Aulani questions (adorable babies involved!)

[MrsPinup]

So my best friend and I are going to the Aulani this summer, dates TBD, and will be staying for 6 days. We will be there with just ourselves and our babies who will be approximately 18 months and 11 months. Here are my questions, I hope you can help!

We cloth diaper. Is there a diaper service there that does a good job? (We can always pack 'sposies in if not)

Is the Character breakfast worth it for our little ones?

Can we take them to Aunties and hang out with them?

What is the best luau to go to (for us)? It doesn't have to be super close.

We will be flying with our carseats - what is the best mode of transportation from the airport to the resort with carseats installed and babies riding properly restrained?

Best things to do on the island (knowing that we have the babies) - we already plan on going to the Dole plantation and to Pearl Harbor.

Any other tips or info that would be helpful for us?

Thanks!!!

PS. Here is one of the adorable babies

 

[sophia315]

I partially cloth diaper (daycare uses disposables we use cloth except overnight) and I do not think I would use cloth for vacationing. I love cloth water diapers but we were on the beach local to where I live and the baby had a #2 diaper it was not good I ended up trashing the diaper.

I guess if you got a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom with washer and dryer you could clean the diapers during your stay but again you are on vacation and as easy as cloth diapering is it can be a pain too.

Good luck I have no Aulani experience to add. Would love to hear how it turns out if you do use cloth for the week!

 

[snoopy5386]

I agree with the PP, I'd do disposables for the week unless you have a W/D to use. For the transportation issue a rental car will probably be your best bet.

 

[kyton]

Aunties house from memory you would only be able to go for the first hour. We haven't been since last Oct but I think it was open play for children of all ages 1hr from opening, then the babies and parents are asked to leave whilst the older children come in.

 

[Iggipolka]

We were at Aulani last year when my younger daughter was 15 Mths. It was Wonderful. & a great place to vacation with babies.

I also cloth diaper & did so during the trip. It wasn't a big deal as we had a washer/dryer in the villa. I don't use a dryer for them & snapped them inside out into the balcony railing. They dried & sanitized quickly in the afternoon sun. I brought 4 cloth swim diapers & wish if brought more. We spent most of our pre-nap & post- nap time by the pool or ocean. The swim diapers never really got fully dry, which didn't bother baby, but concerned me.

Aunties has an open house every morning from. 8-9. Parents & children can both be in there. At 9 they close it to only 3+ and fully potty trained. It's a Wonderful space and both of my girls loved it.

We rented a car and easily latched the car seats in. Best way to get from airport to resort & around the island.

We went to Dole Plantation & hated it. Massive tourist trap/ shopping mall with overly expensive "native" goods & bored grumpy people working there. I'd skip it.

Turtle beach was fun as was driving over to the North Shore. We had a delicious shrimp lunch from a food truck while both kids napped in the car parked under a shady tree. They woke up for Shave Ice though.

We rented a radio flyer wagon & a full sized crib from Paradise Baby. Best thing we did. The wagon was perfect for hauling baby & kid crud down to the pool/beach & tired kids back to the room. Baby would prefer to Cosleep, but we all sleep better with her in her own crib. The pack and plays have such hard, thin mattresses too.

We splurged a couple days & rented a cabana by the pool. That way the kids could nap inside the cabana & we weren't stuck in the room during nap time. Plus, it was just delightful to have our own space & a server to bring us food /drinks and tasty treats.

One thing I've learned about traveling with kids is to be flexible. It's not like a relaxing vacation pre-kids. They don't get the concept of sleeping late (mine were up at 4am every day b/c of the time change ) & they continue to have their fussy moments & need to stay on their usual schedule.
So, once I gave up trying to plan anything, I had a great time.

The character b'fast is fun & low key. My kids are terrified of Mickey & Minnie, but since you line up to take pictures with them prior to sitting down , they can be avoided. Just remember , it's a buffet & getting food on a buffet line while holding a baby can be a major challenge.

Speaking of which, I have an Ergo baby carrier that I love. & was invaluable on this trip. It made getting through the airport a breeze & I wore baby during any excursions we took, or just walking along the pretty beach path along the different coves.

Have a great time & enjoy the beautiful resort and island.

 

[MrsPinup]

I partially cloth diaper (daycare uses disposables we use cloth except overnight) and I do not think I would use cloth for vacationing. I love cloth water diapers but we were on the beach local to where I live and the baby had a #2 diaper it was not good I ended up trashing the diaper.

I guess if you got a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom with washer and dryer you could clean the diapers during your stay but again you are on vacation and as easy as cloth diapering is it can be a pain too.

Good luck I have no Aulani experience to add. Would love to hear how it turns out if you do use cloth for the week!

Thanks for your input! We will be staying in a standard room, so no W/D in our room. I think we will end up using sposies for the week.

