Aulani and island hopping

[jlyanks85]

Hey everybody,

I'm going on my honeymoon in August. 5 days in Disneyland staying at GC and 11 days in Hawaii where I booked 6 nights in Aulani.

My question is, since I have 5 nights still where I haven't booked any hotels, is if I should island hop and maybe stay in Maui or Kauai for those 5 nights? We have never been to Hawaii so I want to be able to see as much as possible, but I know I've read the island hopping can be tedious with dealing with airport security. Or should I just add another night or 2 to my aulani reservation and stay in Oahu the entire time?

 

[cindyzig]

We loved Aulani, but Maui is my favorite island. We have been there three times. Since you have so many days in Hawaii, I would recommend seeing another island if you can. I agree that airport security and the expense of switching islands can be a hassle, but if you won't be back for awhile, there is so much to see on the other islands too. I also think the TSA personnel are so much nicer at Hawaii airports than in the mainland probably because of their beautiful location. Just my two cents. It sounds like the best honeymoon ever regardless of what you decide to do!

 

[cleophus12]

We also loved Aulani and probably could have stayed there forever. However, if you are traveling that far, (although I don't know where you traveling from) you probably want to see as much as you can. We loved both Maui and Kauai. And we loved the Big Island. Each island has so much to offer. While it will be easy to become wrapped in the Aulani cocoon, I'd recommend seeing some other islands if you can.

 

[jlyanks85]

We are coming from New Jersey, so very far away haha. We are going to Disneyland first so we are breaking it apart so flight going isn't as long.

I would really like to see Maui or Kauai but the hassle of airports and security is making me think twice since I would have to do it going home. Plus I want to see as much of Oahu as I can too, since this is my first time in Hawaii.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

Have you considered taking the Pride of America around all the islands? We are planning a Hawaii trip in 2017 and I'm planning on arriving on a Tuesday, staying at Aulani through Saturday, boarding the Pride of America for a 7 day cruise - the cruise ports every day and for 2 of the Islands - Maui and Kawai - it is in port 2 days each. After the cruise, will go back to Aulani for a few more days and leave on a Thursday back to NY.

 

[jlyanks85]

I was considering the cruise since we are staying for 11 nights. Bad thing is my fiancé/future wife had a bad experience when going on a NCL cruise years ago with the food. So I didn't want to go through that again. Unfortunately they are the only cruise line that does that type of cruise going around the islands and back to Honolulu.

 

[BillPA]

Air port Security in Hawaii is not too bad, nothing like you would find in a NY or Philly airport. I would suggest you visit another island for those 5 days. Typically inter-island flights are in the $80 range with a $15 per checked bag charge. You can fly in to HNL and return from Maui, The Big Island ...etc whatever you choose. That way you only add 1 security check. Maui is amazing, our favorite is the Big Island. You can't go wrong with any of the other islands.

For a Honeymoon I would go to Maui. Congratulations and best wishes to both of you. Have a great trip.

 

[Girimama33]

Honestly, it sounds like you have made up your mind and want to stay on Oahu.
I used to live in Hawaii and have traveled inter-island quite a bit. It was never a hassle...especially if you are departing from the other island and flying back to the mainland. Just get there in plenty of time to go through security...like any airport.

Congratulations ~ Whatever you choose to do...I am sure you will have a great time.

 

[Bucketfoot]

I wouldn't have any reservations about island hopping. The only hassle with inter-island travel is if your suitcases are close on the weight limit. The airlines are real sticklers on this for these flights.

Personally I would recommend Kauai or the Big Island to get a better contrast to Oahu (next to Oahu, Maui is the most touristy of the islands).

 

[jlyanks85]

I'm actually really undecided. Been going back and forth on whether on should just stay on Oahu the entire time or go to another island for those 5 days.

I was just worried about the airport and security since I read a lot that it takes a lot of time away from your trip which I didn't want to do.

Don't really know when I'd be Going back to Hawaii after this, so I thought 2 islands in 11 days can be possible. If it wasn't I would just stick to Oahu.

 

[cleophus12]

I agree with the PP about airport security. Don't let that scare you off from island hopping. The Honolulu airport is the largest of the island airports and it will be the hardest to get through, but nothing like Newark or LaGuardia or JFK if that's where you are flying out of. The other island airports are quite small and easy to navigate. Even if you are picking up a rental car, they are easy enough to go through and get out quickly. We have also done the Pride of America and enjoyed it thoroughly. Don't ever let one bad cruise experience keep you from trying it again. The PoA trip would, however, take 7 days out of your trip and you probably don't want to do that at this point in your planning. Have fun whatever you decide.

