Budget Gods! What's an afforable way to see Aulani!

[Colleen27]

We've been pricing out Hawaii airfare at different times of the year and from the middle of the Midwest, it is going to be between $900 and $1200 per person just for airfare. Ouch.

That's what I have been seeing from Detroit too. Airfare to Hawaii is every bit as expensive and sometimes moreso than airfare to London or Paris. For that reason alone I doubt we'll get there while the kids are still at home because if we're going to take a trip that requires $5000+ in transportation costs there are other places we feel offer more bang for the buck.

 

[crisi]

We've been pricing out Hawaii airfare at different times of the year and from the middle of the Midwest, it is going to be between $900 and $1200 per person just for airfare. Ouch.

That was what we paid from Minneapolis. I think it was closer to $1200 per person, since we were locked into Spring Break. But that did include an island hop

TmlndSpdwy03 - you may be in the minority, but you aren't alone. Oahu is the least attractive island for me - and the thing I'm interested in seeing is Pearl Harbor which is a long drive from Aulani. We liked Maui a lot, and the Big Island was nice for volcanos (although beaches aren't as nice)....we are DVC members, and Aulani isn't really even on our list - revisiting Hawaii sometime is.

There are LOTS of hotel rooms and timeshares in Hawaii, and therefore LOTS of deals to be had on accomodations. But a newish resort run by Disney is likely to not be as deal-rific.

 

[kkmcan]

We did Aulani this past March. Here's the breakdown for what we spent.

We saved up Disney reward dollars for about 15 months ($700). We booked 4th night free promo and stayed 2 nights for free in inlaws timeshare in Waikiki.

Airfare- $401 rt per person flying nonstop out of Phx.
Aulani- $1800 for 4 nights for the pool view - $700 DDR= $1100
Car rental for a week- $198
Food- did a Costco trip and a grocery trip and ate out 3 times. Probably spent about $500 for the week. Ate lunches in the room, dinner out or at Disney quick service. One night we did Costco pizza. Breakfast for 2 was included free in promo so dh and I ate hot breakfast every morning. Kids sleep in so they ate muffins in the room when they woke up.

Pearl Harbor audio tour- $28
Dole Plantation- Maze ($24) + 4 Dole Whips ($16)

We didn't do Rainbow Reef or character breakfasts. Snorkeled for free in the ocean lagoon with our own snorkel gear.

Our trip came out under $4000.

 

[Angrypenguin]

OP, where are you flying from? It should be fairly easy to get a couple reward flights out, at least help with some of the cost.

American Airlines charges 35k miles round trip, while US airways charges 40k miles. Right now, if you sign up for a US airways CC, they give you 40k miles after just the first purchase ($89 Annual Fee, not waived the first year). One for you, one for the spouse, and voila, 2 tix from the Continental US to Hawaii.

 

[famy27]

Definitely frequent flier miles, if you can. We got a 75,000 offer for an AA Visa, and we snatched that up. That covers two saver awards right there.

For the stay at Aulani, we're going to exchange in using our timeshare. As mentioned, inventory is in very high demand, so you have to be super-flexible and willing to wait a long time for a match for this to work, but it's very cost-effective.

We generally spend about $5000 for everything, including food, activities, airfare, island hopping, rental car, and hotel, but that is for 10 night stays or longer. If I had to, I could come in at $3000 or so for a week.

Airfare: $20 (whatever the fees are on the reward ticket)
Aulani for the week: $900
Rental car: $200
Food: $1200
Activities: $600
Total: $2920

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I would be flying out of the greatest city in the world New York City! I think the biggest thing is just to try and link up with someone who has the points. I can literally take vacation almost any week of the year.

 

[kathy884]

lol -- This might not be in the realm of possibilities for you, but thinking out of the box here's an off the wall idea. I'm guessing Disney cast members and their traveling companions get some really good discounts.

Make friends with a Disney cast member and pay for some of their expenses and take them along.

My nephew who is 20 had his air and hotel paid for and went to Paris/Ireland with another family who thought he'd be a great traveling companion for their son 20 (a good friend of his) when they had to attend a seminar in Ireland and were doing a two week trip -- one week in Ireland and one week in Paris. They also by traveling with him were able to use his employee discount in the Disneyland Pars portion of the trip (park entry and onsite hotel) and found that the savings there more than made up for paying for his air (frequent flyer miles they had) and accommodations.

Win / Win. My nephew had a great time on the trip. He's working in Orlando right now to establish his Florida residency, living with five other guys in the five bedroom apartment and wouldn't have the means on his own to do a European vacation.

Just an off the wall thought if you happen to have a good friend or relative who works for Disney who you would enjoy traveling with.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

I would be flying out of the greatest city in the world New York City! I think the biggest thing is just to try and link up with someone who has the points. I can literally take vacation almost any week of the year.

