All Things Travel Podcast

Planning the Ultimate Disneyland and Aulani Family Vacation: Expert Tips and Tricks

• Ryan Hedstrom & Julie Shaffer • Season 1 • Episode 230

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In this episode of All Things Travel, Julie shares her upcoming family trip plans combining Disneyland and Aulani, while Ryan offers expert advice on making the most of both destinations. Topics covered include:

  • Disneyland vs. Disney World: Key differences and must-do attractions
  • Navigating Disneyland and California Adventure with young children
  • Top dining recommendations and snacks at both parks
  • Tips for using Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Disneyland
  • Renting a car and getting around Oahu
  • Aulani resort activities and amenities for families
  • Recommended off-site excursions on Oahu with kids
  • Strategies for dealing with time zone changes
  • Insider tips for the Aulani luau
  • Making the most of Disney Vacation Club membership benefits
  • Packing essentials for a combination Disneyland and Hawaii trip

Whether you're a Disney parks veteran or planning your first visit to Aulani, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you create magical memories on your next family vacation. Tune in for expert insights on combining the best of Disneyland and Hawaii!

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Ryan:

Hello, and welcome to All Things Travel. Julie is getting ready for something truly magical, planning her upcoming trip to California and Hawaii. This trip will be full of new experiences from the classic charm of Disneyland to the tropical paradise of Hawaii. All with the little ones in tow. If you're wondering how to make the most of your Disney adventure while keeping the kids happy this episode is for you She'll be sharing tips on starting to plan and getting ready including packing Navigating the parks and creating unforgettable family memories because i've been there before i'm gonna throw my two cents in listen in with travel advisors and destination experts ryan and julie I'm your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And she's your Disney loving, Maryland mom of three, and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel. I love Aulani so much. In fact, not too much in the recent past, we had Chris Janney come on and talk about his family experience. We've had, our friends Rosanna and Dave come on and talk about Disneyland. So if people want more information than we're going to talk about tonight, just go back to our episodes and you'll find lots of information about. Both destinations, but tonight we're going to focus on your trip.

Julie:

I wish we were on video because Ryan is literally dressed for the occasion in a Hawaiian shirt.

Ryan:

So this is what I wear normally. I wear Hawaiian shirts. I went out to lunch today. This is what I'm going to wear. My girlfriend at one point when we first started going out, goes, do you wear Hawaiian shirts like all the time?

Julie:

That was on your dating

Ryan:

Must love the LOHA shirts.

Julie:

Love that. So I am really excited for this episode. We've been talking about doing something like this for a while. Now's the time we have to do it. I've been planning this trip to Disneyland and Hawaii for years and I bug Ryan with questions multiple times a week about this trip. So we, we, we were like, let's set aside to have a conversation about it and let's record it because these are really good things to think about if this is the trip that you're interested in planning. I talked to a lot of people who are interested in this type of trip.

Ryan:

Well, hey, if you have not listened to last week's episode, make sure to go back and listen because we had our good friend Mary Trotter from Viking Cruises talk to us about their fantastic product on the rivers, on the oceans, on the Great Lakes, and also We have a really fun thing coming up having to do with Viking, and she had some special promotions to share So, why did you and Steven choose a combination trip, Disneyland and Hawaii?

Julie:

this trip is to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

Ryan:

Oh, very fun.

Julie:

When we bought Disney Vacation Club, we found out during the process of purchasing our Disney Vacation Club at the Polynesian that you could also use your points at Alani it just seemed like such a far fetched thing that we'd never get to do. And then we were like, okay, let's put that off for our 10th anniversary. And here we are.

Ryan:

And you're like, oh, it's time to do it. And I do,

Julie:

that's how it feels.

Ryan:

I do want to remind folks that Chris and I, on our last episode about Aulani, talked about Disney Vacation Club, because we're both members we gave a brief overview. You can also use your DVC points at Disneyland as well. So it's kind of a double dip with your membership

Julie:

yes, but you absolutely do not need to be Disney Vacation Club members to go to Aulani. There are plenty of cash rates for paying guests. It's just something that is a little more attainable to us because we've been setting our points aside to use at Aulani. And that's kind of where we even first learned about Aulani was through Disney Vacation Club. We also added in that stop at Disneyland that had kind of been in the back of our minds for a while. I've never been to California except for a layover, so really excited to kind of do that as a way to extend the trip. And of course, that's a really great stop to have with

Ryan:

Yeah. And it's not for the Disney lover. That's not an uncommon Stop because they stop at Disneyland if they're coming from the East Coast or the Midwest they stop in Anaheim for a few days, experience Disneyland and also get more on that west coast, timing, I'll talk about that later in the show, but how much that, time change really affects your vacation

Julie:

Because I'm coming from Maryland. I've got that long flight to California and then that long flight to Hawaii.

Ryan:

Are you nervous about taking the kids on a long flight and a trip to two different destinations that are new to them?

Julie:

yes and no, because I've been planning this for so long. I've been prepping things here and there. I've been showing them lots of videos with resort tours of Ohlone to get them excited about what's there. I feel like if they know what to expect disneyland, they're very excited. I tell them a lot it's kind of like Walt Disney World but smaller and it's the original Walt Disney was there I'm not sure how much of that they grasp but we talk about it and I show them videos it is so funny. The other day, We were watching a walkthrough of Disneyland on YouTube they turn the corner and they're walking down the main street of Disneyland. And my daughter goes, Oh, look, there's the little small castle.

