Negative reviews

[iadizfans]

I keep reading so many bad reviews. No chairs at pool (not getting up at 8), way too crowded. Lines to do everything, rooms, you can easily hear your neighbors. Food awful. A lot of money and time being spent. Thoughts.

DW and I have been there twice, the first time it was just us followed a couple of years later by a big family trip. We loved it both times. Planning to return next February. We both travel quite a bit for work or play and think Aulani is as nice as any resort we've been to. That said, there are a couple of negatives. Makahiki buffet is ridiculously over-priced. Stay clear unless you like paying $45 (maybe more now??) for slightly below average buffet quality food. You expect to pay more for everything in Hawaii, but that buffet is crazy money. Agree with previous posts that Monkeypod is a much better option. Try Roy's (down the street) as well. DW do not hang around all day next to the pools so I cannot say we've run into the pool chair issue, but I've heard others complain.

 

[iadizfans]

One more quick thought on food at Aulani. We've been to Ama Ama a couple of times and really like it. Its pricey, but the food is good, service was excellent, and location cannot be topped.

 

[PetePanMan]

as noted, there are a few issues (like chair availability) but overall it is an incredible resort.

 

[MouseOfCards]

We've been to Aulani as a couple, as well as with our young ones. Really enjoyed our trips and hope to go again next year. Great customer service. Also dealt with the no pool chairs issue, but not a deal breaker for us, and there always seem to be available chairs on the beach. Did not like the food offerings the first time, but they have been improving on this. Really liked the Ama Ama breakfast buffet, and everyone gave high marks for the Makahiki dinner buffet this year. Kids love Aunty's Beach House. Our older one keeps asking "Are we going to Hawaii?" each time we leave the house! Also, love the ocean view!

 

[ktlm]

I keep reading so many bad reviews. No chairs at pool (not getting up at 8), way too crowded. Lines to do everything, rooms, you can easily hear your neighbors. Food awful. A lot of money and time being spent. Thoughts.

We were there last July- so a peak travel time. Yes- the pool chair situation was really bad. That was the only big issue we had. Other than character breakfast day, we did have one of us get up early and go down and get a chair while everyone else got ready. That certainly would not keep us from going back to Aulani because it is wonderful there. If we were in the pool area and could not find a chair- we just found a place to drop our stuff and came back and got it when we left the area. There were always chairs available at the beach, so if you want to sit and relax and didn't get up early and get chairs, the beach is where to go.

Keep the bathroom door shut in your room. The only time we heard people in the other room was when they were in the bathroom. Bathroom door shut- problem solved.

We did not experience long lines at anything other than the slide lines could get long. The character lines were never that bad. There is stuff you have to sign up for in advance, but you can certainly have plenty of fun without doing those things if you don't want to deal with it.

We did not find the food awful. We liked the food at all the restaurants. We didn't do quick service too much- but when we did, it was similar to your standard Disney quick service. Not great, but edible. There are also plenty of options off the property. We loved Monkey Pod. If you go at peak times, they can have a long wait-- but you can also make a reservation to eat there on the open table app. Once I figured that out I think one night- I did that at the resort during the day for a later time that night. As far as the food being expensive---- it is Disney pricing like any other Disney property. Also--- all the food in Hawaii is expensive. Pretty much anywhere you go, the prices will be higher than the mainland U.S. The difference between Aulani and WDW is that at WDW it is not easy to go off property and eat in the middle of your day-- at Aulani it is very easy to eat off property.

We loved Aulani.

 

[Midoria]

Also--- all the food in Hawaii is expensive. Pretty much anywhere you go, the prices will be higher than the mainland U.S.

I think that depends on where you are and what you decide to eat. When I worked downtown, I'd go to Marukame Udon and get a large bowl of noodles with meat, egg, some calamari, and a drink for about $9. I never finish my noodles and end up having enough for the next day. I went to Times a few days ago and got a plate of ribs, two scoops of rice, veggies, and a drink for $7. I think that's quite low even for mainland standards.

