DCL vs. Sandals all inclusive vs. Aulani

[DietCokeMommy]

I don’t know if all Sandals are the same, but we hated the one we went to on St. Lucia for our honeymoon. It was like a giant, loud frat party. Loud music was blasting everywhere you went. We tried to have a romantic dinner one night and the speakers blasting a Kenny G wannabe were so loud we had to yell over it. It was also really hard to get chairs at the pool unless our butler reserved them. The food was bland and generic and the excursions were awful.

I would do pretty much anything over Sandals.

 

[beachdrmn]

I don’t know if all Sandals are the same, but we hated the one we went to on St. Lucia for our honeymoon. It was like a giant, loud frat party. Loud music was blasting everywhere you went. We tried to have a romantic dinner one night and the speakers blasting a Kenny G wannabe were so loud we had to yell over it. It was also really hard to get chairs at the pool unless our butler reserved them. The food was bland and generic and the excursions were awful.

I would do pretty much anything over Sandals.

I'm sorry that was your experience. The Sandals we went to in St. Lucia wasn't like that at all but it was the smallest of the three there. It was completely quiet and didn't have a big night life scene which was perfect for us at the time.

 

[wanderlust7]

How old are your kids? We took DS when he was 9. Paul Gauguin has the most extraordinary kids program for children 7 and up. While it certainly isn't a drop-off babysitting service like DCL, he was with his counselors for hours at a time on some days. They have a "Stewards of Nature" program in connection with WCS. His counselors were a Navy marine mammal trainer and a professor of marine biology. The kids had their own excursions and had hands-on, interactive experiences on the islands. It was the best, most professional, most educational kids cruise program we have ever experienced. Maybe grandma can just go with you?!!

That sounds awesome! Kids are 5 and 9, will definitely keep it in mind in a few years. I really want to stay in an over-water bungalow on Bora Bora. It's crossed my mind to just take the kids, but when I picture it, it just doesn't seem as appealing.

 

[Amw1064]

Aulani and Oahu. Watch this and I do not need to explain. My 14 year old daughter made this from this past summer.

 

[starvenger]

We tried to have a romantic dinner one night and the speakers blasting a Kenny G wannabe were so loud we had to yell over it.

Wow, and I thought our GOB wannabe (complete with The Final Countdown) at Beaches was bad.

Aside from that I did enjoy Beaches, as did the kids.

 

[justme0729]

Aulani and Oahu. Watch this and I do not need to explain. My 14 year old daughter made this from this past summer.

Loved this video! Sold lol

 

[justme0729]

Thanks everyone for your awesome replies! Really made me think.... before I was of the mindset that we should maybe do Sandals because won’t be able to later but we also won’t be able to do all the exploring in Hawaii that we want to if we had kids with us so now I’m leaning towards Hawaii/ Aulani and later in life if we really want to do Sandals, we could probably do a long weekend or something. Thanks everyone!!!

 

[Shanti]

Let me start by saying that I love all things Disney. Cruises, parks - the more Disney the better. We stayed at Aulani over New Years —And will most likely not return. Definitely felt like our family had "outgrown" this particular resort. It was a perfect choice for younger families—but our dd13 and dd23 were too old for many of the activities. Save aulani for when you have kids and Choose a different Hawaii resort. the 4 seasons and the marriot are on either side of aulani—choose one and have dinner and a spa treatment at aulani. also be sure to visit maui. Hawaii is absolute paradise-plan a non disney trip this time and bring your kids back to aulani in a few years.

This.

OP, stay at a resort in beautiful southern Maui (Makena) for more of a couples experience, not at a family resort like Aulani. You'll have lots of time for family resorts once you have kids.

 

[justme0729]

This.

OP, stay at a resort in beautiful southern Maui (Makena) for more of a couples experience, not at a family resort like Aulani. You'll have lots of time for family resorts once you have kids.

We have DVC so to make it affordable, I think we have to do Aulani but we might add a few days at Maui

 

[starvenger]

Tbh I love Maui more than Oahu. Beaches are lovely and it’s not nearly as crowded. Also one of my favourite Top Cheftestants (Sheldon) has a restaurant there.

 

[Amw1064]

We have DVC so to make it affordable, I think we have to do Aulani but we might add a few days at Maui

It is so nice enjoying Aulani and only paying maybe $5 (Hawaiian tax or something) for the room each night. Since you have DVC use Aulani as your base and go from there.

 

[ElenaRN]

I'd vote for Hawaii. The airfare alone makes it harder to do once you have kids. Haven't been to Aulani yet, but been to Maui many times. It is so beautiful and there is so much to do. You can have an adventure packed trip (hiking, surfing, kayaking, biking down Haleakala to name a few) or a relaxing trip (sunbathing, swimming, visiting the lavender farm) or a little bit of both.