There are several reputable rental companies that rent DVC points all the time. Easy and reliable -- cost is about $16ish per point rented.

 

[ellochka]

The only affordable way to see Aulani is to stay on Waikiki, and drive over. You can swim in the lagoon (we did) since all beaches in Hawaii are public, and they can't boot you out. Have a lunch at the resort. See the property.

To be honest, Aulani is kind of out of the way, and it's far from everything. It's nice and all, but you will probably want to go Waikiki every night.

Here are the things we did in Oahu, and to be honest, it was my favorite over Maui, even though we stayed in a much better hotel in Maui.
1. Snorkel in Hanauma Bay. Even if you can't swim. The water is knee deep and full of tropical fish. I have never seen anything like that.
2. Climb the Diamond Head.
3. Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. If you stay for the luau, remember they don't serve alcohol (it's run by BYU). I recommend those tiny bottles you can add to drinks inconspicuously.
4. Submarine tour off Waikiki. Where else you can go on a real [tourist] sub?
5. Watch surfers on the North Shore.
6. Hike to Ka'ena Point (that's on the same side of the island as Aulani).
7. Go to Kailua and Lanikai beach. Ah-mazing. There is a reason why the Obamas rent in Lanikai for vacation.
8. There is a Buddist Temple on the East side of the Island. Go early in the morning when it's quiet.
9. Do a segway tour of Waikiki. Lot's of fun.
10. Explore the restaurants of Waikiki. From whole in the wall Japanese places to Duke's and Moana Surfrider.
11. The obligatory Pearl Harbor tour (that one is actually close to Aulani) and Dole plantation tour. We did not do the last.

Other than a really nice pool, there is really nothing that sets Aulani apart, imho. And you don't need to go to Hawaii to swim in a nice pool.

 

[Spacepest]

I might be in the minority but Aulani is kind of in the middle of no where (IMO) on the Island. I personally wouldnt want to spend a full week there (based on what we enjoyed doing when we went which was hiking, snorkeling, eating at places off the resort, I dont like cooking on vacation).

You have to drive 45 min (at a minimum) to get anywhere (north shore, waikiki, hiking trails, more pupular beaches/snorkle locations) so maybe split your stay? Do 2-3 nights at Aulani (it is a beautiful resort and the coves/beaches it is on are beautiful also) and then maybe do 4-5 nights in Waikiki at a more economically priced resort. When we priced out airfare, it was $400 cheaper per person to travel wed-fri then it would have been to travel sat-sun. So look for mid-week travel dates.

Splitting the stay could make the trip more affordable. A rental car is a must IMO though.

I'm in the early pre-planning stages for a Hawaii trip, and I noticed the same thing. Aulani is a bit out of the way, with stuff about an hour drive away. I have an ill parent who wants to visit Aulani as part of her bucket list (while she is still capable), and we are probably going to do a split stay because of this. Maybe do 3 or 4 days at Aulani, not leave the resort and enjoy the pool, beach, and other resort offerings, (because I don't want to spend a couple hours a day driving around) and then do all our other tourist stuff when we leave Aulani. We are still debating on what kind of room to get, but the cheaper rooms without kitchens are looking appealing because I refuse to cook on vacation.

We did recently get annual passes for Disneyland and now we get occasional email offers for Aulani discounts, not sure if we will take advantage of them (depends if we can get a discount to coincide with the time we want to visit).

 

[CampbellzSoup]

The only affordable way to see Aulani is to stay on Waikiki, and drive over. You can swim in the lagoon (we did) since all beaches in Hawaii are public, and they can't boot you out. Have a lunch at the resort. See the property.

To be honest, Aulani is kind of out of the way, and it's far from everything. It's nice and all, but you will probably want to go Waikiki every night.

Here are the things we did in Oahu, and to be honest, it was my favorite over Maui, even though we stayed in a much better hotel in Maui.
1. Snorkel in Hanauma Bay. Even if you can't swim. The water is knee deep and full of tropical fish. I have never seen anything like that.
2. Climb the Diamond Head.
3. Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. If you stay for the luau, remember they don't serve alcohol (it's run by BYU). I recommend those tiny bottles you can add to drinks inconspicuously.
4. Submarine tour off Waikiki. Where else you can go on a real [tourist] sub?
5. Watch surfers on the North Shore.
6. Hike to Ka'ena Point (that's on the same side of the island as Aulani).
7. Go to Kailua and Lanikai beach. Ah-mazing. There is a reason why the Obamas rent in Lanikai for vacation.
8. There is a Buddist Temple on the East side of the Island. Go early in the morning when it's quiet.
9. Do a segway tour of Waikiki. Lot's of fun.
10. Explore the restaurants of Waikiki. From whole in the wall Japanese places to Duke's and Moana Surfrider.
11. The obligatory Pearl Harbor tour (that one is actually close to Aulani) and Dole plantation tour. We did not do the last.

