Stephanie, her husband, and their 13-year-old daughter flew from Texas to spend almost two full weeks in Hawaii. They visited three islands, stayed in VRBOs and at Disney’s Aulani Resort, and packed in multiple activities. She shares what was worth the time and money, and what activities were a one-and-done.
Post trip begins: 30 minutes
The Basics
Stephanie, her husband, and their 13 year old daughter are from Dallas/Fort Worth but are driving to Austin for their long Hawaiian vacation.
They are flying out of Austin because it is much cheaper to fly out of Austin to fly Hawaiian versus flying out of DFW. They were able to upgrade their seats, pay for parking, and stay in a hotel by flying out of Austin and still saved $1,000!
They fly out of Austin on July 5th and arrive back the morning of July 17th. They will be visiting Maui, O’ahu, the big island of Hawaii, and end their trip with a DVC stay at Aulani.
Stephanie booked Aulani via their DVC points. She recommends booking early and walking your points to the dates that you need.
Drive to Austin (July 4)
After driving to Austin, Stephanie and her family had dinner at County Line on the Lake. They hung out in the hotel room to prepare for their vacation.
They ended up flying out of Austin because they could upgrade to comfort seating. Even with a hotel room in Austin, paying for parking, and upgrading their seats, they still saved about $1000.
Fly to Honolulu and then on to Maui (July 5)
When they arrived at the airport, economy parking was full. Thankfully they arrived with plenty of time and were able to get a parking spot.
Their flight was long. They had some meals that were okay and tried to sleep for most of the flight.
Stephanie had booked a lei greeting at the airport, which was very fun. Their Turo rental car met them at baggage claim and they went right to their condo in Kihei.
Stephanie tried a local grocery store, but ended up going to Target to get their groceries for their stay.
Their condo was private and really nice, but the bathroom was between the living space and bedroom, so if someone is showering, you are stuck without the ability to move around the condo.
Stephanie and her daughter walked on the beach that evening.
Road to Hana (July 6)
Today, they went to the Road to Hana. They were unable to go to the Twin Falls due to an event just for Hawaiian residents.
By the time they got to the Garden of Eden, it wasn’t open yet. They opted not to wait for it to open and just kept going.
They got to a lookout that was beautiful. They walked around and went to a free arboretum called Keanae. There were rainbow eucalyptus trees and a creek to walk through.
They used a Guide Along tour for this trip, which was very helpful. They had banana bread at Aunt Sandy’s and Halfway to Hana. They loved the banana bread at Aunt Sandy’s.
When they got halfway, they turned around. Stephanie’s daughter got a little bit carsick so they knew turning around halfway was best.
The drive was a little scary but Stephanie’s husband drove slowly and that was good. They were out early and Stephanie notes that meant they avoided a lot of busy traffic.
Stephanie’s husband and daughter took a nap and she read on the patio. They went to dinner at the Maui Brewing Company.
After dinner, they went back to the condo. Stephanie and her husband walked along the beach, which was lovely.
Snorkeling (July 7)
After sleeping in, they got on a boat to go snorkeling. It was very windy and Stephanie and her daughter both got seasick.
While they boat was moving, they were better, but if the boat was stopped, it was really rough. They didn’t really see a lot of fish, but they did get to go off a slide into the water.
They had a lot of fun but it is a one and done for their family. After their tour, they got some pie from Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop to save for later. They got a coconut cream pie and had it for dessert after dinner.
They went to dinner at South Maui Gardens and Stephanie got fish tacos. It was delicious and the weather was just perfect.
After dinner, they walked as a family on the beach. It was just lovely.
Fly to Hawaii (July 8)
Stephanie and her husband got up early and walked to a farmer’s market nearby. They got an acai bowl and a guacamole. They were told it was the best guacamole anywhere and it was just good.
They got some shave ice near the the airport at Ululani’s before going to the airport. They returned their Turo rental car before getting on their flight for the big island.
Their flight was smooth and when they arrived on the big island, they got their Turo rental car and went to their rental condo. Their condo here was much larger but they did charge $25/day for air conditioning.
