Taxi to Aulani

[kcormier]

For those who just hopped in a taxi from the airport to Aulani, how much did it cost?

 

[Meemoo]

Charles Taxi's do a $55 flat rate to Aulani, I'm pretty sure you just need to mention this and they will honor it.

 

[Disney Dreams]

For those who just hopped in a taxi from the airport to Aulani, how much did it cost?

Charles Taxi's do a $55 flat rate to Aulani, I'm pretty sure you just need to mention this and they will honor it.

So, having just returned from Aulani, I will pass along to you one of the best tips we received when planning our trip.

The airport is a decent distance from Aulani. Aulani is a decent distance to a lot of places you may want to go. We do not usually rent cars on vacations.

All of that said:
I stalked rental car web sites like crazy for about a month prior to our trip. I got a four-door, full size car (DH is very tall) for $127 (that INCLUDED taxes), unlimited mileage, no charge on spouse added as additional driver for eight days.

$55 taxi ride to Aulani
$55 taxi ride from Aulani
----
$110

For an extra $17 we had unlimited access to going anywhere we wanted any time we wanted. And we drove the heck out of that car all over the island!

Something for you to consider in your planning,
Dreams

 

[kcormier]

So, having just returned from Aulani, I will pass along to you one of the best tips we received when planning our trip.

The airport is a decent distance from Aulani. Aulani is a decent distance to a lot of places you may want to go. We do not usually rent cars on vacations.

All of that said:
I stalked rental car web sites like crazy for about a month prior to our trip. I got a four-door, full size car (DH is very tall) for $127 (that INCLUDED taxes), unlimited mileage, no charge on spouse added as additional driver for eight days.

$55 taxi ride to Aulani
$55 taxi ride from Aulani
----
$110

For an extra $17 we had unlimited access to going anywhere we wanted any time we wanted. And we drove the heck out of that car all over the island!

Something for you to consider in your planning,
Dreams

Thanks! May I ask where you rented the car from for that great price??

 

[Anal Annie]

I would also love to find a $127 deal but I think that the rental car prices vary widely not only by the size of the car but by the season / time of year. I tried like heck to find a deal like that for our dates last summer but the absolute best deal I could find for a week in August was thru a Priceline bid for $192 for a mid-size. Which was a LOT less than most other sites. I still felt like $192 for a week was worth it not to be tied to the resort all week tho.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Thanks! May I ask where you rented the car from for that great price??

Absolutely. I learned from people here and now I'm happy to help! It was more of a process of trimming the price down, than where I got one specific quote.

I went to hawaiirentalcars.com (which I found out about here on DIS) and spent about two hours running every coupon code for every car site listed.

August 25th
I booked with Alamo for $244.92.

August 26th
I found out that if you are a member of "Friends of Alamo," spouses can drive the rental for no additional charge. So... I signed DH up to be a Friend of Alamo.

I then saw an offer for 10% off for Friends of Alamo. Had it applied. $210.60

The next three weeks
Checked every car company and costco once every night & once every morning

September 15th
Checking at 2am. Alamo comes up with $142.77 (!!!). Revised ressie again.

That evening after work. Checking all sites again. Alamo: $131.19. Revised.

The next two weeks
Checked every car company and costco once every night & once every morning

September 28th
Costco shows Alamo at $123. I booked it. I called Alamo and asked if I could update the previous Alamo ressie or should I cancel it and just keep new one. Alamo agent did all of it for me.

October 1st
While doing my nightly checking, noticed Costco no longer had Alamo for the $123 rate.

We left for our trip on October 4th. I did not find a lower rate with any rental company after the $123. When we returned the car Saturday (3 days ago), the total was $127. The agent explained the $4 difference was due to tax variance caused by the exact brand of vehicle.

8 days, DH and me as drivers, unlimited miles, free parking at Aulani (DVC), and filled up at Costco before driving to return the car so we were not charged for fuel. - $127

Note that ultimately the final deal we went with was Costco's, but even without a Costco membership, we would have had the same vehicle for $131. Not too shabby.

And that's my rental car story. $245 down to $127.

Hope it helps someone, somehow,
Dreams

P.S. That was WAY more than what you asked. I was going to edit it way down, but maybe it will help someone as is so I'll just leave it.