sarahk0204
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2009
Aloha! We just got back from our first Aulani trip. We traveled with another family, and each family stayed 5 nights in a 1 BR Ocean View.
Front row is me, Friends DD 16, Friends DW.
Back row is DH, DS 13, Friends DH, Friends DD 13, DD 13.
The DH's have been friends since college, where they were both RA's (Resident Assistants). Both DW's grew up going to WDW. The 2 couples got married 9 months apart (with the DH's being in each other's weddings), and we each honeymooned at WDW. Our kids get along well, and we have had overlapping WDW trips since 2009. Both families bought DVC in 2010, and we actually traveled together to WDW in 2013. Both families have done trips with their respective grandparents, but we have actually found we like traveling together even better than we like traveling with Grandma.
Friends DW looked at Aulani when it first opened, but there were some early growing pains with food options and restaurant quality, so we held off. Then we started looking at a trip we could take in 2017 when we would have all teenagers. A cruise or Aulani both sounded like they would work well for our group. Unfortunately, we don't know our summer schedules early enough to book a cruise at the lowest price time when itineraries are first announced. Booking Aulani at 7 months was much more doable.
Friends DH picked the time frame, as he has the most rigid work schedule and sports officiating schedule. We were short on points, as we had just taken Grandma to DLR in 2016 and stayed in a 2 BR at VGC. So, we needed to buy some 1 time use points to get 5 days in an Ocean view 1 BR. Friends booked online as DH booked over the phone, and we linked our reservations with Member Services right away.
We planned like crazy for the next 7 months. The DW's researched flights, cars, grocery stores, restaurants, and activities.
Front row is me, Friends DD 16, Friends DW.
Back row is DH, DS 13, Friends DH, Friends DD 13, DD 13.
The DH's have been friends since college, where they were both RA's (Resident Assistants). Both DW's grew up going to WDW. The 2 couples got married 9 months apart (with the DH's being in each other's weddings), and we each honeymooned at WDW. Our kids get along well, and we have had overlapping WDW trips since 2009. Both families bought DVC in 2010, and we actually traveled together to WDW in 2013. Both families have done trips with their respective grandparents, but we have actually found we like traveling together even better than we like traveling with Grandma.
Friends DW looked at Aulani when it first opened, but there were some early growing pains with food options and restaurant quality, so we held off. Then we started looking at a trip we could take in 2017 when we would have all teenagers. A cruise or Aulani both sounded like they would work well for our group. Unfortunately, we don't know our summer schedules early enough to book a cruise at the lowest price time when itineraries are first announced. Booking Aulani at 7 months was much more doable.
Friends DH picked the time frame, as he has the most rigid work schedule and sports officiating schedule. We were short on points, as we had just taken Grandma to DLR in 2016 and stayed in a 2 BR at VGC. So, we needed to buy some 1 time use points to get 5 days in an Ocean view 1 BR. Friends booked online as DH booked over the phone, and we linked our reservations with Member Services right away.
We planned like crazy for the next 7 months. The DW's researched flights, cars, grocery stores, restaurants, and activities.
Last edited:
We had the parents in the 4 middle seats in 1 row with the 4 kids in the 4 middle seats behind them. We enjoyed a full breakfast, full lunch, snacks, and beverages. The seats reclined and even folded flat. Everyone watched movies on the built in screens (I saw Hidden Figures and A Man Called Ove). I read some on my iPad and listened to my Aulani and Moana playlists. With so much to do, the flight was long but doable.
