Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii, those with kids?

[look 171]

Anyone done those disney resort trips?

I want some me time with my wife and I hear the kids arrive and they don't even want to be near us because Disney keeps them busy all day long.

[TheMentat]

I don't have any direct experience with the Disney resorts, but if you are looking for a resort where they keep the kids well occupied, has lots of activities, and is all-inclusive with great food, check out Club Med as well (although, not in Hawaii).

We went to the resort in Ixtapa, and all had an amazing time. Drop the kids off at 9:00, and pick-em up before dinner (or later with prior arrangements), and they will want to go back for more. The employees were mostly from other countries, generally spoke three languages (although sometimes the English wasn't great), and really went out of their way to make it a great vacation.

I know I sound like I drank the kool-aid they were serving there, but I was thoroughly impressed despite some shortcomings...

[bleucamaro]

https://resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort/faq/kids-club-faq/

[red-beard]

Haven't stayed there, but I was maybe 1/4 mile down the beach at the Marriott. The area is pretty nice. If you have a car and want to do some of your own cooking, there is a Costco nearby. Yes, shop at Costco, it is about 1/2 the price of regular Oahu stores.

[JonT]

My wife and I were just there in November absolutely loved it. We have two girls 4 and 6. Aunty's Kids club is amazing and the kids loved it. Its a Disney Resort but its not in your face like at DW where everying is Disney. In fact the Disney theme is almost unnoticeable. The beach is amazing since they have a big water break and nets out a couple hundred feet from shore so the waves are tiny so very kid friendly. We rented a car a couple days and went to Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation, North Shore and the Ocean Life Marina on the very east side of the island. Probably my favorite family vacation and the girls cried their eyes out when we left. Great family vacation.

[matthewb0051]

I lived on Ohau when it was opened.

It is on the west side of the island. If you don't have a car, you are stuck there or will have to pay a pretty penny to get taxi.

You will not get the full effect of Hawaii there. No beach there either.

But if you rented a car and were committed to getting around then its ok. Far easier from there to North Shore. There is a Target and Costco very close.

Its a very long hike back to Honolulu and Waikiki. AND TRAFFIC THERE IS WORSE THAN ANYTHING YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED OR IMAGINED. Imagine a 15 mile commute that takes an hour, that was my reality every day.

Did I mention there is no beach there? They have some man made lagoon but nothing real.

You are stuck with their restaurants.

But if you want a place for the kids to be occupied then it may work for you. I was not impressed. You may as well go to Florida and save the $$.

[matthewb0051]

Just noticed you are from LA. So the traffic is something you are acquainted with but still worse on Oahu. Simply no where to go.

[red-beard]

I'm not sure I agree with you Matthew. I stayed at the Ko Olina Marriott. It is not a beach like Waikiki, but it is a protected cove, lagoon. The 4 of them were man made, one for each resort, except one became a park.

There are restaurants and some touristic shopping nearby resort. Driving will be bad no matter where you stay on the Island. And if you want a classic beach, there is always Makaha, further west on RT-93.

[red-beard]

These will give you a good idea of what the "beach" will look like. This is not Disney, but the Marriott. I expect the Disney beach is similar.

[look 171]

Been going to Hawaii when I was a kid for vacation. There's was no traffic then, haven't been back there in more then 12 years. Traffic was starting to get pretty bad even back then. Almost missed my commuter flight to other islands. My wife and I are not concern about the beach as we have been many times. its still very nice to sit out and enjoy. This trip is for the kids and we just need to go off and get away from the kids for a day or two. We like to island hop this time around too and introduce smaller islands to the kids.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by JonT

My wife and I were just there in November absolutely loved it. We have two girls 4 and 6. Aunty's Kids club is amazing and the kids loved it. Its a Disney Resort but its not in your face like at DW where everying is Disney. In fact the Disney theme is almost unnoticeable. The beach is amazing since they have a big water break and nets out a couple hundred feet from shore so the waves are tiny so very kid friendly. We rented a car a couple days and went to Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation, North Shore and the Ocean Life Marina on the very east side of the island. Probably my favorite family vacation and the girls cried their eyes out when we left. Great family vacation.

Did you have to sign them up for stuff or is it all included in the whole package? They are 9 and 11, so before they get too old, I want them to have some kid fun along with us.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I'm not sure I agree with you Matthew. I stayed at the Ko Olina Marriott. It is not a beach like Waikiki, but it is a protected cove, lagoon. The 4 of them were man made, one for each resort, except one became a park.

There are restaurants and some touristic shopping nearby resort. Driving will be bad no matter where you stay on the Island. And if you want a classic beach, there is always Makaha, further west on RT-93.

