Realistic Food Allowance.

[JJJD]

Just a thought but have you looked into renting points for a one bedroom instead of the cash reservation? Dvc renters get free parking and it might work out to be around the same price as a cash reservation depending on days you plan on being there. There's some one bedroom ocean view availability. You are less than 7 months out so any old points will do. Some distressed points or even holding points may be had pretty cheap. Having a car and ability to make your own meals will really save $. Costco has some pretty inexpensive car rental rates and it's nice to head out for an uncrowded beach or just the grocery store whenever you feel like it.

If not some things we used to do when our kids were younger (not at Aulani but for Hawaii vacations)- bring some food with you. Oatmeal packets, bagels, bread, snacks, coffee... are all going to be much less at home than Hawaii. I've seen people bring coolers with frozen steaks... on flights to Hawaii. I'm pretty sure there's a BBQ for use on property. Some foil is great for cooking veggies. Pineapple cooks up great on the grill.

I'm not a fan of eating out all meals just for health reasons. Having ability to make sandwiches, snacks in room is not only saving quite a bit but also makes for a much more enjoyable Hawaii vacation because you don't have to drag everyone down for every meal. It's nice to come back to condo for lunch out of the sun, a nap or a little down time.

When my kids were younger we took them out for dinners a couple times over the course of the week but otherwise just cooked in condo or sent husband down to BBQ. Stuff like fresh fruits and vegetables I would pick up at a stand. We eat out most dinners on vacation now but still spend about the same in Hawaii as we do at home just by eating happy hour specials. Or if husband orders a meal I'll get a side salad and take a couple bites of his dinner. Seems like such a waste to have everyone ordering a full dinner and then nobody even eating half of it. Besides Hawaii is quite warm and so heavy meals don't really mix with the heat.

I love buying local fresh fruits and then blending with ice for smoothies. A little oj or a banana sweetens it up. Perhaps call and see if hotel will give you a blender.

I'm really new to the whole renting points thing. I didn't even know about it til I found this board. I will definitely look into next time. But the whole process to me seems so complicated and involved. I still don't get the details but I get the idea. I know about the great thread dedicated about but it's too late for us since my reservation cannot be cancelled in a way I can get fully refunded.

 

[Littlelulu01]

I'm really new to the whole renting points thing. I didn't even know about it til I found this board. I will definitely look into next time. But the whole process to me seems so complicated and involved. I still don't get the details but I get the idea. I know about the great thread dedicated about but it's too late for us since my reservation cannot be cancelled in a way I can get fully refunded.

That makes sense. For cash reservations I've read that some people get upgraded to a one bedroom just by stopping by the Dvc information/chatting with a salesperson. I don't think they are hard sell like most time share salespeople.

I also see you are only there for five days so your idea of staying put at resort, especially with little kids sounds much easier.

 

[ORDisneyfans]

We just returned from Oahu. We stayed at the Marriott four nights but walked down to Aulani several times and also shopped and ate at the plaza. We ate pretty cheaply.

We stopped at Costco and bought water bottles, pre mixed Mai Tais and Pineapple Margaritas about $13.99/half gallon. ( they were not very strong and I wished I had also bought some rum/ tequila to me with them. YMMV) a fruit platter($12.99) a cheese platter ($12.99), a 5 pack of portable veggies/ ranch trays $6.99, a four pack of lunchables $5.99, bagels, milk, and a few other snack items. We spent about $150 We also got some items from the cafe for that night. I highly recommend the BBQ beef sandwiches! Messy but good! We snacked in the room a lot in the evenings.

Went to Target for cereal, microwave popcorn, chips, a couple of frozen dinners, soda etc. another $50

We ate breakfast in the room every am.

We ate lunch one day at Aulani at the pool shack chicken tenders and fries and a dole whip.

We ate at the Island Market for lunch one day. I had the $9.99 steak dinner which includes mashed potatoes, gravy and veggies. They let me sub a salad for the veggies. Best $9.99 meal of the vacation! The rest of the family bought misc. items from the store that added up to more than mine and weren't as good!

One day we ate at the Hawaiian BBQ place it was awful and way overpriced. Ordered the Mahi Mahi and rice, Korean chicken and rice and the cheeseburger and fries. We spent $40 and it was barely edible. The only thing we liked were the fries.

