Aulani - here now - post your questions

[gonzalj1]

Oh boy, do I agree with you on that one! On top of it all, I got a whopping female infection from that hot tub that my doctor told me comes from diaper age children being in the hot tub. Such a beautiful infinity edge hot tub with a magnificent view, but not at all enjoyable when you have to share it with playing children. I will NEVER go in another Disney hot tub after that experience. There needs to be at least ONE that is adults only.

Are there any new Adult Only Areas?... either an Adult Only Pool or special section for the loungers? We really enjoyed our stay at Aulani last February, but felt overwhelmed by children everywhere... especially unsupervised children in the hot tubs.

We haven't had a problem with kids in the hot tubs. Sure, there's been one or two but they've been well behaved and never a problem so far.

Thank you for being willing to answer questions. Can you tell me if there is a height or age requirement for the waterslides and the lazy river? DGD will be 3 1/2 yrs. when we travel. Can someone go down the slides with her?

I have seen some very little ones (3 or 4) heading down the slides. I also haven't seen a height requirement posted. But my little ones are both big enough for just about anything so I'm not necessarily looking for the sign. I'll check for you later.

Do one bedrooms have a dining size table? And, only 1 bath or 1.5?

Has anyone found good sushi and/or other dinners to go nearby aulani.

Or, a local type sushi place right nearby to eat in.

Thank you!

A full size dining table with a bench and a couple of pull up ottomans. You can easily seat the capacity of the room.

1 bathroom divided into two rooms. One room has the hot tub and a sink and the other has the toilet, sink and shower.

Maybe we will catch up with you when we check in on Saturday as well!

By the time you read this, hope you had a great cruise!

---Paul in Southern NJ

It was a good cruise Paul. Thanks. Hope you made it in safe yesterday. What do you think of the place so far?

This is such a good thread. Thank you to all with experience. I have a few questions too as we will be going to Aulani in March 2014.

1. Is the Target a Super Target? I know we're in Hawaii but two or three nights of our 12 we would like to beach it and eat in. Can I get supplies to grill (chicken or Hamb) and lunch supplies for picnics?

2. We were thinking of the following restaurants any thoughts?
AMU AMU
Paradise cove
Roy's
PCC luau
Monkey Pod
Germains Luau
Naupaka Terrace (JW Marriot)

3. Can you book the Fire school surf lessons at Aulani or should you book those before you leave home?

4. Are any of the dinner/sunset cruises worth it?

5. We plan to go to Pearl Harbor (early Morning), Dole Plantation, North Shore, and PCC. Not really hikers- what other sites do you recommend?

6. Is one beach better than another at the North Shore?

I know these are a lot of questions but there really isn't another area to ask them. TIA

Super Target. Looked like a full grocery store to me.

We enjoyed Ama Ama, Paradise Cove and Monkeypod. You have a lot of Luaus on that list. The food will be pretty much the same at each.

So 2 bathrooms?

1 - split into two rooms. In a 1 BR at least,

Hope you enjoy your cruise. If you have time when you get back to Aulani, would you check to see whether PBS is one of the TV stations on the Aulani lineup? I will be there during Downton Abbey season and am embarrassed to say that it is the one TV show I don't like to miss.

Doesn't look like it. Set those DVRs at home!

Hi - thanks for doing this! I will be at Aulani on the 26th. Is there any pin trading at Aulani?

Yes. Not as conspicuous as in the parks but they definitely have books with pins in the General store.

Are there any activities for a pregnant mother?

I believe the spa has an expectant mothers service. Other than that the resort is filled with pools, beaches and lazy rivers. There are also plenty of activities around the resort like lei making, shopping, star gazing etc that would be fine for a pregnant woman.

 

[gonzalj1]

Two questions:


Any way to get a daily/ iwa(??) scanned in or anyone know where to find recent ones-curious about group/ adult allowed activities


How far is north shore from aulani and is the drive treacherous-I'm a chicken and can't drive along cliffs like I heard is on the east coast of island

Thank you do much for any info yall

I wont be able to scan until I get home. The north shore is only about 30-40 minuites away based on traffic. We made it most of the way there yesterday on our way to the Dole plantation. THe ride is mostly on highways with no cliffs that I saw. BTW... Do not do the road to Hana on Maui if you don't like cliffs.

 

[gumbypee]

Thanks-I won't be there til beginning of October so I can wait for scans

I will only have two days at aulani ( after cruise) is north shore worth the time away to say I have seen it? Hot surfers?

 

[gonzalj1]

Thanks-I won't be there til beginning of October so I can wait for scans

I will only have two days at aulani ( after cruise) is north shore worth the time away to say I have seen it? Hot surfers?

Hitting the North Shore tomorrow for surf lessons. I'll let u know.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Thanks for offering to answer questions. Those of us in the planning stages, appreciate it.

Three things we are currently planning that maybe you could assist with some insight:

1. Having just done the Dole plantation tour, are you feeling,"Wow! That was great! So glad we did it!" or more, "Eh, could have spent those hours on something better." we have heard mixed things.

