Plan Itinerary or Wing it?

[justme0729]

We’ve been to Aulani and Hawaii once before. We hiked Diamond Head, went to Waimea Falls, and did a movie tour at Kualoa. We are going again this December. Do you make an itinerary or do you just have some ideas ready and see what you feel like doing while there? Any suggestions for what we should do this time?

 

[corgi_monster]

You can wing the majority of your trip, which is probably the best strategy for a December trip as the weather can change from day to day. I would just make a list of activities that interest you and group them by geographical region.

The only thing you cannot wing is a trip to Pearl Harbor, especially if you'll be visiting around the 7th.

Since you'll be here in December, you might want to check out Honolulu Hale City Lights, a surfing Santa, and some holiday craft fairs for some unique souvenirs.

 

[OKW Lover]

Do you make an itinerary or do you just have some ideas ready and see what you feel like doing while there?

We've been to Aulani 5 times and are currently planning #6. We have some favorite things that we will likely do, but we aren't really going to do a lot of planning. We prefer to get into the relaxed Hawaii atmosphere and creating a schedule seems to go counter to that.

 

[nkereina]

On our first trip, I had a rough idea of what we wanted to do each day. It was the best way I could assure we fit everything in we wanted to do. There were also some tours I needed to pre-purchase, and I was glad I had researched the hours of certain attractions because Hawaii is very quiet in the evening. If you don't have any must-do's, its easy to get away without planning, but I like to have at least a shell of an idea of what we want to do so we're not at a loss.

 

[dachsie]

If you want to see Pearl Harbor, then book tickets in advance. Also, if you want to do any whale watch tours, I would book those. I also recommend a trip over to the Southeast coast to Kailua, Lanikai beaches and Sherwood Beach on Waimanalo Bay - just gorgeous!!

 

[foodiddiedoo]

How far in advance for Pearl Harbor. I'm going in April and want to spend a day there.

 

[dachsie]

How far in advance for Pearl Harbor. I'm going in April and want to spend a day there.

60 days so coming up soon. You can book at 7am HST

 

[foodiddiedoo]

60 days so coming up soon. You can book at 7am HST

Thanks for the info, I just went to the website and registered. Looks like April 5th is available today, so I have about 2 weeks until the day I want to book. I'll put it on my google calendar to remind me!

 

[abdgeek]

We’ve been to Aulani and Hawaii once before. We hiked Diamond Head, went to Waimea Falls, and did a movie tour at Kualoa. We are going again this December. Do you make an itinerary or do you just have some ideas ready and see what you feel like doing while there? Any suggestions for what we should do this time?

How much pre-planning you need to do really depends on when in December you are visiting. If you are visiting over Christmas and New Year’s, you will want to figure out if you will do everything on your own or take a tour to see the sites. You will definitely want to reserve a car ahead of time and check the rates periodically after that to see if the price drops. Mid December is the start of whale watch season, so that may be an activity you want to do. The Banzai Pipeline (North Shore) will have larger waves and you may be able to catch a surfing competition. Most tours require payment up front, but you can sometimes see how many seats are left when you visit the website.

I visited Oahu and Maui this past December for the holidays. It was my first time visiting during that time (I normally go during summer) and I couldn’t believe how many people were on the island. I’m a planner, so my itinerary was planned before I left home. I was glad I did because some of the excursions I wanted were almost sold out a couple of months before my trip when I started making reservations. I did a mixture of things on my own and tours.

If you plan to do things at your own speed, winging it isn’t a problem. Luaus and similar activities might sell out, so do your research ahead of time. I enjoyed the Honolulu City Lights and had fun doing activities I hadn’t done before. Based on what you’ve done before, there’s a lot more for you to do on the island.

 

[slmoy1016]

We’ve been to Aulani and Hawaii once before. We hiked Diamond Head, went to Waimea Falls, and did a movie tour at Kualoa. We are going again this December. Do you make an itinerary or do you just have some ideas ready and see what you feel like doing while there? Any suggestions for what we should do this time?

Aloha!!! It depends how busy December can get. Never been to Aulani yet, but will be there in May only for two nights for a post cruise stay. Already RSVP for the Luau in advance, and picked a time for dinner during sunset at AMA AMA. Otherwise, I'll be winging it. Of note, if you do plan going to Pearl Harbor, get tickets reserved, since it can still be busy. I remember going to Honolulu for non-Disney trip, and I wasn't too sure if was going to see it, since my tour group almost missed the ticket window for that day.

 

[nkereina]

Thanks for the info, I just went to the website and registered. Looks like April 5th is available today, so I have about 2 weeks until the day I want to book. I'll put it on my google calendar to remind me!

To obtain advance tickets, you definitely need to be online 60 days out when they become available to get them. If you don't, they do have standby tickets available, but you'd need to arrive early in the morning and wait in line before Pearl Harbor opens to get them. The further back in line, the later tour time you'll get, which means you may end up having to leave and come back.