Aunties house from memory you would only be able to go for the first hour. We haven't been since last Oct but I think it was open play for children of all ages 1hr from opening, then the babies and parents are asked to leave whilst the older children come in.

Thanks! If the babies wake early, that shouldn't be a problem getting there for the first hour

We were at Aulani last year when my younger daughter was 15 Mths. It was Wonderful. & a great place to vacation with babies.

I also cloth diaper & did so during the trip. It wasn't a big deal as we had a washer/dryer in the villa. I don't use a dryer for them & snapped them inside out into the balcony railing. They dried & sanitized quickly in the afternoon sun. I brought 4 cloth swim diapers & wish if brought more. We spent most of our pre-nap & post- nap time by the pool or ocean. The swim diapers never really got fully dry, which didn't bother baby, but concerned me.

Aunties has an open house every morning from. 8-9. Parents & children can both be in there. At 9 they close it to only 3+ and fully potty trained. It's a Wonderful space and both of my girls loved it.

We rented a car and easily latched the car seats in. Best way to get from airport to resort & around the island.

We went to Dole Plantation & hated it. Massive tourist trap/ shopping mall with overly expensive "native" goods & bored grumpy people working there. I'd skip it.

Turtle beach was fun as was driving over to the North Shore. We had a delicious shrimp lunch from a food truck while both kids napped in the car parked under a shady tree. They woke up for Shave Ice though.

We rented a radio flyer wagon & a full sized crib from Paradise Baby. Best thing we did. The wagon was perfect for hauling baby & kid crud down to the pool/beach & tired kids back to the room. Baby would prefer to Cosleep, but we all sleep better with her in her own crib. The pack and plays have such hard, thin mattresses too.

We splurged a couple days & rented a cabana by the pool. That way the kids could nap inside the cabana & we weren't stuck in the room during nap time. Plus, it was just delightful to have our own space & a server to bring us food /drinks and tasty treats.

One thing I've learned about traveling with kids is to be flexible. It's not like a relaxing vacation pre-kids. They don't get the concept of sleeping late (mine were up at 4am every day b/c of the time change ) & they continue to have their fussy moments & need to stay on their usual schedule.
So, once I gave up trying to plan anything, I had a great time.

The character b'fast is fun & low key. My kids are terrified of Mickey & Minnie, but since you line up to take pictures with them prior to sitting down , they can be avoided. Just remember , it's a buffet & getting food on a buffet line while holding a baby can be a major challenge.

Speaking of which, I have an Ergo baby carrier that I love. & was invaluable on this trip. It made getting through the airport a breeze & I wore baby during any excursions we took, or just walking along the pretty beach path along the different coves.

Have a great time & enjoy the beautiful resort and island.

Thank you for all of your info! My bestie went to the Dole Plantation for her honeymoon and loved it (and we are huge Dole Whip fans so we want to get one there)

We co-sleep and since we will be spouse-less, it shouldn't be a problem. I saw that the Aulani has free bedrails available so I think we will request those.

And I LOVE my Ergo! We each have one and plan on bringing them so we can go hiking and get around. I think I will plan on doing a back-carry while we go through the buffet. That Ergo has saved my life just around the house

 

[MrsPinup]

Okay, a few more questions!

1. Should we bring strollers? We will have our Ergos for sure.

2. How far is the walk to the closest mini-mart/grocery store? We most likely will not have a rental, but need to get some food items.

3. How many people does one meal from the room service menu feed? Enough for two adults to share?

 

[Iggipolka]

Yes - Do bring strollers. I love my Ergo and use it often, but strollers are handy for getting kids/stuff to pool and back. Plus there's a lovely walking path along the ocean that is fun to stroll along.

There's an ABC Market just across the street, within walking distance, that has a nice deli section and basic milk/bread/breakfast stuff. There's also a Safeway supermarket that is a trolley ride away. The trolley stops across the street from the resort, so easy to catch and a fun, open air ride for the kids.

The resort has Family Meals from room service that feed 4-6. We are 2 adults and 2 kids and ordered one meal and had left overs for lunch the next day. It's not cheap, but nothing at Aulani is inexpensive.

 

[Anal Annie]

Yes - Do bring strollers. I love my Ergo and use it often, but strollers are handy for getting kids/stuff to pool and back. Plus there's a lovely walking path along the ocean that is fun to stroll along.

There's an ABC Market just across the street, within walking distance, that has a nice deli section and basic milk/bread/breakfast stuff. There's also a Safeway supermarket that is a trolley ride away. The trolley stops across the street from the resort, so easy to catch and a fun, open air ride for the kids.

The resort has Family Meals from room service that feed 4-6. We are 2 adults and 2 kids and ordered one meal and had left overs for lunch the next day. It's not cheap, but nothing at Aulani is inexpensive.

I think I read before that the family meals are only available in the DVC villas, not in standard hotel rooms (perhaps for reheating purposes or utensils).