Everyone was happy to spend time in the sun but we were all so bummed to leave. The kids and Matt all swam and played in the water for a bit while I grabbed some snacks from the gift store for the plane and took some pics of the resort along the way.
I read for awhile back at the pool until about 9:30 while the kids swam more.
After that we headed up to get changed. At 10:00 we went down for one last character pic- our favorite Stitch! We were all in Seattle clothes and were boiling in the heat!
After that we went down to the lobby and waited for valet to get our car. The kids were sad to leave but we had such a great time!
We left the resort at 10:30 and were down by the car rental place around 11:15 (after getting gas), and got dropped off at the airport at 11:30. Our flight was at 1:00 and normally would be enough time but the lines were INSANE. Like nothing I have ever seen at the airport. The only thing that made it so we wouldn’t miss our flight was the fact that we were in first class and had special luggage and security lines!
We got through everything pretty
quick and had about 30 minutes before boarding so we got coffee and a cpl
snacks. We were one of the first ones on
the plane which was kinda weird ! We got
settled into our seats (me and P together and Matt and Aidan across the
aisle). First class was great! Huge seats and space, free digeplayers , real
glasses for drinks, free alcohol and a 3 course little meal on real plates
lol. We were all pretty impressed! We lucked out with the cost of the tickets so
we know it was a one time thing but it was still great:)
Final thoughts:
We LOVED this trip. We did have a Jan or Feb trip in the works
planned for Disneyworld but we now all agree that we want to come back to
Aulani. We were all very happy and
relaxed and there really was something for everyone here. We have a short upcoming trip to Disneyland next (my bosses are actually going to Hawaii
so I have a few days off at the end of June) – its our last trip using our
annual passes! We can’t wait to go back
to Aulani though. It was amazing!!
There were some things we would do
differently though
1)Not fly in on Fri night if we
can help it. We were so messed up sleep
wise the next day. We did it because of
cost though.
2) Not try and stay somewhere else
mid trip. We lost time packing, driving
and being miserable away from the resort.
Next time it's Aulani the whole time.
Things we loved:
1)Aulani, obviously. It was like a Disney cruise but
stationary. The water features were a
huge hit for my kids and the cruise cant compete with that. We loved the daily family and kid only
activities. They were never bored and
there were some things we never got to (but we would’ve if we’d stayed there
they entire trip).
2) Monkeypod across the street-
everything we had was great !
3)Dining in the North Shore.
4) Having the beach and being able
to take walks there without leaving the resort
5) staying in the villa. We did both this trip (villa and standard)
and the villa saved a lot with groceries vs. eating out, and the washer/drier
was great. If you can rent points then
the cost is similar!
Things we need to try next time:
1)Crafting series in the community
hall (P and I kept meaning to do this and never did)
2) starlit Hui (kids were too
jetlagged the first night it was offered and we were in our rental house the
second time it was offered)
3) the astonomy class at night
4) storytelling at the fire pit
5) the spa (only P got to enjoy
the spa/salon this trip)
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