What is the minimum age you'd take a child to Aulani?

[MamaMermaid]

Y'all, I am CHOMPING AT THE BIT to go to Aulani. Obviously not this year or maybe even not next year, either. But my question is: what age is the minimum you think a child should be to enjoy Aulani? My son is 3 and will be 4 in the fall. If we are talking 2023, he'd be 5 or 6. Is that too little? I know he won't remember much but will he enjoy it? He loves to swim, loves to hike, etc. I know this is a really child-dependent/personal decision but I appreciate any ideas!

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Iceman93]

That is not too little AT ALL! I'd say as soon as a child is toilet-trained (which means they can go to Aunty's) they are the perfect age.

 

[808blessing]

Of course!!

 

[cgattis]

I would think the bigger question would be can they handle the flight? Although they don’t have the issues with leg room that grown people have! Mine have done a million 10-12 hour car trips, so I think they would’ve been fine on a long flight as littles. And idk where you’re flying from, so it might not be as bad as our east coast journey.

 

[tankin]

My thoughts... If Aulani was on the mainland, I'd say "birth" but its not. So, is this a "once in a lifetime" trip? If so, I'd wait so he can remember it. How does he do on a plane? Our ride is 10+ hrs with all the connections and one of the flights is overnight. Can he handle that? What does your mommy gut say?

 

[_19disnA]

The OP's profile says they are from Florida. My question would be why go all the way to Hawaii instead of Disney in Orlando? A small child will enjoy the amusement parks way more then a fancy hotel.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We went in February 2020 with kids 5 and 2, plus my wife 8 months pregnant. It was an 11 hour flight direct from Boston and it was worth it in every imaginable way.

The only time I would say "wait" is if your child was *almost* three years old, which is the minimum age for Aunty's Beach House.

Why are you saying "obviously not this year and maybe not next year"?

 

[happymommy]

The first time we brought our kids back to Hawaii (oldest was born there when we lived on Oahu) they were 3 and 5 at the time. We stayed in Waikiki at the Hale Koa, and it was a wonderful 10 days. That being said, we started taking them on real “vacations” (not visiting family but a real Disney trip) when they were younger than that, and they were used to flying (my family lives in another state).

I’d go whenever you feel ready! We’re on the East Coast, so I had things packed for the long flights like snacks and activities (although they napped some too). Planning ahead made things go very smoothly. Now that I’m almost 20 years older, I see I definitely had a lot more energy back then! I’m over 50 now, so it would tire me out, but in my 30’s I was good to go. DH had to come home early for work, so I flew back solo with them (and got no sleep on the flight, lol).

 

[margot31]

5/6 is not too little. We moved to Oahu (military) and my son can still remember many of his Disney World trips when we were living in FL....granted we left Fl back in Nov 19. Your child might not remember everything but some of it.

Now I might kind of agree with another poster about coming to Hawaii at a young age and that is more because what do you plan on doing while here? Aulani resort is nice (while I haven't stayed there before) but resort life you can only do so much when here. Do you plan on doing hikes or sight seeing? We hike and all but we live here and it is apart of life here.

 

[Lilsia]

The OP's profile says they are from Florida. My question would be why go all the way to Hawaii instead of Disney in Orlando? A small child will enjoy the amusement parks way more then a fancy hotel.

Kids will enjoy themselves no matter where they are, especially if their parents are happy. Growing up, we did not go to Disney World or Hawaii(which I begged my parents to take me to), we stayed in a cabin in Wisconsin in the middle of nowhere. But we enjoyed ourselves because a vacation is a vacation. Sometimes parents "overthink" if a child will be happy or have fun. When they are that little, they have no frame of reference and everything is new and wonderous to them. They will enjoy a trip to Hawaii the same as if they went to WDW, or your neighbors pool, or the zoo, etc. You are thinking like and adult, not a child. Parents should go where they want to go and the children will be just fine.

 

[Jacq7414]

We are planning for 2024 when our daughter is 8 and it’s our 10 year anniversary. It’s a really long flight for us.

 

[Missingmypooh]

We’re in Florida and this is our plan with four kids under 8.
fly from Florida to DL. 4 days there.
DL to AUL. 7-10 days.
AUL to DL for another 3 days .
Then DL to Orlando.

planning to do this in 2023 or 2024.

 

[_19disnA]

Kids will enjoy themselves no matter where they are, especially if their parents are happy.

My comment related more the fact the OP indicates they live in Florida. Being spending 10+ hours on an airplane to Hawaii for one specific hotel, I would search out things closer to home. Not sure where they live in Florida, but Disneyworld is obviously closer then Hawaii and there are many really nice hotels if that is their main interest. Your mileage may vary !!!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

My comment related more the fact the OP indicates they live in Florida. Being spending 10+ hours on an airplane to Hawaii for one specific hotel, I would search out things closer to home. Not sure where they live in Florida, but Disneyworld is obviously closer then Hawaii and there are many really nice hotels if that is their main interest. Your mileage may vary !!!

You don't got to Hawaii "for one specific hotel," you to to Hawaii for Hawaii. The hotel is part of that, but it's not THE reason you go.

 

[Lilsia]

My comment related more the fact the OP indicates they live in Florida. Being spending 10+ hours on an airplane to Hawaii for one specific hotel, I would search out things closer to home. Not sure where they live in Florida, but Disneyworld is obviously closer then Hawaii and there are many really nice hotels if that is their main interest. Your mileage may vary !!!

