Aulani - here we come!

[nzdisneymom]

We are super excited because we were able to book Aulani for June! We have a 1BR island gardens view for six nights. I've not been to Hawai'i, but DH has but it was a bazillion years ago. Our teens haven't been either. One will be graduating high school in May so this will be the last year we can count on being able to do a "big family vacation" without having to worry about getting time off from work for anyone but me and DH.

Anyway, I'll be checking out the Trip Reports and reading about the resort, etc., over the next seven months to learn what we can from other people's experiences. And checking airfare constantly til we hit the sweet rate (LOL).

We are considering staying a couple of days post-Aulani so we would be interested in what others have done about seeing more of the islands. We have up to two weeks that we can use for traveling, but coming from the east coast, that really gives us 11 days to be out there by the time we take off the travel days.

Super excited!!!!

 

[Anal Annie]

We are super excited because we were able to book Aulani for June! We have a 1BR island gardens view for six nights. I've not been to Hawai'i, but DH has but it was a bazillion years ago. Our teens haven't been either. One will be graduating high school in May so this will be the last year we can count on being able to do a "big family vacation" without having to worry about getting time off from work for anyone but me and DH.

Anyway, I'll be checking out the Trip Reports and reading about the resort, etc., over the next seven months to learn what we can from other people's experiences. And checking airfare constantly til we hit the sweet rate (LOL).

We are considering staying a couple of days post-Aulani so we would be interested in what others have done about seeing more of the islands. We have up to two weeks that we can use for traveling, but coming from the east coast, that really gives us 11 days to be out there by the time we take off the travel days.

Super excited!!!!

Congratulations! We are hoping to reschedule Aulani for next summer(August). I have been to Hawaii 4x before - I highly recommend visiting AT LEAST 1 other island while you are there (esp. if you have up to 2 weeks time to spend). Our fav. island is Maui. A trip to Hawaii wouldn't be the same without a few nights on Maui. Think about it that most of your expense is just GETTING there...it would be a shame not to take advantage of that. The inter-island flights are pretty cheap and most islands offer direct flights home from that island without having to go back through HNL. The Big Island is very big and has a lot to explore with different climates and terrains (and of course the active volcano).

With 2 full weeks and only 6 nights of it on Oahu that would leave you with 5 or 6 nights for another island. You can GET THERE in 1 day and would need 2 days for the return (plus a day at home to recover since you lose a day). Have fun planning!

 

[ccigliano]

I have been to Hawaii 7 times now and have stayed on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. I thought Maui was my favorite until I went to Kauai. Now I would never go to Hawaii without a trip to Kauai. Hanalei Bay in Princeville is what you imagine paradise should be and I highly recommend a stay in the Princeville area for its lush tropical surroundings. There are several timeshares in the area and the Hanalei Bay Resort is a perfect spot. Have a great trip.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Now that the holidays are over, we're ready to get serious about our Hawai'i vacation. We're interested in doing a luau and taking a tour of Pearl Harbor. I saw that there are excursions that can be booked online from Aulani, but they weren't really anything we were interested in.

We are also interested in booking the character breakfast for while we are there but when I tried to do it online, I couldn't get it either - maybe I just need to call.

 

[amym2]

You will love Aulani! We did a split with Aulani for 5 nights and Kauai for 5 nights in October. If I had it to do over again, the only thing I would change would be to do Kauai first and then Aulani, only because the house we rented in Kauai was fine, but boy did we feel spoiled at Aulani.

Are you planning to rent a car? It would definitely make sense if you plan to explore Pearl Harbor and other parts of Oahu. You can get the USS Arizona tickets online (definitely worth the small service fee to not have to get there super early and wait in line) and purchase the USS Missouri and anything else you want to do while you are there. Personally I wouldn't book through Aulani, I'd just do it on my own. You might consider hiking Diamond Head if you are an active family, or stopping by the Punchbowl (American cemetery with beautiful views). Having a car gives you much more flexibility.

Have you decided whether you'll visit another island as well? We've been to the Big Island and Kauai and loved both. Both are very different, so where you go depends on what most interests you.

Seems like I had trouble booking breakfast, too, although we did it on a non-character day (I don't think those exist any more). I'd just give Disney a call, like you said. We loved the food and the POG juice!

