Aulani: What's the One Thing You Wish You Knew?

[haloDVC]

My apologies if this has already been addressed: We are planning an Aulani trip in 2017. One member of my family has Mariott points. I see where many people indicate going 'next door to Marriott'. Is it in walking distance to Aulani? We might be able to invite more people if this is the case since I won't have enough points for the Grand Villa

 

[crystal1313]

From what I have read, the Marriott next door is currently closed and being changed into a 4 seasons. I am pretty sure there is another Marriott further down the road closer to the marina though. Someone correct me if I am wrong!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We were told that the Marriott down the road is a Marriott timeshare.

 

[alohamom]

There was a JW Marriott that is now being converted to a Four Seasons, it is the hotel that is directly beside Aulani on the right if you are standing with your back to the resort and looking out toward the ocean. The Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club is a few doors down to the left, easily walkable ( I have done it!) and it is indeed a timeshare but you can rent rooms (I have also done that!)
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hnlko-marriotts-ko-olina-beach-club/

 

[haloDVC]

There was a JW Marriott that is now being converted to a Four Seasons, it is the hotel that is directly beside Aulani on the right if you are standing with your back to the resort and looking out toward the ocean. The Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club is a few doors down to the left, easily walkable ( I have done it!) and it is indeed a timeshare but you can rent rooms (I have also done that!)
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hnlko-marriotts-ko-olina-beach-club/

Thank you! Yes, the Ko-Olina Beach Club was the one I was thinking about. Glad to know it's walkable!!!!

 

[haloDVC]

A few questions to clarify many pages of fabulous tips!
1) Aulani accepts Disney gift cards, right? I am a SAMs member and you can buy a package for a few bucks less than face value. I periodically stock up before WDW trips bc they are great to give my nieces and nephews. (And to be honest, I feel less guilty going back to EP's France for my many frozen Grey Goose's when I use a gift card) I'm hoping Aulani's poolside snack bars would accept them. I'll simply use the Disney Gift Card App to track balances.
2) Has anyone paid for the multi-day trolley ticket? Is it worth it?

 

[MJDisFamCruisers]

Just got back from Aulani and the Disney Hawaii cruise! We were there during the "tsunami warning" and they didn't have us do anything special, just told us to stay put haha This was our first trip to Hawaii and Aulani and the resort is amazing! Pictures really do not do it justice! A couple things that we found out about when we were there:

-DVC member mingles: They have two of them and we went to both (one in the morning and one during sunset on different days). It said that you had to get tickets beforehand but we went both times to get tickets and they were "full" but they told us that if we showed up we wouldn't be turned away and I am so happy that we were able to go! They had POG juice...which is Passion-Orange-Guava juice and it was fantastic. My daughter even brought a bottle home with her...unfortunately they don't sell it in Florida but they should! haha

-Malasadas: Portuguese donuts that they sell every morning at "Ulu Cafe." They are so good! We got them every morning we were there.

-Chair saving policy: We never had a problem getting chairs down by the pool. We did see a cast member going around looking at chairs to make sure people were actually using the chairs. She took the towels and attached them to the back and she told us that they give you an hour to move that towel or you stuff would be taken so another person could use the chair...so I guess as long as you come back within that hour and you move the towel so that way they know you are still there...you won't have a problem.

-"Starlit Hui:" Evening show at Aulani and it is definitely a must see! We weren't able to do a luau because the night we were supposed to go it rained and got cancelled so we decided to do this instead and I am so happy that we did! It was fantastic! Definitely get there early so you can sit closer up...I think we got there at 6:45 and it started at 7:30.

-Pearl Harbor excursion through Aulani: We opted for this since we didn't have a rental car. The advantage to doing this excursion would be that you don't have to line up early to get tickets because they already have them for you. We just did the Arizona memorial and didn't go to the Missouri but I still think it was a nice excursion to get to see Pearl Harbor.

