First timers, bunch of questions

[GrimGrinningGuy]

My family and I will be taking our first trip to Aulani (and Oahu in general) in May. I have a few questions if anyone could help out.

1. We booked the luau already but is this info right on the rest?

1.1. Dining is 30 days out (day by day)

1.2. Activities (make your own ears, ukulele) now 45 days out (day by day)

1.3. Cabana rental is 90 days out (length of stay) (over the phone)

Are all of these midnight Hawaii time? Or 6 am like Disneyland? Reports seem to be all over the place when I google and get old threads here. Some people say midnight some say 6 am….

2. I hear getting pool chairs are a pain, but what about the lagoon beach? We’d rather be by the ocean water than the pool, do I need to get out there at the break of dawn also?

3. I rented DVC points for the first time , and I see dvc gets free parking. Is there anything special I need to do to make sure I don’t get charged?

4. My son is dying to ride around in a jeep . Can anyone recommend a rental car company that does jeeps with removable tops (airport pickup and drop off preferred)

5. We are planning to explore the island (dole, botanical garden, Waikiki etc) is there anywhere on the island a young, tourist family should avoid?

Any other hot tips would be great!

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Yes, the booking is at midnight Hawaii Time. You may see 6 AM because it tends to be 6 AM on the East Coast when you can book reservations.

On my mid—and late-August trips, I never had issues getting a beach chair at any time. Sometimes, the ones with umbrellas may be taken if you need shade.

Your room key will serve as an entrance and exit from the parking garage, where no payment is necessary.

Dole is a nice pit stop on the way to North Shore and a lovely gift shop, but we never spend much time there.

 

[Tigger's ally]

alamo rents lots of jeeps

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

Yes, the booking is at midnight Hawaii Time. You may see 6 AM because it tends to be 6 AM on the East Coast when you can book reservations.

On my mid—and late-August trips, I never had issues getting a beach chair at any time. Sometimes, the ones with umbrellas may be taken if you need shade.

Your room key will serve as an entrance and exit from the parking garage, where no payment is necessary.

Dole is a nice pit stop on the way to North Shore and a lovely gift shop, but we never spend much time there.

Thanks for his great info!
If you wanna just enjoy the gift shop and look around, is dole free?

alamo rents lots of jeeps

Oh thanks!

 

[thegreatdonaldo]

If you wanna just enjoy the gift shop and look around, is dole free?

Yes, it is free to look around the grounds and the gift shop. The paid attractions include the train and maze. I've only done the train and found it pleasant but not a must-do. Getting a giant Dole whip is my only must-do and maybe sampling the pineapple roasted nuts

 

[VandVsmama]

My family and I will be taking our first trip to Aulani (and Oahu in general) in May. I have a few questions if anyone could help out.

1. We booked the luau already but is this info right on the rest?

1.1. Dining is 30 days out (day by day)

1.2. Activities (make your own ears, ukulele) now 45 days out (day by day)

1.3. Cabana rental is 90 days out (length of stay) (over the phone)

Are all of these midnight Hawaii time? Or 6 am like Disneyland? Reports seem to be all over the place when I google and get old threads here. Some people say midnight some say 6 am….

2. I hear getting pool chairs are a pain, but what about the lagoon beach? We’d rather be by the ocean water than the pool, do I need to get out there at the break of dawn also?

3. I rented DVC points for the first time , and I see dvc gets free parking. Is there anything special I need to do to make sure I don’t get charged?

4. My son is dying to ride around in a jeep . Can anyone recommend a rental car company that does jeeps with removable tops (airport pickup and drop off preferred)

5. We are planning to explore the island (dole, botanical garden, Waikiki etc) is there anywhere on the island a young, tourist family should avoid?

Any other hot tips would be great!

Go check out Sean Kaleponi's Hawaiian Traveler Youtube channel. We ate at some local restaurants that he reviewed...good local food for cheaper prices ('cheaper' being a relative term, of course...it ended up being similar to WDW QS restaurant prices).

We also went on a 2 hr ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch that was one of our favorite things to do on our trip this past July. Totally going to do that again.

