When it comes to Disney experiences — this was one for the books!
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
As you’re planning vacations for family and friends in 2025 we highly recommend any Disney families or Disney adults consider a two-stop trip like the one our Sr. Content Director Janeé Bolden took to Disneyland and Aulani Resort.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
The journey began at Disneyland where we stayed at the new Villas at Disneyland Hotel. While our group of four comfortably shared a deluxe studio — the same kind of accommodations the majority of visitors to The Villas experience — we discovered some truly luxurious offerings during a tour of the property — including a more plush Fantasia-themed two-bedroom villa and the three-bedroom Grand Villa, which sleeps up to 12 guests and an infant! It’s a double-level show stopper with a HUGE terrace where fireworks are definitely viewable! It was definitely giving luxury AirBNB for the ultimate Disney fan vibes.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
Character themed decor is around every corner of the property, drawing on storied Disney projects like Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Frog, Bambi, Frozen and Moana — but the real fun was interacting with characters like Goofy, Pluto and Chip & Dale at a character themed breakfast, like the one we enjoyed at right near the hotel, at Goofy’s Kitchen, on the second day of our trip.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
This breakfast was the epitome of a fantasy feast — with nearly any offering you can imagine available — whether vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, keto, or meat lovers– the options were optioning. And of course, there was everything sweet and savory to appeal to more finicky young palates.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
After some sustenance and photo ops, we headed off to the park, which was just a short walk from the restaurant. We spent most of our park time at Disneyland, where we enjoyed some classic favorite rides including Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. While we enjoyed just walking around California Adventure Park — enjoying the incredible old West style of the park — Pixar Pier was for sure a crowd favorite (thanks to the Incredicoaster and the Ferris Wheel)!
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
Did you know that Disney Vacation Club members have access to their own private lounge? Lucky us! We were able to take a break from the crowds and tour the Star View Station — a great place to enjoy a cool beverage, refill our water bottles, and charge our phones before heading to the next attraction.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
We spent most of the day at Disneyland but closed out the evening by taking in the World of Color ONE show at California Adventure Park. If you’re a fan of fireworks and light shows you don’t want to miss this! Similar to the projections over at Cinderella’s castle, except over WATER with choreographed lights and music — we were able to take in some of our favorite storytelling moments from Walt Disney films including The Lion King, Moana, Ratatouille, and more. If you decide to visit the parks, make sure to reserve a special viewing area for your party so you can see without having to worry about finding a spot hours in advance.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
Food is such an important part of any vacation and there were three standout meals from this trip that we wanted to be sure to highlight. The first was an unforgettable dinner at Napa Rose where we celebrated our friend Chelsea’s birthday. The restaurant is located inside Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and the food and service were both phenomenal. Our waitress Wendy was truly unforgettable — she swore us to secrecy but she did rap for us. If you end up at her table definitely make a request she does the same for you.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
Another memorable and incredible meal was our lunch at Blue Bayou at Disneyland. Make a reservation if you can. The Imagineers did some of their best work here making it feel like a real Louisiana swamp. The food was a real treat for our friends, even Monique and Terri who are New Orleans natives!
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
After three beautiful days and nights at Disneyland three of us (unfortunately Chelsea couldn’t make the second leg of the trip) boarded a flight to Honolulu to spend the remainder of the girls’ trip in paradise at the Aulani Resort & Spa. This beautiful resort was truly a wonder to behold. We arrived and settled into our Disney Vacation Club one-bedroom villa before touring the resort.
One of the best features of the hotel are the many murals and carvings you find built into the design and architecture. We really enjoyed this area, which celebrates the Hawaiian language and culture.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
One of our favorite things about the one-bedroom villa we stayed at in Aulani was the double balconies where we were able to look at the Lazy River on one side and the beach and ocean on the other.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
One of our favorite activities at Aulani was the Make Your Own Mickey Ears workshop! We had to take a group photo with everyone wearing their new Hawaiian-themed ears.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
If you’re into excursions, Aulani offers paddle boards at Makiki Joe’s Beach and you can also rent gear for snorkeling to enjoy swimming with the fish at Rainbow Reef. We also spent some time on the beach and hit the adults-only pool — since we were kid-free for the trip! Besides relaxing poolside and floating down the Lazy River aka Waikolohe Stream — another major highlight of Aulani is the Laniwai Spa. As soon as you check in you’re able to pick a rock with a special word, you learn the meaning, and can set your intention before heading in for your treatment.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
One of the highlights of our trip was definitely our sunset dinner at ‘AMA’AMA. The food was incredible but the views of the beach made the night unforgettable. As incredible as that dinner was — the trip wasn’t complete until we experienced the KA WA’A Lū’au on Kipuka Lawn.
Check out a few more key memories and moments from the trip!
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
We saved the best for last with the Luau.
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
It’s always great coming back to DVC swag in the room after a day of outdoor activities!
Source: Courtesy / Janeé Bolden
This was a fun sight to see every day at Aulani.
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