Aulani Trip report

[UTExplore]

I am a new DVC owner at the Aulani. We are at the Aulani right now for our second visit.

The new expanded pool and deck area is a wonderful addition. They have also added lots of umbrellas throughout to significantly increase the amount of shaded space.

The new ULU cafe is also a great addition. Good food fast.

They are tightening up the security so that only paying hotel guests can use the facilities. Last year there were lots of outsiders taking up deck space.

I would give them kudos for all the above.

Three things I don't like.

1. They allow day use of the pools to locals for a fee. As a result, the Aulani becomes the local waterpark where parents dump their kids for the day. Not my idea of paradise!

2. They have a continual kama'aina (locals discount) program that packs the hotel and pools on weekends and is REALLY bad on holidays. Last year on mother's day I was paying over$600 a night for a room (before I bought DVC) to stay at this exclusive resort. On Saturday and Sunday the resort was filled to capacity with locals paying a fraction of what I was paying. They would rent a room and then invite the whole extended family to have a luau on the pool area.We sat next to a family of about 25 people who brought in at least 6 large coolers with food they had all prepared at home. The only chairs available were miles from the pools and they had no shade. Again, not my idea of an exclusive resort.

3. They allow corporate groups to block off whole sections of the resort for private functions. I fly for hours from the mainland. I book months in advance. I arrive and find parts of the resort closed because of a private group. Huh?

I realize Disney needs to maximize revenues and I am hoping that these revenue enhancements are temporary and will cease once all the DVC points are sold.

I also am disappointed with housekeeping. The water in Ko Olina is VERY hard and causes calcium deposits on all the faucets, countertops, shower enclosures. Our glass shower door was covered with calcium deposits. A little elbow grease would easily solve this problem.

We used some points to stay at Saratoga Springs. No comparison. Aulani wins that contest hands down. We are happy Aulani is our home resort.

 

[frank808]

Three things I don't like.

1. They allow day use of the pools to locals for a fee. As a result, the Aulani becomes the local waterpark where parents dump their kids for the day. Not my idea of paradise!

2. They have a continual kama'aina (locals discount) program that packs the hotel and pools on weekends and is REALLY bad on holidays. Last year on mother's day I was paying over$600 a night for a room (before I bought DVC) to stay at this exclusive resort. On Saturday and Sunday the resort was filled to capacity with locals paying a fraction of what I was paying. They would rent a room and then invite the whole extended family to have a luau on the pool area.We sat next to a family of about 25 people who brought in at least 6 large coolers with food they had all prepared at home. The only chairs available were miles from the pools and they had no shade. Again, not my idea of an exclusive resort.

3. They allow corporate groups to block off whole sections of the resort for private functions. I fly for hours from the mainland. I book months in advance. I arrive and find parts of the resort closed because of a private group. Huh?

1. I have never seen day use of the facilities available without being a registered guest. I have even asked if I could buy more bands for friends that were visiting us. I was told that I have to book another room and add their names as registered guests to get bands. How did you find out that Aulani was allowing day use for a fee? I would gladly pay that (if it's reasonable) than book a room everytime we wanted to use the facilities.

2. Kamaaina discounts are offered just like the specials room rates for being a florida resident that disney offers from time to time. Like all discounts if it is a popular day or weekend there might not be a kamaaina discount. How do you know that it was crowded because all the locals are getting a discount? Do you not believe that the "locals" flooding Aulani have paid regular rates?

3. There is no way that you can rent one room and have 25 people using the pool area. You are allowed 4 access wristbands for a studio or hotel room, 5 for a 1 br, 9 for a 2br and I believe 12 bands for a grand villa. I am not saying that there was not 25 people in this group. Could they have been staying in 5 or 6 rooms. Just because they have coolers why are not hotel guests?

 

[Cinderpamela]

In my 2 trips to Aulani (August 2012 and December 2013) I have only witnessed a very strict adherence to the enforcement of only hotel guests using the pool area, so your observations from your first trip (you did not say when that first trip was but sounds like it was back when the resort first opened) are, as you stated above, no longer the case.

When we picked up our wristbands each day we were required to give a hotel key and they would only give us wristbands for the people in our party who were present. They recorded each person’s name down as having got a wristband for that day. There was not a day usage fee at that time.... there may have been something like that at the beginning when the resort was not open to capacity.... but that’s not happening anymore.

Yes, locals are allowed to book at a special rate at certain times, just like locals are allowed special rates at DL and at WDW. This is actually smart of Disney to do this. At the start of our last trip we were in Waikiki for the first 4 nights and when we were checking out and moving to Aulani the parking lot attendant, when she heard we were headed to Aulani exclaimed...." Oh that is such a beautiful resort, I went there with my family and we loved it!" It's great advertising to have the locals talking it up.


In Hawaii all beaches are public so down on the beach there are locals who have family gatherings during there the day..... especially on weekends. They bring coolers and spend the day at the beach with their Ohana.... I love to see that culture and how they put family so high up.

In contrasting our 2 visits- August 2012 and then December 2013 I think the resort just keeps getting better.... they had a pretty high learning curve to begin with, but it sure seems like they are evolving for the better.

 

[JohnPablo]

Any BBQ pits or grills on the property.