-Dole Plantation: We met a couple that were also going on the Disney cruise and since they had a rental car they let us come with them to the Dole Plantation. I am so happy we were able to do this because the taxi costs getting there were ridiculous! The Dole plantation was wonderful! The reviews seemed like it would be a "tourist trap" but we spent all day there! Unfortunately, the Maze was closed because of all the rain but we did the train and the plantation tour. So happy that I had bug spray with me! We ate at the plantation grille and got dole whip! The pineapple there was the BEST pineapple I have ever tasted! If you like pineapples, you need to go! After going to Disney World and eating Dole Whip there we were able to conclude that the Dole Whip that they sell at the Dole Plantation is about 100 times BETTER! So good! It is definitely worth a trip there!

We really enjoyed Aulani so much that when it was time for the cruise we didn't want to leave! We are going to be planning another trip back in the next year or two. It is possible to go there without renting a car but I think next time we will stay longer and will plan on renting a car to drive to the North Shore and the Dole Plantation again.

 

[MJDisFamCruisers]

A few questions to clarify many pages of fabulous tips!
1) Aulani accepts Disney gift cards, right? I am a SAMs member and you can buy a package for a few bucks less than face value. I periodically stock up before WDW trips bc they are great to give my nieces and nephews. (And to be honest, I feel less guilty going back to EP's France for my many frozen Grey Goose's when I use a gift card) I'm hoping Aulani's poolside snack bars would accept them. I'll simply use the Disney Gift Card App to track balances.
2) Has anyone paid for the multi-day trolley ticket? Is it worth it?

They do accept Disney gift cards. They even sell them in the gift shop.

 

[Mokat76]

They do accept Disney gift cards. They even sell them in the gift shop.

In the restaurants? I've never used them but may do so at Aulani if they're accepted for dining. Saving a few $$ would be good. TIA.

 

[Amw1064]

Yes, they accept the gift cards everywhere at Aulani. I bought them ahead as well and we took them down to the pool every day. We used them at every restaurant.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Just got back from Aulani and the Disney Hawaii cruise! We were there during the "tsunami warning" and they didn't have us do anything special, just told us to stay put haha This was our first trip to Hawaii and Aulani and the resort is amazing! Pictures really do not do it justice! A couple things that we found out about when we were there:

-DVC member mingles: They have two of them and we went to both (one in the morning and one during sunset on different days). It said that you had to get tickets beforehand but we went both times to get tickets and they were "full" but they told us that if we showed up we wouldn't be turned away and I am so happy that we were able to go! They had POG juice...which is Passion-Orange-Guava juice and it was fantastic. My daughter even brought a bottle home with her...unfortunately they don't sell it in Florida but they should! haha

-Malasadas: Portuguese donuts that they sell every morning at "Ulu Cafe." They are so good! We got them every morning we were there.

-Chair saving policy: We never had a problem getting chairs down by the pool. We did see a cast member going around looking at chairs to make sure people were actually using the chairs. She took the towels and attached them to the back and she told us that they give you an hour to move that towel or you stuff would be taken so another person could use the chair...so I guess as long as you come back within that hour and you move the towel so that way they know you are still there...you won't have a problem.

-"Starlit Hui:" Evening show at Aulani and it is definitely a must see! We weren't able to do a luau because the night we were supposed to go it rained and got cancelled so we decided to do this instead and I am so happy that we did! It was fantastic! Definitely get there early so you can sit closer up...I think we got there at 6:45 and it started at 7:30.

-Pearl Harbor excursion through Aulani: We opted for this since we didn't have a rental car. The advantage to doing this excursion would be that you don't have to line up early to get tickets because they already have them for you. We just did the Arizona memorial and didn't go to the Missouri but I still think it was a nice excursion to get to see Pearl Harbor.

-Dole Plantation: We met a couple that were also going on the Disney cruise and since they had a rental car they let us come with them to the Dole Plantation. I am so happy we were able to do this because the taxi costs getting there were ridiculous! The Dole plantation was wonderful! The reviews seemed like it would be a "tourist trap" but we spent all day there! Unfortunately, the Maze was closed because of all the rain but we did the train and the plantation tour. So happy that I had bug spray with me! We ate at the plantation grille and got dole whip! The pineapple there was the BEST pineapple I have ever tasted! If you like pineapples, you need to go! After going to Disney World and eating Dole Whip there we were able to conclude that the Dole Whip that they sell at the Dole Plantation is about 100 times BETTER! So good! It is definitely worth a trip there!

