Costco 4 Day Go Oahu card

[Emily921]

My best friend and I are celebrating our milestone birthdays and are doing a mom and daughter trip in September. It is their first time while my last trip was in 2003 when my daughter was 7. We arrive Sunday at Aulani for 8 nights. My friend’s daughter has to leave Saturday night.

We are thinking of getting the 4 day Go Oahu card. Our daughters like to hike and us moms not so much due some limited mobility. We will have a car. I also bought the Hawaii Emtertainment book.

1. What would you recommend is a must do on this card?
What about travel time and parking?
How far in advance do we need to reserve?

2. What would you avoid?

3. Would you do the luau on the card or do the one at Paradise Cove or Aulani?

4. Which premium attractions are the best?

5. What else is a must do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bajadahl]

unfortunately I don't have answers just more questions also..... I was hoping to see some activity on this thread. I am in the same boat considering this card. I do have a couple of observations as I have researched the Go Oahu Card.

Costco vs Direct Purchase - The Direct purchase of the Go Oahu card is $199 for a 3 day card which includes 1 special excursion and the 32 standard attractions (same as the 4 day Costco Version). You can get 5% off of this price making the price per card $189.05 for 3 days of use. The Costco version is $199 for a 4 day card but no discount and I think you may have to pay tax if buying from Costco but I am not positive so total price (in Texas 8.25% tax rate) would either be $199 or 215.42. So each card would cost you between $9.95 and $26.37 more per card for that extra day. So need to make the decision on if we need the 4th day or not. For my family of 4 that's a difference of $40 - $104.

My 2nd thought is figuring out which attractions require a reservation and making sure I can get those reservations so that the card doesn't go unused.

3rd thought several of the attractions you are really paying for transportation because the excursion itself is cheap or free.
The two examples I have looked at are Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay.

Diamond Head appears to be free but you do pay $5 to park a car. (For sure there has to be some value in not having to drive, although it appears you may have to get yourself to the Waikiki area for the shuttle. I found no mention of the shuttle picking up at Aulani)

Hanauma Bay has a $7.50 entry fee that is not included on the Go Oahu card. So the value of the card is the transportation (again from Waikiki) and snorkel gear if you don't already have your own.

I freely admit that these are only two examples and I am still knee deep in research trying to determine if this card is right for me. It does look interesting I just don't want to spend the money if using the card is going to be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[3darlings]

I purchased the card from Costco a few days ago. I have made all of my reservations at this point. For a couple of the hikes, you can make reservations online. For the rest I had to call but it was not difficult other than remembering the time difference. We are doing the Oahu Hidden Gems Tour as our premium activity. I really wanted a tour that would take us around the island and show us some of the sites. On the other days we are doing 2 activities a day and on two of those days we are doing the hikes in the morning (they are very early) and then doing other activities later (Makani Catamaran Sail and PCC). The other day is up at the North Shore (we are spending a few days there) with a Kualoa Ranch tour in the morning and then kayaking/paddle boarding later. Using the card for several of the days we are in Waikiki is saving us a lot because we will not have to pay for parking which is ridiculously expensive (most of the activities provide transportation). We are also going to do the Luau at PCC which is a $75 upcharge. Overall, I think we are saving money and are getting to do a lot of activities.

 

[tanya0369]

We purchased the 4 day from Costco. For us it was a steal. I think the card is worth it depending on what things you want to do. We had a rental car so transportation to things wasn't something we needed. For somethings you do need to make a reservation. We used the one deluxe thing for the PCC luau. Then we also did 2 different days at kualoa ranch. Movies sites tour one day and the catamaran another. You can't do more than one tour a day at the ranch. We also did Pearl Harbor, dole plantation, byodo-in temple. To use the card they just scan it at the entrance.

 

[tanya0369]

Also the good thing about buying the card through Costco was one person in our party had to cancel Hawaii trip and I just returned the card at Costco and was able to get a full refund.

 

[glencoe]

I purchased the 4 day go oahu card from costco. I saved alot of money! I have a family of 5 to give you an idea...teens 15,18 and 22

My thoughts: We had a rental car, we stayed for 3 days at a Marriott by the Polynesian Cultural Center, then went to Aulani for 7 days. There are some rules for the "go" card so you need to plan..if you are a disney person you will be fine!!

With a 4 day card you have only four days to use it....they don't have to be consecutive however they must be used in 2 weeks if I remember right.

