Aloha!, Incredibly Blessed Nest Blog

It’s been over 2 months since our trip to Hawaii and I’m finally getting around to finishing this post. Better late than never, huh! It was one of the best trips that we’ve had in a while. Last year we didn’t go on true vacation because we were busy planning our long distance move. I think the last big vacation we took was to Disneyland for Mason’s 3rd birthday. So a true vacation was overdue. We spent 7 days at the beautiful Disney Aulani resort. The atmosphere and surroundings were so beautiful, words and pictures just do not do this place justice. This trip was planned for our 10 year anniversary that we celebrated in August. Most of our days consisted of us waking up without an alarm clock and in bed by 9pm. It was the perfect combination of fun and relaxation.

Ready for take off! Longest flight we’ve ever been on with a kid.

Activities to keep him occupied.

We didn’t venture too far from the resort area, but there are definitely plenty of things to do in Ko Olina. While I share photos from our trip, I’m also going to share some tips for surviving a week at the Disney Aulani resort without breaking the bank. While we love going on vacations we also don’t want to come home broke, ha!

A C C O M M O D A T I O N S

We stayed in a Deluxe Studio (Pool View) at the resort and it was perfect for up to 4 people. It had a queen sized bed and a pull out full sized sofa sleeper. The resort is also very accommodating to infants and children and they had a pack and play in the closet. They also have cribs available if needed, you just have to ask for it. The most important part of this room was the kitchenette. It had a small sink, mini refrigerator, microwave and a toaster. When traveling with small kids this is super important to me. Mason loves pop-tarts for breakfast and the toaster came in handy on mornings when my husband and I were getting dressed and Mason was hungry. I would pop a pop-tart in the toaster and voila food for the impatient 4 year-old! The microwave also comes in handy for leftovers (if you have any).

Pool view from our room balcony.

Cute details when we arrived.

The cutest decor.

F O O D & P L A C E S T O E A T

Since we are on the topic of food, let’s talk about food options. We all know that most resort foods are overrated and and costly! I had only planned on actually eating at the resort two to three times, once for breakfast with the characters and the other on my birthday for dinner, so that is what we did. Helpful tip….make reservations well in advance. Also, you can make reservations without paying. It worked out well for us since were cash flowing our vacay.

Meeting Mickey at Breakfast with the characters.

Anyway, Mason enjoyed breakfast with the characters and I will say it was very organized. We went downstairs to the restaurant area, checked in and waited to be called. Once we were called we got in another line to take a picture with Mickey Mouse. They use their cameras for the photo pass, but they will also use your personal camera or phone to take pictures (this goes for any characters that you take pictures with throughout the resort). After the picture we were seated and then we were able to go and get our food. Breakfast with the Characters is a buffet like set up with pancakes, waffles, donuts, eggs, Vietnamese and Hawaiian breakfast foods, as well as a create your own omelette station. They do offer a Dinner with the character theme, but Mickey is not usually there for the dinner instead I believe it’s Chip and Dale and Donald and Daisy Duck.

Minnie was at also there for breakfast.

Goofy too!

Mickey waffles at breakfast with the characters.

For my birthday we had a nice dinner at ‘Ama ‘Ama. It was pricey. Most entrees range from $30-$50. I personally had the Free Range Chicken and it was good. The hubs had a steak and Mason got the chicken strips off the Keiki menu. Note this, most Keiki menus on the resort contain the same food items. So thumbs down for not much of a variety for kids.

Dinner and drinks at ‘Ama ‘Ama

Dessert at ‘Ama ‘Ama for the kiddo.

The views from ‘Ama ‘Ama restaurant.

One other time while we were at the beach and pool we grabbed something to eat at The Ulu Cafe. There is a variety of things to eat there, as well a snacks. Again, costly but convenient and not that great tasting. I mean a PB&J sandwich with a fruit cup was $7. The sell large pizzas that are good enough for a small family, flatbreads, chips, ice cream and beverages. They also sell the resort refillable mug for $18.99. It’s good to refill throughout your entire stay. Highly recommended. You can use it for coke, coffee, tea, and cocoa. There are 3 places you can purchase and refill throughout the resort. Also, we took our own Mickey canteens and filled them up with water. There are several water stations to refill your own containers with iced water, so great when it’s super hot outside.