We really enjoyed Aulani so much that when it was time for the cruise we didn't want to leave! We are going to be planning another trip back in the next year or two. It is possible to go there without renting a car but I think next time we will stay longer and will plan on renting a car to drive to the North Shore and the Dole Plantation again.

We overlapped with you! We came to Aulani on RCCL's Vancouver, Honolulu cruise which was also awesome! The tsunami came by when we were at sea, the night before we docked in Hilo, and no one we know felt the effect of the 2 foot wave. Folks in Hilo were so glad there was nothing more.

My sister and her hubby took the excursion from Aulani that included a boat ride, beach barbecue and a horseback ride. They thought it was an EXCELLENT excursion, well worth it!!

We had so much fun in Aulani, the others in our party chose to stay there. We snorkeled in the natural area, and in rainbow reef. We thought about going to the Dole plantation, but in the end we stayed put and enjoyed the Dole whip from the Lava Shack.

I've had marvelous vacations in my 68 years, this one was one of the best ever!!!

 

[igomezhnl]

Go Surfing! Surf HNL is good. www.surfhnl.com, their are others recommended by Aulani too.

 

[heybets30]

We are JUST back from Aulani - returned to Chicago yesterday :-( I'm working on a trip report, but here are a few things I did know because I SCOURED this thread along with anything to do with Aulani, but the reality of all things Aulani didn't quite sink in until we were there and could experience them firsthand - sorry, can't narrow it down to just ONE thing I wish I knew! (The resort is absolutely beautiful, and the kids had the time of their lives, seriously - they did NOT want to leave Aunty's or the pools - these points may sound negative, but I wish I had a better feel for when we went ...).
1. The hotel/resort buildings are HUGE on the outside - they look monsterous as you drive up to the hotel. The lobby, as MANY have mentioned, is tiny in proportion. It seemed VERY tiny upon checkout Saturday at 11am when about 400 rooms were all checking out at the same time - and with all the people checking in, it was a MADHOUSE. The pool/lazy river/Rainbow Reef area/lava shack/mama's are exceptionally close together ... I mean like on top of each other. The pictures & videos we saw prior to going to Aulani hide this tidbit very, very well and make the grounds look very spacious and spread out. They aren't. We were quite taken aback at how compact everything is between buildings. maybe takes 4 full minutes to walk casually from one end of the activities to the other. We arrived Tuesday afternoon, it was lovely; Wednesday, still lovely but it was getting more crowded; Thursday, Friday & Saturday was ridiculous with no pool chairs at 8am, rude people, and crowded. We had come from the Big Island and the Fairmont Orchid ... we mistakenly thought Aulani was more spread out inside like that with more open spaces. Again - BEAUTIFUL landscaping, but it reminded us of Disneyland - go down the slide, stay on the lazy river, get out, walk 15 feet to Mama's, walk 20 feet to next pool, walk 15 feet to the Kids Bridge structure. The infinity pool was off to the side, and that was a nice break from the "crowds" around all the center activities.
2. Aunty's. Seriously - every review, I think, says the same thing. Love/hate relationship with it. LOVE that the kids are safe, LOVE the activities they were signed up for (IN ADVANCE) - HATE that I had to wait in line at 6:45 am Friday to get dinner spots for my kids for that day. I was 8th in line at 6:45am. By 7:30, when the staff start handing out clipboards of activities & tickets, the line was about 40/50 people deep. Fish are Friends - premium, pre-register activity (my kids were registered 4 months ago), only had 3 available spots that day and was gone by person #4. Once the kids are in something, it was fabulous, dinner/lunch prices reasonable, just SERIOUSLY heed everyone's warnings and GET DOWN IN LINE BY 6:45 - or risk NOT getting into any activities/lunch/dinner!!! Person #10 wanted Stitches Space Goo - they waited over an hour to have it fill up with pre-registered families and those in front of her in line.
