Aulani Trip Report -- December 2011

[thewelts]

We arrived at Aulani on Monday, December 12 (from Portland, Oregon). We were concerned about the weather forecast for the week --- a good deal of rain was projected. We arrived to glorious warm air -- breezy and mixed clouds.

We rented a convertible from Enterprise at the airport. Our $170 weekly rental will end up costing close to $300 with all the taxes and fees. We almost rented a Nissan Leaf electric car because Aulani has changing stations, but my husband was nervous about traveling across the island (40+ miles) when they cannot guarantee how long a change lasts (80-100 miles).

The ride to Aulani was quick and easy. Like others have shared, the resort is glorious. You are welcomed by MANY eager CMs. We rented 154 points from a Disboards DVC member for an Island-View Studio. We have a lovely room on the 16th (top) floor. The view is okay, nothing great. I have not seen other parts of the island yet, but I have been told that this is not the "prettiest" part of the island. I can reassure you that the resort and lagoon are beautiful so it doesn't matter.

Upon arrival we confirmed that we had free self-park because we were staying in a DVC unit. Your room key allows access in/out of the parking garage. I was nervous about being charged $35/night as other posted you must show your DVC membership card.

Also, once we were in our room we requested a toaster and non-plastic silverware and glass bowls from housekeeping. They were happy to help. The room feels very new... Everything seems unused.

At around 2 PM we decided to get out and check out the pools. The pools are amazing and the lagoon is super-fun to swim in. The water temp is cool, but pleasant enough. You adjust quickly. The resort seemed empty/very quiet. The character pool party was happening with minimal noise and crowds.

We were reluctant to eat at the resort as the reviews have been terrible. We decided to jump back in the car and drive to nearby Kapolei (5 minutes south). They have lots of stores to stock up on groceries (Down to Earth is a nice vegetarian market -- Whole Food like). There is also a Costco, Starbucks, Sports Authority, Target, and others. Surprisingly dining options were really limited... Subway, Dennys, Taco del Mar, and McDonalds. We opted for the Outback Steak House. I was shocked as our tab was $100 (with tip) for the three of us. Needless to say, the food was not that good. At least we had groceries for breakfast and lunch for the next day.

We raced back to the resort for the 7 PM Starlight Hui. This show does not disappoint -- This is a wonderful show! We look forward to going again on Thursday and taking advantage of the fun crafts and activities and the PhotoPass photographers.

(to be continued)

 

[Greyhound22]

Sounds wonderful. Enjoy your stay!

 

[spleen]

A good start! Sorry our weather has not been cooperating. Kapolei has a surprisingly large number of ethnic eateries but you have to look beyond the typical names. I'd encourage you to try some out since it'll definitely be cheaper than paying Aulani food prices. Juliez (Filipino food), Tasty Korean BBQ (Korean), En Fuego (local style plate lunch and fish plates), Boston North End (pizza), Koa Pancake House (breakfast), and L&L Drive Inn (classic local style plate lunch) are all decent choices.

 

[adminjedi]

Enjoy your stay....we returned to PDX on Dec 11th after 8 nights at Aulani!
Our week forecasted rain showers every day, yet the only day was Saturday.

We loved our ocean view studio in Ewa tower. Our room was without toaster as well, and they delivered one upon request. They are listed as a basic room amenity on the kitchen list, but apparently they have missed a few rooms.

This was a low-key activity trip as I was recovering from back surgery. Our April trip will be more active and we will take in more of the entertainment available.

IMHO The hamburger seemed to be the best quick service meal. We had the pizza one night in our room and it was good (however, smaller than our mainland options). We bought several of the deli salads at ABC market across the street which were actually quite tasty. We ate at Ama Ama and it was very good, but I was disappointed that the only beef option was a basic pepper sauce with mashed potatoes. I ended up ordering two appetizers instead of a main course and throughly enjoyed them!

Lastly...Loved the robes!

 

[thewelts]

A few disappointments...
Tuesday, December 13 ended up being a rather cloudy day. It was still warm and pleasant... the sun certainly poked out from time to time, but wouldn't stay. We also had several fast-moving showers. This did not stop us from enjoying the lagoons, pools and water slides.

We explored the hotel a bit more... We found the spa and had frozen yogurt as our afternoon treat ($18+ for 3). The shave ice is a much better deal!
We also did trail #1 (1 of 4 trails) of the Menehune adventure trail. This was very clever and unique. We rented a movie from the community room (free for DVC guests). It was strange... I intentionally waited to watch Lilo & Stitch here at Aulani -- We have never seen this film. The community room does not have it as a rental -- some licensing thing. Really?!... Stitch is all over this place. Too bad!!!

For dinner we ventured across the street to Ko Olina Station and decided to try JUST TACOS. We really wanted to like it, but it wasn't very good. Worth trying, but not good enough to go back a second time.

We encountered some disappointments when we returned to the hotel. We wanted to check out the outdoor film -- LITTLE MERMAID -- at 6:45. When we arrived at the lawn, the area was dark and closed. We finally found a CM and they didn't know anything about it. We asked another and they 'guessed' it might be cancelled because of the weather. It was a beautiful evening, but I understand that the grass was probably very wet. It was wet the night of the Hui (Monday).

