andersonsc
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2009
- Messages
- 240
June 12-23, 2014 Thursday - SundayDad, Mom, boys - 17, 14, 14, 8
We had a great time at Aulani and wanted to share our experience. If any question, please ask. Tried to break up report into sections so hopefully you can find what you are interested in even if you don't want to read everything.
FLIGHT - US Air – don’t really want to travel on them again. There was a flight cancellation in Phoenix which really held up the check in line. There were not enough people working the line either. Very frustrating. Plane going to Hawaii was fine. Arrived about 11:40am. Plane home was not good! Plane home was really old – it still had ashtrays in the armrests!! It was dirty. There was something sticky on the floor by my seat. It seemed much smaller as far as leg room and seat size. I was prepared w/ jackets and blankets b/c I read how the flights get really chilly. Ours was sooooo warm. I finally asked the flight attendant about it and he said he would ask the pilot to turn down the heat. I never noticed it being cooler though. I felt very claustrophobic (which never has happened to me) and I had to get out of my seat. I stood around the bathroom for a while. It was not a good flight home. We then flew on Southwest for our final leg home and I was so thankful. The plane was clean and seemed to have so much more room.
ARRIVAL – We walked from the gate to baggage pick up. I saw the shuttle (I think) but it was not marked clearly and my husband didn’t want to chance getting on it so we walked. It was fine walking. Glad I read on line about how the rental car pick up works or we would have been looking around for signs! After we picked up our bags we headed outside and I knew to cross the road and wait in the median for the shuttles. I didn’t see any signs but finally noticed the curb had “rental cars” painted on it. ALAMO RENTAL CAR – The shuttle was very crowded from the airport. People were trying to push on. There is no one place to wait for a specific shuttle. You just flag down the one you want when you see it coming. When we arrived at the car rental location, my husband jumped off and went straight to the kiosks to check in. The boys got our luggage off and just waited outside. I’m glad my husband got in line so quickly b/c the que really filled up after him. You need your license to check in. A few people didn’t have theirs and had to get out of line and get it. We wound up renting 2 cars instead of a minivan. It saved us about $1000!!
There were lots of scratches and dings on the cars. I finally got someone to help us and she gave me a card with a circle and said not to worry about any damage smaller than the circle. As we were driving to Aulani, the flat tire indicator came on. Car drove fine so I continued. The next day I went to the Aulani Alamo car rental site. They were so nice. They checked the tires and all were overinflated. They switched out the car for me though. Later, the flat tire indicator came on in that car too! Again, the Aulani Alamo people were great. They checked all the tires and reset the indicator.
We left Alamo at about 1:10pm on Thursday June 12 and arrived at Aulani in about 30 minutes. No problem with traffic.
CHECK IN: I was given a flower leis and nut ones for boys. Our guide led us to the water (very good) and then inside to check in. I noticed later some families were given a little tour before they checked in. We did not get this and I am glad. We were so tired and I had such a bad headache, I just wanted to sit and relax. Check in was smooth. I had put in a room request a couple of weeks before. We reserved a DVC Island/garden 2 bedroom. I asked the lady that checked us in if they had my room request. She said yes, and that we had a great room. She said it would be ready in about an hour. It was now about 2pm. She said there was a room ready on the 2nd floor but she said our assigned room was worth waiting for.
ROOM - At 3pm I went and asked about our room being ready. We have not had good luck in the past with the phone texting system. The man that helped me was nice but said no, check in was 4pm. I went outside and talked to the photopass man for a minute. Even he mentioned that it was taking a long time for our room as he had been watching us just sitting in the lobby. We ALWAYS have to wait on our room! I know check in is 4pm or after. It’s just I read sometimes how people get their room right away, and this has never happened to us!! I was feeling so sick so didn’t really want to walk around, explore or anything like that. If I had been feeling well, waiting would not have been a problem. We had our swimsuits to change, but like I said, I felt so ill and two of my boys just wanted to sleep also. My other two sons did a short version of the treasure hunt so that kept them occupied. At 4pm I checked again. This time the CM printed out the view from the 2nd floor room (overlooked Auntie’s Beach House playground) and our assigned room – overlooked the Halawai Lawn and had view of the ocean. She also said the housekeepers were in the room. I was so happy to get the room I wanted so went back to wait. Within a couple of minutes the text came thru – we were in room 1581 – a dedicated 2 bedroom. View was great and made waiting worth it!!