The view from this condo wasn’t quite as private but it was in a really great area. They were able to walk to dinner every night of their stay.
They went to a local restaurant that was a recommendation from someone they saw on the street. It was a good meal at Humpy’s.
Sightseeing (July 9)
They originally had glass bottom kayaks booked for the morning, but after their snorkeling experience, Stephanie canceled it.
However, Stephanie got some great recommendations from the woman they rented the car from. She sent them links and it was wonderful.
They went to Clover and Mug for breakfast. It was delicious! After breakfast, they went to the coffee farm.
They happened to arrive about 10 minutes prior to a tour starting. Everyone in her family enjoyed this, which was lovely.
There was a white pineapple at the coffee farm and Stephanie got it. It was incredible.
Then they started going to the recommendations from their Turo rental. They went to Boiling Pots. It was about a 2 hour drive, but it was beautiful.
After that, they went to Rainbow Falls and then Akaka Falls. There was a cost for Akaka Falls but it was minimal. They ended up just taking photos there because it was a long walk to get there.
They drove back to the condo and went to dinner that evening. They went to Island Ono Loa. It was ranked #1 for burgers in Hawaii.
After dinner, their daughter went back up to the condo while Stephanie and her husband got drinks.
Chocolate Farm (July 10)
Everything today was exactly as Stephanie planned! They went to a Chocolate Farm in the morning. They learned the whole process for making chocolate, which was really interesting.
The Black sand beach was one of the highlights of their trip, especially for their daughter. They got to wade in the water and saw turtles. They got sweet bread at a local bakeshop as well.
Then they went to the southernmost point of the US. There wasn’t a sign and it was on a cliff very high up. People were cliff jumping and it was very windy. They opted to just stay away from the edge.
They went to dinner that night as well. Stephanie got delicious coconut shrimp.
Flying to O’ahu (July 11)
They were able to pack up their condo, drop off their luggage, and go to the Sea Salt Farm on their way to the airport. They enjoyed learning how they mine sea salt.
At this point, Stephanie’s daughter wasn’t feeling well. She was very tired and she got hungry when they arrived at the tour. The tour guide was able to get some food for her, which was so nice.
After their tour, they got pizza for lunch and picked up their luggage to get to the airport. Their flight was slightly delayed, but it was only about 20 minutes.
Because their flight was delayed, they picked up their Turo from the parking garage. The driver just left their key on the tire for them to take the car.
Due to traffic it took them about 40 minutes to get to Aulani. They liked their room, but there wasn’t nearly the space or privacy that they had in their condos.
Their DVC includes parking but parking could only be added to one room card. They added it to Stephanie’s husband, but they just left that one in the car.
They arrived around 6 p.m. and went to dinner at Ulu Cafe for dinner.
They were in an ocean view room and could see the ocean and the pool. They’d originally planned to go to a hulu that night but they were so hungry when they arrived, so they went right to dinner.
The food at the cafe was good and they could get standard Disney food (chicken fingers for Stephanie’s daughter) and Hawaiian food.
Aulani (July 12)
Stephanie originally planned to go to a fitness class called Splash and Dash for Stephanie and her daughter at 9 a.m. She opted to read on the beach instead.
Stephanie and her daughter did go to a 10:30 a.m. make your own Mickey ears reservation. This is $26-36. After that, Stephanie took their daughter to urgent care.
She tested negative to everything but she was dehydrated. They gave her fluids and she perked up. When they got back, she was feeling much better.
They went to the pool and did a bunch of laps in the lazy river. They loved floating for hours.
Stephanie wasn’t able to get a reservation for Ukulele lessons prior to the trip. They were told to go 24 hours before the class that she wanted to do. They did that and she was able to get in for the class the next day.
They went to Ulu Cafe for dinner that night as well.
Oahu (July 13)
Stephanie and her family had Pearl Harbor tickets at 8 a.m. Stephanie’s daughter said she really enjoyed this a lot.
They watched the movie and went out to the memorial. Stephanie’s daughter was worried about going out on a boat, but she was okay.
