Is Disney Aulani Worth It?
Want a Disney Trip With No Lines, Schedules, or Sore Feet? It Exists, and It's a Tired Parent's Dream
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Yes, planning a trip to Hawaii is no small expense. Aulani's standard hotel rooms start at $400 per night, and although the stay comes with countless free amenities, depending on flights, it can be costly and take triple the time to get there than any other Disney excursion. It was a 10-hour flight for us, and I can't tell you how many hours I spent nervously anticipating all the ways that journey could go wrong (and, in more than a few ways, it did). But, once we touched down, we had no regrets. It was as if we were experiencing two magnificently different holidays at the exact same time – my husband and I off enjoying remote, tropical paradise while our kids were busy doing up Disney.
Plus, flights aside, our family of four would have spent far more for the same time away at Disney World, where the average standard hotel room ranges from $250 to $500 but individual daily park entrance tickets are an average of $100 per person.
And bottom line: you'll return to reality refreshed. Unlike a visit to Disney World, your back won't be aching and your feet won't be sore. Sure, it's still a family holiday in that my husband and I spatted more than a few times about typical parenting stuff (namely, "you didn't put sunscreen on her already?!") and I had to clean vomit out of my hair at least once, but my goodness, did it feel great to not need to emotionally and physically recover from a Disney holiday.
Travel and expenses for the author were provided by Disney for the purpose of writing this story.