On Wednesday's the Kapolei mall hosts the Farmer's Market from 4-6 pm. We stopped there for dinner (girl's had Subway!) and bought some delicious coconut bread and pastries from Baker Dudes, pineapple smoothies, Pad Thai and some ginger shots from a juice stand. Lots of fresh veggies, pre made foods, crepes and yummies! Decent prices and local commerce!

We had a car so went to the swap meet, local stores etc. We spent every evening on the beach at sunset! Swam a lot and relaxed. Dinners consisted of leftovers, snacks and one night Panda Express. We have been to Hawaii before and have done all of the touristy things. We spent our last three nights in Waikiki in a standard hotel ( went for a cheer competition!) and ate out every meal.

 

[JJJD]

That makes sense. For cash reservations I've read that some people get upgraded to a one bedroom just by stopping by the Dvc information/chatting with a salesperson. I don't think they are hard sell like most time share salespeople.

I also see you are only there for five days so your idea of staying put at resort, especially with little kids sounds much easier.

I also heard that you could net a 100 dollar resort credit just by sitting in a presentation? That would be a game changer if we are given a villa.

 

[JJJD]

We just returned from Oahu. We stayed at the Marriott four nights but walked down to Aulani several times and also shopped and ate at the plaza. We ate pretty cheaply.

We stopped at Costco and bought water bottles, pre mixed Mai Tais and Pineapple Margaritas about $13.99/half gallon. ( they were not very strong and I wished I had also bought some rum/ tequila to me with them. YMMV) a fruit platter($12.99) a cheese platter ($12.99), a 5 pack of portable veggies/ ranch trays $6.99, a four pack of lunchables $5.99, bagels, milk, and a few other snack items. We spent about $150 We also got some items from the cafe for that night. I highly recommend the BBQ beef sandwiches! Messy but good! We snacked in the room a lot in the evenings.

Went to Target for cereal, microwave popcorn, chips, a couple of frozen dinners, soda etc. another $50

We ate breakfast in the room every am.

We ate lunch one day at Aulani at the pool shack chicken tenders and fries and a dole whip.

We ate at the Island Market for lunch one day. I had the $9.99 steak dinner which includes mashed potatoes, gravy and veggies. They let me sub a salad for the veggies. Best $9.99 meal of the vacation! The rest of the family bought misc. items from the store that added up to more than mine and weren't as good!

One day we ate at the Hawaiian BBQ place it was awful and way overpriced. Ordered the Mahi Mahi and rice, Korean chicken and rice and the cheeseburger and fries. We spent $40 and it was barely edible. The only thing we liked were the fries.

On Wednesday's the Kapolei mall hosts the Farmer's Market from 4-6 pm. We stopped there for dinner (girl's had Subway!) and bought some delicious coconut bread and pastries from Baker Dudes, pineapple smoothies, Pad Thai and some ginger shots from a juice stand. Lots of fresh veggies, pre made foods, crepes and yummies! Decent prices and local commerce!

We had a car so went to the swap meet, local stores etc. We spent every evening on the beach at sunset! Swam a lot and relaxed. Dinners consisted of leftovers, snacks and one night Panda Express. We have been to Hawaii before and have done all of the touristy things. We spent our last three nights in Waikiki in a standard hotel ( went for a cheer competition!) and ate out every meal.

Thanks for the breakdown! Just few questions though.

- BBQ Beef Sandwich!!! Where???
- $9.99 for a steak dinner?
- Hawaiin BBQ, is that the L&L?

 

[alohamom]

If you are planning to go to Costco on the way, I do remember seeing someone else here (might have been over on the DVC boards) say they got a rotisserie chicken, shredded lettuce, wraps and ranch dressing and made a whack of chicken wraps but I kind of think that was to feel a larger group. The chicken isnt a bad idea though as it is pre cooked and you can use it in salads and sandwiches for a couple of meals

 

[Vernie822]

"Sunset Hour" aka happy hour is 5-7 daily, live music starts at 5:30!

https://resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort/dining/lounges-bars/olelo-room-lounge/

Lounge food menu: https://resorts.disney.go.com/media/resorts/pdf/menus/olelo-room/olelo-room-lounge-menu.pdf

We don't have any allergies so I'm not so sure (although my brother also has a peanut allergy, so I hear from him how difficult it can be). I assume they'd be accommodating as much as they can!