Some "big" expensive attractions can't be done in the same day. For example: Kualoa Ranch you can't do a tour and catamaran boat on the same day...so you end up going back there if you want to take advantage of big ticket excursions. However...it is beautiful and we did not mind at all!! We ended up paying out of pocket for something one day because our kids went ziplining and we chose the movie tour instead. We really loved that place!!

On our short Kualoa ranch day(catamaran boat ride-go card) we went to Haleiwa to rent paddle boards/kyacks (go card) down a river...then shopped and had lunch in Haleiwa...we loved Haleiwa so low key, this is where Matsumoto Shaved Ice is....voted best shaved ice on the island. I personally thought PCC had great shaved ice with out the crazy line!!!

Since our hotel was right next to the PCC (polynesian cultural center) we did the luau there, and the island tour and there was an amazing show that is after the food part of the luau that was really good as well. I found the shaved ice at the PCC really good!! Plus no crazy lines like the other places too. They have great shopping there too in the village.

We used the go card for Pearl Harbor as well (we used Aulani as our home base for that excursion). We ended up getting tickets online the morning of...so we had a 2pm tour which sort of ruined us doing anything else. We planned on the Aloha Stadium swap meet, but never made it! Went surfing instead!
That was our third day.

You will find once you get to Aulani....you don't want to leave Aulani so my first three days at the Marriott on the north shore worked great as a home base for those excursions.

My last day of the card my boys and husband went Mountain biking on the SE part of the island and my daughter swam with the dolphins at Dolphin Quest (really recommend that one-neither of these were go card). Then we all met up in Honolulu- and went to Waikiki beach to rent surfboards and a chair using the go card again. I truly hated waikiki....crowded beach and swimming with people on top of you...no thanks! My kids however said the waves were good but again, crowded. Shopping in honolulu is fine, I have alot of that stuff here so not a place I need to return to.

Overall we used the gocard for so much, booking was easy, paying/showing the card was easy. We ended up paying out of pocket for somethings because after working the card the best I could I felt surf lessons (Uncle Bryan Sunrise Surrat was awesome) was best payed out of pocket, and a few other things.
Be aware alot of the tours offered have pickup in Honolulu so you have to drive (in crazy traffic if a weekday about 1/2 hour from Aulani) to meet a tour bus at 6am...we didn't do that. As I said I picked our excursions for what worked while we stayed off Aulani on the North Shore and used Aulani as home base for things on the South of the Island (Honolulu-waikiki ex.)

Hope this was helpful....enjoy it. Aulani will take your breath away-it is so well done! I can't figure out how the 4 seasons' next door doesn't redo their hotel. It is a white box compared to Aulani....When you arrive at Aulani compared to the surrounding building and brown foliage (it is the leeward/dry side of the Island) it is an oasis and you don't want to leave!!!

 

[Emily921]

Thanks everyone for the great tips! We only have the 8 days and aren’t staying somewhere else. I would love to just stay at Aulani the whole time but it is my friend’s first time, so we need to do the must sees. I need to map out the attractions and figure what we can do, I will probably ask more questions when I go through process. Thanks again!

 

[glencoe]

Thanks everyone for the great tips! We only have the 8 days and aren’t staying somewhere else. I would love to just stay at Aulani the whole time but it is my friend’s first time, so we need to do the must sees. I need to map out the attractions and figure what we can do, I will probably ask more questions when I go through process. Thanks again!

I found if you look at the Island like a clock (Polynesian Cultural Center is at 1:30, Kualoa ranch at 3, etc) you can map out your excursions for which days make it easier to travel. Grouping your excursions will save time and driving!!

 

[3darlings]

We just returned from Hawaii and the Costco Go Oahu card worked great. We even added items to our previously planned ones. We ended up renting surfboards/bogey boards in Waikiki, and renting mopeds. You definitely need an advanced reservation for the mopeds. Other than that, we did the Hidden Gems Tour which was a great tour for the beginning of our trip and included the Dole Plantation (we didn't end up seeing turtles in the snorkeling part), Kualoa Ranch Jungle Tour, kayaking/paddleboarding on the North Shore, PCC, Diamond Head and Lighthouse Hikes, and the Makani Catamaran ride. The upcharge for the luau at PCC was only $50 (not $75 as we were told) - I have no idea why. Overall, I thought it more than worth it and allowed us to do a lot of different activities.

