Planning 1st Trip to Aulani! Help needed!

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Hi everyone! My Dad and I are planning our first trip to Aulani, and I have a couple questions. We will be there from July 17th-July 22nd. We coincided this trip with the end of D23.

Here are the questions I have:

- We are from the KC area, so we will be flying to LA on Southwest. What airline would you use to get to Oahu from Los Angeles? Would you book first class or not?

- What dining reservations should I book? Are some places and experience worth getting more than others?

- I plan on booking a Pearl Harbor excursion from Aulani? Does anyone have any experience with excursions from Aulani?

- Is it better for us to rent a car for the entire stay of our trip if we want to tour the island and go to Waikiki? If not, what is the best way to get to Aulani from the airport? Same goes with getting to the airport from Aulani at the end of the trip.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[poohj80]

I suggest you rent a car as there is a lot to see on Oahu. This will also allow you to drive yourself to Pearl Harbor instead of pay for an excursion. You can book your tickets ahead of time online for a nominal processing fee. If you are DVC members and staying on points, parking at the resort is free.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Thanks for the info. We are DVC and are staying on points, so that is now tempting. What did you find as the best deal for Pearl Harbor? There are so many websites that sell tickets, and I can't figure out what the "official" Pearl Harbor website is.

Did you try any of the restaurants at Aulani?

 

[poohj80]

Pearl Harbor is part of the National Parks system so book directly through them. Anywhere else is a tour company.

https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

 

[NancyDVC]

For Pearl Harbor tickets www.recreation.gov. You can reserve 60 days ahead starting at 7:00 AM HST. remember Hawaii does not do Daylight Savings Time so you will be an additional hour later at home. My advice is get the audio tour for $7.50. The cost of the tickets is a $1.50 fee for online booking. It really made our visit. You are only reserving your actual tour of the USS Arizona. First you will see a movie about the attack and the USS Arizona then take the boat to the memorial. You should arrive at least 20 minutes before your reservation to allow you time to park, check any bags and pick up your tickets. You can not bring any bags into the visitors center. There is a bag check just outside the gate-$4.00/bag. If you have several bags you can put them into one and only pay for one. Do bring your wallet/credit card/cash to shop in the gift shop. You can bring a camera, a small clear water bottle and a small clear bag-like a clear purse but small. DO NOT leave anything in the car or trunk. Unfortunately there are people who take advantage and break into cars.
The 'World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument' is more than just the USS Arizona Memorial. There are exhibits, maps and lots to learn. The audio tour really enhances the experience. It is digital with numerous 'stops'. You can do the stops in any order. We started the tour then went to our reservation for the memorial and continue after we returned. Get an early time. The boats to the memorial are run by the Navy. (The USS Arizona Memorial is jointly maintained by the Navy and the National Park Service. The U.S.S Arizona is still a commissioned vessel in the US Navy.) If there are high winds, which often happens in the afternoon the Navy will suspend the boats for safety.
I advise renting a car for all or part of your trip. The valet desk at the front entrance to the resort has preprinted directions to almost anywhere you want to go. The front side has directions to get there and the back has the return directions! And the CMs are a great resource. They are all locals. Ask them questions about where to go what to do etc. They are terrific! And not just the valets and bell staff. Every CM I met was willing to share information, directions or even show us where to go when we got 'lost' in the resort. The lifeguards, the DVC CMs, guest relations, concierge, front desk everyone!
DVC members can get a tour of the Grand Villa! Stop by the DVC desk or any of the small 'kiosks' and ask! We had a wonderful time! Feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

For Pearl Harbor tickets www.recreation.gov. You can reserve 60 days ahead starting at 7:00 AM HST. remember Hawaii does not do Daylight Savings Time so you will be an additional hour later at home. My advice is get the audio tour for $7.50. The cost of the tickets is a $1.50 fee for online booking. It really made our visit. You are only reserving your actual tour of the USS Arizona. First you will see a movie about the attack and the USS Arizona then take the boat to the memorial. You should arrive at least 20 minutes before your reservation to allow you time to park, check any bags and pick up your tickets. You can not bring any bags into the visitors center. There is a bag check just outside the gate-$4.00/bag. If you have several bags you can put them into one and only pay for one. Do bring your wallet/credit card/cash to shop in the gift shop. You can bring a camera, a small clear water bottle and a small clear bag-like a clear purse but small. DO NOT leave anything in the car or trunk. Unfortunately there are people who take advantage and break into cars.
The 'World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument' is more than just the USS Arizona Memorial. There are exhibits, maps and lots to learn. The audio tour really enhances the experience. It is digital with numerous 'stops'. You can do the stops in any order. We started the tour then went to our reservation for the memorial and continue after we returned. Get an early time. The boats to the memorial are run by the Navy. (The USS Arizona Memorial is jointly maintained by the Navy and the National Park Service. The U.S.S Arizona is still a commissioned vessel in the US Navy.) If there are high winds, which often happens in the afternoon the Navy will suspend the boats for safety.
I advise renting a car for all or part of your trip. The valet desk at the front entrance to the resort has preprinted directions to almost anywhere you want to go. The front side has directions to get there and the back has the return directions! And the CMs are a great resource. They are all locals. Ask them questions about where to go what to do etc. They are terrific! And not just the valets and bell staff. Every CM I met was willing to share information, directions or even show us where to go when we got 'lost' in the resort. The lifeguards, the DVC CMs, guest relations, concierge, front desk everyone!
DVC members can get a tour of the Grand Villa! Stop by the DVC desk or any of the small 'kiosks' and ask! We had a wonderful time! Feel free to ask me any questions.

Thanks for the detailed response! Have you ever done the $60 pass to pearl harbor that gets you into the Missouri and the aviation museum?

We decided to get a rental car for our whole stay. Right now, we only plan to go to the north shore, Pearl Harbor, and Waikiki. The rest of the time, we plan to be at the resort. What do you recommend to do tag the North Shore if you have been? I want shaved ice, and I hear there is a great place there.

Have you ever done the luau at Aulani? Is it worth it?

 

[Elima2015]

I also agree with the rental car for the entire stay - especially if staying on points. We even got one staying on cash and paid for parking. It was very handy for an originally unplanned trip to Costco, a trip to the drugstore, eating offsite a couple times, plus all the excursions around Oahu.

I love the North Shore. For beaches, Banzai Pipeline has had the most activity both times we have been, but I don't know how many surfers you will see in July. Still worth at least a few minutes to get out of the car and walk around. We loved Haleiwa - great little stores, food, vibe. Ate lunch at Kono's and it was delicious plus eating at a picnic table outside was fun. Matsumoto's shaved ice is also there.

You didn't ask, but I'd also plan to stop at Leonard's for malasadas. YUM! We didn't make it all the way to the brick and mortar store, so stopped at the food truck in the parking lot of Waikele Shopping Center on the way from Aulani to The North Shore.

We did the luau at Paradise Cove because it was part of a party that we attended. The next night we were able to wach the Aulani luau from our balcony. I looked really nice and well done. It has gotten pretty mixed reviews here, but if I were going to pay the money to do a luau (which I think all are overpriced), then I would have been happy with the Aulani version.

 

[poohj80]

We attended the Starlight Hui (free luau show) during our last stay but am a bit turned off that there is now a charge at Aulani due to adding dinner. I am leaning more towards going next door to Paradise Cove since we have already seen the Aulani show.