We also went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and bought some great souvenirs to take home. It operates on Wed & Sat 8a-3p and on Sun 6:30am-3p. $2/person admission for people 12 & up, free admission if 11 or younger. There's usually some vendors there who sell fresh fruit...we got some apple bananas there that were out of this world (best eaten when they look almost rotten; they taste kind of like apples). Cash only admission, by the way.

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

Yes, it is free to look around the grounds and the gift shop. The paid attractions include the train and maze. I've only done the train and found it pleasant but not a must-do. Getting a giant Dole whip is my only must-do and maybe sampling the pineapple roasted nuts

Oh great!

Go check out Sean Kaleponi's Hawaiian Traveler Youtube channel. We ate at some local restaurants that he reviewed...good local food for cheaper prices ('cheaper' being a relative term, of course...it ended up being similar to WDW QS restaurant prices).

We also went on a 2 hr ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch that was one of our favorite things to do on our trip this past July. Totally going to do that again.

We also went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and bought some great souvenirs to take home. It operates on Wed & Sat 8a-3p and on Sun 6:30am-3p. $2/person admission for people 12 & up, free admission if 11 or younger. There's usually some vendors there who sell fresh fruit...we got some apple bananas there that were out of this world (best eaten when they look almost rotten; they taste kind of like apples). Cash only admission, by the way.

Swap meet is a great idea. My wife will love that.
Adding that YouTube channel to my subscription now !

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I also recommend the YouTube videos of Ordinary Adventures and Bill & Lisa Food Adventures for Oahu and Aulani food.

 

[Skywalker3]

Go check out Sean Kaleponi's Hawaiian Traveler Youtube channel. We ate at some local restaurants that he reviewed...good local food for cheaper prices ('cheaper' being a relative term, of course...it ended up being similar to WDW QS restaurant prices).

We also went on a 2 hr ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch that was one of our favorite things to do on our trip this past July. Totally going to do that again.

We also went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and bought some great souvenirs to take home. It operates on Wed & Sat 8a-3p and on Sun 6:30am-3p. $2/person admission for people 12 & up, free admission if 11 or younger. There's usually some vendors there who sell fresh fruit...we got some apple bananas there that were out of this world (best eaten when they look almost rotten; they taste kind of like apples). Cash only admission, by the way.

We're first timers too, going in March, 2025, and getting way more serious about planning. Thank you for the youtube link. That guy is great. We'll be in a 2 bedroom, and hope to pick up lots of local food to have in the room, so loving his grocery store reviews. Also hope to eat out a lot too, and not break the bank.
I'm considering the ATV tour at Kualoa ranch too. Glad to hear it's so great. Any other tours/tips there we should include? horseback riding any good?
I hope we can make it to that swap meet, sounds like a great place to find souvenirs and deals.
We're looking at the Arizona reservations today, our time to book should opens up today/tomorrow. That's a must do for everyone, I'm looking more forward to Pearl Harbor than anything else. That's a dream/bucket list military/historical site for us.
I'm still reviewing all the various scenic places we need to go. Any beautiful vistas, outlooks, hikes, botanical gardens, etc. We may end up having quite the disparity in abilities on this trip, from a very mobility challenged MIL, but 2 active older teens who want to hike.....
Loving this thread. OP, hope you have a fabulous trip in May! we're just so beyond excited. It seems like a dream.

 

[VandVsmama]

We're first timers too, going in March, 2025, and getting way more serious about planning. Thank you for the youtube link. That guy is great. We'll be in a 2 bedroom, and hope to pick up lots of local food to have in the room, so loving his grocery store reviews. Also hope to eat out a lot too, and not break the bank.
I'm considering the ATV tour at Kualoa ranch too. Glad to hear it's so great. Any other tours/tips there we should include? horseback riding any good?
I hope we can make it to that swap meet, sounds like a great place to find souvenirs and deals.
We're looking at the Arizona reservations today, our time to book should opens up today/tomorrow. That's a must do for everyone, I'm looking more forward to Pearl Harbor than anything else. That's a dream/bucket list military/historical site for us.
I'm still reviewing all the various scenic places we need to go. Any beautiful vistas, outlooks, hikes, botanical gardens, etc. We may end up having quite the disparity in abilities on this trip, from a very mobility challenged MIL, but 2 active older teens who want to hike.....
Loving this thread. OP, hope you have a fabulous trip in May! we're just so beyond excited. It seems like a dream.

