The character breakfast was great, we called to get another after the first one lol. But warning they have inside and outside seating and it was really windy when we were there so we requested an inside table.
Definitely call the character hotline number every morning to find out when characters will be out. But if you don't hear your favorite listed they will probably still be out somewhere, just gonna look around.
We rented a car and did lots of day trips. My kids must be older since you asked about a two year old so some of these may not be good for you.
Kids favorites were Kuaola Ranch (we did an ATV raptor tour due to kids ages but that place was great).
Hiked Diamond Head before sunrise.
Dole Plantation was okay..don't buy much there though, I over paid about $8 for a bag of nuts that I could have bought at the Island Treasures store across from Aulani, lesson learned lol.
We reserved tickets for Pear Harbor ahead of time so didn't think we had to arrive too early, mistake lol. We had to circle the lot for almost an hour (with about 50 other cars) just to find someone leaving. After about 40 minutes all we could was laugh at the insanity of people fighting for spots! The parking lot is tiny!
There is tons to do at the resort, so make sure to stop by the lobby and pick up a daily activities guide. Lots have to be reserved in advance.
Auntie's beach was great, reserve some activities ahead of time online. But don't stress if you don't get a lot. People line up early in the morning to signup for more activities, but if you don't get into a certain activity kids can still be dropped off for open play in the other areas. My kids almost liked that better.
We only did one day at North Shore but would have loved to go again..lots to see
