Aulani - Tips for a 1st Timer?

[deedisneydream97]

Yes, I was happy that the adults only rule was strictly enforced our last trip, especially for the hot tub. It was quite gross the first time we were there with little kids (obviously not potty trained) being dipped in and out by their parents and other older kids that treated the hot tub like their personal pool, complete with jumping in and splashing and being very loud.

My other thought about renting a car. If I recall, only one rental agency was "on-site" at the airport. The others required you to board a shuttle for a short trip to their lot. Not a lot of fun dragging your luggage and all that. And once we got to the Dollar lot, there was an extremely long line.....thank goodness I was a Dollar rewards member and got to go to the member line with no wait. If we ever go again, one person will take the carry-on luggage and board the shuttle, while the other waits for the checked bags. The first person can pick up the car and make the loop to the airport to pick up the second. This could be tricky, though, because I found the Honolulu airport to be a little intimidating. But again, depending on what time you land, you might not want to be in a hurry if it is rush hour. Traffic leaving the city is very slow.

Germaines Luau is maybe a 10 to 15 minute drive from the resort. It is weird because it is in an industrial area and we got a little nervous trying to find it. I would have liked to indulge in the drinks that came with the ticket price, but wouldn't chance it. Some others like the one at the Polynesian Cultural Center.....but it is a long drive and, from what I understand, does not serve alcohol.

 

[fitnessmouse]

If you're Costco members, they have a 4 day Go Oahu card that's less than the 3 day card direct from the Go! people. I'm joining tomorrow in order to get them for our trip in June.

Can you also get the go oahu card in the Costco store, or online only?

 

[mrsR123]

Can you also get the go oahu card in the Costco store, or online only?

I'm not sure about that part, yet. I need to buy mine next month, but I suspect it's only online as the card will be electronic/smartphone.

 

[CawfeeGuy]

ok, you've all been so very helpful...this still feels like a stupid question, though:
are the local (read: non-Disney) restaurants as hard to book as the ones at the resort and should we be looking at making reservations 6 months in advance?

 

[alohamom]

ok, you've all been so very helpful...this still feels like a stupid question, though:
are the local (read: non-Disney) restaurants as hard to book as the ones at the resort and should we be looking at making reservations 6 months in advance?

Not stupid at all-It truly depends on what you are looking for but generally no, this isnt an issue. If you are trying for something popular and upscale like Alan Wongs in Honolulu http://www.alanwongs.com/ or one of the Roys locations http://www.alanwongs.com/ then you should make a ressie but you dont need to make one right now, maybe a few weeks in advance. Same with the ever popular Monkeypod just across the street from Aulani
http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/

Another thing I would mention is that I think it is important to go to Aulani thinking you are going to a beautiful Hawaiian resort that has a touch of Disney magic sprinkled in rather than a traditional Disney resort that happens to be set in Hawaii. I have seen many posts here that compare the character interaction and character breakfast to WDW and people always seem to be slightly disappointed. Our kids are older so the meet and greets, pool parties, etc were no such a big deal to them but I can see how they might not live up to some peoples expectations based on past experiences at WDW.

 

[CawfeeGuy]

that is a very important distinction and i'm glad you mentioned it!

thanks for the intel re: restaurant reservations.

 

[carlbarry]

One thing no one has mentioned is the wide range of activities available at the resort. You can spend a week there and never leave. I would actually rush back from my sightseeing to participate in an activity at the resort.

 

[CawfeeGuy]

One thing no one has mentioned is the wide range of activities available at the resort. You can spend a week there and never leave. I would actually rush back from my sightseeing to participate in an activity at the resort.

oooooh do tell!
i know there's a snorkeling thing that i'm dying to try (though CawfeeMate is kinda 'meh'), but what else is there for adults (thankfully) without kids, that you recommend?

 

[carlbarry]

You can snorkle in the ocean. Near the rocks you might find some fish, otherwise, not so many. As for the adults, when I was there a few years ago, there is the Starlit Hui, evening sun down ceremony (haven't heard about this in a while, so I don't know if they still do it), tours of the resort-explaining the architecture, or the restaurants, activities in the community room (learn the ukulele, make a lei, etc.). They also had a game where you went around with sort of a tablet computer, got clues, went to certain locations, and set off events like the volcano erupting, lava flowing, or glyphs in rocks glowing. I guess it's mainly for kids, but I enjoyed it. They also had live performers in one of the restaurants, the outdoor one--don't know if they still have that. On one of the Aulani threads linked above, don't they have an activity schedule, which is published daily, called the Iwa? Here's a link that shows it from October 2014: http://www.disboards.com/threads/aulani-daily-iwa-collection.3103331/page-3
Here's one from February 2015: http://twolostboystravel.com/B3_TheDailyIwaatDisneysAulaniResortandSpa.aspx
I did a search for "Aulani Daily Iwa" and got a bunch.

 

[CawfeeGuy]

omg that's terrific! thanks!

 

[EK4636]

Can someone tell me about photo pass and if there's a lot of photo ops on he island?

Yep, there is photopass available (at least when I went in September). The location is limited - usually 2-3 places that we'd seen. There's also an option to do your own photo ops, if you are celebrating something. Since we were there for our honeymoon, we chose to get a 60-minute session with a photopass photographer. It turned out really nice!

...Do they still greet you with a lei? If not I want to order one.
...

Absolutely! Flower leis for the ladies, kukui nut leis for the gentlemen.

 

[slm05]

How much was a 60 minute photo pass session? We are gonna in three fall for our 10 year anniversary and I would love to do this.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I would take a speedy shuttle from HIL to Aulani. Cheap and reliable. Then rent a car by the day at Aulani as you need it..this way you avoid the parking fees. There will be days when you don't need a car. I rented by the day and found that to be the best option.

 

[ptlycloudy]

We found the photopass useful with the kids. There are photographs out and about at the pools, river etc. We had a ton of photos taken by them. If it was just my DH and I , I am not sure if we would have gotten our money's worth. I also wanted to mention other activities we did there. Ukelele lessons, we have done the art and history tours and loved them, lei making and other activities. They are all listed in the daily Iwe (news). We have enjoyed all of the activities especially the scavenger hunts.

 

[CawfeeGuy]

I would take a speedy shuttle from HIL to Aulani. Cheap and reliable. Then rent a car by the day at Aulani as you need it..this way you avoid the parking fees. There will be days when you don't need a car. I rented by the day and found that to be the best option.

we were actually thinking of doing that. cawfeemate was researching car rentals and it might be less expensive that way.

thanks

 

[nemofans]

Which restaurant would you pick for a nice dinner without the kids: Ama Ama or Roy's?

 

[dmetcalfrn]

Is there a particular shuttle company??? We are a party of 6 that would need a larger rental vechicle. Can't decide? We have free DVC parking...