Wonder--10-day Hawaii to Vancouver 9/17/2015

[southerngirl528]

Who all is staying at Aulani for any nights pre-cruise?

DD and I will be staying 2 nights pre-cruise which basically gives us one full day at Aulani. I've been there 3 times before but DD has never been so we are looking forward to it! Thankful my wait list with MS came through so I could use my DVC points! YAY!!

 

[explorer1977]

We are flying into HNL on Sept 11th landing very late and then 6 nights at Aulani on our DVC points! It will be our first time to Aulani and Hawaii.

 

[southerngirl528]

You are going to LOVE Aulani and Hawaii, Explorer1977!!!

 

[mrs.explorer1977]

^ what he said. The countdown is up on our chalkboard in the kitchen! 26 more sleeps!!! Or, more like 25 because I'm sure I'll be too excited to sleep on the 10th!!

 

[lorimay]

We fly to LAX(from FL) on the 11th, then on to Aulani on the 12th for 5 nights, getting so close.

 

[southerngirl528]

Wow, Lorimay! You guys are less than a month out! A month from today we will be at Aulani!!! Woohoo!!

 

[lorimay]

Wow, Lorimay! You guys are less than a month out! A month from today we will be at Aulani!!! Woohoo!!

I can't believe it!!! We booked the cruise on opening day and its so close now.

Yay, for you you're at the 30 day mark.......

 

[southerngirl528]

Wow, Lorimay! You booked on opening day??? When was that? A good deal came up that I could not pass up (well, good by DCL standards!). Plus I had promised myself 3 years ago when I sailed with DCL to Hawaii R/T from LA that whenever DCL returned to Hawaii (my very favorite place on the planet!!!) that I would be on the ship one way or the other!!

Just wait until you are approaching the Ko'Olina area from the highway and you can see the tall towers of the resorts there. You will know in an instant which one is Aulani! It is a really special place. Their spa is AWESOME! And for us, breakfast and lunch at AMA AMA is perfection! Have FUN!!

 

[lorimay]

Wow, Lorimay! You booked on opening day??? When was that? A good deal came up that I could not pass up (well, good by DCL standards!). Plus I had promised myself 3 years ago when I sailed with DCL to Hawaii R/T from LA that whenever DCL returned to Hawaii (my very favorite place on the planet!!!) that I would be on the ship one way or the other!!

Just wait until you are approaching the Ko'Olina area from the highway and you can see the tall towers of the resorts there. You will know in an instant which one is Aulani! It is a really special place. Their spa is AWESOME! And for us, breakfast and lunch at AMA AMA is perfection! Have FUN!!

I booked it in May of 2014, so a longtime ago.
I didn't know DCL offers any specials on this cruise, good for you.

In 2012, I swore the next time they sailed to Hawaii, we would be on board no matter what, so I know what you are saying.

We haven't been to Hawaii since our Honeymoon in 1987, can't wait to get back.
So looking forward to setting my eyes on Aulani.

 

[southerngirl528]

And I thought my wait of only several months was a long wait! LOL! You know it's funny about DCL, I got to talking with a very nice couple that were across the hall from me on the Oct 2012 sailing to Hawaii and the DH had been diligently checking pricing on that sailing and though I can't recall what price they paid, I was really surprised they got it for their price. Perhaps I have just grown accustomed to DCL's pricing being higher than many other lines.

Wow! You haven't been since '87? Which island(s) did you visit? No doubt MUCH has changed since you visited, but Hawaii is just so, so beautiful. Can't wait to get back there!!! Happy planning and packing!

 

[lorimay]

We only did Oahu, stayed at The Hilton Hawaiian Village for a week. I was a chicken with flying small planes to other islands (still am chicken).
We thought about staying there again for old time sake, but I couldn't pass up Aulani no way, no how.

I agree, it ca come soon enough.
1 month from today, we are boarding, so excited.

 

[DVCinderella]

We are flying into HNL on Sept 11th landing very late and then 6 nights at Aulani on our DVC points! It will be our first time to Aulani and Hawaii.

^ what he said. The countdown is up on our chalkboard in the kitchen! 26 more sleeps!!! Or, more like 25 because I'm sure I'll be too excited to sleep on the 10th!!

We fly to LAX(from FL) on the 11th, then on to Aulani on the 12th for 5 nights, getting so close.

We are also arriving at Aulani on the 12th and staying for 5-nights on DVC points. This will be our first trip to Aulani, and we are very excited!

I can't believe it!!! We booked the cruise on opening day and its so close now.

Yay, for you you're at the 30 day mark.......

Wow, Lorimay! You booked on opening day??? When was that? A good deal came up that I could not pass up (well, good by DCL standards!). Plus I had promised myself 3 years ago when I sailed with DCL to Hawaii R/T from LA that whenever DCL returned to Hawaii (my very favorite place on the planet!!!) that I would be on the ship one way or the other!!

Just wait until you are approaching the Ko'Olina area from the highway and you can see the tall towers of the resorts there. You will know in an instant which one is Aulani! It is a really special place. Their spa is AWESOME! And for us, breakfast and lunch at AMA AMA is perfection! Have FUN!!

We also booked on opening day! We were actually on the Wonder during her first Alaskan cruise of the 2014 season, so it was definitely the last week of May. My confirmation e-mail was sent 5/30/14, but I think we booked a day or two before. We were totally caught by surprise. We had flipped through the upcoming cruises brochure and nothing jumped out at us. We were going to book a dummy cruise. As we were sitting waiting in the line at the Future Cruises desk, we overheard the couple in front of us say something about Hawaii, and we thought it was just small talk. When we finally sat down, I asked the CM, "Did I hear Hawaii?" and he said, "Yes, it was just announced today." Goodbye dummy cruise, hello Hawaii!