Ryan:

That was the exact reaction of my teenagers. And I feel bad, right? Because all the Disney fans right now are like, Arrgh! But it's so true. My kids started laughing. They're like, that's their castle. It is so different. And it's funny because I saw our friend Mickey from Southern California while I was out there not Mickey mouse. She goes to Disneyland all the time. And so she's almost like apologize. I know it's really small compared. I mean, it is super small. It, the scale of everything is so much smaller, but it feels more intimate in a way because of that.

Julie:

Yeah. And I don't think that's a negative or a positive. I don't think it's either way, really. It's just what it is. But I was just dying laughing because I didn't tell her that. She was just like, oh, look. Look at that.

Ryan:

What about the flights? You've got two pretty big flights, but they're spread out, which is

Julie:

Part of the reason that we're having a couple days in Disneyland before going to Hawaii is because of that long fight. I am absolutely not excited to be on a six hour flight with children.

Ryan:

It's long. There's no way to, it's kind of like when you go to Europe, right? You just do it, you know it's part of it, and you, experience the flight.

Julie:

I am always buying travel activities for them, whether it's Amazon or target having a sale, anything that they can easily do on a, on a plain reusable stickers, you know, coloring things, whatever. I'm not. One that they, you know, they don't really have tablets that they use all the time. They get their tablets during travel, but I try to do it the second half of the flight only. A lot of times they'll play games as opposed to watching shows so we'll see how that goes. This is the first trip that I bought a seat for my youngest, I've never bought a seat for someone under two before, but I bought a seat for her on all the flights. She will be about 18 months when we go. I do not want to hold her

Ryan:

Good call.

Julie:

She is an on the move kind of girl and it just would not work out for anybody. So hopefully she'll be a little bit more comfortable in her car seat. And we can figure out how that will go.

Ryan:

How far out did you start planning the trip as far as booking things, and what would you recommend to folks who are thinking of this type of trip?

Julie:

I mentioned earlier, the idea's been in my head since 2016 and then it really crept up on us. We probably started booking things, in early spring. So, I booked my Disneyland hotel early spring. I booked Alani seven months in advance, because that's when

Ryan:

Because that's with your DVC. Yeah, the seven month mark, but if you're just staying there, not DVC, you can book before that.

Julie:

and I would absolutely recommend booking if you can a year out or as soon as those dates are released and you know that you want to go. I have had clients plan pretty last minute, like three months in advance. And I would not recommend doing that.

Ryan:

So have you started packing

Julie:

Of things set aside.

Ryan:

Is there anything different about traveling this far into these destinations that have impacted how you are, packing specifically for this one?

Julie:

Yeah, so I'm trying to be really good about, oh, we're going to Hawaii, we need to wear matching Hawaiian outfits every day. I'm trying to be really good about not doing that because we're also doing Disneyland, and I don't want to pack for, double, right? I want to go to Disneyland and then arrive in Hawaii and do laundry

Ryan:

Well, and that's what I was going to add. I know you're going to talk about exactly what you booked here in a second, everything that I see about people going to Aulani, because I follow some groups and interact, and I've been multiple times, people say they take too much stuff. Even if you're not staying in a villa that has a washer and dryer, you have access to a washer and dryer with no problem.

Julie:

So that's part of my plan, mostly to minimize the luggage because it's just my husband and I and these three kids. We will have at least one stroller. We haven't decided if we're taking one or two. On our last trip to Disney World, we took two. We'll see because then we'll also have a car seat. When you think about Hawaii, you want a rental car. When you think about a rental car, I have to think about car seats. Fortunately, because of having that plane ticket for my youngest, we'll have a car seat for that. With the other two, I had to do a lot of research to choose a travel car seat for them. I just felt better about doing that rather than relying on renting one. Because. God forbid something happens and they don't have the car seat that I need or I'm not comfortable with it. I bought travel car seats for my older two that fold up and are compact

Ryan:

Very

Julie:

you're not using them. So that's definitely very different. And that was one of the biggest things like, Ooh, I gotta get this. It's definitely complicated with little kids to have to constantly think about how are they getting in the car?

Ryan:

Before we get into some advice and conversation about the specifics, give us the trip demographics. How long are you going to be in places? What types of places are you staying?

Julie:

Okay, so we leave the end of September and we fly from BWI to LAX on a direct flight and we are staying at the Disneyland Hotel. I know that you really love the Grand Californian, but I just wanted the original vibe of the Disneyland

Ryan:

I really liked Grand Californian. Other than Aulani, it was probably the most beautiful DVC room I've ever stayed in. But when I go back to Disneyland, I'm going to stay at the Disneyland Resort because I like that nostalgia

Julie:

yeah, that's, what I want. The location of Grand Californian is better, but I just want the vibe of Disneyland

Ryan:

totally get it.

Julie:

So we're there. I think we have like a downtown Disney view or something. Those rooms are so cute. And I can't wait. They have, fireworks on the carpet, fireworks on the headboard and some fiber optics. The kids are going to think that's so cool. We arrive one day and we are going to go to downtown Disney that night. The next three days we are going to be at the parks. And then we leave the following day

Ryan:

Okay, you have three full park days.

Julie:

Three full park days and we do have park hopper tickets. Our current plan is to do Disney land and then California adventure and then park hop. It's a little complicated with Oogie Boogie bash and some other Halloween stuff going on at the same time to be able to maximize our park time. But I think it'll work out. And then when we go to Hawaii, I believe we have eight full days there, not counting our arrival

Ryan:

Okay. And that sounds like a lot to folks, but keep in mind, you're traveling to Hawaii, and the time difference, even with being in California, the time difference, We'll sneak up on you and you really need to give yourself some time to acclimate and some time to enjoy being in such a special place. I really tell people if you're going to Hawaii, you have to have at least a week outside of any travel days

Julie:

And that's like, we have eight days, at the resort.

Ryan:

I think that both at Disneyland and at Alani, I think that sounds perfect.