3. The currents in the lagoon were way stronger than we thought they'd be. My husband and I got knocked down & turned around several times just sitting in about 2 feet of water. 2 days later, and I still have sand in places I didn't know I could get sand!! Saw lots of kids get knocked around too. Not sure if that is normal, but there were strong, not big, waves our Friday morning down at the beach. Life vests to rent for free were wonderful for my 6-year old. Love that perk! Like any stretch of water, keep an eye on your kids.
4. We found out on Day 2 that the Lava Shack soda machine & the one to the the side of Aunty's, are 24-hours. Staff told us those would be available 24 hours during our whole stay. No hot beverages, but the soda machines are open 24-hours. Looks like they both have locking doors, but they were never closed/locked super-late in the evening, or super-early in the morning. Wonder if they sometimes do close them??
5. Also, I read about Monkeypod many, many times. Their Happy Hour? Awesome. Make time for it. Take note as you read other Trip Reports. Part of #1 why I waited in line at Aunty's at 6:45am was to get my kids in for dinner so hubby and I could go a second time. It was that good. Amazingly fresh and the bartenders are VERY liberal with the alcohol in the cocktails. I maybe have 2 cocktails a year, rarely drink. Their mai tai just about knocked me over ... I needed to take the elevator from the second floor to the first. Wow. Delicious.
6. Super glad we didn't pay extra for any type of view for our DVC Standard Hotel Room. We were room 531, 2 queen beds. View was above the parking lot & of the mountains. We were never in the room.
7. If you have Photopass professionals take your pictures in the pools - it can take up to 24 hours for the person to turn in their cards. We had infinity pool pics taken at 3:25pm on one day, they weren't available to add to our card until the next day close to 3 pm. Activities at Aunty's were available about 1-2 hours after the event! Add photos as you go, rather than at the end. The pool pictures, for instance, we had to go through ~30 screens of photos before we found ours, even though we were able to identify - Bob, Gopro photog in the infinity pool, 3:25pm, at the end of his shift.
8. There's a super-cool map of Hawaii in the hallway by the wood staircase by Makahiki on Floor 1, as well as a single elevator from Floor 1 to Lobby only, that was a HUGE help for tired little legs after Aunty's (there were many paths closed here & there during our stay).
9. Cell Animation painting was super-cool - it was only my hubby & me, but we had a BLAST! Great souvenir, and it was free!
10. Laundry - $3 washer, $3 dryer. All brand Soap boxes - $2 each for 1 load; Bounty dryer Sheets box of 2 - $2. We rented DVC point room, and upon checkin, the front desk gave us 12 tokens (she asked if we needed them). Max they'll give DVC rooms without washer/dryer, they said. There are change machines in the laundry room to get tokens for soap, washers/dryers if you need it. 3 washers - 2 top loaders, 1 front loader (all 3 about 30/35 minute cycle); 6 dryers (45 minutes cycle).

 

[alohamom]

Heybets-glad to hear your family enjoyed Aulani as much as ours did! Quick question about the Cell Animation painting, did you have to pre register before your trip or was it sort of a sign up on the day type of thing?

 

[heybets30]

Alohamom - we signed up the morning of. I was at Aunty's at 6:45 am ... got kids dinner paid for by ~8:15 am. I figured - I'm alone (hubby & kids were getting ready to go down to pool) - I'll stop in the family room. I asked about daily activities - saw that & signed up that day (signed up at ~8:15 for 2 people for the noon session). You CAN sign up ahead for it once you are at the resort, I didn't know our plans until the night before, so I did day of. When I signed up, it sounded like it was only 1/2 full. When we started - all seats were occupied. Mostly by families - lots of kids. We were with 4 kids and their parents. Well-behaved, luckily, but young enough that I kept reminding the young one across from me to rinse red paint off her brush before dipping it into the white (you use communal tubs of paint for the table).