ETA: Oh, and we did the Paradise Cove luau (walkable from Aulani) but it was years ago. It gets mixed reviews, but we enjoyed it.

 

[nzdisneymom]

You will love Aulani! We did a split with Aulani for 5 nights and Kauai for 5 nights in October. If I had it to do over again, the only thing I would change would be to do Kauai first and then Aulani, only because the house we rented in Kauai was fine, but boy did we feel spoiled at Aulani.

Are you planning to rent a car? It would definitely make sense if you plan to explore Pearl Harbor and other parts of Oahu. You can get the USS Arizona tickets online (definitely worth the small service fee to not have to get there super early and wait in line) and purchase the USS Missouri and anything else you want to do while you are there. Personally I wouldn't book through Aulani, I'd just do it on my own. You might consider hiking Diamond Head if you are an active family, or stopping by the Punchbowl (American cemetery with beautiful views). Having a car gives you much more flexibility.

Have you decided whether you'll visit another island as well? We've been to the Big Island and Kauai and loved both. Both are very different, so where you go depends on what most interests you.

Seems like I had trouble booking breakfast, too, although we did it on a non-character day (I don't think those exist any more). I'd just give Disney a call, like you said. We loved the food and the POG juice!

ETA: Oh, and we did the Paradise Cove luau (walkable from Aulani) but it was years ago. It gets mixed reviews, but we enjoyed it.

Thanks so much for this info - someone just posted the link for getting the tix for Pearl Harbor which is the most important site on our list of things we'd like to do, so I went ahead and took care of that now - woohoo!

We actually decided that we would rather spend the money to do things like touring Pearl Harbor and doing a luau and such and not go to any of the other islands. We only have two weeks off from work and are staying six nights, and during that two week period we need to visit DH's 91 yr old father which we'll do on the way home.

We are planning to rent a car and are interested in doing Diamond Head, too, so since we're doing Pearl Harbor on Wednesday, then we should plan Diamond Head for Friday.

The flights we want will have us arriving early afternoon on Monday and leaving mid-afternoon on Sunday, although we may stay one extra night in Oahu (we didn't have enough points to stay an extra night at Aulani) if we can stay close to the airport. I haven't explored hotel options there - we could return our car the night before the flight and shuttle to the airport that day - not be quite so tired starting out.

 

[carissa1970]

Now that the holidays are over, we're ready to get serious about our Hawai'i vacation. We're interested in doing a luau and taking a tour of Pearl Harbor. I saw that there are excursions that can be booked online from Aulani, but they weren't really anything we were interested in. We are also interested in booking the character breakfast for while we are there but when I tried to do it online, I couldn't get it either - maybe I just need to call.

Don't be surprised if you find yourselves wanting to just relax at the resort. Amazing. Check to see if the swap meet is on the same day you go to Pearl Harbor. Great deals.

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[carissa1970]

I have been to Hawaii 7 times now and have stayed on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. I thought Maui was my favorite until I went to Kauai. Now I would never go to Hawaii without a trip to Kauai. Hanalei Bay in Princeville is what you imagine paradise should be and I highly recommend a stay in the Princeville area for its lush tropical surroundings. There are several timeshares in the area and the Hanalei Bay Resort is a perfect spot. Have a great trip.

We have an option of heading to Kauai after Aulani, and staying in Princeville. We weren't sure if our 8 yo son would have fun there??

http://www.***********************/tickers/kwkz3p9ufbl3koi6.png

 

[amym2]

We stayed in Kauai (in Kapaa) in October with DS11 and DD9 and they loved Kauai. I highly recommend the Jungle Valley Adventure at Princeville Ranch! It's hiking, easy kayaking, ziplining, and swimming in a swimming hole with a waterfall. It was awesome!!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Don't be surprised if you find yourselves wanting to just relax at the resort. Amazing. Check to see if the swap meet is on the same day you go to Pearl Harbor. Great deals.

http://www.***********************/tickers/kwkz3p9ufbl3koi6.png

The swap meet is on Sundays, right? We are staying in Waikiki for 2 nights before Aulani and hoping to hit it while we are at Hilton Hawaii Village. Hope it's close to the hotel!

 

[gjl]

Removed

 

[fabulousfive]

The swap meet is Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. It's at Aloha Stadium which is near petal harbor but not really near Waikiki or KoOlina area. It has some great deals, sobers worth your trip!