RESORT FOOD – We got pizza from Ulu café. They were about $20 a piece and not really good to us. As a point of reference, we like papa john’s pizza the best. We also got shaved ice. The kids loved them. I realized I had to eat it quickly or it melted and the flavors mixed together and then it wasn’t very good - depending on the flavors you got.
We also ordered burgers poolside on our last day. They were $14 no matter where you ordered from so we just used the poolside service. They were actually bacon cheeseburgers and were fine. We were offered a side of French fires, chips, fruit or salad. We got the French fries that were quite good – just plain, thick fries.
My boys loved the milk shakes you could buy at Ulu’s Café. You mixed them yourself on a machine outside. The boys wanted one every day!
I also bought milk at the gift shop our first day. It was $7 for a half gallon!!
Now to the activities:
HAWAIIN NAUTICAL sail and snorkel – Friday June 12. Great!! Picked us up at 8:15 am. Bus had 25 from Aulani. Ride to marina was about 30 minutes. Not sure of number exactly, but probable 30-40 on our tour. They had mini muffins, fruit and drinks. It didn’t look like enough, but they never seemed to run out of food. They also had complimentary sunscreen to use. The captain asked that people not use the spray stuff on the boat. We sat at the very front of the catamaran with some of my kids on the net. Great spot to be when the captain found a pod of dolphins and followed them. They were literally just right in front of us. The crew member explained they were actually sleeping. There was a baby with them and it was so great to see them so close.
Next came the snorkeling part. The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of prescription goggles. I called beforehand (b/c I was deciding on which company to use) and asked if they had Prescription goggles for my son and I. They assured me that they would. When the crew started getting things out, I asked for them but they seemed annoyed. They finally brought one over and I told them both my son and I needed them. They said they only had the one pair. I then heard one crew member saying she was swimming to the other boat for something and I asked her if that boat would have the goggles. She abruptly answered no. I was annoyed at their not being what I called about and their rudeness when I asked.
On a better note, they were great with my son. He freaked out when he got in the water. After trying to calm him and realizing it wasn’t working I headed back to the ladder. The crew on the boat told me to bring him back and for me to stay out. I said I would get back on board with him but they assured me he would be fine, and told me to go snorkel. I stayed around the boat and a little while later my son yelled for me to come back and that he was ready to try again. He told me the crew had practiced with him. He returned to the water and did great. I thought that was really nice of them to work with him.
We saw lots of fish and a few turtles. I actually saw two turtles in the marina area before we even headed out to sea.
Now the bad – we all got a little sea sick. We are from New Mexico and not used to salt water. The boys hadn’t even been in the ocean in a few years. Anyway, they all swallowed too much salt water and felt sick on the ride back to the marina. They had a lunch for everyone. It was pulled pork I think. It looked good, but none of us tried it.
There was a little mix up back at the marina. There were people on our van that were not on it that morning. It caused a lot of confusion because at one point they separated families and tried to tell us to get off because our son was standing. One mom was off the bus, while her family was with us. It took a few minutes, but they finally told the new people they would need to get off. We then left with the 25 people we came with that morning. There was a bunch of people waiting for transportation as we left.
