VIDEO: Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa | 12 Hour Marathon Show

This was a good overview of Aulani! As a Hawaii resident, I tell a lot of locals that although it's expensive for a room, consider it does include waterpark access & parking is cheaper that an airline ticket to Disneyland. You also can start using the pool areas from 8am on the day you check in (I leave our luggage at the bell desk until our room is ready) & stay at the pool until it closes after you checkout (again, I leave my luggage at bell desk after checkout), so you almost get a lot of extra pool time even if you only stay for 1 night.

 

Great coverage and nice to see again after the marathon. Thank you.

Makayla, about those cans, I was curious, too.

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/04/20/business/story01.html

"As aluminum prices continue to rise ... manufacturers have trimmed metal use by reducing the diameter of the can top. Hawaii followed this trend to a point, but continues to make cans larger than the industry standard to stay consistent with its five local distributors.
As can tops started to shrink around 1980, they also lost their neck ridging, leaving Hawaii as the last state to produce cans of this style."

So the ridges aren't something added for Hawaii, but rather are a hold-over from old style.

 

I thought this was a good review however I got tired of Pete saying he doesn't want to review something if he hasn't paid for it. He was ther on travel agent familiarisation trip so he could review it for clients of his travel agency if he didn't give things an honest review after that then he would suck as a travel agent. Pete really needs to get off of his high horse about not reviewing things he gets as perks for owning travel agency when he is given them so that his agency can promote them.

 

Current convention is to disclose if you are comped something. I'm glad to know up front.

 

That doesn’t bother me, and it’s completely tacky to criticize something you are given for free or for cheap. By having that rule, it avoids awkward scenarios like that. I think it’s classy of Pete.
And I completely, 100% agree with Sean about booking airfare first. Airfare to Hawaii from here has sales fairly regularly, and can dip hundreds of dollars a ticket, but the dates are unpredictable. Last month it dipped to $350 RT. That savings over a family could easily cover an upgraded view type or an excursion.

 

Its 40 here and raining, so watching this was torture!!

I am glad to see there is so much to do. It looks like a fun gorgeous place.

 

I understand that completely but I don't see how that will affect the review of something if it is with regular paying guest as well.

I don't see it that way, for example, Kevin and John were on one of the Christmas market cruises as guests of Adventures by Disney and still managed to give an honest review of it, They also gave an honest review of the Canadain Cruise they were on earlier which was also an ancient familiarisation trip for them Pete just needs to give up on the whole I won't review it unless I pay for it carp as he is being invited to review it. If he discloses that he was there on a special rate or the having it paid for by Disney I don't see how it makes the experience any different at all.

 

From my perspective if I’m given something for free I’m less likely to be negative or as negative as a I could be. For example if I’m given a free dinner and it’s not good I’ll probably say it was just okay or meh rather than saying it was terrible which I would do if I paid for it. I hope that makes sense. Freebies tend to skew how people feel. I think that’s what they are trying to avoid.

 

I understand that but being given something for agent training is very different then it is as a free thing. Disney paid for the agents to go to the show and he said he didn't want to review it because he didn't pay for it to me that doesn't reflect well on Dreams at all if they have their agents and representatives not review things they do for agent training. As I said before the rason why they do things like that for agents is so they can paas son waht they scaw or did to ther clints and not so they can say I didn't pay for it so I won't say anything about it at all.

 

I really appreciated this podcast for a recent track workout (marathon training). It was a great listen for a run. But I really wanted to drop in to say "Finally! Someone shares my view of Ama Ama." It was such a let down our one and only dinner there this past year. Given the amazing customer service we received at Aulani everywhere else, plus our expectations of a Disney Signature restaurant, I couldn't believe how much of a miss this place was. Food, service, everything.