Tied to School schedule...so when should we go??

[annabug]

Hi Everyone!

I am in the infancy stages of FINALLY planning a trip to Aulani! Starting with the basics

My. husband and I, and our 2 kids. 15 girl and 11 boy.

I am unable to take them out of school

So my options are...

Mid February....here in NY we have a winter break, its only one week long

Easter break...usually about 1 1/2 weeks long

or.....July/August. when we have zero time constraints

I have done ZERO research thus far. All I know is we want to go to Aulani!

PS. We are not DVC, I wish we were.....

Thank you all in advance. ALOHA!

 

[iloveftwilderness]

FYI- You can rent points vs. reserving thru hotel- you don't have to be DVC owners. It is A LOT cheaper.

 

[Van@Disney]

We have the same difficulty, except we have March break rather then February. In terms of flight prices and crowds I’d say February is likely best. Also a bit cheaper. And I second renting the points, but if you want to go in Feb you have to commit to a decision 11 months ahead, that’s when owners can book at their home resorts.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd go July/August so that you can stay longer. Considering the long flights to/from HNL (especially from the east coast) you'll deal with a lot of jet lag that will affect you for the first few days. Also, you likely won't arrive in Hawaii until late afternoon making that day almost a total loss.

 

[dmar]

I'd go February or July/August and would choose the July/August as my first choice.

If you want to get away from the cold weather in February.. perfect time. Rates might be a bit cheaper as well. Like above poster said, jet lag may be an issue, or the fact that coming back you could be delayed due to snow at your airport of origin or if you have a layover.

July/August for the longer period of time and you can check out not just Aulani, but spend more time on the Island (or visit a neighbor island like Maui/Kauai. You can visit Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Hike Diamond Head, Go up to Turtle Bay, Dole Plantation, Horseback/Zipline/Quads at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu. Aulani is on the western side of the island and further away from Waikiki/Honolulu. It's not really that far in miles, but traffic can be horrendous. July/August will be more crowded, and you definitely need to book in advance dining reservations/hotels and perhaps a increase in cost vs. February.

Either way you can't go wrong if you just want to get away and be at Disney Aulani

 

[nkereina]

Mid February....here in NY we have a winter break, its only one week long

February break is mostly a Northeast thing, so I think this timeframe wouldn't see as many family travelers as Spring Break would. That said, winter months are peak season for Hawaii, both because its prime whale watching season and because people are escaping cold weather. I also live in NY, and I personally would be concerned about how weather and flight delays would impact the trip, especially with only one week there.

July/August. when we have zero time constraints

This would be my vote, particularly late August when a lot of schools start back in session. It will be hotter and its still summer vacation season, but I think the likelihood for flight interruptions will be less and you'll have more time to play with. I agree with PP that your travel days will be losses and coming from the east coast, you'll find that you'll be up early and in bed early the first few days as you adjust to the time. I would do 10-14 days if you can to account for these things.

FYI- You can rent points vs. reserving thru hotel- you don't have to be DVC owners. It is A LOT cheaper.

I would caution the OP that if you are planning for 2020, renting DVC points is something that should be looked into now. Most people rent points 7-11 months in advance, especially for busier travel times. I do think its worth exploring, but also worth managing expecations in case it doesn't pan out for the dates or room type you want.

 

[tankin]

@annabug I'd start with... how long do you want to stay / can afford to stay. If its only about a week, I'd do February. Crowds will be smaller so you can probably do more in a smaller amount of time. It could also be cheaper since most of the rest of the US is still in school.

As far as jet lag, I know a ton of people who will do a week in Europe. Time difference is the same (5 hours). I find that jet lag tends to hit me harder going east than west (ie staying up isn't a problem from me its the short night that kills me)