Looking for someone who has gone to Aulani

[twacht]

We just joined DVC and I am so excited! We are looking down the road to our next Disney vacation and I am wondering if there is anyone out there that has used DVC to travel to Aulani and if so could you contact me. Its not so much DVC question as it is resort activities and food questions.
Thanks
Tracy

 

[moredisneyplease]

Hi Tracy! I'll be in Aulani in 29 days so let me know what you're looking for in particular. Also, you might want to list the specific questions you have and I'm sure people who have already been there will be happy to answer

 

[mdsd8700]

We aren't going until June so won't have any information for awhile. We own at BLT and booked Aulani at 7 months. We didn't have any problems doing it though some others who are going over the summer did seem to run into some issues from reading posts here. Read about member who booked at 7 months just today and didn't have any problems getting what they wanted. So I am sure as with all DVC resorts at 7 months it depends on time of year and what you are looking for.

Definitely post questions you have here about Aulani. Lots of people are visiting now and there is a fair amount of trip reports and helpful hints/ideas that people are posting. I have been reading and using the advice of others to plan our upcoming trip.

 

[TagsMissy]

Please ask the Q's in here.. others may be interested in the answers as well

 

[bwvBound]

We went last Sept for 8 nights at the Grand Opening. I agree with others above -- your best bet is to post the questions "out loud" for the entire community. You'll get better responses and those lurking on the thread later will also benefit from the discussions.

Our doubt the experiences from our trip will match up well with yours. We travelled light and cheap! Cooked nearly every meal in our unit and did mostly "free" activities: snorkeling using the gear we brought with us, Pearl Harbor, a visit to our Honolulu office (work related), participating in the resort's morning fitness programs, shopping at the swap-meet ($1 per person entrance fee), etc. We were there to enjoy the resort and didn't wander too far from doing exactly that.

 

[bomei]

I'm hanging out on the balcony overlooking the pool complex at Aulani right now and happy to answer any questions..that is if I don't relax myself into an afternoon nap

 

[counselormom]

I'm hanging out on the balcony overlooking the pool complex at Aulani right now and happy to answer any questions..that is if I don't relax myself into an afternoon nap [/QUOT

Just read this after a LONG day at work and I'm very envious! After your nap would you mind posting a picture of the room service menu, I haven't been able to find it anywhere?!

Thank you!

 

[bomei]

The menu is 14 pages - more work than I'm up for. There is a family dinner menu with 4 meals for $75 - $90 which supposedly serves a family of 4. Pasta, chicken, meatloaf, and salmon.

 

[counselormom]

The menu is 14 pages - more work than I'm up for. There is a family dinner menu with 4 meals for $75 - $90 which supposedly serves a family of 4. Pasta, chicken, meatloaf, and salmon.

That's probably why it hasn't been posted before! Thank you for the checking on it, enjoy your trip!

 

[twacht]

Wow thanks everyone for being so nice. We just returned from a 6 night on the Disney Magic. We booked excursions at each port. However we found that the day the kids liked the most were the days on the ship and the day at Castaway Cay where we did basically nothing but hung out on the beach. That being said, I hate to go to Hawaii and do nothing but hang at the pool, could do that at home, and why pay 1100$ flight?

What type of activities are there onsite for kids to do?
I understand that there are grocery stores nearby, how is the price of food?
Is there a grill to use?
What is included with your stay (if you are DVC member) or is everything pay as you do such as snorkeling etc?
After a week or 10 days, would the kids be bored?
How far away are things like a plantation, or a volcano?
Does Disney do a "real" luau?

I will probably think of more but that is a good start, and please if you are there, share a picture with us...

Tracy

 

[bomei]

What type of activities are there onsite for kids to do?
I understand that there are grocery stores nearby, how is the price of food?
Is there a grill to use?
What is included with your stay (if you are DVC member) or is everything pay as you do such as snorkeling etc?
After a week or 10 days, would the kids be bored?
How far away are things like a plantation, or a volcano?
Does Disney do a "real" luau?

I posted some tips in this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=44513383#post44513383

My kids are teenagers so I haven't paid too much attention to the activity list but there are a number of things that I've seen the kids doing from feeding the fish to scavenger hunts and other stuff. Someone else will need to chime in.