Julie:

Right. And it feels like such a long trip. I think my daughter is missing 10 days of school or something or nine days of school. But I was like, I can't really shorten the trip. I don't want to compromise on

Ryan:

No, I wouldn't, especially if it's your first time going to either of those places. When I go back to Aulani again, it may not be for that long, but I've also been several times, so I'm not going to feel the same pressure, that you are,

Julie:

true. And when we're at Ohlone, we are at a one bedroom villa with the ocean view.

Ryan:

Perfect. That is perfect, for your family. And it's perfect for me going by myself to be honest. Before we get into the rest of my tips or our conversation about Julie's Drip. I wanna talk about where in the world is all things travel. And today, Julie, a brand new location for us is Hillsborough, Oregon. Hillsborough, Oregon. It's nicknamed the Hub City because it's known as the high-tech hub of Oregon. And Hillsborough is known for its quaint downtown area. that's been transformed into the city's arts and cultural hub with a selection of galleries, antique shops, a museum, live music venues, theater companies, all located on their quaint downtown. And you know I just love little locations like that. So I am super excited. I bet there is a cool brewery on that main street we are so excited that Oregon is listening to all things travel. Do me a favor, reach out to Julie or myself, either on Facebook or via email, because I would love to send a thank you gift all the way out to Oregon. And who knows, maybe I'll drive out there myself and check out the tech capital of Oregon.

Julie:

Ooh.

Ryan:

All right, Julie, let's have at it.

Julie:

Okay. So this is the really fun part. I get to just ask Ryan a bunch of questions about how to do this trip right. So let's start with Disneyland. Do you think that we have enough time planned in the parks at Disneyland? We have three full days, one full day dedicated to each park and one for park hopping.

Ryan:

Yes. I think that's perfect because you're going to have your downtown Disney time when you get there that first day. Downtown Disney is much smaller than Disney Springs. So you're going to feel like you've seen it and done it, even though it's very close to your resort. So you can always pop into other places. I think with the ages of your kids, Having a day dedicated to each park makes sense, but because you have that park hopper, don't be surprised, if you pop over someplace because the lightning lane makes sense, and you were able to get something else. That's kind of how I do with Universal too, right? With the two theme parks there, it's one day dedicated to this, one day dedicated to this, and then another day kind of the greatest hits. I think that's perfect. And the one thing you're going to appreciate about Disneyland is people tell you it's much smaller and you can get to places quicker and you're not going to believe them until you see it. It's going to blow your mind.

Julie:

That is what I'm so excited for, to not have to fold up my stroller.

Ryan:

No, no.

Julie:

I will say that when Michelle and I went to Asian education training, By Disney back in March, the rep for Disneyland, when he gave his talk to us, his biggest selling point was like, tell your clients, they don't have to fold up their stroller. And I was like, that is a really great selling point because it is not fun to do that.

Ryan:

Now, I will say, even though You don't have to use it from park to park. It is fun to ride the monorail. So if your kids enjoy riding the monorail at Walt Disney World, make sure you do that at Disneyland

Julie:

Oh, I'm sure they will. So I said that we were going to do Disneyland, then DCA, then Park Hop. Do you think that's a good order? Should I switch it

Ryan:

You want to see some of that classic stuff first thing. It's kind of like why people go to Magic Kingdom on the first day of their Walt Disney World trip. Disneyland is the same because you're seeing the classic stuff. You're getting excited about being at Disneyland then I feel like DCA has some cooler, newer stuff and that's icing on the cake. You do the Avengers, you do cars land, you see the classic Sorin you're already excited about seeing classic Disney. Now you're adding onto that.

Julie:

Okay. I just wanted to be sure.

Ryan:

it

Julie:

All right. So now insert yourself into this lovely family of five

Ryan:

No, thanks.

Julie:

With three little children. So they will be five, three, and one. How early do I need to leave the hotel to go to Disneyland?

Ryan:

I think

Julie:

what is the security like getting there?

Ryan:

security is similar but easier. I think there's just first and foremost is less people. So it's just much more manageable.

Julie:

Is it at the hotel or is it at the park?

Ryan:

It is at the hotel because you have to go through security to get into downtown Disney.

Julie:

Got it.

Ryan:

You want to be at the gate no later than a half an hour before the park opens and that's going to feel like you're standing around, but you also know if you want to be there on time you need to be in line ready to go.

Julie:

Right. And it's gonna be so weird to me, when I think about going through this day to day, showing up and, not really knowing where I'm going.

Ryan:

Yeah, so,

Julie:

of knowing where I'm

Ryan:

You're going to be going through security at the hotel and walking through downtown Disney. To the park. So you do have a little bit of a walk to get there. So factor that in, but you're going to get a sense of that that first day when you're at downtown Disney, because you're actually going to walk down to the gates. I mean, and like I've told you before, the gates from Disney land to California Adventure is literally like a two minute walk in between so you want to get there. You want to get in line. You're ready to go. We don't know if there's going to be changes to the Lightning Lane or Genie Plus yet for Disneyland. Are you going to be using that while you're there?

Julie:

I definitely am gonna try to use the lightning lane. But I feel like the changes at Disneyland are not the same as they are for Walt Disney World. It's kind of the same system.

Ryan:

I guess what I was saying was, I don't know if you're going to make those plans ahead of time or if you

Julie:

I don't think you can do it ahead of time. I think you still have to be

Ryan:

Basically what happens is as soon as you scan in, you make your first selection for Lightning Lane or Genie Plus or whatever is that because we're recording this about a month ahead of time, and Walt Disney World just have their changes. That's why that's why we're kind of unsure as to what's happening So just if you're using that system, which I think you should. Just know that that is, something you have to take care of after you scan in, but you are going to have some early hours because you're staying on property. And remember that your Lightning Lane or Genie Plus also includes your photos at Disneyland. So there's, some differences there.

