Trip Report: Hale Koa 6-6 to 6-8 and Aulani 6-8 to 6-15

HAPPY 50TH! :bday:

Thanks for all the great photos, especially the ones with the waterproof camera. I am thinking of buying one for our upcoming trip and I am debating if I should get an all new camera or a waterproof housing for one of our existing cameras but I keep seeing all these great photos taken by the Fuji camera...hmmm, might have to bite the bullet and go get it! Your family looks like they had a blast...
I have a very nice Nikon that I take everywhere despite it being big to lug around. However, I wasn't willing to chance anything happening to it! So I was thankful that the Fuji worked as well as it did. There are a few times that there must have been water droplets on it, either that or it fogged up a bit. You can see it a little in the picture of my 4 kids in the Paradise Cove lagoon. But overall I thought it did a great job, especially underwater.

My pics are a combo of my Nikon, the Fuji, and my Samsung S7. The Samsung is supposed to be waterproof, but it's not salt-water proof, and not sand-proof, so I was very careful with it as well.

I think the Fuji might have a Costco coupon on it right now again if you are a Costco member. It was like $180 or so when we bought it a few months ago.
 
Last edited:
I think we had 103 photos in our 40 minutes.. Basically only in one location, but we moved down the lagoon a bit in the middle. I did not pay for the sunset session, but the sun is kind of behind some clouds and peeking out, which I think it kind of a cool effect.
Great...thank you! We had them done on the beach and by a green area last time, we by far loved the beach photos more. Thanks again...thank you to your son for his service!
 
Oh wow, 26 years! Please thank him for his service!

I would definitely make use of all the military privileges available!

My husband is prior Army but did not retire, so we no longer have privileges through him. I wasn't thrilled about my son going this route, but it was his dream . . . so off we go . . . might as well make the best of it and just keep praying! :goodvibes

Thanks to your son and husband as well for their service. Yes, the benefits are great - but as a mother, I understand your reluctance about your children going into the military. Right now, my son is not leaning that way, and my heart is grateful.... but the logical part of me also knows that the pension and benefits that come with military service (as well as the maturity and camaraderie gained through the years) is a priceless thing in this day and age. My prayers with your family that your son's military experience is as wonderful and safe as my husband's was.
 
This is so crazy. We got back last night and we stayed in 1456/1458 2 br lockoff. It was amazing. I have to start my trip report soon.
 
Friday, June 10th we did Sealife Park, the dolphin encounter there, and the Chief's Luau at Sealife park (which is a separate event after the park closes, but it is located inside the park.

Sealife Park in itself wasn't all that spectacular. It is a small and rather dated marine park. The dolphin show was cute but not overly exciting. We did the Dolphin Encounter, which was the premium experience on our Go Oahu cards. Entry into the park is part of the regular card, and then if you get 3+ day cards (I think) you get one premium experience. Info on the Dolphin Encounter: http://www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/things-to-do/dolphin-encounter

There are several different levels of experiences, but this was the one included with the card. We got to get into the water with the dolphins, standing on a platform in waist-deep water, touch the dolphin, give the dolphin a kiss, get "kissed" by the dolphin and then put our hands on it fins ("dancing" maybe?). It lasted around 30 minutes and I think there were about 10 people in our group. The trainer who worked with us was very nice, funny and friendly, so she made it fun. Even though it is kind of hokey touristy thing to do, it was a cool once-in-a-lifetime type experience.

The pictures with the dolphins: URGH. They don't let you take any pics or take a camera in when doing the dolphin experience. They take 3 pics of each person, then they sell them for $18 per picture (either the printed picture or on a disc) or I think $51 for all 3 pics per person and they give you the prints and disc for all 3. I tried to talk them down for a family of 6, but they still wanted over $200 for all our pics. I decided that was just too much. I finally had everyone pick their favorite picture of themselves and then bought the 6 pics on disc, which was $108 + tax. Craziness. They would sell more if they made better package deals. We even asked for the manager (very nicely) to see if he would come down any more, but still over $200 and he wasn't budging more than that.

