Planning staying at Aulani for the first time.. Please share your options :)

[ASMwishes]

After our next Disney trip (in 2017) I want to start saving for Aulani! We will rent points to stay. I have never been to Hawaii... Can you share your experiences? I would love to hear about it! Any must sees/dos at Aulani or in Hawaii? Will I need to rent a car? I was thinking about going for 10 days in July. I'm nervous about Hurricane season tho. Will it be very busy if we go over Spring break and I'll add a few extra days? Also, can food be included, like a dining plan or do you recommend ordering from a grocery store? Sorry for so many questions, I'm just curious and excited to start planning

 

[happymommy]

Start doing your research now, which it sounds like you're beginning to do!

No, there is no dining plan. I would suggest venturing out for dining at least some! You can find restaurant prices for Aulani & the Marriott & Four Seasons if you do some searching. Despite that I adore the Marriott SO MUCH, I do not dine there nor Aulani. We prefer local places, and the beach side place at the Marriott (Longboard's) has been awful each time we've dared to try it.

I stay (owner) at the Marriott next door (Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club), and also lived on Oahu in the mid 1990's. We come from the East Coast, and stay for 2 weeks typically every other year (but next year we're locking off our 2br condo, so first 2 weeks it's just me and DD in the studio, then the following 2 weeks my DH and DS will join us).

I highly recommend a car the whole time. We use ours almost daily! If you're renting points, you will be treated as an owner, so you shouldn't have any parking fee.

I like the summer; that's when we always go. Spring break is tough, since coming home we have to adjust to a 6 hour time difference. At least in the summer, my kids have time to adjust back!

Aulani and the Marriott are ALWAYS pretty full. So that won't make a huge difference in your choice of time of year. We never experienced a hurricane, both living there and visiting.

Right nearby in Kapolei, you can shop at Costco (they sell liquor too, plus lots of Hawaiian specific goodies), Super Target, Super Walmart, and Safeway. We do our main shopping at Costco, then fill in at Target (their prices for most everything are comparable to here at home). Safeway is a little pricier, and I don't shop there much. I plan a few meals, and bring spices and condiments from home.

We tend to go out and about during the day, but prefer to grill dinners at night at "home". That being said, the Marriott has far more grills than Aulani does, and they're available at any time. I believe Aulani only allows guests to use them in the late afternoon/evening. Aulani is much more compact, so finding pool chairs can be a bit of a challenge.

Start researching flights at 10 months out at least, then when you find something good, grab it. We use miles, and typically have our flights booked about 7 months out.

 

[ASMwishes]

Start doing your research now, which it sounds like you're beginning to do!

No, there is no dining plan. I would suggest venturing out for dining at least some! You can find restaurant prices for Aulani & the Marriott & Four Seasons if you do some searching. Despite that I adore the Marriott SO MUCH, I do not dine there nor Aulani. We prefer local places, and the beach side place at the Marriott (Longboard's) has been awful each time we've dared to try it.

I stay (owner) at the Marriott next door (Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club), and also lived on Oahu in the mid 1990's. We come from the East Coast, and stay for 2 weeks typically every other year (but next year we're locking off our 2br condo, so first 2 weeks it's just me and DD in the studio, then the following 2 weeks my DH and DS will join us).

I highly recommend a car the whole time. We use ours almost daily! If you're renting points, you will be treated as an owner, so you shouldn't have any parking fee.

I like the summer; that's when we always go. Spring break is tough, since coming home we have to adjust to a 6 hour time difference. At least in the summer, my kids have time to adjust back!

Aulani and the Marriott are ALWAYS pretty full. So that won't make a huge difference in your choice of time of year. We never experienced a hurricane, both living there and visiting.

Right nearby in Kapolei, you can shop at Costco (they sell liquor too, plus lots of Hawaiian specific goodies), Super Target, Super Walmart, and Safeway. We do our main shopping at Costco, then fill in at Target (their prices for most everything are comparable to here at home). Safeway is a little pricier, and I don't shop there much. I plan a few meals, and bring spices and condiments from home.

We tend to go out and about during the day, but prefer to grill dinners at night at "home". That being said, the Marriott has far more grills than Aulani does, and they're available at any time. I believe Aulani only allows guests to use them in the late afternoon/evening. Aulani is much more compact, so finding pool chairs can be a bit of a challenge.

Start researching flights at 10 months out at least, then when you find something good, grab it. We use miles, and typically have our flights booked about 7 months out.

Thank you for all the info!! I'm so excited! Is there a car rental you prefer?

 

[happymommy]

I go with whomever is cheaper from the airport. Note that some have a shuttle bus to your car, but I forget who is closer. Usually the rentals are pretty reasonable compared to many cities!

Parking lots in Hawaii have more "compact cars only" spots than I'm used to here in Maryland, but often I see an SUV squeezed in, LOL!

It's so worth it to have a car the whole time. We like to be able to run to Target & stuff. My husband is now usually only likely to venture further than Kapolei maybe once a trip - he works from his laptop, and enjoys the resort so much! At the Marriott, they have wonderful fitness classes (beach boot camp, beach yoga, etc... ) so he does his workout, swims, works, then relaxes!

Traffic can be bad (very bad) going to and from Honolulu, so just keep it in mind for rush hour time.

Some trips, it worked out that we needed to fly in a couple days early, so we'd get a hotel room in Waikiki first (using miles and/or finding good fares - have to be flexible).

 

[twodogs]

I'll share the link to my trip report that has some of the information you are looking for: http://www.disboards.com/threads/mahalo-aulani-three-generation-first-timer-trip-report.3522920/

Search these boards for other trip reports and read through them; many have super helpful information on just the things you are wondering about. It can be really overwhelming to try to start the planning process for your first trip (we just did our first trip in May/June), but so worth it! The trip reports will give you a bunch of general information that will help you. Have fun!!

 

[Minniesgal]

Renting points in July isn't going to be easy as it books up very quickly. Best to look for an owner who can book at 11 months

 

[sgrap]

I just finished a trip report as well: http://www.disboards.com/threads/trip-report-hale-koa-6-6-to-6-8-and-aulani-6-8-to-6-15.3521757/

Lots of great threads on this forum to help you! Enjoy the planning! You will love Aulani!

 

[MiniMom22]

Aulani is amazing! We rented a car and stopped at the grocery store on our way to the resort for snacks and breakfast items. I planned on eating in the restaurants pretty much the whole time but you can cook in the rooms that have a full kitchen if you prefer. There isn't a dining plan but the restaurants are wonderful. I would rent a car if you plan on visiting Pearl Harbor or the North Shore and other locations. Have a great trip!

 

[cleophus12]

Our recent experience with car rental was different than any we have ever had. Alamo was offering a convertible cheaper than we could get any other car from any other company. That was obviously appealing to many people. When we arrived at the airport, the Alamo shuttle drove past us three times completely full. We finally pulled our luggage up to one of the first Alamo shuttle stops so we could get onboard. Frustrating to say the least. And when we got to Alamo, we had to wait for a car. I had done the online check in so we did not have to wait in line inside, but many of the people who were at the back of the line when we arrived got their cars before we did.

 

[longboard55]

Hawaii water temp is just slightly under what Hurricanes need so they are very rare. Its pretty common to have one a thousand miles away that is headed for Hawaii but they tend to peter out once they get close. Occasionaly they end up with a storm but it seems like most end up doing nothing