The very best excursions at Aulani

[SL6827]

So what are some of the very best excursions at Aulani? Are there some that should be done directly with the resort or are there some that can be done on your own at a cheaper price?

 

[dreamit]

I can’t speak for directly through Aulani. I found their prices more expensive and they used outside vendors. The very best excursion we did was through Wild Side Specialty tours. They were excellent and worth every penny. We did the smaller group tour; though both tours offered are small in size. We snorkeled, saw humpback whales breach, swam with spinner dolphins, saw sea turtles and a humpback calf. April and the boat captain (can’t remember his name) were great and extremely professional and knowledgeable. They worked so hard to try to make the excursion as successful as possible given you’re at the mercy of nature. They personalized the tour for the interests of those participating and safety was a priority. We came across other tours in the water that day where there were easily 30-40 in the group and they were being hurried around like cattle. Wild Side was so peaceful and enjoyable. The tour launches a little north of Aulani on the leeward side of the island, but it still takes some time to get there because of stopsigns/lights along the way.

 

[Chemist]

I would never do a tour directly through the resort. (Even less so than for cruise lines.) With a small amount of research you can get a smaller group/higher quality for less money.

We did a catamaran/snorkel combination, I don't remember with what boat. We also took our rental car up and explored a beach at the north shore one day, that was excellent.

 

[dreamit]

We also did a guided kayaking tour through Kailua Beach Adventures. Well, my husband and daughter did it while I watched from the beach. Our first morning we drove to Kailua to watch the sunrise and then DH and DD kayaked with the guide out to Popoi’a (Flat Island) where they snorkeled and explored. Then they kayaked over to Lanikai Beach. The guide took a bunch of photos which he airdropped to me at the end. When I chickened out, the guide brought me a beach chair and waters so I loved my time just taking in all the beauty and activity going on at the beach (catamaran launches, etc.). I think I used a promo code for this tour. It was inexpensive and near two hours in length. We also did ziplining at CLIMB Works, which we all loved. (I did participate in this activity!)

 

[SL6827]

I would never do a tour directly through the resort. (Even less so than for cruise lines.) With a small amount of research you can get a smaller group/higher quality for less money.

Right, that is why I asked. I do know that you usually can save money doing it your self. But I will admit that I have read if you sail DCL to Jamaica and you want to do excursions there, it is best to go with DCL.

 

[dreamit]

Right, that is why I asked. I do know that you usually can save money doing it your self. But I will admit that I have read if you sail DCL to Jamaica and you want to do excursions there, it is best to go with DCL.

Most of the excursions offered through Aulani are the exact excursions you can book directly with the company offering the excursion. Booking through Aulani is not giving you an advantage, typically not even transportation to the location of the excursion.

 

[abdgeek]

So what are some of the very best excursions at Aulani? Are there some that should be done directly with the resort or are there some that can be done on your own at a cheaper price?

I have done several of the Aulani tours and some on my own booking independently with the tour company. In my experience, the cost has been pretty similar if not the same. I have chosen the Aulani tours for a variety of reasons, but below are some of mine:

1) Convenience. Most tours don’t pick up in Ko Olina, just Waikiki. During times when I haven’t rented a car, the Aulani tours were convenient because most of them picked up at the resort. That meant I didn’t have to drive to Waikiki to get the tour.

2) I wanted someone else to drive. I did the Circle Island tour with PCC the first time I visited Aulani. The main reason I did it was because we weren’t leaving Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) until after 9pm and it would be a 1+ hour drive back to the resort in the dark. Just about everyone was asleep on the bus back and the driver was definitely driving with purpose to get us back in the shortest amount of time possible.

3) I was ok scheduling my tours around the tour schedule. Aulani tours only leave on certain days of the week, not everyday like the ones in Waikiki. If you’re interested in a particular tour, go to the booking page and look at the available dates to see if the tour runs when you need it to.

4) Most tours require a minimum of 10 people to run. Sometimes you won’t know if the tour will run until the day before. However, before you book online you can call Aulani to see how many people are already booked. If not doing the activity will ruin your vacation, do it on your own.

