Da 'Ohana at Aulani: 10 Things for Kids and Families that Don't Cost Extra

In July we spent ten glorious days in heaven. In honor of that, I will be releasing a few different "Top 10" lists about why Aulani is the greatest place that exists on this whole planet. One post would be way too overwhelming!

I was initially not super excited to go to Aulani because I'm not very good at relaxing while on trips. I want to see everything, do everything, eat everything, and come back completely exhausted. I think perhaps I'm not great at vacationing? So I was a little worried that I would be bored or restless. That was not the case! If we wanted to do something, there was always something to keep us entertained. So without further ado, here are some of the very best things to do at Aulani.

1. Water Slides, Pools, and Lazy River

Now, I was a little skeptical about the man-made pools when you literally have the entire warm, beautiful Hawaiian ocean at your disposal, but there was nothing more relaxing than floating in a beautiful infinity pool at sunset, gazing at the palm trees and watching a multicolored sky fade to night at the end of the day. There are a few adults-only pools, but we didn't use those. I really appreciated that my girls could go anywhere we wanted to be. Life jacket rentals are free, you can get as many towels as you need, there are cool water stations around the resort, and there were always plenty of beach chairs.

The water slides were a blast! Again, I was very appreciative that my girls were able to go down the slides by themselves because they would have been so sad about missing out on this. I was nervous (they were 3 and 6), but either my husband or I would go down first, then the girls, followed by the other adult. This worked out wonderfully. On the tube slide, you could have 2 people per tube, so that was perfect for us. The water slides were the only area of the resort where I really felt we had to wait or that got crowded. There was always plenty of room everywhere else. This was another concern of mine--how was I going to have fun and be relaxed if we were experiencing crowds of Disney World proportions? This was definitely not the case.

The lazy river is great if you want to not be doing too much but still be doing something. You can either choose to go under or around waterfalls, go on a tube or just walk/float around it, go by yourself or with a group. We did the lazy river a few times, but not a ton as there was so much else to explore.

The Menehune Bridge is fabulous for little kids! Our girls spent the majority of their time here. It's like a mix of a splash pad and a pool. It's amazing. My one complaint is that adults can't really play on it unless you're up supervising your kiddos. I mean, I guess it makes sense and makes it less crowded for the littles, but I wanted to try the mini water slide too!

2. Pin Trading

I'm going to call this a free activity, but technically you do have to buy your pins beforehand and bring them with you if you want it to be free at the resort. If you don't know what pin trading is, I'm gonna educate you and make you a believer because it is my single favorite activity for any Disney trip. For real. Basically, you buy different pins and then trade them with other cast members or people to build up a collection you love. There are pins you can buy individually and mystery pin packs you can get (usually about $30 for 8), but we don't do this.

I buy a pack of 25 random Disney pins off of eBay, bring them with us, and let my girls go hog wild in trading with the cast members. The reason I love it is because I never have to say no to any pin that they might want. They are in complete control of what they want to select and it cuts waaaay down on the asking for stuff from the Disney stores we pass. Seriously, it's the best. If you go into Kalepa's Store, Hale Manu, and the DVC room, they each have a pin book or board that you can trade from. Additionally, there are many cast members walking around who have lanyards. We would sometimes trade with the same person a few times per day because their pins change. Again, I cannot stress enough how much I love pin trading because I love being able to be the mom who says yes!

3. Scavenger Hunt

Okay, this thing is COOL. Apparently Disney cruises have a similar system, but never having been on one, I have nothing with which to compare it. You get to check out an iPad type device and Aunty comes on the the screen and gives you different challenges and places to go all around the resort. It's really a great way to figure out where everything is located. But the map isn't all that great on the screen, so I was glad we waited until we had explored on our own for a day or two before trying this out. During each stop, something really cool happens (you make a waterfall appear or fire blast from a volcano). It's fun because some resort guests don't know about it, so when you squirt water from a tree or make a rock talk, you get to watch their reactions! Do it. You'll love it.

4. Storytelling

Ending our nights in pajamas by the fire pit was definitely a highlight. Uncle comes out and plays a bit of ukulele and tells you Hawaiian stories and legends. It's a perfect way to feel a little more like a local by hearing someone "talk story" and learn a little history. Get there a bit early to get a seat. We were always able to see and hear Uncle telling a story, but enjoyed it more when we were closer. What's also neat is that Uncle Aido who is there now is also on all of the Aulani promo videos! We felt like we were seeing a movie star. The girls still talk about what a captivating storyteller he is.

5. 'Iwa

This is a daily calendar that tells you all of the activities that are going on at Aulani for the day. There are activities designed for all age groups and can be done by yourself or with your family. We stuck to all free ones. Some things we did were:

Build canoes with Uncle and Moana

Take a drawing class (these are the girls' drawings, haha!)

Hula instruction with Stitch and Aunty

Lei making

There were also others we just didn't have time for. Things like a workout class on the beach, a pool party with Goofy, beach challenges, a photo hunt, and outdoor movie nights. There is so much to do!

6. Character Interactions

Every morning, there is a phone number to call to find out which characters will be visiting Aulani for the day and when/where they will be. The character interactions are unique at Aulani for a couple of reasons. The first is that the waits were never as long as we experienced in the Disney parks. The second is that the characters are all dressed up like they're on vacation, so you can definitely tell from your photos that you were at Aulani when they were taken. The longest wait we had was for Moana (the movie was still new and obviously if you're going to see anyone at Aulani, it has to be Moana) but even that wasn't bad. We knew when and where she was going to be, so we just got our lunch, were first in line, and ate it while we waited for the line to form behind us.

Additionally, characters show up everywhere--pool parties, Aunty's Beach House, walking along the bridges, and throughout the halls and reception area. It just adds to the overall magic.

7. Snorkeling

We took our own snorkel gear so we wouldn't have to pay the fee there (it's expensive). We went out into the ocean and did not do the reef Disney has set up because the fee was steep. We had various amounts of success with this. Sometimes the water was nice and clear and we could see lots of fish, other times it was too murky. Either way, it was a nice swim out where there weren't a lot of people around.

8. Beach Walking, Rentals

One thing I really loved was the private beach area at Aulani. For some reason, I felt like a celebrity when I was in the "Aulani Guests Only" area. I've never stayed somewhere where I've had my own beach! Beach chairs are free and plentiful. Additionally, you can always check out boogie boards and sand toys free of charge! We took advantage of this a lot.

9. Movie and Game Rentals

This sounds weird, but one of my favorite memories from the trip is how much our girls enjoyed watching "A Goofy Movie." Movie rentals are free and the first time we went down to get one, this is what we picked. It quickly became a tradition and every night they would fall asleep to it. Additionally, you can check out board games or just hang out in the Pau Hana room which also has books and arts and crafts.

10. Tours

There are also several walking tours which give you a sense of Hawaiian culture and how that is demonstrated all throughout Aulani. To be honest, we tried this and left partway through because our girls were bored. I mean, I can't really blame them. Why learn about indigenous plants when there are water slides and menehune to find?

Bonus Activity: Search for menehune--statues of legendary Hawaiian creatures. Rumor is that there are over 300 of these little guys hiding all throughout the resort and it is a riot discovering all of the places where they are hidden! We didn't find out that this was a thing until partway through our trip. Otherwise, we would have taken the time to studiously note where we saw each one to see how many we could come up with!

That's it for now. You might have noticed that I didn't mention the best, most wonderful, completely amazing and fabulous Aunty's Beach House. But that's only because it totally deserves its own post, which I will get to next time! It is quite arguably the BEST part of Aulani!

#basics #adventures