First Trip to Hawaii....lots of questions???

[Princess Merida]

If ziplining is something you would all like this, this was a blast!
https://www.climbworks.com/keana_Farms/

We will check into this! Thanks!

If you have the DVC points for it, staying at Aulani is a great option. The 1 bedroom villas are pretty large, and there are some great Island Garden view rooms you can request to help you stretch your points while still having a great trip.

Do you know what request is best if I am able to land one of these rooms?

Almost all advice I have gotten is to rent a car (especially if you are staying at Aulani on points), so we are doing that.

I've seen a lot of people say it's very expensive to rent a car so we were going to use Uber/Lyft. If you don't mind sharing do you remember what you paid for the week? Car type?

 

[jimmymc]

Do you know what request is best if I am able to land one of these rooms?

These rooms face the luau and still let you see the ocean in the distance, along with other resorts and lagoons:



These rooms give you a view towards the island. Higher up rooms let you see further and are quieter:



And these ones don't have the best view, but they're close to the quiet pool and spa:



The inside of the U are all poolside and ocean view rooms, which are the two most expensive categories.

 

[J-Dog]

I've seen a lot of people say it's very expensive to rent a car so we were going to use Uber/Lyft. If you don't mind sharing do you remember what you paid for the week? Car type?

I guess it depends on what you consider expensive. We go through Hertz just because we get a slight discount through our credit card, but we paid about $900 for 9 days in a "Luxury 7-passenger SUV". I'm sure a smaller car would be even cheaper than that. That's not any more expensive than we routinely pay for the same amount of time in Orlando.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

We will check into this! Thanks!

Do you know what request is best if I am able to land one of these rooms?

I've seen a lot of people say it's very expensive to rent a car so we were going to use Uber/Lyft. If you don't mind sharing do you remember what you paid for the week? Car type?

I don't think its expensive at all to rent a car for a week in Hawaii. There are many other places that is way more. We got a mini van for aboug $450 and a mid size car for $285 through costco for week in May.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I would stay the whole week at Aulani rather than split stay. I don't feel Oahu is big enough to warrant a split stay. Aulani is within 30-45 of most major tourist destinations as long as you plan around rush hours or weekends on the North Shore. I am not a city person on vacation, so Waikiki was not my cup of tea. Since we've visited Oahu on multiple trips, we generally skip Waikiki. Waikiki feels like visiting Southern California beach cities or Miami with the traffic, typical chain stores and restaurants, police sirens, and loud rap music. I was satisfied visiting Waikiki for a few hours to eat dinner, see the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the main beach, and visit some unique shops. Since I love Disney Resorts, I know I would be let down staying in Waikiki unless maybe at the beginning of the trip if you don't have enough points for your entire stay at Aulani.

I would rent a car rather than rely on Rideshare. I've spent between $200 (2023 trip) and $800 (2021 trip) per week in mid-August.

I love visiting Pearl Harbor as a proud grandchild of WWII Veterans. I see one PH museum per trip; visiting all the PH museums may be overkill.

Food: I love Japanese food in Oahu, such as Marugame Udon in Waikiki, Kazoku, Tanaka Ramen, Curry House Ichibanya in Kapolei, and Kikuya in Honolulu.

I also liked the Mexican restaurant Mekiko, which is across the street from Aulani. It was reasonably priced compared to other restaurants around Ko Olina.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I paid $830 for a minivan for 10 days in March 2023, very reasonable. We had free parking in Waikiki at our hotel and then didn’t pay parking at Aulani either because of renting DVC points.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

We had free parking in Waikiki at our hotel and then didn’t pay parking at Aulani either because of renting DVC points.

Free parking in Waikiki is a rarity these days. Most resorts are running about $45 per night, so it’s a pretty big perk when it is free. The Surfjack is the only one I can think of who doesn’t charge, so definitely pay attention to the add on charges for any hotel. (Many on the hotels on the fringes of Waikiki don’t charge - so closer to Ala Moana).

The going rate this May seems to be around $45 per day for a standard rental. Less for an economy car, more for a larger capacity vehicle. We lucked out and found a Tesla 3 for $35 a day.

 

[bbn1122]

Going for the first time in early September. Booked a 2 bedroom Island view for 7 nights. Choose Island to max my points.
I want to be fresh when I hit Aulani, so I have my family coming in a day early and staying an extra night.
I just booked airfare on Delta out of JFK non-stop. We are arriving on a Friday and flying out the following Sunday at 5pm. This gives us 8 full days in Hawai’i and 2 1/2 days.
We are looking to enjoy the resort but also get out and see the beauty and history of Oahu!
I will definitely be piggybacking on your thread to see all the great advice that you get. I have been on the DisBoards for over 10 years and this community never disappoints!!

Aloha!

 

[nycdisneygal]

We love Waikiki but we are from NYC. We loved the convenience of walking around. The evenings were lively. We just did a split stay - Waikiki and then Ko Olina (FS not Aulani). While in Waikiki we walked to many of the places to eat and walked to the aquarium etc.
Our last trip we did Polynesian culture center and loved it so much we went back to experience the islands again. Last time we hiked diamond head. This time we did Makapu'u lighthouse trail which was great and Waimea Valley trail when we did the north shore. We did Dole plantation again this time. My daughter who is graduating this year really liked the Honolulu museum of art a lot. Oh we booked a private small yacht tour. It was great ! Have fun! I thought Hawaii was a one and done for me when we went 2 yrs ago but as you see it wasnt!

 

[monsterkitty]

Not a popular opinion, but I would stay at Aulani for the 3-5 days and then fly to another island for the remainder of the trip.

Our favorites are the Big Island and Kauai, but with teens I would look into Maui. Kauai is more laid back than the other islands so not sure your teens would enjoy that.