MNtwinsplus1mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2011
Welcome to my first trip report! I have had great fun reading trip reports on the Disboards for a while and have found them so helpful. I do hope our trip report may be a little help to someone else who is planning or considering a trip to Aulani. Yes, Im looking at you! And if you have been there, you know you need to go back.
We are not DVC owners. When I first heard about Aulani, as a Disney fan of course I knew it would be amazing, but I hadnt dreamed we would actually go there. And then, some exciting news: my husband goes to a conference for work every year, and I learned it would be held in Hawaii. Truth be told, he was not certain at first about even going (!), but we agreed that if he decided to go we would all go and add some extra time before and after the conference to make it our family vacation. To make it affordable (yeah, right!), we rented DVC points for the Aulani portion of our trip. We also stayed at three other locations during our 11-night stay, including the big conference hotel and a dreamy vacation home on the Big Island. Im sure you all know which one was the best!
As a brief introduction, heres a picture of our family: Thats me on the left, Karin, next to my husband, Jeff. Our three sons are Benji (9), Sam (12), and Kevin (9). Yes, the youngest two are twins. (Our oldest son just LOVES it when strangers we bump into ask if they are triplets. It actually has happened many times. Silly.) My mom, Jan, also will appear in the report, as she joined us for most of our vacation.
It was an amazing trip, and I look forward to re-living some highlights with whoever would like to join us. I will try to convince you to go there yourself, I must warn you. You deserve it. Your kids do, too. It will be worth all the hassle, jetlag, and maybe even the expense.
Soon, you will start to see a pattern of events unfolding that explains the title of my report. Lets just say painstaking planning for over a year did not prevent mishaps and craziness, including an unfortunate happening that put our trip in jeopardy on the very morning we were to leave.
Next up: Chapter One In Which Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. (I read that in a fortune cookie once, so Im sure that its true.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - In Which Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
(Packing Ideas)
Chapter 2 - In Which We Lose Something, Forget Something, and Wait a While
Chapter 3 - In Which We Go Hiking, Go Driving, and Take a Bumpy Ride
Chapter 4 - In Which I Go Solo and Take a Photo Tour
Chapter 5 - In Which We Go to Kailua for Lunch and a Swim
Chapter 6 - In Which We See Waikiki Beach, Some Elephants, and the Convention Center
Chapter 7 - In Which We See Fireworks and the Boys Do Not Have Ice Cream
Chapter 8 - In Which We Float, Shop, and Get Our First Dose of Disney Magic
Chapter 9 - In Which We See Our Room, Bump into Some Friends, and Have Dinner
Chapter 10 - In Which We Have a Morning of Ups and Downs
Chapter 11 - In Which a Volcano Hits the Island and We Have a Speedy Luau
Chapter 12 - In Which We Tear Ourselves Away from Aulani to Visit the North Shore
Chapter 13 - In Which We See the Starlit Hui and I Take Some Morning Photos
Chapter 14 - In Which We Play in the Lagoon and the Twins Fall in with a Bad Crowd at Aunty’s
Chapter 15 - In Which There is Ice Cream, an Adventure™, and an Un-Magical Visit to Aunty’s
Chapter 16 - In Which We Enjoy our Last Night and Morning at Aulani, Despite My Vain Attempts to Remain Annoyed
Chapter 17 - In Which We Fly to the Big Island
Chapter 18 - In Which We Hit the Road and Explore
Chapter 19 - In Which We Go Where Molten Hot Lava Has Gone Before
Chapter 20 - In Which We Climb on Lava, Sink Our Toes in Black Sand, and Reluctantly Fly Away
We are not DVC owners. When I first heard about Aulani, as a Disney fan of course I knew it would be amazing, but I hadnt dreamed we would actually go there. And then, some exciting news: my husband goes to a conference for work every year, and I learned it would be held in Hawaii. Truth be told, he was not certain at first about even going (!), but we agreed that if he decided to go we would all go and add some extra time before and after the conference to make it our family vacation. To make it affordable (yeah, right!), we rented DVC points for the Aulani portion of our trip. We also stayed at three other locations during our 11-night stay, including the big conference hotel and a dreamy vacation home on the Big Island. Im sure you all know which one was the best!
As a brief introduction, heres a picture of our family: Thats me on the left, Karin, next to my husband, Jeff. Our three sons are Benji (9), Sam (12), and Kevin (9). Yes, the youngest two are twins. (Our oldest son just LOVES it when strangers we bump into ask if they are triplets. It actually has happened many times. Silly.) My mom, Jan, also will appear in the report, as she joined us for most of our vacation.
It was an amazing trip, and I look forward to re-living some highlights with whoever would like to join us. I will try to convince you to go there yourself, I must warn you. You deserve it. Your kids do, too. It will be worth all the hassle, jetlag, and maybe even the expense.
Soon, you will start to see a pattern of events unfolding that explains the title of my report. Lets just say painstaking planning for over a year did not prevent mishaps and craziness, including an unfortunate happening that put our trip in jeopardy on the very morning we were to leave.
Next up: Chapter One In Which Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. (I read that in a fortune cookie once, so Im sure that its true.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - In Which Purposeful Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
(Packing Ideas)
Chapter 2 - In Which We Lose Something, Forget Something, and Wait a While
Chapter 3 - In Which We Go Hiking, Go Driving, and Take a Bumpy Ride
Chapter 4 - In Which I Go Solo and Take a Photo Tour
Chapter 5 - In Which We Go to Kailua for Lunch and a Swim
Chapter 6 - In Which We See Waikiki Beach, Some Elephants, and the Convention Center
Chapter 7 - In Which We See Fireworks and the Boys Do Not Have Ice Cream
Chapter 8 - In Which We Float, Shop, and Get Our First Dose of Disney Magic
Chapter 9 - In Which We See Our Room, Bump into Some Friends, and Have Dinner
Chapter 10 - In Which We Have a Morning of Ups and Downs
Chapter 11 - In Which a Volcano Hits the Island and We Have a Speedy Luau
Chapter 12 - In Which We Tear Ourselves Away from Aulani to Visit the North Shore
Chapter 13 - In Which We See the Starlit Hui and I Take Some Morning Photos
Chapter 14 - In Which We Play in the Lagoon and the Twins Fall in with a Bad Crowd at Aunty’s
Chapter 15 - In Which There is Ice Cream, an Adventure™, and an Un-Magical Visit to Aunty’s
Chapter 16 - In Which We Enjoy our Last Night and Morning at Aulani, Despite My Vain Attempts to Remain Annoyed
Chapter 17 - In Which We Fly to the Big Island
Chapter 18 - In Which We Hit the Road and Explore
Chapter 19 - In Which We Go Where Molten Hot Lava Has Gone Before
Chapter 20 - In Which We Climb on Lava, Sink Our Toes in Black Sand, and Reluctantly Fly Away
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