The cell options that day were: Mickey, Minnie, and Stitch. Hubby did Mickey, I did Minnie. Several people didn't finish - you can buy any Acrylic paints & finish at home. The session also included an animation drawing - on 8-12 x 11 Aulani white paper - we did Donald. Makes for a great souvenir!!! Oh, and I'll mention again .... FREE

 

[alohamom]

Alohamom - we signed up the morning of.

The cell options that day were: Mickey, Minnie, and Stitch. Hubby did Mickey, I did Minnie. Several people didn't finish - you can buy any Acrylic paints & finish at home. The session also included an animation drawing - on 8-12 x 11 Aulani white paper - we did Donald. Makes for a great souvenir!!! Oh, and I'll mention again .... FREE

This is great-thanks for all the details!!!

 

[Amw1064]

It was Mickey, Minnie & Stitch when we went in June as well.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

We are JUST back from Aulani - returned to Chicago yesterday :-( I'm working on a trip report, but here are a few things I did know because I SCOURED this thread along with anything to do with Aulani, but the reality of all things Aulani didn't quite sink in until we were there and could experience them firsthand - sorry, can't narrow it down to just ONE thing I wish I knew! (The resort is absolutely beautiful, and the kids had the time of their lives, seriously - they did NOT want to leave Aunty's or the pools - these points may sound negative, but I wish I had a better feel for when we went ...).
1. The hotel/resort buildings are HUGE on the outside - they look monsterous as you drive up to the hotel. The lobby, as MANY have mentioned, is tiny in proportion. It seemed VERY tiny upon checkout Saturday at 11am when about 400 rooms were all checking out at the same time - and with all the people checking in, it was a MADHOUSE. The pool/lazy river/Rainbow Reef area/lava shack/mama's are exceptionally close together ... I mean like on top of each other. The pictures & videos we saw prior to going to Aulani hide this tidbit very, very well and make the grounds look very spacious and spread out. They aren't. We were quite taken aback at how compact everything is between buildings. maybe takes 4 full minutes to walk casually from one end of the activities to the other. We arrived Tuesday afternoon, it was lovely; Wednesday, still lovely but it was getting more crowded; Thursday, Friday & Saturday was ridiculous with no pool chairs at 8am, rude people, and crowded. We had come from the Big Island and the Fairmont Orchid ... we mistakenly thought Aulani was more spread out inside like that with more open spaces. Again - BEAUTIFUL landscaping, but it reminded us of Disneyland - go down the slide, stay on the lazy river, get out, walk 15 feet to Mama's, walk 20 feet to next pool, walk 15 feet to the Kids Bridge structure. The infinity pool was off to the side, and that was a nice break from the "crowds" around all the center activities.
2. Aunty's. Seriously - every review, I think, says the same thing. Love/hate relationship with it. LOVE that the kids are safe, LOVE the activities they were signed up for (IN ADVANCE) - HATE that I had to wait in line at 6:45 am Friday to get dinner spots for my kids for that day. I was 8th in line at 6:45am. By 7:30, when the staff start handing out clipboards of activities & tickets, the line was about 40/50 people deep. Fish are Friends - premium, pre-register activity (my kids were registered 4 months ago), only had 3 available spots that day and was gone by person #4. Once the kids are in something, it was fabulous, dinner/lunch prices reasonable, just SERIOUSLY heed everyone's warnings and GET DOWN IN LINE BY 6:45 - or risk NOT getting into any activities/lunch/dinner!!! Person #10 wanted Stitches Space Goo - they waited over an hour to have it fill up with pre-registered families and those in front of her in line.
3. The currents in the lagoon were way stronger than we thought they'd be. My husband and I got knocked down & turned around several times just sitting in about 2 feet of water. 2 days later, and I still have sand in places I didn't know I could get sand!! Saw lots of kids get knocked around too. Not sure if that is normal, but there were strong, not big, waves our Friday morning down at the beach. Life vests to rent for free were wonderful for my 6-year old. Love that perk! Like any stretch of water, keep an eye on your kids.
4. We found out on Day 2 that the Lava Shack soda machine & the one to the the side of Aunty's, are 24-hours. Staff told us those would be available 24 hours during our whole stay. No hot beverages, but the soda machines are open 24-hours. Looks like they both have locking doors, but they were never closed/locked super-late in the evening, or super-early in the morning. Wonder if they sometimes do close them??
5. Also, I read about Monkeypod many, many times. Their Happy Hour? Awesome. Make time for it. Take note as you read other Trip Reports. Part of #1 why I waited in line at Aunty's at 6:45am was to get my kids in for dinner so hubby and I could go a second time. It was that good. Amazingly fresh and the bartenders are VERY liberal with the alcohol in the cocktails. I maybe have 2 cocktails a year, rarely drink. Their mai tai just about knocked me over ... I needed to take the elevator from the second floor to the first. Wow. Delicious.
6. Super glad we didn't pay extra for any type of view for our DVC Standard Hotel Room. We were room 531, 2 queen beds. View was above the parking lot & of the mountains. We were never in the room.
7. If you have Photopass professionals take your pictures in the pools - it can take up to 24 hours for the person to turn in their cards. We had infinity pool pics taken at 3:25pm on one day, they weren't available to add to our card until the next day close to 3 pm. Activities at Aunty's were available about 1-2 hours after the event! Add photos as you go, rather than at the end. The pool pictures, for instance, we had to go through ~30 screens of photos before we found ours, even though we were able to identify - Bob, Gopro photog in the infinity pool, 3:25pm, at the end of his shift.
8. There's a super-cool map of Hawaii in the hallway by the wood staircase by Makahiki on Floor 1, as well as a single elevator from Floor 1 to Lobby only, that was a HUGE help for tired little legs after Aunty's (there were many paths closed here & there during our stay).
9. Cell Animation painting was super-cool - it was only my hubby & me, but we had a BLAST! Great souvenir, and it was free!
10. Laundry - $3 washer, $3 dryer. All brand Soap boxes - $2 each for 1 load; Bounty dryer Sheets box of 2 - $2. We rented DVC point room, and upon checkin, the front desk gave us 12 tokens (she asked if we needed them). Max they'll give DVC rooms without washer/dryer, they said. There are change machines in the laundry room to get tokens for soap, washers/dryers if you need it. 3 washers - 2 top loaders, 1 front loader (all 3 about 30/35 minute cycle); 6 dryers (45 minutes cycle).