 

[UTExplore]

1. I have never seen day use of the facilities available without being a registered guest. I have even asked if I could buy more bands for friends that were visiting us. I was told that I have to book another room and add their names as registered guests to get bands. How did you find out that Aulani was allowing day use for a fee? I would gladly pay that (if it's reasonable) than book a room everytime we wanted to use the facilities.

2. Kamaaina discounts are offered just like the specials room rates for being a florida resident that disney offers from time to time. Like all discounts if it is a popular day or weekend there might not be a kamaaina discount. How do you know that it was crowded because all the locals are getting a discount? Do you not believe that the "locals" flooding Aulani have paid regular rates?

3. There is no way that you can rent one room and have 25 people using the pool area. You are allowed 4 access wristbands for a studio or hotel room, 5 for a 1 br, 9 for a 2br and I believe 12 bands for a grand villa. I am not saying that there was not 25 people in this group. Could they have been staying in 5 or 6 rooms. Just because they have coolers why are not hotel guests?

RE Day use passes - We listened to a cast member ask a bunch of teens about their day passes as she gave them wrist bands and towels.

RE Kama'aina rates - the Kama'aina rates are available at the front desk and they are at a discount. If you go to the Aulani website and enter your ZIP code as being in HNL the site says you get a 35% discount. The pool was only crowded (on my 2013 and 2014 visits) on the weekends. I believe the crowding was caused by Kama'aina because several cast members told me so and because the crowd looked much more local on the weekends.

RE 25 people....none of the 25 had wrist bands. The public access to the beach does not grant them rights to use the Aulani pools. Cast members did nothing to regulate outsiders in 2013. This situation is improving in 2014.

 

[UTExplore]

Any BBQ pits or grills on the property.

Yes

 

[myty5]

Aulani DVC Owner, been to Disneyland(4x), Disney World(4x), and a Disney Cruise(Bahamas)
Aulani stays; Aug., Dec. 2011, Apr., Jul., Nov.,
Dec. 2012, Jan., Nov., Dec., 2013, And Jan. 2014
1. Never ever seen or heard of Aulani allowing use of the pools to locals for a fee. Only to those registered as guests(really strict about having colored wrist bands).
2. Never seen large groups(12plus or more) with large coolers of food. I had a small for my 6-pack of beer and was politely told by a cast member that the cooler was not allowed. So, I took the cooler back up to my room;no biggy.
3. The only Corporate Groups blocked off from the public was done the Lobby Level(across from the Kalepa Store and at the Banquet Room). Large areas by the pools was blocked off for Dinner and Celebration this New Years Eve to all Aulani Guests at an extra cost.
4. Water in the rooms is hard.
But, Pools are now semi heated(between cold and warm).
There are 4 large gas grills, just past aunty's house and Ama'ama(first come,first serve).

 

[frank808]

RE Day use passes - We listened to a cast member ask a bunch of teens about their day passes as she gave them wrist bands and towels.

RE Kama'aina rates - the Kama'aina rates are available at the front desk and they are at a discount. If you go to the Aulani website and enter your ZIP code as being in HNL the site says you get a 35% discount. The pool was only crowded (on my 2013 and 2014 visits) on the weekends. I believe the crowding was caused by Kama'aina because several cast members told me so and because the crowd looked much more local on the weekends.

RE 25 people....none of the 25 had wrist bands. The public access to the beach does not grant them rights to use the Aulani pools. Cast members did nothing to regulate outsiders in 2013. This situation is improving in 2014.

Could the cast member have been talking to them about their wrist bands as being "day passes" to the resort? Like I have said I have spoken to the front desk and there are none to purchase.

So you do not like locals being at the resort even though they are also guests? Does this differ from disney offering discounts to florida guests during slow times to fill up rooms? I am just wondering what you are trying to get across here. Marriott Koolina Beach Club is busier on the weekends. Hilton Hawaiian Village is also busier on the weekends. FYI Disneyland annual passholders get a 30% discount also so double digit discounts also apply to non kamaaina.

Regarding the 25 people with no wristbands and 6 big coolers taking all the space on the pool deck. If there were no chairs and I was looking for a chair to put my stuff down. I would have politely told a CM to please verify that the group with no wrist bands are hotel guests and entitled to use the facilities. Easy peasy

 

[Dakine80808]

RE Day use passes - We listened to a cast member ask a bunch of teens about their day passes as she gave them wrist bands and towels.

RE Kama'aina rates - the Kama'aina rates are available at the front desk and they are at a discount. If you go to the Aulani website and enter your ZIP code as being in HNL the site says you get a 35% discount. The pool was only crowded (on my 2013 and 2014 visits) on the weekends. I believe the crowding was caused by Kama'aina because several cast members told me so and because the crowd looked much more local on the weekends.

RE 25 people....none of the 25 had wrist bands. The public access to the beach does not grant them rights to use the Aulani pools. Cast members did nothing to regulate outsiders in 2013. This situation is improving in 2014.

At Aulani there is the snorkeling aquarium that offers day passes, could that have been the ''day pass'' that the person was referring to? Unless you have all the details you cannot say. There is no such thing as a day pass at Aulani for anyone. You are either registered or you're not. The wristbands should be enforced for everyone on deck. If you saw 25 people sitting around with large coolers who did NOT look registered why didn't you approach a cast member and find out what was going on? Not sure why that situation was not handled properly in the first place.