2. We will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary while at Aulani. We want to do something special on the night of. We were looking at Ama Ama as a choice. How was it? Would you do it for the special celebration evening? Have you eaten somewhere else you would recommend instead? Or done something (luau, special experience, etc.) that you would suggest for an anniversary night celebration over Ama Ama?

3. Is there a luau you would recommend?

Thanks! Have fun at your surf lesson (how did you book that?),

- Dreams

 

[wdrl]

How far is north shore from aulani and is the drive treacherous-I'm a chicken and can't drive along cliffs like I heard is on the east coast of island

Thank you do much for any info yall

Let me jump in and try to answer your question.

The drive along the North Shore on Hwy 83 doesn't involve hardly any cliff driving, at least up to the Turtle Bay area. Most of the time you can see the ocean, but there are many times that shrubbery and ocean front homes will obscure your view. The drive from Aulani to H2/99, which takes you to Hwy 83, has no cliff driving at all. You'll pass a lot of farmland, but no cliffs.

I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.

We did the drive in September and this was our first view of the North Shore. We were a mile or two away from Hwy 83 at this point:

 

[gumbypee]

Thank you very much for your help-pic looks gorgeous!

 

[gonzalj1]

Thanks for offering to answer questions. Those of us in the planning stages, appreciate it.

Three things we are currently planning that maybe you could assist with some insight:

1. Having just done the Dole plantation tour, are you feeling,"Wow! That was great! So glad we did it!" or more, "Eh, could have spent those hours on something better." we have heard mixed things.

2. We will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary while at Aulani. We want to do something special on the night of. We were looking at Ama Ama as a choice. How was it? Would you do it for the special celebration evening? Have you eaten somewhere else you would recommend instead? Or done something (luau, special experience, etc.) that you would suggest for an anniversary night celebration over Ama Ama?

3. Is there a luau you would recommend?

Thanks! Have fun at your surf lesson (how did you book that?),

- Dreams

Dole plantation was an Eh. But we only had Dole whips and did the maze. Maybe with some of the tours it would have been more educational?

AMA AMA was beautiful at sunset. A nice place to spend a special occasion. I hear good things about Roy's across the street but haven't been there.

We only did Paradise Cove which is a short walk from Aulani. It was good. Nice show decent food. Every luau we checked had mixed reviews so we decided to go to the closest one. Nice to walk home after 3 drinks.

We booked the surf lessons on our own. Google buttons surf lessons for the one we found.

 

[psimon]

We checked in Saturday night. Flight landed at 5:40, and by the time we got our luggage, got out rental car, drove to Target near Aulani and got settled in our room it was 7:30. Our Family Dinner delivered at 8:00. I highly recommend it as an easy way to get dinner after a long day of travel. No need to search for a restaurant.

Today we did Dole Plantation (did the walking tour (eh) and the train tour (more informative). From there we continued to the North shore and around the East side of the island. Many stops along the way including Ted's bakery, Giovanni's shrimp truck, numerous stops for coastal pictures, Tropical Farms Macadamia nut farm, the Byoda palace and the Pali lookout. Was back at Aulani by 5:30 for our 6:00pm dinner at Monkeypod (excellent!)

Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor and the southern part of the island with dinner in Waikiki.

If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer.

---Paul in Southern NJ (but not this week!)

 

[Disney Dreams]

... Our Family Dinner delivered at 8:00. I highly recommend it as an easy way to get dinner after a long day of travel. No need to search for a restaurant....

Thanks for sharing. Can you please explain what this is? I'm interested in learning more. Thanks!

- Dreams

 

[psimon]

We had the fairly pasta dinner. It was $75 plus tax tip. Another $30 to add for 2 more people.

It included

- basket of garlic bread
- large plate of salad with a pitcher of Caesar dressing
- large container of baked pasta with meat sauce
- large container of veggies with a balsamic dressing
- dessert ( should have been blueberry cheesecake but we changed it to a platter of fruit. A wonderful change)

They have a few other meals for more money.

There was enough food left over for some hungry folks today.

Call Aulani and Rey will email you the menu. It was a fantastic way to start the trip... Food waiting for us when we got here.

You do need to order it a minimum 24 hours prior to arrival.

Hope tat helps..



---Paul in Southern NJ (but not this week!)

 

[LoveStitch]

Hi...looks like I'm late to the party! Just found your thread and don't know if you're still there.

I was wondering what parking fees were. We were planning on renting a car while there. We're DVC members - any discounts for that for parking?

Thanks - sounds like you had a wonderful time - I can't wait for our trip next February!

 

[gonzalj1]

Hi...looks like I'm late to the party! Just found your thread and don't know if you're still there.

I was wondering what parking fees were. We were planning on renting a car while there. We're DVC members - any discounts for that for parking?

Thanks - sounds like you had a wonderful time - I can't wait for our trip next February!

Still here. Check out on Wednesday .

DVC members staying on points get free self parking. Everyone else gets to pay $35/day for the privilege of placing their cars in the multi-level garage.

 

[gonzalj1]

Just a couple quick reviews before I head down to the pool.