I would not recommend doing the park unless you were doing a dolphin experience. Just not that exciting.

I had read reviews that the Chief's Luau at Sealife Park was the best luau on Oahu, and even though we only did 1 luau, I would say that is probably fairly accurate. My husband talked to other people while BBQing at Aulani (I feel like I missed a major social event not going down to the BBQ with him and our son because they always came back with great stories of the people they talked to while BBQ'ing!) who had been to several different other luaus, and non of them had anything positive to say about their experiences elsewhere.

Chief's Luau was great. Before dinner, there were lots of activities going on for everyone to try: braiding the headbands, playing a stick game, playing a stick tossing game, getting temporary tattoos, some shopping booths, and trying your hand at starting a fire by rubbing a big stick with a littler stick. The food was pretty good. The shredded pork was by far the best thing. No sauce or anything and it was absolutely delicious. The entertainment was fabulous and the "Chief" is hilarious. They have the fire dancers who are unbelievable. We had a great time.

The luau was not on the Go Card and is a separate event. There are several levels that include more drinks, better leis and closer seating. We chose the lowest level which was perfectly fine. We got a military discount because of my son's military status. I saw other people had military tickets they got somewhere on base at Pearl Harbor, but I called ahead of time and made our reservation, told them about our son's military status, and then our son just had to show his CAC when we checked in.


Our son got up and did the Tahitian dance. We were hysterical. He has on the peach colored shorts and the tan tank top. Worth the price of admission just to watch him!


Getting temporary tattoos


Stick tossing game:


Stick game--you hold a stick, then the leader says left or right and you have to let go of your stick and grab the stick next in the designated direction before it fall. Then they keep moving you wider and wider out to make it harder.


Sealife park dolphin show


Son kissing the dolphin:


Son getting kissed by the dolphin:


Hubby "dancing" with the dolphin. You aren't supposed to grab the fins like this, but he forgot.
 
HAPPY 50TH! :bday:

Thanks for all the great photos, especially the ones with the waterproof camera. I am thinking of buying one for our upcoming trip and I am debating if I should get an all new camera or a waterproof housing for one of our existing cameras but I keep seeing all these great photos taken by the Fuji camera...hmmm, might have to bite the bullet and go get it! Your family looks like they had a blast...
Just looked and our Fuji is a Fujifilm Fine pix XP 90. In our current Costco coupon book, they are $50 off until the 3rd of July, priced on sale at $149.99. Make sure you use the float strap so if you accidentally let go, it doesn't sink. Also, read the directions and soak in fresh water after it has been in salt water. We also bought a bigger micro SD card for ours.
 
Just looked and our Fuji is a Fujifilm Fine pix XP 90. In our current Costco coupon book, they are $50 off until the 3rd of July, priced on sale at $149.99. Make sure you use the float strap so if you accidentally let go, it doesn't sink. Also, read the directions and soak in fresh water after it has been in salt water. We also bought a bigger micro SD card for ours.

Sam's has a deal right now too! http://www.samsclub.com/sams/fuji-xp90-dig-cam-16-4-mp-5x-zoom/prod20091354.ip
 
Just looked and our Fuji is a Fujifilm Fine pix XP 90. In our current Costco coupon book, they are $50 off until the 3rd of July, priced on sale at $149.99. Make sure you use the float strap so if you accidentally let go, it doesn't sink. Also, read the directions and soak in fresh water after it has been in salt water. We also bought a bigger micro SD card for ours.


THANKS!
 
I have stayed at Hale Koa many times. Of course it can't compare to Aulani. Hale Koa is a great place to stay if you want to see Oahu. Aulani is where you go to get your Disney fix.

I loved breakfast at Koko Cafe. Great view. Request the lanai. Walk next door to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Or go in the opposite direction and follow the path along the beach to the famous pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

I highly recommend snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. You can get there by car or the city bus. It is very reasonable and the fish are incredible.

