This is the story of our anniversary trip to Aulani and Walt Disney World, starting with our Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal and six days at Aulani and ending up in Orlando for Disney’s Fairy Tales Weddings’ Bridal Showcase plus a dessert-less anniversary dessert party in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion! Also on the itinerary were major sightseeing all over Oahu and our first peek at New Fantasyland, plus dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant and Monsieur Paul. And three different Disney cakes!
Here’s a link to my Vow Renewal Planning Journal if you’re interested in the details of planning a similar event.
Day 1: Arrival (And a Bunch of Planning Tips!)
Day 2, Part 1: Pearl Harbor Historic Sites
Day 2, Part 2: Doris Duke’s Shangri La
Day 2, Part 3: Touring ‘Iolani Palace & Eating Our Way Through Honolulu
Day 3, Part 1: Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay
Day 3, Part 2: Kualoa Ranch Movie Tour
Day 3, Part 3: Touring the North Shore
Aulani Photo Shoot with the Roots
Vow Renewal Brunch at ‘AMA ‘AMA
Day 5, Part 1: Breakfast at Makahiki + Tour of a Model DVC Room
Day 5, Part 2: Photo Tour of Waikolohe Valley & Rainbow Reef
Day 5, Part 3: More Swimming, Exploring & Dining at Aulani
Day 6: Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center & Farewell to Aulani
Hawaii Through the Roots’ Lenses!
The Roots’ View of Starlit Hui!
Day 7: Walt Disney World or Bust!
Day 8, Part 1: New-and-Nothing-To-Do Fantasyland + Les Halles Bakery Review
Day 8, Part 2: Killing Time Till Dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant
Day 9, Part 1: Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings’ Bridal Showcase
Kristin Saling
April 26, 2014Congratulations on your anniversary, and what an awesome place for a vow renewal! My husband and I are planning on staying there for our next anniversary.
Carrie
April 26, 2014Thanks, Kristin! You guys are going to have a blast!
Rita
May 26, 2013Carrie, because of you, we had several amazing celebrations for my husband’s 50th at WDW…We’ll be at Aulani in August with our 2 children (11 and 8) celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary–planning to read your entire Aulani entry, but would also appreciate any recommendations for making the trip extra special…you rock and, because of your blog, we’ve gotten to experience a whole different level of Disney than we ever would have otherwise! Thanks–and Happy Anniversary; you’ll hit the big 25 before you know it!!!
Carrie
May 29, 2013Congrats on your own anniversary—that is an impressive milestone! I’m so glad you’ve found this blog helpful. I think my recommendations would be to book a couples spa treatment or, for something less expensive, just pay for day passes to the spa’s relaxation water garden. Hitting one of the Jacuzzis in the pool area after dark would also be romantic—and free!If you have a room with a view, I’ll bet having private dining on your balcony during the sunset would be amazing. Have fun!
Dee
May 18, 2013Hi Carrie! Update for 30th anniversary event for Feb 2014:
We decided to go with Pat at GF to book Chefs Domain followed by Grand Yacht 1 for cake, champagne and fireworks. Turns out the 2 couples we invited are planning to attend!!! So we will be 9 people including our adult children.
We also booked David and Vicki Arndt Photography for a 2 hour family (and friends) photo shoot. Vicki suggests we do the full two hours before dinner to take advantage of daylight as sun sets early in February. She actually looked up the sunset time for our date! I explained that I want some photos at boardwalk since we are staying there, and its our home resort and we love it. So, she suggested we do some there and then head over to GF and get some shots at the marina and beach. I secured our date by paying the required half in a down payment.
I was working with Jamie at catered events until we decided to go with Chefs Domain and she referred me to Pat at GF. She cc’d Pat on an email to me requesting that Pat send me some info on Chefs Domain. That was three weeks ago and I haven’t heard a word from Pat. I’m wondering if this delay in response is common due to the fact that our date is so far away? I shot Pat an email about 10 days ago to briefly explain our plans, again no return contact. Should I worry? Can she pencil our date in this far out? It’s actually Presidents’ Day 2014. Should I try to contact her again or just be patient?
Thanks for your advice.
Diane.
Carrie
May 20, 2013Hi Diane! Great to hear that your plans are all coming together. Private Dining can’t really start working with you on your event til it’s closer, so I wouldn’t worry about the lack of contact at this stage. When it’s time to start planning, they’ll be easier to get in touch with.
Valerie
February 21, 2013This is going to be great info since I am heading to Aulani in October to celebrate my parent’s 50th anniversary :}
Carrie
February 21, 2013Oooh! What a great way to celebrate!