First Trip To Aulani!

[bazbirjis]

Hello All!
We are looking to go to Aulani, and this will be our first trip to Hawaii. We're traveling with a family of 8, including two seniors, 3 boys ages 6, 7, and 11, and 3 adults. We are still planning whether to have a stopover in California (preferably San Fran or Seattle) or go straight, as I've read mixed information about dealing with jetlag. I am still confused about how to plan the itinerary, we are sure to spend 9 days in Hawaii. Your insights will be helpful and appreciated!

Thanks a lot!

 

[OKW Lover]

We've been to Hawaii 6-7 times now. We've done both and generally prefer a single, long flight to Hawaii. We find the stop in California just adds to the frustration of air travel these days.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I typically spend eight nights at Aulani using DVC points. I don't split resort stays at other locations on Oahu because I don't mind driving to the Oahu tourist sites, and most of the tourist sites are under a 45-minute drive from Aulani if you plan around the traffic. I also don't island hop due to the short duration of the trip.

I always fly direct from/to Boston. I would instead get the flying over with and deal with jetlag rather than delay the eventual jetlag with a California stop, plus coping with potential airline delays in California.

 

[Cabius]

My family just did a very similar trip back in September (party of 9, including 4 seniors, my wife and I, and our then-three kids). What fun!!

I agree with others that getting straight there is ideal. Jet lag is real, but a stopover doesn't really make that much of a difference, and the hassle of stopover travel isn't worth it. We just got up at 2 or 3 AM with our toddler every day for the first 3-4 nights. We got to walk around the property at night, see the Mongooses running around. It's fine.

Have fun!

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Just got back from 10 days with two seniors two adults and two kids. Jet lag is real but it wasn’t too bad. Don’t nap! That just messes everything up especially on the return. Our first trip when the kids were younger we actually started shifting their bedtimes/waketimes little by little so the adjustment wasn’t as hard. West coast based, so it’s not as bad as coming from the east coast. There’s so much to do, even just around the resort. Bring an empty suitcase I’m sure you’ll fill it up for the flight home. If you venture out be mindful of traffic. Evening rush hour can have it take 1.5-2hours from Waikiki to Ko Olina

 

[ShawnDadof8]

Take the straight flight if you can - much better than connecting through one of the west coast airports. We've taken 8 trips to the island with our kids at various ages. The jet lag is nothing compared to navigating an extra airport with a family group this size. Then, on your first couple days, plan to do the things that require an early wake-up. For example, it's best to get to Pearl Harbor as soon as it opens. Tickets to go over to the Arizona memorial are free, and they start handing them out as soon as it opens. If you arrive later in the morning, the tickets for the whole day may already be handed out. You're going to have such a great time!

 

[bazbirjis]

We've been to Hawaii 6-7 times now. We've done both and generally prefer a single, long flight to Hawaii. We find the stop in California just adds to the frustration of air travel these day

We've been to Hawaii 6-7 times now. We've done both and generally prefer a single, long flight to Hawaii. We find the stop in California just adds to the frustration of air travel these day

Take the straight flight if you can - much better than connecting through one of the west coast airports. We've taken 8 trips to the island with our kids at various ages. The jet lag is nothing compared to navigating an extra airport with a family group this size. Then, on your first couple days, plan to do the things that require an early wake-up. For example, it's best to get to Pearl Harbor as soon as it opens. Tickets to go over to the Arizona memorial are free, and they start handing them out as soon as it opens. If you arrive later in the morning, the tickets for the whole day may already be handed out. You're going to have such a great time!

We've been to Hawaii 6-7 times now. We've done both and generally prefer a single, long flight to Hawaii. We find the stop in California just adds to the frustration of air travel these days.

Hi,

Thanks for the input! I think the same but since we have seniors and kids, as much as they love traveling my parents can't take long flights so we have to take a break in the journey. Plus there aren't any direct flights to HNL from EWR or JFK.

 

[bazbirjis]

I typically spend eight nights at Aulani using DVC points. I don't split resort stays at other locations on Oahu because I don't mind driving to the Oahu tourist sites, and most of the tourist sites are under a 45-minute drive from Aulani if you plan around the traffic. I also don't island hop due to the short duration of the trip.

I always fly direct from/to Boston. I would instead get the flying over with and deal with jetlag rather than delay the eventual jetlag with a California stop, plus coping with potential airline delays in California.

Thanks so much for the helpful insight! appreciate it! a lot of people are recommending us to do Kualua Ranch which looks amazing and I am sure all ages in our group will enjoy that.

