Hoping to visit Oahu/Aulani this Spring. Please help

[greenkai3000]

Hey y’all,

DFW residents here. Would love to get help and suggestions for our first trip to Hawaii. Island hoping seems like too much of a hassle right now, due to COVID restrictions. So, we want to stick to just visiting Oahu attractions, including a short stay at Aulani.

Is April a good time to visit, weather and “crowds” wise? (Spring Break and Easter are just around the corner) I heard most touristy places (Polynesian Cultural Center, Dole, Kualoa Ranch, Pearl Harbor, etc) are open again? Also, has anyone from our area traveled to Hawaii recently? im trying to figure out what the most reliable (local) place for getting a COVID test within the 72 hr time frame is. CVS‘ testing website specifically says not to rely on a 72 hr window if we are traveling to HI, as they may be too busy. American Airlines has a testing program through some company called LetsGetChecked , but can’t seem to fund any reviews on it anywhere.

Finally, I’ve heard some DVC rental places online are now offering free cancellations if you book rooms through them and your plans change. Anyone used them before?

Thanks in advance

 

[GBRforWDW]

Joining in. We booked our first Hawaiian trip for September. My wife is a healthcare worker and was able to get vaccinated. Sounds like they’ll be allowing vaccinated travelers in without a test in the near future. Hopefully myself and our daughter can get the shot before the trip because this testing sounds like a nightmare situation for most. Hopefully someone has better insight.

for us, my wife is anti Aulani, at least for this trip. So we’re staying a couple nights downtown, our flight arrives late, so wanted a short drive at night. Then we’re heading north to an air bnb for 4nights. I’m interested in tours and/or sightseeing while DW mainly wants to chill on the beach. The Dole plantation looks cool and Pearl Harbor is a must for both of us, each having relatives stationed there during the attack. I’m also excited about checking out a luau to get into the culture.

As for DVC rentals, we used the dvc rental store for a trip to WDW in early January. I think I remember seeing some info come through email just before our trip that they were updating their policy for trip cancellation. I’m sure if you go through them, the sales person will discuss the current options, but trip cancellation protection might be worth it as well.

 

[jimmymc]

September and April are both good weather-wise. September will be low crowds, but check April for the Hawaii and California Spring Break schedules. A lot of people, including locals, will spend time at Aulani during holidays.

Basically all of the big tourist spots are open again. Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, Cultural Center, Kualoa Ranch, and Hanauma Bay are open.

Walgreens seems to be the best option for getting tests if the airport or airline doesn't have a program. Some locations have 24 hour tests.

Not sure about DVC rentals since I didn't stay at Aulani on my recent trip.

 

[braysmommy]

I second Walgreens ID Now test if it is available in your area (the red dot option on their Website). For Aulani you might want to try and avoid being there on the weekend as reports since reopening state it is often more crowded. We had rented DVC points for last May and had our deposit turned into a credit when everything closed down so you would need to check what cancellation policy would cover. We are traveling end of June for a week on Maui before spending time at Aulani and Waikiki. There is a lot of info on travel to Hawaii right now on trip advisor forums.

 

[hlrubin507]

Methodically go through the entire list of "trusted partners" of the State of Hawaii. I was able to locate ONE clinic in my area that has a qualified rapid test, results in 15 minutes (I am insured so my insurance paid). So easy! We did it 2 days prior to our flight, just in case our flight got cancelled or something, we would have that day buffer to re-book.

I have enjoyed the Ordinary Adventures (Youtube) series from their Oahu/Aulani visit last month. I just visited Aulani/Oahu a couple weeks ago and did most of the things they did, I found out (as I discovered the series on our last day there).

Most things are open although at the Dole Plantation, only the train is running (no maze). The Polynesian Cultural Center was NOT open. And of course, at Aulani, the kids club, spa, luau, and their signature (high end) restaurant are not open.

Kualoa Ranch was amazing (a beautiful 45-min drive from Aulani), as was the North Shore (traffic was a NIGHTMARE though), and another highlight of our trip was a snorkel/dolphin watching cruise we did out of Ko Olina Marina. Really, unforgettable.

