Suggestions for Aluani

[Canadian Harmony]

Hi all

I'm sitting on the We(s)t Coast up to my knees in snow and I'm not liking that much, LOL. So I've told my hubby that next winter, we're spending the holidays away in the sun because cold.

So, being a Disney lover (even though we're hitting DLR again in June), I've decided we're going to Aluani. Hubby and I are Canadian Navy so we're very familiar with Oahu and Honolulu. We're lucky in that we can hit the PX on our way and get cheap food and tickets for attractions, but I know nothing about Aluauni. I'd love to get some suggestions from fellow Canucks about the best way to get there and back from Victoria/Vancouver/Seattle, and anyways you've managed to save some money on your trip - flights, staying there, eating out, etc.

TIA

 

[Tmarmac]

I've stayed at Aulani twice with a third trip this March and here is how we save on the trip:
Flights - use companion fares (Westjet now, although we used to use the Air Alaska companion fare). We travel at peak times so the companion fare is still a significant savings despite the westjet Hawaii companion fare cost ($299 for Hawaii I think). If you can travel off peak there are often fare sales from Vancouver. You can check Seattle fares to Hawaii - I haven't noticed much difference from Vancouver for the past few years.
Hotel - we rent DVC points which has been awesome. If you need flexibility to cancel DVC is not for you. In that case, Aulani often has 20-30% hotel discounts if you stay at least 5 days.
Meals - we stock up at Costco and get a 1 bedroom with a kitchen and prepare some meals in the room. I dislike eating out 3 meals a day (too much business travel years ago). There is also an ABC across the street with reasonable ready meals, and restaurants that are cheaper than Aulani. We have eaten at AMA AMA and Makahiki on both trips but haven't been that impressed so we will probably skip them in March. Coming from Vancouver we have been spoiled with amazing restaurants that aren't that expensive.

We love Aulani and just bought our own Aulani DVC contract.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Thank you! I'm interested in renting the DVC points as our dates are pretty set, but it seems a little confusing for a newbie like me over on that part of the board, lol.

I think stocking up at Costco or the PX will be our best bet for meals for sure (although it's not much of a vacation when we're still cooking, ha). We'll probably do the two character meals available and a luau at least once to show the kids how much fun it is, but I think the majority of meals will be in our room. Is the 1br & kitchen a villa?

 

[alohamom]

Thank you! I'm interested in renting the DVC points as our dates are pretty set, but it seems a little confusing for a newbie like me over on that part of the board, lol.

I think stocking up at Costco or the PX will be our best bet for meals for sure (although it's not much of a vacation when we're still cooking, ha). We'll probably do the two character meals available and a luau at least once to show the kids how much fun it is, but I think the majority of meals will be in our room. Is the 1br & kitchen a villa?

I found it very confusing at first and I am still pretty intimidated by the DVC thread on this site BUT I have rented points through Davids twice now with great success. I have done the math a few times and even with the specials that Aulani offers like 25-30% off and resort credits it still worked out much cheaper for me to rent points (what put it over the top for me was the free parking for DVC stays) Here is the link for Davids but you do need to plan and rent waaaay in advance. I have had my best luck before the 7th month mark and paying more to do so.https://www.dvcrequest.com/

 

[Tmarmac]

The 1 bedroom with kitchen is a villa, although lots of people "cook" in the DVC studios as they have a fridge and microwave - not sure if the hotel rooms have a microwave though. There are also grills anyone can use.

I don't "cook" at Aulani so much as heat things We get breakfast things, buy stuff for sandwiches, veggie & fruit platters, some easy meal options but we still eat out, but more across the street than at Aulani these days.

I also rented from David's twice before we bought our own points. Easy to deal with - check out his FAQ on his website.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

I have found that flights are actually cheaper from yvr than from Seattle. Normally this is not the case, but for some reason flying to Hawai is cheaper from Canada. If you rent points then parking is free. This can be a huge savings since their parking fees are atrocious. If you don't rent a car then take Charlie's taxi from the airport. This is the cheapest option and all 6 of my party only paid $55 total per way (plus tip). There is usually some kind of discount available that includes a room discount and sometimes extra freebies such as free transportation, meals, room credits etc. A travel agent such as dreams unlimited travel will be able to watch for discounts for you. We liked eating during happy hours at monkey pod and the olelo room to save some money.For breakfast we ate in the room.

 

[keaster]

When we went in 2015 wee got the Entertainment Book and it had some good money saving coupons for a number of places including Paradise Cove luau just down the street and Pear Harbor activities. There is also some affordable restaurants across the road if you don't just want to eat at the resort.

We own DVC so we get a villa with a kitchen and do some meals in the room as well.

Flights...both times we've managed to accumulate enough Avion points to pay for two of three tickets.

We are looking for our next trip back in just a few months. It is a beautiful spot, you will love it!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

I have found that flights are actually cheaper from yvr than from Seattle. Normally this is not the case, but for some reason flying to Hawai is cheaper from Canada. If you rent points then parking is free. This can be a huge savings since their parking fees are atrocious. If you don't rent a car then take Charlie's taxi from the airport. This is the cheapest option and all 6 of my party only paid $55 total per way (plus tip). There is usually some kind of discount available that includes a room discount and sometimes extra freebies such as free transportation, meals, room credits etc. A travel agent such as dreams unlimited travel will be able to watch for discounts for you. We liked eating during happy hours at monkey pod and the olelo room to save some money.For breakfast we ate in the room.

We are definitely going to rent a car because we want to go to Pali Lookout and the North Shore. My step-sister is a travel agent so I can always use her for flights and discounts.

When we went in 2015 wee got the Entertainment Book and it had some good money saving coupons for a number of places including Paradise Cove luau just down the street and Pear Harbor activities. There is also some affordable restaurants across the road if you don't just want to eat at the resort.

That's a good idea. We will probably get some good discount info from the Post Exchange (PX) at Pearl Harbour as they have great deals for the military.

We own DVC so we get a villa with a kitchen and do some meals in the room as well.

Flights...both times we've managed to accumulate enough Avion points to pay for two of three tickets.

We are looking for our next trip back in just a few months. It is a beautiful spot, you will love it!

I'm so looking forward to it! I looked at Airmiles - 7700 per person!! Eeek! Cheaper to fly Westjet.