AUNTIES BEACH HOUSE – I took my 8 (nine next month) year old son there on Saturday morning, between 8-9am. We signed him up for the volcano activity that night. There was no line or anything when we arrived that morning. We looked around and he played with the stacking cups, big legos and one table game. He went to the activity that night but said he didn’t really like it. He never went back to play or anything. A couple of years ago, he loved the children’s center on our Disney cruise. Maybe he’s just too old now. We went to the outdoor area that first morning and he said the playground was lame. It’s not like we needed him to go there as his 3 older brothers were great with watching him if my husband or I were not with him. PEARL HARBOR – Sunday June 15 – Father’s day. We left aulani at 7:00 am and arrived at 7:30am. Traffic and parking was fine at that time. We got Arizona tickets for 10am. He gave the people before us 9:45am. We toured the submarine and my boys really liked that. We did it early as it must get really hot in their later. It also was not crowded when we went. We looked around the museum right near the sub and looked around outside. It was then time to go in for the Arizona. Everyone must sit on the boat that takes you to the memorial. Some people were trying to stand and stay together but they separated groups and had everyone sit. We were done and back at the main center by about 11am. We toured the grounds a little more then went to our cars to eat a little picnic. Parking must have been a problem by then because people were circling and kept asking if we were leaving. My husband and oldest son stayed to tour the other museum and I returned to Aulani with the other kids. Again, traffic was fine and it only took about 30 minutes to drive home. Thought later that maybe being fathers’ day kept traffic down.
DOLE PLANTATION – Tuesday June 17. We left Aulani about 9:30 or so and missed our exit to head North. The exit was on the left and I was looking for it on the right. We had to exit and do a U-turn but I don’t think it took too much extra time. We were at the Dole plantation in about 40 minutes. Parking was fine at that time but again, when we came out the lot was full and cars circling. We did the maze first – took about 50 minutes. The boys loved it. We then went to the train. This was too long a wait for what you got. We waited in line about 45 min. While the ride was fine, it took too much time and then we were late to our next activity – Polynesian cultural center. Anyway, after the train, the dole building was packed. We managed to get our dole whips and paid for some pineapple gummy bears and left. It took us about 40 mins or so to get from there to the Polynesian village.
POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER – Tuesday June 17. We didn’t arrive to about 3pm – much later than we wanted. Parking lot was crowded but it was not crowded inside the park. It was confusing and frustrating to me though. We immediately followed people in to a show. The man shucked a coconut, had some kids drink the milk, had another man climb the tree and showed us how to start fire. He was trying to be funny but some of his jokes were rude and we were sitting in the sun and I think I was just in a bad mood. After the presentation I looked to see where the kids activities were and didn’t see anything. We then walked to another “island” and they were doing their presentation. Again, no shade and really hot to just sit there. I got up and went to some workers and told them I didn’t understand where the activities were. They explained we had to wait until after the program/show then they would have them. So we then walked to another island that wasn’t having a presentation but I still didn’t see anyone doing activities. Workers were standing around but didn’t seem the least bit interested in offering any help. I asked someone where the spear throwing and fishing was and they pointed in the general direction. The kids were able to do a few things but it was not as fun as I expected. The Hawaiin presentation was actually in the shade and it was fun to watch.
We took the big canoe ride from one end to the other. Our “driver” was nice on that. I wanted the boys to do the small canoe’s where they paddled but never saw where it was. We then went to eat – the Island Buffet. The pork was good and chicken was OK. Just wings and thighs. It was warm in the dining room but they showed you to a table and the food was good. We didn’t feel rushed or anything while there. We then left and saw the 15 min or so IMAX type movie. The scenery in it was very pretty and it was a nice break to sit and relax.
We then looked in a few shops until it was time to go to the Ha Breath of Life show. We sat 3 to a row and had end seats which were good because the actors would run up and down the steps. While I’m sure the show was great, it just wasn’t something we could last over 2 hours watching. While it had a storyline of the boy growing up, the dancing and music seemed repetitive and wasn’t really what we like. Our 8 year old also had a sore throat and fever so we lasted until about 8:50pm – right before the fire dancers came on – and left. We wanted to beat the traffic anyway and no one was interested in watching any more. It took us about an hour to drive back to Aulani. I was happy I saw a fire dancer from our balcony one night at Aulani so I didn’t feel so bad about leaving. Anyway – we’re glad we went once and maybe it would have been better if we arrived earlier but we won’t go again to the cultural center.
