Aulani Cabanas

[WDWmom08]

How far in advance can/should you book a pool cabana? Thanks!

Alicia

 

[lulubelle]

Bumping up to see if we get an answer. I am going in about 90 days and curious what the timeframe is. Don't want to call too soon but don't want to miss out.

 

[Fuhnuh]

We have been three times. The trips were (11/11, 06/12, 11/12) and we booked about 60 days in advance. We were able to get one of the first four cabanas 2/3rd's of the time. We have been told cabana preference goes to whoever books earlier. I already booked for our 6/12 trip because we already know we will want them. I would say that how far you book in advance would depend on how busy it is the time of year you are going and how important a particular cabana area is to you. I would think 45-60 days would be okay for the beginning or middle of May, especially if you do not have a heavy preference for one of the four cabanas around the main pool area. I don't know when the expansion is to be finished, but their are supposed to be a few cabanas in that area also. The expansion will bring more people to the resort, so I am assuming the cabanas may be harder to come by then. Hopefully, more DISers will chime in with their experiences.

 

[cbnsoul]

We are going in June 2013 and I booked one in November or so, just to make sure I got one. They didn't say where I was on the list. Actually, it's a little odd booking over the phone. They just take your name and date without asking for a reservation number. I wasn't sure if that was all they really needed. I ended up canceling one of the two days I had booked and they found me in their system, though, so I guess that really is all they need.

 

[WDWmom08]

Thank you. We're going in July so I guess I better get on it.

 

[Anal Annie]

I don't see a price for the cabanas on the website but I thought I remembered seeing someone post the prices somewhere one time. Anybody know how much they go for? They sure look awfully close together. Do they make you put down a deposit when you reserve one? I might be interested in having one for a day or 2 or an afternoon or 2 but I hate having to schedule every minute of our trip so far in advance. Can I reserve one for a couple of days at 2 or 3 months out then cancel off later what we decide we don't want? Once we get there if we find out we got one in a poor location can we cancel it then or is that a penalty to cancel at the last minute?

 

[erikawolf2004]

I don't see a price for the cabanas on the website but I thought I remembered seeing someone post the prices somewhere one time. Anybody know how much they go for? They sure look awfully close together. Do they make you put down a deposit when you reserve one? I might be interested in having one for a day or 2 or an afternoon or 2 but I hate having to schedule every minute of our trip so far in advance. Can I reserve one for a couple of days at 2 or 3 months out then cancel off later what we decide we don't want? Once we get there if we find out we got one in a poor location can we cancel it then or is that a penalty to cancel at the last minute?

I would like to know this info also....but we are going in March.

 

[cbnsoul]

I can (kinda) answer some of your questions. You can cancel a reservation a few months out and there is no deposit (read my prior post). The price is $250-$300 after taxes. I don't know about last minute cancelations.

 

[WDWmom08]

Well I just called to reserve one for our trip in July. They are fully booked for our entire stay. They did ask for my reservation number. On another note they said the construction completion deadline has been extended until the fall.

 

[okiedokieartichoke]

Cabanas can be booked before you even have a hotel reservation. You can book I believe 1 year in advance. If you have a preference it's best to book as soon as possible. Just a matter of days can be the difference in getting a main pool cabana or getting a (less preferred for some) Menehune Bridge cabana. There is no cancelation fee, currently, if you decide to cancel your reservation, and currently there is no deposit taken. The price is $275+ tax, with 10% off for DVC members. Walk ups are taken for cabanas for half day rentals as well, for 4 hour time slots either for morning or for afternoon for $150 plus tax.

 

[WDWmom08]

I think that's awful that they don't have a cancellation fee. People can book one for their entire stay and ditch it day of without penalty meanwhile I can't book one 5 months out. And there is no wait list.

 

[Anal Annie]

After reading that WDWmom08's entire stay was booked up for her dates in July I just called about availability for our trip in August. While I think we would really prefer to just have one for 1/2 days since they didn't take reservations for 1/2 days I went ahead and reserved one for our first full day and our last full day. I haven't discussed this with DH yet so will likely cancel off 1 of them later when we have a better idea what we're doing on what day. I think it might be nice to have one for our first full day there so we can just relax and enjoy the resort. Interestingly, the girl I spoke to insisted she did not need our reservation number. I asked 3 times and she kept saying no. When I asked about a cancelation policy she said they just need to know the day before and then she said the pool manager would call us day before the reservation to see which area we would like to be in. Then she asked if she could go ahead and make a note on the request and I said we'd like to be in the group closest to the ocean. I asked how many other people had put in for reservations so far and she said we were 3rd on the list for both days.

