Only one island....

[5lilfish]

I know my family would love Aulani. I also know that there is a lot to do on this island...and since Pearl Harbor is a bucket list item for my husband, that works too. I always thought we'd combine Aulani and an NCL cruise and really do all of Hawaii. As I have posted in a couple other threads today, we have some time constraints. I'm wondering what people think about 'only' doing this one island? There's a decent chance, if we like it, that my husband and I (and possibly our youngest 2 kids) might get back to Hawaii someday, but it would probably be a one time trip for us as an entire family. We are coming from NY. We can't just hop back to Hawaii. Will we regret not doing it all or do you think the one island is a pretty satisfactory Hawaii experience?

Jess

 

[cmph]

We did a week and a half on Oahu, staying at Aulani the whole time. I don't think we would have enjoyed the trip nearly as much if we had tried to do an additional island, to be honest. The kids would have liked more resort time, but I wanted to see other parts of the island too. If you've never been to Oahu before, then you will find plenty to do, and it's easy to end up "too busy". We feel like we saw pretty much everything we wanted to, and we'd do Aulani plus another island next time - because we would literally be on Oahu for just Aulani then. I think the best way to approach it is to accept that you have to sacrifice something - either seeing more than one island, or seeing everything Oahu has to offer. You just can't do both in less than a couple of weeks.

Seeing the other islands is most definitely something I want to do, but there is a good variety on Oahu itself for a first timer. Aside from obvious things like Pearl Harbor, it's a pretty amazing island in terms of the varying landscape from one end to the other. What you see around Aulani is nothing like what you see around the eastern coast.

 

[NZDisneyFanGirl14]

I have been to Oahu, Maui and Hawaii (the big island). They are all really different. Oahu is busy and like any other city. Hawaii is so laid back and the scenery is amazing. Maui is like a mix of both, not a city, but busier than the big island. My favourite was the big island. It depends what you like to do on your trip. There is lots of outdoorsy activities to do on Maui and Hawaii, shopping on Oahu. We spend more time at resorts on the big island because it’s more relaxed. On Oahu we always had things to do (tours of the island, shopping, snorkeling etc) so we didn’t spend much time in the hotel (we haven’t stayed at Aulani as it’s out of our price range). We are going back in May/June to the big island for an Ironman race and then Oahu for American shopping (we are from New Zealand)

 

[Pooh2]

We did 9 days on Oahu. Several friends tell me I missed out by not visiting other islands. The same friends only saw Waikki, Honululu and Pearl Harbor while they were on Oahu.
We spent our mornings driving the perimeter of Oahu and walking and swimming on the amazing beaches, then back to float in the cove at Aulani in the afternoons. If we had 9 days, we would do it again. Loved this island.

 

[cgattis]

I know I've already replied to one of your other posts, but I see you've already done a lot more thinking about what you really want to get out of the trip. I'd offer this...

We loved seeing the other islands, but the cruise will be very expensive for your traveling party. It will also be pretty hectic if you choose to do your own excursions (like we did), and more hassle getting a rental that suits a larger party.

There is plenty to do on Oahu for well over a week, and there is a good mix of "city and country." Oahu is not all Waikiki and Honolulu. There are mountains and beaches and waterfalls and so much more, just like on the other islands. (Just no live lava, which was definitely big for me, but in the grand scheme of everything we saw, it wasn't the ONLY thing.) Between all Oahu has and the time you'd want to spend at Aulani to make it worthwhile, I think you'd absolutely have a great
trip if you "only" do Oahu. And if--I mean, WHEN --you get back, try another island or even the cruise. Hope this helps a little!

 

[5lilfish]

I know I've already replied to one of your other posts, but I see you've already done a lot more thinking about what you really want to get out of the trip. I'd offer this...

We loved seeing the other islands, but the cruise will be very expensive for your traveling party. It will also be pretty hectic if you choose to do your own excursions (like we did), and more hassle getting a rental that suits a larger party.

There is plenty to do on Oahu for well over a week, and there is a good mix of "city and country." Oahu is not all Waikiki and Honolulu. There are mountains and beaches and waterfalls and so much more, just like on the other islands. (Just no live lava, which was definitely big for me, but in the grand scheme of everything we saw, it wasn't the ONLY thing.) Between all Oahu has and the time you'd want to spend at Aulani to make it worthwhile, I think you'd absolutely have a great
trip if you "only" do Oahu. And if--I mean, WHEN --you get back, try another island or even the cruise. Hope this helps a little!

