Aulani Owners Thread - ALOHA!

[honeylove]

I can't believe I haven't found this thread until now. I need to read the whole thing when I have time.

Same here! We bought our initial set of points in May 2012, after staying there on the hotel side for my DH's conference next door. I always wanted to learn more about the DVC and so we scheduled a tour; hook, line and sinker, we were reeled in! We just added on a couple weeks ago so we won't have to borrow for trips to WDW!

We live here and yet, I still enjoy doing the staycation thing (only at Aulani)!

 

[deploylinux]

Just purchased our first DVC points at Aulani (350 pts, villa 11E if I remember). We are in San Diego so hawaii, dvc cruises, and disneyland are now part of our recurring vacation planning....

What I still need to work out is whether we'll really need to get a rental car when visiting (I find driving in unfamiliar locations stressful as I'm very safety concious). And, also how we can save on food costs...the in room family meal rates seem out of this world.... If there is a reasonable cost onsite buffet or a simple restaurant we can walk to with kids that would be ideal.

Also while dreaming, if disney had cruises between west coast and hawaii or a good deal for visiting the other islands during extended stays....

 

[elrod1]

Someone said earlier that the outdoor hydrotherapy gardens at the spa would be operational again by the 24th of this month. Can anyone verify or refute?

 

[eandesmom]

Someone said earlier that the outdoor hydrotherapy gardens at the spa would be operational again by the 24th of this month. Can anyone verify or refute?

They reopened on the 22nd and were up and running on the 24th when we were there

 

[honeylove]

What I still need to work out is whether we'll really need to get a rental car when visiting (I find driving in unfamiliar locations stressful as I'm very safety concious). And, also how we can save on food costs...the in room family meal rates seem out of this world.... If there is a reasonable cost onsite buffet or a simple restaurant we can walk to with kids that would be ideal.

Also while dreaming, if disney had cruises between west coast and hawaii or a good deal for visiting the other islands during extended stays....

I guess it depends on what you want to do? Aulani does have a shuttle that will take you to the mall (2x/wk) and such, and you could do the excursions where they will take you out via their shuttles. But if you want to go and eat off property that may be complicated or even to get to the North Shore.

Honestly, all the food on property is pricey. Its equal to dining at Disneyland everyday. They have one buffet called the Makahiki but that adds up in cost very quickly. There are restaurants across the resort, but that too is limited.

Oh and they had a cruise from SoCal to Hawaii last year. Last I heard they were going to do another one, but not too sure when that one is going to happen.

 

[JWG]

Hey all - just wanted to tell all of you Aulani owners - go somewhere else for New Years!!

I'm trying to book 12/22 - 1/3 and there is nothing 12/29 - 1/1. I mean, nothing. We have a 2BR for 12/22-12/28. Then we have a studio from 12/28-12/31 with a second studio for 12/28 - 12/29.

So, we still need 12/29 - 1/3 for one group and 12/31-1/3 for the 2nd. I really think that WDW would be much better for all of you this year.

 

[TifffanyD]

Hey all - just wanted to tell all of you Aulani owners - go somewhere else for New Years!!

I'm trying to book 12/22 - 1/3 and there is nothing 12/29 - 1/1. I mean, nothing. We have a 2BR for 12/22-12/28. Then we have a studio from 12/28-12/31 with a second studio for 12/28 - 12/29.

So, we still need 12/29 - 1/3 for one group and 12/31-1/3 for the 2nd. I really think that WDW would be much better for all of you this year.

Sorry, we paid our dues (literally!)

 

[asunutgirl]

Hey all - just wanted to tell all of you Aulani owners - go somewhere else for New Years!!

I'm trying to book 12/22 - 1/3 and there is nothing 12/29 - 1/1. I mean, nothing. We have a 2BR for 12/22-12/28. Then we have a studio from 12/28-12/31 with a second studio for 12/28 - 12/29.

So, we still need 12/29 - 1/3 for one group and 12/31-1/3 for the 2nd. I really think that WDW would be much better for all of you this year.

We will be on the Dream for NYE so we aren't clogging up Aulani for you. Must be someone else.

 

[Cinderpamela]

Hey all - just wanted to tell all of you Aulani owners - go somewhere else for New Years!!

I'm trying to book 12/22 - 1/3 and there is nothing 12/29 - 1/1. I mean, nothing. We have a 2BR for 12/22-12/28. Then we have a studio from 12/28-12/31 with a second studio for 12/28 - 12/29.

So, we still need 12/29 - 1/3 for one group and 12/31-1/3 for the 2nd. I really think that WDW would be much better for all of you this year.

Have been stalking my 7 month window and managed to get a 1bedroom from 12/25- checkin out on 12/30 but that's it! Everything is booked and it's going to be a busy holiday season at Aulani! (making me wish I would have gotten Aulani as my home resort, didn't realize then how much we would love it there!)

Would have loved to stay at least another day or two at Aulani, but now I think our plan will be to Island hop over to Maui.... not too bad of a plan B!

 

[Sir William]

What I still need to work out is whether we'll really need to get a rental car when visiting (I find driving in unfamiliar locations stressful as I'm very safety concious). And, also how we can save on food costs...the in room family meal rates seem out of this world.... If there is a reasonable cost onsite buffet or a simple restaurant we can walk to with kids that would be ideal....

Resort restaurants in Hawaii,not just Aulani, are pricey. Kapolei, about 5 miles eastward, has a number of low to moderately priced restaurants. But you'll need a car to get there. There is also a Safeway, Wal-Mart, and Target where you can buy groceries, though you will note that prices are generally higher than those on the mainland.

If you want to do anything on Oahu besides enjoy all that the Aulani has to offer, you are either going to need a car or pay high prices to go on the various tours. Driving in Hawaii, however, is about as stress free as you can get as most drive the speed limit and are usually courteous.