Thank you so much for the detailed info! We will be there for the first time in April and this is so helpful.

Quick question - you mentioned signing up in advance for the activities at Aunty's - do you know how far in advance these can be reserved? I looked on the Aulani site and it doesn't mention if it's 180 or otherwise. Thanks so much!

 

[southerngirl528]

I have been to Aulani 4 times now, overnighting for several days to a week on 3 of those. While I certainly do agree that some of the photos can make one believe the lobby is going to be huge, the only time in all my stays that the lobby areas were overwhelmingly crowded was on the 17th of last month (sept) when DD & I were checking out of Aulani to get to the Disney Wonder in Honolulu for our cruise. There were a SLEW of people waiting for buses to take them to the cruise as well and TONS of people starting to arrive that had just disembarked from the Wonder after their 10 night cruise. I was so, SO thankful I had hired a limo to take us to the port that morning!

Aulani is fabulous and I really agree with MJDisFamCruiser on most of their points. And hey! We were on the same cruise I think! It was amazing, yes?

I do recommend people staying at Aulani several days do walk across the street and try MonkeyPod Kitchen or perhaps one of the fast food places. DH and I thought a couple of items we had there were very good, one being a Hamakua Ali'i mushroom flatbread (yum!) but for us, we felt the rest was just okay. Not at all bad, just pretty average. We went twice and once our service was very poor. Try it and see what you think. We love hanging out at one of the Aulani lounges in the evening to hear the amazing live Hawaiian music and just order pupu's and drinks throughout the evening and call that dinner. So relaxing!

 

[alohamom]

We love hanging out at one of the Aulani lounges in the evening to hear the amazing live Hawaiian music and just order pupu's and drinks throughout the evening and call that dinner

This is now on my "must do" list-what a great idea! We were there last summer for a few days but I realize now there is so much we didnt see and do.