Packing Pointers

WOW!! What fantastic suggestions so far!!
Has anyone used those oversized plastic bags (where you compress the contents) for more space in your bag? I’m wondering if they are helpful.

We have tried the Ziplock ones and I wasn't a fan. Things got very wrinkled and I didn't fit all that much more in even the largest bags. Granted, I could have fit more in the actual suitcase because of them, but then I was running into the luggage weight issue.

We also prefer packing cubes. As PP mentions, it keeps things more organized and is also an added layer of protection in case TSA searches your bag or if its raining while the bags are being loaded at the airport, etc. When we arrive at our destination, we just take the cubes out and throw them in the dresser so no need to unpack everything. When we return home, we can keep the dirty clothes separated into one or more of the cubes.

One thing to remember about packing - if you're in a DVC villa, you can do laundry! So you don't need to pack clothes for every day - and that allows you to fit some of the other things you need (snorkel gear, etc).

This is true. If you're in a studio staying on points, they will give you tokens at the front desk for the laundry room. I will caution though that the laundry rooms are small and when we were there, a few of the machines were out of order so we had to wait. It was a bit of an inconvenience, so we only did laundry once.
 
I disagree. If you're venturing into any of the 'tropical' areas of the islands then some sort of insect repellent (could be wipes vs. spray) is a good idea.
True. We stay near the coast when doing day trips from Aulani (North Shore, Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail hike, various beaches), we have not done a "jungle" type hike like Manoa Falls, so for our purposes we did not need bug spray.
 
Great tips! Very useful!
Why no fins? (we're diving, so we're bringing the fins anyway, but I wonder if it isn't allowed when snorkeling?)
Is there a freezer in the room to cool the ice pack enough?
-The DVC 1-bedroom and up villas have a full kitchen with real freezer, but I am not sure if the small fridge in the DVC studio would have a good enough "freezer" area to cool the ice packs. I know that the hotel rooms do not have a fridge at all.
-We don't bring fins because for our family with small children, we are not doing any difficult snorkelling, just very protected reefs without current/big waves (and we love paying for length of stay access at Rainbow Reef at Aulani, where fins are not allowed anyway), so we have found that we don't need them and they are just so much weight and space in our luggage that it is not worth bringing them. Maybe when the kids are older and we venture out to more difficult snorkelling areas.
-I agree about bringing some rice as someone suggested, but if you are going to grocery shop in Kapolei anyway, they have small bags of rice for like $1.50 or so, so we just bought it this time since we knew we were going to Target for peanut butter and a few other things.
 
Great tips! Very useful!
Why no fins? (we're diving, so we're bringing the fins anyway, but I wonder if it isn't allowed when snorkeling?)
Is there a freezer in the room to cool the ice pack enough?
Can I ask where you dive on Oahu? One of our kids is too little still for Aunty's Beach House but in a few years we will be able to leave them all and myself and my husband can go diving! Any recommendations for where to dive on our next trip? (We have regular PADI open water certification, don't have our own gear). Thanks!
 


In addition to many things already listed, I bring mesh laundry bags (lingerie bags) for machine washing swimsuits--don't want straps tangled in an agitator!

We took two mesh beach chairs like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00S...each+chair&dpPl=1&dpID=31jbqleyWoL&ref=plSrch

Folded flat to fit in our big suitcase and only weigh 4 lb each. They have a carrying strap and a little cooler bag attached, so you can keep a few drinks or use it as a sand-free spot to stash phones, etc at the beach. We found these awesome for day tripping to beaches for DH to relax while we snorkeled and for the rest of us to rest in between.

We also took some very lightweight swimmer-type towels because we always end up with sand in regular ones.
 
We took two mesh beach chairs like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00S...each+chair&dpPl=1&dpID=31jbqleyWoL&ref=plSrch

Folded flat to fit in our big suitcase and only weigh 4 lb each. They have a carrying strap and a little cooler bag attached, so you can keep a few drinks or use it as a sand-free spot to stash phones, etc at the beach. We found these awesome for day tripping to beaches for DH to relax while we snorkeled and for the rest of us to rest in between.

Did both of these fit in one large suitcase?
Did you have room for clothes too? We are trying to only take one large suitcase?

Thanks!
 


Did both of these fit in one large suitcase?
Did you have room for clothes too? We are trying to only take one large suitcase?

Thanks!
Yep!!! We put those, all our snorkel gear, water shoes, towels, cooler bags--basically all our "gear" in one big roller bag. We had another big bag of clothes.
 
If you are someone into hiking then a good pair of hiking boots is a must. I do a lot of ziplining, ATV ,and boating so heavy duty jean shorts, water shoes are my must haves.
 
I know this is from a month ago but this is a great resource for those that have never been. There should be a pinned post with 'what to bring/what to leave'.
 
I thought I would need more shorts and t-shirts, but in reality in the daytime I lived in swimsuits (bring rash guards) and at night I wore dresses. Id’ve liked more dresses and swim clothes and less other summer clothes. And bring flip flops!

I also should say having a waterproof camera was a lot of fun: I got one for around $50 and the pictures were pretty good.
 
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In addition to what others have posted, we bring:
-basket coffee filters (buy coffee there, better than in room pouches)
-snorkels (no fins)
-Children’s Tylenol
-baby floating ring for lazy river
-sun tent, waterproof beach blanket for baby
-spices & condiments for cooking that you don’t want to buy regular size, baggies, aluminum foil, ziplock plastic food containers, plastic IKEA clasps for chips
-snacks
-buy the Aulani refillable mugs for bringing homemade cocktails/drinks to pool
-reuseable shopping bags
-plastic bags (only paper or reusable in stores, but we need a few for wet things on our last day and dirty diapers)
-beach bag
-don't need bug spray
-small collapsable cooler bag and ice pack to bring beer/snacks to pool or day trip sandwiches
-water bottles
-headphones, chargers, computer, iPad
-small bag of rice (villa has rice cooker) & soy packets or small container of soy sauce
-hand sanitizer
-flashlight for when baby is asleep
-scissors (none in villas)
-umbrella
-stroller and ergo baby carrier
-consider bringing Apple TV with remote, plug in and HDMI cable (for Netflix)
-don't bring highchair (Aulani has wooden highchair and stool)
-don't bring water wings/life jacket (Aulani has free life jackets to borrow) or sand toys (Aulani has free boogie boards, umbrellas, and sand toys)
-the villa knives are fine for us.


I see you listed an AppleTV. Does the HDMI port work? They are usually disabled in Disney resorts (actually in most hotels everywhere). We are going to Aulani next week. This will be our 3rd time, but we’ve never brought a streaming device and we kinda wanted to this time.
 
I see you listed an AppleTV. Does the HDMI port work? They are usually disabled in Disney resorts (actually in most hotels everywhere). We are going to Aulani next week. This will be our 3rd time, but we’ve never brought a streaming device and we kinda wanted to this time.
It worked for us a year and a half ago
 

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