July trip to Aulani vs Riviera and Florida Keys

[WDWFERN]

I realize this is completely subjective, but was hoping to get some opinions. Our family of four (me, DH, DD19, and DD16) is looking forward to celebrating time together this summer after our oldest’s first year away at college. Because of this, we want to do something special.

That said, we planned a 10 day trip to Aulani, as we have never been there and do love beach vacations and excursions/activities to stay busy even on trips with relaxation interspersed.

While we are really looking forward to trying Aulani, there is a part for all of us, that knows we will really miss being at Riviera this year. Our family is one of those that loves the atmosphere at Riviera and immediately feels the Disney magic as we walk into the lobby there. We also really enjoy spending a couple hours in the afternoon, after getting in our RIV R&R pool time, going to the parks to hit our favorite rides and then enjoying a nice dinner together. So, we keep circling back to instead of Aulani, should we book 5 days at Riviera and then do a 5 day beach trip somewhere new in Florida (currently looking at Playa Largo in the Keys). This option also eliminates the long flight and big time change.

So essentially we are trying to weigh the enjoyment of trying something new and experiencing Aulani vs the travel stress of going to Hawaii and potentially feeling like we missed RIV. I absolutely realize this is a wonderful “dilemma” to have, but would love some other opinions to consider as I circle this rabbit hole!

 

[lexxus379]

It sounds like Riviera is something that you go to often so I would do Aulani. Riviera is probably easier to do future trips than Hawaii.

 

[CarolynFH]

Our family is one of those that loves the atmosphere at Riviera and immediately feels the Disney magic as we walk into the lobby there.

This made me remember how blown away I was the first time we entered Aulani. Talk about magic! We were staying at the Marriott down the street and have stayed in multiple timeshares in Hawaii, and Aulani is the only one that gave me the feeling I was in Hawaii rather than in some other upscale high rise beach resort anywhere else in the world. For a super-special vacation, I’d pick Aulani. As PP said, you can go back to RIV in the future.

 

[WDWFERN]

Thanks so much! This is just what I needed to hear!

 

[keishashadow]

Another vote for Aulani. we loved visiting it as part of our ‘grand tour’ of Hawaii.

We didn’t leave the resort when there, other than to visit the ABC store across the street. So relaxing. Never got bored once in our 4 days there. Probably sounds ridiculous but, didn’t want to ”waste” a moment offsite from the resort. It’s that nice.

accordingly, we did a split trip on the island. Figured if we were paying thru the nose for airfare from my market, might as well stay 2 weeks. We had booked early thru Alaskan, shortly thereafter SWA started flights lol.

before heading over to aulani, we used the embassy suites in Waikiki as home base from which to explore the rest of the Island for 4 days. They had an excellent breakfast buffet and nightly family entertainment with appetizer & 2 hour complimentary bar at the rooftop pool. Came in quite handy.

Rented a car at airport. It was expensive then. priced it out last summer, even worse. Perhaps organized excursions may be the way to go for you.

Finished it off with a NCL cruise Even tho I said never again on NCL after an Alaskan cruise decades ago, they do offer a great, easy option to see the various island‘s sites.

One our best trips, ever!

 

[WDWFERN]

Oohhh love the idea of a split stay in Hawaii. Right now we have 9 days of points tied up at Aulani in an ocean view room, but maybe I’ll take a few of those out, book a hotel in Waikiki, and then we could sneak in a 4 day RIV trip somewhere. Might just be a great way to get the best of both worlds (LOL just catching the pun now)!

 

[ClaraOswald]

I've never been to Aulani but based on photos it looks AMAZING. The atmosphere, the pools, the beach. Plus it seems like there's a lot to do on the island.

I've never been to the specific place you mentioned in the Florida Keys but I have been to other places down there. And I'm 99.99% sure the beach at Aulani is way better than any Keys beaches. That said - I do enjoy the Keys and am planning to go back in a few years. I'd love to go to Aulani but the long flight stresses me out to much, at this point.

 

[iheartglaciers]

My vote is for Aulani! I think it’d be the perfect celebratory trip, and staying there for 10 days will help offset the longer travel to get there.

I went to Aulani for the first time in December and was blown away! It has special Disney magic and touches, but is also rich in Hawaiian storytelling and culture. The Imagineers did a great job there.

There are a lot of activities to keep you busy at the resort, besides relaxing at the beach and pool, but also plenty of sightseeing around Oahu if you want to leave the resort.

I also felt that staying on points was a really good value compared to the the cost of staying at similar resorts on Oahu.

