Honeymoon at Aulani

[debg]

Hi All,

Will be booking a one bedroom unit for DD & fiance's honeymoon (May 2014). Have a few questions...

I've stockpiled the points for them to have an ocean view but wondering if other views would be just as nice for a honeymoon? Locations? Quiet, sunset, large (shaded) balcony... what would you pick for your honeymoon if you could have your number one choice?

I've told them most here recommend dividing time between two islands. So, first question - going to/from Hawaii do you recommend overnighting in LA (they'll be leaving from Ohare) or flying nonstop? Second question - if dividing time between two islands, do you recommend returning to the first island for departure back to the mainland, so that she's buying a roundtrip to/from Ohare, or is it just as affordable to arrive Oahu and depart Maui?

DD's mostly just interested in the beach and relaxing. Fiance wants to visit an observatory and Pearl Harbor. They both want a luau so I'm thinking Feast at LeLe (on Maui) would be a good one. But I'm stuck on the observation thing... Maui better or Oahu? Basically he wants to go up high and look at stars. ;-) Also, fiance is a serious home brewer, so would definitely enjoy visiting craft beer breweries.

Lastly, I'll be making the reservation in their name, obviously. But I worry that this will somehow prevent me from arranging champagne and flowers for their room. Also, I'd like to gift them a dinner and a couple's massage treatment. Will there be a way for me to do this if the reservation is in their name?

Oh - one other thing, not concerning the honeymoon. I'd like to buy some Christmas gifts from Aulani. Any ideas on what might be nice for honeymooners, and how I'd go about buying the items? I'd thought about the refillable mugs but do think that would work. I'd also thought about t-shirts and beach towels, but as far as I know there is no way to 'see' the merchandise without being there. I suppose I could buy 'blind' - do you know if there's a way to buy by phone?

Any ideas/advice/help would be greatly appreciated. I want this to be a great trip for them, and I'm not 100% comfortable being in charge of details, so thought I'd ask the experts for help.

Thanks so much!

debg

 

[DenLo]

Aulani is definitely a family resort. But I think it would be fun for a young couple on their honeymoon too. More details on views can be found on the Aulani Rooms and Views thread.http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2907389

You could give them a Disney gift card to use at Aulani. You could contact the resort to see if they have a special Aulani gift card.

 

[sissy_ib]

Okay, I have not been yet but I will also be there in May. I have the points for an ocean view studio but we are probably going to go with an island view so I have some left over in case I need them for a Run Disney weekend. If all things were equal I would probably go with an ocean view for my honeymoon.

I don't see the need to overnight in LA. It will just make the travel time longer and increase the costs. Save the time and money for Hawaii. Unless they were going to spend a few days sightseeing in LA.

As for island hopping, we are doing a week on the big island before Oahu because I want to see the volcano. It is cheaper to fly in to Honolulu R/T by a few hundred dollars each then it is to fly in to Kona then out of Honolulu. We are doing a R/T between the two, flying it Kona two hours after we land in Honolulu. It is an extra step for us but the way I have it set up we are only getting to the big island an hour later than if we flew direct. The inter-island flights are around $85 each way on Hawaiian Air. Play around with it on Priceline to get an idea of what the price difference will be. And now is a good time to buy the flights. We bought ours for the end of May two weeks ago.

Having the room in there name should not be any issue having things sent to their room. I agree for things like the spa, get them a Disney gift card. You can order them from the Disney Store online and you can even do personalized ones.

I don't think you can buy merchandise over the phone from Aulani. Someone else had tried and was turned down. Maybe you will get lucky and a DISer who is going before Christmas can help you out. You could also buy them items to use while in Hawaii like snorkel gear, beach towels, etc..

As for activities, I am still researching as well. Make sure you book their Pearl Harbor tickets early. I believe you can book them online 6 months out. They are free but booking online there is a convenience fee of $1.50 each. Well worth it as the lines get long and tickets are distributed on a first come first serve basis. Trip Advisor is where I am getting most of my recommendations.

 

[BCV2003]

My fiance are planning our honeymoon for October at Aulani. We booked an Ocean View studio but in hindsight wished we would have booked a 1BR. I tried to change it a few weeks ago but all of our nights weren't available and we didn't want to switch mid stay on this trip.

We plan on visiting Pearl Harbor and did buy our tickets at the six month mark. We are also planning on an afternoon or morning at the spa, Hanauma Bay for snorkeling, Diamond Head, Kualoa Ranch, Dole Plantation and whatever else we see along the way.

Our best rates for a rental car were through Costco.

 

[SuperRob]

Ocean view at Aulani is nice, but overpriced IMO. Many of the rooms in that view class only have a fractional ocean view. A pool/garden view would be my preference, although I have stayed in an island view room, and it was nice as well.

