nzdisneymom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2003
- Messages
- 6,094
OP, you've gotten a lot of good responses. We have been to Aulani and we have cruised over spring break (albeit not on Fantasy). Have you done a price comparison between the two? That might make a difference for you. I think either will be a good choice. Aulani is beautiful and relaxing, and of course a cruise is also relaxing if you want it to be. There is more for the kids to do and be entertained with direct supervision from CMs on the cruise ship than at Aulani, so it depends on how the kids travel as to which might be better for them. Our boys spent more time just hanging out in the room at Aulani than anything else, but they enjoyed themselves. They are more active on cruises. But to be fair, my kids are not outdoor kids, not beach kids. On the other hand, I absolutely loved being up at sunrise and out in the water before it got busy. And the sunsets were beautiful. I was more relaxed during our stay at Aulani, plus we stayed in a 1BR unit which was more space than a cruise ship cabin
Food was more of an issue at Aulani because there isn't nearly the on-site selection as you get on a cruise, and of course you have to pay for everything as you go
But you can always bring in supplies. No one came in to make the beds every day (we stayed on DVC points).We treated the days at Aulani much like we do port days on a cruise - we made day-trip plans and drove all over Oahu but still had time for naps and walks and just hanging out. There are also interesting things to do on property at Aulani like guided tours with history and art/culture talks, much like you might find on sea days on a cruise.
So I guess for us, we would do a budget and see how much we thought the trip to Hawaii would cost versus the trip on the Fantasy - and if they were even in price, we'd either flip a coin or see which one we could get in at.
