Why Aulani?

[Julie Amber]

Forgive the ignorance. I've never been to Hawaii... What are the benefits of staying at Aulani when going to Hawaii vs staying at just a regular Marriott or something? Aren't most of the things you want to see in Hawaii not at the resort? Now, I do love Disney. I have been to Disney World twice in the last 6 months. But how much time do you actually spend at Aulani compared to everywhere else you want to see?

 

[OKW Lover]

We love Aulani because its a great place to relax. Its steeped in Hawaiian culture. You can still easily do everything on the island and come back to a restful resort.

 

[OKW Lover]

Put another way, after sightseeing would you rather come back to a big hotel in the middle of a busy city or a quiet resort?

 

[Julia M]

We are doing a split stay.........at the Marriott just across the street from Waikiki Beach for the first couple of days. That's when we'll sight see (Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc). Then moving to Aulani, to enjoy the resort and the amenities. I think Aulani is too expensive to stay at and be gone all day. JMHO.

 

[Daisy7425]

We chose Aulani because of the amazing pool and the quality that Disney brings. We had an awesome experience at our first trip to WDW, great service, delicious food, we felt the magic. We chose Aulani hoping that the quality of service would continue. It was a perfect fit for our family. I did a ton of research and didn't find anything that was exactly what we wanted besides Aulani - in our price range (surprisingly there were a few resorts that had what we wanted but were more expensive than Aulani), had on-site childcare and outstanding pool. The childcare was really the tipping point for us.

We were there for 7 days. For 4 of the days, we didn't leave the resort. The other 3, we saw Pearl Harbor, the north shore and did a tour. As a family, we have stayed at some amazing places and Aulani is at the top of our list.

 

[Julie Amber]

We are doing a split stay.........at the Marriott just across the street from Waikiki Beach for the first couple of days. That's when we'll sight see (Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc). Then moving to Aulani, to enjoy the resort and the amenities. I think Aulani is too expensive to stay at and be gone all day. JMHO.

That seems like a great plan

 

[Timandalicia]

Forgive the ignorance. I've never been to Hawaii... What are the benefits of staying at Aulani when going to Hawaii vs staying at just a regular Marriott or something? Aren't most of the things you want to see in Hawaii not at the resort? Now, I do love Disney. I have been to Disney World twice in the last 6 months. But how much time do you actually spend at Aulani compared to everywhere else you want to see?

Half the stuff you want to do is off the resort. The other half nobody does better than Disney. Service, ease of access, and the authentic Hawaiian experience.

 

[jodybird511]

I agree with what others have said--the reason we chose Aulani was because we were looking for Disney service. The service is why we return to Disney year after year, and that Disney service is what you get at Aulani. Sure, there are touches of Disney at Aulani, but it's really about the way you are treated as a guest, IMO

 

[tidefan]

Quite honestly, if all you were going to do was mostly around the island (and not in Waikiki), you may consider something like Turtle Bay on the North Shore. Or, for your island adventure time just stay at the Embassy in Kapolei and save some $$...

 

[slpybeartx]

Disney Fan AND a huge fan of Hawaii. There is no Aulani on the Big Island. There is no Aulani on Maui. So we don't stay at Aulani.

We have done the requisite stays on Oahu... Pearl Harbour, North Shore, Dole, Waikiki, etc. But we have enjoyed other islands so much more than Oahu. Haleakala, Hapuna Beach, Waimea and the Upcountry, HVNP, Hana Road, snorkling Molikini, Waipo Valley and Black sand beaches... There is SOOOO MUCH to do that we would rate much better than Oahu. Our suggestion is always to spend a few days on Oahu on your first trip. But at least spend 4 days or more on another island.

YMMV.

 

[nkereina]

Forgive the ignorance. I've never been to Hawaii... What are the benefits of staying at Aulani when going to Hawaii vs staying at just a regular Marriott or something? Aren't most of the things you want to see in Hawaii not at the resort? Now, I do love Disney. I have been to Disney World twice in the last 6 months. But how much time do you actually spend at Aulani compared to everywhere else you want to see?