 

[happymamma]

We're debating the same thing for our trip next year. It's our second time to Hawaii (first time stayed only on Oahu, at Aulani the whole time, as well- though there's still a few things we didn't get to do/see), so we do feel like we "should" be going and island-hopping, but our kids are young and I'm worried about driving them insane on the way home with three flights. Since we already booked our airfare and we didn't think to fly home from a different island, we would have to take an additional flight either the day of arrival or departure (plus the island-hop flight mid-way through trip, which would be fine). The cost also adds up a bit too and while we definitely want to eventually see the other islands, I don't think the kids will appreciate the difference at this point and the cost/inconvenience doesn't seem worth it. It is a LONG distance to travel though just to sort of stay at the same place (though we'll do day trips etc.), but then again that is sort of what the vacation is about (relaxing), so I am still debating.

For you though since it's your honeymoon, I would probably want to island hop to Maui and stay somewhere more quiet and relaxing after Disneyland and Aulani, and I would think that the inconvenience of the airport would be worth it. But I've never been to Maui, I just hear it's so beautiful.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[amym2]

Definitely island hop! We've done it with two kids no problem (they were 10 and 8 at the time). We've been to Kauai and the Big Island and love both. Kauai has much more of a laid back, real-life vibe and the Big Island is really neat with the volcanoes and Kona if you like coffee. It really just depends on what you're looking for. For a honeymoon, I'd probably stay at a resort on Kauai (we rented a house) and do a Napali coast boat tour and horseback riding or kayaking. Kauai is nice because it's so small you can really see most of the island in a few days (although the traffic can be bad certain times of day). As much as we love Aulani and Oahu, I couldn't spend 11 days there. I think you'll have a nice mix with 6 and 5 (we had 5 and 4).

 

[jlyanks85]

The only issue that's leaning me against island hopping, is that I would already been on a plane twice going from Newark to Lax staying at Disneyland, then leaving lax 5 days later to come to Hawaii. I would then be going on another plane when I go home.

My future wife seems against the idea since she doesn't want to deal with more planes, but I really would like to see Maui or Kauai.

Will be a tough decision that I should make soon before everything fills up.

 

[bbn1122]

Good luck with what ever you choose and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.

We are just beginning to plan our family trip to Aulani for next June. We are also from New Jersey. We are going to do Aulani for 5-7 nights and then the Big Island for 4-5 nights. We are also stopping off in San Fansciso on the way home for 3-4 nights.

We do not know when we will have the chance to be all together again in Hawaii, so we definitely are doing more than on Island. We choose the Big Island because I have 3 sons and they are really interested in Volcano Nat Patk, black beaches and Rain Forsert environment.

Once again, all the best with your planning. Have a wonderful Honeymoon

 

[jekjones1558]

You will spend a good chunk of one day switching islands. Pack, check out, maybe rental car return, airport security, flight, new rental car, check in, unpack. Still I would definitely do another island. If you fly from the mainland to one island and then fly from the second island back to the mainland, then you are only adding one short flight of 25 minutes or so. And coming from the east coast you really want to see as much as you can. You might want to consider trying a condo on your second island to have a different sort of experience in lodging, rather like your own apartment in Hawaii.
Good luck!

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Another option would be to spend a few more nights at Disneyland. It's not hard to spend five full days seeing everything the Disneyland resort has to offer.

 

[DenLo]

We are doing another island on our next trip to Hawaii. We are staying five nights on the Big Island to the volcanos and hope to do whale watching too, Waikoloa area north of Kona. And then will fly to Oahu and spend 8 nights at Aulani. We wanted Aulani as the second segment as we are able to relax and unwind at Aulani. Whereas on other islands we are often sightseeing 3X more than we do on Oahu. Our sightseeing on Oahu has become pretty laid back too, usually never more than a half a day and then back to the resort.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

My wife and I did a 4 nights in Oahu 4 nights in Maui trip about 20 years ago. Our son was only 18 months and my wife was pregnant with our daughter. Transferring between islands wasn't too bad, but this was pre 9-11 and the TSA. Still I'd like to do something like that again, and maybe even add a few nights on the big island.

 

[carissa1970]

If you do decide to stay on Oahu, consider a stay on the other side of the island after Aulaini. We did 7 nights at Aulani and 5 in North Shore and had a blast. Next time we will hop to the Big Island, though.