Julie:

Like a half hour before the gate opens, do the gates open early? Kind of like at Disney World.

Ryan:

Now I remember being at Disneyland and they did have regular folks from outside the resort had moved through Main Street, but when they let us in early as resort guests, they just let us in at that time. I remember seeing this whole line of people and it was kind of funny. It was like the running of the bulls just standing there watching them, let them go. So no, they're not going to let you in early, but they will let you in early based on your resort stay. If that makes sense.

Julie:

So where should I go first at Disneyland?

Ryan:

Do your kids ride dinosaur?

Julie:

They've never been on it.

Ryan:

Okay, one of the rides I would suggest is Indiana Jones, but that may be too rough and tumble for your kiddos.

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

So if you think that's too much. I would focus on, and I'm talking about your Genie Plus, and I'll talk about where to go first here in a second. I would focus on Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway.

Julie:

different than ours,

Ryan:

it is a little different. Now, when I talk about going to Disneyland, I'm thinking of doing the things that are different from Walt Disney World.

Julie:

Yes.

Ryan:

I have kind of a biased view here. Like, I'm not going to Star Wars. I'm not doing the same rides. So, if your family has Favorites.

Julie:

I don't think those things will be a priority, but we still might do So if you want to do them, it's kind of the same thing. You're going to focus on smugglers run. You're going to focus on rise of the resistance. Knowing your family. I think jungle cruise is a priority. I think it's a small world. It's a priority because that is very different. I think riding the train, the classic train is a priority. We went right to Fantasyland, and there is boom, boom, boom, boom, right there. All those little rides featuring IPs like Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio. There's all these little kid focused rides that are right there. I would focus on spending that extra time you have as a resort guest doing some of those things right away because you're going to be loving Disney, with those first couple of rides then make sure with your lightning lane or genie plus that you snag some of those bigger rides for later. Okay. Oh, that's so much. Alrighty. So that was kind of like, those are like the top three to five must

Ryan:

yeah, so once you go past Fantasyland and again, I'm thinking of little kids, you're going to go back to the small world and then right after it's a small world is Toontown where Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is,

Julie:

that's what we are

Ryan:

yes, it's insane in a good or bad way, depending on your perspective, but for your kids that's a must I would go Fantasyland, it's a small world, Toontown. Boom,

Julie:

Stephen and I both remember going to Toontown independently, from each other as kids. And then, of course that's not in the Magic Kingdom anymore. So I am very excited to go see that

Ryan:

And it is super cool because it's all of the new Mickey and Minnie shorts.

Julie:

Hmm.

Ryan:

Style of animation and they have at the quick service there. You can get picnic baskets So you can sit out on the lawn and have a picnic yeah, so it's really cool.

Julie:

I can't wait. I wish that that is something that they would bring back to Magic Kingdom. I really love Toontown. So, oh, this is a quick one. Can we use rider swaps still, like we do at Disney

Ryan:

absolutely

Julie:

so we would probably ride Indiana Jones, because I know Stephen is gonna want to ride that, and I want to ride it too.

Ryan:

No, and it is we rode dinosaur when my kids were there a few weeks ago the whole time i'm sitting there. I'm like, this is dumb. It's totally dark. I want indiana jones

Julie:

it's coming!

Ryan:

Absolutely.

Julie:

Alright, this is right up your alley. Did you have any favorite snacks or meals at Disneyland that I need to know

Ryan:

Yeah. So I'm gonna,

Julie:

of things,

Ryan:

I'm focused on snacks a little bit more than meals. Jolly Holiday, which is right off of Main Street, is a great bakery for both sandwiches and pastries and things like that. Bangle barbecue is really good. They have meat skewers and different things like that. Gibson girl is a really good ice cream shop on main street. The corn dog on main street. I went there and I'm like, okay, is it worth the hype? And it was a gosh, darn good corn dog. And then lastly, for me, a must do snack Tropical Hideaway for Dole Whip. They have different flavored Dole Whips. They also have Lumpias, and I think they had egg rolls. It's a different environment than Aloha Isle

Julie:

at Disneyland, did you see Fantasmic?

Ryan:

No, I don't think it was running when we were there. So we did not see it.

Julie:

Post COVID, not running.

Ryan:

Yeah. I'm not even sure if it was that. I think our dates didn't work for some reason, but we did

Julie:

Yeah, sometimes it's like only on the weekends I was going to ask if it was a must because everyone says it's so good and so different

Ryan:

I would definitely, if I was going back to Disneyland, make it a priority since I didn't see it the first time. I felt like I missed it.

Julie:

okay. We actually booked a dining package for it because With the kids and with it being our first time and not really knowing the lay of the land I don't want to spend time getting a spot

Ryan:

Yeah.

Julie:

So we booked a dining package with Riverbell Terrace

Ryan:

Okay, good.

Julie:

Which had a couple different options. We did a dinner, because you could do lunch, you could do dinner, you could do premium seating, and it sounds similar to the packages at Disney World where you would get a ticket to come back, except there, you don't get a seat. Unless you have premium. Premium, you have a seat at the restaurant to see the show. With the standard package, you are sitting on the floor,

Ryan:

Got it.

Julie:

like on the ground, which is fine. I'm just happy to have space reserved that I don't have to think

Ryan:

Yes, absolutely.

Julie:

All right. So we are going to go through all the same stuff for California Adventure. Same idea as far as entering, what time do I need to leave? Is security easy? All that kind of stuff for California adventure.

Ryan:

It is a hundred percent the same thing.