Aulani is capped at 65% capacity right now and at they did hit that on Thursday-Saturday nights when we were there (locals). Sunday through Wednesday was more chill but at 65% capacity crowds aren't really a driving concern, other than the lines for the elevator in the evenings I expect tourism will not be in full swing again until the end of this year or 2022 so it's a really nice time to be there.

FWIW we spent 7 nights at Aulani and 1 night at Waikiki and all of it was great. I would not have wanted less time at Aulani or more time at Waikiki, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Budzooka]

Jumping in this thread, as we are heading to Oahu for the first time in July (also from DFW). We are staying 4 nights at Aulani and 3 nights in Wakiki Beach area. We are DVC owners and using 3 years of points to bring my wife’s brother and their 4 kids as well. We were supposed to do this trip in 2020, but we know how that went.

We just booked this trip last week after our cruise was cancelled, so haven’t gotten very far in the planning. Haven’t at all looked into testing. Am hopeful more will open up on the island over the next few months.

 

[greenkai3000]

Methodically go through the entire list of "trusted partners" of the State of Hawaii. I was able to locate ONE clinic in my area that has a qualified rapid test, results in 15 minutes (I am insured so my insurance paid). So easy!
WOAH! 15 min results? Who did your testing?

I have enjoyed the Ordinary Adventures (Youtube) series from their Oahu/Aulani visit last month. I just visited Aulani/Oahu a couple weeks ago and did most of the things they did, I found out (as I discovered the series on our last day there).
I ABSOLUTELY love their channel and I am obsessed with their HAWAII videos as well. I want to do everything they did, and go everywhere they went.

Most things are open although at the Dole Plantation, only the train is running (no maze). The Polynesian Cultural Center was NOT open. And of course, at Aulani, the kids club, spa, luau, and their signature (high end) restaurant are not open.

Kualoa Ranch was amazing (a beautiful 45-min drive from Aulani), as was the North Shore (traffic was a NIGHTMARE though), and another highlight of our trip was a snorkel/dolphin watching cruise we did out of Ko Olina Marina. Really, unforgettable.

Aulani is capped at 65% capacity right now and at they did hit that on Thursday-Saturday nights when we were there (locals). Sunday through Wednesday was more chill but at 65% capacity crowds aren't really a driving concern, other than the lines for the elevator in the evenings I expect tourism will not be in full swing again until the end of this year or 2022 so it's a really nice time to be there.

FWIW we spent 7 nights at Aulani and 1 night at Waikiki and all of it was great. I would not have wanted less time at Aulani or more time at Waikiki, but that's just my opinion.

 

[DVC Doctor]

Finally, I’ve heard some DVC rental places online are now offering free cancellations if you book rooms through them and your plans change. Anyone used them before?

I am not sure of any DVC rentals that offer free cancellations "get all your money back" but think it simply means free rebooking a different time.

DVC is a form of points currency that lasts about 12 months and when you go 1 day past the expiration date, they are worthless.

As for DVC rentals, we used the dvc rental store for a trip to WDW in early January. I think I remember seeing some info come through email just before our trip that they were updating their policy for trip cancellation. I’m sure if you go through them, the sales person will discuss the current options, but trip cancellation protection might be worth it as well.

I STRONGLY advise triple check any trip cancellation protection as there are LOTS of Covid exclusions, in fact, I had a $6,000 VRBO trip planned for Napa California over christmas and bought the VRBO insurance and when the governor locked the state down three days before my trip the insurance would not pay as that was an exclusion. So I challenges the rental on my AmX and won (thankfully) but could have lost $6,000 and I did everything correct in my planning. The cancellation policies are like 15 pages long with lots of legal terms that make it difficult to determine coverage. Simply ask in writing the covid coverage or exclusions.

 

[Buzzster]

We are thinking Hawaii as well after our Greek Isles cruise was cancelled. Gonna start at Waikiki, then Maul and hopefully back to Aulani bu we’ll see. Anybody have a good Waikiki Hotel recommendation?

