Disney Fantasy vs. Aulani

[ludari]

Since I started cruising with Disney in 2010 I have been on one or two cruises a year. I was also on the Fantasy maiden voyage and that was an amazing experience. I have been to the Hawaiian Islands several times and last year I decided to visit Aulani instead of going on a cruise. As much as I enjoy visiting Hawaiian Islands, Aulani and all the activities offered at the resort out of your two choices I would prefer the Fantasy.

If you plan on just staying at the Aulani Resort I would recommend that you get a rental car. There is so much to do at Aulani but there is also so much else to do and experience on Oahu that I personally would venture outside of the resort. I was glad I had a car to explore the island, eat outside of the resort (I was not too impressed with the restaurants at Aulani), grocery shop, etc.

 

[wdrl]

Its not easy to make a true apples-to-apples when comparing a Hawaii resort vacation to a DCL cruise. Like others say, food can be expensive at Aulani, but if you have a car there are several places in the Ko Olina/Kapolei area that could easily fit into most dining budgets. Lots of people like Monkey Pod, which is right across the street from Aulani. Also, you can drive to the Super Target, Safeway, or Costco about 5 miles from Aulani in Kapolei to pick up drinks, snacks, breakfast items, etc. A big advantage of getting a DVC villa is having access to a microwave in DVC studios or a full kitchen in the one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, which lets you buy groceries and prepare your own food. Aulani also has BBQ grills for guests to use to prepare dinner.

If you cruise, how much money do you think you'll spend on excursions? Or do you think you'd spend most of your time on board the ship. As you know, there are lots of things to do on O'ahu, and some of these (Pearl Harbor, North Shore drive, visiting Waikiki, Nuuanu Pali Outlook, Diamond Head) aren't that expensive.

Paradise Cove is less than a 10 minute walk from Aulani and offers a very good luau. Aulani's Starlit Hui is performed twice a week and is a good musical show.

One added expense at Aulani will be parking. Its free for DVC Members staying on points, but $35.00 a day for non-DVC guests.

 

[AudreyKThompson]

Planning a Fantasy cruise at Christmas and an Aulani stay in April-- just subbing to hear what people say about them

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been to aulani twice. Going again in April. Love it. Always get a ocean view one bedroom. Love everything about it and other than going to the grocery store or church we never leave. But there is no night life and many people would get bored.

Have also been on all the Disney ships and are platinum DCL members. Love those too. Unless we are at a port we have never been to or on the magic in Europe which we have done a few times we never get off. Treat it like a floating resort. We are on the TCM cruise on the Magic right now and this is our third cruise on Disney this year

For us it would be a hard decision. If you have never been to Hawaii try aulani but get a car so you can see a bit of the island and if possible try to get to some of the other islands. The intra island flights don't cost that much. Maui and Kauai are incredible. While we like the ocean view rooms you would be fine with pool or island view. Suggest a one bedroom because you get a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Good places to eat off the resort. While there are some characters not that many.

If you want more nightlife and kids programs that run all day as well as all the characters and princesses then do the Fantasy. If castaway cay is a stop it is a great beach day. Be sure to try the slides on the island. We have gotten rooms with balconies as well as just windows. Doesn't really matter both are fine. No need to pay higher prices. But spring for palo and or Remy. Excellent.

 

[KingRichard]

I did a search and didn't see my question answered in a way that pertains to me, nor was I sure where to post it if anyone knows of a better place for me to post please let me know!

Anyways, I'm planning on surprising my family at Christmas with a trip for dh's 50th, our 15th anniversary & dd 15th birthday. So it's for myself, dh, dd15 & ds12. I'm going to do the end of feb and will either do a 7 night cruise on the Fantasy cat 6C OR 7 nights at Disneys Aulani resort standard room in Hawaii.

We have done a 3 & 4 night cruise on the Wonder and love love loved it! my kids talk about going again however they have also talked about Hawaii and wanting to go there. I priced out both and they actually work out to be the same when I factor in flights, car rental & food (for Hawaii) I would love either, I lived there for 3 yrs in my 20's and know my way around.