We decided to head over to the firepit for uncle's storytelling at 7:45. We sat there with a few other families and waited... 7:45 came and went. The firepit remained dark and no CM came. Again, I tried to ask several CMs and no one knew -- Several even seems surprised. I was not able to get a proper answer.

Next I tried to sign my son (age 7) up for an activity at Aunties Beach House on Wednesday evening. I was told only two kids were signed up and they would need 10. The CM asked is the Wednesday program -- Chip & Dale's Dance Party -- was happening and she said, no. It was CANCELLED!

I went to bed feeling like EVERYTHING at Aulani gets cancelled. I went to bed feeling like this resort is not going to be able to pull it off.

(to be continued)

 

[spleen]

I'm hoping that things get better! We never got a chance to go to the storytelling sessions or the Starlit Hui or the movie nights ... maybe even if we had showed up, it wouldn't have happened anyway!

 

[abayaflowers]

Sorry to hear that! We are planning to go as well at the end of Dec/Jan. Do they have small fridge to put in your room?

 

[thewelts]

Wednesday, December 14
Although we did see more sun on Wednesday, we still had our share of clouds and fast-moving showers. Again the weather was comfortable enough to enjoy the pool and lagoon, but it was not nice enough to bask in the sun.
We decided to begin our day by venturing over to Pearl Harbor. It was a short drive – basically you drive back toward the airport. I was concerned because I read so many reviews about the crowds and 1-3 hour waiting time. We got out later than I had hoped – around 9 AM. We arrived at 9:30 and were offered at 9:45 ticket. Wow… that was fast and easy! The Arizona Memorial was very powerful and moving – perhaps more than we were expecting. It was a bit tricky to shift from joyful Disney vacation mode to the very somber and real impact of war. My son was expecting something more like the Intrepid Air & Space Museum in NYC. This ended up feeling more like a visit to the 9/11 Memorial. I guess that makes sense, but we were a bit unprepared.
We returned to the hotel at 11 AM for some lunch (in our room) and (fingers-crossed for more sunshine). After lunch we went down to the lagoon and I rented a paddleboard. It was my first time and I loved it! It was such a fun way to explore the lagoon. I found hundreds of black crabs crawling all over the rocks out by the lagoon entrance. I was also able to see fish swimming in the water. It was awesome!
Although my 7-year old son was very reluctant, he finally agreed to try Auntie’s Beach House so my husband and I could spend some time alone and have dinner at Ama Ama. We arranged for him to have dinner at Aunties. That night auntie’s was offering an abbreviated (free) version of the Chip & Dale Dance Party.
It was a glorious night and my husband and I caught a perfect glimpse of the sun setting. We walked north to Lagoon #4 (Aulani is at Lagoon #1). It was a perfect sunset stroll. We returned to Ama Ama for a 6:30 reservation. I went into Ama Ama with very low expectations, as I had read so many disappointing reviews. I’m pleased to say, that if you don’t expect much Ama Ama is great. It is absolutely beautiful. The setting cannot be beat. Sure the food is really expensive and not fantastic, but it was the best meal we had to date, so we were pleased. It was also nice to have free babysitting.
Sadly, our son didn’t see it that way. Unlike all the many other kids who LOVE Auntie’s Beach House, our son did not. It was clear that it was a very long 3 hours. Even a CM mentioned that they tried very hard to engage him. We are planning to have massages on Saturday, so “hopefully” our son will agree to go back.

Thursday, December 15
Thursday offered a sunny and glorious morning… We decided to get some exercise. We jogged the very beautiful lagoon path. It is about 1.5 miles (one way) from start to finish. There are longer jogging options available – through the golf course and around KoOlina.
After showers and breakfast, we decided to do another meneheune adventure trail (lobby version). Disney imagineers really got this right – there are so many clever things to see and do. Later in the day we continued the garden meneheune trail. Be sure you don’t miss doing this!
At 11 AM, we went to the lagoon beach. There are always plenty of chairs set up. After a while of basking in the sun, a server came around offered food and drinks (poolside menu). We ordered pina coladas… A delicious and refreshing treat!
After a while we decided to transition back to the pool and enjoyed the water slides and lazy river some more.
Later in the afternoon, I decided to stroll across the street to the Island Market Grocery to buy more milk. I was expecting more of a 7-11 type of convenience store, but this market is much nicer with great selection of beer and spirits, beach wear and novelties, groceries, health & beauty items, postcards and trinkets, and an impressive deli and salad bar.
We strolled out around 4 PM and saw Donald Duck with no line. There have been plenty of character experiences and photo opportunities and minimal lines (0-8 people).
We decided to have dinner at Longboards, the waterfront restaurant at the Marriot resort located at Lagoon #3. (Note: There are two Marriot resorts… Ihilani at lagoon #1 – next to Aulani and Marriot Ko Olina at Lagoon #3). The stroll was perfect, the setting was beautiful, but the food was not especially good. We opted for burgers and beer. The beer was good!
We returned to Aulani for our 2nd Starlight Hui. I’m thrilled to report that it was not cancelled, but the grass remained very wet. In addition to the straw mats cast members encouraged guests to get towels. The show was slightly different with an added holiday twist… CMs distributed bells for a version of Mele Kalikimaka (The Hawaiian Christmas Song). It was super-fun. Don’t miss the Starlight Hui!