5) Aulani ran two special tours that came with an ABD guide. I’ve taken ABD tours before, so this extra perk appealed to me. I think they still have the tours, but they aren’t immediately obvious on the excursion page.

Aulani uses the same tour companies for their excursions that you can book yourself. If you think you’ll want to spend more time at a site, do it on your own. There’s a lot you can do on your own, you just have to be willing to drive yourself and do the research to know how to do it. Good luck.

 

[nkereina]

If you have a car, it will likely be cheaper and give you more flexibility if you do them yourself. As PP mentioned above, there are virtually no tour vendors that offer transportation from the Ko Olina area, unless you book a tour with Aulani that specifically includes it.

I agree with PP about some of the pros of doing tours from the resort though. We did two separate tours from our hotel in Waikiki - one to Pearl Harbor and one to Diamond Head. We specifically chose these two as organized tours for a few reasons. With Pearl Harbor, the tour company facilitated your Arizona tour tickets, so you didn't have to worry about arriving early or trying to snag a tour time 60 days in advance. We knew in advance exactly how long our tour was so it was easier to plan our day. Also, parking can be a challenge at Pearl Harbor and the lots there are prone to theft so it was better not having to drive there. With Diamond Head, this is best done early in the morning and parking can be a challenge here too. With a tour, they dropped us off at the very start of the trail which avoided us having to park far away and walk a distance before even reaching the start of the trail. The tour guide met us at the top and pointed out some sites and also took the long way back to our hotel and pointed out things along the way, which was nice. As I mentioned, we did these from our hotel in Waikiki, but I believe Aulani has very similar tour offerings.

During our Aulani stay, we did the Dole Plantation and North Shore on our own and we did Kualoa Ranch on our own. For both of these, we wanted full flexibility to do what we wanted during the day. In the North Shore, we could spend as much or as little time as we wanted at Dole, stop wherever we felt like in the North Shore, eat where we wanted. At Kualoa, we didn't care for the tour packages offered so we booked our own and then had the whole afternoon to do what we wanted. Both areas were easy drives with enough parking. Worked out well.

 

[keikiworld]

check out manacruises.com

private cruise was enjoyable

 

[Networth]

The UTV tour at Kualoa ranch was pretty fantastic. Can't remember if I book that through the hotel though.

 

[SL6827]

I did see one on the Aulani site called the Majestic Circle Tour or something of that sorts. Looked great but at 10 hours? That is a bit much I think. Cut that one down to around 7 hours and I could take that.

 

[mrp4352]

We rented a car and drove ourselves around. Super easy and flexible. If you go that route, I would recommend Oahu Revealed by Andrew Doughty. It’s written by a local and wonderfully helpful!

 

[SL6827]

We rented a car and drove ourselves around. Super easy and flexible. If you go that route, I would recommend Oahu Revealed by Andrew Doughty. It’s written by a local and wonderfully helpful!

That is my plan now.

 

[cschaaf]

Right, that is why I asked. I do know that you usually can save money doing it your self. But I will admit that I have read if you sail DCL to Jamaica and you want to do excursions there, it is best to go with DCL.

Can't speak for Aulani, we've never been, but we did DCL to Jamaica and had no problem booking our own excursions. We found a private driver and had him take us to a plantation tour then to Blue Hole. We had planned to stop for some jerk chicken in the afternoon but were so tired, we had him just take us back to the ship. Yes, there is some risk involved in booking on your own, but those providers make their living on making sure people don't miss their boarding time. That said, things could happen that are out of their control.

On that same trip, we booked our own excursions on Cayman and Cozumel, too, and had no issues (and got more for our money).

It's not for everyone, though. We felt it was worth the (very small) risk, but if you'd be worried the whole day, you're probably better off booking through the cruise line.

 

[dprincessmom]

I can’t speak for directly through Aulani. I found their prices more expensive and they used outside vendors. The very best excursion we did was through Wild Side Specialty tours. They were excellent and worth every penny. We did the smaller group tour; though both tours offered are small in size. We snorkeled, saw humpback whales breach, swam with spinner dolphins, saw sea turtles and a humpback calf. April and the boat captain (can’t remember his name) were great and extremely professional and knowledgeable. They worked so hard to try to make the excursion as successful as possible given you’re at the mercy of nature. They personalized the tour for the interests of those participating and safety was a priority. We came across other tours in the water that day where there were easily 30-40 in the group and they were being hurried around like cattle. Wild Side was so peaceful and enjoyable. The tour launches a little north of Aulani on the leeward side of the island, but it still takes some time to get there because of stopsigns/lights along the way.

