Aulani: What's the One Thing You Wish You Knew?

[Mommy2Corinne]

I can speak from experience that they do NOT make any guarantees. The best thing to do is to ask that morning to see who is there that day - or else, you may find that "Minnie went out shopping", as happened to us. That said, from walking by daily for a week, Mickey usually greets at check-in and Minnie and Goofy visit the tables. But they do not promise any of them and told us that Chip and Dale have been there sometimes too. In general, to my knowledge, the only characters at Aulani at all are: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip, Dale, and Stitch.

Duffy can also be found around the resort sporadically (we saw him by the pool once and on a garden path once).

We ate breakfast at Makahiki twice. The first day we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Aunty was also there and did games and songs with the kids. It was fabulous. The second time (towards the end of our trip), we saw the same characters, but Aunty was not there at all. The kids were bummed.

I did happen to walk by one morning and Chip and Dale were there for breakfast, but not during either of our visits.

 

[snackyx]

That just a short walk down the beach, at the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club, is Chuck's Steakhouse, which, from 4:45 to about 6 or so has FIVE DOLLAR mai-tai's, and pretty good ones. They used to be $4, and the happy hour also "restarted" at 9:30 to close, but they have eliminated the later bargain hours. The bar area also has a "happy hour" menu that has a fish n' chips option that just may be the greatest deal on the entire island of Oahu. For about $7 or $8 bucks you get five pieces of fish, homemade tartar sauce and fries....trust me, it is worth the walk (and--come on--you're getting to walk along side the shore of the Pacific--who's complaining?)

 

[beansf]

I love Dole Whip. My understanding is that there is a self-serve option at Lava Shack. Can someone reveal the price? I have scoured the web fruitlessly for the answer. Thanks. 123 days until Aulabi!

 

[LottiesMommy]

The dole whip is about 3.95 a cup.

I wish I had known not to sit on the balcony at night without bug spray! I sat outside at about 4 am because I couldn't sleep. I ended up with bug bites on both legs. I didn't even feel the bites when they happened. I look like I have the chicken pox! It is horribly itchy too. Aulani is so wonderful though that is certainly makes up for the fact that I look like I have pink polka dots!

 

[swooshbear]

If we go to Rainbow drive in after we arrive, do we need to be cautious of leaving something in the back seat? What about Safeway neat Aulani? I'm hoping it can all fit in the trunk.... But I have a feeling it won't.

If you park in the Rainbow Drive In parking lot, you can easily keep an eye out on your car while you order/eat. But I would probably recommend not leaving anything visible in your car anywhere on the island because you just never know.

 

[nkereina]

Just read through all 29 pages - lots of great advice We'll be honeymooning at Aulani next year.

A few remaining questions I have...

1. Anyone experience late September at Aulani? Curious as to how crowded the resort is that time of year and what we should expect in terms of lounge chair availability that time of year. Is the adult only pool any better/easier to get chairs at?

2. How is availability for the first come first served beach casabellas? Trying to sleep in on vacation, while avoiding the expense of cabana rentals

3. Do the onsite TS restaurants all require reservations similar to WDW? Can they usually accommodate walk-ups?

4. We are not DVC members but are staying on rented points. Would we be eligible for free parking?

5. We are not Costco members, so will likely visit Target for groceries. Is it a "super" Target with a full grocery section? We'll want baked goods like muffins and/or donut holes for quick breakfasts. I'm thinking we may need to visit a true grocery store for this, like Safeway? And do both Safeway and Target carry beer?

6. Are inner tubes and/or pool noodles allowed in any pool or in the lagoon? Any restrictions?

7. I've read about relatively early pool closings. Do the hot tubs close early as well? Adult only pool close early?

Thanks all!

 

[Dugette]

Not on expert on the others, but I can chime in on a couple of these:

4. We are not DVC members but are staying on rented points. Would we be eligible for free parking?

5. We are not Costco members, so will likely visit Target for groceries. Is it a "super" Target with a full grocery section? We'll want baked goods like muffins and/or donut holes for quick breakfasts. I'm thinking we may need to visit a true grocery store for this, like Safeway? And do both Safeway and Target carry beer?

Unless something has changed since last November (not that I know of), you will have free parking. We were on rented points too and had no problems.

We went to Target for groceries and it had a good grocery section, including an entire aisle of alcohol.

If you're renting a car, you may want to compare the cost of a Costco car rental + membership to whatever you're getting. For us, it ended up being cheaper, plus it allowed us to get a few things and fill our gas tank at Costco.

 

[Dugette]

7. I've read about relatively early pool closings. Do the hot tubs close early as well? Adult only pool close early?

Just saw you added this one. We went last November and they had just recently made the closing times earlier, which really bothered us. I think, going in September, the times posted currently on the website are probably accurate. Some things are open later than others.

 

[AZMermaid]

Last week the main pool was open till at least 9, maybe 10. Not sure about the hot tubs or the infinity pool. They lazy river closed at 6.

We wish we would have realized sooner that there was a short cut to Auntys/AMa Ama from the Wainae tower and the menehuene bridge area. You can go up and down the stairs as if you are going up the water slide (not all the way up, it's like 6 steps each side). It was way faster. The main/obvious bridge caused a lot of backtracking.

We were right off the elevators in the Wainae tower. We were happy with our room and location, but thought next time, we'd rather be in the Ewa tower for proximity to the Pua Hauna room, Auntys, and easier to get to the main pool. Our tower was closer to Ulu Cafe though, so if we hadn't cooked a lot, that would have been handy.

 

[AZMermaid]

I saw some casabellas available around 10ish last week. That was only one day we were there at that time, so I don't know if that's typical.

