For those going to Aulani presentations...

[FigmentLady]

Thanks for the pic... at least now I know what I'm missing! =)

The pic makes it so much worse! I want one! Whaaaa!

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Okay, I found information about at least one promotional event being held at WDW for Aulani... it's a D23 event on July 18. Here are the details I found:

D23's Aloha Aulani Reception at the Walt Disney World Resort

Quote:
Join us as we celebrate Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii! Our friends at Disney Vacation Club are throwing a party just for D23 Members where guests will have a chance to get a peek at this lush new resort, which opens in 2011. Enjoy Hawaiian refreshments, groove to a live deejay and grab a photo with a Disney character! Guests will also be able to check out D23's "Disney's Hawaiian History" exhibit, which photographically explore Disney's long connection with this tropical paradise.

You will have the opportunity to chat with the D23 team and mingle with your fellow D23 "Ohana" (family, of course!). Disney Vacation Club Cast Members will be on-hand to answer questions about this new Hawaiian Resort — and other properties — and if you're interested, you can sign up to attend a session that week to learn more about Aulani and Disney Vacation Club.

DATE
Sunday, July 18, 2010

LOCATION
Ballroom of America, Disney's Contemporary Resort
Orlando, Florida

COST
Free (please note there will be a $5 ticket processing fee).

SCHEDULE
7 - 9 p.m.

For more info and tickets, please visit: D23 | The Official Community for Disney Fans


I also saw a reference to an Annual Passholder event, but I'm still searching for details on that. I'll post the info when I can find it.

If anybody goes to this D23 event and can snag some extra goodies, I would love to take some swag off your hands!

 

[godalejunior]

So if we do an add on...will they send us goodies in the mail?

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

So if we do an add on...will they send us goodies in the mail?

Nope... they are just given out at the events. Our guide said they didn't even get the early BLT pins to send out for the add-ons. =(

 

[wendyinoc]

Okay, I found information about at least one promotional event being held at WDW for Aulani... it's a D23 event on July 18. Here are the details I found:

D23's Aloha Aulani Reception at the Walt Disney World Resort

Quote:
Join us as we celebrate Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii! Our friends at Disney Vacation Club are throwing a party just for D23 Members where guests will have a chance to get a peek at this lush new resort, which opens in 2011. Enjoy Hawaiian refreshments, groove to a live deejay and grab a photo with a Disney character! Guests will also be able to check out D23's "Disney's Hawaiian History" exhibit, which photographically explore Disney's long connection with this tropical paradise.

You will have the opportunity to chat with the D23 team and mingle with your fellow D23 "Ohana" (family, of course!). Disney Vacation Club Cast Members will be on-hand to answer questions about this new Hawaiian Resort — and other properties — and if you're interested, you can sign up to attend a session that week to learn more about Aulani and Disney Vacation Club.

DATE
Sunday, July 18, 2010

LOCATION
Ballroom of America, Disney's Contemporary Resort
Orlando, Florida

COST
Free (please note there will be a $5 ticket processing fee).

SCHEDULE
7 - 9 p.m.

For more info and tickets, please visit: D23 | The Official Community for Disney Fans


I also saw a reference to an Annual Passholder event, but I'm still searching for details on that. I'll post the info when I can find it.

If anybody goes to this D23 event and can snag some extra goodies, I would love to take some swag off your hands!

Its better to go to DVC event vs D23. The D23 at Disneyland did not even talk about Aulani. No video or anything. They had a small model of the resort, but that was it. The DVC event is free and D23 was $5.00 per person.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Its better to go to DVC event vs D23. The D23 at Disneyland did not even talk about Aulani. No video or anything. They had a small model of the resort, but that was it. The DVC event is free and D23 was $5.00 per person.

Do you have details of the DVC event? Share the details with us, please. =) My guide had told me they were still focusing on BLT at the DVC events held down there.

Was $5.00 an unreasonable charge for the D23 event? If they had a dance party, free food, character greetings, a giveaway menehune, and a pin provided, it sounds like a downright steal! Am I missing something here?

 

[Madhatter266]

Without appearing to be too much out of the loop - Does anyone know if Aulani will offer "excursion-type" activities? Just wondering if it would be difficult to travel to Pearl Harbor while staying at Aulani. I'm sure that there will be plenty to do at the resort, but we have never been to Hawaii and would like to know if we could use the resort as a home base and go from there. We probably won't be going until 2013 but I need to plan my points accordingly. Thanks for your help!

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Without appearing to be too much out of the loop - Does anyone know if Aulani will offer "excursion-type" activities? Just wondering if it would be difficult to travel to Pearl Harbor while staying at Aulani. I'm sure that there will be plenty to do at the resort, but we have never been to Hawaii and would like to know if we could use the resort as a home base and go from there. We probably won't be going until 2013 but I need to plan my points accordingly. Thanks for your help!