Other than a really nice pool, there is really nothing that sets Aulani apart, imho. And you don't need to go to Hawaii to swim in a nice pool.

EXCELLENT post!

Listen I have plenty of money to go and see Hawaii but I thought that maybe this DVC rental/agreement would work out to something better than Disneys asking price of 500.00 per night.

I would love the experience, but as your post pointed out there are much more things to do.

 

[DisneyEater]

I would be flying out of the greatest city in the world New York City! I think the biggest thing is just to try and link up with someone who has the points. I can literally take vacation almost any week of the year.

If you can both get a Hawaiian Airlines credit card, you can fly from JFK to HNL on Hawaiian Air. The credit card gets you enough for a round trip flight.

You can rent DVC points from a number of resellers or an individual. If I hadn't just used my points to go to Aulani 2 weeks ago, I'd offer to rent you some of mine.

I used FF miles for the 4 of us and my DVC points and did the whole thing for under 2K easy even though I spent a ton on food.

 

[hopey1kenobi]

Just as an aside, since it has been mentioned a couple of times, the drive times aren't really as bad as you might think they are.

Yes, Aulani is kinda in the middle of nowhere (there's only so much space here, & it was the best choice for Disney). O'ahu isn't all that big (30x44 mi). Even in the absolutely WORST traffic it won't take you more than an hour to get from any point on the island to another. You just have to know the rhythm of the traffic (in the morning all things head toward Honolulu, & reverse in the afternoon).

One thing to take into account when considering a split stay between Aulani & Waikiki, is that although Waikiki/Honolulu is the tourist center & that's where all the resorts, shopping, dining are, & you can walk to the Beach, Zoo & maybe Diamondhead, it's extremely congested & all other attractions on O'ahu will require a car. I would rather have to drive a little further (from Aulani) than have to fight Honolulu traffic, while most likely expending the same amount of time.

Just a O'ahu residents perspective.

Also, I think Aulani is worth the extra $$$. I've stayed there twice, & at several Waikiki resorts. Aulani wins hands down. Go during the offseason (Sept/Oct, May) when room rates are almost 25% less & there's killer deals.

 

[TnTWalter]

hilton hawaiin village. it's at the north end of Waikiki. Very nice if you're bringing the family.

aulani is removed...

we also preferred oahu to maui. our fave was kauai. haven't done big yet. some day...

 

[ellochka]

Many of the attractions are on the east (windward) side of the island, so the distance from Waikiki is not that bad. But it would be bad if you drive from Aulani because you have to drive through the city and the highway junctions first. So, if Hanauma Bay is about 15 mins from Waikiki (there are mini-vans that go there, no need to rent a car for that day), it would be around an hour and a half from Aulani (google says 1 hour 8 minutes right now, which is a low traffic day/time).

My personal experience on Oahu was that drive times were pretty long and traffic was pretty bad. Two hours from North Shore to Waikiki is a good estimate.

If you are staying in Waikiki, there is no need to rent a car to go to most tourist destinations. There are a bunch of tours that will bus you in and out. We rented a car for 3 days out of 10 because we wanted to explore the island on our own. There are places on Waikiki to rent a car, so no worries. Staying in Aulani, a car is a must.

By the way, Waikiki is totally amazing. While downtown Honolulu looks just like another paved/deserted American city, Waikiki is a child of Tokyo and Miami. I think, it's a Hawaiian attraction of its own.

If you want to go DVC point rental route, I would try to rent points from an owner of a WDW property ($12 to $13 a point) and use it exactly 7 months in advance, i.e. on the first day the resort is open to all owners. If you pick a slower season and flexible on the view, you should be able to get your stay booked. Many owners will work with you on availability before confirming your purchase.

 

[bear_mom]

The only affordable way to see Aulani is to stay on Waikiki, and drive over. You can swim in the lagoon (we did) since all beaches in Hawaii are public, and they can't boot you out. Have a lunch at the resort. See the property. To be honest, Aulani is kind of out of the way, and it's far from everything. It's nice and all, but you will probably want to go Waikiki every night. Here are the things we did in Oahu, and to be honest, it was my favorite over Maui, even though we stayed in a much better hotel in Maui. 1. Snorkel in Hanauma Bay. Even if you can't swim. The water is knee deep and full of tropical fish. I have never seen anything like that. 2. Climb the Diamond Head. 3. Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. If you stay for the luau, remember they don't serve alcohol (it's run by BYU). I recommend those tiny bottles you can add to drinks inconspicuously. 4. Submarine tour off Waikiki. Where else you can go on a real [tourist] sub? 5. Watch surfers on the North Shore. 6. Hike to Ka'ena Point (that's on the same side of the island as Aulani). 7. Go to Kailua and Lanikai beach. Ah-mazing. There is a reason why the Obamas rent in Lanikai for vacation. 8. There is a Buddist Temple on the East side of the Island. Go early in the morning when it's quiet. 9. Do a segway tour of Waikiki. Lot's of fun. 10. Explore the restaurants of Waikiki. From whole in the wall Japanese places to Duke's and Moana Surfrider. 11. The obligatory Pearl Harbor tour (that one is actually close to Aulani) and Dole plantation tour. We did not do the last. Other than a really nice pool, there is really nothing that sets Aulani apart, imho. And you don't need to go to Hawaii to swim in a nice pool.