 

[nhmomx2]

I love this thread! Thank you all for sharing. My sister, who is staying at the Ko Olina Beach while we're at Aulani is under the impression that we'll have access to all four of the lagoon areas while we are there. Does anyone know if this is the case? Forgive me if this is totally naive, but is Rainbow Reef not one of the four lagoons? I was telling her about the length of stay price vs the daily price and she was perplexed. Also, does anyone know if we can bring in our snorkel equipment or do you have to use theirs? I know WDW like the back of my hand...this not knowing everything is killing me LOL thank you!!

 

[nkereina]

Also, does anyone know if we can bring in our snorkel equipment or do you have to use theirs?

I don't have personal experience, but I read a few pages back in the thread that recent experiences said you have to use their snorkel equipment. The length of stay/daily entrance fee to the snorkel area covers your admission and snorkel gear according to recent reports.

 

[Girimama33]

I love this thread! Thank you all for sharing. My sister, who is staying at the Ko Olina Beach while we're at Aulani is under the impression that we'll have access to all four of the lagoon areas while we are there. Does anyone know if this is the case? Forgive me if this is totally naive, but is Rainbow Reef not one of the four lagoons? I was telling her about the length of stay price vs the daily price and she was perplexed. Also, does anyone know if we can bring in our snorkel equipment or do you have to use theirs? I know WDW like the back of my hand...this not knowing everything is killing me LOL thank you!!

You both will have access to the 4 lagoons...which Rainbow Reef is not one of. It is not part of the beach, but essentially a salt water pool with fish in it. You have to have a Aulani wristband to go in there.
We were able to use our own snorkel gear...you can definitely use your own in the lagoons.

 

[BobNed]

I love this thread! Thank you all for sharing. My sister, who is staying at the Ko Olina Beach while we're at Aulani is under the impression that we'll have access to all four of the lagoon areas while we are there. Does anyone know if this is the case? Forgive me if this is totally naive, but is Rainbow Reef not one of the four lagoons? I was telling her about the length of stay price vs the daily price and she was perplexed. Also, does anyone know if we can bring in our snorkel equipment or do you have to use theirs? I know WDW like the back of my hand...this not knowing everything is killing me LOL thank you!!

Yes, you will have access to all four lagoons. All beaches in the state of Hawaii are open to the public and cannot be blocked off. Rainbow Reef is not one of the lagoons. It is a pool-like structure constructed by Disney and part of Aulani. Here is a picture of Rainbow Reef.

 

[jpeka65844]

Take a soft side cooler to take snacks and drinks to the pool/beach.

Bring Ziploc bags. They would've been so useful (snacks, swimsuits, etc...)

 

[nhmomx2]

You both will have access to the 4 lagoons...which Rainbow Reef is not one of. It is not part of the beach, but essentially a salt water pool with fish in it. You have to have a Aulani wristband to go in there.
We were able to use our own snorkel gear...you can definitely use your own in the lagoons.

Yes, you will have access to all four lagoons. All beaches in the state of Hawaii are open to the public and cannot be blocked off. Rainbow Reef is not one of the lagoons. It is a pool-like structure constructed by Disney and part of Aulani. Here is a picture of Rainbow Reef.

Thank you...that is exactly how I was starting to picture it. I was starting to think of Typhoon Lagoon and the Shark Reef type of thing, but to a much higher standard only because you had to pay for it. I couldn't picture it because every time I pulled up a map I would see the four lagoons.

 

[PlutoFan10]

With construction going on next door at the Four Seasons (being converted from JW Marriott), I don't believe there is access to that lagoon. I know they have the walking path by the beach blocked, or at least they did in May 2015.

 

[Amw1064]

I know all the pools and lazy river are open this week until at least 8, some until 10:00. Starlit Hui has been Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday.

 

[nemofans]

We just got back from Aulani and we had an amazing time! Some of the pools were open late: lazy river til 8pm, main pool til 10pm, infinity pool til 8pm, menehune bridge & rainbow reef til 5pm.

We did not need to wait in line much at all. We did not bother with the line for Aunty's Beach House as we only did drop off. We did sign them up for Fish Are Friends class ahead of time. My boys (6 & 10) loved Aunty's! They also loved the Menehune Adventure Trail activity. They diid both outside & inside trails. The inside trail gives the kids a token to keep!

We got in line for Starlit Hui after 7:30pm so we were seated fairly quickly.

Rainbow Reef was crowded when it opened in morning so we waited til lunchtime which was much better.

We didn't have issues with food choices as there are different choices throughout day. We used Ulu Cafe a lot, especially after the other food stands closed.

We were in a hotel room #136 (king & pull out sofa). Our view was of one of the lazy river entrances. I was worried about noise being on the ground floor, but when the balcony is closed, it blocks out the sound. We actually enjoyed having a ground floor room as we kept our own snorkeling gear on the patio so we could just grab it when ready for rainbow reef & drop it off easy after w/o going inside. That way we weren't lugging a lot of stuff everywhere.

 

[tino0120]

Just came back from Aulani 2 weeks ago and it was awesome!
1. If you have car, buy grocery from Target (or Costco if you are member). Target nearby has pretty good selection of grocery and alcohol! =) If you don't have car, you can walk across the street to the Island Country Market (ABC stores) for a small selection of grocery (milk, bread, cereal) and some cheap souvenir!
2. Rainbow Reef was slightly crowded but they do control maximum number of people going in. It was worth it for 1st time snorkeling!
3. Went to Paradise Cove Luau which was within walking distance and had a great time! (Average food, plenty of activities for adult and kids, good show, and good alcohol selections)