Unlike what WDWmom08 was told she did not say that the construction was now scheduled to last until fall - she said they just don't have a completion date yet so they won't take reservations for more than the 7 cabanas that they currently have available without that other pool area being done yet. So the availability is definitely limited if they are operating on this premise. Perhaps someone else who visits there soon can get more information about the construction updates. I was also hoping the construction would be done before we go in August. WDWmom08 - if I were you I'd keep close tabs on the construction update thread and would call the resort back periodically if it sounds like you were given bad information about the completion date. With several months to go it's always possible that they WILL finish it and then they MAY have more cabanas open up.

I am glad I called when I did.

 

[blondietink]

Honestly, $275.00 per day is awfully expensive for a cabana, even by Hawaii's inflated standards. We're just going to get an umbrella and park it on the beach.

 

[wdrl]

If I remember correctly, DVC members get a 10% discount on cabana rentals.

 

[Anal Annie]

Honestly, $275.00 per day is awfully expensive for a cabana, even by Hawaii's inflated standards. We're just going to get an umbrella and park it on the beach.

It IS expensive but might be fun for 1 day if we don't have any other excursions planned for that day... Question - is there a charge for the beach umbrellas? If so do DVC members get a discount for them?

If I remember correctly, DVC members get a 10% discount on cabana rentals.

You are correct. When I called yesterday to put our name on the list for one they said we'd get 10% off of the $275. I have read that the ongoing construction is especially noticeable from the cabanas closest to the beach (which is where we would want to be) so if the construction is still not completed when we go then I may cancel just based on why should we pay $250 to listen to jack hammers all day. Apparently now there is some question about whether or not the construction will be done before fall.

 

[aclov]

I just booked my cabana for June and she had all the dates I had requested, but I only booked for one day. I did request certain cabanas but she said the quiet pool was closed until summer and didn't give a specific date She said the way it works is someone will call the day before to assign the cabanas and they are on first come first serve basis but you will get one that day. You can cancel up to one day before. They are currently only doing full days right now.

 

[rpcvpanama]

We rented a cabana for 2 days on our trip in June, last year. Found it well worth the price. The pool gets very crowded and there are not a lot of umbrellas for shade. Having a place to be without having to fight for a chair and shade made it worth the money.

We spent 2 full days just hanging at the pool and the time flew by. Previous posters are correct. It is first come, first served for choice of cabana locations. The sooner you are on the list the higher your priority.

The first day we were booked we had 2nd choice and the second day we got 1st choice. I do believe that if you cancel the day of your reservation there is a charge but you can cancel the day before. They maintain a waitlist for the cabanas and just add someone the day before.

The cabanas have drop down sides and an interior fan, tv, refrigerator and safe. They are close together but you can lower the side curtins and not really be bothered with the people next to you. That being said, we preferred the quiet pool, as at the time there were only 2 cabanas there and it was outside of the pool traffic flow.

If you can afford it I highly recommend the cabanas.

 

[aclov]

Did anyone get an email confirmation or confirmation #? I forgot to ask if I would receive anything, she did find my reservation on file.

 

[Anal Annie]

We rented a cabana for 2 days on our trip in June, last year. Found it well worth the price. The pool gets very crowded and there are not a lot of umbrellas for shade. Having a place to be without having to fight for a chair and shade made it worth the money.

We spent 2 full days just hanging at the pool and the time flew by. Previous posters are correct. It is first come, first served for choice of cabana locations. The sooner you are on the list the higher your priority.

The first day we were booked we had 2nd choice and the second day we got 1st choice. I do believe that if you cancel the day of your reservation there is a charge but you can cancel the day before. They maintain a waitlist for the cabanas and just add someone the day before.

The cabanas have drop down sides and an interior fan, tv, refrigerator and safe. They are close together but you can lower the side curtins and not really be bothered with the people next to you. That being said, we preferred the quiet pool, as at the time there were only 2 cabanas there and it was outside of the pool traffic flow.

If you can afford it I highly recommend the cabanas.

Somebody else mentioned umbrellas for the beach...do you know if those are provided by the resort? Is there a fee for chairs & umbrellas on the beach or should we plan on just going to Costco or Target and buying a cheap one?

Did anyone get an email confirmation or confirmation #? I forgot to ask if I would receive anything, she did find my reservation on file.

They only took my name when I called to reserve one....didn't even take our reservation number (and I offered it 3 times) so there's no way they could send me an email. This booking process doesn't seem to have much consistency.

 

[rpcvpanama]

If I remember there is a fee for the umbrellas and the lounge chairs down by the lagoon as all HI beaches are open to the public and anyone can go to the lagoon/beach near Aulani. I honestly didn't spend that much time at the ocean lagoon. I really enjoy jumping waves and/or surf and at Aulauni there are lagoons so no real surf. I preferred to hang out at the pool. There may be a DVC discount for the beach rentals. The Costco or the Target probably have umbrellas available as well.