Aulani

[ltktmk]

Interested in hear trip reports for Aulani. I am considering taking the family. My wife an I stayed at the JW Marriott at Kolina about seven years ago and loved the area (quite side of the island).

 

[wipedaler]

We just returned from 7 nights at Aulani, ending 27 April; 2 adults + kids (11, 13) in a 1 bedroom villa. Not sure your family size, ages, or intentions. If you have specific questions, send me a PM and I'll try to answer. The (not so) short report:

Property
Accommodations are consistent with a Disney resort. First impression of the lobby area was that it was very similar to Kidani in general layout and architecture, but the decoration and detail were in line with the local culture. Rooms and furnishings reminded us of AKV. The Marriott is right next door, across a road and public parking lot (beach access). If view and room location are important to you, be specific in your requests.
[Hint: In the Waianae Tower, on the right side facing the ocean, the odd numbered rooms face the Marriott.]

Experience
You will not be reminded of a theme park here. Culture was a big take-away for us. Pick up a copy of the Daily Iwa to learn about activities, shows, etc. and attend those of interest. After the great experience at the Starlight Hui with Uncle, we should have attended more events than we did. [Next time] We enjoyed the pools, river, beach, and shops. The cast was mostly friendly and engaging.
[Hint: Relax and enjoy. Engage with the people. Listen, learn.]

Character Breakfast
We've never been disappointed with the food at a Disney Breakfast, and this one was consistent. Hosted by Auntie in the Makahiki (buffet) restaurant, there is a great selection of foods for all tastes and ages, including wide variety of cultural foods to appeal to those familiar, and to encourage those yet to experience certain dishes. The characters were all very friendly and accommodating. Some of them stopped by more than once, and were engaged and enthusiastic for photos. Be aware that there is a show during breakfast. Auntie sings, educates, and encourages the kids to participate, which includes a few parades through the dining area. The cast seemed to understand if some didn't want to join the parade, and left us alone to enjoy our meal. Be sure to check out the wall murals, and the colorful glass (?) ceiling decorations.
[Hint: the far end of the dining room can be a popular entrance/exit for the characters. Sit there to see them several times.]

PhotoPass
This was a little different than expected, based on our experiences at Land and World. Visit the store and ask where the PhotoPass photographers go, and when. They are around for events and for character meet & greet. After calling two different numbers for PhotoPass I learned that we would get our Aulani photos from the local photopass desk, as compared with going online and then ordering the disc. PhotoPass disc at Aulani is $99, or $49 if you also do a family photo session (separate charge). We took advantage of the opportunity to schedule a dedicated photographer, who spent sufficient time with us at several locations around the resort. He set up and took good pictures, had very good ideas, composed each photo very well, suited the photos for our family (age and preferences), and was pleasant and engaging. The photos were of great quality, and sufficient in number so we had many to choose from.
[Hint: if you choose to use PhotoPass, find the photographers early and often]

Tidbits
- Buy a thermal mug on day 1 and use it all week. For ~$19 you get a good quality mug and all the beverages you want.
- Drive 3.5 miles southeast to Hwy 95 (Kalaeloa Blvd) to find Target, Costco, Denny's, SportMart. There's a new WalMart just a little farther east on Farrington (?).
- If you collect pins, DVC members can buy limited availability Aulani pins (logo with turtle).
- Put on some sturdy water shoes and venture (carefully) past the Marriott sidewalk. Explore the pools and rocks. Find crabs and maybe a sea turtle or monk seal. Don't be an ugly tourist; keep your distance and respect the wildlife. Also walk eastward to the other 3 lagoons.
- Show your kids that an adult can also go down the water slide. Two words: dark, fast.
- Look for critters sculpted in the rocks. We found new ones every day.
- DVC members park free. Use your room key for in/out.
- You can plug in HDMI, VGA or component video and view on the TVs. Great way to bring along movies, or view the day's photos. iPhone with adapter worked great.
- Print your boarding passes at Luana Lounge, 1st floor, Ewa tower.

That's all for now. Glad to answer any other questions!

 

[mdsd8700]

Wipedaler, thanks for the great report on Aulani. We are going next month and I am reading everything I can. The postings/trip reports here have been so incredibly helpful. I am taking notes all the the time Thanks again.

 

[ennisb]

Great report and I enjoyed the hints. Leaving in a little over one week so getting very excited about the resort and some relaxation

 

[ACDSNY]

Be ready for some beautiful sunsets. One evening it was so pretty and my camera was up in our room. We did a short stay last January and are going back in December. Can't wait.

 

[StormalongKay]

Wipedaler, did you do any excursions? Any info/impressions would be appreciated

 

[wipedaler]

Wipedaler, did you do any excursions? Any info/impressions would be appreciated

We did no excursions, if you mean the ones thru Disney. Though we did see a number of them arrive/depart from the lobby area on various size buses. Since we had a rental (SUV), we ventured forth on our own, with the aid of maps and GPS on the iPhone (GPS Drive).

Offsite Activities
We spent a day at Pearl Harbor. Go online to recreation.gov and at least reserve your place for the USS Arizona. We chose the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites package that includes audio tour and all attractions, including the USS Missouri, USS Bowfin, and the Air museum. Plan a full day. Bring a raincoat or light windbreaker.