We went to Pearl Harbor. It was a very moving experience. Really glad we went!

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

We're first timers too, going in March, 2025, and getting way more serious about planning. Thank you for the youtube link. That guy is great. We'll be in a 2 bedroom, and hope to pick up lots of local food to have in the room, so loving his grocery store reviews. Also hope to eat out a lot too, and not break the bank.
I'm considering the ATV tour at Kualoa ranch too. Glad to hear it's so great. Any other tours/tips there we should include? horseback riding any good?
I hope we can make it to that swap meet, sounds like a great place to find souvenirs and deals.
We're looking at the Arizona reservations today, our time to book should opens up today/tomorrow. That's a must do for everyone, I'm looking more forward to Pearl Harbor than anything else. That's a dream/bucket list military/historical site for us.
I'm still reviewing all the various scenic places we need to go. Any beautiful vistas, outlooks, hikes, botanical gardens, etc. We may end up having quite the disparity in abilities on this trip, from a very mobility challenged MIL, but 2 active older teens who want to hike.....
Loving this thread. OP, hope you have a fabulous trip in May! we're just so beyond excited. It seems like a dream.

Your activities and dining will be coming up soon, let us know how that went please and if you got all you wanted

I’ve heard going to Costco is a great plan if you want to get some snacks or small meals for the room too

 

[gsdweller]

My family and I will be taking our first trip to Aulani (and Oahu in general) in May. I have a few questions if anyone could help out.

1. We booked the luau already but is this info right on the rest?

1.1. Dining is 30 days out (day by day)

1.2. Activities (make your own ears, ukulele) now 45 days out (day by day)

1.3. Cabana rental is 90 days out (length of stay) (over the phone)

Are all of these midnight Hawaii time? Or 6 am like Disneyland? Reports seem to be all over the place when I google and get old threads here. Some people say midnight some say 6 am….

2. I hear getting pool chairs are a pain, but what about the lagoon beach? We’d rather be by the ocean water than the pool, do I need to get out there at the break of dawn also?

3. I rented DVC points for the first time , and I see dvc gets free parking. Is there anything special I need to do to make sure I don’t get charged?

4. My son is dying to ride around in a jeep . Can anyone recommend a rental car company that does jeeps with removable tops (airport pickup and drop off preferred)

5. We are planning to explore the island (dole, botanical garden, Waikiki etc) is there anywhere on the island a young, tourist family should avoid?

Any other hot tips would be great!

2. Getting chairs is only a pain if you want a chair in the front row next to the pool in the sun - lots of adults with little kids want these chairs so they can watch the kiddos while they are swimming. Getting chairs on the beach is no big deal.

3. When you first get there, drop everyone off and then loop around and into the parking garage. No one ever tells you this next part - The first time in if you don't have your room key yet, you have to pull a ticket, after that your room key will let you in and out. Initial pulled ticket is ignored. You will eventually need to go get a card for your dash from the front desk - whoever checks in can get that.

5. Go to Pearl Harbor. It is awesome. If you like a bit of history and culture, the Polynesian Cultural Center can be great, but takes a fair amount of time. The Luau there is good.
Walk down past the Four Seasons to Secret Beach. I have seen seals and turtles there. Check a tide chart and go at low tide if you can.
If you have kids, sign up for the Menehune hunt. It is pretty fun when they are younger.
Use the grills and cook some burgers etc. All the grill tools can just be picked up at the activities center.

Are you staying in a studio or a unit with a full kitchen? Going to the SafeWay just up the street from Costco is sometimes a better option, depending on the quantity of stuff you need. Across the street from Aulani, the ABC store has a lot of good food and good trinkets. The Deli (Hawaiin version) there has more great food than most people realize. Skip the MonkeyPod unless you want to drink. It is OK, but overpriced.

