Visiting for the day?

[Sorcerer Jody]

I will be traveling to Oahu with my two teenagers in a couple of weeks. It will be our first ever trip to Hawaii! We are huge Disney fans, but unfortunately we just can't afford to stay at Aulani. We will be staying at a small hotel in Waikiki instead. However, I am thinking of spending a day or part of a day at Aulani, just to see it with my own eyes...maybe eat a meal at Off The Hook, visit a gift shop, watch the sunset on the lagoon...is this a good idea??? Would it be worthwhile for a Disney fan? Is there anything else anyone would recommend for a day visitor? Thanks!!

 

[Van@Disney]

I’m not sure it’s worth the trip. you can’t use any of the pool facilities and off the hook is very average.

 

[bbn1122]

My Girlfriend visited Aulani in June. She was visiting her sister who lives on Oahu. I am not sure if they parked and walked around. But, she said, how beautiful the place was and they had gone over to that area to swim in the lagoons. So, she may have parked a one of the other lagoons and walked over.

The beaches are all public, there are 4 lagoons in the Ko Olina area that all connect. I understand there is parking at all of them, plus showers and restrooms (I heard about this on a YouTube video about the Ko Olina lagoons). Aulani shares their lagoon with the Marriott.

 

[bbn1122]

Here is a photo of lagoons

 

[bbn1122]

Here is a photo of lagoons. Lagoon 4 has no resort attached to it.

 

[FrannyFrogs]

I would totally do that if I were you! Just for the smell of the lobby lol. Gift shop, walk around, maybe outdoor table at the olelo room for drinks and apps...

 

[AstroBlasters]

It’s worth a trip for the Dole Whip alone….

 

[barrbarr25]

I will be traveling to Oahu with my two teenagers in a couple of weeks. It will be our first ever trip to Hawaii! We are huge Disney fans, but unfortunately we just can't afford to stay at Aulani. We will be staying at a small hotel in Waikiki instead. However, I am thinking of spending a day or part of a day at Aulani, just to see it with my own eyes...maybe eat a meal at Off The Hook, visit a gift shop, watch the sunset on the lagoon...is this a good idea??? Would it be worthwhile for a Disney fan? Is there anything else anyone would recommend for a day visitor? Thanks!!

First ever trip! Fun! You're going to have a blast no matter what you do. I just want to throw an option out there for you, because if you're a Disney fan I think you would love a day trip to Aulani! I understand you're on a budget & yes Aulani is expensive, but if you combine the money you'd spend at Off the Hook & the gift shop (the gift shop sure can break the bank ) you can almost rent a room for 1 night. You say you're going in 2 weeks, so @ 18 points/night @ $20/point, you can spend $360 to spend 1.5 days there. Check in early & spend the whole day there! Wake up early and spend another half day! I'd hate for you to drive all the way there and feel like an outsider & not enjoy all the amenities. You may even be able to find a room for $18/point & if it's after Sept 1st it's only 16 points/night, so maybe ~$288. Just a suggestion. Either way, have a great trip & I hope you make it to Aulani!

 

[monsterkitty]

We've done this multiple times when staying in Waikiki! Now we usually stay at the Marriott Ko Olina Vacation Club and just walk down the sidewalk for our Mickey Bars.

When we visited from Waikiki, we just paid to park at Aulani. There are public parking areas in the area because all beaches are public so you can try to park in one of those. It was just easier to park at Aulani.

We just walked in the front door and visited the public areas, such as the giftshops and the Ulu Cafe. DH did purchase a drink at Off the Hook. We did not use any lounge chairs in the pool area. Our last visit in 2021, we purchased breakfast at Ulu Cafe and asked a CM where we could sit to eat because we were not resort guests, just getting our Disney-fix guests. He told use we could use any table we wanted because we were polite.

As for a Dole Whip, get a real Dole Whip at one of the $5 food trucks on the island. They use fresh pineapple, and the Dole Whip does not taste like chemicals.

 

[AstroBlasters]

First ever trip! Fun! You're going to have a blast no matter what you do. I just want to throw an option out there for you, because if you're a Disney fan I think you would love a day trip to Aulani! I understand you're on a budget & yes Aulani is expensive, but if you combine the money you'd spend at Off the Hook & the gift shop (the gift shop sure can break the bank ) you can almost rent a room for 1 night. You say you're going in 2 weeks, so @ 18 points/night @ $20/point, you can spend $360 to spend 1.5 days there. Check in early & spend the whole day there! Wake up early and spend another half day! I'd hate for you to drive all the way there and feel like an outsider & not enjoy all the amenities. You may even be able to find a room for $18/point & if it's after Sept 1st it's only 16 points/night, so maybe ~$288. Just a suggestion. Either way, have a great trip & I hope you make it to Aulani!

You think someone is going to be able to get a standard view hotel room at Aulani…. in the summer…. 2 weeks out?

Best anyone could hope for is an IG studio at 25 points/ night. So, that’s $450 a night + tax.

 

[barrbarr25]

You think someone is going to be able to get a standard view hotel room at Aulani…. in the summer…. 2 weeks out?

Best anyone could hope for is an IG studio at 25 points/ night. So, that’s $450 a night + tax.

It's a long shot, but worth a try if she's flexible on days. I figured a lot of kids are back in school & it's just 1 day. It gives her 2 weeks to try. You're probably right though with the studio

 

[BayGirl22]

My Girlfriend visited Aulani in June. She was visiting her sister who lives on Oahu. I am not sure if they parked and walked around. But, she said, how beautiful the place was and they had gone over to that area to swim in the lagoons. So, she may have parked a one of the other lagoons and walked over.

The beaches are all public, there are 4 lagoons in the Ko Olina area that all connect. I understand there is parking at all of them, plus showers and restrooms (I heard about this on a YouTube video about the Ko Olina lagoons). Aulani shares their lagoon with the Marriott.

One correction to this - Aulani shares the beach with the Four Seasons. Marriott is in the lagoon next door. All are easily walkable with a path.

One hack to visit would be to get a happy hour reservation at the Four Seasons for Mina's Fish House at happy hour. The HH menu is by no means cheap but its less than a full meal, and that deck has a better view than Off the Hook. You can book Four Seasons restaurants on Open Table. We like to go there around sunset then sit on the beach at Aulani.

 

[Sorcerer Jody]

Thank you for all of your thoughts and ideas!!

 

[mccarthyag]

I did this back in March when I was staying on Waikiki Beach for a wedding. A couple of family members and I drove over to Aulani for a birthday dinner for my cousin at Ko Olina. Part of our parking was free because of dinner but it wasn’t too expensive by Hawaii standards for the extra couple of hours we stayed. I would have paid for the parking there and just enjoyed exploring the resort even without the birthday as an excuse.