 

[nkereina]

We are thinking Hawaii as well after our Greek Isles cruise was cancelled. Gonna start at Waikiki, then Maul and hopefully back to Aulani bu we’ll see. Anybody have a good Waikiki Hotel recommendation?

We did the same thing - book-ended our trip with stays on Oahu and island hopped in between. For us, coming from the east coast, it was cheaper and easier to do roundtrip Honolulu flights. This also allowed us to avoid needing a rental car during Waikiki, and only have one during the Aulani portion of our stay.

We stayed at the Waikiki Beach Marriott which was perfect for what we were looking for. Its directly across the street from the beach, on the main strip of Waikiki. It was a hotel for us, rather than a resort, but we didn't care about any amenities because our time during that part of our stay was spent exploring. There was an ABC Store essentially in front of it for anything you may need, and a Wolfgang Puck Express across the street for a quick meal or breakfast. We chose the Marriott because it was centrally located making for easy walks along the strip and easy use of the trolley. They also have a "tour lobby" which made it easy to utilize the many organized bus tour offerings, which we did to Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. We would stay here again, but we also enjoyed the Moana Surfrider which is beautiful and unique, and beachfront if that's something you're looking for. Many recommend the Hilton Hawaiian Village - beautiful resort, but it was too far at the end of the strip to make it convenient, and we didn't want a large and sprawling resort for that part of our stay.. We were utilizing Aulani for resort time.

 

[tankin]

Joining in. We booked our first Hawaiian trip for September. My wife is a healthcare worker and was able to get vaccinated. Sounds like they’ll be allowing vaccinated travelers in without a test in the near future. Hopefully myself and our daughter can get the shot before the trip because this testing sounds like a nightmare situation for most. Hopefully someone has better insight.

for us, my wife is anti Aulani, at least for this trip. So we’re staying a couple nights downtown, our flight arrives late, so wanted a short drive at night. Then we’re heading north to an air bnb for 4nights. I’m interested in tours and/or sightseeing while DW mainly wants to chill on the beach. The Dole plantation looks cool and Pearl Harbor is a must for both of us, each having relatives stationed there during the attack. I’m also excited about checking out a luau to get into the culture.

As for DVC rentals, we used the dvc rental store for a trip to WDW in early January. I think I remember seeing some info come through email just before our trip that they were updating their policy for trip cancellation. I’m sure if you go through them, the sales person will discuss the current options, but trip cancellation protection might be worth it as well.

Keep in mind that according to recent news, May is the earliest that the vaccine waiver will go in to place for travel from the mainland. From what I saw, you have to have both doses plus a time period (last news I saw was prior to this weekend so not sure about J&J vaccine). Also, only one of the vaccines is approved for minors and then only 16+ (not sure the age of your daughter) not sure if that approval will go thru before you travel.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Keep in mind that according to recent news, May is the earliest that the vaccine waiver will go in to place for travel from the mainland. From what I saw, you have to have both doses plus a time period (last news I saw was prior to this weekend so not sure about J&J vaccine). Also, only one of the vaccines is approved for minors and then only 16+ (not sure the age of your daughter) not sure if that approval will go thru before you travel.

Yep, we'll be watching closely. I know they're starting trials on younger kids, but who knows how soon that'll be ready. We'll do the testing if need be, just hoping we don't have to.

 

[braysmommy]

We are thinking Hawaii as well after our Greek Isles cruise was cancelled. Gonna start at Waikiki, then Maul and hopefully back to Aulani but we’ll see. Anybody have a good Waikiki Hotel recommendation?

Right now with restrictions around testing you might want to start on Maui and save Oahu for last. If you go Waikiki, Maui, Aulani you would have to test on Oahu prior to flying to Maui due to current inter island restrictions.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Right now with restrictions around testing you might want to start on Maui and save Oahu for last. If you go Waikiki, Maui, Aulani you would have to test on Oahu prior to flying to Maui due to current inter island restrictions.

The state government is looking to change this soon, but definitely something to think about until it actually happens.