Anyone have any input? Pros and cons? Thanks so much!!!

What kind of prices for flights?

I can't wrap my head around them costing the same?

$3,000 for flights for 3 of us from Detroit and $500-1,000 per night on the Island?

 

[3monkeys4me]

We are going to Aulani this December and cruising the Magic next December.

Auliani, is costing us a bit more, but that is very dependant on where your flying from. We are flying from Minnesota to California and staying with family before flying to Honolulu. We will do this on the way back too. We got a great price on flights from Oakland on Hawaiian Airlines and a decent rate on Southwest from to Oakland. Total airfare was about $3800 for our family of 5. Just under $720 a person. It is high, but we also go to California every year for a visit anyway and this way we are combining the trips, so for us it really was only $480ish more per person than we normally do. We are staying at Aulani for 5 nights, I think the total was just under $3000 for a one bedroom villa, pool view. We have the deal that is stay 4 nights, get one night free and $100 per night resort credit. We plan on using the resort credit for snacks, parking and any extra will go toward souvenirs. We do have a rental car and we will be stopping at Costco and maybe Target. We booked through costco so we will have the character buffet for free one morning. After Aulani, we are going to stay with friends for an additional 6 nights before heading back to CA for a week.

So airfare plus 5 nights at Aulani is $6800. I have spent about $1000 on activities (surf lessons for 3 of us, snorkling for all 5 and a luau for 5). A rental car for our stay was $370. I am planning to spend about $2000 more (for the whole 11 days we are on the island) on food and all the little extras that come up. Our kids are bringing their own spending money.

So far, the magic cruise for around the same dates looks like it will run us $7000 for cruise, airfare, and hotel. The airfare is just a estimate though going off of this years prices. I haven't really priced out the excursions, but I am guessing we will pay another $500+ there. Plus cruise transfers or rental to get to port. I'm sure we will also buy things on ship...drinks, bingo, arcade, etc...

Anyway, both vacations can be very expensive! I would have preferred to do the cruise I think. Dh wasn't to keen to do another cruise (he wasn't impressed with the first one) so we decided to go to Oahu to visit our good friends and to give Dh a non Disney vacation. Then we needed a hotel to stay at for a few nights and the prices at Aulani were pretty reasonable with the 4th night free deal, at least they were comparable to other non Waikiki beachfront hotels, and having a kitchen and a bedroom for the parents made the little extra cost worth it to us.

 

[pierresgirl]

Different strokes! We've done 5 or 6 days (twice) sitting by the pool, playing on the beach, riding water slides, kayaking, snorkeling...and wished we could have stayed longer. But we are also the type that will go on a cruise and skip almost all of the activities, other than some shows at night and a game of Bingo here and there. I guess that's why there are different types of vacations in the world!

As for "free" food on a cruise...it's not really free. It's included in the very high price you pay for the cruise. For example, we are sailing Fantasy the first week of January, 2015. If I price out Aulani for the same dates, and select a Garden View room (not ocean view, but also not the "standard" aka parking lot view)...I would save over $1300 vs. the cost of my Fantasy cruise. The Aulani rate also includes breakfast each day. That means I'd have a $1300 budget for food at Aulani to break even vs. costs of the cruise. The food is not really free...it's $1300 for the week

We didn't even see the shows on the 2 Wonder cruises we did so I feel ya on the different vacay styles! I made sure I was budgeting in food and activities for Aulani

Someone just commented about access to food all day-I was referring to that. Of course you are "paying for everything" on a cruise. But you can't just grab a slice of pizza at aulani like you can on a cruise. That's all

Actually I had very difficult time finding plain food at aulani just more fyi

Now 'no plain food?' don't know if my kids can hack that lol!

Hi--we just got off the Fantasy a few weeks ago, and we're going to Aulani in March. So I can't really compare the two yet.