When we got home my husband noticed they billed us twice. He had tried to get tickets on their website before we left but it said error and he didn’t think it went thru. I then ordered tickets later. I called them yesterday and they took off the 2nd charge without any problem.
HAWAIIN FIRE SURF LESSONS – Friday June 20 . Picked us up at 8am. This was a great outing. Our kids were not too excited about it and we almost cancelled the 8 year old because he still wasn’t feeling 100% but in the end we all went. It was so fun! The instructors were great and really wanted you to do well. I was having fun just sitting out on the board but they kept getting me to try again. I never got up but still had fun. My boys got a lot closer to getting up. The 8 year old had a private instructor and he did well and even when they came to get a drink he was ready to go back out. The photos were $52 w/ credit card. He got at least 2 or so of each of us. I would have liked more but the one’s he got were good. There was another lady in our group who kinda gave up and came to shore. I watched as one of the instructors encouraged her and said he would help her again – and he did. It was very tiring but fun and they had about 4 men in the water for the 10 in our group. I had no fears of letting my 8 year old go with his instructor. I knew he would be well taken care of.
SNORKEL and EXTRAs – You can pick up the daily activity sheet the night before by about 7pm.
We did go tho the ABC store at one point. It is across the street from Aulani. We bought 4 snorkels and masks for $40 total. While they weren’t the best, they served the purpose we wanted.
we went to the cove next to the Marriott and paradise cove. There is a parking lot next to the Marriott that has a chain link fence at the back. There is a break in the fense and a sign. This is the entrance to the public cove. We went twice and both times were great. Actually 2nd time the tide was coming in so water not as calm but still fine. We snorkeled here and saw many fish and at least 3 turles each time. My husband swam out past the rocks and had two turtles next to him! We never did snorkel at Aulani but this cove was not as crowded and seemed really nice.
We also went a couple of times to the Marriott next door. We entered thru the pool area and behind the pool is a place with sharks. The next pool has rays and the next had fish and baby hammerhead sharks. They were all fun to see.
When I made reservation and once when I called I said we were celebrating my son's birthday. he turned 17 while we were there. I didn't really expect anything but mentioned it because they always ask about a celebration. Well, he didn't get any sort of recognition. While I don't really expect it, he did and was disappointed. he kept asking me if he could ask the front desk about it but I told him no. My feeling is that it isn't the hotels job to celebrate my son, but I did kinda think they would do something b/c they asked what we were celebrating.
CHECK OUT – Sunday June 22. We called bell services at 11am and they came about 11:20. Housekeeping came about 11:30 so that is when we left the room. The resort was packed!! We could not find chairs around anyof the pools. I finally walked down in front of Ama Ama where there were charis with orange umbrellas. I wondered if it was OK to use them but it must have been fine. It was a great location. We had a great view to just look out over the ocean. There weren’t even any beach chairs in front of us. We could feel the breeze there also. So much nicer then sitting around the pools. Our boys came and went and played in the lazy river and pools. We ordered burgers and had a good time. Finally about 3pm we went to the lounge to shower and change. Lounge – There are two showers in each locker room. There was no place to dress privately though. One lady used the handicapped bathroom stall to dress so I did the same after my shower. They had a great little spinner for getting the water out of swimsuits. They had shampoo, conditioner and bady wash in the showers. Also had hairdryers. There were 2 TVs in the lounge but both were on the DVC sales channel. Two ladies were talking about how that was the only channel. I didn’t see a remote so wonder if you could have changed channels or not. Very nice that they have this place to change. We ate at a pizza hut on our way to the rental car place. No problem that time of evening with traffic. When we arrived at the airport, the checked baggage had to go thru the agriculture screening. Not sure why the carry on bags didn’t. Tried to buy pinapple at the airport but it was $30 for 3 so we didn’t – too much $ and too much pineapple.
Great trip. The resort is beautiful and I’m so grateful for the room we got. Sorry if this is long and dry but ask if you have any questions. I have pictures but don’t know how to post so sorry about lack of pics.