 

[bazbirjis]

Take the straight flight if you can - much better than connecting through one of the West Coast airports. We've taken 8 trips to the island with our kids at various ages. The jet lag is nothing compared to navigating an extra airport with a family group this size. Then, on your first couple of days, plan to do the things that require an early wake-up. For example, it's best to get to Pearl Harbor as soon as it opens. Tickets to go over to the Arizona memorial are free, and they start handing them out as soon as it open. If you arrive later in the morning, the tickets for the whole day may already be handed out. You're going to have such a great time!

Thanks so much! appreciate your insight! We are still on the fence and I get what you are saying regarding taking a break with a larger group. That is why we thought of staying in San Fran for two days, just to relax a bit. If I did not have my parents traveling with me I would take the ongoing flight without any break. But where we are coming from there aren't any direct flights.

 

[Kmk2]

We generally fly direct from either Newark (United) or JFK (Hawaiian).

But we’ve stopped over in SF, LA (we did Disney), Vegas and Arizona. Other than SF we turned them all into a small trip.

 

[jimmymc]

Do you mean spending a night or two in California, or just a layover for a few hours?

Hawaiian and Delta do nonstop flights from JFK, and those would be my preferred options. They use larger, long haul planes, which are more comfortable than using two 737s or 757s IMO.

I wouldn't stop in San Francisco or LA just to stop, only if you had something specific the whole family wanted to do. You could do 2-3 nights in Disneyland, but that would add substantial cost to the trip and might not be doable.

If the length of the flight is really a concern for your parents, I might recommend doing around a 4 hour layover and eating lunch in the airport. That way they'll have the chance to walk around and be well-fed before the second leg. But if you do this, you'll almost definitely be in narrow body planes for both legs, which goes back to doing the nonstop flight.

 

[OKW Lover]

Hi,

Thanks for the input! I think the same but since we have seniors and kids, as much as they love traveling my parents can't take long flights so we have to take a break in the journey. Plus there aren't any direct flights to HNL from EWR or JFK.

We are definitely seniors. I've been retired for 12 years and now live in FL. Before that I lived in MA.

You should be able to find non-stop flights from JFK to HNL. Check Delta.

 

[gatechfan99]

Sounds like it may not work for the original poster, but personally, I would just add I much prefer stopping in California on the way back home than going. I have flown back to the East Coast from Hawaii and Alaska and the overnight flight with kids was a lot harder than dealing with the time change going west. The easiest trip back we had was the one time we stopped in LA for 2 days to do Disneyland. As far as I've seen, there's really no flights that line up from Hawaii to the East Coast that can avoid an overnight flight, certainly not connecting through Atlanta like we do, so that may be a consideration in your planning.

For your other planning, we have traveled with similar ages of children as you describe. Kualoa Ranch was a hit, especially the ATV tour. I agree do Pearl Harbor early. I assume you can still reserve the Arizona tickets ahead of time online, but if even if you do, try to go early both to beat traffic as much as you can and the parking lot that can fill up later in the day. Dole Plantation is a fun stop on the way to the North Shore for a day. But definitely carve out 2-3 days just to stay on property because you really won't want to leave once you're there.

 

[Orsino]

As others have said, there are nonstop flights between HNL and JFK. I’m on one today (Delta). We considered stopping in LA to visit Disneyland, but decided with all the time and effort to get to Hawaii we should just spend the entire vacation in Hawaii.
Also Jet lag can be a benefit too. We woke up between 5am and 6am. It was great to get a jump on the day and use the coolest hours of the day for exploring. Plus we could see sunrises.

 

[Michaelene De Boer]

I would take a straight flight and get it over with. That is what we do when flying from California to Europe even with elderly parents and kids.

 

[Kmk2]

I would take a straight flight and get it over with. That is what we do when flying from California to Europe even with elderly parents and kids.

Agree. Maybe use the points/cash and put the older family members in first class for their comfort on the longer flight. But leaving NY in the morning and having dinner in Hawaii is amazing!!

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Perhaps Hawaiian Airlines doesn't fly directly daily between NYC and Honolulu. Boston and Honolulu direct flights are on alternate days on Hawaiian Airlines. I plan my Honolulu flights based on flying direct. Fortunately, Hawaiian Airlines releases its schedule 11 months in advance.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

We generally fly direct from either Newark (United) or JFK (Hawaiian).

But we’ve stopped over in SF, LA (we did Disney), Vegas and Arizona. Other than SF we turned them all into a small trip.

Do you prefer United from Newark or Hawaiian from JFK?

 

[Kmk2]

Do you prefer United from Newark or Hawaiian from JFK?

I like Hawaiian/JFK - I like the festive feel of HA and T5 is small and easy to navigate — big caveat is that there is no WiFi. I think they are starting to slowly roll out starlink — but most planes don’t have it.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

I like Hawaiian/JFK - I like the festive feel of HA and T5 is small and easy to navigate — big caveat is that there is no WiFi. I think they are starting to slowly roll out starlink — but most planes don’t have it.

Thank you!