Honeymoon Planning
Since planning is kind of at a stand-still at the moment since we're still months away from our planning session and we've got most of our major stuff done, George and I have finally started pricing out and coming up with plans for our honeymoon. Our dream honeymoon would hands-down be a Euro-trip, but with our wedding being in December and the two of us being weak Floridians, we decided that Europe was a no-go for our honeymoon (I'd rather not freeze to death on my honeymoon, thanks). Tokyo was also in the running and so was a return trip to
Disneyland, but ultimately, we decided that we should do something once-in-a-lifetime and relaxing at the same time. That's when the discussion of Hawaii began!
For the 6 years that George and I have been together, Hawaii has NEVER been on our radar as a vacation destination. I've always been a city girl and I love history, so my top vacation destinations have always been along the lines of London, Paris, and other European cities. I knew we wouldn't be able to do a European honeymoon because neither of us would be able to take that much time off work right after the wedding. If I'm going to go to Europe, its got to be for a minimum of 10-14 days. We can only take 7 days off. I suggested going back to Disneyland because I loved it and I'd have the opportunity to see it during the Christmas holidays, where it would be all decked out, but DF said that 7 days at Disneyland would be too long and not really special enough for our honeymoon. After that he asked me "What about Aulani?" That's when the light bulbs started going off in my head. I suggested that we do both! Since 90% of flights to Hawaii from the east coast have layovers in California anyways, why don't we stop at Disneyland for a couple of days to check out all the holiday décor and get used to the west coast time change, then fly to Hawaii from there for the remainder of the week? George thought it was a terrific plan so it was time to start researching!
We are in no way well-off and Hawaii (especially Aulani) is not a cheap destination, so the first step I took in the planning process was looking into renting DVC points for our stay at Aulani. I went through The DVC Rental Store and got a price estimate. It would be pricey, but over $1,000 cheaper than booking straight through Disney. We just put in our $100 deposit to begin the search and I keep anxiously checking my email to see if there are any units available to rent during our requested dates. I know it could be several days before we hear anything, but I'm just so anxious!
We also plan to go with Hawaiian Airlines for our flights from LAX to Honolulu. The airline has great reviews and they are considerably cheaper than the major airlines. However, I don't plan on booking any flights until 6 months before the trip because I'm still waiting on flight dates/times to be released for Southwest, since this is what we plan to fly from Orlando to Anaheim (with frequent flyer miles, so at least that portion of our airfare won't cost us anything).
So right now our tentative honeymoon schedule is as follows:
Thursday, December 1st- Get married!
Friday, December 2nd- Relax and enjoy our first day as Mr. and Mrs.
Saturday, December 3rd- Have a family get-together with George's side of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins) to celebrate our wedding (since only immediate family is attending the wedding)
Sunday, December 4th- Early morning flight to Anaheim, check in to hotel (hopefully Grand Californian), then rest of the day/night at DCA
Monday, December 5th- Disneyland!
Tuesday, December 6th- Fly to Hawaii, check in at Aulani, relax the rest of the day
Wednesday-Saturday, December 7th-10th- Mix of Aulani resort days, and exploring the island (North Shore, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, etc.)
Sunday, December 8th- Check out of Aulani and catch a (hopefully) late afternoon flight back to LAX, with an overnight flight back to Orlando
I know it isn't the longest honeymoon and that 4 full days in Hawaii is probably NOWHERE near enough time to enjoy the resort and the island, but I just really don't want to give up my 1.5-2 days in Disneyland because I truly love it there and I know going during the holidays will be hard to beat. I'm also hoping that our flight out of LA to Hawaii is an early one, that way we will still have a half day to enjoy Aulani when we arrive, and we are hoping to find a late afternoon flight on the Sunday that we leave, so we can enjoy the morning and lunch at the resort before heading to the airport. That would technically add another day to our trip. Fingers crossed we can find some good flights to make that work, but I won't know until Southwest releases their flight itineraries for December 2016.
Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me that we are able to get some DVC points to rent for Aulani or else honeymoon plans might have to change!