 

[Main Street Matilda]

As a parent that is about to be at the point where we can do the "grown up" things again, I'd recommend Aulani or another Hawaiian resort and here is why. When the kids are small, containment becomes important. You want to do things where you aren't constantly worried that your children will get bored or run off somewhere. You can do DCL or Beaches (Sandals for families) and still get a ton out of the experience while having kids clubs and child-oriented activities.

 

[abuck75]

While there are certainly people who lover Sandals type all-inclusives, and there is allure to knowing your cost up front and not feeling pressure about what you spend on vacation, I simply don't think they are that good in practice for longer trips, depending on personality.

Most of these resorts are in locations without a lot of areas to "explore" off-property, and while I enjoy drinks, sitting around a pool drinking all-day gets old (at least for me after a couple days). The food is normally decent, but once again for a longer trip, dining at that same restaurants can feel old.

Of the three, I'd definitely do Hawaii, but given that flight time I'd strongly consider splitting time at two islands (Aulani for a few days, and rent a condo on Maui or big island for a few days). Beautiful part of the world that will allow the same opportunity to relax as the caribbean for part of the trip, but more exploration/off-property options.

 

[Chemist]

I don't completely understand why everyone is talking about avoiding Hawaii with children.

We've been several times with our kids and have a lovely time! There's nothing they like better than playing at the beach. Except maybe eating shave ice.

We went to Aulani when my oldest was little and had a lovely time. That being said, I REALLY don't understand it as an adult-only destination. It is a lovely resort, don't get me wrong. But it is SO isolated from the rest of the island and the dining opportunities were relatively limited. We mostly went there because we had a small child and wanted "easy". It wasn't the slightest bit convenient to any of the "tourist" things on the island--Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, etc.

 

[starvenger]

Most of these resorts are in locations without a lot of areas to "explore" off-property, and while I enjoy drinks, sitting around a pool drinking all-day gets old (at least for me after a couple days).

There is definitely a level of truth to this, but similar to how you adjust your pace on a cruise ship, you do the same at a resort. Once you get that pace (which is probably slightly above the pace of a giant tortoise) adjusted, it's pretty easy to relax at a resort.

I don't completely understand why everyone is talking about avoiding Hawaii with children.

My kids love Hawaii as well, but it is costly, and don't forget that OP is looking at options pre-kids. So we're kind of weighing which options work better pre- or post-kids.

Except maybe eating shave ice.

And who doesn't love real deal (sorry, Fieri-ism) shave ice? Aside from those who have never had it?

We went to Aulani when my oldest was little and had a lovely time. That being said, I REALLY don't understand it as an adult-only destination. It is a lovely resort, don't get me wrong. But it is SO isolated from the rest of the island and the dining opportunities were relatively limited. We mostly went there because we had a small child and wanted "easy". It wasn't the slightest bit convenient to any of the "tourist" things on the island--Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, etc.

I think OP had DVC credits so Aulani makes a lot of sense for lodging. And without kids a longer drive isn't as big a factor anymore. With that said, we stayed on the North Shore with our kids, and any time we made our way down to Honolulu (or even the Costco) they took a nap.

 

[asamklove]

I’ve not been to Hawaii, but have been to a Sandals (preKIDS) & on 3 DCL cruises with kids - 2 nonDCL PRE-kids....loved Sandals...loved ALL 5 cruises
My thing - as someone from the other (kids) side - there is really nothing you CAN’T do when you have kids on a DCL. The nursery & kids’ clubs are great, so you can be free to do couples-only activities. Beaches resorts are a lot like Sandals, so that is another similar experience you CAN have with kids.
My kids are 6 & 8 (we are east coast) and are only now starting to consider Hawaii - due to flight times & we want to do it all with them when we are there! Lots of adventures/excursions/busy days that sometimes toddlers can’t roll with
I know one thing for sure - you’ve got 3 fabulous options & you WILL HAVE A BLAST!!!

 

[Rabb it]

I like the idea of Hawaii with no children. That isn't going to happen for a long time if you have little ones

 

[justme0729]

Of the three, I would do Aulani. DCL is super easy with kids, so that could definitely wait. I'm not a fan of the Sandals/Beaches brand. Disney Destinations, across the board, will offer a better experience than Sandals/Beaches IMHO. Especially with the long flight, I think Aulani is the way to go. We just did French Polynesia last year with DS (he was 9 at the time) and I literally waited almost a decade to go there because I knew he wouldn't have been able to handle the flight when he was younger (we flew out of NYC). I would also suggest considering French Polynesian over Hawaii especially as a an adults-only trip. We sailed on the Paul Gauguin and went to Moorea, Bora Bora and a few other islands. It was extraordinary.

I wish we could do Bora Bora. It looks amazing but when I try to price it out with flights and hotel, I don’t think we could do it. Luckily, we have DVC so hotel cost isn’t a big factor if we stay at Aulani.

 

[Pooh2]

We did Aulani for our 30th wedding anniversary. Best trip ever!!