 

[MouseOfCards]

I think that depends on where you are and what you decide to eat. When I worked downtown, I'd go to Marukame Udon and get a large bowl of noodles with meat, egg, some calamari, and a drink for about $9. I never finish my noodles and end up having enough for the next day. I went to Times a few days ago and got a plate of ribs, two scoops of rice, veggies, and a drink for $7. I think that's quite low even for mainland standards.

Making me hungry.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Oh, the big dilemma to go or not to go that is the question?
I am going to say out front I think that Disney Resorts, in General, are too large for me.
But I have a few questions
Did you look at any other resorts?
What is your budget?
Why are you going to Ohau?
Would you go to Oahu if a Disney Resort is not there?

 

[iadizfans]

Oh, the big dilemma to go or not to go that is the question?
I am going to say out front I think that Disney Resorts, in General, are too large for me.
But I have a few questions
Did you look at any other resorts?
What is your budget?
Why are you going to Ohau?
Would you go to Oahu if a Disney Resort is not there?

We're DVC so we did not look very hard into other resorts or islands. But I would not hesitate to travel to Oahu even if Disney did not have a resort there. It's where the main airport is so travel is a little more convenient. There's a lot to do on Oahu depending on your interests. Best surfing in the world on the north shore, fabulous beaches including very highly ranked Lanikai, big city shopping in Honolulu, great snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, and there's Pearl Harbor if you're into history. But we really enjoy about Aulani is its location.. removed from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu, and its aesthetic beauty. Disney out done itself with this place. Its absolutely gorgeous.

 

[RonMan2]

We went for our first trip to Aulani over Thanksgiving.

We are going for the first time this Thanksgiving. Could you elaborate why you are "one and done"?

TIA!

 

[igomezhnl]

I keep reading so many bad reviews. No chairs at pool (not getting up at 8), way too crowded. Lines to do everything, rooms, you can easily hear your neighbors. Food awful. A lot of money and time being spent. Thoughts.

I've noticed guests who love Disney and have children enjoy the resort. Guests traveling with teenagers or booked Aulani for relaxation, are at times left disappointed. If you come to Hawaii for vacation, you are generally expecting pure bliss and relaxation. However Aulani is a busy resort, and most people don't realize that it takes additional effort. This includes having to plan ahead for Aunty's Beach House, Dining Reservations and of course the dreaded Pool Chair. There are areas around the resort where you can find bliss, sunset on the beach, laniwai spa, Lazy River at night or even a picnic on Halewai Lawn. But it does take planning, not just winging it. I spoke with a Guest who purposely avoided Lava Shack just because she could stand the crowd and people eating their "sugary" drinks. Besides even Disneyland has bad reviews.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

We are going for the first time this Thanksgiving. Could you elaborate why you are "one and done"?

TIA!

It is a lovely resort, just the long and very expensive flight to Hawaii with three kids isn't worth it for us to do again. I'd been dreaming of going to Aulani since it opened and I'm glad we went, it's just not a destination we would return to in the foreseeable future.

 

[Nikodemos]

I can't comment on high peak times, but we go either in early November or early December. We don't have most of the issues folks complain about. For Auntie's, you can pick a few of the special events weeks ahead of time so that means you don't have to show up really early. There were times I showed up around 10am and couldn't get my DS in, but that was just me being lazy. And speaking of lazy, I didn't find Aulani stressful at all. In fact, we usually do our exiting activities (North Shore, Maui, or Big Island) first, then go to Aulani to completely destress and relax. Then again, I'm not one who finds it intolerable to wait behind 2-3 other folks getting towels. Intolerable is waiting in line for an hour in the sweltering humid heat for Space Mountain at DW

 

[Grumpy_Dad]

When we were thee in Feb. The chair situation at the pool was crazy, but we never had a problem at the beach. Honestly we preferred the beach, but DD is in High School so that might have had something to do with it. We did use the pool frequently and on a couple of occasions a cast member offered to help us find chairs. Seemed like a nice service, but we never took them up on it.

 

[CaliAdventurer]

People love to complain on the Internet in general and with Disney it seems even more so. It really strikes me on these threads sometimes. We've been to Aulani 3 times in the last year and booked this Dec. we love it! We get up early and get chairs and are considerate and don't hog -problem solved. We know that Hawaii is expensive. To complain about it is like going Dennys and complaining that it's not fine food. Go and enjoy yourself!

