Aulani advice

[BLTtinkerbell]

Hello:
I have never stayed at Aulani and my family is thinking June 2022 would be an awesome time to try it. We own at BLT and usually stay there or at 7 months out try to switch to another DVC at WDW. While we love the parks, we are thinking Hawaii could be a nice change for us. We have been on DCL before and enjoyed the Disney theming while relaxing on the cruise.

How difficult would it be to book a two bedroom or GV at 7 months out?

Advice on room view categories?

We would want to explore offsite a bit, in addition to relaxing/exploring Aulani Resort. What are your suggestions for total newbies?

Our children and their significant others are all in their 20’s. No small children, just adults.

When looking at the points charts, our nights would be in two different categories, based on the dates. How does that work?

We are traveling from the east coast. Do you recommend 7 nights at Aulani?

Thank you for any advice.

 

[Lilsia]

Depending on what time of year you are going. The 2 bedrooms should be OK to book, but I would book that day that it opens up. We would rather stay longer then have a view, but we do like the Island garden view. Aulani is amazingly beautiful, as is the whole Island. Our last stay was 16 nights and it was not enough. Rent a car for your stay(rent early) and go out and about to explore. I would figure out what your family wants to do on their Hawaiian vacation and go from there. There are a ton of websites that have "must dos" for Oahu.

 

[Daisy7425]

Itinerary advice for newbies:
1. adventure tour at Koala https://www.kualoa.com
2. Pearl Harbor
3. Shave ice at motsumoto's
4. Drive along the north shore and pull off at waysides and get out and watch the surfers
5. Luau (we did the one at Aulani and loved it)

Will Aulani/Oahu be your only stop? If not and you plan to spend a week in Maui or something else, then yes 7 nights will be enough for Aulani. If you will only be in Hawaii for seven days, I would suggest longer. The time zone changes from the east coast can be difficult. The first day you'll wake up super early and be tired. By the time you adjust, you'll only have a few days before you leave. If you want to send me a DM, feel free. I can share my trip planning document with you that lays out what we did each day for our itinerary.

 

[KarBol]

Hello:
I have never stayed at Aulani and my family is thinking June 2022 would be an awesome time to try it. We own at BLT and usually stay there or at 7 months out try to switch to another DVC at WDW. While we love the parks, we are thinking Hawaii could be a nice change for us. We have been on DCL before and enjoyed the Disney theming while relaxing on the cruise.

How difficult would it be to book a two bedroom or GV at 7 months out?

Advice on room view categories?

We would want to explore offsite a bit, in addition to relaxing/exploring Aulani Resort. What are your suggestions for total newbies?

Our children and their significant others are all in their 20’s. No small children, just adults.

When looking at the points charts, our nights would be in two different categories, based on the dates. How does that work?

We are traveling from the east coast. Do you recommend 7 nights at Aulani?

Thank you for any advice.

We just returned from an 8 day stay with 7 children all in their 20's. We stayed 3 nights in Waikiki and 5 at Aulani. We are also from the east coast and it was our first time going. We had a wedding to attend so we stayed the 3 nights in Waikiki because that's where the shuttle was picking everyone up to and from the venue. It was nice...lots going on, shopping, night life and beaches but we preferred the Aulani resort and area much better.

Book at 7 months out...don't wait. We stayed in a 2 bedroom garden view room 877 which was smack in the middle of the Aulani Luau so it was perfect. I think that was the Ewa Tower, the tower to the left as you face the resort. Anyway having the Luau right outside our balcony was very fun. We went to the Paradise Cove Luau so we actually got to compare the 2 for the price of 1! The 2 bedroom fit 9 of us comfortably. My sister and BIL stayed in a studio 3 doors down the hall from us.

Rent a car. Do it early and check rates. Right now there is a rental shortage so booking early saved us $$. We paid 65.00/day and were told the going rate for the same vehicle now is at 350.00/day.

We arrived Friday afternoon, stayed at Alohalini Resort in Waikiki for 3 nights. We took a direct flight out of JFK...was just over 9 hours. Had the wedding on Saturday and on Sunday we hit the ground running!

We spent a whole day at Pearl Harbor.

We did our grocery shopping at Walmart and hit the Safeway next door for our meats. We were a party of 11 so we cooked breakfast and planned on cooking dinner for 3 days. I had 250.00 gift cards from my credit card points so I used them at Walmart for groceries.

