Aulani Owners Thread - ALOHA!

[Bruno33]

We’re at Aulani now for the first time. We have looked into DVC before but it hasn’t made sense for us - we live 15 minutes from Disneyland, so we don’t go to WDW often and rarely stay on-site at DL. Having said that, we’re big Disney people- do a couple of DCL cruises a year in addition to our Inspire passes, have invested in a decent amount of Disney artwork, etc.

Our 11-year-old is a BIG beach vacation fan, so we’re thinking of buying 150 points direct here - we would probably come to Aulani for a few days every two-ish years, and we could use some of the points at the new Disneyland Hotel tower for some staycations/special occasions, too, plus we love AKL at WDW, so if we do head to FL, we could stay there… it seems like we’d use them.

It doesn’t seem like resale would be great for us due since you can’t use at DLH…

Is there any reason this is a dumb plan? Thanks!

 

[AstroBlasters]

We’re at Aulani now for the first time. We have looked into DVC before but it hasn’t made sense for us - we live 15 minutes from Disneyland, so we don’t go to WDW often and rarely stay on-site at DL. Having said that, we’re big Disney people- do a couple of DCL cruises a year in addition to our Inspire passes, have invested in a decent amount of Disney artwork, etc.

Our 11-year-old is a BIG beach vacation fan, so we’re thinking of buying 150 points direct here - we would probably come to Aulani for a few days every two-ish years, and we could use some of the points at the new Disneyland Hotel tower for some staycations/special occasions, too, plus we love AKL at WDW, so if we do head to FL, we could stay there… it seems like we’d use them.

It doesn’t seem like resale would be great for us due since you can’t use at DLH…

Is there any reason this is a dumb plan? Thanks!

It seems like you have a pretty good hand on it. My only question would be if you really NEED the ability to use it at VDH when resale would work fine at AK.

AUL is a pretty point heavy resort and as the kids get older you are probably going to want some larger accommodations. That’s easier to pull off with resale. A 2Bd OV is about 250 points every other year (depending on the season).

Also, you could take the price difference ($95ish resale vs $200ish direct) of $15,750 and just use that + the interest as a hotel budget for any DLand staycations.

Now, with that said… of my Aulani points I did buy 200 direct to make sure I could stay at VDH and other Disney FWD properties…. but we also live in Oregon and not a 15 minute drive (+ parking + tram + walking)x2. I also can’t stand not having access to little perks… you may not suffer from that particular affliction.

 

[Bruno33]

It seems like you have a pretty good hand on it. My only question would be if you really NEED the ability to use it at VDH when resale would work fine at AK.

AUL is a pretty point heavy resort and as the kids get older you are probably going to want some larger accommodations. That’s easier to pull off with resale. A 2Bd OV is about 250 points every other year (depending on the season).

Also, you could take the price difference ($95ish resale vs $200ish direct) of $15,750 and just use that + the interest as a hotel budget for any DLand staycations.

Now, with that said… of my Aulani points I did buy 200 direct to make sure I could stay at VDH and other Disney FWD properties…. but we also live in Oregon and not a 15 minute drive (+ parking + tram + walking)x2. I also can’t stand not having access to little perks… you may not suffer from that particular affliction.

Thanks so much for the reply! It definitely might make more sense to do resale. (I’m sure it would make more financial sense; I’m just not sure how to value some of the intangibles.)

As far as the DLH, we do stay there sometimes for fun, and so we might feel silly having bought into DVC but not being able to use it there? I also think it’s nice to know that we always have an easy way to use some points, and it would be fun to stay in bigger rooms there for some special occasions.

We just have the one kiddo, so while I do think a 1-bedroom here would be nice, we don’t need anything bigger than that at Aulani… she is super busy so it can be hard to get away (this trip is five nights), so I think I’m more worried about having points that will expire than anything… which is why something we can use at DLH strikes me as attractive. (I realize we could rent them out, but it’d be more fun to use them, ha!)

You gave me some good things to think about, so thank you! Enjoy your trip!

 

[nono]

We’re at Aulani now for the first time. We have looked into DVC before but it hasn’t made sense for us - we live 15 minutes from Disneyland, so we don’t go to WDW often and rarely stay on-site at DL. Having said that, we’re big Disney people- do a couple of DCL cruises a year in addition to our Inspire passes, have invested in a decent amount of Disney artwork, etc.

Our 11-year-old is a BIG beach vacation fan, so we’re thinking of buying 150 points direct here - we would probably come to Aulani for a few days every two-ish years, and we could use some of the points at the new Disneyland Hotel tower for some staycations/special occasions, too, plus we love AKL at WDW, so if we do head to FL, we could stay there… it seems like we’d use them.

