Several questions about Aulani

[OneMoreTry]

Is the beach crowded?

Are the pool and rec areas crowded?

Is there good snorkeling in the lagoon, or do you have to go somewhere else to see good coral?

Is the lagoon Man made or natural?

Can you go boating / sailing / kayaking outside the lagoon? Do they rent boats at the resort or anywhere on the island? (I love to sail on the ocean)

Does disney arrange trips to other areas of the island that are of interest? Or do you have to arrange your own snorkel / kayak / sightseeing trips?

Do you need to rent a car to get around? Or is there plenty to do on site?

 

[Cinderpamela]

Wow, that sure is a lot of questions! I will do my best to try and answer what I can and point you in the right directions for your research.
My answers are below in green.

Is the beach crowded? Well that all depends on what time of year you are going but it is usually not as crowded as the pool.
Are the pool and rec areas crowded? same as above

Is there good snorkeling in the lagoon, or do you have to go somewhere else to see good coral? there is snorkeling but there is not really coral... some folks said the best snorkeling at Aulani is along the rocks in the man made bay... but if you are really wanting coral and such you should plan a day trip to Haneuma Bay (you can google it).
http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/hanauma_bay.html


Is the lagoon Man made or natural? Man Made

Can you go boating / sailing / kayaking outside the lagoon? Do they rent boats at the resort or anywhere on the island? (I love to sail on the ocean)I have read of people doing sailing excursions but I dont have any specifics on this.

Does disney arrange trips to other areas of the island that are of interest? Or do you have to arrange your own snorkel / kayak / sightseeing trips? you can book excursions through Disney.. or you can book them on your own.

Do you need to rent a car to get around? Or is there plenty to do on site? We rented a car.... I have read of people who just stayed at the resort, but for me if I am traveling all the way to Hawaii, I want to see more than just the resort. There is so much to see and do all around the island, I would not just limit myself to the resort and miss so much of the surrounding area.

For a basic overview of the resort offerings, if you havent already, you chould check out this page... it has all the rental prices and such listed:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-resorts/aulani-hawaii-resort/

Hope that helps!

 

[aclov]

We went last month the beach was not crowded, there were plenty of chairs and a lot of people just sit on a beach towel. The pool was more crowded mostly with kids even in the hot tubs. We rented a car and I would recommend you do so. There are nearby restaurants besides the ones at the resort but especially if you are staying for a few days a car is good to have. It's free parking for DVC members.

 

[aclov]

We didn't do the snorkeling, my 18yr step son had no interest nor did we. If we would have gone on an excursion or Bay we would have.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I would say the pools and lazy river are very busy, at least in July. We had to wait for tubes to ise the lazy river which was disappointing.

There is not much to see while snorkeling in the lagoon. Yes, there are more fish out near the rocks but not many and the water is not very clear. We snorled at Shark's Cove up near the North Shore and LOVED it!

Happy planning. You will find the answers to many of your questions by doing searcheshere on the DIS or by Googling specific questions about Aulani.

 

[SuperRob]

Is the beach crowded?

Depends on the time of year, I'm sure. The beach isn't Disney property. By law, the beach belongs to everyone; it's one of those delightful quirks of Hawaii. That said, it's still inside the Ko Olina country club, so it doesn't tend to get too busy. At least, it wasn't April 2012 when we were there. I went out to lay on the beach at 8AM one morning and had the entire lagoon to myself. It was glorious.

Are the pool and rec areas crowded?

Again, this is going to be highly dependent on the time of year, but it wasn't in late April. It was busy for sure, but I wouldn't have called it crowded. The pool is Aulani's best feature, though, so expect there to be people and you won't be disappointed.

Is there good snorkeling in the lagoon, or do you have to go somewhere else to see good coral?

We did some "poor man's snorkeling" just using some goggles, and it was great. We saw all sorts of fish in the lagoon. There's a time in the morning when they go out and feed the fish, so that time is the best, but there are beautiful fish there pretty much throughout the day. You might get a better experience elsewhere, though, since the water was a tad murky.

Aulani also has a private salt-water snorkeling tank. If you want the best possible experience, that's the way to go. You can then use that same snorkeling equipment out in the lagoon later. If you don't want to pay for the snorkeling in the tank, there is a viewing area where you can see the fish and stay dry.

Is the lagoon Man made or natural?

Man-made, but you won't care. Trust me.

Can you go boating / sailing / kayaking outside the lagoon? Do they rent boats at the resort or anywhere on the island? (I love to sail on the ocean)

Yes, you can.

Does disney arrange trips to other areas of the island that are of interest? Or do you have to arrange your own snorkel / kayak / sightseeing trips?

Yes, Disney has a staffed island excursions team that can assist you. Just know that you'll be paying Disney prices. You'll save money by booking on your own. A little research can go a long way.

Do you need to rent a car to get around? Or is there plenty to do on site?

You don't need a car, but you'll find it very useful. Oahu is a small island, and it's very easy to tour the whole island in about a day by car. It's also helpful to drive the five minutes to the shopping center to pick up provisions for the room, if you don't want to pay Disney food prices.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Thanks for all the info.

 

[bnk1120]

I have an Aulani question... I have never snorkeled and I am not a strong swimmer. Can I get a life jacket at the resort to take with me around the island????