Do you mind providing ages for your group? I posted a thread tonight asking about experiences with this company and so glad I came across this post.

 

[dreamit]

Do you mind providing ages for your group? I posted a thread tonight asking about experiences with this company and so glad I came across this post.

We were two adults and a 13 yo. What I had read when researching was that the smaller tour size (I think 6 vs. 10) could work better with younger children simply because they can cater more to the kids. There’s good info on the company’s website to set expectations. We toured with 3 other adults (plus guide and boat captain). Our online form asked for our priorities with the tour and this was also covered at the start of the tour. They worked to ensure everyone was happy and satisfied. To add to what I previously posted, when snorkeling and when looking to swim to catch up with the dolphins, April swam with and kept the group together. A few times, my husband started going off in a different direction without realizing it, and April immediately swam over to get him back with the group. Swimming with dolphins was my daughter’s #1 desire. We accomplished everything but that as we neared the end of our scheduled time. They then worked diligently to find a school of dolphins and then spent considerable time catching up with and swimming with them. They weren’t rushing anything along. For the whale watching, we were on Oahu near the end of the humpback whale season. My understanding is that they’ll do all they can to ensure you see whales, ideally humpbacks if it’s the right season. April went into the water with what I’m going to call a microphone where we could then hear the whales. We later saw two whales breach and watched a mom with her calf for awhile. Over their radio, they’d learn of additional whale sightings and then head in that direction so we could catch sightings. It was an expensive experience, but of all the wonderful experiences we had on our trip this is the one that I’d most recommend.

 

[Pete W.]

So what are some of the very best excursions at Aulani? Are there some that should be done directly with the resort or are there some that can be done on your own at a cheaper price?

If your budget allows, l'd recommend a sunset cruise with Mana Cruises (manacruises.com) out of the Ko Olina Marina which is within walking distance from Aulani (or a <5 minute ride). This was one of the absolute highlights of our 2-week Hawaii trip in 2018. The cruise was 5-8:30pm in a luxury catamaran and they serve drinks and an excellent “pupu tasting menu” which was definitely a full meal. They only allow a maximum of 6 people on the cruise and on our night it was just us and one other couple (they still sail if they don’t meet the 6 passenger maximum) so it was really a wonderful, private experience. It cost $450 for the two of us but it looks like they've lowered their prices, probably because they're struggling to survive like most "non-essential" businesses. Trust me I've been a DVC and DISBoard member for over 20 years and I'm not a shill for any vendor so this is a genuine recommendation.

 

[dprincessmom]

We were two adults and a 13 yo. What I had read when researching was that the smaller tour size (I think 6 vs. 10) could work better with younger children simply because they can cater more to the kids. There’s good info on the company’s website to set expectations. We toured with 3 other adults (plus guide and boat captain). Our online form asked for our priorities with the tour and this was also covered at the start of the tour. They worked to ensure everyone was happy and satisfied. To add to what I previously posted, when snorkeling and when looking to swim to catch up with the dolphins, April swam with and kept the group together. A few times, my husband started going off in a different direction without realizing it, and April immediately swam over to get him back with the group. Swimming with dolphins was my daughter’s #1 desire. We accomplished everything but that as we neared the end of our scheduled time. They then worked diligently to find a school of dolphins and then spent considerable time catching up with and swimming with them. They weren’t rushing anything along. For the whale watching, we were on Oahu near the end of the humpback whale season. My understanding is that they’ll do all they can to ensure you see whales, ideally humpbacks if it’s the right season. April went into the water with what I’m going to call a microphone where we could then hear the whales. We later saw two whales breach and watched a mom with her calf for awhile. Over their radio, they’d learn of additional whale sightings and then head in that direction so we could catch sightings. It was an expensive experience, but of all the wonderful experiences we had on our trip this is the one that I’d most recommend.

Thank you for the extra follow up and time