$440 for 7 hours at Aulani? Does that seem a little much?

[woody73]

If this were my first visit to Honolulu, I'd go to Pearl Harbor . . .

Pearl Harbor, and if there's time, climb Diamond Head.

Woody

 

[NancyIL]

Pearl Harbor, and if there's time, climb Diamond Head.

Woody

Hi, Woody! I am crossing my fingers for a DCL Vancouver to Honolulu one-way cruise in September 2013 on the Wonder. We would spend several days in Honolulu after the cruise ends, but I wouldn't spend it at Aulani!

 

[sabrecmc]

I don't think that's particularly bad for 4 people, especially assuming transportation is included. If it were just me, then no. But, I wouldn't do a cabana for just me either. I'd love to go to Aulani...I'm just not at all interested in Pearl Harbor, though I certainly understand why others would be. A day playing at Aulani sounds far more fun (to me!). Whether it is "worth it" is up to you...I mean, that royal ball thing they did for the Baltic cruise was what, $400 per person or something? But, I'd totally have done that!

 

[GCORTEZA]

7hrs is plenty for oahu 1st time visitors... in waikiki, ala moana mall/beach, street shopping , aloha towers restaurants, can take cab to pearl harbor museum exhibit+boat ride, 1.5mile hike diamond head, dole plantation/north shore area. hanauma bay snokeling $10/honolulu zoo $10. most beaches have rinse off stations/bathrooms free....... enjoy without spending mucho $$$.. abc stores literally everywhere . very tourist friendly ride bus/trolley/cab/ car rental if u wanna go farther or around the island....

 

[woody73]

Hi, Woody! I am crossing my fingers for a DCL Vancouver to Honolulu one-way cruise in September 2013 on the Wonder.

That would be nice. Stops at Maui, Kauai and the Big Island before arriving at Honolulu would be icing on the cake.

Woody

 

[OurDogCisco]

Honestly, I'm not surprised with the price of the excursion. I would say it is pretty typical of most Disney's excursions. In general, Hawaii is pretty expensive so, anything will cost a lot except if you explore on your own. I know you didn't ask for advice on what to do but I would do some of the other options over Aulani. First, Aulani is in a very nice residental area on a golf course. It is actually out of the area. The beach in front of Aulani is man made into 3 lagoons. While the lagoons and beach are beautiful I wouldn't call it PRIME snorkel area. You'll see a few fish but not enough to make it exciting. If your plan is to hang on a quiet a beach all day this would definitely be the place. If you want to experience more of what Oahu has to offer I would do Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, any of the beaches on the East side of the island are spectacular, diamond head hike has amazing views, etc... Here are pictures of the Ko'Olina resort area. We stayed there 2 twice at the Marriott resort. http://travel.webshots.com/album/556022258QSTJYH One of my favorite beaches on Oahu looks like this:

Good luck... deciding..

 

[ashleyt]

Honestly, I'm not surprised with the price of the excursion. I would say it is pretty typical of most Disney's excursions. In general, Hawaii is pretty expensive so, anything will cost a lot except if you explore on your own. I know you didn't ask for advice on what to do but I would do some of the other options over Aulani. First, Aulani is in a very nice residental area on a golf course. It is actually out of the area. The beach in front of Aulani is man made into 3 lagoons. While the lagoons and beach are beautiful I wouldn't call it PRIME snorkel area. You'll see a few fish but not enough to make it exciting. If your plan is to hang on a quiet a beach all day this would definitely be the place. If you want to experience more of what Oahu has to offer I would do Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, any of the beaches on the East side of the island are spectacular, diamond head hike has amazing views, etc...

...and all of those are a lot closer than transporting yourself all the way out to the Kapolei area where Aulani is.

Also, Aulani is across the street from a golf course rather than on a golf course. Aulani is a highrise hotel on the ocean front.

 

[NancyIL]

That would be nice. Stops at Maui, Kauai and the Big Island before arriving at Honolulu would be icing on the cake.