Renting the boards for standup paddling seems popular as are the sea kayaks. The lagoon is calm so there's no surfing or body surfing at the hotel - a 5 minute ride towards Makaha will get you to waves and sandy beaches - then again a 35 minute ride will get you to Sandy Beach which has some great waves but be careful as the shore break will kill an inexperience body surfer. I've body surfed all of my life and I watched the waves and the locals (few if any tourists were in the water where the larger waves were crashing) for a half hour before I dared to brave the surf at Sandy Beach.

Everything is pay as you go and the prices are steep. A catamaran ride costs $99 per person for instance. The Dole plantation is about a half hour away, the Polynesian Cultural Center is about 45 minutes. An acitve volcano is found on the Big Island so you'll need to hop a flight to get there. Oahu has several dormant volcanic craters like Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay which are both a little over a half hour away.

I haven't seen a Disney luau but Paradise Cove is a 5 minute walk and they do up one of the island's most popular luau's - haven't been there yet myself.

Bring or buy your own gear and snorkelling is free of course. You can choose to snorkel in the special manmade Disney lagoon (part of the pool complex) for $39 per person - I don't get it myself as you can snorkel in a natural cove just a few steps away for free and with several large sea turtles nudging you along.

 

[bwvBound]

I understand that there are grocery stores nearby, how is the price of food?

We bought food stuffs at Costco, Target and a non-chain, local market. Prices were, for the most part, very similar to San Diego prices. Milk is always higher and especially if you buy it at the resort itself!

Is there a grill to use?

Not yet. There are several grills stored away in the parking garage. We were told they wouldn't be installed until Phase III. (We were disappointed as my husband had purchased steaks with an intention to grill them. Arg!)

Does Disney do a "real" luau?

Disney does not ... but there is a "real" (commercial, touristy but complete) luau just a short walk from the resort. It is located w/in the Ko Olina Estate grounds.

share a picture with us...

I posted a short photo journal on this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=44346771

 

[twacht]

Thanks so much for all the information. I have a few others if you all don't mind. Is there any public transportation to travel to excursions? How about to the grocery store? We are pricing a trip and we are wondering if we would NEED a car??

Can anyone give me a "general" idea of how much money you spent on food at Aulani? We are traveling with a minimum of 6 possibly 8 and a budget is a must!

Tracy

 

[Neraj]

As transportation goes, there is a shuttle that goes throughout the Ko'olina resort area (three hotels, golf course/Roys). If you plan on doing some transport outside of the resort then I would recommend renting a car, as the city bus does not come into the resort area (closes bus stop is about 1 mile away) and taxi costs can add up. Do keep in mind that if you are not a DVC member parking is $35 per night so if you only want to do a trip or two outside of the resort it might make sense to rent from Alamo on property...

 

[twacht]

As transportation goes, there is a shuttle that goes throughout the Ko'olina resort area (three hotels, golf course/Roys). If you plan on doing some transport outside of the resort then I would recommend renting a car, as the city bus does not come into the resort area (closes bus stop is about 1 mile away) and taxi costs can add up. Do keep in mind that if you are not a DVC member parking is $35 per night so if you only want to do a trip or two outside of the resort it might make sense to rent from Alamo on property...

This is good to know that you can rent on property...we are new DVC members so all of this is new and exciting. After our cruise, we decided that we would not do many multiple excursions because we felt like we were always running and didn't get to enjoy the ship as much as we would have liked. Now our thought is pick one or 2 over a 10 day period and enjoy the beach and pools...just wondering if the kids (ages 12-9) will get bored.

 

[fsufan53]

I have posted a trip review in this forum from our trip about a month ago. Sorry I am not sure how to link to it. I went pretty in depth on alot of stuff. Go check it out and let me know what questions you got!

 

[bwvBound]

I have posted a trip review in this forum from our trip about a month ago. Sorry I am not sure how to link to it. I went pretty in depth on alot of stuff. Go check it out and let me know what questions you got!

This one? http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2903430

 

[fsufan53]

This one? http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2903430

Yes that's it!

 

[twacht]

Wow thank you for that report...sounds amazing and really make me think that should be our next trip (and our first as DVC members)