FLIGHTS: Flew on Southwest, I'm pretty loyal to Southwest but having regrets booking with them. Our flight out of Denver was delayed by 2 hours, making our connection in San Jose really tight. Frustrating with also having to wait in line for Hawaii pre-clear to get our wristbands, we got our wristbands and made our connection but just in the nick-of-time. Purchased wi-fi for $8 - don't do it, not worth it. Couldn't get any websites to load and we were told you can stream Netflix on it but our show would run for 1 minute, then stop, ugh. Then the worst part, they stopped serving alcohol, I had no idea, they haven't updated their website. I looked at their drink menu on-line before our trip and after the delay and stress of pre-clear, I really needed a drink, especially on a long flight. The flight attendant was really snarky about it, she said, "Oh, I would love a Mimosa, too" Southwest! This is so simple, cut-off unruly passengers, don't punish the rest of us. Oh and update your website, don't detail out a drink menu you don't have. Ugh, should have spent the money and booked a non-stop on United.
ON-LINE CHECK IN: A must, very short line compared to the main line. It's weird, they can't scan your QR code for Hawaii safe travels, you have to actually log into your account and show them your trip. The check-in lobby is small, loud and crowded, made worse by everyone in masks and plexiglass. We had a really hard time hearing the person checking us in.
AULANI: Beautiful resort and we absolutely loved it! We did stuff around the island and we planned on doing more but we loved the resort so much, we didn't want to leave. There are several pools but the best part is the lazy river, could spend all-day in it. Don't forget to look in the rocks, there are animals carved into them, similar to tree of life in AK.
CAR RENTAL: In absolute must, get the Valet parking, it costs the same as self-parking (except for tip) but service was always prompt and all the Valet guys were great and super-friendly.
SUNSET PICTURES: Another must, we sprung the extra money for a sunset session on the beach and it was totally worth it. So happy with our pictures, the background honestly looks fake because the sunset was so perfect.
KA'WAA: Amazing, best Lu'au I've ever been to and I've been to them on 4 Hawaiian islands. The food was so much better than I was expecting, loved the Poke and Kahlua Pig. The show is really well done and the band was spectacular. Honestly, this was the hi-light of our trip.
DINING: Challenging, most restaurants were still closed or impossible to get a reservation. There are 2 quick service places but really long lines. There are a couple of restaurants in Ko'Olina (across the street) but long wait times, it was always an hour or more. This is why a car rental is a must so you can drive into Kapolei and get something to eat. The resorts and everything across the street is always full.
HOUSEKEEPING: Atrocious! All they do is empty your trash cans. Yes, you can call down and they will bring you more towels and toiletries but really, this is all they can manage. I'm not DVC for a reason, I don't want to wait every 4 days to get my room cleaned. I spent over $1,000/night, I expect so much more. I'm baffled that someone climbed over a giant pile of wet, moldy towels just to get to the trash can. I could understand not doing a thorough cleaning every day but at a minimum, you should be able to pick up towels and leave new ones. I found the housekeeping situation unacceptable. (FYI, we spent a few days in Kauai at the Grand Hyatt which was also $1,000/night and our room was thoroughly cleaned every day. I tipped generously because I was so happy after my experience at Aulani.)
My best advice is make dinner reservations before your trip. I didn't want to be so regimented, I just wanted to go with the flow but in Oahu and Kauai, all restaurants were completely booked and it was frustrating. (I hear it's even a bigger problem on Maui.) No one wants to work, they are making more on unemployment so the restaurants are desperate for help.
Overall, we had beautiful weather and a great family trip.
ON-LINE CHECK IN: A must, very short line compared to the main line. It's weird, they can't scan your QR code for Hawaii safe travels, you have to actually log into your account and show them your trip. The check-in lobby is small, loud and crowded, made worse by everyone in masks and plexiglass. We had a really hard time hearing the person checking us in.
AULANI: Beautiful resort and we absolutely loved it! We did stuff around the island and we planned on doing more but we loved the resort so much, we didn't want to leave. There are several pools but the best part is the lazy river, could spend all-day in it. Don't forget to look in the rocks, there are animals carved into them, similar to tree of life in AK.
CAR RENTAL: In absolute must, get the Valet parking, it costs the same as self-parking (except for tip) but service was always prompt and all the Valet guys were great and super-friendly.
SUNSET PICTURES: Another must, we sprung the extra money for a sunset session on the beach and it was totally worth it. So happy with our pictures, the background honestly looks fake because the sunset was so perfect.
KA'WAA: Amazing, best Lu'au I've ever been to and I've been to them on 4 Hawaiian islands. The food was so much better than I was expecting, loved the Poke and Kahlua Pig. The show is really well done and the band was spectacular. Honestly, this was the hi-light of our trip.
DINING: Challenging, most restaurants were still closed or impossible to get a reservation. There are 2 quick service places but really long lines. There are a couple of restaurants in Ko'Olina (across the street) but long wait times, it was always an hour or more. This is why a car rental is a must so you can drive into Kapolei and get something to eat. The resorts and everything across the street is always full.
HOUSEKEEPING: Atrocious! All they do is empty your trash cans. Yes, you can call down and they will bring you more towels and toiletries but really, this is all they can manage. I'm not DVC for a reason, I don't want to wait every 4 days to get my room cleaned. I spent over $1,000/night, I expect so much more. I'm baffled that someone climbed over a giant pile of wet, moldy towels just to get to the trash can. I could understand not doing a thorough cleaning every day but at a minimum, you should be able to pick up towels and leave new ones. I found the housekeeping situation unacceptable. (FYI, we spent a few days in Kauai at the Grand Hyatt which was also $1,000/night and our room was thoroughly cleaned every day. I tipped generously because I was so happy after my experience at Aulani.)
My best advice is make dinner reservations before your trip. I didn't want to be so regimented, I just wanted to go with the flow but in Oahu and Kauai, all restaurants were completely booked and it was frustrating. (I hear it's even a bigger problem on Maui.) No one wants to work, they are making more on unemployment so the restaurants are desperate for help.
Overall, we had beautiful weather and a great family trip.