If it is their honeymoon, I wouldn't recommend a split stay. Give them time to relax and enjoy the island they're on, not to mention soaking in the wonderful atmosphere at Aulani. If it were my honeymoon, I wouldn't want to spend any time mid-trip packing up and flying anywhere else. Everyone has their favorite islands on Hawaii, but they will NOT be disappointed in Oahu and Aulani.

You shouldn't have any issues sending anything to their room or booking spa treatments for them (which I HIGHLY recommend, Laniwai's couples massage treatment and time in the outdoor spa area was one of my trip highlights). Sending champagne to their room might be trickier since Disney has rules about signing for alcohol. Just call them and ask.

 

[sissy_ib]

Ocean view at Aulani is nice, but overpriced IMO. Many of the rooms in that view class only have a fractional ocean view. A pool/garden view would be my preference, although I have stayed in an island view room, and it was nice as well.

If it is their honeymoon, I wouldn't recommend a split stay. Give them time to relax and enjoy the island they're on, not to mention soaking in the wonderful atmosphere at Aulani. If it were my honeymoon, I wouldn't want to spend any time mid-trip packing up and flying anywhere else. Everyone has their favorite islands on Hawaii, but they will NOT be disappointed in Oahu and Aulani.

You shouldn't have any issues sending anything to their room or booking spa treatments for them (which I HIGHLY recommend, Laniwai's couples massage treatment and time in the outdoor spa area was one of my trip highlights). Sending champagne to their room might be trickier since Disney has rules about signing for alcohol. Just call them and ask.

I think that depends on how long they are going to be there. Just a week, I would not move. We are going for 15 nights, 7 on the big island and 8 on Oahu. OP did not say how long there stay will be.

 

[debg]

I think that depends on how long they are going to be there. Just a week, I would not move. We are going for 15 nights, 7 on the big island and 8 on Oahu. OP did not say how long there stay will be.

First, let me thank you all for your input. It's been very helpful.

They'll be there for 12 days, not including arrival and departure days. That's probably enough time to hit two islands, but DD really wants a stress-free, relaxing honeymoon. They both work full time and she'll have just completed her grad degree a week earlier. I'll give them the info and let them make a decision. I can tell you, she wants one island, he wants two. ;-)

Sad that I won't be able to call and order merchandise. Guess I'll have to come up with some other ideas. And I'll call about the champagne.

I'm interested to check the room view link and see how they compare. And I'll forward DD & fiancé the link. They can make the decision. Thanks for that!

Again, thanks for your thoughts and advice. I've been to Aulani for an hour or so - did a DVC tour last year when on the DCL Hawaii cruise. Can't wait to get there myself - what a stunning resort!

debg

 

[Iceman93]

A split stay should be fine for 12 days. Ordinarily I would recommend putting Aulani at the end of such a trip, because anything else will pale in comparison, but if they're really looking to just relax and unwind a bit then maybe I'd say do that at Aulani first.

Regarding flights, non-stop is the way to go. There's no reason to overnight at LAX--the flights aren't that long! And it's generally just as cheap to book an open jaw ticket (like ORD-HNL then OGG-ORD) as it is a round-trip from the mainland. Interisland flights are inexpensive and plentiful, so whichever way they go will be fine.

I would say to have them do their observatory trip to Haleakala on Maui. They won't actually be able to go into the telescopes or anything, but the stargazing from up there is awe-inspiring. Many people get up super-early to drive up the mountain in time to see the sunrise; they also offer tours that drive folks up and then they get to ride bicycles down.

On Maui, the two main resort areas are Ka'anipali and Wailea. I prefer Wailea, as it has a very Ko 'Olina feel (upscale master-planned resort area). Ka'anipali is a bit more mainstream and feels older to me, but does offer lots more to do in the immediate vicinity if they're into things like the Hard Rock Café and whatnot. The Maui Brewing Company brewery and brewpub are up on that part of the island as well.

 

[debg]

Thanks so much, everyone! I've passed along everything you've said and we'll see what they decide. They're going through the various guide books now, trying to decide how to split the time. DD told me they'll be in Hawaii for 14 days, not the 12 I'd thought, so she's thinking either an 8/6 or 7/7 split.

I appreciate the help! Thanks again!

debg

 

[rpcvpanama]

Definitely do a split stay. I have been to HI 2x, flying from the east coast. First trip we did 1 week in Kauai (Princeville) and 1 week on Oahu. The next trip we did an Aulauni stay for about 5 days then 1 week on Maui. Probably the most relaxing trip I had was the Westin resort on Kauai. Kauai is a much older island and quite frankly there is just less to do there. It was almost a forced relaxation but I loved it (I have a pretty high stress job and don't often just relax). When we went back to Oahu the second trip and did Aulani we made the decision to just enjoy the resort and didn't do any siteseeing as we had already seen Oahu on the previous trip. I will say that if going to Oahu, Pearl Harbor is a must. It really is something but does take all day if you want to see all that is there.