Had one resort day... the Luau was right next door at Paradise Cove.
A few kids booked a spa day and said it was fabulous.
I golfed at Ko Olina with 3 kids...young adults but I still refer to them as kids...and it was fabulous! We paid 100.00/pp for 9 holes and rental clubs and cart. Was an easy 5 minute walk across the street from Aulani. Fantastic beautiful course!

We went to the North Shore twice. We snorkeled at Sharks Cove. Saw the Turtles at Laniakea Beach. Hit the food trucks and had the shaved ice. I must say the shaved ice by the food trucks up north was much better in our opinion them Matsumoto shaved ice in Haleiwa. We shopped in Haleiwa and saw a slew of food trucks in that area as we headed back to Aulani. Having spent 2 days north we still wish we could have tried ALL the food trucks there. They really are delicious. We also went to Turtle Bay and spent a few hours swimming/snorkeling there.

We drove to Diamond Head while we were in Waikiki and got there to late to get in so we went to Koko Head and did that hike.
We hit Leonards Malasada truck by Koko Head. They are delicious! Stopped at the Blow Hole. Went a little further north on the east side of island and stopped at a few lookout points and beaches. Stopped at the macadamia nut farm.

Things we will do NEXT time...just couldnt do it with a party of 11...
Polynesian Cultural Center
Kualoa Ranch
Catamaran excursion

We were going to snorkel at Hanauma Bay but we had seen so many fish at Sharks Cove snorkeling we didnt want to drop 50.00/pp (admission and snorkeling equipment) at Hanauma when we basically just did it for 3.00/pp. Having said that when I go back again with a much smaller crowd we probably will snorkel at Hanuama Bay.

I would recommend as many nights as you can at Aulani. Get a car and you will have plenty to do and see. The airport was a 20 minute drive from Aulani. The North Shore was about a 45 minute drive because of the traffic up there.

We flew home at 3:00pm Hawaii time Saturday and arrived in JFK Sunday morning at 6:30 am. We were all pretty tired but it was worth the trip!

Hope there is some sort of useful information here! Good luck!

 

[leslimed]

This is very interesting.

 

[nkereina]

How difficult would it be to book a two bedroom or GV at 7 months out?

I agree with PP to book it the first morning you're eligible. Be flexible with dates, room types, views. June is one of the busiest months at Aulani, presumably because of summer breaks.

Another option would be to do a split stay with fewer nights at Aulani, which would be easier to book. Aulani is in a more remote part of the island in the isolated tourist community of Ko Olina. Lots of people choose to do split stays in Waikiki or on other islands for this reason. This isn't always feasible if you're relying on your points to subsidize hotel cost, but something to consider.

What are your suggestions for total newbies?

Depends on what you like.... there's lots of suggestions for history, culture, adventure, sightseeing, shopping, dining, etc. IMO, Pearl Harbor is a must do. We also loved the North Shore area and the movie tour at Kualoa Ranch. We stayed 3 nights in Waikiki before our Aulani stay, and loved that area so I would definitely visit Waikiki again if we didn't stay there. We spent an afternoon in Kailua where, IMO, the beaches are much better than the leeward side where Aulani is. We'd spend a full day in Kailua whenever we return.

We are traveling from the east coast. Do you recommend 7 nights at Aulani?

We come from the east coast too. 7 nights is manageable, 10+ nights is best. Its a 6 hour time difference in the summer (Hawaii does not observe daylight savings), so it took us a solid 2-3 days to adjust when we arrived.

As I mentioned above, I would prefer a split stay versus staying at Aulani for the duration. With kids in their 20s, they may want some variety or some nightlife - Aulani/Ko Olina is not it. Its a very family friendly community (read: parents with kids), and its very quiet with little to do after dinner. We stayed on our honeymoon and were in our room by 8:30-9pm watching Netflix each night. There's much more going on in the Waikiki area, which is likely more the speed of people in their 20s. Additionally, it allows you to plan your sightseeing based on location which makes it efficient since traffic can be such a nightmare at times around the island.

 

[Karen Willett]

We arrived Friday afternoon, stayed at Alohalini Resort in Waikiki for 3 nights. We took a direct flight out of JFK...was just over 9 hours. Had the wedding on Saturday and on Sunday we hit the ground running!

