getting around in hawaii

[daddiojiggy]

doing some prelim recon for aulani (25th anniv). just called dvc and found out there is no Magical Express, never used it in Fla--always rented a car-- but i thought we would try it here.good ol' murphy's law operating here! no matter, not a big deal. now for the recon: how much is a cabride from airport, cab rides in general and is there a bus system that comes to the resort and again $$$ ? thanks in advance and i'll be back with more questions.

 

[amym2]

If you are planning to tour the island, your best bet is to rent a car. There is no public transportation that services Aulani, so you will need to book excursions through the resort or take cabs. Aulani is on the western shore of Oahu, and most of the places you will probably want to visit (Pearl Harbor, North Shore, etc) are at least 30min away.

We were able to book an intermediate size car for 5 nights last October for something like $230. Since we were staying on points, parking was free.

 

[Dean]

doing some prelim recon for aulani (25th anniv). just called dvc and found out there is no Magical Express, never used it in Fla--always rented a car-- but i thought we would try it here.good ol' murphy's law operating here! no matter, not a big deal. now for the recon: how much is a cabride from airport, cab rides in general and is there a bus system that comes to the resort and again $$$ ? thanks in advance and i'll be back with more questions.

I might do Waikiki without a car but no where else. Even then I'd rent a car for a day or 2 to explore.

 

[cleophus12]

We had a rental car at Aulani. The cab ride to and from the airport would pay for those days' rental. Car rental was actually quite cheap on Oahu, and having the flexibility to get around at will was worth the price. And I believe if you are staying on points, parking is free--is that still correct?

 

[rickdeni]

Parking is free if staying on points. The cab fare one way to the airport is $55 as of July 11th. If you are not staying on points the parking is $35 per day.

 

[Neraj]

Parking is free if staying on points. The cab fare one way to the airport is $55 as of July 11th. If you are not staying on points the parking is $35 per day.

Just keep in mind that these rates are ONLY for Charley's Taxi company. You need to make a reservation for a taxi from the Airport to Aulani, but not necessarily the other way around.

I too would suggest a car rental. There is a city bus station that is a $10 cab ride from Aulani (Kapolei) where you could catch a city bus pretty much anywhere around the island.

 

[Pooh2]

We intially booked with Thrifty for a cost of $366/9 nights. Just changed to Budget for $249/9 nights for a full-sized car. Keep watching for rental deals.

 

[Anal Annie]

doing some prelim recon for aulani (25th anniv). just called dvc and found out there is no Magical Express, never used it in Fla--always rented a car-- but i thought we would try it here.good ol' murphy's law operating here! no matter, not a big deal. now for the recon: how much is a cabride from airport, cab rides in general and is there a bus system that comes to the resort and again $$$ ? thanks in advance and i'll be back with more questions.

Since Aulani is in a more remote location I think a rental car is a better idea. You can get by using a shuttle or taxi when staying in Waikiki bcuz you can walk around the city but Aulani is different IMO. I priced rental cars on a regular basis thru different sources - prices DO fluctuate. I initially booked "midsize" rentals thru discounthawaiicarrental.com but kept hawking the Costco website as well. I checked on a pretty regular basis and I ran into a price drop in early June for our August trip and rebooked (plus upgraded to "full size" AND saved $120). The rates are currently double what I found on that particular day. We are paying $141 for 7 days on Oahu and $115 for 4 days on Maui thru Alamo. It pays to be diligent and check around often.

 

[abdgeek]

doing some prelim recon for aulani (25th anniv). just called dvc and found out there is no Magical Express, never used it in Fla--always rented a car-- but i thought we would try it here.good ol' murphy's law operating here! no matter, not a big deal. now for the recon: how much is a cabride from airport, cab rides in general and is there a bus system that comes to the resort and again $$$ ? thanks in advance and i'll be back with more questions.

Charley's Taxi($55) and Speedi Shuttle($17pp) are the two vendors that Aulani has on their website for transportation to and from the airport. I took Speedi Shuttle on my recent trip and found they were fine. As OP have said, you will need a car at Aulani if you plan to sightsee. If you're doing any of the Aulani excursions, most of them require you to get to Waikiki to pick up the tour.

Your options are to rent one for your entire stay or for just the days you need. There is an Alamo/National car rental on site, but you need to book ahead. Just keep checking the prices as they do change a lot over the course of a year. I've read on Aulani's website that "The Bus" has a stop about a mile from the resort. That is really your only other option for getting around--not sure I'd opt for it though because it didn't look too convenient the last time I researched it.

 

[Girimama33]

I just returned from my "Aulani w/o a car" trip. We did not want to rent during our stay since we paid cash...also would have needed two cars.
We took Speedi Shuttle (booked through the resort) to and from the airport...very easy. My cousin was kind enough to take us on our shopping trip, otherwise, we would have paid for a cab.
We booked the USS Arizona memorial tour through the Aulani, which I recommend. We had a great guide and did not have to wait in a single line.
We rented two cars from the Alamo desk with our Costco membership...cut the rate in half on one day to tour the island. We went to Pali Lookout, Kailua and Lanikai Beach, Kualoa Ranch, Waimea Valley, North Shore and the Dole Plantation. We were able to turn our cars into the valet at night so we did not incur the parking fees.
The rest of the time, we enjoyed the resort