I booked it in May of 2014, so a longtime ago.
I didn't know DCL offers any specials on this cruise, good for you.

In 2012, I swore the next time they sailed to Hawaii, we would be on board no matter what, so I know what you are saying.

We haven't been to Hawaii since our Honeymoon in 1987, can't wait to get back.
So looking forward to setting my eyes on Aulani.

DH & I honeymooned in Hawaii in 1998, so I know what you mean. We only saw Maui & the Big Island. I am so excited to see Kauai & Oahu! Now we are a family with 10yo twins, and my Dad is coming too. It's the first time to Hawaii for the kids and my Dad. He is a history buff and is anticipating our visit to Pearl Harbor. Aside from the deservedly somber visit, I think he will be amazed by all the beauty Hawaii has to offer.

 

[southerngirl528]

That's awesome, DVCinderella! So you have been waiting a very long time as well! And it's almost here!! YAY!!!

I've been printing out hard copies of all my various rez's, canceling what I don't need and making packing lists. And btw, for anyone that has a rental car booked on any of the islands for our Hawaii dates, the rates have dropped quite a bit so if you have a rental car booked from a good while back it might pay you to take a look again and see if you can save some $$! I usually find my very best rental car rates for Hawaii from one of 2 places: Costco Travel or www.discounthawaiicarrental.com. Hope some of you can save some bucks to spend elsewhere!

 

[DVCinderella]

That's awesome, DVCinderella! So you have been waiting a very long time as well! And it's almost here!! YAY!!!

I've been printing out hard copies of all my various rez's, canceling what I don't need and making packing lists. And btw, for anyone that has a rental car booked on any of the islands for our Hawaii dates, the rates have dropped quite a bit so if you have a rental car booked from a good while back it might pay you to take a look again and see if you can save some $$! I usually find my very best rental car rates for Hawaii from one of 2 places: Costco Travel or www.discounthawaiicarrental.com. Hope some of you can save some bucks to spend elsewhere!

Wow, thank you southerngirl528! You just saved me $36! I was able to rebook my rental car on Maui at a lower rate. My original rental car ressie on Oahu was still cheaper, so that one I won't change, but thank you for saving me some $$ on Maui!

 

[southerngirl528]

You are MOST welcome, DVCinderella! So happy someone on our trip has saved some $$$!!

I've found when going to Hawaii to book your rental car(s) as far in advance as possible (just book the best price you can find then, even if it's high) so that you have a car in a limited inventory. Then just keep checking prices, especially a few weeks out. I almost always can find it cheaper later. ALMOST always…. Maui in whale season is an exception often. I think folks don't think about the fact that Hawaii only has x number of cars. It's not like say, Orlando, where if they get low on cars they can just bring some up from Miami or down from Atlanta. So prices can get insane!

 

[lorimay]

DVCinderella, glad you were able to book opening day too, its even more exciting when you can rebook onboard.

Thank you for the info. We booked a premium car for $36 thru Costco for our day is LA.
Hawaii a different story, We want to get a car for a day while at Aulani and its over $80 to book thru Costco and pick-up at the hotel, crazy!
I looked to pick it up at the Marriott next door and its $30 less, so we will walk over to Marriott and go that route.
We couldn't rent points, so we booked Aulani's Fall special and they want $35 a day to park, so we decided against having the car for the entire stay.
As it is I am going to have a hard time wanting to leave the property, LOL.

 

[southerngirl528]

Yes, Lorimay. I saw the big difference in prices for cars picked up at Aulani vs the airport. Convenience costs, huh? Ouch. I always, always rent cars when in Hawaii, but since we are only at Aulani 2 nights, I've decided to book car service to Aulani and we'll take a taxi to the port on the 17th. Someone told me that there is a flat taxi rate (I think with Charley's taxi) from Aulani to the Kapolei to either the Target or Costco. Our 2 visits previously to Aulani we rented at car at the airport and returned it to the same.

And you are right that you will have a hard time wanting to leave the property, Lorimay! That's exactly why Aulani had to add enhancements when the resort was still new. Folks checked in and just didn't go anywhere else!

 

[DVCinderella]

From DCL Guest Services:

Night 5 (9/21) - Frozen theme night
Night 7 (9/23) - Pirate theme night

The following movies will be run in the Buena Vista Theatre:

Finding Nemo 3D
Frozen
Guardians of the Galaxy
Big Hero 6
McFarland USA
Cinderella (live action)
Monkey Kingdom
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tomorrowland
Inside Out
Ant-Man

Disclaimer: All information is subject to change.

 

[lorimay]

From DCL Member Services:

Night 5 (9/21) - Frozen theme night
Night 7 (9/23) - Pirate theme night

The following movies will be run in the Buena Vista Theatre:

Finding Nemo 3D
Frozen
Guardians of the Galaxy
Big Hero 6
McFarland USA
Cinderella (live action)
Monkey Kingdom
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tomorrowland
Inside Out
Ant-Man

Disclaimer: All information is subject to change.

Thanks for this info DVCinderella. Frozen night will be rough, I will have such guilt that our 5 yr old granddaughter will be missing it.
She is already guilting us that we are going on vacation while she will be in kindergarten. She has no idea we are on "Mickey's" boat, or she would really be mad.

 

[wcb100]

Super excited for this...we are going to swim in a volcano pool in Hilo!
if anyone wants to join us, we only found one tour on line like this
http://hawaiicruiseexcursions.com/VolcanoTourHiloHawaii.html