed a walk around the "garden". It's fine, but I wouldn't call it a must see. I agree with the PP who mentioned the traffic issues. Our drive to the North Shore took a little over an hour, but we didn't rush. Traffic was rather slow. It was a gorgeous drive. I think that your plans may be a lot for one day, especially during a holiday. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Mom2disneygirls]

I should have mentioned the kids lol..three boys 7,12,14.

It sounds like we should think about the Dole trip. It wasn't big on my list so I will have to see what the wifey says and I will definitely look into the other suggestions yall brought up.

As for Pearl Harbor, I've tried a few times to get tickets on their website with no luck so my plan was to be there around 6:30am or so and grab tickets for that morning.




What is this and how does it avoid lines?

We booked through company the same one that Aulani uses on their excursions but this is pre our Aulani time (Hilton Hawaiian Village for first 3 days then Aulani for 8). All the tickets etc are taken care of they pick us up and take us etc so we have no worries about getting in line for tickets, getting tickets but having a much later timed entry - they take you and bring you back and generally have just found though cruises and other place we've stayed that Disney books with good tour companies and worth the price. We will be Aulani same time as you all with 3 girls 7 (8 that month), 11 3/4, and 13 I imagine we will see you all around

 

[MaineChapmans]

Pearl Harbor is easy to get tickets to. I go every year (I grew up there) and if it's Sunday, I'm on the Arizona. I generally just drive in around 7 or 8 and walk up and get tickets. Never had a problem. Afterwards I like to go to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and get some souvenirs and buy a new piece of luggage. I come in on a single carryon but leave with one check-in because of all the stuff I buy to bring home. The luggage is inexpensive and has flowers and so forth on it. The Swap meet is a good, inexpensive place to get souvenirs.

You might want to give a thought to hitting the Iolani Palace. It's not the place they show on Hawaii Five-0. That's the judicial building (Al'iolani Hale). The actual Palace is across the street from that, although seeing the King Kamehameha statue is pretty cool and worth a photo. Iolani Palace has a 3D virtual tour (http://www.iolanipalace.org/Visit/VirtualTour) so you can get a preview.

Don't forget to stop at a shrimp truck. Most people like Giovanni's. I like Fumi's. Fumi's gives you salad with your shrimp and rice.

Hanauma Bay is worth going but go early in the morning. In fact, if you want to beat the tourists--go early everywhere. Trust me.

I'll be happy to answer any questions. I generally only go to Aulani for the breakfast or just for souvenirs every year, because I stay at Aunty's condo in Waikiki. It's free.

Aloha!

 

[xlxo]

If you are looking at late afternoon/evening activity... also consider the Polynesian Cultural Centre. It's my fav attraction.

 

[CarolynFH]

If you are looking at late afternoon/evening activity... also consider the Polynesian Cultural Centre. It's my fav attraction.

I second that suggestion! Our kids (teens at the time) both enjoyed the PCC. It's a great place to learn about the various Polynesian cultures by meeting people from each island group, watching dances & ceremonies, seeing full-size houses, etc. IIRC, they have hands-on activities for the kids, too. We're planning to spend most of a day there this trip.

 

[MaineChapmans]

Don't forget--Friday night fireworks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Every Friday night around sunset, 7 p.m.-ish I think.

My brother was with me and we walked down to watch this one from Aunty's condo on April 22.

Note: if you're military or retired military (like my brother), go early and get a seat at the Hale Koa barefoot bar, and watch from there. But don't go too close to the time--it's packed! This video was from the sand in front of the Hale Koa barefoot bar.