How is this different from regular Hawaiian vacation or cruise line?

[old lady]

Are there any specifics or reasons?

 

[wendlle]

Our family visited Aulani last May and it was amazing. We were blown away by the service and amenities. It was hard to describe but the Disney magic was certainly there.
We actually didn't like the rest of our Hawaii vacation, we were so spoiled at Aulani the rest of the trip was not so good. You really get spoiled by the Disney service and standards and Aulani is top notch in both of those areas.
The beach was sparkling clean and you can get Dole Whip right there while watching the water, it was spectacular.
We were upgraded to an Ocean View room on check in which was totally unexpected, the CM's that work there are fantastic. If we were to ever go back to Hawaii, Aulani is the only place we would stay.
I've been on Disney Cruises and I'd say that Aulani was just as good, if not better mainly because you can still do your "own thing" if you want to. They had fantastic excursions you could take but you can easily just rent a car or hire a local company to take you.

 

[nkereina]

What do you mean how is it different from a "regular Hawaiian vacation"? Its not. Aulani is a resort, and no different than any of the other many resorts in Hawaii. Every resort has something they feature - at Aulani, its Disney and authenticity to the Hawaiian culture. They have great pools, food, and service but so do many of the other resorts around Hawaii.

I highly recommend exploring Oahu while staying at Aulani. I think one should have the desire to take a Hawaiian vacation and choose Aulani as their lodging, as opposed to having the desire to take an Aulani vacation and not leaving the resort. Even Disney planned Aulani with the thought in mind that many of their guests would be leaving the resort to explore the island, which is why there is often trouble with pool chair availability and why they have an onsite Alamo. So you can definitely do a "regular Hawaiian vacation" while enjoying Aulani at the same time.

 

[wendlle]

I'm not sure what it is like at peak times. But when we went in May there was an abundance of pool chairs and beach chairs/loungers.
We never had an issue getting chairs, lifejackets for our Daughter or using any of the facilities.

I have to say that we also spent half of our vacation at Waikiki and it was not good at all. If I was to ever go back to Hawaii, Aulani would be the ONLY place we stayed. I'd save for longer to spend the entire vacation there.

 

[amym2]

Goofy hanging out at the entrance to the lazy river or playing video games in the community hall, Hawaiian Disney music in the elevators, an interactive scavenger hunt around the resort. We never just stay at Aulani (although on our next trip we might since we’ve explored much of Oahu), but we absolutely enjoy coming back in the evening, sitting on our balcony, and listening to music down below.

We always combine Aulani with time on another island. We enjoy that part of the vacation as well, but there’s just something so magical about Aulani. Sounds hokey, but for us it’s true!

 

[keishashadow]

We always combine Aulani with time on another island. We enjoy that part of the vacation as well, but there’s just something so magical about Aulani. Sounds hokey, but for us it’s true!

This is what I am hoping for during upcoming trip! Experiencing a little Disney magic is always a very good thing in book

I want to soak up as much ‘hawaii’as I can during my first trip. My thoughts are that it necessitates escaping the Disney bubble.

I have booked a few days at Waikiki (mostly for excursion convenience) and then a cruise for a recon visit of sorts to determine which island we’d most enjoy spending more time the next go round

 

[orion2185]

We have found Aulani very similar to DCL.
Service is amazing
Aulani is also run by the same division that runs Cruise Line...so I think that's why we feel it's very similar.

Obviously DCL meals and some drinks are included in your cruise fair.
Aulani you pay out of pocket for all those expenses.
Which is really the only difference we really see.

Just like DCL there are activities should you wish to participate. So it's really up to you on how much or little you do

We have found that what we spend at Aulani and DCL is pretty comparable. That's without leaving Aulani to eat elsewhere.

 

[newdeal]

cruise is nothing like aulani...nothing at all. Cruise ship has included food, aulani does not, cruise has a tiny pool, aulani has multiple huge pools, cruise has evening entertainment included, aulani does not. There is literally nothing in common

As for how it differs from another hawaiian vacation, it doesn't, in hawaii its not about the hotel its about the island. Honolulu sucks so I would never suggest staying or even visiting there, however the Aulani experience wouldn't be that different from any other hotel in ko olina

That said, we stay at Aulani because we have dvc points so its not that expensive. We did a Disney cruise and I wouldnt be inclined to do another only because it is so overpriced imo. For a half to a third of the money you can do on another cruise line and get an experience that is 80-90% as good.

 

[princessbride6205]

Having stayed at larger resorts on Oahu before, what felt different at Aulani was a sense of place and less commercial feeling. I know Disney is still a business and is not the perfect representation of Hawaiian culture, but it felt much, much closer to authentic than the Hilton Hawaiian Village, for example.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Having stayed at larger resorts on Oahu before, what felt different at Aulani was a sense of place and less commercial feeling. I know Disney is still a business and is not the perfect representation of Hawaiian culture, but it felt much, much closer to authentic than the Hilton Hawaiian Village, for example.

Oh man. Hilton Hawaiian Village is SO commercialized. Didn't enjoy it at all.