They went to Leonard’s bakery on their way back. Stephanie highly recommends the warm Malasadas.
Their next stop was the Dole Plantation. This was okay but not Stephanie’s daughter’s favorite spot.
Right around lunch time, they went to the North Shore. It was very crowded. They got shave ice and then got to the shrimp truck Stephanie wanted to go to. The parking was really bad and the line was very long so they ended up going to another truck.
They stopped to get a surfboard for characters to sign on their way back to Aulani. She was able to get one at the ABC store right across the street because they did not have them at Aulani.
Once they got back to the resort, they went to the ukulele lessons. They are free, but need to be booked in advance. Many people will book them for every day of their trip and because there is no penalty for not showing up, they don’t cancel.
They had leftovers in their room for dinner before going to their stargazing experience. It started at 7:45 p.m. and was $45/person. Kids under 12 are $25.
Stephanie thinks there were too many people for it to be worth their money.
Photoshoot (July 14)
Stephanie got up that morning and scouted out the beach where they would have photos taken that evening.
After that, Stephanie and her husband went to the Aloha swap meet. This happens locally on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays.
When Stephanie and her husband got back to the resort, they went to meet some characters. They had some really great character interactions.
Every morning in the app, the character availability was posted around 9 a.m. You could check where they would be and at what time.
Stephanie’s daughter loves Stitch and Stitch was meeting today, so they wanted to be sure to do that. They also had just gotten the surfboard the day before, so they didn’t meet any characters before that.
There weren’t really any lines to meet the characters, especially if you wait until the end of their time meeting.
After meeting characters, they went back to the lazy river. That evening, they went back to their room to get ready for their family photos.
Stephanie and her family had photos on the beach by Shaka Shoots. It was only $100 for 30 minutes and they got about 900 photos. Stephanie purchased their outfits in Maui for their photoshoot.
For dinner this evening, they went to Off the Hook. This wasn’t a fancy meal, but it was expensive. They had a nice meal and were at a table outside.
They were able to see the hulu from their table, which was really nice. After dinner they played Nertz in their room. Thankfully, Stephanie’s daughter was finally feeling better.
Rest Day (July 15)
Stephanie and her family got up and went for a walk on the beach. They also met some characters that day. They met Moana, Chip and Dale, Minnie, Duffy, and Mickey.
They relaxed a lot at the pool today as well.
This evening there was also a DVC event and they stopped by on their way to their ‘AMA’AMA reservations for dinner. There was a dance party, characters, and beaded leis.
After their stop at the DVC party, they went to their ‘AMA’AMA reservation. This was a wonderful dinner, but it was very expensive. It is $125 per person and is a fixed price. Thankfully, they allowed Stephanie’s daughter to order off the kids menu and only charged them a kids price of $55.
When they were done with dinner, they went and ordered a lamp that they had in there room. It is special to Aulani and they were able to ship it home. It should arrive in 4-6 months.
That night they played Nertz in their room again.
Departure (July 16)
Their flight is in the evening so they were able to sleep in and pack up their room. They planned to spend some time in the lounge, but the card only allowed them access one time. They couldn’t come and go, so they opted to do other things.
They met some characters including Max, ‘Olu Mel, and Goofy. They hadn’t gotten Mickey Shave Ice yet so they got those as well. It wasn’t anyone’s favorite.
They hadn’t done the scavenger hunt either, so they did that but weren’t able to finish it.
Stephanie and her daughter got pedicures. Unfortunately they only had one tech so they had to get them done back to back rather than at the same time.
Before leaving, they got Spam Musubi. This is a popular dish and they hadn’t had it yet. Stephanie really liked it.
They got to the airport very early in order to be sure they could get through the checks to get on their plane. They arrived at 4 p.m. for a 7 p.m. flight.
While they were waiting in the airport, they stopped at a bar for some drinks. Stephanie and her husband got a drink and they started playing cards as a family. That’s when they learned that you cannot play cards at a bar in Hawaii.
Stephanie and her daughter slept for most of their trip home and they arrived home after driving back to Dallas from Austin around noon the next day!
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