While we only at at the resort 2-3 times, we mostly ate at restaurants just outside of the resort. Across the street there is a shopping center with a few restaurants and a grocery store. We ate at Eggs N’ Things almost every morning for breakfast. We also ate at MonkeyPod Kitchen a couple of times. It was a nice atmosphere with live music, but their food was really good and I loved that they use natural foods from the Hawaiian islands. Another place we ate at for dinner a couple of times was Just Tacos Mexican food. If you need anything at all while on your trip Island Country Market has you covered. They sell shirts, toiletries, shoes, swim gear, towels, sandwiches, salads, fruit, snacks, and made to order foods too. Wish we would have known sooner, but they also serve hot made-to-order breakfast so we had this on our last morning in Hawaii. It was so good too and far less expensive than Eggs N’ Things.

Eggs N’ Things

The specialty drink at MonkeyPod.

Checking out a few fun things at Island Country Market.

Last but not least, we had all the snacks that are the must haves while at Aulani like the Dole Whip, Mickey Ice cream sandwiches, and the Mickey Shaved Ice, because while in Hawaii. I mean were basically there for all of the snacks!!

Dole Pineapple Whip

Pina Colada

Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich

Mickey Shaved Ice

T H I N G S T O D O

The list of things to do at Aulani are ongoing. They don’t miss a beat when it comes to things to do. Some of the must-do things that we splurged on was Breakfast with the Characters, Aunty’s Beach House activities, and the Paradise Cove Luau. We really wanted to go on a catamaran excursion, but it just wasn’t ideal with our 4 year old and not knowing how he would react to being in a big body of water on a catamaran. There are also so many free things to do that are included with your stay like Fire Pit Storytelling, Guided Nature Tours, Menehune Adventure Trail, and Movie Night.

Volcano in the middle of the pool area.

Every sunset on the beach was amazing.

I’ve already gone into detail about Breakfast with the Characters, but definitely something to consider doing and worth the experience and the look on your kids faces when they get to be up close and personal with the characters.

Another fun kid thing to do is activities at Aunty’s Beach House. We didn’t take the opportunity to explore Aunty’s until day 4, but I wish we would have gone sooner. Every morning they have an “open house” where you and your child can walk around and see what Aunty’s is all about. This was great for my shy guy who I thought wouldn’t like it, but he did. He asked to go to Aunty’s every day until we left. Aunty’s Beach House is free, you just have to register and check your kid in and out when they go. They do offer activities for the kids and those you have to pay for. Mason went to a Surf’s Up event and it was almost $60, but he really enjoyed it and they also took Photo Pass pictures for us since it’s a kids only event. They even have events for toddlers and parents to go to. For any activities that require registration and purchasing at Aunty’s, make sure you register EARLY because spots tend to sell out. Side note, if you have little and need in-room babysitting, they offer that too.

The stage area of Aunty’s Beach House.

Fun games to play for all ages.

Outdoor area at Aunty’s Beach House.

Playing outside.

Outside of Aunty’s Beach House.

Aulani offers their very own Ka Wa A Luau, but we did not go to it because they were sold out of VIP tickets and from some reviews I read that is the route to go. The cost for tickets (10yrs +) are $169.00, children tickets (3yrs – 9yrs) are $109.00, and children 2yrs and younger are free. While the luau at Aulani would have been convenient since we were staying there, we decided to go to the Paradise Cove Luau and it did not disappoint. The Paradise Cove Luau is just a short 5 minute walk from Aulani, so still not inconvenient. As far as tickets go, they have a few different luau packages to choose from but we went with the Deluxe tickets with front stage seating. It was a little more expensive than Aulani’s luau, but still worth every penny. For price reference Adult tickets are $177, youth (13-20yrs) are $155, and children 12 & under are $139, 3yrs and under are free. We arrived about 30 minutes before the gates opened to avoid waiting at the end of the line. I didn’t know this, but those that purchased Deluxe seating actually were walked in first ahead of the other ticket holders, and we were greeted with fresh flower and nut lei’s. Included in the Deluxe purchase are $24 and $18 gift cards for each ticket purchased that can be used in their gift shop or on beverages/food, so I got a shirt, Mason got a few things, and Jeff purchased some drinks. The BEST part of the deluxe ticket purchase was the Table Service as opposed to buffet. There is SO MUCH food. We couldn’t eat everything, but it was very good. I think that no matter which tickets you purchase, you’ll have great time and I don’t know that there is a bad seat in the house.

