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    Two nights at Aulani - what not to miss?

    I second what others have said. Enjoy the resort, do a character breakfast, and just relax. Most of what the resort has to ever is great so see what activities they have going each day and go from there. I usually reserve a day or two with an executive Lanai overlooking the beach. I've also...
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    Favorite non Aulani thing to do

    I have a 3 year old and she loved the Dole Plantation. She loved it when she was 2 as well, so if wanting to do something the little one will enjoy, it's a fun little detour. Even as an adult, my wife and I, and the friends we have travelled with all enjoyed it. As for my favorite thing to...
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    Help with May 2019 Itinerary?

    Your vacation style/preferences are pretty similar to mine if you end goal is as much relaxation as possible. My 1st recommendation would be to visit Pearl Harbor. It's something that can be done fairly quickly, but well worth it. If getting out to Hawaii is something you don't see yourself...
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    Oceanview Room

    I personally don't think so, at least for that price difference it isn't. For the difference in price you can rent several days (or week) of a Cabana or Executive Lanai overlooking the pool or beach, which is where I prefer to spend the vast majority of my time anyway. Anytime I've stayed in a...
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    New to Aulani...is it worth the long flight?

    I really think it's worth it. I've been to tropical paradises all over the globe, and there isn't really anything quite as beautiful as Hawaii. I didn't go for the first time until I was nearly 30 because I was kind of skeptical about it having been to so many great places across Southeast...
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    Direct tour guide made commentary on resale

    Technically I bought sailing through the English Channel, but yes, we did purchase/pay right then and there. There were a couple of extra pieces to sign that were sent the week we got back (notarized things Hawaii requires), but it was otherwise a done deal. Our packet even had a European...
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    Need Advice - AUL or SSR DVC

    I bought AUL more for location as well, and likewise, thought long-term I would use it more. If you truly use it, the resort fees will likely be a drop in the bucket compared to what it would cost to just rent a regular room there since their room prices tend to be on average higher than the...
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    Direct tour guide made commentary on resale

    Yeah, my DVC guide, whom I really liked and wasn't high pressure at all, let his poker face slip when I agreed to buy in at Aulani. He seemed kind of surprised and excited, but I don't think he gets a lot of people being based in Florida (and I bought on a cruise in Europe), specifically...
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    Direct tour guide made commentary on resale

    Exactly. The DVC profits, which I'm sure are huge, are small compared to the halo effect in revenue they generate. Year after year, they basically ensure their fans come to their property and spend a small fortune on tickets, food, and merchandise. No other Timeshare comes close to the kind...
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    Direct tour guide made commentary on resale

    I'm not sure why handcuffing resales does any benefit to DVC sales reps when all it does is tell a potential buyer that if you ever want to get out of your purchase, it's going to be a lot harder. One of the draws for me about DVC is the ease of selling if life happens and you need to get out...
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    Direct tour guide made commentary on resale

    Having just bought a direct contract with Aulani at the end of August, it's not sold out. They were running some atypical discounts for Disney direct that ended in August. Probably what they meant.
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    Buying Direct - Which Resort?

    Some of this math is assuming park prices stay static, as do annual passes over the next decade. Plus we are assuming DVC members keep this perk, which could change at any time (for better or worse).
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    Buying Direct - Which Resort?

    Great post Bing Showei. Summed it up perfectly. Without a doubt point needs change dramatically throughout life. When I first got into DVC at Aulani, it was just my wife and I. We have since had a daughter, and although a studio is perfect for us now if it’s just us, we love traveling with...
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    Buying Direct - Which Resort?

    If your name is going to be on it you have to sign, like any other real estate transaction in the US. They could mail you the contract to sign if it’s important for both of you to sign. This is what I did when my wife and I signed up for DVC on a DCL cruise in Europe. Their system was down so...
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    First time to Aulani - Tip/Tricks?

    I second renting a car. I’m the kind of guy that typically likes to park it on the beach during the entirety of my stay and rarely leave the resort, but even then it’s worth having just to be able to run and grab some essentials or take a trip up north for some even better shaved ice at...
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    Room Upgrade?

    I’ve never gotten an upgrade to a different class of room like booking a studio and getting a 1 bedroom, but I have gotten a better room location a couple of times (both at Aulani) when the view I paid for wasn’t available (typically choose standard). I also had an issue where I paid for a...
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    DVC Grand Ca Owners Input, Please

    I’ll also add that my home resort is Aulani and I have booked studios at the grand Californian in the past couple of years for short 2-3 night stays, and it really comes down to flexibility and luck. Each stay has been a middle of the week stay in a less busy time of the year like early Dec or...
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    DVC Grand Ca Owners Input, Please

    Are you interested just in studios? GC studios appear to be hard to get at anytime. There’s seems to be a little more flexibility with larger rooms. The success of GC and the price per point on both resale and direct purchases really makes you wonder why Disney hasn’t tried to make a DVC...
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    Help... first time and overwhelmed

    I personally second Waimea Valley. I thought getting to the waterfall and the area overall was gorgeous. Jumping in at the end is optional and most people when I was there didn’t seem to want to. Myself and a few in my party did. It was freezing water compared to the rest of the water around...
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    Buying direct question.

    This is what I understand as well. If I remember correctly, Mickey owns 2% of all resorts plus whatever his ROFR contract buy back volume is. This makes the mouse the largest shareholder (and dues payer) at every single resort. If anything, it sort of makes it so they don’t want dues to go up...




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