Stupid Question but...

[Wendybird55]

what airport do you fly into if you are going to Alunai? I just had a brilliant idea that maybe next year we'll go to Hawaii..we are not DVC owners but rent from friends and we've never been to Hawaii so I'm doing some preliminary research.

We live in NYC so best flight plan...(we have a7 year old so thinking NY to LA then LA to Hawaii)

And aside from all the resort has to offer...what is there to do there as far as sightseeing is concerned? Is it easy to get to other islands from there?

Thanks

 

[dvc_john]

For Aulani, you want to fly into Honolulu International Airport (airport code HNL).

The resort is about 21 miles from the airport.

 

[disneyjunebug]

There are straight flights on Hawaiian Air from JFK to Honolulu. Great service on Hawaiian (they still GIVE you some food, plus you can purchase more) and you can rent a little digital viewer for not much that comes with movies, cartoons, etc.

 

[Wendybird55]

Thanks for the info...just did a quick search on United (airline we usually take) - they go out as far as early Aug. 2014 and I'm seeing airfares for close to $2000 per person - ouch! Knew it would be expensive, but wow!

I know I have lots of time so it's still just a thought...airfare alone for the 3 of us at this rate would be cover ALL costs for a week in WDW

 

[krisbars]

If you decide to book at Aulani, have your friends reserve as soon as they're able, because it fills up very quickly. You may want to be flexible with dates. Also, let me forewarn you, an Aulani trip, depending on how many nights you stay, can easily be more expensive than WDW. If you rent a car, and you get a room with a full kitchen, you can drive to Costco which is less than ten minutes away. That will save you money on food. If you get a deluxe studio, there is a microwave and a fridge with freezer, so you can get drinks and microwaveable items. There is a lot of exploring to do on the island. There is Pearl Harbor, the North Shore, Waimea Falls....so much. You can see a luau at Paradise cove which is just a block away from Aulani. It is way cheaper to drive yourself to these places and do your own exploring rather than book through travel companies or through Disney.

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Its super easy to get to other islands via short inter-island flights. However, you have to remember that in this post 9/11 world a short 35 minute flight still requires you to get to the aiport an hour to 90 minutes before your flight. We love the nonstop from JFK to HNL.

 

[Wendybird55]

Thanks for the info krisbars...it's nice to know there are things to do on the island...Pearl Harbor sounds interesting. And the car and Costco are also great. I know my friends have enough points for studio for 1 week for the time of year we're thinking. Though we've never been to Hawaii I'm thinking this to also be a "relaxing resort" type trip as well...make use of the pool and other facilities, check out some local attractions and just enjoy the wonderful scenery.

Food, car rental and all are manageable because you at least have some control or choices..but airfare...that may be the killer. As I said we're in NY - prefer to fly out of Newark as it's closer and easier, but can go to any of the 3 NY airports - any suggestions on where to get good airfare?

 

[disneyjunebug]

We are flying from Nashville to Las Vegas on Southwest, spending a night, then traveling on to Honolulu via Hawaiian Air. Cost for all airfare (Nashville-Las Vegas-Honolulu-Las Vegas-Nashville) was about $1000 a person. I bought tickets about 6 months out, when Southwest opened their reservations. I've watched the airfare on Hawaiian double since we bought. From what I've read elsewhere, they start out fairly low, and then raise as seats become more popular. They run really good sales too.

 

[krisbars]

Oh yes, airfare would definitely be pricy from New York. I know that Hawaiian Airlines has a direct flight from New York (or so I've read). This trip for me was therapeutic. I am so often going to Disney World where there is an itinerary and a fast-paced vibe. Hawaii is slow-paced which is good for stress, but by the fifth night, I did get a bit bored. I forgot where I was and thought, 'Okay it is time to hit the parks.' I then realized there weren't any. Don't get me wrong, we kept busy, but is a very different experience. We met another family from Long Island who has DVC, and they said the flight wasn't too bad. At least you know with DVC the parking will be free if you rent a car. If you book outside of DVC, the parking is $35 a day which adds up fast.

 

[amym2]

We're going to Aulani next month and are fortunately using United miles, but when I checked prices they were around $900 each. That's from Indianapolis to Honolulu through either Chicago (ORD) or Houston (IAH). Eliminating the Indy-ORD flight didn't change the price at all. I would think with some flexibility of airports and timing you could at least get it under $1000.

DH and I have been to Oahu (stayed at the JW Marriott next door to Aulani as it was being built) but this is the first trip with the kids (DS11 and DD9). Aulani is in a more remote part of Oahu, but with a car all areas of the island are easily accessible (although there is traffic). We're planning to do Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and DD is taking surfing lessons, plus we'll have time to enjoy the amenities at Aulani.

We're doing 5 nights on Oahu and 5 nights on Kauai, and interisland flights were around $70 per person each way. We do own DVC but not at Aulani and I didn't have any trouble booking at 7mos for October, although we're getting a 2bdrm not a studio. When are you thinking about going?

 

[crisi]

Thanks for the info krisbars...it's nice to know there are things to do on the island...Pearl Harbor sounds interesting. And the car and Costco are also great. I know my friends have enough points for studio for 1 week for the time of year we're thinking. Though we've never been to Hawaii I'm thinking this to also be a "relaxing resort" type trip as well...make use of the pool and other facilities, check out some local attractions and just enjoy the wonderful scenery.

Food, car rental and all are manageable because you at least have some control or choices..but airfare...that may be the killer. As I said we're in NY - prefer to fly out of Newark as it's closer and easier, but can go to any of the 3 NY airports - any suggestions on where to get good airfare?

Car rental in Hawaii can be killer - we went when we managed to get good rentals - my sister's rental over Christmas is near $100 a day on one of the islands (fortunately, they aren't spending much time on that particular island) for a cheap car. Unlike the mainland - car companies can move cars from location to location to meet demand - the rental cars on an island are all the rental cars on that island unless you are going to ship cars to Hawaii.

Being from NYC, you probably won't find food to be too much more than you are used to, gas is pricey as well.

 

[owensamo]

Keep an eye out for sales on buying airline miles. We're hoping to do Aulani next summer, and got a deal on buying miles from AA - a bonus bunch of miles if you purchased miles. The price of buying the miles was much less than the price of purchasing the tickets will be, so it seems to work out pretty well for us.

We also have an AA credit card that we tend to use for most all of our purchases to help build miles. We're hoping to be able to pay for both flights to Hawaii in 2014 and flights to Europe in 2015 on AA miles alone!

 

[amym2]

Car rental in Hawaii can be killer - we went when we managed to get good rentals - my sister's rental over Christmas is near $100 a day on one of the islands (fortunately, they aren't spending much time on that particular island) for a cheap car. Unlike the mainland - car companies can move cars from location to location to meet demand - the rental cars on an island are all the rental cars on that island unless you are going to ship cars to Hawaii.

Being from NYC, you probably won't find food to be too much more than you are used to, gas is pricey as well.

When I originally booked rental cars for our trip next month, they were pricey, but I've gotten them down to $125 for 5 nights on Oahu and $185 for 5 nights on Kauai (both are for full size cars including taxes and fees). I've paid more for rental cars in Orlando. Tell your sister to keep checking!