 

[AdamEfimoff]

People love to complain on the Internet in general and with Disney it seems even more so. It really strikes me on these threads sometimes. We've been to Aulani 3 times in the last year and booked Dec. we love it! We get up early and get chairs and are considerate and don't hog -problem solved. We know that Hawaii is expensive. To complain about it is like going Dennys and complaining that it's not fine flood. Go, enjoy yourself!

So does that mean I should not write a whole list of problems of Malaysia Business Class? ?

 

[happymommy]

I think that depends on where you are and what you decide to eat. When I worked downtown, I'd go to Marukame Udon and get a large bowl of noodles with meat, egg, some calamari, and a drink for about $9. I never finish my noodles and end up having enough for the next day. I went to Times a few days ago and got a plate of ribs, two scoops of rice, veggies, and a drink for $7. I think that's quite low even for mainland standards.

I find this an awesome comment. We used to live in Kailua, and ate out a LOT (some weekends, we'd splurge and go to Waikiki for drinks and pupus, and spend like $50 but that was 20 years ago).

We eat at local spots when we're out, and the prices are no more than here in Maryland at all. Sushi Bay in Kapolei is great for good tasting, very inexpensive sushi (we used to love Genki Sushi, but their quality is no where near as good). There are lots of good Korean places too (husband is Korean, and we love barbecue). Some take outs, like Yummy BBQ type places, have great plates for very reasonable prices.

If we eat out, it's usually lunch if we're out in town, but for dinners, we cook or grill or do leftovers, or some stuff from Costco. Our trips to Hawaii actually cost us less than our trips to Disney (disclaimer: we go to the Marriott Ko Olina where we own, but still it's right there in Kapolei).

And, I despise the food at the Marriott. It is overpriced, and pretty bad. Never eaten at Aulani, looked into it, but I don't do well at buffets much as I'd eat a little and be done so not worth it. Not worth $200 for us to do a buffet.

 

[KBinCO]

I keep reading so many bad reviews. No chairs at pool (not getting up at 8), way too crowded. Lines to do everything, rooms, you can easily hear your neighbors. Food awful. A lot of money and time being spent. Thoughts.

we had a lovely time and it far exceeded our expectations, but we didn't go during a busy time (on purpose) and we don't care about having a chair either. We just came out pool ready and picked up towels as we were done... although there always seemed to be plenty of chairs when we went, plenty of room in the kids club, and we never waited in line for anything. We also didn't spend a ton as we were on a budget and I found a week at Aulani in February to be far more affordable than our week long Disney Cruise, including flight costs. So, I suppose it just depends on when you go and what your expectations are. We really hope to get back soon!

Also... I never wake before 9 at home but was always up early there so never say never to 8am!

 

[oakleycat]

I think it depends on when you come and your family makeup. We were there last week in April and had an amazing time. We did not have any trouble finding chairs at any time except for the day we left (Saturday) and never had a problem with Auntie's Beach House. Our boys (8 & 10) loved it and were in and out a lot. We never heard our neighbors and while the bedding was thin, we were quickly brought a pile of blankets and were very happy. The pizza at Pizza Corner was pretty good, not the best ever but they will deliver, and our dinner at Monkeypod was great (without kids, who were at Auntie's). Not sure if we will go back as we want to see other islands but we had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend it.

 

[M<3'sMickey]

People are always going to complain, just take that into consideration when you read the negative reviews. That being said, we had only been to Aulani once before we went on the DVC Members cruise in 2014 and somehow managed to come home having bought 150 points at Aulani. We loved it that much. Then my husband and I went on our honeymoon last summer so we've been there twice now, both times in mid-August. I can't comment on the Auntie's situation because both times I've gone to Aulani, I haven't had children with me. The chair situation can be tough at times, but just like any other resort or place you go to with a pool, you can't expect to get there at noon and find enough seats together for your entire family. We never heard noise from people next door to our room, nor did we find the food horrible. We had breakfast a few times from the Ulu cafe and lunch we had chicken fingers and such. One night we had dinner at Ama Ama which was delicious but I'm not huge on spending a ridiculous amount of money on food. We cannot wait to go back and it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.