However, Aulani just recently came out with its "winter specials" that are 4 nights for the price of 3, or 30% off stays of 5 nights or longer. The special also includes a free breakfast for everyone in the room. Not sure if you factored that special into your cost.

Good luck deciding!

I was getting the 30% off PLUS free brekkies

 

[pierresgirl]

I have cruised on the Dream a few times and been to Aulani. If I had my choice, I would choose Aulani over the cruise.

We did the luau at the Marriott next door but I think they have stopped doing that one from what I have heard. That one was very nice though. The other one close is Paradise Cove.

We mostly ate local and I can't say that we spent more than we did at home for similar meals and we don't live in a resort area. For example, when we ate at the mexican place across the street it was about $40 for dinner for two of us, including drinks.

Basically,I just think you will experience a lot more at Aulani especially since you lived there for a few years and you will be able to share that with your children.

We also got a fanastic deal on a rental car during our stay through Costco. My husband was set on renting a jeep and we paid less than $200 for 8 days when we first started pricing it out they were over $500. Gas prices at the time also weren't any more than say any big city like Chicago.

I wish we had a costco near us, that's a good deal! Paradise Cove, that's the other popular luau!

Personally the Fantasy gets my vote. She is our favourite ship and Aulani has a lot of expenses that you don't think of, such as the high price of food in the islands. Gas is also high, and frankly Oahu has been our least favourite island (we have been on Kauai, Maui & the big island also). Hawaii is full of super beaches, even nicer than the one Aulani sits on. We tend to stray far from our base on any island, so its hard for me to see spending so much on Aulani and staying AT Aulani. Don't get me wrong, we stayed back when it opened late 2011 on our honeymoon for a couple of nights, but that is when we wanted to stay close to the resort and relax. We then got our sightseeing and fine dining on from a much cheaper place in Waikiki (or via VRBO in the case of the other islands).

The more I read about Aulani the more I see people saying the same thing. I have a hard time just relaxing!

Depends on the vacation you want, to some extent. We love both and would like to do both multiple times in the near future. Here's a summary from our point of view:

DCL: a go, go, go fun and excitement vacation
- lot's of constant fun and activity. We're exhausted after every DCL sailing we take
- you are on the ship's time for dining and excursions and shows and all
- great stage shows
- pretty good food on-board
- as much Disney as you can handle and then some more

Aulani: a laid-back and relaxing vacation
- not as many things as DCL to do on-site, but you have a huge island to explore
- much more flexbile schedule for doing everyhing
- Puka Dogs! (kinda)
- starlit hui was ok: a luau without the food, but the pre-show activities were interesting
- great food that is expensive and not included. Make sure to get the early-bird appetizers at Olelo that are cheap and can be a meal
- don't have to worry about getting back by all-aboard time
- just enough Disney to feel special, but not inundated by it
- FYI, we're told that Aulani used DCL as an operating model with kids' clubs, adult areas, daily schedules and stuff.

Picking one over the other is difficult, but I'd lean towards Aulani at this moment. But, that might only be because we've already had 2 DCL sailings this year.

You made some great points and thanks for the list! 2 DCL sails? Lucky!

We've been blessed to stay at Aulani twice and to cruise on the Wonder twice. We absolutely looooooved both. I would pick the Fantasy. There is so much to do for every family member on the cruise.....Aulani is amazing but I do think your kids might prefer what is offered on the Fantasy. The food options are VERY limited at Aulani, and I think it might drive me a little nuts if we stayed there for a week. Also, I would say that some water activites on Oahu may be limited in February due to the high surf. For example, snorkeling at Sharks Cove on the North Shore is a must do for me, but I wouldn't be able to do that in February.

Do your kids get along and like to do stuff together or do they like making new friends on the cruise and hanging with new friends? That is a biggie for us. Our 14yo DD enjoys Aulani but doesn't love it. Cruising is her favorite thing in the entire world!