 

[LilyJC]

Aulani is one of our family of four’s favorite places to be together! Even our oldest somewhat anti-Disney DD loves it there. She’s finishing up her first year of college in June, and I wish we had a summer trip to Aulani planned this year! We enjoy doing different hikes around the island, cliff jumping, zip lining, and the shave ice. But mostly I could happily spend the entire time in the lazy river. If you want an exciting beach, the lagoon might disappoint as it’s man-made and usually very calm. My family much prefers it though after snorkeling trauma on Maui. My vote would be to stay at Aulani the entire time unless you have a lot of North Shore activities planned.

 

[WDWFERN]

Thanks for all the wonderful input everyone. Your insights have been very helpful!

 

[Budzooka]

I love Aulani but it seems folks can be disappointed if they going expecting it to be the destination. It is a beautiful resort with lots of activities but there is so much to do and see in Oahu. I suggest you rent a car and explore the island some and still carve out some time just to relax at Aulani.

We did a split stay with 4 days in Waikiki and 4 days at Aulani and we will be staying at Aulani the entire trip next time. Waikiki was centrally located making it easier to jump around, but it was so crowded and didn’t have the island feel. Aulani is the opposite with so much Hawaiian themes and relaxing feel and also includes the Disney service and magic. It will make for a little more driving if you’re going around the island but worth it in my opinion.

I suggest you check out the Aulani section of this board. I learned so much and got great tips on activities and dining.

We just started talking our next Aulani trip for Christmas 2024 and can’t wait!

 

[jimmymc]

After this trip, I think you'll miss Aulani more than Riviera. You're doing it right by going for a longer stay and planning some trips around the island. Teenager is a great time to take the kids there too.

 

[PBandJFamwich]

All I have to say is go to Aulani! We just got back from Oahu in early March and stayed at Aulani for a night before my conference in Honolulu and a night after. It was truly amazing and is the reason we are looking at buying a resale DVC contract. Rent a car and explore the island in addition to spending time at the resort. Book family photos with a private photographer.

Before this we did 2 WDW trips in 2022 (none prior). One stay off property and one stay at All Stars Music. Staying at a deluxe resort was out of the question for us but Aulani has us sold on staying at deluxe resorts on our future stays. We are going to start with a small Animal Kingdom contact and add smaller contacts to it. We will probably use our points mostly for WDW trips but certainly want to go back to Aulani every 3-5 years.

We are in our early 30s and have a 4 yo daughter. She came with us to Aulani and was on our trips to WDW last year. We would have loved Aulani without her but also loved it with her. We are looking forward to some Disney trips without her in the future.

 

[Matty B13]

All I have to say is go to Aulani! We just got back from Oahu in early March and stayed at Aulani for a night before my conference in Honolulu and a night after. It was truly amazing and is the reason we are looking at buying a resale DVC contract. Rent a car and explore the island in addition to spending time at the resort. Book family photos with a private photographer.

Before this we did 2 WDW trips in 2022 (none prior). One stay off property and one stay at All Stars Music. Staying at a deluxe resort was out of the question for us but Aulani has us sold on staying at deluxe resorts on our future stays. We are going to start with a small Animal Kingdom contact and add smaller contacts to it. We will probably use our points mostly for WDW trips but certainly want to go back to Aulani every 3-5 years.

We are in our early 30s and have a 4 yo daughter. She came with us to Aulani and was on our trips to WDW last year. We would have loved Aulani without her but also loved it with her. We are looking forward to some Disney trips without her in the future.

Make sure AKV is the resort you truly want first before you buy, because most rooms at AKV Kidani are available at the 7 month mark and the dues are very high at AKV compared to other resorts. It doesn't sound like you have stayed there yet, so I would at least take a look at it. We thought that we would like it before we bought, but found out a year later it wasn't what we wanted and should have bought BWV. If you are in your 30's I would look at GVF, Poly, RIV (Direct), CCV, BLT resorts they all have a longer end date. Make sure to take at least a couple of weeks to research here on Disboards about DVC so that you know the in's and out's of the system.

 

[PBandJFamwich]

Make sure AKV is the resort you truly want first before you buy, because most rooms at AKV Kidani are available at the 7 month mark and the dues are very high at AKV compared to other resorts. It doesn't sound like you have stayed there yet, so I would at least take a look at it. We thought that we would like it before we bought, but found out a year later it wasn't what we wanted and should have bought BWV. If you are in your 30's I would look at GVF, Poly, RIV (Direct), CCV, BLT resorts they all have a longer end date. Make sure to take at least a couple of weeks to research here on Disboards about DVC so that you know the in's and out's of the system.

