During our time in Hawaii we had the pleasure of spending a few days at Disney Aulani in Ko’Olina. We’ve been to Hawaii many times over the years and have visited Disney World a few times as well, but there’s nothing quite like Aulani… the vibe is one of being on vacation along with the Disney characters rather than visiting them in their usual habitat.
I also love the balance of classic Disney experiences (like character dining) with Hawaiian experiences such as storytelling with Uncle around the campfire, ukulele and hula lessons and luaus. (We didn’t get to experience the on-site luau because it was sold out… book in advance if you go!) The pools and the beach are perfect for families with young kids, and Aunty’s Beach House has the best childcare program (the most fun and the tightest security) I’ve ever seen at a resort.
At Aulani you can schedule plenty of down time into your day without feeling like you have to be doing as much as you can squeeze in… relaxing is clearly part of the experience here.
Every day you can pick up the daily ‘Iwa at the front desk with a schedule of that days’ activities, including where and what time the different characters will be hanging out for photo ops allowing you to schedule your day around what’s most important to your family without ever feeling overwhelmed.
The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make sure to have a suite or even a villa… with Avery completely spent and passing out early every night it would’ve been nice to have a little more room to spread out. I highly recommend Aulani for at least a part of your Hawaiian vacation, especially if you have Disney loving children!
Disclosure: We partnered with Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa for our stay. All opinions are my own.