Did you look at the info posted on DVCmember.com now? They've got more details about the things that Aulani will offer, like the pool and excursions. So, yes, it sounds like plans include lots of outside activities. =)

 

[lilpooh108]

Without appearing to be too much out of the loop - Does anyone know if Aulani will offer "excursion-type" activities? Just wondering if it would be difficult to travel to Pearl Harbor while staying at Aulani. I'm sure that there will be plenty to do at the resort, but we have never been to Hawaii and would like to know if we could use the resort as a home base and go from there. We probably won't be going until 2013 but I need to plan my points accordingly. Thanks for your help!

Ko'Olina is actually closer to (in my opinion) Pearl Harbor than Waikiki.

Rental cars are cheap on Hotwire. You can probably rent a car and drive from Ko'Olina to Pearl Harbor in about 30 minutes. From Pearl Harbor, it's an easy drive up to the North Shore. Stop at Dole Plantation for Dole Whips (about 30 min from Pearl Harbor) and then go further north up to Haleiwa for Shave ice and shrimp trucks. Yum. It's alot easier to go visit North Shore from Ko'Olina than if you stayed in Honolulu.

If you decide to circle the island yourself, you can go from West to East and eat in Waikiki for dinner by the time you get all the way around.

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Was $5.00 an unreasonable charge for the D23 event? If they had a dance party, free food, character greetings, a giveaway menehune, and a pin provided, it sounds like a downright steal! Am I missing something here?

All of what you're describing was the the DVC event that started yesterday. The D23 event on 6/30 apparently had none of that.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

All of what you're describing was the the DVC event that started yesterday. The D23 event on 6/30 apparently had none of that.

Ohhhhh, good to know! I do hope they eventually offer these at WDW too.

 

[Madhatter266]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate your comments.

 

[bwvBound]

Do you have details of the DVC event? Share the details with us, please. =) My guide had told me they were still focusing on BLT at the DVC events held down there.

Also, I think that $5.00 was a reasonable charge for a dance party that had free food, character greetings, a giveaway menehune, and a pin provided. In fact, compared to what you would spend for the goodies, it sounds like a downright steal! Am I missing something here?

Did the DVC presentations ask for the $5 registration fee? FWIW, rundown of the D23 event from 6/30 below. There was truly, absolutely, no sales pitch of any kind.

• Arrived 6:45p to find a queue stretched out the north side door of the Disneyland Hotel Convention Center tower. Most folks were wearing Hawaiian apparel ... many in Disney Hawaiian prints.
• The line was admitted in small waves, allowing IDs to be checked against the registration list, into the lobby of a specific convention space. The lobby held collections of Aulani artwork and D23 Archive images related to Hawaii: photos, cartoon images, architectural details and a model of the resort protected by an acrylic display case. Both D23 and DVC CMs greeted folks and gently directed us to the party.
• Party room seemed, to us, to be a 'holding room' before the main event with music, roaming lighting, and an upbeat vibe. There were two buffet lines of great food, a punch table, coffee service, character photos, and DJ. There were a few sit-down tables and many smaller bar-height tables located through the room. There was a large blue curtain separating the party room from the conference space theatre. Like us, other folks at our table expected, at some point, to be invited into the theatre for stories from the design folks, artist rendering video, teasers about the special magic planned for guests, etc.
• More on the food:
  • Fruit: Spears of pineapple and different melons, Blueberry, and Raspberry with dipping sauces
  • Shrimp Cocktail: Individual Jumbo Shrimp on skewers with a fried green olive stuffed with jalapeño served in shot (?) glasses with cocktail sauce.
  • Chicken Drumsticks in an orange glaze.
• Photo Op: Mickey and Minnie, in island garb, were available for photos against a tropical background scene.
• Familiar D23 staff got things started with welcomes, "thanks to ..." and intros. There was mention of a special prize-pin for the winner of a Simon-says contest.
• The DJ took over and led the group through various line dances.
• Photo Op: Mickey and Minnie took a break ... replaced by Goofy and Donald.
• The DJ then kicked off the Simon-says content. (People in my area of the room, located along the blue divider curtain were beginning to get a bit itchy for the 'main event' and started peeking behind the curtain. No sign of activity there?)
• Contest ran ... and ran ... and ran. We took the opportunity to wander the room a bit to check D23 displays located on the corner opposite our prior standing space. We enjoyed the match off between the final two.
• DJ kept things going. We grabbed some coffee, returned to our original table by the blue curtain and began thinking that something must be wrong. Note to self, "That DJ is doing a great job filling time."
• Photo Op: Exit Goofy and Donald.
• DJ kept things going.
• Photo Op: Mickey and Minnie return. (Something must be wrong?)
• DJ kept things going ... and the room started thinning out. (Hey, where are folks going?)
• We wandered back out to the lobby to find that most folks had, indeed, left. There were DVC guides available for casual questions and a gift-table at the exit.
• This was a great time to enjoy the model, listen to the guides answering questions, and to check the artwork.
• Any questions related to point charts, pricing, incentives, maintenance fees, (etc) were directed to the sales events occurring this week. Each guide had a handy chart of DVC presentation dates/times attached to their belts with a retractable cord.
• On exit, each guest received the event pin (pictured earlier) and an anodized aluminum dual-logo water bottle (DVC on one site, D23 on the other).

