WDW vs. Aulani?

How did I miss this! LOL. Went to DTD this week and totally missed this thread, thanks to @theluckyrabbit for starting this! Since DL does not look like it will open for December, we asked our kids tonight what they would prefer. WDW or Aulani. They picked WDW. So now I am diving into planning since none of us have been. Won't lie, my type A planner self is freaking out a bit. LOL. Also secretly hoping some miracle happens and DL announces an opening date before we book our flights....

Looking at Coronado springs....or possibly a very close offsite hotel. Super overwhelmed looking though. Any tips, tricks, thoughts, insights are welcome! Thanks!
You will love Coronado springs. I stayed there back in January in the tower. Our room overlooked the water and we could see fireworks from our room! Its priced as a moderate but has a deluxe feel. Only negative would be is that it doesn’t look Disney. Think fancy Vegas hotel with a Spanish theme to it. No characters running around or character meals. And it’s closer to AK.
 
That's interesting to hear. Thanks for the info. I'll keep my eye on weekday waits and keep in mind the discrepancy.
I was at WDW 2 weeks ago and agree. Actual waits were shorter than what was posted and lines moved quickly with no FPs coming in to slow it down. The only time the lines stopped was if we hit a cleaning cycle. I booked another trip for early November which would be my 3rd trip since they reopened.
 


For those debating WDW, I recommend booking any dining you’re interested in asap so you have it. That’s what I just did and I was surprised to see so much unavailable (Oga’s Cantina and the Minnie xmas character dining especially!).

+1 to this. I totally forgot to look for dining until like 50 days out from our trip. Normally you would still have some good options but almost nothing is available. Luckily through refreshing multiple times a day I have gotten Oga's cantina, Be Our Guest, & Via Napoli on the days we are going to those parks. Even got the Minnie's hollywood and vine but probably going to cancel that one (1:05 on 11/14 if anyone wants it).
 
I think they will still push to open Nov 1st. I just think they are trying to get the miles restriction lifted. At this point I think I am going to just go to WDW sometime. Southwest has some pretty cheap flights from the Bay Area to Orlando for November.

Definitely some good deals on SW right now. We are flying round trip from Portland to MCO and back for 19k points total in November! I booked that a while ago though. Thats like $285 round trip @1.5 cents a point for 2x adults! (and another ~$25 in taxes)
 
Definitely some good deals on SW right now. We are flying round trip from Portland to MCO and back for 19k points total in November! I booked that a while ago though. Thats like $285 round trip @1.5 cents a point for 2x adults! (and another ~$25 in taxes)

Yeah. I have seen as low as $89 each way from San Jose to MCO. I normally would never go for less then a week but with some of those great DVC deals and even with the Vacation Package they have right now its not bad at all
 


I guess it is finally time to cancel hotel and airline tickets for my October trip. My heart is broken, as shallow as it might sound. There are so many more serious things going on, but this was my way of getting thru all the “hard stuff“ in life right now. My fingers are crossed so hard for December. I wish I could do WDW....just not as option this year. 😢
 
I guess it is finally time to cancel hotel and airline tickets for my October trip. My heart is broken, as shallow as it might sound. There are so many more serious things going on, but this was my way of getting thru all the “hard stuff“ in life right now. My fingers are crossed so hard for December. I wish I could do WDW....just not as option this year. 😢

WDW is really affordable right now and you can get an offsite hotel for pretty cheap. Flights are cheap too. Cost us less to fly to WDW then it normally costs us to fly to LAX. Might be worth looking into before completely ruling it out.
 
Question, can you get a DVC room if you aren't DVC? I am checking the website, but can't figure it out.
 
WDW is really affordable right now and you can get an offsite hotel for pretty cheap. Flights are cheap too. Cost us less to fly to WDW then it normally costs us to fly to LAX. Might be worth looking into before completely ruling it out.

I considered This and still and am for Jan. The part I’m struggling with is a 5 hour flight vs 6 hour drive Or 1 hour flight, plus the time change. The earliest I can get to MCO is 4:30 PM unless I do a red eye. We were planning on flying in early Fri morning and home late Sunday night with 3 park days and only one day off. To get three park days at WDW, it really becomes aT least a 4 day trip. 2-3 days of Covid sub plans has me 😭😭😭 So.... we will probably wait. This is for Jan- moves from Sept. This is my mother/son 10 year old bday trip!
 
Question, can you get a DVC room if you aren't DVC? I am checking the website, but can't figure it out.
Yes. You just pay cash. We did that at Aulani. We got a 2 bedroom villa and split it with my parents. To be fair, I did not look at this option at WDW since we are trying to be more budget savvy since we have to pay for flights now (we drive to DL normally).
 
I think we are going to book our hotel at WDW. Kinda don’t want to book flights until next week, to see if the state makes any announcements about theme parks. Hoping we can just go to DL in December. But we will see.
 
I think we are going to book our hotel at WDW. Kinda don’t want to book flights until next week, to see if the state makes any announcements about theme parks. Hoping we can just go to DL in December. But we will see.
That's me. I am holding out until the last possible moment. I'm still keeping a close eye on WDW operations so I know what is happening out there. My original plan was to do WDW in January, but am willing to push it back some.
 
Question, can you get a DVC room if you aren't DVC? I am checking the website, but can't figure it out.

Another option to get DVC accommodations if you are 100% certain you are going, is to either check the DVC rental sites for heavily discounted reservations or rent distressed points (will depend on availability). The severe downside/ major risk is that these options are non refundable. But again, you can get amazing deals; especially last minute! Keep an eye on the DVC rent/trade thread and of course all the rental sites if you have any interest.
 
Another option to get DVC accommodations if you are 100% certain you are going, is to either check the DVC rental sites for heavily discounted reservations or rent distressed points (will depend on availability). The severe downside/ major risk is that these options are non refundable. But again, you can get amazing deals; especially last minute! Keep an eye on the DVC rent/trade thread and of course all the rental sites if you have any interest.
That is good to know! I am the queen of last minute trips lol When I went to WDW earlier this year I literally didn't buy my plane ticket until maybe 2 weeks before lol
 
Just a tip for this considering WDW. Head to the Disney Resorts: Disney Discounts section of the Dis. We were able to get some awesome deals with the Priceline tips for AKL for $200 last year. Lots of great deals if you know how to search.

We booked Aulani for the same days if our DL December trip. Hoping on takes place.
 
I just priced flights to WDW for November. I have never been as we are AP holders for Disneyland and live in Northern CA. If Newsom is going to be this difficult I might book WDW.
Grab dining now. Seriously. It’s harder than I expected for my mid-Nov trip & you can cancel if you don’t end up needing it at no penalty.
 

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