Woody

According to Hawaiian port calendars for 2013 (http://hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/passenger-cruise-schedules), the Wonder will be in:

Kauai: Sept. 15 and 22: http://hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/file-links/passenger-cruise-schedules/kauaicruise2013.pdf

Hilo: Sept. 16 and 23: http://hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/file-links/passenger-cruise-schedules/hilocruise2013.pdf

Maui: Sept. 17-18 and 20-21: http://hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/file-links/passenger-cruise-schedules/kahuluicruise2013.pdf

Honolulu: Sept. 19: http://hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/file-links/passenger-cruise-schedules/oahucruise2013.pdf

That goes along with my theory that there will be TWO one-way Hawaii cruises when the Alaska cruises end:

September 9 - Depart from Vancouver
September 10 - sea
September 11 - sea
September 12 - sea
September 13 - sea
September 14 - sea
September 15 - Kauai
September 16 - Hilo
September 17 - Maui (overnight)
September 18 - Maui
September 19 - Honolulu - cruise ends

September 19 - Depart from Honolulu
September 20 - Maui (overnight)
September 21 - Maui
September 22 - Kauai
September 23 - Hilo
September 24-29 - sea days back to Vancouver OR to Ensenada, Mexico

 

[CanadaKim]

For some reason I had thought the Disney Hawaiian Cruise included a day at Aulani which for me was a highlight. I'd love to experience the resort and this was to be our chance. However, I know seeing Pearl Harbor is important to my dh so I guess we won't get the chance to see Aulani.

I'm not sure it's that expensive given the prices of the excursions. It depends on what you're looking to get out of it. If this is important to you then do it and cross it off the list. Good luck. I'd better get planning our excursions.

 

[Cambsuk]

We loved Aulani. If you are a Disney fan and want to experience the resort. I say go for it. You can also just take a cab there and walk the resort ( you need a wristband to use the lazy river slides and pools).

Maybe spend the money at the spa?


The rooms are nice but I doubt you would be spending much time there.

 

[TDC Nala]

For some reason I had thought the Disney Hawaiian Cruise included a day at Aulani which for me was a highlight. I'd love to experience the resort and this was to be our chance. However, I know seeing Pearl Harbor is important to my dh so I guess we won't get the chance to see Aulani.

DVC is sponsoring a trip for passengers on the April Hawaii cruise to "check out" Aulani. It's free and includes transportation. It's not like the excursion though. It'll be a short tour with no access to the resort's amenities. Maybe this is what you heard about. Guests who wanted to go had to sign up for a time through DVC, I didn't sign up so I don't know exactly how it worked. Might have been only for DVC members too.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

You can do your own Aulani excursion at a much lower cost.

If you rent a car, you can drive to the Ko Olina Resort where Aulani is located. Once there, you can go to the beach at any of Ko Olina's lagoons (including Lagoon 1 where Aulani is located), walk around Aulani (perhaps having a drink and some food there), and take the beach walk to the other resorts of Ko Olina.

You need to enter Aulani from the front (at the porte cochere), not from the beach walk. The beach walk gate requires a key card to get in, but you can exit there to go from Aulani to the beach walk.

There are several free parking lots at Ko Olina, but only a limited number of total spaces. If you get there early, it should not be a problem. If the free parking is entirely full, you can pay for "beach parking" at a resort. It's $35 at the JW Marriott Ihilani next door to Aulani. I don't know the fee at Aulani itself. It's probably similar. Ask at the Ko Olina Resort guard gate.

The downside is that you would not have access to Aulani's pools, lazy river, and water slide. And you'd have to rinse off at an outdoor shower and change in a beachfront rest room instead of having a hotel room for that purpose.

I'd be interested in seeing exactly what's included in the DCL excursion to Aulani. If it includes transportation for the ship (which I'm sure it does) with a guide on the motor coach, a day room, and full access to the pools and water play at Aulani for a family of four, it might be worth it. It there a extras included, such as access to the snorkeling pool at Aulani, snacks, beverages, and perhaps a tour of the art at Aulani, it would be even better.

 

[tomoyo]

$440 is a good price if you can't rent DVC points. It sounds like you will have access to all the amenities available to regular guests. The room itself for that date runs over $700 for one night with 4 people.