Do you mind telling me how you like Alohalini Resort? How long did it take from the airport to get there? We are staying there at the end of our trip. thanks. Any good happy hours close by?

 

[tankin]

Your 7 month out question is a lot like WDW. Some times of the year, it will be easy but a Christmas it might be "interesting."

We own at Aulani and my preference is for Island rooms. There are some with partial ocean views and I'd rather save the points... Its almost impossible to get a standard room.

Must do in our book for first timers...
1. PH (it would also be 2, 3, 4 & 5). Way too much history to skip on your first trip.
2. North shore... I would say a stop at turtle beach, watch the surfers (depending on the time of the year), food trucks and PCC (if your budget allows).
3. Trolley tour of Waikiki
4. Diamond Head hike, if able
5. Kualoa Ranch
6. Dole Plantation (short stop)
7. Luau
8. Resort "relax" day. The spa is one of my favorites anywhere.

A number of these can be combined into extended days but they combine a mixture of the "touristy" things with what make HI unique.

 

[Inga]

Your 7 month out question is a lot like WDW. Some times of the year, it will be easy but a Christmas it might be "interesting."

We own at Aulani and my preference is for Island rooms. There are some with partial ocean views and I'd rather save the points... Its almost impossible to get a standard room.

We just secured 7 days in an island view studio at the 7 month window for Feb - any recommendations on room numbers for some view of ocean and/or luau? Looked on the room view posts and not a lot of island view studios in there to see what the best view is.

What I have heard thus far is to request, for island view: Ewa Tower; Highest floor above 9; Room ending in 71-79

Thanks

Inga

 

[Lilsia]

We just secured 7 days in an island view studio at the 7 month window for Feb - any recommendations on room numbers for some view of ocean and/or luau? Looked on the room view posts and not a lot of island view studios in there to see what the best view is.

What I have heard thus far is to request, for island view: Ewa Tower; Highest floor above 9; Room ending in 71-79

Thanks

Inga

I would keep it simple with Ewa tower, high floor, luau view. Giving specific room numbers, even those "ending in" is too specific for them to accommodate.

 

[tankin]

What I have heard thus far is to request, for island view: Ewa Tower; Highest floor above 9; Room ending in 71-79

I think that's about the room block we requested and got on our last trip (it was a great view) but you might want to expand your request.... room ending in 73, 79 or 85 / Highest floor available ... Keep in mind that on most floors you only have 2 rooms available (73/79) with 85 only kicking at 9 and below. Good Luck!

 

[jodybird511]

I would keep it simple with Ewa tower, high floor, luau view. Giving specific room numbers, even those "ending in" is too specific for them to accommodate.

General probably is better, but we always go with the "ending in" for requesting our standard view villas, and we have always gotten what we requested, so...

 

[pjacobi]

4. Diamond Head hike, if able

Know this *before* attempting to hike Diamond Head!

On my day at Diamond Head, I saw several that failed the hike. They had to strapped into a litter and lower to the ground by helicopter. Some were adults, but one was a young girl about age 10. The bill for emergency services can be $10,000+ or more. Even if you have heath insurance, the deductible can still be thousands of dollars.

Accidents can happen, but I suspect most cases were due to not properly preparing enough food and water which is entirely preventable.


-Paul

 

[nkereina]

Know this *before* attempting to hike Diamond Head!

On my day at Diamond Head, I saw several that failed the hike. They had to strapped into a litter and lower to the ground by helicopter. Some were adults, but one was a young girl about age 10. The bill for emergency services can be $10,000+ or more. Even if you have heath insurance, the deductible can still be thousands of dollars.

Accidents can happen, but I suspect most cases were due to not properly preparing enough food and water which is entirely preventable.


-Paul

Good warning. We did a bus tour to Diamond Head from our Waikiki hotel. There were a few in our group who were unable to make it all the way to the top. We thankfully didn't see anyone air lifted, but they went as far as they thought they could and turned around. DH and I are two able-bodied, averaged size adults in our mid-30s and we found Diamond Head more challenging than we ever anticipated, especially considering what a big tourist attraction it is. The trail is in direct sun and its narrow. If you're not there first thing in the morning, its quite hot and crowded and leaves no room for "pulling over" to take a break if needed. We also saw people trying to do it in flip flops, jeans... its a true hike and needs appropriate clothing and footwear. After we were done, we couldn't do anything until we went back to our hotel and showered and changed, we were sweaty messes in workout clothes.

