I'm in the DC area now and I love Hawaii but when I want a tropical beach vacation, I will be vacationing in the Caribbean instead until my kids are much older due to that flight. More power to ya, though!

Anonymous wrote:Years ago, we took our kids to Hawaii, exactly when they were your kids' age right now. We went because my brother had a destination wedding. Two words: Never Again. The time difference was especially hard for all of us coming from EST.

Of course they don't remember a thing now that we talk about it. They are now 5 and 7 and we will take them again eventually, but not for a while.

+1, except a family reunion not a wedding, and I also had a 5 year old on the plane. We broke it up by staying overnight in Phoenix. I think a direct would have killed us. There was a very nasty woman in front of us very upset that my baby cried for even like 20 minutes at takeoff and kept telling me to shut her up. Lovely. Even with the layover in PHX, the first three days were totally shot because of the problems with the time difference. I still have some PTSD from wandering around in the middle of the night with one or two children, trying to let the baby sleep in the hotel room. There's not that much you can do in the middle of the night, once you've already had coconut pancakes at the all night diner.
I LOVE Hawaii, but I wouldn't do it unless there's some particular reason. Go to Costa Rica instead -- it's only 5 hours from here. Or the Caribbean, as others have said. Or Cabo, if you want the cooler temperatures. If you do go to Hawaii, get two separate rooms. That way, if one child can sleep, you can let the child sleep in one, while the other child watches videos in the other.

I traveled with kids overseas that age only because we were moving. I have blocked the flight memory out of my mind. Why why would you want to do that?

Sounds horrid.

I use to live in Hawaii, love it and get back anytime I can. But I wouldn't (and didn't) do that trip with kids that age. It just isn't worth it. You won't be able to explore most of what makes Hawaii distinct from beaches much closer to here. And the travel will be difficult, even under the best of circumstances.

Years ago, we took our kids to Hawaii, exactly when they were your kids' age right now. We went because my brother had a destination wedding. Two words: Never Again. The time difference was especially hard for all of us coming from EST.

Of course they don't remember a thing now that we talk about it. They are now 5 and 7 and we will take them again eventually, but not for a while.

I wouldn't take that trip even if it were free. I'd rather stay home.

I just went to Hawaii with my freshly turned 2 year old. She actually did great and absolutely loved it there! Had a separate plane seat which was crucial. I brought blankets to block out light on the plane so she could nap. We did a layover and the amoutn of time we were in LAX laying over was the worst part.

That being said, I thought the 11-15mo age was really difficult in terms of travel with my DD. She wasn't really walking yet and also wasn't interested in TV. So that would be my only concern for you. Your 3 year old will do great.

I flew to Hawaii with a 1 yr old (12 months). You must get a seat for them if you value your sanity. I only did it b/c DH was assigned to a base there and we were moving. No way would I make that trip "for fun".

Anonymous wrote:Why?

That sounds like an exhausting amount of travel for little benefit. You can go to beaches or someplace tropical a lot closer to home. We did Hawaii last summer with our kids who are in middle school. I wouldn't do it any sooner than late elementary school. At that age, they are good travelers who can entertain themselves, deal with the occasional boredom, roll with the time difference, and actually enjoy unique aspects of Hawaii like Volcanoes, snorkeling, the hiking, etc.

Just go to the Caribbean if you want a tropical vacation with toddlers.

All of this!

We did Hawaii (Kauai) for our honeymoon and would love to go back, but I would not do that kind of trip with a 3 and 1 yr old. The fun of Hawaii is the beaches, snorkeling, hiking and in general adventure activities that your kids are too young for. I am all for trips that are more for the parents than the kids and we have traveled quite a bit with our kids (west coast, national parks, Asia (visiting family)) but I would still say save Hawaii until kids are older.


If you do go you will definitely want a car.

Why?

That sounds like an exhausting amount of travel for little benefit. You can go to beaches or someplace tropical a lot closer to home. We did Hawaii last summer with our kids who are in middle school. I wouldn't do it any sooner than late elementary school. At that age, they are good travelers who can entertain themselves, deal with the occasional boredom, roll with the time difference, and actually enjoy unique aspects of Hawaii like Volcanoes, snorkeling, the hiking, etc.

Just go to the Caribbean if you want a tropical vacation with toddlers.

Yes, if you do go, seat for the 1 year old, with a car seat! And yes - Hawaii is great- been twice and would love to go back (once my kids are a bit older!). But 10 hour flights with 2(!) little ones is probably not worth it. You will be utterly exhausted. Wait until they are 5 and 7; they'll be much better travelers.

yes get w separate seat. You don't want the 13 month old on your lap for 10 hrs. That's brutal. In q separate seat with a car seat she may nap in there since the plane is one big white noise machine. My 13montj old had done 2 and 4 hr flights and the 4 hr ones were with a car seat and so much nicer to have my hands free and her sleeping next to me and not on top of me.

We're thinking of going to Hawaii (Oahu?) at the end of August. Our older son will be almost 3, and the younger one will be 13 months old at that time. A few questions:

1. Are we crazy? Are the kids too young at this point to go to Hawaii? We're thinking of staying at the Sheraton Waikiki.

2. Direct or layover? The direct flight is around 10.5 hours. This will be the first time both have been on a plane. We are OK with using electronics during the flight. Should we do a 1.5-2 hr layover in SF to split up the strip?

3. Separate seat for baby? Since the 13 mo will qualify to sit in my lap, I was thinking of saving money and not getting him his own seat. WDYT? Is it worth it to have a separate seat for him?

4. Oahu or Maui? This is our first time going to Hawaii. I am attracted to going to Oahu to enjoy both the resort and beaches but also the Hawaiian food. Will Oahu be OK with the young kids?

5. Car or mass transit? Should we rent a car with car seats for the kids, or will we be able to use the bus system to get everywhere?

TIA!