WDW, DLC and Hawaii

[writersblock]

Trying to figure out the best variation of a trip. We definitely want Hawaii (either land or inter-island cruise) along with a couple of nights at Aulani. Not all travellers are coming from the same location (and I’m from the U.K.) so we are trying to figure out the ideal trip. Has anyone combined WDW (not DLC) with Hawaii? How do you find it?

At the moment we can either all fly into CA and do DLC then fly to Hawaii (and back at the end). But there’s also the potential to fly into Orlando first, do WDW for a week, then fly to CA and do DLC for three days then do Hawaii. Is it reasonable or would this be daft?

Also, which would be the best airport for DLC? Does it change things if I’m international from London?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jdb in AZ]

The John Wayne airport in Orange County (code name SNA) is closest to Disneyland, small and convenient, but most international flights to southern California use LAX.

The only cruise line that does inter-island Hawaii without beginning or ending on the mainland is NCL-Hawaii and they're more of a floating hotel with poor food and worse service than you'd find at a nice resort. We've cruised Hawaii with NCL-Hawaii, and from the mainland on a Disney Cruise, and there's no comparison. If you opt for a land trip, Kauai and Maui are my favorite islands, but you'd need to include Oahu if you want to visit Aulani.

Flying from WDW to Hawaii is 14-18 hours, depending on layovers. I would "have" to get off the plane in Los Angeles and visit Disneyland just to break up the boredom of the flights, especially when you've already flown all the way from London.