If you want to hit the spa and it is booked out, the spa at the Marriot next door is nice as well - and less expensive.

 

[bennifer]

Pearl Harbor is a must! Also, if the 2 hr ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch doesn't interest you (but it should, it's amazing), look at any of the other tours/things to do there. It's a beautiful place with a ton of things to do.

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

2. Getting chairs is only a pain if you want a chair in the front row next to the pool in the sun - lots of adults with little kids want these chairs so they can watch the kiddos while they are swimming. Getting chairs on the beach is no big deal.

3. When you first get there, drop everyone off and then loop around and into the parking garage. No one ever tells you this next part - The first time in if you don't have your room key yet, you have to pull a ticket, after that your room key will let you in and out. Initial pulled ticket is ignored. You will eventually need to go get a card for your dash from the front desk - whoever checks in can get that.

5. Go to Pearl Harbor. It is awesome. If you like a bit of history and culture, the Polynesian Cultural Center can be great, but takes a fair amount of time. The Luau there is good.
Walk down past the Four Seasons to Secret Beach. I have seen seals and turtles there. Check a tide chart and go at low tide if you can.
If you have kids, sign up for the Menehune hunt. It is pretty fun when they are younger.
Use the grills and cook some burgers etc. All the grill tools can just be picked up at the activities center.

Are you staying in a studio or a unit with a full kitchen? Going to the SafeWay just up the street from Costco is sometimes a better option, depending on the quantity of stuff you need. Across the street from Aulani, the ABC store has a lot of good food and good trinkets. The Deli (Hawaiin version) there has more great food than most people realize. Skip the MonkeyPod unless you want to drink. It is OK, but overpriced.

If you want to hit the spa and it is booked out, the spa at the Marriot next door is nice as well - and less expensive.

Thanks for the parking info I haven’t been able to find that anywhere.
Do you know is there a separate DVC check in? Even though im renting I think I’d still go there?

Pearl Harbor is on the list for sure and perhaps Kualoa Ranch like other posters suggested. My wife wants to find a zip line place too

The secret beach is on my list! Can you just walk from Allan beach over to four seasons or do you need to exit and go around the front of the building first?

We have just a normal studio so not a ton of kitchen space but will def get non perishable snacks

 

[gsdweller]

Thanks for the parking info I haven’t been able to find that anywhere.
Do you know is there a separate DVC check in? Even though im renting I think I’d still go there?

Pearl Harbor is on the list for sure and perhaps Kualoa Ranch like other posters suggested. My wife wants to find a zip line place too

The secret beach is on my list! Can you just walk from Allan beach over to four seasons or do you need to exit and go around the front of the building first?

We have just a normal studio so not a ton of kitchen space but will def get non perishable snacks

Not sure about the separate check in.

Walk around the ocean side of the Four Seasons until you get to their gate, then veer left and through the scrub to the beach

You can keep going up the shoreline as well to Lanikuhonua Lagoon and Paradise Cove Beach, but you will need watershoes or flipflops

 

[achinforsomebacon]

I posted this in another thread. Hope you find something useful! You'll have an amazing time!

The great thing about Hawaii is that you can do everything from hiking and exploring to just chilling on the beach/by the pool doing nothing. It's really up to you. We did a little bit of both, trying to frontload the strenuous stuff and relax at the end.

Here are a few things we did:

Makapu'u Lighthouse hike - this is about 2 miles round trip. There are some steep inclines but it's all paved so not too bad and a decent hike to do with children. We considered doing it for sunrise, which would probably have breathtaking views but didn't quite make it up that early. Some people were just finishing the sunrise hike when we arrived and said it was great. Entry is free. Parking is free but limited and I think opens at 7. There's plenty of parking along the road outside the lot but this could add another 1/2 mile to the walk. Also, no bathrooms.

Diamond Head - this is shorter (1.6 miles round trip) but more difficult hike because the terrain is a little uneven at times. There are plenty of areas to stop and rest if needed though. You have really great views of Honolulu and Waikiki at the top. You need to make reservations and prepay for parking and the hike (they were letting some walkins when we went; not sure if they were letting any cars in. We ended up parking in a neighborhood about 1/2 mile away since we didn't do the parking reservation in time. There are bathrooms when you first get in. Go before the hike because there's nothing at the top.