I disagree. We hated being close to Waikiki and would have preferred to have been out of the city. Dh and I spent a lot of time driving away from the city most days.

 

[crisi]

Aulani has had some off season cash deals where members have not used their own points because its cheaper to get the cash deal and rent their points out. So do the math.

 

[DisneyEater]

Many of the attractions are on the east (windward) side of the island, so the distance from Waikiki is not that bad. But it would be bad if you drive from Aulani because you have to drive through the city and the highway junctions first. So, if Hanauma Bay is about 15 mins from Waikiki (there are mini-vans that go there, no need to rent a car for that day), it would be around an hour and a half from Aulani (google says 1 hour 8 minutes right now, which is a low traffic day/time).

My personal experience on Oahu was that drive times were pretty long and traffic was pretty bad. Two hours from North Shore to Waikiki is a good estimate.

If you are staying in Waikiki, there is no need to rent a car to go to most tourist destinations. There are a bunch of tours that will bus you in and out. We rented a car for 3 days out of 10 because we wanted to explore the island on our own. There are places on Waikiki to rent a car, so no worries. Staying in Aulani, a car is a must.

By the way, Waikiki is totally amazing. While downtown Honolulu looks just like another paved/deserted American city, Waikiki is a child of Tokyo and Miami. I think, it's a Hawaiian attraction of its own.

If you want to go DVC point rental route, I would try to rent points from an owner of a WDW property ($12 to $13 a point) and use it exactly 7 months in advance, i.e. on the first day the resort is open to all owners. If you pick a slower season and flexible on the view, you should be able to get your stay booked. Many owners will work with you on availability before confirming your purchase.

Took me just under 1 hour to get to Hanauma Bay from Aulani 2 weeks ago at 10am and there was construction shutting down half the road.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Aulani has had some off season cash deals where members have not used their own points because its cheaper to get the cash deal and rent their points out. So do the math.

Just looking for March I could get 5 days for 1500 and change I'm thinking why not?

 

[happymommy]

We used to live on Oahu, and now own (since 2008) at the Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, right by Aulani. When we lived (in Kailua), the only resort at Ko Oliina was what WAS the JW Marriott (soon to be the Four Seasons) and it was called the Ihilani. We used to drive over and enjoy an evening, and it felt like visiting a neighbor island without flying.

We fly out of the DC/Baltimore area, and have been back about 8 times in the last 15 years (after having another baby - our son was born on Oahu). We always use FF miles - never paid for a flight. It's the best use, but you need to check often for good rates. About half the time I get first class (but only a couple have decent almost lie flat seats for the red eye home).

You can always look at redweek for rentals. I personally like the Marriott over Aulani - Aulani to me is quite cramped (but they do have a lazy river, which increases their dues since they need a lifeguard every 20 feet, which is why the Marriott isn't putting one in in front of the 4th tower going up next, to keep our dues down). You can get a rental at the Marriott for a decent price (we're renting an extra week next year for about $300 or so per night for a 2BR, and they're bigger than the Disney ones). So if you wanted, you could always split your stay.

You will NEED a rental car. Enough said.

Our trips to Hawaii are actually our least expensive vacations. We cook in a lot, and shop Costco, Super Target, Super Walmart, and eat at local spots for lunch if we're out. We grill for lunch and dinners. I pack a suitcase with things like condiments, spices, etc... and then we get fresh foods and drinks at the store. Costco on Oahu has similar prices as at home. We go to relax and enjoy the places we used to visit.

There is a Hawaiian Airlines flight out of New Jersey that's nonstop, so you may want to look into that.

I think the primary thing to look at is wanting to go to Hawaii, and secondary is that you want to go to Aulani. It is a cool resort, and I prefer Ko Olina and Kapolei over Waikiki now, but you really need to want to go see Hawaii! We used to stay at Waikiki for "staycations" a LOT, but now to me it's so different. Also there (and at Kailua) the beach has eroded so much, that it's a fraction of what it used to be. Ko Olina's lagoons are so peaceful and relaxing.

I'd definitely start with redweek. And look at what you can get for flights. Going over is always so exciting - coming home on the redeye well, you just can't get around it. Unless, that is, you do a day flight to CA, and stop for a day or two then go home. We've never done that.