First, I actually think that considering the
location (HELLO, it's HAWAII) the
point charts for Aulani are quite reasonable -
especially when compared to VGC or BLT. Those 2 properties leave me shaking my head every time I look at the charts. We just booked 6 nights in a LV studio at BLT for the end of March next year & it's costing us 150 points. A PV studio at Aulani for 6 nights in the summer would only cost 156 points. How can anybody say Aulani is unreasonable? Again, I will point out that it is HAWAII, not Orlando.
Next, Oahu is a different market than Maui. You really can't compare Maui properties to Oahu properties because Oahu is the cheapest island to stay on (as far as nightly hotel rates). One reason is that the properties on Oahu are for the most part located in Waikiki and are mostly just hotels, and are not truely resorts which offer the type of onsite ammenities that Aulani will have. Aulani is going to be fully loaded with things to do. Meanwhile, the properties on the other islands are more resort-like because the geography is different. Waikiki is a city & was built up many years ago so there's not land available for true resorts but it offers a lot of other things to do that are within walking distance. If you stay IN Waikiki you really don't even need a car. In Hawaii a rental car will set you back a good chunk of change.
No 2 Hawaiian islands are the same. They are all unique and each one offers it's own personality. Aulani is going to be more like some of the larger resorts like on the Big Island for example and will offer almost an all inclusive atmosphere (with respect to onsite ammenities). The only reason to leave it would be to go sightsee in Wakiki & Pearl Harbor etc. There really aren't a lot of other properties on Oahu which will offer anywhere close to the same amount of onsite things to do.
But having visited several of the Hawaiian islands multiple times I for one am not in shock at all over the point requirements. And I especially like that the point values are the same across the board (ie no premiums for the weekends).
Here's a thought. Maybe those who think the points for Hawaii are too high have not vacationed there before? Maybe they haven't actually priced out staying at equivalent properties in Hawaii on a cash basis?!
Yes, you can go for less but not at comparable properties. That would be like comparing a week at POP to a week at the Poly. You really can't compare. They are 2 different trips.