Thank you....that actually helps a lot. The price of the cruise isn't too bad for us (I say that because we are used to cruisiing Disney so everything looks less expensive now). That being said, I am strongly considering 'only' doing Oahu this trip. I'm actually writing up 3 or 4 trip possibilities and will then discuss the options with my husband and possibly get some input from our older kids. I think we'd be happy with this one island. My husband and I will probably do the cruise at some pint...maybe even our youngest 2 kids. If we do this, at least I know I got the whole family to Hawaii. Then if we go back without the kids, or the oldest 3, I can do that without feeling too bad.

Thank you for all the replies...

Thanks again...
Jess

 

[alohamom]

I have been to Oahu, Maui and Hawaii (the big island). They are all really different. Oahu is busy and like any other city.

Just for the sake of the original poster, I think you might mean Waikiki/Honolulu is busy. Oahu has many regions and areas including the North Shore, the east and west sides and the interior which are are all vastly different than the bustling city of Honolulu.

 

[nkereina]

How long can you stay for? We spent a total of 9 days on Oahu, 3 days on Maui and 3 days on Kauai. On a future trip, or if our time is limited, we'd consider only doing Oahu but maybe splitting our time between Aulani and Turtle Bay or Aulani and a Waikiki hotel. Kevin and John from the Dis Unplugged podcast have talked about how Oahu encompasses everything you could want in Hawaii from mountains, to beaches, to shopping, to tourist stuff. It's like a "one stop shop" and I really agree with that assessment. So IMO, I don't think it's a bad thing to only do one island if you have time constraints. I'd also mention that island hopping can be time consuming and eat up almost a whole day, so it has to be worthwhile. If you decide to island hop, I'd recommend biting the bullet and taking an early flight or a late flight so you can spend a full day wherever you are.

 

[5lilfish]

How long can you stay for? We spent a total of 9 days on Oahu, 3 days on Maui and 3 days on Kauai. On a future trip, or if our time is limited, we'd consider only doing Oahu but maybe splitting our time between Aulani and Turtle Bay or Aulani and a Waikiki hotel. Kevin and John from the Dis Unplugged podcast have talked about how Oahu encompasses everything you could want in Hawaii from mountains, to beaches, to shopping, to tourist stuff. It's like a "one stop shop" and I really agree with that assessment. So IMO, I don't think it's a bad thing to only do one island if you have time constraints. I'd also mention that island hopping can be time consuming and eat up almost a whole day, so it has to be worthwhile. If you decide to island hop, I'd recommend biting the bullet and taking an early flight or a late flight so you can spend a full day wherever you are.

 

[Loveallthingsmouse]

We are planning our 3rd trip to Aulani and Oahu. We love the island, I will say I have not been to other islands, but for our family Oahu has so much to offer. We spend a few nights in Waikiki then move to Aulani. We spend time relaxing but also exploring, each visit we find new things and revisit our favorites.

 

[5lilfish]

As of this moment (subject to change 100 times), here is my plan:

Fly out of Buffalo
2 nights (1 1/2 days) in San Francisco
Fly to Hawaii
2 nights in a hotel someplace in Hawaii (do some exploring and Pearl Harbor)
4 nights at Aulani
Fly to LA
3 nights in Disneyland
Fly home to Buffalo

 

[cmph]

As of this moment (subject to change 100 times), here is my plan:

Fly out of Buffalo
2 nights (1 1/2 days) in San Francisco
Fly to Hawaii
2 nights in a hotel someplace in Hawaii (do some exploring and Pearl Harbor)
4 nights at Aulani
Fly to LA
3 nights in Disneyland
Fly home to Buffalo

Just an FYI to keep an eye on the Aulani deals. We originally planned to stay in the Waikiki area for half the trip, and Aulani the other half. It ended up being a good bit cheaper to stay at Aulani the whole time b/c 5+ nights had a 30% discount. The Waikiki hotel we were originally booked into was about as expensive as Aulani - but a regular room vs the 1 bedroom villa we ended up in at Aulani. I'm sure you could find something cheaper, just like any other city, if you're willing to stay in something a bit less nice.

 

[nkereina]

As of this moment (subject to change 100 times), here is my plan:

Fly out of Buffalo
2 nights (1 1/2 days) in San Francisco
Fly to Hawaii
2 nights in a hotel someplace in Hawaii (do some exploring and Pearl Harbor)
4 nights at Aulani
Fly to LA
3 nights in Disneyland
Fly home to Buffalo

We are from Buffalo too With your itinerary, I would stick to Oahu and spend those first two nights in Waikiki. You can even get away with no rental car while staying in Waikiki because there is so much in walking distance. We did an organized tour to Diamond Head and another one to Pearl Harbor during our Waikiki stay because they provided transportation to and from Waikiki hotels. We also saw everything we wanted to in that area, and didn't need to go there once we got to Aulani.