We then spent time wandering the convention center halls enjoying the additional photos and artifacts related the the Disneyland Hotel. In the end, it was exactly as advertised: It was a party, no sales involved. Yes, we thought the food was great and we really love the pin!

 

[SoCalDCLfan]

Did the DVC presentations ask for the $5 registration fee?

No fee for the DVC Events. Here's a summary:

Started with a 50 minute show/presentation
- watched "Hawaiian Holiday"
- funny host named "Tim/Stan" provided comic relief
- Hawaiian music, singing, and hula dancing (excellent!)
- videos provided a lot of detail about design, art, architecture, dedication to Hawaiian heritage. heard a lot from the head designer (Joe, who designed much of Animal Kingdom)
- received individual "Menehunes" - little mini tiki guys that will be located throughout the resort for kids to find (they described them as mischevious mystical characters)
- received a DVC pin, DVC portfolio, and DVC tote bag
- 2 DVC guides guided the show and provided pricing info, discounts, and dues
- model was in the lobby with CMs standing by to ask questions

after the show, there was a reception - food, drinks, photos with Hawaiian Mickey and Minnie, DJ, etc. There was also a very well done kids club area

Overall, I thought it was a great event. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot about the resort. It also wasn't that crowded, which made it quick and easy to sit down with my guide to sign the agreement for the add-on.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

The two posts above are one of the reasons I LOVE coming to Disboards. Y'all really do help the rest of us feel like we were there with all the details given. THANK YOU!!!!

 

[TLPL]

I will pay $5 bucks to get one of those pins!! PM me if anyone want to give up their pin!!! Please!!

 

[kikiq]

I will pay $5 bucks to get one of those pins!! PM me if anyone want to give up their pin!!! Please!!

Did the DVC event give out the same pin as the D23 event? Guess I'll find out tonight. IF my DDs go (I signed them up, they are members on the new contract), then technically we should get more than one pin or at least one for each member? Last 2 DVC events, they gave out ONE bag/pin per family but then again, my DH does not do the "come late" thing so we're usually one of the first ones in.

 

[theOCdisney]

Just got back from the Aulani event. Some side notes:

The two hosts began by pronouncing the name for us as Ou lani (as in ouch!) Then throughout the presentation they called it Oh lani and Uh lani! (Even they could not get it right everytime!)

The video presentation featured imagineer Joe Rody (not sure I'm spelling it right.) It was very distracting to look at him because he has a big dangling earring that obviously has been in his ear for many years...his earlobe on that side is HUGE. His ear looks like wax that has melted. I'm sure many of you will recognize him as he has been on every Travel Channel Disney show.

I thought the presentation was very well done. I attended at 9:00 am and when it started there were perhaps 40 people there. The group grew to about 60-70. Very low pressure to buy. You only met with a sales person if you wanted to.

The pin is cool. The menehune is cute.

The last thing that caught my attention is that Disney is approaching this resort as if they were building a new park. By that I mean that time, energy and care was spent to help the guests feel as though they are in an old Hawaiian village or composite of villages. Much like I feel when I go to New Orleans Square at Disneyland, or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sort of like the hotel is being built around a small, low key hawaiian Disney park . Rather than what usually happens where a hotel is built then the landscaping is an afterthought.

I am not going to buy points there, but hope to be able to book at 7 months.

 

[TLPL]

I think it is the same pin, the one with Mickey in Hammock.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

The last thing that caught my attention is that Disney is approaching this resort as if they were building a new park. By that I mean that time, energy and care was spent to help the guests feel as though they are in an old Hawaiian village or composite of villages. Much like I feel when I go to New Orleans Square at Disneyland, or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sort of like the hotel is being built around a small, low key hawaiian Disney park . Rather than what usually happens where a hotel is built then the landscaping is an afterthought.

That was my impression when reading the description on the dvcmember.com website. Since we were looking at this as a home base between road trips around the island, then it works very well for us. Instead of our lodging being an unknown, privately owned condo, or being at a run-of-the-mill hotel in a very populated area, we'll be in a self-contained paradise. I've seen posts in other threads talking about the landfills and the other unattractive aspects of the area immediately surrounding Aulani, but those really aren't an issue for us. We purchased for the Disney magic and a home base. Just like I'm not that fond of much that I find in some of the areas of Kissimmee, I didn't expect everything immediately surrounding Aulani to be perfection either. Disney putting this much attention into THEIR property is what is going to draw folks to the project... not the area directly surrounding the resort.