Aulani

[thedahliharpa]

We are going next month with our 4&7 year old.

Have you been? Tell me everything! :-)

So far, we have pre-registered for the kid's club and made character dining reservations but have not really planned anything else yet.

[rootbeerfloat]

We took DD for her 5th birthday. (I'm local, so we spent a weekend there.) My kids love the kids club, and there are a couple of different pools, plus the beach right outside. The beach is inside a reef, so very calm, and you can rent kayaks, etc. Besides the kid's club, there's another lounge type room with DVDs and video games; you can borrow a tablet for a scavenger hunt, which DS (7+ at the time) enjoyed. And of course, shave ice.

If you're there on a Friday night (and possibly one weekday night?), they do movies on one of the outdoor lawns.

Monkeypod across the street is good. Go early (like before 5:30 or 6) for happy hour... pizzas and some apps are cheaper. If you are interested in a luau, one of the better ones on the island is right down the street at Paradise Cove.

If you plan to leave the resort and want recommendations for other places to eat, let me know.

[ilikedonuts]

Please post a trip report when you get back. We're planning on going in a couple years with the kids!

[nancybotwin]

I really want to take the kids but we are waiting until DS can do the kids club - he will be 3 in November.

[Deleted]

I so jealous!

[thedahliharpa]

Mar 6, 2016 9:09:41 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Please post a trip report when you get back. We're planning on going in a couple years with the kids!

I will! We go at the end of April.

[thedahliharpa]

Mar 6, 2016 10:27:40 GMT -5 nancybotwin said:

I really want to take the kids but we are waiting until DS can do the kids club - he will be 3 in November.

I would wait too since it seems to be such a great program. I'm not sure how they split the ages or if my kids will be together at the club. I need to get some more info.

[KKD]

We did the character breakfast when we visited Oahu when my girls were 18 months and almost 4. They loved it, and I know they'd love it even more if we could go back and stay there!

We also enjoyed the Paradise Cove luau mentioned above. DD1 and I got on stage for the hula lesson, which made for a great memory for both of us. Yes, it's a bit touristy, but the kids had fun, even if they refused to eat any of the food. lol.

[lishie]

We're doing Aulani in June. I can't wait for it. I've been researching it forever, and you definitely want to plan to do their Starlight Hui one night. Take advantage of the kids club...This is how DH and I are planning to do our kids-free with kids vacationing

We're also planning time off resort at Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and the North Shore.

The Aulani photopass if fairly reasonable if you think you'll do lots of photos at the resort.

[lululab]

We went in December, loved it! Already planning a trip back next Jan! My daughters are 5 and 2, so a bit younger than yours but here's some things off the top of my head...
-You can pick up the next day's schedule the night before, we always grabbed it and planned which activities we definitely wanted to do. My kids loved the pool parties the best
-Use Aunties! It's the best. My daughter asked to go back everyday. She made friends she would see around the resort to play with! They have a great set up.
-We went to the early morning open house/Disney Jr activities at Aunties every morning. Different characters showed up every time. It's geared towards younger kids but my 5yo still loved dancing with Micky and Minnie. Great way to spend some time with the characters w/o a crowd.
-Scavenger hunt was super fun. Animation class was awesome!
-Pick up free boogie boards and sand toys at the beach hut. You can rent paddle boards, kayaks etc but we never did.
-We went to Target a few miles down the road for groceries and my husband cooked (I refused on vacation) most of our meals. It saved $ and was a lot healthier.
-We did the character breakfast one day. It was better than I was expecting but $$$. I would say it was worth it once but not something I would do more than once.
-Go to the spa if you can. It is amazing!!!!!

Any other specific questions, thedahliharpa ? It really is an awesome resort, I'm sure you'll have a blast!!

ETA: Woah, that got really long. Sorry for the typos, on my phone. 

[thedahliharpa]

Thank you, lululab! That all sounds awesome! I'm getting really excited.

[deo]

We went last year and it was fantastic. Auntie's was great, my 3yr old LOVED it.

They had a concert on the lawn one night and I would definitely recommend it. I forget what it was call but they handed out grass mats for each family to sit on. We were sitting beside a couple of other families who had small kids and all the kids started dancing to the music together, it was really cute.

[lululab]

Mar 10, 2016 16:06:00 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Thank you, lululab ! That all sounds awesome! I'm getting really excited.

Let me know if you have any other questions! Hope you have a great time!