Aulani - Car rental and aiport timing.

[MarriedAtDisney]

Hi everyone. Planning our trip for next March. We'll be staying 5 days at the Marriott timeshare close to Aulani, and then 6 days at Aulani. I'm looking at flights back to LAX that are early...like 7 or 8 am. I'm worried about traffic from Aulani back to HNL and having to return the car rental. I've thought about using a car service to/from the hotel and renting a car from Alamo at Aulani. We won't need the car then entire 11 days - so renting less will offset the taxi/car costs.

A few questions for those in the know.

1. If we have an 8am flight out of HNL, what time should we leave Aulani to be stress-free? With and without a rental car. I'll have our two kids with us and do not want to be running thru the terminal.

2. Will it be a lot faster not having to return the rental car at HNL? I'm assuming the rental location is not at the terminal which means drop off, bus trip, etc.

3. I looked at renting from Alamo directly (holy moly) but their rates are double the cost of renting at the airport. However, I found a discount site (discount Hawaii car rental - I have NO affiliation!) that seems to have a great rate. Does anyone have any experience with using discount services in HI? Any other advice to get a cheaper rate at Alamo?

4. Assuming we figure the car rental stuff out... any suggestions on car service? Two adults, two kids (9 and 11) we'll each have a carry-on and backpack and maybe one checked bag. Would prefer a private car.

Anything I'm missing? Really appreciate all the help!!

 

[3monkeys4me]

I can't answer most of your questions since our trip hasn't happened yet, but if you are a Costco member check their rental prices out. But for all the agencies, keep checking! When I first started looking the rates I was finding for rental cars were $600-$800 for a full sized car for 11 days. I ended up booking through Costco when they had a price drop, my final price was $370.

Not booking a car wasn't an option for us, since we have a ton of stuff planned. Plus we are only at Aulani for 5 days to start our trip off, then we are staying with friends for the rest of the trip. I now I have seen a few places that have a flat rate from HNL to Aulani though.

Happy Planning!

 

[pinner33]

i rented fullsize car from Alamo fro our trip next week and it came to $175 including tax and thats about the same price as i got last march.Yes you have to take a shuttle to pickup the car but it left right away and didnt take much time.I think if i remember right the price changed a few time and i had to check a few times to get good price

 

[CailinFig]

We had a flight out of HNL at 8AM on a weekday and left Aulani around 5-5:15AM. Traffic was no prob on the carpool lane and non-existent until we got closer to honolulu. If you want to be extra cautious, leave a little before 5AM. Is your departure on a weekday?

Yes, the rental car drop off is not at the terminal and requires a shuttle to get back at the airport. My husband usually drops me and the kids with all the luggage at the terminal while he returns the car. It does take time for him to get back.

I agree with previous posters that using the Cosrco car rental program gave us the best pricing. Prices drop usually a couple months prior to our trips so I rebook and save a couple hundred dollars. We found it easiest to just keep the car for spontaneous trips and also to not have to hassle with re-installing car seats.

 

[MarriedAtDisney]

Thanks everyone!! I was too nervous with an 8am flight so we decided to take the later one at 1pm. That let's us leave the resort at a reasonable hour and avoid the morning rush. It also simplified our rental car situation. We were able to rent thru Costco and found them to be cheaper than any other option - including USAA.

Really appreciate everyone's advice!!!

 

[CailinFig]

Thanks everyone!! I was too nervous with an 8am flight so we decided to take the later one at 1pm. That let's us leave the resort at a reasonable hour and avoid the morning rush. It also simplified our rental car situation. We were able to rent thru Costco and found them to be cheaper than any other option - including USAA. Really appreciate everyone's advice!!!

After our 8am flight, I decided never to do that again. We booked the 1pm flight last time. Next time I want to try the 10pm flight and just *sleep* on the plane.