 

[ORDisneyfans]

Thanks for the breakdown! Just few questions though.

- BBQ Beef Sandwich!!! Where???
- $9.99 for a steak dinner?
- Hawaiin BBQ, is that the L&L?

BBQ beef sandwich was from Costco! BBQ beef, and coleslaw on a huge Hawaiian bun!


Hawaiian BBQ restaurant that was horrible is in the KoOlina plaza in between the pizza place and the Taco place.

Steak dinner was from the Island Market in Ko Olina Plaza (ABC market spin off). They also have a daily special each day that includes a starch and a side for less than $10 We saw a lit of local workers ordering and eating there. Think pulled pork, fried chicken etc they also have breakfast cooked fresh there. Not gourmet but the workers were nice and the food was cheap and fresh.

L & L BBQ gets mixed reviews and we have been there too. If your expecting a gourmet to die for meal you will be disappointed. If you are hungry and just want a quick bite it's fine. They are all over the island and there is one in Kapolei in the mall.

I took some pictures just have to resize them to upload.

 

[cgattis]

Regarding the drinks, I'm not a big drinker. But it'll be more like for the experience. I've never mix drinks so going out and buying and mixing drinks and carving pineapple(haha) out is quite challenging for me. I can do vodka and cran but it wont be that tropical. Any tips on this dept would be appreciated but again not a big deal!

You can buy a pineapple corer/spiral slicer for like $10 on Amazon. (And a Ziploc bag to save the slices.) Just sayin'....

 

[nkereina]

Just wanted to add that for breakfasts, you could pick up things at Target like muffins, bagels, cereal/milk, and even pop tarts. You wouldn't need a microwave or a kitchenette for those. You can also request a toaster or use the toasters at Ulu Cafe. You'll have a fridge for cold items. For lunch, it would be easy to pick up salads or chips, bread, and deli meats for in-room lunches as well. If you can supplement a breakfast or lunch each day in your room, you will make your food budget go farther. But I agree with PPs in that food is more expensive than probably any place else we've vacationed. We ordered normally for us, and often spent upwards of $75 at dinner for just DH and I.

Also another tip I have is to plan a dinner at Pizza Corner, and use any leftovers for lunch the next day. We did this at both Pizza Corner and with the pizza we got at Ulu Cafe. Worked out well.

 

[JJJD]

Great info guys! I guess it's one thing to come up with a budget plan and the other trying to stick with it! Always easy to justify vacation spending and going overboard once you're there Will report back!

 

[SylviaL]

Keep in mind, if you are in a regular hotel room or DVC studio, your refrigerator isn't that big.

 

[jujubiee4]

Where is this BBQ people are talking about? Can anyone use it or is it for DVC
members only? thanks

 

[kdonnel]

Where is this BBQ people are talking about? Can anyone use it or is it for DVC
members only? thanks

The BBQ area is just past Aunties. There are four grills and a picnic table. If it is for exclusive use of DVC members there are no signs making that proclamation.

 

[happymommy]

I am sorry that there are only four grills for such a huge resort, and they're only allowed to be used for a few hours for dinner. This is shameful to me! At Disney resorts at WDW do they limit the hours?

We stay at the Marriott and the grills are always available, and we have 3 areas of grills with several grills each. I grill often for lunch if we're at "home", but more often for dinners. I think Aulani is doing this to keep guests eating in the restaurants.

 

[ORDisneyfans]

We s

I am sorry that there are only four grills for such a huge resort, and they're only allowed to be used for a few hours for dinner. This is shameful to me! At Disney resorts at WDW do they limit the hours?

We stay at the Marriott and the grills are always available, and we have 3 areas of grills with several grills each. I grill often for lunch if we're at "home", but more often for dinners. I think Aulani is doing this to keep guests eating in the restaurants.

 

[ORDisneyfans]

We stayed at the Marriott and loved it. So much more relaxing than Aulani. Not wall to wall people! Lots of open spaces, chairs and loungers everywhere! We had a cash reservation and stayed on the 12th floor of Moana, one bedroom. Would def. consider staying there again either cash or renting a reservation.