You are correct - any hotel/resort you stay at in Hawaii should be a home base while exploring the islands. IMO, there's not a single hotel in Hawaii that is a destination in and of itself - Hawaii is the destination. But, that doesn't mean you don't want to stay at a nice resort with amenities as well. Inevitably, you'll want some down time to relax and will still likely have some meals or time there even if you do plan outings each day.

IMO, the resort is best suited for families and/or Disney fanatics. You know you will get the Disney service and detail there, along with unique activities that keep kids occupied. DH and I stayed there on our honeymoon because we are Disney fanatics. There are definitely beautiful Marriotts and other chains around, but the Disney touches of Aulani make it unique for those who appreciate Disney. Its not uncommon for people that are ambivalent or indifferent towards Disney to be disappointed with the resort, because its really no grander or more special than comparably priced resorts.

Another thing to consider is that Aulani is in an isolated community in Ko Olina. Its not the most conducive to touring the island, and you're susceptible to the traffic since there's essentially one way in and one way out. We had 6 days at Aulani with 3 days planned as outings and 3 days planned at the resort, and that was perfect. But if we had done anymore touring, I may have wanted a better location. We also spent 3 nights in Waikiki, which had a very different vibe and made it easy to plan our touring between locations as well.

 

[Jimmynguyen77]

We do split stays the last few times we went. First four nights somewhere busy and lots to do. Then last 2-3 nights at Aulani to relax. It works out for the family.

 

[mrp4352]

For us, cost plays into it - we're DVC, so (understanding all the ongoing cost of timeshare) Aulani is a better deal. That said - our first trip, we stayed exclusively on Oahu, we felt like there was enough to do/see there for the week and still have a day or two that were exclusive resort time. it' also gave us the opportunity to dip our toes into the sand (so to speak) with a place we've never been, but still retain a level of comfort knowing we'd have Disney service to support our trip if there were issues.

For our next trip - we're braver! We're doing a split stay between Hawaii and Oahu (mostly Hawaii). Quite honestly - the resort and luau (oh please be back on by Sept of 2022) were the only reasons we aren't spending the whole week on the big island or splitting between it and Kauai. It was lovely and relaxing!!

 

[cgattis]

Not to be a nosy rosy, but your avatar pic seems to show 5 of you. Only 4 of us, but DS and DD can’t sleep together anymore without fighting (she kicks LOL), so we need 3 sleeping surfaces. As another poster said, Aulani is actually cheaper than other places I found with that kind of space. (I don’t do condos, and definitely not after the Covid cancellation fiascos I read about, but I’m sure plenty of folks will say that’s a more cost-effective option.) Also as a couple of posters said, yes, you’re going to want to spend half or more of your time away, so if you can find a cheaper option for those days, and then relax at Aulani, that’s a great option (and what we did). But if it’s your first trip to Hawaii, IMO you should go to Oahu if for no other reason than Pearl Harbor. Then either split time with another island or plan to go back (we FOD both LOL). And if you’re going to Oahu, and you’re a big enough Disney fan to be on these boards, you should spend at least 2-3 days at Aulani. In my opinion, it’s the best Disney resort of all and the most beautiful man-made thing we saw in all of Hawaii.

 

[Boo]

Loved Aulani for a shorter stay when checking out Hawaii Pacific University for our son. We went more for the Grand Villa experience and knew we weren't leaving the resort except for the college tour. Loved the lazy river. Had it been our first time to Hawaii, not sure if it would be worth it to use Aulani for a base. DH felt that the cove beach a little too gentle for his taste, he missed Hawaii's bigger waves.

 

[monsterkitty]

We don't stay at Aulani when on Oahu, we are those Marriott people.

I'm not sure how staying at Aulani makes it a true Hawaiian or Disney experience. We get just as good service at the Marriott.

If we are staying for only a few days on Oahu, then we stay at the Marriott a block from Waikiki.

