Aulani Trip Report

[trs518]

My wife, my son (6), and I just got back from a week stay at Aulani. We had a great time and really loved the resort. They many things well there.

At check-in we were instantly swarmed (in a good way) by valets and greeters who were there to assist us. This made the check in process very easy.

We did a split stay, with two nights in a Island View Studio and five nights in a Standard Studio. The Island Studio (room 305) had a nice location, but an odd shape, which made it smaller in size. The Island view was also very debatable. The standard view room (555) was a normal shape (rectangle) and had a better view of the island than the Island view room. It also overlooked the conference court yard.

We ate at the Oleo room for breakfast, Off the Hook for lunch, and Ama Ama for lunch. Oleo was way overpriced. Off the Hook was a little on the expensive side and the food was good. Ama Ama was expensive, but the food was great. The rest of the time, we either ate in our room or offsite. We didn't enjoy Zippys, Assaigos was good, but the same price as Ama Ama. We prefered Ama Ama. The Shave Ice stand at Aulani is very tasty and a great value.

The best food we ate was the Malasadas at Lenards truck at Waikele Outlet. My wife craves them now.

Rainbow Reef was fun and worth the 1 day ticket. With the ticket, you can go as many times as you want that day. After that we weren't interested in doing it another day.

We also rented a paddleboard ($30) for an hour and had a fun time going around the lagoon.

We did day trips to the North Shore and the USS Arizona. We had a lot of fun on both of them. On the way to the North Shore we stopped at the Dole Plantation, which is a big tourist trap. If you want to stop there, we would recommend not doing the train ride, which we did. It wasn't worth the money and was fairly boring. For the USS Arizona, we reserved our tour time in advance, which was a great timesaver.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thanks for ther report. My husband and I leave in 2 weeks I can't wait.

 

[moredisneyplease]

thanks! we're there in 1 month! all of these little pieces of advice are great help!

 

[trs518]

Here's a tip that I haven't heard mentioned before...The concierge desk has typed directions to all the major attractions. They are very handy and even have the directions on how to get back to Aulani on the other side.

 

[mouseaider]

Thanks for the trip report.

Thanks for the report. My husband and I leave in 2 weeks I can't wait.

We will be there in 16 days so we will see you there. Also another Dis member, TaggsMissy and her hubs at the same time. We might have to arrange for a little get together for a coffee or Mai Tai!

 

[disneychic]

Thanks for posting about your stay! We're planning on a 2013 trip so I love finding out as much as I can.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thanks for the trip report.



We will be there in 16 days so we will see you there. Also another Dis member, TaggsMissy and her hubs at the same time. We might have to arrange for a little get together for a coffee or Mai Tai!

Mmmm.... Yum Mai Tai!

 

[trs518]

Mmmm.... Yum Mai Tai!

I didn't see to many Mai Tais, but my wife enjoyed her Lilikoi Mojito.

 

[twacht]

We just returned from the Disney Magic Western Caribbean itinerary. We are now looking at Aulani for our next vacation. I would like to hear about the character sightings, activities that are offered both free for resort guest and those that you must pay for. We over booked excursions on our cruise and think that the pool and beach area may be just what we are looking for. Also how far off resort must you go for outside resturants? How expensive is food there if we want to eat in??

We appreciate your input.
Tracy and Michael

 

[living20057]

Here's a tip that I haven't heard mentioned before...The concierge desk has typed directions to all the major attractions. They are very handy and even have the directions on how to get back to Aulani on the other side.

That is good to know, because I heard that is the road names change frequently.

 

[toocherie]

The Lilikoi Mojito IS good!

When we did a couple of hours visit last month, there were plenty of characters to meet and greet--in the space of two hours Donald, Mickey, Minnie and Stitch all came out (and all in Hawaiian attire). The character greetings are on the schedule and are pretty much all day.

 

[audrey2580]

The Rainbow Reef isn't included for guests. Wow.

Thanks for the review.

 

[trs518]

We just returned from the Disney Magic Western Caribbean itinerary. We are now looking at Aulani for our next vacation. I would like to hear about the character sightings, activities that are offered both free for resort guest and those that you must pay for. We over booked excursions on our cruise and think that the pool and beach area may be just what we are looking for. Also how far off resort must you go for outside resturants? How expensive is food there if we want to eat in??

We appreciate your input.
Tracy and Michael

They have a character breakfast a couple times a week, which we didn't do. We couldn't justify the price. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Stitch were all seen regularly around the resort.

Each day they post a schedule of all the activities, character meet and greets included Most of the activities are free. It can be Lei making, how to Hula, etc. It varies every day. Each night they have some sort of program, ranging from story telling, to a movie on the beach, to the Starlit Hui (Hula and singing).

Aunty's Beach House is free for kids and has some scheduled free and premium activities.

Premium activities include Rainbow Reef, the Sting Ray experience, and anything that requires equipment on the beach (snorkeling, paddle board, kayak, etc). They also have different tours and excursions around Oahu. Paddle boarding ($30/hour) and Rainbow Reef ($20/single day or $39 length of stay) are worth it.

Outside restaurants can be found at other resorts in the area or in the little shopping area across the street, all within walking distance. We did Just Tacos and it was ok Mexican.

Kapolei is 10 minutes away by car and has many different fast food and sit down options. Target, Safeway, Down to Earth (organic/vegan grocer), and Costco are also there.

They are in the process of changing dining at Aulani, so what I say here could be totally different then what someone else experiences when they are there. Dining at Aulani is expensive. Quick service meals at $15 for an adult. Ama Ama dinners are around $35-$45 an entree. Oleo continental breakfasts are around $5 per item (cinnamon roll, yogurt parfait, etc).

I believe that the official Aulani website has up to date menus and prices.

Ama Ama lunches are a great deal: $20 per entree.

Offsite we paid anywhere from $12-$20 an entree. I would say that things cost an additional 33%-50% over what we pay in Minnesota.

To save money we bought groceries at Target and ate breakfast and one other meal in our room.