We went there 10 years ago and bought some great souvenirs. We got an art print that we had the artist sign, an ornament, and a small quilted piece. Fun day!!!

 

[msabol01]

I agree with everything everyone has said so far. One thing I would consider is saving Aulani for the back half of your vacation if you plan on staying two weeks. We've gone twice and preferred having Aulani as our finale (let's just say other resorts will pale in comparison). Try to get in your sightseeing early so you can relax and enjoy Aulani. Be warned it is easy to just stay on property and never leave!!!!

Can't offer much on other islands as we've only been to Maui (second trip we split between Marriott vacation club down the street and Aulani). That said Maui was way relaxing and we look forward to Kaui next time around.

Some random tips mainly for Oahu:

- Coming from the east coast you might as well write off your first day / travel day. We were the "walking dead" our first trip. We left Philly at 5 am, connected in Phoenix and arrived in Oahu 5 pm HST (11PM EST) we arrived at Aulani around 6:30 pm. I was in a fog and barely remember any of the orientation we were given upon arrival.

- Assuming you are like most DISers, you like planning. We purchased GO OAHU cards that offer discounts and/or free admissions to many of the sites around the island of Oahu. You can purchase cards for a set number of days. Three Day and higher cards include a bonus attraction such as a Luau which are valued at $70 plus per person. You can do as many attractions you want but keep in mind if you swipe your card it deducts a day. So on your attraction days start early and go commando. We have younger kids so we went easy but still got our moneys worth. Costco sells these at a big discount. Google "Go Oahu Card" to get more details. Some things we did include a catamaran ride, movie studio tour, water park, and Polynesian Culture center.

- we mainly did our shopping at Costco and Safeway which are a short drive away in Kapolei, there's also a Wal Mart 20 miles away.

- be aware of the traffic. H1 and some of the other roads can get quite congested at times.

- As others said, get your souvenirs at the swap meet. It's located near Pearl Harbor, which is roughly half way between Waikiki and Aulani.

- I highly recommend renting a car, while it's small there lots to see around the island


I'm excited for you and your family, I hope you enjoy yourself! We did back to back trips mainly because Marriott Vacation Club offered a great package for 5 nights if you were willing to go through their timeshare presentation. All in all it was similar to DVC minus the elaborate imagineering and pixie dust. Presentation was on par with my DVC presentation experience. That said we broke down and purchased into MVC as well. If you (or anyone else) are interested (and have the will power to walk away), I can refer you for a preview stay (i think it was $599 for five nights with the upgrade to a one bedroom) just PM me. If you decide to purchase they will apply amount that to your purchase.

Man, that sounded like a bad solicitation which wasn't my intent....really just offering an affordable stay option.

The kids will only go to the islands if the trip includes a stay at Aulani....It's hands down our favorite DVC property.

 

[kelly3kids]

I am glad I found this post. We just got back 4 days ago from an amazing Disney vacation and are now starting to look forward to our Aulani vacation. We booked it last August but have been so busy preparing for WDW and the cruise I haven't had a chance to learn much about Aulani. This is all great information.

We are planning on renting a car and driving the island. We went to Oahu a few years ago when our boys were really young and did the Dole Plantation. They really liked it. I know there are mixed reviews but we are hoping to go again this time. It should be a go stop on our way back from North Shore or on the way to North Shore.

I just don't know much about Aulani it's self, so I am looking to learn more. We have three boys. They will be 9, 7, and 4 when we visit.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

I am glad I found this post. We just got back 4 days ago from an amazing Disney vacation and are now starting to look forward to our Aulani vacation. We booked it last August but have been so busy preparing for WDW and the cruise I haven't had a chance to learn much about Aulani. This is all great information.

We are planning on renting a car and driving the island. We went to Oahu a few years ago when our boys were really young and did the Dole Plantation. They really liked it. I know there are mixed reviews but we are hoping to go again this time. It should be a go stop on our way back from North Shore or on the way to North Shore.

I just don't know much about Aulani it's self, so I am looking to learn more. We have three boys. They will be 9, 7, and 4 when we visit.

On this forum under DVC, there is a DVC Resorts thread. Click on there and there is a ton of info specifically to Aulani: Views, dining...