Aulani for less than rack rates

[kariyava]

I am considering the possibility of a 3 night stay at Aulani, but I don't want to pay rack rates (who does?) Other than renting DVC points (which I might, if they are available), and looking out for official Disney promotions (which tend to apply to longer stays or off season stays so I'm not counting on it), are there any other ways to get even a small discount on a room (like through third party sites, travel agents, etc.) or is that a pipe dream?

 

[jodybird511]

I am considering the possibility of a 3 night stay at Aulani, but I don't want to pay rack rates (who does?) Other than renting DVC points (which I might, if they are available), and looking out for official Disney promotions (which tend to apply to longer stays or off season stays so I'm not counting on it), are there any other ways to get even a small discount on a room (like through third party sites, travel agents, etc.) or is that a pipe dream?

I'm not sure if there are other places to get discounts other than official Disney promos; however, I would vote for renting points if that is a possibility, b/c that will likely be significantly cheaper than even a discounted room rate. When are you looking to travel?

 

[kariyava]

Thanks -- that is what I suspected since I couldn't find anything else online with a quick search. I am looking at July, which I am sure is busy. No official discounts for that timeframe at the moment. I'll look into DVC availability.

 

[jodybird511]

Thanks -- that is what I suspected since I couldn't find anything else online with a quick search. I am looking at July, which I am sure is busy. No official discounts for that timeframe at the moment. I'll look into DVC availability.

If you're seriously considering it, I would proceed immediately. Just checked July availability and it is EXTREMELY limited, particularly for studios and 1-bedrooms. Mostly, there are single days available, but I did see a couple longer groupings of days.

 

[corgi_monster]

There are a bunch of people on the DVC rental forums that are trying to dump last minute points. If you can find someone renting at $15/point you could snag a villa for just a little more (possible less) than a regular room. If you have more than 2 adults, it may even be cheaper since you won't have to pay the $100 for the 3rd and 4th adults.

Dave's has two 3-night dedicated reservations for multi-room villas available for booking on their site as well: https://dvcrequest.com/dvc-guests/dedicated-reservations-for-rent

If you know someone who lives in Hawaii, you can get a kamaaina discount if the person stays in the room with you.

Aulani also offers military discounts, but I'm not sure what the terms and conditions are.

If you know someone who works for Disney you can also get a friend's and family discount.

Renting points, especially if renting directly from the owner, will almost always offer better prices than the above.

 

[orion2185]

You wont really find any "deals" with 3rd party booking companies (bookingDOTcom,Expedia and so forth). You can find deal time to time direct with Aulani.
However, for cost savings renting DVC points is going to be the best deal out there. Your stay will be a fraction of the cost.
We are Aulani DVC owners..depending upon travel dates and room type...you can find limited to no availability.
If you rent DVC points you would be best to find a Aulani owner and take advantage of the 11 month booking window. Otherwise you can only book 7 months out. Which depend on travel dates and room type..might not be an issue. However, during peak season your best to book as far in advance as you can.

 

[Jocelynaus]

Aulani is on Priceline and after months of looking I did see it show up for a few nights as a blind booking. It was last minute and short though. Also only 9% more off.

renting points was a better deal.

 

[jkips]

I do see there are a lot of openings for DVC members or renters looking to use points in the near term. There must be a lot of cancelations going through right now.

 

[ClapYourHands]

The only thing to keep in mind is that if you rent points, that's it. They are usually final sale (which is why the dedicated bookings are less than others - the DVC owner has to find someone for that particular trip). If you go this route, you might want to consider buying trip insurance. It won't protect you if you decide not to go because you get spooked about COVID19, but if you're sick or there are travel restrictions, you're covered.

 

[corgi_monster]

I do see there are a lot of openings for DVC members or renters looking to use points in the near term. There must be a lot of cancelations going through right now.

Aulani (both the DVC and hotel side) is marketed very heavily to the Japanese market. Airlines have reduced their Japan <—> Hawaii routes and the Japanese are choosing not to travel. Honolulu Festival, a huge multi-day event, was cancelled because the Japanese groups refused to fly to Hawaii.

Hawaii was expecting a large influx of Japanese visitors for Golden Week at the end of April/Early May so I would look to see if DVC rooms start opening up during that time.

I’m checking the Aulani website everyday to see if they drop some kamaaina specials.

 

[anguyen]

If you book your Aulani reservation through Costco Travel, you will get a Costco gift card. I am going to book our room through the Dreams Unlimited travel agency. They will give each person in the party a free refillable mug to use at Aulani. It isn't a huge savings but it is nice to get that for free.

 

[Rapunsel]

Costco. It was comparable and easy. Comes with a rental car. I know I have to most to park it but we want to sight see!

 

[corgi_monster]

A bunch of dedicated Aulani reservations have popped up on Dave’s:

https://dvcrequest.com/dvc-guests/dedicated-reservations-for-rent