I enjoyed both hikes and would recommend them if you wanted some physical activity with rewarding views and not off the beaten path. I also recommend going early before it gets too hot.

We also did some of the pillbox hikes on the North Shore but I forget which ones. These were trickier since they weren't as well marked and popular so you couldn't just follow the group in front of you.

North Shore - we planned a day for beach hopping here. We ended up starting at Waimea Bay and spending more time there than expected. This was a good size beach that wasn't too crowded. Small parking lot so we had to park about 1/2 mile away again. Bathrooms (bare minimums). We saw sea turtles and dolphins. Snorkeling wasn't the best but we didn't venture to far. Maybe there was a better place somewhere else in the bay. There were rocks you could jump from into the water, probably 20-25 feet. We drove past a few other beaches we were planning to stop at but they weren't as nice looking and after being at Weimea so long, didn't feel like stopping.

A couple things about the North Shore (I'm by no means an expert). The road is one lane each way and can get backed up easily. When we were heading back, traffic was really bad coming the other way. An accident would also really cause problems. Also, we haven't gone in winter but from what I've read, you don't want to unless you're a big surfer. The water is apparently pretty rough in winter.

Pineapple - do yourself a favor and stop at the Dole plantation for a fresh pineapple. We got one that was picked that day and it was delicious. Hawaii pineapple is so much better than what we get at home. I personally wouldn't recommend paying for the activities at the plantation but you can check out the shop there and get a pineapple without paying admission.

Besides that stuff, we spent most of our time enjoying the resort and taking advantage of all of the activities. Our favorites were the ukulele lessons, animation drawing thing, rainbow reef (I don't think this is worth the cost for a day but for a longer trip, the length of stay cost is reasonable), seeing the characters (the ones on the luau lawn were typically less crowded than by the pool), and hanging out at the pool/beach.

Other random thoughts:

We knew we wanted to do quite a few things away from the resort so we rented a car. We got a good deal and also had free parking since we're DVC. You could also rent a car for part of the trip and do everything away from the resort at the beginning.

Luau - I thought the luau was just OK, especially for what you pay. There are probably better options out there, although you can't beat the convenience.

Pool chairs were hit or miss. I'd rather not have a chair than go down super early to get one on vacation. While guests can be inconsiderate and rude, it's also an issue with the staff. A few examples...we were next to a family a few days so had casual conversations. One day we were looking for chairs around 2. They said people put stuff down on the chairs next to them at 8:30 and hadn't been back since. Another day, we put our stuff down and within 15-20 minutes the pool police had folded our towel on the back of the chair, giving us an hour to return. It was very inconsistent.

Sorry, I've been rambling on forever and I didn't mean to hijack this thread either! It's just fresh in my mind since we were just there.

 

[jimmymac613]

How challenging would it be for grandparents (69 and 66) and grandkids (9 and 7) to walk along the beach from Aulani up to Paradise Cove wearing water shoes? Also, how long would that take?

 

[gsdweller]

How challenging would it be for grandparents (69 and 66) and grandkids (9 and 7) to walk along the beach from Aulani up to Paradise Cove wearing water shoes? Also, how long would that take?

The majority of the walk is a paved path. It should not be an issue at all for any of them. There is obviously loose sand at the beach, and a few larger rocks to maneuver around right at the end. Look up a tide chart and go when the tides are low. More beach exposed then. The entire walk one way is just under 1/4 mile, so it doesn't take that long.

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

View attachment 929380
Not sure about the separate check in.

Walk around the ocean side of the Four Seasons until you get to their gate, then veer left and through the scrub to the beach

You can keep going up the shoreline as well to Lanikuhonua Lagoon and Paradise Cove Beach, but you will need watershoes or flipflops

Awesome thank you

I posted this in another thread. Hope you find something useful! You'll have an amazing time!

Amazing info!!!!! Thanks

 

[foodiddiedoo]

I highly recommend Waimea Falls at the Waimea Botanical Gardens.