Aulani @ Summer - no availability - What do I do?

[allison k]

Hello all, please bear with me. I was a little behind the ball when trying to get my dates figured out for our summer vacation and I wasn't able to book at Aulani right at the beginning of the 7 month window (nursing school full time, working part time, and 2 kids - yay me!).

Anyway, our planned travel dates are 6/26-7/6 (10 days). I currently have a waitlist for a 1 bedroom standard view and I am routinely checking the website and there is only availability on a day here a day there. So what should I do?

Do I book a 1 bedroom for one of those nights and continue to check availability and add on to that reservation? If I'm not able to get continuous days, can you combine reservations once those days do become continuous?

As a part of the above, is it better to check online or call? And is there a time that's best to check? (I thought I read here that waitlists are fulfilled days after availability shows up)

Do I add a second waitlist with a different room/view type and maybe a shorter stay?

This is a big year for the family, I'm graduating from nursing school in May and it's our 20th anniversary. Which is why we would like to go to Hawaii. I've told my husband that we should make a contingency plan for a different resort and pay, but after seeing all of the pics everyone has posted, I would so love it if we could make Aulani work.

It's been a few years since we've been able to take a big trip, but we've used our DVC points for stays in Sedona, which were really nice. I'd kind of like to do WDW again (I miss that place!), but our dd just got a Boston brace for scoliosis and I can't imagine the Florida heat making her hard plastic wrapped torso enjoyable!

Thank you in advance. Everyone here knows SO MUCH!

 

[drusba]

Here is what you face: (1) that time of year is a high demand time for Aulani, not just because of the holiday but because June 26 thru 29 are in lower point choice season, and that June time is one of the highest demand times of the year; (2) standard view is difficult to get even during slow times; (3) the more the number of days you are waitlisted the lower the odds of getting it (and 10 is is truly on the side of low probability).

Because of (1) and (3), you may have a low chance of succeeding no mater what view you wait list for, and because of (2) and 3), you should probably assume you need to look elsewhere for a place to go if you stick with the current wait list. Picking up a couple of days with the hope of getting the others in standard view raises chances a little but still unlikely and do you really want to spend the next four months on line chacking constantly for something to come through. If you want to raise chances of getting Aulani you should wait list ocean view and/or poolside view (Island Garden view is the second hardest view to get at Aulani) and likely lower the number of nights to seven or less.

If you go the route of getting piecemeal reservations, the answer is that you can later link all those together. Also, my understanding of the way wait lists work is that they are filled at the end of a day and thus anything that comes open in the morning or afternoon before the end of the MS working day is open to anyone who can grab it on that day before it ends.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

I agree with pp. Try OV. I booked pool view right at 7 mos for august. Got what I wanted. A few weeks after I booked pool was still available. I was thinking of adding on days.

Also, break it in to 2 5 night trips. We are staying in Waikiki for the first 2 nights to explore... then 5 in Aulani. After Aulani we do Maui for 4 nights.

With 10 nights you can easily do a second island. that might help with your Aulani reservations?

Good luck!

 

[DisWitt]

I'm with PP about chances with SV. There are so few SV villas that you'd be hard-pressed to get that at even 7mos out. And with the points change, it's gonna be tough. I'd say to break up into 3-night chunks and start a waitlist and stalking the website to put together your trip. IV and OV are going to have much more chance for you.

 

[TagsMissy]

Unfortunately there isn't much you can do other than waitlist and hope something opens or try for a better view villa. I like the suggestion of splitting the trip up and limiting your Aulani time to say 4-5 nights, that definitely will make the WL a bit easier to obtain rather than the whole lot of time. You can either look at another island or if you really want to be on Oahu maybe spend time in the city?

Standard villas are very hard to get, even as an owner they're hard for us to get at 11 months at certain times of the year.

Good luck with your reservations and planning!

 

[DenLo]

I'm assuming you've considered other views and at this date there probably isn't anything available for all your dates. I did notice that Aulani has an hotel offer out. But it ends June 16th. http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...a-disney-resort-spa-with-a-special-new-offer/ I guess that doesn't help you.

You might want to wait list and reserve a cash stay for now. Or just delay your Hawaii trip this year and start earlier next year. In 2015 Disney is allowing DVC to use points for hotel rooms. So that might open up more 1 BRs for families that need the larger size.

 

[TagsMissy]

I you might want to wait list and reserve a cash stay for now. Or just delay your Hawaii trip this year and start earlier next year. In 2015 Disney is allowing DVC to use points for hotel rooms. So that might open up more 1 BRs for families that need the larger size.

Oh I didn't know they were doing that, good to know as an FYI.... do you know if they are treating it like WDW with the fee to trade out points or like DL where there's no fee?

 

[drusba]

It will be a hotel room booking category under DVC. There will be no trading out fee.

 

[CailinFig]

I'm assuming you've considered other views and at this date there probably isn't anything available for all your dates. I did notice that Aulani has an hotel offer out. But it ends June 16th. http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/01/enjoy-a-spring-vacation-to-aulani-a-disney-resort-spa-with-a-special-new-offer/ I guess that doesn't help you.
.

I was recently pricing out a cash stay in April for a last minute trip. I was excited to see this email and sadly realized they just increased the prices for the dates I've been watching for the last two weeks! I think I'd be paying more than I would have two weeks ago with their new "offer!"

 

[allison k]

Thank you all for your advice! Today's my first free day to look at this again and I think I can make it work. We have enough points booked and deposited in RCI, that we can do a week on the big island where there's availability and then 5-7 days at Aulani (different room scenarios). We'll do tons of exploring on the big island and then just park it at Aulani. Plus, when I check online availability, there are some 2 days chunks in the OV categories. I'll be on top of it and make sure DH is on top of it too and hopefully we can do it!

Thank you!

 

[Tashaleanne]

I just logged on to the member services website, and, if you are interested in booking a "standard hotel room", I just noticed that those rooms have now been added to the Aulani room type drop-down menu. Looks like there is availability in that room category for the 10 days you want to book.