DH would pick Aulani because he is all about Hawaii. The rest of us would choose the cruise.

Good luck! And big congrats on those family milestones.

That sounds like my 14 y.o.! She yaps on and on about wanting to do the DCL sail again. Neither of my kids are shy and they both loved the kids clubs before however it'll be a completely different club experience this time bc of their ages. Does your dd like the teen clubs? My dh would totally pick Hawaii, that's what makes this tough, trying to please everyone!

 

[pierresgirl]

Since I started cruising with Disney in 2010 I have been on one or two cruises a year. I was also on the Fantasy maiden voyage and that was an amazing experience. I have been to the Hawaiian Islands several times and last year I decided to visit Aulani instead of going on a cruise. As much as I enjoy visiting Hawaiian Islands, Aulani and all the activities offered at the resort out of your two choices I would prefer the Fantasy.

If you plan on just staying at the Aulani Resort I would recommend that you get a rental car. There is so much to do at Aulani but there is also so much else to do and experience on Oahu that I personally would venture outside of the resort. I was glad I had a car to explore the island, eat outside of the resort (I was not too impressed with the restaurants at Aulani), grocery shop, etc.

I agree a car is a must! Starting to lean towards Fantasy...

Its not easy to make a true apples-to-apples when comparing a Hawaii resort vacation to a DCL cruise. Like others say, food can be expensive at Aulani, but if you have a car there are several places in the Ko Olina/Kapolei area that could easily fit into most dining budgets. Lots of people like Monkey Pod, which is right across the street from Aulani. Also, you can drive to the Super Target, Safeway, or Costco about 5 miles from Aulani in Kapolei to pick up drinks, snacks, breakfast items, etc. A big advantage of getting a DVC villa is having access to a microwave in DVC studios or a full kitchen in the one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, which lets you buy groceries and prepare your own food. Aulani also has BBQ grills for guests to use to prepare dinner.

If you cruise, how much money do you think you'll spend on excursions? Or do you think you'd spend most of your time on board the ship. As you know, there are lots of things to do on O'ahu, and some of these (Pearl Harbor, North Shore drive, visiting Waikiki, Nuuanu Pali Outlook, Diamond Head) aren't that expensive.

Paradise Cove is less than a 10 minute walk from Aulani and offers a very good luau. Aulani's Starlit Hui is performed twice a week and is a good musical show.

One added expense at Aulani will be parking. Its free for DVC Members staying on points, but $35.00 a day for non-DVC guests.

Thanks for noting about parking! There are def a lot of things that can be done inexpensively.

We have been to aulani twice. Going again in April. Love it. Always get a ocean view one bedroom. Love everything about it and other than going to the grocery store or church we never leave. But there is no night life and many people would get bored.

Have also been on all the Disney ships and are platinum DCL members. Love those too. Unless we are at a port we have never been to or on the magic in Europe which we have done a few times we never get off. Treat it like a floating resort. We are on the TCM cruise on the Magic right now and this is our third cruise on Disney this year

For us it would be a hard decision. If you have never been to Hawaii try aulani but get a car so you can see a bit of the island and if possible try to get to some of the other islands. The intra island flights don't cost that much. Maui and Kauai are incredible. While we like the ocean view rooms you would be fine with pool or island view. Suggest a one bedroom because you get a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Good places to eat off the resort. While there are some characters not that many.

If you want more nightlife and kids programs that run all day as well as all the characters and princesses then do the Fantasy. If castaway cay is a stop it is a great beach day. Be sure to try the slides on the island. We have gotten rooms with balconies as well as just windows. Doesn't really matter both are fine. No need to pay higher prices. But spring for palo and or Remy. Excellent.

Castaway Cay magical! I loved Palo, how does it compare to Remy? Love the floating resort image! I used to live in Hawaii, in my early 20's.

We are going to Aulani this December and cruising the Magic next December.