It doesn’t seem like resale would be great for us due since you can’t use at DLH…

Is there any reason this is a dumb plan? Thanks!

We live on a barrier island at "the shore" in NJ, and we did just that during the pandemic (and then subsequently sold off our WDW DVC). Your commute will definitely be do-able. Every-other-year works great for us at this point in our lives. I think it is a great plan.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Thanks so much for the reply! It definitely might make more sense to do resale. (I’m sure it would make more financial sense; I’m just not sure how to value some of the intangibles.)

As far as the DLH, we do stay there sometimes for fun, and so we might feel silly having bought into DVC but not being able to use it there? I also think it’s nice to know that we always have an easy way to use some points, and it would be fun to stay in bigger rooms there for some special occasions.

We just have the one kiddo, so while I do think a 1-bedroom here would be nice, we don’t need anything bigger than that at Aulani… she is super busy so it can be hard to get away (this trip is five nights), so I think I’m more worried about having points that will expire than anything… which is why something we can use at DLH strikes me as attractive. (I realize we could rent them out, but it’d be more fun to use them, ha!)

You gave me some good things to think about, so thank you! Enjoy your trip!

Going direct is easy and “future proofs” the points with Disneyland Forward. Nothing wrong with starting there and then adding on resale if you find yourself frequently borrowing.

A one bedroom OV for 5 nights at Aulani is around 290 points, so I don’t see any issues using 150 every other year… especially if you throw in a few DLand and WDW stays….

 

[disney1474]

When is the best time to be able to book at 7 months?

 

[AstroBlasters]

When is the best time to be able to book at 7 months?

As this is an Owners Group thread, which means that everyone here has an 11m booking window so we don’t have to try and book within 7m.

You can consult availability charts for historical data based on your preferred room type and view: https://www.dvchelp.com/page/aulani-resort-spa-availability-charts

Generally, you are OK outside of summer, spring break, and Christmas/New Years… depending on how many consecutive night you are looking for.

 

[bbn1122]

When is the best time to be able to book at 7 months?

I will be there next week and own at BLT.

I booked at the 7 month window for early September this year. I had no problem getting a 2 bedroom. If I recall the only rooms that were very limited were the Hotel Rooms. 1 bedroom and some Studios were available.

I wanted after the crowds and the points drop in September too. Weather is suppose to be 85-87 partly sunny!

 

[bbn1122]

Any owners ever experince the Kula Wai - water spa area?

Prices? Experince?

I watched one short video tour.

Is it like the RainForest Room the Disney ship?

Aloha!

 

[bbn1122]

bumping

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

Which is easier to book at seven months out, a studio island view for a stay in October or May? TIA

 

[limace]

Any owners ever experince the Kula Wai - water spa area?

Prices? Experince?

I watched one short video tour.

Is it like the RainForest Room the Disney ship?

Aloha!

I’ve done a massage there. The massage was very good though not the best I’ve had. You got an hour in the spa area with the rain showers etc which was excellent. I haven’t done a DCL cruise so can’t compare. It was $185 a year ago.

 

[OKW Lover]

Malasadas are in the Olé lo room starting at 7:05am….

I promise you it’s not 7am and I don’t want you to get in line in front if me!

How do they compare to Leonards?

 

[AstroBlasters]

How do they compare to Leonards?

Leonard’s has a lot of different options, especially if you want cream filling, whereas these were just perfectly cooked and cloud like pieces of sugary and doughy heaven when served warm.

I think a malasada while enjoying a coffee at Off the Hook in the morning will be my new breakfast routine on the first day of every trip.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Leonard’s has a lot of different options, especially if you want cream filling, whereas these were just perfectly cooked and cloud like pieces of sugary and doughy heaven when served warm.

I think a malasada while enjoying a coffee at Off the Hook in the morning will be my new breakfast routine on the first day of every trip.

Sounds delicious!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Which is easier to book at seven months out, a studio island view for a stay in October or May? TIA

https://www.dvchelp.com/page/aulani-resort-spa-availability-charts

Most owners don’t book at 7m, but the availability chart above may be helpful.

 

[Dobermanns]

Thanks so much for the reply! It definitely might make more sense to do resale. (I’m sure it would make more financial sense; I’m just not sure how to value some of the intangibles.)

As far as the DLH, we do stay there sometimes for fun, and so we might feel silly having bought into DVC but not being able to use it there? I also think it’s nice to know that we always have an easy way to use some points, and it would be fun to stay in bigger rooms there for some special occasions.