 

[snoodledoo]

Did anyone cut up the page of the go oahu card and just use the card/signature section instead of carrying them around as full sheets of paper?
Also, someone recently posted that Dole was no longer accepting them, and I went to the website and didn't see Dole listed anymore.

 

[ErinC]

I was looking at the list and noticed that Dole was not on there other than during the tour which is a premium activity.

 

[Siliobear]

Another vote for the Go Card. We're returning visitors so we did stuff we never did before. Kualoa Ranch with Byodo Temple on the way. PCC luau. Even tho Pearl Harbor is now closed, we enjoyed USS Missouri and Pacific Aviation Museum. Half of us only had the 3 day pass so that's all but we were planning to see the Honolulu museums on day 4 (Bishop, Iolani Palace, etc). Plan ahead, map out the destinations so you can properly group them together, call ahead for reservations. Enjoy!

 

[Pixie_Dust]

Most everyone you call to make reservations is very familiar with the card and can give helpful hints.

 

[DisneyJen1969]

Dole is not included. Sea Life Park was not worth it for us. We went as a regular admission, not our premium activity and had almost an hour drive from the North Shore-not worth it. Even without the drive I couldn't really recommend it. The Go Card is worth it!

 

[newdeal]

Groupon has a deal on a 3 day card right now for those who don't want 4 days

 

[Captain Canada]

I purchased the 4 day go card from Costco for our upcoming trip in August. I like that I’ve already paid for it so that as we tour I won’t have to listen to my husband grumble about the prices. That in itself makes it worth while! I picked the luau at the Polynesian as our premium activity. To be honest at first I chose it in part because it included a meal and I knew I wanted to do a luau. After some research I ended up upgrading to the Ambassador package because it meant a later dinner time (right before the show) and included a tour guide. I booked the catamaran at Kuoala and the movie tour on a different day but I’ve decided to upgrade to the premiere movie tour (I’m in so deep now, what’s a little more $, after all its the trip of a life time right?). I plan to stop at Waimea Falls and hopefully BYODO temple. I’m on the fence about the fourth day, might go to Wet and Wild Hawaii. DS7 will probably say that the water park was his favourite part of Hawaii. Kids! If I stick to my plan I will definitely come out ahead financially. One con is that it is tempting to over schedule us to get better value. It’s so hard to choose! I’ve also found it a bit difficult to try and plan multiple things in a day because most activities are done by late afternoon and taking driving time into consideration. I also don’t want to be watching the clock the whole time and saying, I know you’re having a great time but we have to leave now to get to the next activity I booked.

 

[southerngirl528]

I purchased the 4 day go card from Costco for our upcoming trip in August. I like that I’ve already paid for it so that as we tour I won’t have to listen to my husband grumble about the prices. That in itself makes it worth while! I picked the luau at the Polynesian as our premium activity. To be honest at first I chose it in part because it included a meal and I knew I wanted to do a luau. After some research I ended up upgrading to the Ambassador package because it meant a later dinner time (right before the show) and included a tour guide. I booked the catamaran at Kuoala and the movie tour on a different day but I’ve decided to upgrade to the premiere movie tour (I’m in so deep now, what’s a little more $, after all its the trip of a life time right?). I plan to stop at Waimea Falls and hopefully BYODO temple. I’m on the fence about the fourth day, might go to Wet and Wild Hawaii. DS7 will probably say that the water park was his favourite part of Hawaii. Kids! If I stick to my plan I will definitely come out ahead financially. One con is that it is tempting to over schedule us to get better value. It’s so hard to choose! I’ve also found it a bit difficult to try and plan multiple things in a day because most activities are done by late afternoon and taking driving time into consideration. I also don’t want to be watching the clock the whole time and saying, I know you’re having a great time but we have to leave now to get to the next activity I booked.

You've got a lot of planning going on there! The only advice I have, especially if this is your first trip to Hawaii, is that I truly believe it is possible to miss some of the beauty of just being in Hawaii if you plan as much as a typical vacation. And that is coming from a super planner..... ME!!! Though I pre-plan our annual Hawaii trip activities, I am very careful to leave about 1/2 the days with nothing really planned. And THOSE are the best days! Just being still and feeling those soft breezes against your face, smelling the aromas of lovely tropical flowers, and seeing colors in a new way. I do hope you plan for some "nothing" time. Happy planning!