Auliani, is costing us a bit more, but that is very dependant on where your flying from. We are flying from Minnesota to California and staying with family before flying to Honolulu. We will do this on the way back too. We got a great price on flights from Oakland on Hawaiian Airlines and a decent rate on Southwest from to Oakland. Total airfare was about $3800 for our family of 5. Just under $720 a person. It is high, but we also go to California every year for a visit anyway and this way we are combining the trips, so for us it really was only $480ish more per person than we normally do. We are staying at Aulani for 5 nights, I think the total was just under $3000 for a one bedroom villa, pool view. We have the deal that is stay 4 nights, get one night free and $100 per night resort credit. We plan on using the resort credit for snacks, parking and any extra will go toward souvenirs. We do have a rental car and we will be stopping at Costco and maybe Target. We booked through costco so we will have the character buffet for free one morning. After Aulani, we are going to stay with friends for an additional 6 nights before heading back to CA for a week.

So airfare plus 5 nights at Aulani is $6800. I have spent about $1000 on activities (surf lessons for 3 of us, snorkling for all 5 and a luau for 5). A rental car for our stay was $370. I am planning to spend about $2000 more (for the whole 11 days we are on the island) on food and all the little extras that come up. Our kids are bringing their own spending money.

So far, the magic cruise for around the same dates looks like it will run us $7000 for cruise, airfare, and hotel. The airfare is just a estimate though going off of this years prices. I haven't really priced out the excursions, but I am guessing we will pay another $500+ there. Plus cruise transfers or rental to get to port. I'm sure we will also buy things on ship...drinks, bingo, arcade, etc...

Anyway, both vacations can be very expensive! I would have preferred to do the cruise I think. Dh wasn't to keen to do another cruise (he wasn't impressed with the first one) so we decided to go to Oahu to visit our good friends and to give Dh a non Disney vacation. Then we needed a hotel to stay at for a few nights and the prices at Aulani were pretty reasonable with the 4th night free deal, at least they were comparable to other non Waikiki beachfront hotels, and having a kitchen and a bedroom for the parents made the little extra cost worth it to us.

Those trips sound fab! It's hard to remember everything we have to factor in!

 

[pierresgirl]

What kind of prices for flights?

I can't wrap my head around them costing the same?

$3,000 for flights for 3 of us from Detroit and $500-1,000 per night on the Island?

I have the USAirways credit card that gave me a $250 ticket plus 2 $99 companion tickets to use. I also have a $400 voucher for giving up my seat on a flight so Orlando from CT would be about $450 plus taxes. That plus the cruise and transfers etc are abt $6000. I can't use my tickets for Hawaii but can use my voucher so tix are abt $630 each plus hotel, car, activities are about $6500.
I'd really hate to see my tickets go to waste....

 

[pierresgirl]

You guys and gals have been a huge help! I really needed to talk this out and hear other opinions. I'm leaning towards the cruise, I hate the idea of giving up my cheap USAirways tickets if we do Hawaii. I keep thinking about the travel time (between 14-18 hrs) plus jet lag! I just got back to CT from LA and it wasn't as easy as it used to be for me. When I was younger I bopped back and forth from England to Hawaii and CT no prob.... Not any more!

My family has never been to the Caribbean islands so it'll be fun, I spent a year in Puerto Rico and loved Old San Juan. I've always wanted to go to St. John.

thank you guys! I smell a trip report coming up

 

[KingRichard]

I have the USAirways credit card that gave me a $250 ticket plus 2 $99 companion tickets to use. I also have a $400 voucher for giving up my seat on a flight so Orlando from CT would be about $450 plus taxes. That plus the cruise and transfers etc are abt $6000. I can't use my tickets for Hawaii but can use my voucher so tix are abt $630 each plus hotel, car, activities are about $6500.
I'd really hate to see my tickets go to waste....

That helps.

Don't forget to plan for 20-30 hours of airplane/airport food.

That gets crazy expensive fast.

 

[gumbypee]

Have fun whatever you decide!! Vacation is still vacation!!!