 

[jodybird511]

Good warning. We did a bus tour to Diamond Head from our Waikiki hotel. There were a few in our group who were unable to make it all the way to the top. We thankfully didn't see anyone air lifted, but they went as far as they thought they could and turned around. DH and I are two able-bodied, averaged size adults in our mid-30s and we found Diamond Head more challenging than we ever anticipated, especially considering what a big tourist attraction it is. The trail is in direct sun and its narrow. If you're not there first thing in the morning, its quite hot and crowded and leaves no room for "pulling over" to take a break if needed. We also saw people trying to do it in flip flops, jeans... its a true hike and needs appropriate clothing and footwear. After we were done, we couldn't do anything until we went back to our hotel and showered and changed, we were sweaty messes in workout clothes.

Agreed. This was definitely more challenging than I had anticipated. We were 2 adults in our mid-40s, our 18 yo daughter, and our 11 yo son. This was definitely not an "easy walk," and we hike quite a bit as a family. Although our 11 yo made it to the top, he was definitely overheated and not feeling great by the time he got there. Of note, there is a refreshment stand at the bottom, and their prices were really good, IMO--especially given the hot and tired captive audience. They had shave ice, Dole whip, smoothies, fresh fruit, and some other items.

 

[jimmymc]

2 BR or GV should be no problem at 7 months. Standard view might be gone, but the rest should still be available.

Pool views can be louder in the morning. Partial ocean views are usually just ocean views on lower floors, so I think they're a good value. Check which tower to request. One of them is closer to the restaurants and kids club, while the other is closer to the spa and adult pool.

For stays in 2 different point date ranges, you pay one price for part of the trip and one price for the other part, but it's all the same reservation.

7 nights is the absolute minimum for a trip from the east coast. I'm also east coast, and it took 2 days to adjust to the time difference, plus your last day is usually a half day.

Try to book something at the spa, even the cheapest treatment that gets you access to the hydrotherapy garden.

Offsite recommendations:
1. Get a car. Busses exist but are very slow.
2. Pearl Harbor, plus the nearby submarine and USS Missouri.
3. North shore. Stop in Haleiwa for lunch and shave ice, then go to Kawela Bay beach park for some impressive short trails and a secluded beach. Waimea Valley is also impressive.
4. Eat or drink something from the Sunrise Shack. They have smoothies, smoothie, bowls, and iced coffee, and they are all amazing.
5. Leonard's malasadas. There is a truck closer to Aulani if you don't want to make the long drive.
6. Hike to Ka'ena point. It's a longer but totally flat hike and very cool.
7. Makapu'u Point, walk up to the lighthouse.
8. Snorkel in Hanauma Bay.
9. If you or the kids are in really good shape, hike the Koko Crater stairs. This hike is no joke.
10. Find the little food places. Near Aulani, try Loco Moco BBQ.

 

[LilyJC]

9. If you or the kids are in really good shape, hike the Koko Crater stairs. This hike is no joke.

Definitely want to emphasize this as others made comments on Diamond Head’s difficulty. We’re a pretty active family, but I knew our first hike should be Koko Head Stairs. My youngest who is almost 13 was freaked out by this hike, but she made it to the top (tears were shed for sure though). While we were at the top, a couple people were rescued by helicopter. It’s a short hike, but it is intense!

​

Thankfully the kids thought the other hikes we did were easy peasy after this one. If Diamond Head is found to be difficult, I certainly would skip Koko Head Stairs.

 

[jimmymc]

Definitely want to emphasize this as others made comments on Diamond Head’s difficulty. We’re a pretty active family, but I knew our first hike should be Koko Head Stairs. My youngest who is almost 13 was freaked out by this hike, but she made it to the top (tears were shed for sure though). While we were at the top, a couple people were rescued by helicopter. It’s a short hike, but it is intense!

View attachment 590978

View attachment 590979​

Thankfully the kids thought the other hikes we did were easy peasy after this one. If Diamond Head is found to be difficult, I certainly would skip Koko Head Stairs.

The hike back down was even more brutal. Easier physically, but tougher mentally.