If you like to walk, go to Diamond Head. Once you get to the park, the hike is less than a mile, but feels a lot longer. Great view of Waikiki and the caldera from the top.

A couple of years back we did a Segway tour. It started in downtown Waikiki and went all over Honolulu including Iolani Palace. If you like history and antiques, Iolani Palace is interesting.

Another time we did ATVs at Kualoa ranch. That was great fun. I highly recommend it.
While you're out that way, the Byodo-In Temple was nice for a quick stop off.

Honolulu has a nice zoo and a small but interesting aquarium.
If you are into Hawaiian history and culture, go to the Bishop museum.

Hawaii is beautiful and Oahu has many things to see and do. Look on trip advisor. That will give you ideas and help you hone your plans for the time you spend at Hale Koa. Aulani is beautiful, but it is isolated and the traffic can be brutal during rush hour since there is only one main road leading to that part of the island.

Remember to ask everywhere about military discounts. Oahu has many military and many military discounts.
 
I have stayed at Hale Koa many times. Of course it can't compare to Aulani. Hale Koa is a great place to stay if you want to see Oahu. Aulani is where you go to get your Disney fix.

I loved breakfast at Koko Cafe. Great view. Request the lanai. Walk next door to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Or go in the opposite direction and follow the path along the beach to the famous pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

I highly recommend snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. You can get there by car or the city bus. It is very reasonable and the fish are incredible.

If you like to walk, go to Diamond Head. Once you get to the park, the hike is less than a mile, but feels a lot longer. Great view of Waikiki and the caldera from the top.

A couple of years back we did a Segway tour. It started in downtown Waikiki and went all over Honolulu including Iolani Palace. If you like history and antiques, Iolani Palace is interesting.

Another time we did ATVs at Kualoa ranch. That was great fun. I highly recommend it.
While you're out that way, the Byodo-In Temple was nice for a quick stop off.

Honolulu has a nice zoo and a small but interesting aquarium.
If you are into Hawaiian history and culture, go to the Bishop museum.

Hawaii is beautiful and Oahu has many things to see and do. Look on trip advisor. That will give you ideas and help you hone your plans for the time you spend at Hale Koa. Aulani is beautiful, but it is isolated and the traffic can be brutal during rush hour since there is only one main road leading to that part of the island.

Remember to ask everywhere about military discounts. Oahu has many military and many military discounts.
Good recommendations! We did Hanauma Bay, Diamond head, and Kualoa Ranch movie site tour. I wish we would have had time to explore a little more around the Hale Koa. The location was awesome and the grounds were beautiful.
 
HAPPY 50TH! :bday:

Thanks for all the great photos, especially the ones with the waterproof camera. I am thinking of buying one for our upcoming trip and I am debating if I should get an all new camera or a waterproof housing for one of our existing cameras but I keep seeing all these great photos taken by the Fuji camera...hmmm, might have to bite the bullet and go get it! Your family looks like they had a blast...
I forgot to thank you for the happy birthday wishes! Thanks . . . so far 50 is treating me fine! ;) I'm not one to get to worked up over numbers. I figure turning 50 and being here with my family is better than not turning 50! I still have 2 girls at home to raise . . . (and homeschool! :thumbsup2 ). And a lot more to do after I'm done with that . . . more Disney to see for sure! ha:cool1:
 
Too funny! When did you get there?
We got there on the 20th. This past weekend Aulani was at 96% full. There were over 4,000 people checked in on Saturday. During the week it was quiet and really nice. The weekend was a bit crazy, but still had a great time.
 
We got there on the 20th. This past weekend Aulani was at 96% full. There were over 4,000 people checked in on Saturday. During the week it was quiet and really nice. The weekend was a bit crazy, but still had a great time.
Wow, that is crazy. I think it was pretty full when we were there, but didn't feel too crammed. We left on the 15th, so there was probably someone there in between us. To funny, though! We thought it was a great location. I was worried when we first saw it was right by the elevators, but we never heard a thing. Hope you had a wonderful vacation!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top