Another day was at Bishop Museum. This was a good break from beach and pools, and educated us fairly well on the history and culture of the islands. DVC members get a discount on admission. You could spend 2-4 hours there, depending on your level of engagement with the exhibits. On our last day at Aulani, we were told that "Uncle", who hosts the Starlight Hui at Aulani, also works at the Bishop Museum as a historian.

One day we chose to drive to the North Shore. The road took us past the Dole Plantation, but we did that on a different day. In hindsight, we should have rolled that into this day trip. We ended up stopping at a turtle-friendly beach on Hwy 83, just NE of Papailoa Rd (NE of Waialua Bay). Drove further to Fumi's Shrimp farm for lunch (cash only), then stopped at Triple Island Creations (just west of Fumi's) and bought two beautiful carvings.

In search of a church on Saturday, we ventured north along 93 toward Waiane. Not the best idea. It's a poorer community and after seeing several situations along the main road, we didn't feel safe stopping, not even for church. The locals (Dis Employees) recommend ensuring that you're back from the western road well before dark. On the plus side, we did see some interesting beaches, older buildings, and even the entrance to a Civil Defense shelter built into the side of the mountain. We used the opportunity as a lesson to our kids, that even on an island like Oahu, there are still families that struggle in various ways.

I hope this helps. Be well and travel safely!
WI Pedaler (pedaling to raise $ for childhood cancer research on June 9th)

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We ended up stopping at a turtle-friendly beach on Hwy 83, just NE of Papailoa Rd (NE of Waialua Bay).

Can you please tell me more about this? Turtles are my #1 thing on our upcoming trip! Did you know in advance this was a turtle beach or did you just happen to stop and then saw the turtles? Curious if this is the type of beach where you are just driving along, see it, and decide to pull over or if it is a beach with a parking lot, etc.

Thanks for any and all info!

 

[ttepsich]

How much is the "extra" resort fee associated with Aulani. I tried to decipher it on the Member website. Thought I could get my question answered much easier here
Thanks,
Tina

 

[PrincessLynz]

LOVE reading your reports!!! DH, DS, and I are planning on a 2014 visit! (already used our points for 2012 and 2013 on DCL and WDW)

 

[karylrocks]

Do they do much pin trading at the resort or Vinylmation trading? Just wondering what to take for my trip this weekend.

 

[georgeat]

There are two Marriotts at Ko Olina. The one farther from Aulani is a time share. The one next door (J.W. Marriott) is a hotel.

 

[my3princes]

Do they do much pin trading at the resort or Vinylmation trading? Just wondering what to take for my trip this weekend.

WE are curious about this too.

 

[mdsd8700]

Can you please tell me more about this? Turtles are my #1 thing on our upcoming trip! Did you know in advance this was a turtle beach or did you just happen to stop and then saw the turtles? Curious if this is the type of beach where you are just driving along, see it, and decide to pull over or if it is a beach with a parking lot, etc.

Thanks for any and all info!

Although we have not been to Aulani yet there was a Living Social deal with this tour company a few months back for snokeling with sea turtles. There may be others operators that offer this type of actvity as well.

http://aquazonesnorkeling.weebly.com/sea-turtle-snorkel-tours.html

 

[knhellesky]

I appreciate all the good info I'm reading here!

We'll be there next week and family is all excited!

 

[knhellesky]

Although we have not been to Aulani yet there was a Living Social deal with this tour company a few months back for snokeling with sea turtles. There may be others operators that offer this type of actvity as well.

http://aquazonesnorkeling.weebly.com/sea-turtle-snorkel-tours.html

All booked for the dates that we're there

 

[FantasyIsland]

There is pin trading books at Auntys Beach House, the gift Shop in lobby and at the Spa. At the DVC preview center the castmembers are wearing pin trading lanyards.

 

[Brancaneve]

I am at Aulani now and feel free to ask me anything. This resort is so incredible that I am happy to share what I have learned. The saying here is, "Look twice, think three times." There is so much embedded in the scenery,artwork, architecture that each day will reveal more and more. I highly recommend the art and culture tour(see daily Iwa) which made me think three times!

We ate out only twice and cooked in the villa the six days we are here. I have a lot to share about purchasing food, cooking, etc. So feel free to ask any questions about that.

As far as excursions, my husband's plan to spend one night Waikiki worked well. We states at the Hyatt Place in Waikiki(awesome hotel) after flying in and then spent the next day at Pearl Harbor before checking in to Aulani. It allowed us to get an outing out if the way and avoiding an early check in. The only other excursion was to Kualoa ranch where we did the movie tour. Our kids begged to for back to the hotel! Knowing that this is not our last trip(God willing) we feel that we don't have to see everything on this trip.

Feeling so blessed to own at Aulani !!

 

[wdrl]

For all of you who have visited or are planning on visiting Aulani, I would appreciate it if you would post photos of your villa and views to the thread on Aulani Villas and Views: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2907389. We have a few villas posted so far, but we could use a lot more.

Mahalo!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

There is an Aulani TR link in my signature.