 

[mmouse37]

I just got an email for two different offers for Aulani, not sure if they fit the time frame of the OP but they offer deals from time to time.


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[Redbudlover]

Timely for me. My DGD, who was 7 then and will be 9 in February, and I went on the Fantasy 2 years ago and she loved it. We were going to go on the Norwegian Cruise because it costs about a $1000 less than Disney when I started looking at excursions. Nothing gave us much time at the beach. Plus the water slide closed several times due to high winds when we were there. I started thinking we would get more beach and pool time (the Fantasy pools were literally elbow to elbow with kids!), more pools, more slides, more beach time and could still do excursions. I check into the kids clubs and they have a great kids club on paper.... Also a club for teens your teens might like. Evening entertainment isn't huge for us. My DGD would love swimming at night and Disney movies. It seemed to me there were a lot of activities - not as many as the Fantasy but you cannot possible do everything at the Fantasy anyway. I just added up the slides, pools, beach time, kids club, spa, excursions, and said it looked we would have more of what we want at Aulani. the clincher is I am a DVC person so can stay on my points so my cost is only airfare and food - Unless someone can tell me the kids club doesn't match the Fantasy, I think this is the way we will go....

 

[blondietink]

Our family of 4 are all adults. Aulani wins hands down over a cruise. We went there in 2013 and are planning a 2015 visit again. We have been on cruises since our Aulani trip and the question always comes up: "When are we going back to Hawaii?" Our flight was about 12 hours total both directions, including time spent waiting for a connection. Flight over the jet lag was fine, but coming back was terrible. I always have a problem with time zones when flying east. Europe is not different.

 

[Saamh]

We've done Aulani twice and 8 DCL cruises and for us it comes down to price and timing. To us they are completely different vacations. I really enjoy paying for my cruise up front and not thinking about spending while I'm on vacation. At Aulani we rent a car and visit other parts of the island and hit a grocery store and eat offsite all the time. Even trying to manage costs at Aulani we still end up spending a lot on meals. If you can get a great deal in airfare and a decent room rate, it's worth trying Aulani.

 

[LisaT91403]

I just added up the slides, pools, beach time, kids club, spa, excursions, and said it looked we would have more of what we want at Aulani. the clincher is I am a DVC person so can stay on my points so my cost is only airfare and food - Unless someone can tell me the kids club doesn't match the Fantasy, I think this is the way we will go....

I have been to Aulani twice, and have our first DCL cruise on Fantasy coming up this January. While I have not yet cruised with DCL, I am a veteran cruiser on Royal Caribbean.

The pools and water slides at Aulani are awesome. And the beach is much easier to access at Aulani than when you are on a cruise...they even have sand toys for you, boogie boards, umbrellas and chairs, etc. The spa at Aulani is also fantastic.

But if you are really focused on the kids club, I personally do not think Aulani will compare to a cruise ship program. They have open play going on for most of the day at Aulani, and also have a few "special" programs you can sign up for each day. This might include making volcanoes, canoes, space goo, etc. The problem is that these events have limited space, and you have to line up VERY early in the morning (e.g. if the club opens at 8:00, you need to be in line at 7:00) to get a spot. My understanding regarding the events on the ship is that they just kind of happen, and kids who are at the club can either participate or not. You might want to hunt down a list of kids club activities for a typical day at Aulani to see if it meets your needs.

Having said that, my son was perfectly happy to be in the Aulani pools all day rather than going to kids club. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for.

 

[NoodlesMom]

I know I'm reviving an old thread but anyone been on both recently? Which would you prefer over spring break?

 

[KashasMom]

I was considering Aulani for next Easter but did some research and read reviews that said how horribly crowded it is. People were reserving beach/pool chairs at 5 and 6 a.m.! It sounds worse than chair hogs on a cruise. I think we can go to Disneyland on the way out and find a really nice Hawaiian resort and enjoy it just as much.