Like CaptainAmerica said, Aulani is just the hotel where you are staying while in HAWAII. The Island itself is the destination, not Aulani. When we plan a trip there and someone askes me "where are you going", I say that I'm going to Hawaii. I don't say what hotel I am staying at unless they ask. Some people don't mind the travel or they enjoy their destination enough to not let the it bother them. I traveled to as many places as I could with my kids growing up and they became great travelers. To me, the point of traveling is to see other places then where you live. Yes, they can go closer and stay in State, but they want to go to Hawaii. OP, even at 5-6, your kids will not remember much if any of the trip. Go when YOU want to go and enjoy the memories that you will make with them. Enjoying your life, even parts that won't be remembered, is important.

 

[kdonnel]

We took our two year old to New Zealand and Australia. Of course she has no memory of the trip but my wife and I have lots of amazing memories. We modified our travel a little when the kids were small but never stopped.

 

[SilverSnakeMama]

W

Y'all, I am CHOMPING AT THE BIT to go to Aulani. Obviously not this year or maybe even not next year, either. But my question is: what age is the minimum you think a child should be to enjoy Aulani? My son is 3 and will be 4 in the fall. If we are talking 2023, he'd be 5 or 6. Is that too little? I know he won't remember much but will he enjoy it? He loves to swim, loves to hike, etc. I know this is a really child-dependent/personal decision but I appreciate any ideas!

Thanks for your thoughts!

We will be taking our 3 oldest (12,10 & 6),a 18 month old and a newborn in June 2021,obviously the younger 2 won’t remember it but we are still bringing them (it’s a family vacation and they are part of our family)I can expect that my 6 year old will enjoy it and remember the experience,the older 2 have been begging to go to Hawaii and so they are super excited

 

[nkereina]

I would think the bigger question would be can they handle the flight? Although they don’t have the issues with leg room that grown people have! Mine have done a million 10-12 hour car trips, so I think they would’ve been fine on a long flight as littles. And idk where you’re flying from, so it might not be as bad as our east coast journey.

This was my first thought. IMO, age 5 through age 10 seems to be the most ideal age for a child at Aulani. They can enjoy Aunty's which allows adults to enjoy themselves as well. Anything younger may be too young to leave them at Aunty's for any length of time, and anything older seems too old for Aunty's and there's not many activities for pre-teens or older. So, the question the OP should consider the most, is how the 5-6 year old would handle the flight. We flew from Atlanta and its about 9 hours.

The OP's profile says they are from Florida. My question would be why go all the way to Hawaii instead of Disney in Orlando? A small child will enjoy the amusement parks way more then a fancy hotel.

You don't got to Hawaii "for one specific hotel," you to to Hawaii for Hawaii. The hotel is part of that, but it's not THE reason you go.

These are both excellent points. The main reason for going to Hawaii would be to enjoy the culture, natural beauty, and history of the islands. Would a 5 year old appreciate this? Likely, no. I think this can be mitigated by staying at Aulani which has things that appeal to 5 year olds for their enjoyment, but would encourage anyone visiting Hawaii with kids to still get out and explore the island. Aulani in and of itself does not warrant a visit alone. Its no better or more grand than any other higher end resort in Hawaii. In fact, many people who stay at Aulani and do not leave the resort come away disappointed. But, it does make a great home base for families exploring Oahu. So this is something anyone thinking about a stay at Aulani should take into consideration.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

These are both excellent points. The main reason for going to Hawaii would be to enjoy the culture, natural beauty, and history of the islands. Would a 5 year old appreciate this? Likely, no. I think this can be mitigated by staying at Aulani which has things that appeal to 5 year olds for their enjoyment, but would encourage anyone visiting Hawaii with kids to still get out and explore the island. Aulani in and of itself does not warrant a visit alone. Its no better or more grand than any other higher end resort in Hawaii. In fact, many people who stay at Aulani and do not leave the resort come away disappointed. But, it does make a great home base for families exploring Oahu. So this is something anyone thinking about a stay at Aulani should take into consideration.

I'd divide a Hawaiian vacation in to four broad buckets: Nature, Culture, History, and Recreation/Relaxation.

Aulani alone can fulfill Recreation/Relaxation and give you a taste of Nature and Culture, but you're absolutely right that you need to explore the island (or multiple islands if you have the time and budget) to make the most of the trip. For example, we dragged my kids (5 and 2) to the Bishop Museum and they complained for the first 20 minutes about how bored they were, but then ended up really connecting with some of the exhibits and actually learning. When we watched Aulani's lu'au later in the week, they recognized some of the artifacts in the show as things they got to see and touch at the museum.

This was my first thought. IMO, age 5 through age 10 seems to be the most ideal age for a child at Aulani. They can enjoy Aunty's which allows adults to enjoy themselves as well. Anything younger may be too young to leave them at Aunty's for any length of time, and anything older seems too old for Aunty's and there's not many activities for pre-teens or older. So, the question the OP should consider the most, is how the 5-6 year old would handle the flight. We flew from Atlanta and its about 9 hours.

We flew from Boston with 5 and 2. The flight to Honolulu was super easy and the kids were perfect because the time change works in your favor going that direction. Coming home, we were on an 11 hour overnight and it was a nightmare. Nobody slept and it was very dangerous for me to drive home from the airport after we landed. Highly recommend a pit stop on the west coast for the return leg.

 

[Lilsia]

This was my first thought. IMO, age 5 through age 10 seems to be the most ideal age for a child at Aulani. They can enjoy Aunty's which allows adults to enjoy themselves as well. Anything younger may be too young to leave them at Aunty's for any length of time, and anything older seems too old for Aunty's and there's not many activities for pre-teens or older.

Depending on when the trip is, Aunty's might not even be open, or with very limited hours/capacity. I would not plan my trip to depend on sending my kids there. Also, not all children will enjoy going there. When we went on the Disney cruises, my oldest LOVED the kids clubs all the way until she aged out of them. I had to force her to leave for meals and to spend a bit of time with us. LOL My youngest hated them and spent all of her time with me. I would caution people to not plan a family vacation based on childcare.