We just have the one kiddo, so while I do think a 1-bedroom here would be nice, we don’t need anything bigger than that at Aulani… she is super busy so it can be hard to get away (this trip is five nights), so I think I’m more worried about having points that will expire than anything… which is why something we can use at DLH strikes me as attractive. (I realize we could rent them out, but it’d be more fun to use them, ha!)

You mentioned intangibles. Being only 15 minutes to DLR, you can attend DVC moonlight magic easily even if not staying on site. That’s available to direct and qualified resale only (not new resale). And the ability to use the DVC lounge is a big plus in my book.

And of course the ability to use points at DLH vs losing them is also a big factor.

Using @AstroBlasters logic, say a price difference of $100 between direct and resale, on a 150 point contract (you mentioned every 2 years, so that should be enough), that’s $15,000 of savings. Say a room at DLH is $500 (not sure what the magic key discount might be), that’s 30 nights. If you do two 2-night staycations a year, that’s 7.5 years. I know this is oversimplified, but you will come out ahead after that with buying direct.

So in your situation and Disney Forward to come, I would say buy direct.

 

[limace]

As this is an Owners Group thread, which means that everyone here has an 11m booking window so we don’t have to try and book within 7m.

You can consult availability charts for historical data based on your preferred room type and view: https://www.dvchelp.com/page/aulani-resort-spa-availability-charts

Generally, you are OK outside of summer, spring break, and Christmas/New Years… depending on how many consecutive night you are looking for.

To be fair, most of the other resort threads are for owners and lovers of the resorts-and even owners can end up using points from other resorts if they want a larger or more frequent trip.

Back to the question-we booked without problem in an ocean view studio well past 7 months last year for Labor Day weekend 23. Bought our points after that.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Thanks so much for the reply! It definitely might make more sense to do resale. (I’m sure it would make more financial sense; I’m just not sure how to value some of the intangibles.)

As far as the DLH, we do stay there sometimes for fun, and so we might feel silly having bought into DVC but not being able to use it there? I also think it’s nice to know that we always have an easy way to use some points, and it would be fun to stay in bigger rooms there for some special occasions.

We just have the one kiddo, so while I do think a 1-bedroom here would be nice, we don’t need anything bigger than that at Aulani… she is super busy so it can be hard to get away (this trip is five nights), so I think I’m more worried about having points that will expire than anything… which is why something we can use at DLH strikes me as attractive. (I realize we could rent them out, but it’d be more fun to use them, ha!)

You gave me some good things to think about, so thank you! Enjoy your trip!

I own AUL direct (our first DVC purchase) and wish I’d bought 130% of the points subsidized resale instead — though I might not feel this way if I didn’t already have direct ownership perks through a different contract. We aren’t looking to sell our AUL points but it is disheartening that we paid about 180% of the cost of buying them resale.

As a DLR local, I want to make sure you know you can’t just easily get into VDH 3-5 months in advance. At some point, it may become very challenging to get in at 7mo as well (I’m not sure how bad it is now at the 6-7mo mark)… as locals, we rarely plan far enough out to be able to use points at VGC or VDH—but I’m a bit hypocritical on this because I’m in the process of buying VGC resale—just enough to stay a few nights a year.

 

[boba_balla]

We’re at Aulani now for the first time. We have looked into DVC before but it hasn’t made sense for us - we live 15 minutes from Disneyland, so we don’t go to WDW often and rarely stay on-site at DL. Having said that, we’re big Disney people- do a couple of DCL cruises a year in addition to our Inspire passes, have invested in a decent amount of Disney artwork, etc.

Our 11-year-old is a BIG beach vacation fan, so we’re thinking of buying 150 points direct here - we would probably come to Aulani for a few days every two-ish years, and we could use some of the points at the new Disneyland Hotel tower for some staycations/special occasions, too, plus we love AKL at WDW, so if we do head to FL, we could stay there… it seems like we’d use them.

It doesn’t seem like resale would be great for us due since you can’t use at DLH…

Is there any reason this is a dumb plan? Thanks!

We just stayed at Aulani for the first time last month and decided to do resale (just passed ROFR today! ). We're from the Bay Area and have done a number of trips to Disneyland the past 2 years, but we don't really utilize the resort much other than to sleep at on park days. On non-park days, we're driving around SoCal area to visit friends or eat/shop. Most of our Disneyland trips are pretty short too so figured we wouldn't be staying at a DVC resort for our Disneyland trips, so not being able to book at the new VDH was something we're fine giving up by doing resale. For the Orlando resorts, my wife is not an outdoorsy person so not booking at the Cabins really doesn't matter to us, so it's only the Riviera we'd be missing out on, which is fine since we'll be going to Aulani more than WDW.