1st time visit, 7yo w/ special needs

[NanMar]

I will be taking my son(7) who has special needs, wheelchair bound and with a trach (breathing tube) and my 5yo DD. She has been talking nonstop about going to Hawaii for over a year. She has had 2 Minnie Lua birthday parties canceled due to medical reasons (4th & 5th birthday) so to make up, I am taking them to Aulani for Halloween. I just started planning and given the medical issues, planning is a HUGE deal, so I have a few questions.

1) Does Aulani do anything for Halloween? Costumes, trick or treating?

2) Are there any wheelchair friendly beaches? He is completely wheelchair dependent, he is very small for his age, (he still fits in size 2t clothes)

3) My DD has separation anxiety from being left behind every time her brother is in the hospital so she wont stay at Aunty's beach house, but are there any other activities that are offered similar to the rainbow reef that doesn't require her to be left alone?

4) Any wheelchair friendly activities?

Thanks for any information

 

[Gorechick]

You may want to call or email the resort directly through the Contact Us link on the Aulani website. They will be able to tell you what activities and services are available. I do not recall seeing a walkway onto the beach for wheelchair access. For comfort and ease, you may want to rent a cabana near the Menehune bridge area. That's the children's water play area where your DD can play. Perhaps DS can go in an inexpensive stroller and get wheeled around the water area too, lots of waterfalls and misting sprays to cool off in. There are also a few different scavenger hunts around the resort grounds that should be wheelchair friendly and of course character meets. Best of luck planning your special trip.

 

[lizard1]

3) There are many family friendly activities at Aulani. Check the Daily Iwa for details (can be found on Aulani's site). The activities change daily and they may not repeat on the same days, but if you check now you can get an idea of what they have that might interest you. I know we did the drawing class where we drew the character and then we also got to paint a character cell. We also took the ukulele class. These were both held in the Community Room, so definitely wheelchair accessible. The only thing with these other programs is that you have to get there before they open to stand in line to register for the classes. Although most of them are free (they do have some paid activities also), there is a limit and they do fill up quickly. I know they have others, but some we did not fit into the age limits for and others we didn't have time to do! Also, even though your daughter may not want to be left alone, I would still consider registering her for some of the free activities at Aunty's. You can go tour Aunty's and you never know, she might change her mind when she sees what there is to do there. If not, no biggie, but if she decides she might like to stay, then you are prepared. For activities with wheelchair accessibility you could always call Aulani and ask to talk to someone working in the Community Room. They would be able to answer any of the questions you might have regarding those other activities and I'm pretty sure you actually speak with someone there on property (versus WDW where the agents are not there).

2) I did not see any wheelchair friendly beaches, but I wasn't looking for them either as my sister mainly stuck to the pool while we were there. I have read reports in the past about them having sand wheelchairs to borrow at Aulani, but I did not notice whether or not they still had them when I was there, plus I'm not sure if an adult sized sand wheelchair would fit the needs of your son. I know the beach in front of Aulani isn't as large as many other beaches so not too far to walk to the water, but the sand is also very soft so it would be very difficult to get a wheelchair across. I'm not sure if your son needs to stay in the wheelchair, but there are usually beach chairs available if you could carry him out to lay on one of those and leave the wheelchair parked at the path behind the beach (we had to leave my sister's wheelchair there to walk up the couple of steps to the lanai we rented, and no one bothered it all day).

 

[Soccerluvinmama]

Yes, you should contact Aulani directly to discuss you situation. One thing you should ask about are sand wheelchairs. When we were there in February there was a gentleman in a wheelchair that had these large wheels that seemed to have no problem maneuvering over the sand. I started chatting with his family and they mentioned that the chair belonged to Aulani and how happy they were to find out that they had a few of these to use. I don't know anything more about it other than that. Also, there is in fact a ramp that goes from the pool area down to the beach, so you should have no problem getting down there. If you click here (https://resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort/map/) and zoom in you can see it if you look between Little Opihi's and Makiki Jees. Also, there is a beautiful paved walking trail that runs from Aulani down to the Marina. It's a beautiful walk that takes you past many wonderful plants and flowers and past the other coves. Might be a fun walk for you and the kids!

I hope you and your family have an amazing vacation!!!

 

[Elima2015]

Another recommendation to call Aulani directly. We called with a few questions and the person with whom we spoke was very kind and helpful. There is a ramp from the resort to the beach and while I am not familiar with the sand wheelchairs (I'd ask about those - that is great!), it is not a large beach IF you are able to carry him over to a chair to sit.

There were tons of activities where your daughter would not need to be separated from you. The evening activities were great (Starlight Hui, outdoor movies, story telling), things to do in the community room like lei making, ukulele lessons, drawing, can rent movies, play games, there is the scavenger hunt, too. Aunty's Beach House has an open house in the morning (like 8:00-9:30) where parents have to accompany their children. That way she gets to see/play at Aunty's AND have you right there with her. All of those areas were wheelchair accessible, so your son is able to participate as well.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation. Happy planning!!

 

[alohamom]

I am here now and leaving this afternoon so I stopped by Bell Services as I went to get my coffee just now. The young man had to ask but he said they do offer large tire wheel chairs down at the recreation area (makahiki Joes) at the beach however he suggested calling and reserving one for the length of your stay. He wasnt sure about the cost, if any. We had to use a regular chair the other day for my daughter who suddenly fainted and there was no charge, just a form to fill out.

 

[Soccerluvinmama]

I am here now and leaving this afternoon so I stopped by Bell Services as I went to get my coffee just now. The young man had to ask but he said they do offer large tire wheel chairs down at the recreation area (makahiki Joes) at the beach however he suggested calling and reserving one for the length of your stay. He wasnt sure about the cost, if any. We had to use a regular chair the other day for my daughter who suddenly fainted and there was no charge, just a form to fill out.

Yikes! I hope your girl is ok now!

 

[alohamom]

Yikes! I hope your girl is ok now!

Aww-thanks for your concern-she is fine and is prone to fainting. We had bee outside all day and she was totally exhausted. The Aulani staff were VERY quick to get us a chair for her so I applaud them for that.