Julie:

And where do I go first at California Adventure?

Ryan:

So I think

Julie:

there's so much.

Ryan:

I think for your kids, going back to Cars Land first makes sense there's not only Radiator Springs Racers, which is the big ride, but there's also some smaller rides back there as well.

Julie:

One of them does not open at early entry. I can't remember which one but I have to look into that.

Ryan:

I think a good place to go first is Web Slingers, because that is a fun ride That I think all of your kids would enjoy.

Julie:

My kids love Spider Man.

Ryan:

So that would be good. Or you can do another thing and you can go all the way back to Pixar pier and see all that you're not going to ride the Incredicoaster, but you can certainly do Toy Story mania What are your must dos? I think Sorin, the original Sorin over California is a must do. Yeah, I think Avengers Campus. There are tons of character meets and also kind of like little shows that happen periodically throughout the day. I think that's a lot of fun.

Julie:

I can't wait. The kids are gonna be so excited. Little Luca is, Spider Man like every other day at

Ryan:

Here's one thing you want to pay attention to there's a Spider Man show at the edge of, Avengers Campus by Web Slingers, if you've seen the video of the animatronic Spider Man flying through the air, you want to make sure to schedule that, but I think he should be able to also meet Spider Man, and then obviously Web Slingers is going to be fun, and also have any Spider Man paraphernalia you need to get. And then for you and Steven, if you like Tower of Terror, you are going to love the Guardians of the Galaxy version of that.

Julie:

Honestly, I think that my Otis will be tall enough for that. I would not take her on Tower of Terror because she'd be scared of The idea of it, but she might do okay

Ryan:

But this is different.

Julie:

Wow. There's so much there.

Ryan:

Okay, so snacks you asked about. I would say that Cozy Cone Cafe in Cars Land has some really interesting snacks. They have bread cones and then they put different things in them. It's really neat in the Avengers campus area. They have some shawarma. Stands. And so they have some interesting flavors of that. There is some new stuff in the San Francisco area, that they've redone to San Fransokyo after Big Hero 6. The place that we enjoyed the most was, PIMS test kitchen in Avengers Campus. We went there for breakfast. We went there for snacks. We went there for lunch. Everything was awesome. It was so fun. you get the food of different sizes and they're made really interesting and everything was good. So I would totally do that.

Julie:

That sounds awesome.

Ryan:

just like Walt Disney World, most of the stuff you can mobile order, so you can take care of that at your convenience, I think it's great.

Julie:

Did you do any table service meals

Ryan:

We went to Lamplight Lounge, which is at the edge of Pixar Pier, I love that, that was great. We went to The Trattoria, the wine country kind

Julie:

Yeah,

Ryan:

that was good, but not at the level of some of the other Disney restaurants that I've been to.

Julie:

And probably not great for my kids.

Ryan:

It would be fine for your kids if they like pasta and things like that. You being kind of an Italian food snob, you're not gonna wanna go there.

Julie:

Okay. I thought lamplight looked so cool

Ryan:

It is a lot of fun. The menu is really good. The lobster nachos are great. Definitely go there. It's a really good place.

Julie:

Awesome. I plan on doing lightning lanes there.

Ryan:

I think some of those heavy hitters that I talked about would be where I would focus my time. There's a kind of a rapids ride over by Sorin if your kids like doing that stuff, that would be a good one one ride that I wrote down is Mike and Sully to the rescue. There is a really neat, Monsters, Inc. ride

Julie:

Oh my gosh. The timing that we are recording this episode is the same weekend

Ryan:

yeah, yeah.

Julie:

So literally last night they announced the Monsters, Inc. land

Ryan:

So excited.

Julie:

Luca was on a Monsters, Inc. kick for months last year. So this morning I told them that Disney, Told us all these new rides they're building. And I sat him down and brought up, a YouTube video of that announcement and the shriek that came out of my three year old. So he is going to be so

Ryan:

Yeah. It's a pretty good ride. I was really impressed

Julie:

all right. He'll be excited.

Ryan:

Our first park night. We did a dessert party with world of color. We had seating for that. I loved it. World of color was great.

Julie:

Did you feel like you had a good view with the dessert party? Okay, okay. That's my plan, is to reserve a dessert party. Again, so I don't have to spend my day being like, Where are we gonna sit? How early? Because I just don't know. But, it hasn't been available yet. So I've been within my 60 day window for like two weeks now. And, the dessert party is only till early September.

Ryan:

those are really my heavy hitters. When I think about both of those parks, there's going to be a lot of things that your kids will gravitate towards

Julie:

I really need to sit down and go through the attraction list and narrow it down

Ryan:

And that's weird, right? Because you're such a Disney person and you're like, wow, I really have to plan this out.

Julie:

When I write Touring itineraries for clients, every week for their Disney trips. And I'm just like, and when you go to the magic kingdom, you're going to go here first. And when you're done, you're going to go here. I know like the back of my hand. And so this, I'm like, wait, where do I go? What do I do? I don't know. Because like you said, I want to focus on those things that are not at Disney world. Okay. So now Alani, which is

Ryan:

Okay. So, now we're getting on a plane and we're going to Honolulu. All right. Let's ask about

Julie:

So we're gonna rent a car like I mentioned earlier. Tell me what to do.

Ryan:

Because you are DVC. And have parking included. I would rent the car at the airport

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

They have this really nice car rental service, car rental center right across the street. So I would get it there. Anytime you're around rush hour in Honolulu, it is bumper to bumper and you just deal with it.

Julie:

Hour in Honolulu?

Ryan:

Anytime from 6am to 10am and probably, 4 p. m. to 6 p. m.

Julie:

I think we land around one.

