A Few First Timer Questions

[DisneyDre]

My parents will be heading to Aulani soon and I have a few questions to ask for them. We have gone to Disney Parks and other destinations, but never Aulani so this is all new for them.

I know they do not have magical express so what I have read is most people rent a car. Where is a good place to rent from? And is there a charge to park your car at the resort?

Since they will be renting a car, where are some good places to check out? I know they will be doing Pearl Harbor and maybe some scuba diving.

Where is a good place to buy some food and alcohol for the room? I know they wont wanna eat at the resort every day, so any off site places to eat that you recommend?

And I know the resort is very large, where in the resort have you stayed? What did you like and not like about your room location?

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions!

 

[crystal1313]

We only rented a car for one day at the Alamo at Aulani, we used SpeediShuttle to and from the airport. Hopefully others can chime in on renting cars! I believe the fee for parking is $37 a night.

We did Pearl Harbor and reserved our tickets online 2 months in advance. You can also reserve them online the morning before the day you want to go, or they can get there super early am to line up. But there is a chance they will not get tickets. Also, I have read that earlier in the morning is better. If it gets too windy, they cancel the tours. Here is the link:

http://www.recreation.gov/showPage....&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72369&page=memorial

There is a Costco, Target and Safeway one exit away from Aulani. We hit up Costco and saved a lot of money by eating breakfast and lunch in our room and 3 nights, we ate dinner in our room as well. Also saved a ton on drinks as beer/cocktails are very expensive at the resort. Monkeypod across the street was really, really good. We did not try it, but I have read great things about the pizza place across the street too. And there is also a Roy's.

We were in the Waianae tower, on the third floor (same floor as the lobby) and we faced the adult pool. Would have loved an ocean view, but were not willing to pay a ton more for that. I loved our room location. Room was quick and easy to get to and room was super quiet! We never heard anyone in the halls. Occasionally we heard carts outside, because cast members were taking things to and from Ulu cafe, but we only heard that if our doors were open. We paid for a standard view and were upgraded to island gardens view at check in.

Hope that helps!!

 

[Janrantoo2]

Things I've enjoyed are:
Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay - keep in mind that rush hour traffic across the Honolulu/Waikiki area is as bad, if not worse than, LA. It's best to get there early.

Polynesian Cultural Center - Friendly, entertaining shows from the different islands if Polynesia. We've driven ourselves there and taken their shuttle that picked us up at a hotel next to ours in Waikiki. Our shuttle driver was hilarious! I don't know if they pick up in the Ko'olina area. My sisters family did the full Ambassador pkg. She cringed at the price, but said it was worth every penny.

North Shore Drive - Shaved ice at Matsumoto's in Haleiwa, food trucks along Kamehameha Hwy, North shore famous surfing beaches.

Monkey pod Kitchen - Across the street. I've eaten at the Maui restaurant 3 times and love it! Based on reviews here, the quality is the same. A nice alternative to the pricey and sometimes questionable restaurant quality at the Aulani. I'll find out for myself in January.

The parking is free if you are a DVC member or are staying at Aulani thru another members points.

 

[nkereina]

Unless they are DVC members staying on points, parking at Aulani is about $37 per day so it can add quite an expense to their trip if they have a car for the duration. Unless they think they will be using the car daily, a lot of people will rent a car from Alamo at the airport, stop at the exit just before Aulani to hit Costco/Target/Safeway for groceries and alcohol, and then return to the car to the onsite Alamo at Aulani when they arrive. They can re-rent a different car from the onsite Alamo during their trip if they want to go anywhere, and they can either arrange a shuttle or rent a car for their last day to get back to the airport. The only thing I'd caution is that I've read Alamo at Aulani can run out of cars, especially during busy season, so they'd want to plan and pre-arrange any day rentals they may want to do.

 

[Elima2015]

Costco has the least expensive rental cars. Parking at Aulani is $37/day (ouch!) if not staying on points. If we were sans small children, I would go to Pearl Harbor and hike Diamond Head. We went to the North Shore and I really liked the vibe of the area. The Swap Meet was great for inexpensive souvenirs - we also had some really good fruit there. One freeway exit away from the resort is a grocery store, drug store, Costco, Target. We bought food from there to keep in our rooms - never ate breakfast out and most lunches were in. Saved a bunch of $$ and had healthier food. Ordered pizza from across the street one night and that was yummy. Monkeypod was worth it. There were also a few restaurants near the grocery store area that were fine.