Sorry, I was not trying to offend. The Disney and Ko Olina are nice places, very nice. But they are so insulated from the rest of the island. I can imagine they are nice to use as a hub or base for getting to the rest of the island due to better traffic out there. But I would not go out there to just stay, you would miss so much.

There are some great beaches on Oahu and unless our former president is there, they are all public and cannot be closed down.

Try 3 Tables on the North Shore. Great snorkeling and waves are usually pretty low/guarded from the three rock tables. My memory of Ko Olina lagoons is that they are just sand bottoms and no fish.

I will have to disagree regarding Makaha though. The further west you go the more non-locals are not welcome. Even Dog the Bounty Hunter does not venture out to the west side of the island.

Another fact about the western part is that it is relatively arid. It is not the lush green area that you think of when thinking of Hawaii. If you are looking for that, you will need to go east and north.

[scottmandue]

Have not been to Aulani but I think every island has the mega resorts and any of those have kid programs.

Just saying you don't have to limit yourself to Oahu... there is the Hilton Waikoloa on the Kona side of big island... I'm guessing they have something like that on Kauaii and Maui.

And yes the traffic has become pretty bad (as of about eight years ago last time I was there).

[red-beard]

I stayed at the Marriott Waikoloa when I was on the Big Island. I don't remember it having kid programs, but the Hilton may be different.

OTOH, there is a LOT more touristic stuff to do on Oahu than the Big Island.

[scottmandue]

I don't have kids so I don't consider "kid friendly" options when I go to Hawaii:

I did find this:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsList-Hawaii-Family-Resorts-zfp188595.html

Obviously your kids, your vacation, your money so do what works best for your family...

Just seems odd to fly two thousand miles to paradise and have your kids baby sat by plastic Disney characters.

Pretty sure the other resorts have local native people that run the children's programs so the kids get a little culture with their fun.

Just my two cents.

[look 171]

Spend a week on the big island and I was bored to death. there's only so many around the island tour or snoring you can do. After 6 days, we decided to jump ship to Maui. That was when I was younger hanging out with the girlfriend. Now, I can just sit and enjoy (for a little bit anyway).

[look 171]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I don't have kids so I don't consider "kid friendly" options when I go to Hawaii:

I did find this:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsList-Hawaii-Family-Resorts-zfp188595.html

Obviously your kids, your vacation, your money so do what works best for your family...

Just seems odd to fly two thousand miles to paradise and have your kids baby sat by plastic Disney characters.

Pretty sure the other resorts have local native people that run the children's programs so the kids get a little culture with their fun.

Just my two cents.

I agree. Everyone tells me its the greatest place for kids. I only want to leave the kids with them for a couple of days and use that as base and see other islands. Driving is a must, but I am so fearful of the traffic. Going through Pearl Harbor was a mess last time we were there. Its like driving the 405 I wonder going to the other side of the island through the tunnels (or was it the hills?) is jam up all the time. We don't have to drive during rush hour. What the hell happened to hanging loose? its become LA or New York. Intense. You remember how LA used to be a lot more relax then what is is now. Is Hawaii the same now or headed that way?

[matthewb0051]

Traffic just gets bunched up on the H-201 around Honolulu.

From Disney you can hop on the H2 up to North Shore no traffic. H3 to the eastern (north) shore. Usually traffic not very bad.

I don't think Hawaii is too intense as you say. Its just a rush hour thing and poor road infrastructure. Too may cars, off ramps and on ramps together, and people just speed up knowing they need to brake full on in 200 meters.

[fxeditor]

Have you thought about a Disney Cruise? Cheaper than Aulani (even with airfare), all your food is included, and the kids program is top notch!

Have a great trip!
Michael

[p911dad]

We have visited Ko Olina and it is as nice as they say. We always stay at a condo up at the Hawaiian Princess in Makaha, also on the west side but further up. The lagoons are perfect for kids and for beginner snorkeling, no waves as such. I think there are 4 resorts lined up along the lagoons and connected by winding paths. The Disney resort is beautiful and $$$$. As others have said, the west side of Oahu doesn't have much of a selection of restaurants, but the nearby Kapiolani area has family style chain places.

We go the same place every 2 years or so, and I honesty don't think the traffic is all that bad, except at the usual rush hours. As MatthewB says, the Makaha area has a reputation to be a little on the wild side, with mostly locals. However, we have never encountered even the slightest problem in all the years of going up there. The one thing I will say about the west side is it has what I consider the best beach on Oahu, and that is Yokohama. It is totally empty and undeveloped. It is the last beach going north and has lifeguards (park near the lifeguard station, leave before sundown).