Ryan:

So you'll be able to get your car. The only thing I would say is make sure that, and I think they have solved this with the new car rental center. Not all of the car rental places are at the actual airport. You have to take a shuttle to them. So make sure you get one that is actually at the airport. Also, if you want to stop along the way, you're passing target, you're passing Costco, you're passing supermarkets, so if you need to stop and get supplies, you can do that on your way, we've done it both ways. Sometimes I stop on the way. Other times, because I know that first morning I'm going to wake up super early. I head to the stores that first full morning.

Julie:

Could you do delivery to the resort

Ryan:

You can do Instacart you can certainly do that.

Julie:

that might be my plan. When I think about it, I know me and I know that. Getting off the plane, driving down. I'm going to want to just get to the resort with the

Ryan:

I think that's totally appropriate. I was just giving you some different ways to look at it.

Julie:

And I do always tell clients you can stop at these stores on the way, but now I'm thinking about the logistics of that with the three kids.

Ryan:

and so,

Julie:

God forbid that poor parent left behind with the three of them at a new resort while the other goes to the store.

Ryan:

So you're going to drive out of Honolulu. You're going to take a breath because the traffic was really bad and then you're going to drive on the highway for a while. All of a sudden in the distance you see Alani you're going to turn into Koalina take a breath because the gate opens up and there's probably going to be a pretty girl waving at you at the guardhouse you're going to drive in and it's this beautiful stretch you're going to pull into Alani and go holy smokes

Julie:

And then what do I do first?

Ryan:

You're gonna go in, they've got some nice ice water out in the lobby, there's gonna be some greeters there welcoming you in the Disney fashion, You're going to walk in and take a big smell of the most beautiful smelling Disney lobby and then you're going to walk straight out and there's this huge porch where you can sit down and overlook all of the water features and the ocean

Julie:

yeah.

Ryan:

And you're going to say, Stephen, go check us in.

Julie:

So any favorite snacks, meals, things that you would recommend

Ryan:

At the resort, favorite meals, Ulu Cafe is their quick service and they have a lot of different options. They have anything from a dinner of the day, like an actual hot dish. To pizzas to grab and go sandwiches, things like that. So that's really good. They have a really good poke bowl,

Julie:

Ooh, yum.

Ryan:

I really like the LA room, which is their lounge. They have really good appetizers. if you want a nicer meal, that's the signature restaurant there. You can actually. order and take away since you guys have a kitchen. That's good to know. And then at Ulu Cafe, you have Dole Whip. You won't see it. It's in the back. So you have to ask for it. It is different, but it's still good. By the pool, there is a shaved ice shack and you can actually get Mickey head shaped, shaved ice. This is how you're going to order it. You're going to get the Mickey ears, and the condensed milk poured on top of the shaved ice.

Julie:

is that kind of like in Maryland, we have snowballs and we would get marshmallow on it.

Ryan:

Yeah, absolutely.

Julie:

Are you salivating right now, Ryan? If we want to eat off site, what do you recommend? I've heard from some other Disney people grab something here, bring it back, sit on the beach and eat. I want a relaxed and casual vibe. It is fairly miserable having a beach day with children or pool day with children and then having to shower and dress everyone to go out to eat.

Ryan:

The one place walkable, that I would do that for is Monkey Pod for happy hour. And that's at a, kind of shopping center. Probably a five minute walk from Ilani, between five and ten minutes, very short. Their happy hour's really good. They have really good specials on pizza and different appetizers. They have the best Mai Tai's you'll ever have in your life. So that I would say is if you're gonna eat off property one night, do that. And go early. Like, four o'clock or something like that.

Julie:

I think because the time change at four o'clock, we'll be ready for

Ryan:

Absolutely. And then what I would say is the ABC store, which is in that same shopping center, is a convenience store, souvenir shop, deli, kind of all rolled into one. And so you can get anything from poke bowls to sandwiches to breakfast foods. They have musubis there, which is one of my favorite things to get in Hawaii. It's rice and spam wrapped in seaweed. And that's a snack that's all over the island.

Julie:

we have that at a restaurant

Ryan:

okay, good. Yeah. so all that is within walking distance. And then there's some other restaurants there. Eggs and things would be another one to grab breakfast for dinner or something. But since you have the kitchen, spend time at the resort make breakfast or, have grab and go lunch from snacks

Julie:

Yeah. I mean, we were thinking, cost wise and ease, like, just grab some stuff for spaghetti or, easy dinners that we can make in the room,

Ryan:

yeah, usually,

Julie:

that feel of a vacation.

Ryan:

What we would normally do is have the same setup. A one bedroom or two bedroom, depending on how much family is going. We would usually do breakfast and either lunch or dinner in the room. So we'd have one meal a day that we would go get something. That, that's not always a sit down restaurant, but, yeah. And then another thing I would recommend is there's a wedding chapel right next to Aulani. At least right after COVID, that was converted into a grab and go place, where you could get food. So, maybe check that out.

Julie:

Is it like technically onsite or

Ryan:

I think it's technically on, but I don't think it's part of Ani It's kind of weird, I know they were doing stuff like that, so they may do that. But I think be, I think the a BC store is gonna be your, your best bet.'cause you can get, like I said, you can get anything from snacks to hot foods there.

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

Here's a tip. Bring a sharpie with you or a couple sharpies, and then go to the ABC store, one of your first days, to get a surfboard cutting board or whatever shape you want. Have characters sign them, as you see them around the resort. That's going to be a great, cheap souvenir of your trip.