 

[5lilfish]

How long can you stay for? We spent a total of 9 days on Oahu, 3 days on Maui and 3 days on Kauai. On a future trip, or if our time is limited, we'd consider only doing Oahu but maybe splitting our time between Aulani and Turtle Bay or Aulani and a Waikiki hotel. Kevin and John from the Dis Unplugged podcast have talked about how Oahu encompasses everything you could want in Hawaii from mountains, to beaches, to shopping, to tourist stuff. It's like a "one stop shop" and I really agree with that assessment. So IMO, I don't think it's a bad thing to only do one island if you have time constraints. I'd also mention that island hopping can be time consuming and eat up almost a whole day, so it has to be worthwhile. If you decide to island hop, I'd recommend biting the bullet and taking an early flight or a late flight so you can spend a full day wherever you are.

Yeah...we wouldn't island hop. The choice was between 2 1/2 days at Aulani and a 7 day NCL cruise or more time at Aulani (4 days) and a couple extra days someplace else on the island. If we 'just' did Oahu, we'd buffer our travels with stops each way in California. That breaks up the flight time and allows us to squeeze Disneyland in too. With my itinerary above, I could eliminate San Francisco in favor of another 2 nights in Hawaii. We've never been to San Francisco though and it would break up the flights.

 

[5lilfish]

We are from Buffalo too With your itinerary, I would stick to Oahu and spend those first two nights in Waikiki. You can even get away with no rental car while staying in Waikiki because there is so much in walking distance. We did an organized tour to Diamond Head and another one to Pearl Harbor during our Waikiki stay because they provided transportation to and from Waikiki hotels. We also saw everything we wanted to in that area, and didn't need to go there once we got to Aulani.

Good to know...I noticed the current 5 night deal. I'd love to stay the whole time at Aulani. I just hated to spend the money to be there those days if we aren't at the resort all day. If it turns out to be a better deal, though...then WooHoo.

 

[alohamom]

Folks from Buffalo-just an fyi if you have not booked your flights yet there are some amazing prices from Toronto.
@5lilfish you are looking at substantial savings because of the CND to USD exchange as well. I am looking to possibly book Toronto to Honolulu in May and my prices right now are 533 CND/per person round trip compared to over $1000 per person out of Buffalo. We fly a lot out of BUF to MCO as it is cheaper and we like how small the airport is. You are looking at connecting flights from Toronto tho

 

[Midoria]

IOahu is busy and like any other city.

Oahu is not a city. Also, the Northern and Western parts Oahu have areas that slow with a country feel.

 

[5lilfish]

Folks from Buffalo-just an fyi if you have not booked your flights yet there are some amazing prices from Toronto.
@5lilfish you are looking at substantial savings because of the CND to USD exchange as well. I am looking to possibly book Toronto to Honolulu in May and my prices right now are 533 CND/per person round trip compared to over $1000 per person out of Buffalo. We fly a lot out of BUF to MCO as it is cheaper and we like how small the airport is. You are looking at connecting flights from Toronto tho

Thanks... I think our game plan is to fly to Hawaii from San Francisco and then fly back from Hawaii to LA. We will use Southwest to get from Buffalo to San Francisco and then to get from LA back to Buffalo.

 

[nkereina]

Folks from Buffalo-just an fyi if you have not booked your flights yet there are some amazing prices from Toronto.
@5lilfish you are looking at substantial savings because of the CND to USD exchange as well. I am looking to possibly book Toronto to Honolulu in May and my prices right now are 533 CND/per person round trip compared to over $1000 per person out of Buffalo. We fly a lot out of BUF to MCO as it is cheaper and we like how small the airport is. You are looking at connecting flights from Toronto tho

Good tips! What airline do you use for Toronto to Honolulu?

then to get from LA back to Buffalo.

Just a head's up that JetBlue flies nonstop between LAX and Buffalo! Prices are pretty reasonable.

 

[alohamom]

Good tips! What airline do you use for Toronto to Honolulu?



Just a head's up that JetBlue flies nonstop between LAX and Buffalo! Prices are pretty reasonable.

We have flown Air Canada, United and Delta from Toronto over the years. I do know people who have flown WestJet too and most people I know like WestJet.