What do you wish you packed?

[carsonsdmom]

Besides the basics clothes, swimwear and sunscreen... is there anything you were super glad you packed for Aulani or wish you brought? We are not DVC

 

[keaster]

Not really...if we forgot or missed anything while packing it's easy to go somewhere to buy it as we always have a rental car and there is a Target and other similar places not far away. We are DVC too

 

[southerngirl528]

Besides the basics clothes, swimwear and sunscreen... is there anything you were super glad you packed for Aulani or wish you brought? We are DVC

Not specific to our annual Hawaii trips, but my suitcase ALWAYS has an assortment of ziplock bags. Those things can really come in handy for ALL sorts of things!

If you are going to have an ocean view, a pair of binoculars might be a fun addition to your packing list. In whale season (winter Dec-Mar) while at Aulani once, I watched a mama humpback teaching her baby to fluke slap! (tail up, tail slapping the surface of the water repeatedly). Just to be clear here, though one surely can see whales from Oahu and Aulani, they are not seen nearly as frequently as from the more protected areas of Hawaii, like the leeward shores of Maui.

Please bring REEF safe sunscreen if you plan on any ocean swimming, playing. it's been found that much of the coral reef deaths in Hawaii are from chemical sunscreens. Or you can buy that once you land in Hawaii.

Bring casual clothes. Only. Unless you are planning a dinner at one of the very high end restaurants which can be found on Oahu, you truly do NOT need any fancy clothes while in Hawaii. Dress up for me while in Hawaii is a nicer pair of capri's, nice top and my nicest sandals along with cute accessories (earrings, etc.). Hawaii is VERY casual.

Happy planning! We LOVE Aulani and have my 5th trip there booked for early next year!

 

[AZMermaid]

If you have young kids, we were super happy we brought our own sand toys. They were always out of the free ones!

 

[KipperBun]

Please bring REEF safe sunscreen if you plan on any ocean swimming, playing. it's been found that much of the coral reef deaths in Hawaii are from chemical sunscreens. Or you can buy that once you land in Hawaii.

This. Thank you for posting about the reef-safe sunscreen. I think it is so important to keep this in mind.

and to answer the OP, my response is probably silly but if you are big on saving papers and the like for scrapbooks or memory boxes, bring a folder to keep the Daily 'Iwa (the paper schedules that are released for each day) nice and pristine. Mine came back slightly wrinkled.

 

[adamak]

Frozen cup (I think that's what they were called). The ones that has double wall that will keep beverage cold? It's so awesome to be able to keep my diet coke and white wine cold.

 

[nkereina]

I wished I had brought more aloe and cortisone cream! I'm usually very careful with sunscreen but we still managed to get burn. I also broke out in a weird sun rash that I'd only had happen once before, but assume it was due to the intense sun in Hawaii. Cortisone cream is the only thing that helped.

I also brought a few pairs of jeans and pants which I never wore. I lived in shorts and leggings. Sun dresses were popular too. I'd also recommend bringing a light hoodie but nothing more. We never needed it. Never found A/C too overpowering anywhere either - so many open air places.

 

[southerngirl528]

Frozen cup (I think that's what they were called). The ones that has double wall that will keep beverage cold? It's so awesome to be able to keep my diet coke and white wine cold.

Yes! I always, always pack my large Tervis mug or now I have a Yeti!!! And those things ROCK!!!

 

[southerngirl528]

I wished I had brought more aloe and cortisone cream! I'm usually very careful with sunscreen but we still managed to get burn. I also broke out in a weird sun rash that I'd only had happen once before, but assume it was due to the intense sun in Hawaii. Cortisone cream is the only thing that helped.

I had that weird rash thing happen one trip to Maui. Never had it happen before. The super sweet gal that runs the cabanas at our resort there sent me to the towel hut where they sold sunglasses and high end sunscreen. Can't remember the brand but it was a zinc oxide one (all I use now), so with the new sunscreen and with some Benadryl by mouth at night and a little cortisone cream, I was good to in a little over 24 hours!

 

[Pete W.]

Waterproof camera. We brought the Apeman Full HD waterproof camera purchased on Amazon for ~$40 and used it extensively for taking pictures/movies in the rain, swimming in the Aulani lagoon including underwater.

 

[cgattis]

Soft side cooler for excursions and kept snacks cool by the pool. Ditto to PP on the Ziploc bags always! Waterproof phone cases for reading my Kindle app in the lazy river . Also ditto other PP on my Panasonic waterproof camera. Honestly the most awesome thing was having a kitchen and a washer and dryer, since we were on day 10 by the time we got to Aulani.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

Baseball hat. Our beach trips consist of us sitting by beach/pool for long stretches of the day. Although i usually NEVER wear a baseball cap, they are great for by the pool while reading and to keep head from getting burned. But i NEVER remember to bring one with, even though i always set a couple out.....so I have have 10+ resort baseball caps in my closet I'll never wear again. Unless you want to join the overpriced cap of the month club like me, bring one with

 

[crystal1313]

If you have a villa, salt and pepper! Also, lots of zip locks and saran wrap for leftover food was helpful. We brought large plastic tumblers to make our iced tea in the mornings. Came in handy for cocktails in the evening too =) Large beach bag for the pool, a hat, and waterproof camera were a must. I didn't bother bringing my phone to the pools. One more thing to fuss with. They have iced water all around the pool area, so maybe a refillable water bottle for that? It really came in handy and was so refreshing.