Julie:

I love that idea. So thinking about the activities we're doing on our Hawaiian trip. This is such a big thing when I've been planning a lot of Hawaii trips for clients lately. What are we going to do? What's your itinerary? Considering having the kids with us, we are not doing anything crazy. So what we currently have planned is like activities is the Ohlone luau. Wymea Valley for the botanical garden and the waterfalls because I've heard that it is a paved path that I can

Ryan:

Absolutely.

Julie:

and then the Kualoa Ranch Hollywood Movies Tour because that's an all ages experience. So do you think that we would be satisfied doing just those things?

Ryan:

So one of the cautions that I would give people about Alani is I know you want to see other parts of Hawaii and I totally get that. But you are going to love this resort so much. Your kids are going to love this resort so much that I would not plan for your first trip. I wouldn't plan more than that. I think that is perfect because it gets you up to the North shore when you go to Waimea Valley. One of the things that you're going to see all along the way is beaches that you could stop at. You're going to see people, Surfing, maybe you're going to stop at Haleva Town, which is a

Julie:

Oh, yeah.

Ryan:

up there that's got lots of little shops, so I think that's perfect. When you go over to Kalua Ranch, you're going to drive through H3, which is voted one of the most beautiful drives in the United States. You're going to go to the eastern part of the island, it's going to look completely different, and so I think that's going to give you a taste of Oahu.

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

While still focusing on Alani when you go back, there's other stuff to see.

Julie:

right. And the kids are just too small to do any of those we're not going to hike Diamond Head and we're not going to go snorkeling or go on a boat ride.

Ryan:

Yeah. That can come on a future trip.

Julie:

Yeah, and also when we go up to the North Shore for the waterfalls, we are planning on stopping at the Dole Plantation to get the Dole

Ryan:

It, it's very touristy, but I think it's a good stop. One of the questions you had asked was how the distance to places, each of those places are about an hour. without stopping. Now, if you hit rush hour in Honolulu, that trip to the ranch becomes much longer. Once you're through Honolulu, it's very easy to drive. And then the same going up to the North Shore, you're going to be stopping along the way. So that'll extend that trip a

Julie:

Okay. I think that's okay because we have the whole day set aside for those

Ryan:

Yeah. You can do both of those things and still have time at the resort, even on those days.

Julie:

Yeah, the movie tour isn't super long, but that was something Steven really wanted to go to

Ryan:

Absolutely. It's really

Julie:

sites. And it was kind of like, well, the kids can't do the ATP or they can't do this or they can't do that. But okay, so we'll compromise. Maybe the bus tour is not the thing that we would love to do, but we'll still get to see. The site's just, a little bit different. And that's kind of how this whole trip has been is like, how can we do some iconic things in Hawaii with still keeping the kids comfortable

Ryan:

I think those two excursions are perfect. I think you'll get a sense of, Hey, we need something to do, for a little bit to get off the resort. But my guess is you're not gonna feel that.

Julie:

And then just like general things about Alani, what else do I need to know about being at Alani? What activities, what's a resort day at Alani going to

Ryan:

Sure. Well, first and foremost, you're gonna get up early. because of the time change, there is a beautiful walking path. So the Four Seasons is right by Iolani, kind of at the end of the resort row. And there is an awesome walking, jogging path that takes you all the way down to the marina. Put the kids in the stroller and go for a walk get your coffee you're gonna be passing beautiful beaches. You're gonna be passing the Marriott. You're gonna be passing really nice other resorts Just get out there and enjoy that time

Julie:

awesome

Ryan:

Have some breakfast, and then it's pool time, right? It's time to go down, get in the pools, get in the play areas for your kids, the splash areas. There's Auntie's Beach House, so, your kids are going to want to check that out and do those activities maybe.

Julie:

I think Eliana can, but I think the minimum age is four. I think Luca might be able to do some stuff if he's accompanied by an adult, but my booking window for aunties hasn't opened yet, so I'm not 100 percent on that.

Ryan:

a couple other things that I would recommend is there's a number on the phone in your hotel that you can call and it will tell you where the characters are and when for that day. So maybe you spend some time doing that, getting pictures, getting autographs, getting both. DVC is certainly going to have different activities in their community hall. Sometimes there are paid activities, sometimes there's free activities, sometimes there's special character meetings at DVC.

Julie:

Will I know about that before I go, or is it that day I find out?

Ryan:

That day you'll find out. I would say you do want to look at some of that stuff that is out already and book for the resort. But there are gonna be some special stuff for just DVC. That you can kind of see as you're there. They'll have a schedule out

Julie:

I didn't know that.

Ryan:

Yeah, then obviously there's gonna be a nap involved at some time for all of you up in the hotel room and another thing is Every night at sunset, they have photographers from the resort out at the beach that will take pictures for you. you can purchase pictures from the Luau, they have a photopast purchase.

Julie:

Did you do the spa?

Ryan:

I have done the spa in the past. I love the Alani spa They have a really good Kind of that pre post area, with the with the saunas and the showers Highly recommend if that's something you want to do also Rainbow Reef I don't know with your age as kids if they can do that, but if they can't do the actual snorkeling, there are windows where you can look in and see people snorkel and also see the fish.

Julie:

Although love

Ryan:

Yeah, Alani has the best lazy river in the world, so don't worry about not having things to do.