Thanks for the input. I’ve done quite a bit of research and cost analysis/prioritization. Our cost analysis has put it between SSR and AKV with AKV taking the edge with the theming and slightly longer contract. We don’t mind bus transportation and would want to spend Christmas at AKV if we ever do a Christmas trip. Also with a home resort of AKV we are more likely to get the cheaper rooms (value or standard view). Of the others Poly and RIV were the others that interest us but a direct contract isn’t close to in budget for us and the Poly has a pricier point chart.

Really we don’t NEED to stay at deluxe resorts in WDW since we thought the All Star resorts were acceptable. Any DVC resort will be an upgrade to our trips. We want to own DVC to be able to visit Aulani for several nights every 3-5 years at a reasonable price (we paid cash for our 2 nights because it was a last minute reservation). We stayed in a new hotel almost every night except for the conference hotel for 3 nights.

I’m really happy I found the ROFR thread here so I know that the listing prices right now are super inflated. We are looking into 40-50 point contracts this spring and then adding another 40-50 point in the late summer/early fall when our daughter is finally in public school with no childcare expenses. Ultimately we want to get about 160 points before 2025/26 so we can take my parents and siblings’s families (15 people) to Aulani for 5 nights in (2) 2 bedroom villas. My parents retire and my oldest niece and nephew graduate from HS in 2026.

 

[Matty B13]

Thanks for the input. I’ve done quite a bit of research and cost analysis/prioritization. Our cost analysis has put it between SSR and AKV with AKV taking the edge with the theming and slightly longer contract. We don’t mind bus transportation and would want to spend Christmas at AKV if we ever do a Christmas trip. Also with a home resort of AKV we are more likely to get the cheaper rooms (value or standard view). Of the others Poly and RIV were the others that interest us but a direct contract isn’t close to in budget for us and the Poly has a pricier point chart.

Really we don’t NEED to stay at deluxe resorts in WDW since we thought the All Star resorts were acceptable. Any DVC resort will be an upgrade to our trips. We want to own DVC to be able to visit Aulani for several nights every 3-5 years at a reasonable price (we paid cash for our 2 nights because it was a last minute reservation). We stayed in a new hotel almost every night except for the conference hotel for 3 nights.

I’m really happy I found the ROFR thread here so I know that the listing prices right now are super inflated. We are looking into 40-50 point contracts this spring and then adding another 40-50 point in the late summer/early fall when our daughter is finally in public school with no childcare expenses. Ultimately we want to get about 160 points before 2025/26 so we can take my parents and siblings’s families (15 people) to Aulani for 5 nights in (2) 2 bedroom villas. My parents retire and my oldest niece and nephew graduate from HS in 2026.

If your just buying a total of a 100 points, buy it resale in one purchase at around $110 to $120. Trying to find small 50 point AKV contracts with the same UY resale is going to be very difficult if not impossible. A lot of the AKV contracts range from 160 to 200 points because that was the minimum when the resort first went on sale. If you really need 2-50 point contracts then I would just go direct and pay the premium.

Also, please don't count on getting AKV value rooms for Christmas, these rooms are walked all year long and you will have a 1% chance of getting them. If the plan is to save money buy enough to get "Standard" view rooms, if you want the "Savanna" room for theming then buy enough for that.

 

[Matty B13]

I'm an AKV owner who books most April vacations, and I don't count of ever getting Value rooms, and we book 2 bedroom units, studios are much more difficult.

 

[PBandJFamwich]

If your just buying a total of a 100 points, buy it resale in one purchase at around $110 to $120. Trying to find small 50 point AKV contracts with the same UY resale is going to be very difficult if not impossible. A lot of the AKV contracts range from 160 to 200 points because that was the minimum when the resort first went on sale. If you really need 2-50 point contracts then I would just go direct and pay the premium.

Also, please don't count on getting AKV value rooms for Christmas, these rooms are walked all year long and you will have a 1% chance of getting them. If the plan is to save money buy enough to get "Standard" view rooms, if you want the "Savanna" room for theming then buy enough for that.

Yes we would never expect to get the value rooms for Xmas. Just rather that AKV is where we would want to do a Christmas trip. We would want to try to get value rooms for other times of the year.

I think we will start with a small 40-50 pt contract then aim for a larger 100-150 pt after that. We are hoping to get a deal with the ROFR monster in hiding.

 

[PBandJFamwich]

I'm an AKV owner who books most April vacations, and I don't count of ever getting Value rooms, and we book 2 bedroom units, studios are much more difficult.

We won’t count on getting value studios but might try to get them for the thrill of the chase.

 

[trublulgc]

I would stick with Aulani, my favorite Disney trip ever! Planning on getting back in Jan.