Going thru the special Deluxe Ticket holder entrance.

Salad and pasta to start.

Dinner (so much food).

View of stage from Deluxe tickets with stage seating.

Another view of stage seating.

The amazing sunset at the Paradise Cove Luau.

Let’s talk FREE things to do. Aside from the gorgeous beaches and the numerous amazing pools, splash pads, and spa areas there are fun activities to do around the resort. I think our favorite one was the Menehune Adventure Trail. You and your child walk around the resort with a tablet solving riddles and searching for statues and discovering things. We mostly did this in the afternoon/evenings when it wasn’t as hot. Mason really enjoyed it and I thought it was really cool too.

Another fun free thing to do was the Fire Pit Storytelling. No need to elaborate it is exactly as it sounds, with a few magical touches though.

Swimming with the turtles in a lagoon behind the Paradise Luau.

Splash Zone for kids. They do block off a certain time for toddlers only.

Free sand toys and boogie boards can be checked out on the beach.
Life jackets are free too for guests.

Koi fish pond on the resort.

Menehune Adventure Trail

Watching things come to life on the Menehune Trail.

If you have tweens or teens there are also events for them too. If it’s just adults going there is also something to do. There are adult only pools/spas. We got to check those out a few times while Mason was at Aunty’s. There are also free movies night and other opportunities to see other characters throughout the day. There is also a Spa if you feel the need for a massage while you’re there.

H E L P F U L T I P S

TAKE NOTE. If you want to stay in the know about daily activities around the resort, you should check out the daily ‘Iwa. All the things happening and at what time are on the resort. We were able to see other characters by checking out the daily activities and times for character appearances.

We found Stitch.

And Donald.

And Moana.

If you’re like me you love taking all of the pictures all the time, but I will say that the Photo Pass is highly recommended. The staff take pictures of you and your family around the resort, with characters, and in the pool and all you have to do is hand them your photo pass card. This was very helpful when you’re hanging out by the pool or the lazy stream and you can’t carry your phone or camera. You’ll get a card from the first staff member who takes your picture. At the end of the day your photos from that day are able to be viewed right on your TV screen in your room. When you leave Aulani you can purchase your photos, or you can go home and order them. You have up to 30 days to purchase.

Also, if you plan to explore the island more you should probably just rent a car, but beware of parking expenses as self parking is at $37 a day. We opted to not venture too far so we did not need a rental car. We did have to go to Target one day for something we forgot. While we were there we bought some scuba gear, definitely cheaper than renting one daily. Uber does exist in Hawaii and we paid about $20 each way for a 20 minute ride to a shopping center. We made the most of it and had lunch some where different and then went to Target before heading back to the resort. There is also Charley’s Taxi company for transportation. We used them for transportation to/from the airport because they off a flat rate fee of $55 each way. We took our own carseat, but I did read that you could possibly call and ask them to provide you with a carseat if needed. Not sure if that’s true though. The other option to get to/from the airport is the Hele Hele Shuttle for about $48. The only downfall that read about is that the shuttle stops at different hotels and it’s not a direct ride to your hotel.

One last helpful thing.

I found that most flights leave well past your check out time. Our flight out wasn’t until 9pm so we enjoyed the beach and pools one last time. We really wanted to shower and get dressed before we headed to the airport. Guess what?! Aulani has got you covered. One, they hold your luggage until you leave. Two, they have a special lounge called the Luana Lounge and it is especially for those with early or late flights. It has restrooms, showers, dressing rooms, lockers, sofas and televisions. It can be busy, so plan your time accordingly especially if you have to catch a flight out.

Late overnight flight back home.

I hope you find this is helpful. If you have any questions, please let know. We loved it at Aulani and will eventually be back. No matter what you do, I’m certain that you and your family will love the experience that you’ll have together.

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