Julie:

Luca is all about a good lazy

Ryan:

It is the best lazy river ever. In fact, they actually sped it up because it was too lazy. Before COVID, when my dad was there, he timed it and it took 20 minutes to go around the lazy river. I love it. It's the best. I haven't even talked about the beach, right? That's just the pool area. But then you have the beach. What I will say is, Probably for you and your experience with beaches. It's smaller and the water is much more gentle, which is good for little kiddos. So there's all that stuff that you can do. What I like about your plan is you've got time to experience that. You're not saying, okay, this is our resort day. So we got to jam it all in. because

Julie:

I am such a type A planner and I know that traveling with these three little kids, things are unpredictable, I did call in reserve cabanas for multiple days at the pool,

Ryan:

hashtag Alani baller move. To have, to have, Cabanas all those days,

Julie:

what happened is on the Facebook group, people are always like, the cabanas were sold out. So when I called, I expected them to be like, it's only available this one day. And when I called the woman was like, yeah, what day do you want it? I was like, what's available. And she was like, all of the days I was like, Oh, well, yeah. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance. You are reserving your spot at the pool. It's covered, there's a fan, there's a tv, there's snacks, there's drinks, like there's a you waiter service. Like a lot of stuff included. And for me, the biggest thing is knowing that my kids will have like a home base to go to. I don't have to worry about my stuff.

Ryan:

I am happy to say that the adult pool that used to be the adults only pool is now that again. Which won't affect you on this trip, but I love the fact that it is. And there's a two story adults only hot tub, which is the best place to watch the sunset.

Julie:

So we are going to the luau. We did not get preferred seating because it was sold out. We are doing general, but how really do I get there? What do I need to know?

Ryan:

I've got two hacks about the luau. The first is, you want to book your Luau early as possible in your trip. Because if it rains out, you can do it a later night.

Julie:

Yes. And that's what I did.

Ryan:

Don't save it. for your last night is a special thing because if it's a rain out that night you're kind of you're kind of missed

Julie:

out of luck.

Ryan:

So here's my tip for getting to the luau if you don't have VIP or preferred seating. They have you line up outside the luau and then the people that are have the preferred seating kind of get in earlier to kind of mill around. So you want to be one of the first families in that line because they will seat you As you come there's not a bad seat in the house, so don't worry about that. But I would say you want to be there an hour before it opens. Now, that doesn't mean everybody has to be. I've done this before. I'm the only one standing there. And it's like, why am I standing here? But my family's the first one in. So, get dressed for the luau, grab a drink, go down there and stand Your family does need to be there when it's time to open. I would say they need to be there about 15 minutes before it opens because they'll come in and take your name and say, is everybody here I've done that several times and that's a really good hack for getting the best seat possible.

Julie:

I think I could have done it later in the week I remember you saying about doing it

Ryan:

I don't think preferred is really that big a deal. The first time I went to the blue out VIP we were by the stage and drinks were included where now drinks are included for everybody So there was some different advantage there, but it's not

Julie:

Yeah. And I don't even know if being directly in front of the stage would be a positive thing for my children. You know what I mean? So they might be like a little concerned or nervous. I was like, I don't know if it's worth the extra price for this.

Ryan:

I don't think so. I think as long as you're on it, you'll be happy with your seats

Julie:

Okay. All right. Two more questions and then we'll wrap it up. So I've heard things about this Ohlone lounge at the airport. Can you

Ryan:

It's not the Alani lounge. It's the Coalina lounge. So it's for all of the resorts and condos kind of in that community. It is something I've never done it. So I'm not exactly sure what you have to do to reserve it, but basically it's a lounge in the. Airport you can have calmer seating. I think they have some snacks and drinks. Not food, but just a quiet place to hang out.

Julie:

Our flight home is at 7 in the morning.

Ryan:

You won't use it.

Julie:

We won't need it.

Ryan:

No, it won't be open at that time.

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

If you have a nighttime flight, I would utilize that Aulani also has a little club area for folks that want to use the day and then they can shower and change because they've technically checked out of their

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

I would definitely use that Colina Lounge in the airport.

Julie:

And then last question. When I asked Steven, what do you want me to ask Ryan about this trip? He said, tell him to tell me what he wishes he knew about Disneyland or Alani before he went.

Ryan:

So, Disneyland, I would say, I knew this going in, but it really hit me when I was there. It feels very similar to Walt Disney World, and I felt very comfortable there. But there was enough different stuff that it felt like a different vacation.

Julie:

Okay, okay.

Ryan:

I know where Tomorrowland is. I know where Frontierland is. But there's enough different things that I was still excited about it, didn't feel like just going back to Walt Disney World. And the size of everything, the ease of being able to get from one place to the other. And then for Alani, the time zone,

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

Dealing with that.

Julie:

Alright, so anything that you would suggest to help with the time change then?

Ryan:

I think that first day, try to stay up as late as possible. You don't want to go to bed at four in the afternoon, even though you're exhausted,

Julie:

This is what's gonna happen. The kids are absolutely gonna fall asleep at four in the afternoon and then be up at like 3:00 AM

Ryan:

Yeah. Think just trying to get on the time zone the best that you can,

Julie:

Okay.

Ryan:

Is the biggest tip. This is an exciting trip. We are so looking forward to Following along as you're doing it and hear your takeaways afterwards.

Julie:

Because although we've talked about Alani a lot on the podcast before, or you have with Chris and with Shane, it hasn't been with the perspective of little kids,

Ryan:

Absolutely You want to plan a trip to an amazing destination, but don't know how to get started as your travel advisor we work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away So you can focus on the fun and creating memories. You can reach me at Ryan at creating magic vacations. com.

Julie:

And you can reach me at julie at creatingmagicvacations. com

Ryan:

We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel. When we talk about what you might forget to pack for your next vacation and don't worry, we'll let you know what you need to remember. how I said that I'm gonna throw my two, as if people didn't know that I was, Gonna keep my mouth shut. Cause I have opinions, and I especially have opinions about Disneyland and Iwani.

Julie:

think that at the end of your tagline of he's your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation

Ryan:

I'm gonna throw my two cents in. And you're gonna listen to me,

Julie:

Oh man,

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Julie Shaffer

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Ryan Hedstrom

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