We are Marriott Vacation Club owners so we do stay at Ko Olina if we are staying on Oahu for more than a few days. We are going over Spring Break. I just priced the two resorts for those dates. If we were paying cash we would be paying almost $800 more for 1 bedroom villa Aulani Garden view than the 1 bedroom villa ocean view for the Marriott. Yes the Aulani pool is amazing, but it's just us two adults and the Marriott has a lap pool if if I decide I want to do laps instead of an open water ocean swim.

Would I love to stay at Aulani because it's Disney? If the prices were equal than yes. But I would rather use that savings to put back into the local economy. For example, we have a large wall going into our basement. We have an open concept house so you can see that wall from the kitchen/living are. We want to purchase a picture of some sort while on Oahu for that wall.

I think staying at Aulani or at another hotel or resort is a choice that is difficult to make. You have to weigh the location of the resort, what you want to visit while on Oahu, and the prices to see what is the best fit for you and your family.

Now am I that person who will walk down the beach from the Marriott Ko Olina to Aulani so I can have a Mickey Bar and purchase some Chip and Dale Mickey Cheesehead Crackers. Yup! I will even buy a shirt if I see one I like.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We are doing a split stay.........at the Marriott just across the street from Waikiki Beach for the first couple of days. That's when we'll sight see (Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc). Then moving to Aulani, to enjoy the resort and the amenities. I think Aulani is too expensive to stay at and be gone all day. JMHO.

For us, this is what convinced us to not stay at Aulani. We love Disney but after going through all the activities we want to do on Oahu, we couldn't justify the price for our budget when we knew we'd be gone most of the day. Our kids are teenagers and they've outgrown some of the things that would have been a draw years ago. We are debating adding a couple resort-only days on the end at Aulani.

 

[tidefan]

For us, this is what convinced us to not stay at Aulani. We love Disney but after going through all the activities we want to do on Oahu, we couldn't justify the price for our budget when we knew we'd be gone most of the day. Our kids are teenagers and they've outgrown some of the things that would have been a draw years ago. We are debating adding a couple resort-only days on the end at Aulani.

We will be going to Aulani for our 4th time this year. The first year we went, we did a week at Aulani followed by a week on the Big Island (good combination, BTW). When we were planning, we had all of these things we wanted to do... then we got there and we all realized we wanted to spend more time at the resort than we thought. The following two trips, we allocated at least half of our time to be at the resort, just doing resort things. One other thing to consider is that the Ko Olina area has a VERY different feel to it than Waikiki or the rest of Oahu. We much prefer the Ko Olina/Kapolei area to Waikiki actually (though we always go down there for a day, eat at Duke's, etc.).

I will say that we much prefer to go with a 1 or 2 bedroom as we used the kitchen quite a bit each time we were there (food is a bit pricey in Oahu... Costco is your friend!)

 

[eMoneyBug]

Relaxation in Hawaii + designed and run by Disney = Aloha Magical experience

 

[nkereina]

We are doing a split stay.........at the Marriott just across the street from Waikiki Beach for the first couple of days. That's when we'll sight see (Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc). Then moving to Aulani, to enjoy the resort and the amenities. I think Aulani is too expensive to stay at and be gone all day. JMHO.

We did exactly this... we had 3 nights in Waikiki, also stayed at the Marriott, and used this time to explore Waikiki and take advantage of the bus tours to Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head. Those spots can have parking and logistical challenges, so the bus tour was the right choice for us. We then island hopped a bit, and came back to Oahu for our last stretch of 6 days which we spent at Aulani. It was cheaper and easier for us to buy roundtrip flights to and from Honolulu, which is why we island hopped in between. When we arrived back on Oahu for our Aulani stay, that's when we rented the car. We designated 3 days as resort days and 3 days to do some exploring in the areas closer to Aulani, where we knew we wanted more freedom and flexibility than a tour would allow. It all worked out perfectly, and I'd do it the same way again.