 

[thewelts]

Friday, December 16
Friday was our adventure day… We left the hotel at 7:30. We decided to try Denny’s in Kapolei for a quick “hot” breakfast (after a few days of toast and cereal in the room). I wish I could tell you it was delicious, but it was Denny’s. At least it wasn’t expensive ($30 for 3). After we filled up, we headed east and took the H-3 highway. Once you get on the H-3, the skies get dramatic and the earth become green, lush and mountainous. It was a beautiful 40 minutes drive to Kualoa Ranch where we met our tour leader from BIKE HAWAII. We signed up for a day of hiking, kayaking, and snorkeling. We had 5 total in our group with a guide. We kayaked to Mokoli`i (Chinaman's Hat) Island. It was a perfect afternoon and just-right adventure for our family. It was something we could have never done without a guide, so well worth the money (about $300 for all 3). After our adventure we decided to explore the East side of the island a bit more. We drove south to the beach village of Kailua where we had originally planned to spend our week – renting a cottage from vrbo.com. Kailua was not as charming as I had expecting. The beach was beautiful, but we have a whole new understanding of “Windward”. Kailua was so windy we could barely enjoy the beach. We decided to jump back in the car and return to Aulani where the weather was glorious and the sunset was perfect. We were very hungry and tired after our adventure so we opted for dinner at Aulani’s Makahiki dinner buffet. The buffet was great with tons to choose from – compared to all the other expensive dinners this $100+ dinner was worth it. (Did I just say that?! I must have been very hungry and tired. Perhaps it was the yummy Kona Fire Ale or the eggnog bread pudding.). I think it is interesting that Disney offers a dinner buffet. The restaurant seemed a bit empty (6 PM to 7 PM). The thing about buffets is they promote over-eating, and families do not get to eat together – It seemed that one of us was always up at the buffet and one was left alone at the table.
We ended the night with a lagoon path stroll and watched a few minutes of “Santa Paws”, the outdoor movie.
Saturday, December 17
Saturday was a day of “wow”, “awe” and “mahalo”... We strolled out to the lagoon in search of a turtle. We have been looking all week. We were told that turtles are often seen in the small lagoon to the right (north) of Aulani. It was our lucky day… first I saw a head pop up and thought I imagined it. Then we saw it again and got a glimpse of the full body in the surf. There were at least 2-3, but the tide was coming in and was rather rough. A beautiful full rainbow presented itself as a morning shower passed by.
Later that morning we returned our son to Auntie’s Beach House (he was not happy about this, but agreed with a small bribe) so my husband and I could try Laniwai Spa. All I can say is, “Wow”. I went in a skeptic… convinced that no 50-minute massage could be worth $150 (plus 20% gratuity and taxes). I am pleased to tell you that I was so wrong. Laniwai was like no spa experience I had ever had and worth every cent. After nearly 3 hours in the spa we guiltily returned to Auntie’s to pick up our son. Fortunately he was a bit happier this time and even happier with his $8 good-luck tiki from the Island Market Grocery. We tried the deli at Island Market Grocery for lunch. I was pretty pleased with their custom, made-to-order salad. It was a sunny and breezy afternoon. We return to the hotel and spent the afternoon at the lagoon beach and pool. We enjoyed sunset MaiTai cocktails and more Meneheune magic. For dinner we ventured back to Kapolei and found lots of dining options in the shopping plaza around the Safeway.

 

[moredisneyplease]

thanks for all of the great posts/ideas/comments! Helps us all plan for our future Aulani visits

 

[ACDSNY]

Enjoying your report. Three weeks from today we'll be visiting Pearl Harbor and enjoying our second night at Aulani.

 

[mgodfre3]

We will be there also in 3 weeks! Going January 6-16! Can't wait.

I used to live there, so I will give you a tip, eat at Roy's, there is one in Ko Olina and it is totally worth it. Another place worth trying is Teddy's Bigger Burgers and Cha Cha Cha Salsaria.

Enjoy reading about the trip and can't wait to celebrate our Christmas there.

 

[rentayenta]

Fun report. I would love to see some photos.

 

[ACDSNY]

We will be there also in 3 weeks! Going January 6-16! Can't wait.

I used to live there, so I will give you a tip, eat at Roy's, there is one in Ko Olina and it is totally worth it. Another place worth trying is Teddy's Bigger Burgers and Cha Cha Cha Salsaria.

Enjoy reading about the trip and can't wait to celebrate our Christmas there.

Thanks for the tips, I've kept them on my phone. We only have a short 3 night stay so we'll see what we can squeeze in.