I think overall though my favorite island was Maui (not my favorite resort, which is Aulani). There is just a lot to do on Maui. We did the volcano bike tour, which was excellent. If this is even a thought I highly recommend that this tour is done near the begining of the trip. They pick you up at about 2-2:30 from your hotel to make it to the top of the volcano before the sun rises. From there it is a down hill bike ride that lasts about 3 hours. It was a great trip but boy the early time was a killer (We went at the end of the trip after we had already adjusted to the time change).

In any event, I would do Aulani last. Like the PP mentioned it is such a beautiful resort that all other resorts pale in comparison. They should definitely try out the spa. It was wonderful. I did the lomi-lomi massage and was able to hang out in the outdoor spa area for hours afterwards. It is not to be missed. Perhaps that could be a wedding present, massages for them!!

 

[wiigirl]

Aulani is definitely a family resort. But I think it would be fun for a young couple on their honeymoon too. More details on views can be found on the Aulani Rooms and Views thread.http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2907389

You could give them a Disney gift card to use at Aulani. You could contact the resort to see if they have a special Aulani gift card.

 

[aclov]

We were married on Oahu and honeymooned there as well. We stayed 3 nights on Waikiki which was nice to get the touristy stuff out the way before going to Aulani. We were in a one bedroom ocean view that was spectacular and I didn't mind the spurlge! Paradise Cove is next door in walking distance and I highly recommend the spa! Amazing!

 

[aclov]

Also want to add we did the ATV's at Kualuoa Ranch and they were so much fun! They also have horseback riding and other tours. You can get them a Disney gc they can use at Aulani to cover the spa, dinner, etc

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I just wanted to chime in about room requests. They are just that...requests, no promises. If you want an ocean view @ Aulani you really need to specify Unobstructed Ocean View. I have been there twice, first reservation for unobstructed ocean view went just fine. Can't say the same for the second. We get to the room and it's pretty low in the tower. I noticed when we got off elevator and then the room we got was mostly a view of the parking lot. Yes you can see the ocean but you had to get out on the balcony and turn you head clear the other way. The man helping with the bags made the mistake of saying that this was actually a partial room category. I was sneaky when asking questions. When I called the front desk to complain they kept insisting it was an unobstructed ocean view room. I said no way and also told him what the man said who helped us with our luggage. I told them that this room was booked using DVC points and there is a difference in points according to what type of room you want. I eventually got changed to a different room. Higher up and on the other side of the hallway. Be specific in your request and keep following up.

 

[Rizzo1]

We recently returned from Aulani. We had an absolute relaxing and great time! We requested and got a garden/pool view (our points were used accordingly). We could also see the ocean from our room and we were only on the third floor. We had a beautiful view, as a matter of fact.

I know it's not an observatory, but they do have night sky watching at the resort with some pretty big telescopes, may I add. I don't believe they do this every night, though. I would look up the "Iwa" which tells you what activities are going on when and at what time.

As far as a luau goes, as someone mentioned earlier, Paradise Cove is within walking distance from Aulani...just down the sidewalk past the Marriott, less than a 10 minute walk for sure. I googled 'luaus in Oahu' and found a place (which I cannot recall the name of) where you can purchase these tickets at a discount. As a matter of fact, I had to call them and change the date. When I did, I was then able to speak with the owner (great lady) and she assured me it was the same luau, same perks, only less expensive than going thru the Paradise Cove website itself.

There is also a restaurant across the street named 'Monkeypod'. They brew all kinds of beer there, also. Not too sure if you can tour it though. They have live nightly music and their strawberry pie is EXCELLENT!!! Again, within walking distance - you just have to cross the street. In this same 'strip-mini mall' is an ABC store. We bought postcards, milk, bread, PB & J (you know, snack essentials when you have a 15 yr old).

We rented our car from discounthawaii.com. It was about $40.00 less than Costco and Costco was pretty reasonable. We used Alamo (though you can use others thru them). I believe we paid $190.00 or so and we were there about 10 days. We cruised and explored the island almost daily on one tank of gas WHILE using the A/C!

I hope this helps at least a little and your loved ones have a great honeymoon. Staying at Aulani I don't see how they cannot!!

 

[Mackysmycat]

Make sure you book their Pearl Harbor tickets early. I believe you can book them online 6 months out. They are free but booking online there is a convenience fee of $1.50 each.

How? Where?