You'll probably want to check into renting a car to save a little money, I'm sure private transportation may be a little spendy and it's not hard to get there. They validate parking with $35 worth of dining receipts (from dining locations, not the grab and go food at Kalepa). Previously, they only validated up to 4 hours, so that would probably be something you want to ask about.

If you just want to just check out the resort and can go without using the facilities, the previous paragraph applies still. You can pretty much tour the resort on your own in 1-2 hours. If you want to see the rooms, you can sit through a DVC sales pitch. They won't do room tours by itself.

You need to enter Aulani from the front (at the porte cochere), not from the beach walk. The beach walk gate requires a key card to get in, but you can exit there to go from Aulani to the beach walk.

This information isn't current. They have removed the gate. And even if it was still there, there are people constantly going in and out. You can easily walk through the gate.

I'd be interested in seeing exactly what's included in the DCL excursion to Aulani. If it includes transportation for the ship (which I'm sure it does) with a guide on the motor coach, a day room, and full access to the pools and water play at Aulani for a family of four, it might be worth it. It there a extras included, such as access to the snorkeling pool at Aulani, snacks, beverages, and perhaps a tour of the art at Aulani, it would be even better.

Aulani excursion

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

$440 is a good price if you can't rent DVC points. It sounds like you will have access to all the amenities available to regular guests. The room itself for that date runs over $700 for one night with 4 people.

The big advantage is that's it's a day room.

The problem with renting DVC points is that the room may not be ready until 4 p.m. (or whatever the check-in time is at Aulani).

This information isn't current. They have removed the gate. And even if it was still there, there are people constantly going in and out. You can easily walk through the gate.

That's good to know. The JW Marriott Ihilani and Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club don't have gates either.

The way it was originally set up, it was easy for Aulani guest to spend their dining and drinking money at other resorts, but awkward for guests at those resorts to spend their money at Aulani.

Aulani excursion

"Travel approximatelly 45 minutes towards the Ko Olina resort area. Note: transportation is not included and Guests can request private transportation or arrange it independently."

YIKES!

The whole idea of a ship's shore excursion is that excursions begin and end on the ship and that passengers are guaranteed they'll make to back to the ship.

 

[woody73]

. . . That goes along with my theory that there will be TWO one-way Hawaii cruises when the Alaska cruises end:

You've done your homework! That looks like a strong theory.

Woody

 

[scrapbookmomma74]

Ever looked at the price of Atlantis in the Bahamas? It's around $600 for a family of 4, and NO ROOM!!! Not that I'm saying to pay for the Aulani experience, I'm simply saying it isn't out of line with many of the DCL excursions. Personally, I'm starting to get to the point where I'm not booking any excursions, so many of them are out of line with their pricing.

 

[BurghFan111]

Ok we are looking through our options for excursions on our Hawaiian cruise, one is the Aulani Resort for $440, this gives you a room and access to their pools, and other activities, no food or other fees included, for the day not overnight. I was thinking about doing this but DH no way LOL that is to much $$$,
what do you think? oh yeah I am sure tax is not included so probably $100 more, then tips.....

Yes, that is wayyy too much

 

[CanadaKim]

DVC is sponsoring a trip for passengers on the April Hawaii cruise to "check out" Aulani. It's free and includes transportation. It's not like the excursion though. It'll be a short tour with no access to the resort's amenities. Maybe this is what you heard about. Guests who wanted to go had to sign up for a time through DVC, I didn't sign up so I don't know exactly how it worked. Might have been only for DVC members too.

Thanks for the info. That may have been why I thought it was included. I would still love to tour it so may see if this is being offered for October.

 

[missycj96]

If that was the only way i could experience aulani i would do it. I think to start renting a car, driving and renting points its a lot of effort for an excursion and not all that much savings when all is said and done. If you want to try the pools id do the excursion. If you would be satisfies to just go to the beach and look around maybe do the car. Shore excursions are expensive and this price does not seem out of line.

 

[Disneyhenry]

I do not know where the ship tenders in Hawaii but I believe the Sheraton in Waikiki does day passes and it has a fabulous kids pool and is right on the beach. You can likely get a room for half of Aulani.

Do you know what one?