 

[TagsMissy]

We drank the addon kool-aid and added on points. We now have a small 100pt contract at Aulani as well! Hello neighbours!

 

[DenLo]

We too just did a 100 pt. add on at Aulani. It gives us the opportunity to go there every 2 years in a studio. Should have bought when Aulani was first opened for sales.

TagsMissy, congratulations, aloha!

 

[TagsMissy]

We too just did a 100 pt. add on at Aulani. It gives us the opportunity to go there every 2 years in a studio. Should have bought when Aulani was first opened for sales.

TagsMissy, congratulations, aloha!

Yes.... same here, or we should have even bought then we were at Aulani last year. Oh well... LOL We just bought on a cruise so at least we got $1500 incentive, that certainly helped.

 

[JWG]

Is Aulani selling well? I know it's popular and can be challenging at 7 months because other members want to go (us included), but are sales strong? I know this is harder to get than the Floriday properties, but I'm just curious if they'll continue to look for off-site properties to build at.

There was quite a break between HH, VB and Aulani with DC getting scrapped (location wasn't good anyway).

I have mixed feelings about this concep as I want DVC to do well and life outside of the parks is important, but the added pressure that puts on the park resorts' availability will be noticeable.

 

[Iceman93]

I really think Aulani was all due to Joe Rohde's passion for the project. He's from Hawaii, and it's clear from his previous projects (Animal Kingdom, Adventurer's Club, Trader Sam's, etc.) that he loves the tiki lifestyle and all that goes with it.

That being said, Hawaii is an ideal location for a non-park DVC resort. They found a great location in Ko Olina, and probably got a deal on the land because the economy has been poor for so long. For the longest time I secretly thought Disney would end buying the Grand Wailea resort on Maui and turn it into a combination hotel/DVC, calling it "Disney's Grand Hawaiian Resort & Spa" or "Disney's Grand Wailean Resort & Spa". When the original owners went belly-up and the place was sold for a song, I was really surprised it was Hilton who bought it and not Disney. But I also understand the reasoning--they probably would have spent as much getting the Grand Wailea up to Disney standards as they did to build Aulani from scratch (money Hilton hasn't invested in the place, by the way). And Oahu is much easier for Asian tourists to get to than Maui, who make up a sizable portion of Aulani's clientele.

I suspect there will be additional non-park DVC resorts in the future. Personally, I'd love to see one in Las Vegas. The defunct Ritz-Carlton would be the right location--away from the strip so the family "vibe" can be maintained, but close enough for visitors to go see the glitz of Vegas when they want to. DC is another busy tourist destination; I'm still incensed that Disney's America never got built, though. Maybe San Antonio (with excursions to the Alamo, Schlitterbahn, etc.) or Houston (Space Center Houston, which was designed by Imagineering)? I'm having trouble coming up with other domestic locations that have enough of a draw to make the investment worthwhile, but then again I never in a million years would have chosen Vero Beach or Hilton Head Island. When you consider how obscure those destinations are, they could really go almost anywhere!

 

[karebear06]

We live in East Tennessee and would love for there to be a DVC resort in the Smoky Mountains. Somewhere outside of Gatlinburg bordering the national park would be perfect.

 

[TifffanyD]

I really think Aulani was all due to Joe Rohde's passion for the project. He's from Hawaii, and it's clear from his previous projects (Animal Kingdom, Adventurer's Club, Trader Sam's, etc.) that he loves the tiki lifestyle and all that goes with it.

That being said, Hawaii is an ideal location for a non-park DVC resort. They found a great location in Ko Olina, and probably got a deal on the land because the economy has been poor for so long. For the longest time I secretly thought Disney would end buying the Grand Wailea resort on Maui and turn it into a combination hotel/DVC, calling it "Disney's Grand Hawaiian Resort & Spa" or "Disney's Grand Wailean Resort & Spa". When the original owners went belly-up and the place was sold for a song, I was really surprised it was Hilton who bought it and not Disney. But I also understand the reasoning--they probably would have spent as much getting the Grand Wailea up to Disney standards as they did to build Aulani from scratch (money Hilton hasn't invested in the place, by the way). And Oahu is much easier for Asian tourists to get to than Maui, who make up a sizable portion of Aulani's clientele.

I suspect there will be additional non-park DVC resorts in the future. Personally, I'd love to see one in Las Vegas. The defunct Ritz-Carlton would be the right location--away from the strip so the family "vibe" can be maintained, but close enough for visitors to go see the glitz of Vegas when they want to. DC is another busy tourist destination; I'm still incensed that Disney's America never got built, though. Maybe San Antonio (with excursions to the Alamo, Schlitterbahn, etc.) or Houston (Space Center Houston, which was designed by Imagineering)? I'm having trouble coming up with other domestic locations that have enough of a draw to make the investment worthwhile, but then again I never in a million years would have chosen Vero Beach or Hilton Head Island. When you consider how obscure those destinations are, they could really go almost anywhere!

This is a really great post and gave me things to think about.

I could see Las Vegas working as it's a place people will return to time and time again. However, if I was planning on returning there I wouldn't want to stay off the strip.

As for San Antonio and Houston... they are places I might go once but would never buy there.

New York would be a good destination and they could have excursions to Disney broadway shows and events. Tie it in to the ABD like they do with Hawaii.

 

[lchute1158]

Is like to see coastal southern California, like laguna Beach or Dana point

 

[e46m3]

I just bought resale for 170 points.

 

[asunutgirl]

Is like to see coastal southern California, like laguna Beach or Dana point

Me too. Close enough to DLR but far enough away to be it's own resort. Only issue with that is that CA beaches are cold in the winter.

I also like the NYC idea.