Rainbow Drive-In - Had the loco moco here. Worth the wait!

Leonards - The Malasadas were awesome. I didn't realize they were made fresh when you ordered. Amazing. My diabetes didnt like it but every once in a you have to say what the heck!

Romy's shrimp stand - Good shrimp - Can still taste the garlic!

Buttons Surf School - A little mix up on where to meet resulted in a 40 minute delay but they offered free SUP lessons to compensate. Nico was a good (if a little distracted) instructor. Everyone got up on the fiorst wave we tried. DS caught about 10!

 

[psimon]

Just a couple quick reviews before I head down to the pool.

Rainbow Drive-In - Had the loco moco here. Worth the wait!

Leonards - The Malasadas were awesome. I didn't realize they were made fresh when you ordered. Amazing. My diabetes didnt like it but every once in a you have to say what the heck!

Romy's shrimp stand - Good shrimp - Can still taste the garlic!

Buttons Surf School - A little mix up on where to meet resulted in a 40 minute delay but they offered free SUP lessons to compensate. Nico was a good (if a little distracted) instructor. Everyone got up on the fiorst wave we tried. DS caught about 10!

How long did you wait for Romy's? When we got there Sunday we were told 1:15 wait. Wasn't going to squander our precious island time waiting for food there. Went down the road to Giovanni's and had our food in 15 minutes.

A warning... The hot and spicy shrimp REALLY IS!

---Paul on Southern NJ (but not this week!)

 

[gonzalj1]

How long did you wait for Romy's? When we got there Sunday we were told 1:15 wait. Wasn't going to squander our precious island time waiting for food there. Went down the road to Giovanni's and had our food in 15 minutes.

A warning... The hot and spicy shrimp REALLY IS!

---Paul on Southern NJ (but not this week!)

We were quoted 30-40 minutes and ended up waiting about 30 minutes. The time flew by as we talked about our surf lesson.

 

[JOANNEL]

Thanks for taking the time on your vacation to answer questions!!

Do you know if they rent bikes at Aulani?

 

[gonzalj1]

Thanks for taking the time on your vacation to answer questions!!

Do you know if they rent bikes at Aulani?

Haven't seem bike rental here. I'd recommend a quick google search for Ko Olina bike rental and see what u get.

 

[poohj80]

I know you are checking out tomorrow, but also just found this thread and are considering a March 2014 trip.

I have been looking for a resort map which shows where each room view category is located. Is it worth the extra points for the Ocean View rooms or do you spend most of your time out of the room so it doesn't matter?

We typically stay in a 1BR villa at the parks, but would probably just book a studio due to the number of points. Since you stayed in both, how much more comfortable were you in your 1BR than the studio?

Does Aulani offer excursions to other islands? If we went all the way to Hawaii, would love to go to Volcanoes National Park as well. We're waffling between a day excursion or just check out of Aulani a couple days early and stay on big island for a could before flying home.

Did you really use your car other than to stop at Target or Costco?

Just read...
Hawai‘i Transient Accommodations Tax Chart

For all stays at Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawai‘i, the State of Hawai‘i imposes a nghtly transient accommodations tax based upon the number of Vacation Points required for the stay and the per Vacation Point Annual Dues for the calendar year of the stay. This tax must be paid by check-out. The amount of the tax will vary from year to year and is subject to change.

How much is the tax?

 

[gonzalj1]

I know you are checking out tomorrow, but also just found this thread and are considering a March 2014 trip.

I have been looking for a resort map which shows where each room view category is located. Is it worth the extra points for the Ocean View rooms or do you spend most of your time out of the room so it doesn't matter?

We typically stay in a 1BR villa at the parks, but would probably just book a studio due to the number of points. Since you stayed in both, how much more comfortable were you in your 1BR than the studio?

Does Aulani offer excursions to other islands? If we went all the way to Hawaii, would love to go to Volcanoes National Park as well. We're waffling between a day excursion or just check out of Aulani a couple days early and stay on big island for a could before flying home.

Did you really use your car other than to stop at Target or Costco?

Just read...
Hawai‘i Transient Accommodations Tax Chart

For all stays at Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawai‘i, the State of Hawai‘i imposes a nghtly transient accommodations tax based upon the number of Vacation Points required for the stay and the per Vacation Point Annual Dues for the calendar year of the stay. This tax must be paid by check-out. The amount of the tax will vary from year to year and is subject to change.

How much is the tax?

There's a thread here called Aulani Villas and Views which has a map showing where each view type is located in the resort. I just posted my view from our 1BR OV there but will also post it here for you. Its really nice to wake up to this every morning.

Room size is a matter of personal preference. We are a party of 4 with 2 adults. Mom and Dad enjoy the privacy that comes with the 1BR.

The tax varies by room size. There is a chart on dvcmember.com that has all the info.

We used the car a ton. Trips to the North Shore, parasailing, downtown Honolulu, Rainbow Drive in, Leonards bakery and others would be impossible without the car. And if you're staying on points you get free parking.

A day trip to another island sounds nice but the time spent in airports would be a concern. I would plan on a couple days at least to make the airport time worth it.