I've used this board for information in the past in planning my family's Disney Cruises, trips to Disney World, and last week's trip to Aulani. I wanted to pay it forward a bit in case others are planning an Aulani trip in this (hopefully waning) era of covid and were interested in our thoughts and experiences. I know I learned some invaluable stuff reading the board!
First, we have a family of 4, with two little girls ages 8 and 9. My father went with us (age 73) so we had a total of 5 people. We aren't DVC, and I wouldn't describe us as huge Disney people. We really like Disney's attention to detail, service, and of course family atmosphere.
Arrival/Testing
Despite about 5 panic attacks, this went really smoothly. We used Walgreens ID Now and had results back in two hours. Last leg of our flight left at 10am EST, and my family tested about 12:30 CST 3 days (just under 70 hours) before. When the tests came back, it had a Pacific time zone stamp and this worried me (it read as 9:30 PST and our last flight was 10 AM EST), but the screener didn't care and didn't look at anything other than the date. The line to see the Safe Travels screener was long, but it moves very quickly.
Car Rental/Driving
What you hear about rental car prices right now is true. I paid $700 for a Chevy Blazer for the week. Overall, it was more than worth it with the amount of driving we did but still a hefty toll. And I'm going to drop some knowledge on you if you don't already know: while navigating Oahu is easy (only 3 major highways),everyone drives like they are really old, really drunk, or just learning to drive. As a bonus, the speed limit on the highway fluctuates between 40-60, they'll throw in some confusing "double lines" between lanes (as in you can't change lanes with the flow of traffic on the highway). As a super extra bonus: you guys know those convenient exit signs that will tell you if there's gas or food off an exit? Let me disabuse you of the notion right now that exists on Oahu. Nary a one. So, while I would ABSOLUTELY rent a car, just wanted to drop a warning there is a learning curve.
Restaurant Wins:
We didn't dine a ton on property because Ama Ama is closed and Makahiki has a weird menu right now that looked a little expensive for what it is...but we found the book Oahu Revealed to be an incredible source. Legends Seafood in Chinatown may have been the best meal we had. Nico's pier was amazing, and best meal of the week was Buzz's Original Steakhouse in Kailua. The deli at the ABC Island market across the street was also very good. Giovanni's shrimp truck was good, as was Matsumoto's (but world's best? I don't know..). The food in Oahu was really good. Even the poke bowls at Aulani were delicious, IMO.
Restaurant Fails:
I beg of you not to go to Monkeypod. It was just the most average meal I may have ever had, with the benefit of waiting 2 hours and being super expensive for what it was. This was the only restaurant fail of the week.
Sightseeing Wins:
There were no fails. Diamond Head, North Shore (Waimea Falls hike), Bishop Museum, Waikiki - all very cool. What a beautiful island with accessible hikes. My Dad wasn't able to do Diamond Head as it's strenuous (I'd say a 6 year old can do it but over 70 you'd need to be in great shape). Consistent rainbows, just lush and vibrant and really everything I imagined. Nothing disappointed.
Thoughts on Property:
I'm probably going to hurt some feelings here, but the property didn't feel like a Disney property to me. And that's fine, like I said we aren't huge Disney people. It feels like nice hotel someone put the Disney name on. Maybe it would be different non-covid. Aunty's Beach House wasn't a loss for us as my kids don't love kid's clubs.
Overall, I am thrilled to have gone. Happy to answer any questions for anyone with an upcoming trip!
First, we have a family of 4, with two little girls ages 8 and 9. My father went with us (age 73) so we had a total of 5 people. We aren't DVC, and I wouldn't describe us as huge Disney people. We really like Disney's attention to detail, service, and of course family atmosphere.
Arrival/Testing
Despite about 5 panic attacks, this went really smoothly. We used Walgreens ID Now and had results back in two hours. Last leg of our flight left at 10am EST, and my family tested about 12:30 CST 3 days (just under 70 hours) before. When the tests came back, it had a Pacific time zone stamp and this worried me (it read as 9:30 PST and our last flight was 10 AM EST), but the screener didn't care and didn't look at anything other than the date. The line to see the Safe Travels screener was long, but it moves very quickly.
Car Rental/Driving
What you hear about rental car prices right now is true. I paid $700 for a Chevy Blazer for the week. Overall, it was more than worth it with the amount of driving we did but still a hefty toll. And I'm going to drop some knowledge on you if you don't already know: while navigating Oahu is easy (only 3 major highways),everyone drives like they are really old, really drunk, or just learning to drive. As a bonus, the speed limit on the highway fluctuates between 40-60, they'll throw in some confusing "double lines" between lanes (as in you can't change lanes with the flow of traffic on the highway). As a super extra bonus: you guys know those convenient exit signs that will tell you if there's gas or food off an exit? Let me disabuse you of the notion right now that exists on Oahu. Nary a one. So, while I would ABSOLUTELY rent a car, just wanted to drop a warning there is a learning curve.
Restaurant Wins:
We didn't dine a ton on property because Ama Ama is closed and Makahiki has a weird menu right now that looked a little expensive for what it is...but we found the book Oahu Revealed to be an incredible source. Legends Seafood in Chinatown may have been the best meal we had. Nico's pier was amazing, and best meal of the week was Buzz's Original Steakhouse in Kailua. The deli at the ABC Island market across the street was also very good. Giovanni's shrimp truck was good, as was Matsumoto's (but world's best? I don't know..). The food in Oahu was really good. Even the poke bowls at Aulani were delicious, IMO.
Restaurant Fails:
I beg of you not to go to Monkeypod. It was just the most average meal I may have ever had, with the benefit of waiting 2 hours and being super expensive for what it was. This was the only restaurant fail of the week.
Sightseeing Wins:
There were no fails. Diamond Head, North Shore (Waimea Falls hike), Bishop Museum, Waikiki - all very cool. What a beautiful island with accessible hikes. My Dad wasn't able to do Diamond Head as it's strenuous (I'd say a 6 year old can do it but over 70 you'd need to be in great shape). Consistent rainbows, just lush and vibrant and really everything I imagined. Nothing disappointed.
Thoughts on Property:
I'm probably going to hurt some feelings here, but the property didn't feel like a Disney property to me. And that's fine, like I said we aren't huge Disney people. It feels like nice hotel someone put the Disney name on. Maybe it would be different non-covid. Aunty's Beach House wasn't a loss for us as my kids don't love kid's clubs.
Overall, I am thrilled to have gone. Happy to answer any questions for anyone with an upcoming trip!