Hawaii with 2 kids

[Anonymous]

We're thinking of going to kauai in april with 2 kids who will be 8 months and almost 3 years. Is the plane ride and time change manageable? Also, should I stay in a hotel or a condo? I've been to hawaii before but it was before kids so I'm not sure how much trouble it is or if I should stick with a vacation closer to home.

[Anonymous]

It's a long trip. You may have to stop in LA which would help. Its a good 6 hours from LAX; from here, add on another 5 hours. Honestly, you might want to consider the Caribbean as boring as that seems from here on the Mid-Atlantic until the kids are a bit older. The 8 month old isn't the concern so much as the 3 year old. We were offered a free place to stay in Maui and actually turned it down after realizing how much it would take to get there. Sorry to be a downer and good luck should you go for it anyway!

[Anonymous]

WE did it - with a stop in San Diego. It was doable - they both slept alot - and we had DVDs.

[Anonymous]

I flew from DC to Kauai in one day. I can still remember the date - October 1, 1996 - because it was the longest day of my life! Definitely stop somewhere on the way for a day.

[Anonymous]

OP- Thanks for this! I was just getting on DCUM to request feedback about bringing young children to Hawaii. I'm pregnant with a brother getting married in Honolulu next year and was wondering if it was manageable to take a 4 month old and a 2 yr old for that long of a trip.

[Anonymous]

It's a long flight, like 11 hours total plus a layover as PP said. And remember that they will be 6 hours behind EST in April.

[Anonymous]

It's a long trip, but I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm going to Hawaii next summer with my two kids (we will stop in L.A. for the night). I flew to Eurpoe with the two of them by myself last summer, and I managed. Just bring a lot of activities for the kids (movies, books, coloring books, games, etc.), and they should be fine. Also, bring a lot of food -- that's always key. Finally, I always try to plan it so that they will be nice and tired for the plane (i.e., don't let them take a long nap before getting on board). Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I love Hawaii, but agree with a couple of the PP. Yes, the trip is doable, but the question is how miserable are your kids (and thus YOU) going to be when you get there and there is a 6 hour time difference? If you're going for 2 weeks, I think it makes more sense. 1 week and by the time they get adjusted to the time diff it's going to be time to come home. There are some amazing resorts in the Caribbean that you can fly to in less than 3 hours and NO time change.

Either way, I'm incredibly jealous!

[Anonymous]

I have only been to Hawaii once (Big Island) and I loved it, but I do remember thinking how far it was and the time change was hard - I think I woke up at 3 am Hawaii time for a couple of days. I agree with the PPs that there are many nice places in the Caribbean that would be closer and you wouldn't have to deal with the time change. For people who live on the West Coast Hawaii makes sense, but for us here I am not so sure especially when traveling with kids.