Disney Aluani, Oahu

[pacergal]

Has anyone stayed there?
We would love to take the whole family on vacation in a few years, so starting the planning/budget now.
Will be three families, 5 adults, 3 kids (by the time we go probably ages 18, 9,5)

I was looking at Aluani 3 bedroom ocean front villa, but unable to get pricing a few years out.
Will probably call, but wanted to get feed back from anyone who has been there.

Thanks in advance for any information!

 

[njhowie]

Has anyone stayed there?
We would love to take the whole family on vacation in a few years, so starting the planning/budget now.
Will be three families, 5 adults, 3 kids (by the time we go probably ages 18, 9,5)

I was looking at Aluani 3 bedroom ocean front villa, but unable to get pricing a few years out.
Will probably call, but wanted to get feed back from anyone who has been there.

Thanks in advance for any information!

We are DVC members and stayed at Aulani a few years ago. It is fabulous. The property is immaculate, there's lots to do, and it's in a nice location.

 

[Ready]

I have stayed at the hotel right next to Aulani. The beach there is very nice. My only hesitation for that location is that it gets very crowded. I feel like I’m in downtown LA when I’m driving around there. Constant traffic and congestion, and way too many people. But that’s pretty much the scene in the general Honolulu area.

 

[cathy63]

We have some friends who told me they liked the Marriott that's near there better than Aulani. They felt like Disney really packs the people in and sometimes they couldn't find an empty beach chair, while the Marriott was just as nice and their beach is less crowded. They are die-hard Disney fans who had annual park passes before the pandemic, have gone on Disney cruises, and have a (non-Disney) timeshare on Maui, so I was expecting to hear how amazing Aulani was when I suggested we might go and was surprised to hear that they preferred the Marriott.

 

[Nick12]

I have stayed at the hotel right next to Aulani. The beach there is very nice. My only hesitation for that location is that it gets very crowded. I feel like I’m in downtown LA when I’m driving around there. Constant traffic and congestion, and way too many people. But that’s pretty much the scene in the general Honolulu area.

In Waikiki yes, it's crowded but the weather food and sights are awesome. The flight for me was long. 3 hour flight to Dallas. 3 hour layover then an 8 hour trip to Honolulu.

 

[Vacation4us]

You know it’s a timeshare right? Probably cheaper to rent from an owner then Disney. You can get an idea of prices on both the Aulani and the Marriott Ko Olina on Redweek or TUG.

I have been to Ko Olina it’s very nice. I even arranged A honeymoon there for my friends son. Her son and new wife are Disney fanatics. They loved the Ko Olina and visited the Aulani and enjoyed it but said it was crazy busy.

My mom is spending her 80 th bday at Ko Olina with my sister in June. You should definitely look at both resorts.

 

[njhowie]

You know it’s a timeshare right? Probably cheaper to rent from an owner then Disney. You can get an idea of prices on both the Aulani and the Marriott Ko Olina on Redweek or TUG.

This is a good approach.

Disney works on a point system. If you are looking to rent, it's best to go through one of the rental companies as they have many DVC owners and can pull points from those who have them available for the dates you're looking for. However, the furthest out which you can reserve going through the timeshare is going to be 11 months.

We've worked with David's DVC Rentals in the past, putting our points up for rent. They are good to work with. However, be aware, at least with David's, once you make the reservation it is no cancel no change - you are entering in to a contract with the timeshare owner (member) with David's being the intermediary. I'd gather it's going to be similar with other rental companies or if you make a deal directly with a DVC owner. This may be a reason you choose to reserve directly with Aulani, even though it will very likely come out being more expensive. Things can change between the time you reserve and the time you go, and where you'd be easily able to cancel booking directly with a hotel, with the timeshare rental it will minimally come with (severe) penalties attatched.

https://dvcrequest.com

 

[PandaBear]

We will be there in a week! Let me know if there’s anything you want me to look at for you.

 

[pacergal]

Thank you All so much for the info!
I did not know about the time share opportunities.
We have been to Oahu and Honolulu many times, so understand about the crowds, thinking the Disney aspect might add a bit of fun for the littler ones.
If others have more info to share, keep responding.

 

[caninelover]

We loved it and we are two adults LOL.

There is enough Disney for families with kids who want it and enough non-Disney for adults to get some quiet time.

It shares a bay with calm water with the Four Seasons, close enough to walk back and forth for different restaurants.

There is a small grocery market in walking distance to stock your place. That shopping center also has other stores and restaurants, and a good ice cream shop.

The luau while cheesy is worth it. Spoiler alert, Mickey and Minnie make an appearance at the end.

Food and service were all prompt and friendly.

Highly recommend.

 

[pacergal]

caninelover--Thank your that post, we are Disney fans, also.
Good to know adults enjoy it as much as kids!

 

[PandaBear]

We are currently at Aulani. I would say the adults and kids would live it. The older ten, maybe less so (I’m guessing). Currently, there are no adult only pools but there is a very nice adults only hot tub that has two levels.

There is a nice but casual restaurant across the street (Monkeypod) along with a pizza place and coffee place. Farther away (say 10 minutes) you will find many choices.
The Four Season and Marriott Vacation Villas both have nice restaurants as well.

We met many people who brought down a cooler to the pool with drinks. If you put in your own insulated cups and are discreet, it seems to be okay.

For a family, you need to be down by 7:30 at the very latest to get some pool loungers. People start reserving by 6 am (pools open T 8)

Dh are here by ourselves and have had a great time. We have met so many nice people. One thing I’ve been impressed with is how well behaved the kids are. Parents seems to monitor their kids. In the lazy River, we have kids trying to “race by” and we let them go by us, but not rudely or with huge amounts of splashing, just kids having fun.

The kids club is not currently happening and very few activities. They do have a scavenger hunt you can do with a borrowed tablet. We’ve seen many families doing it and they seem to be having fun with it. One stop is on a bridge over the lazy River and when you do the task, it squirts water at someone in the lazy River....great fun for the kids!

Dh and I spent three nights in Oahu at a cheaper hotel, and did all our sightseeing and then moved to Aulani, where we could just enjoy the resort. We paid $2450 for 5 nights for a studio (a hotel room is same price) with the worst view and that included a 30% Disney Visa discount so it’s not cheap.

We’ve had a lovely time.

 

[pacergal]

PandaBear--thank you for this information!

 

[Koolau]

I guess we are all different and we each have our own philosophy of what makes a good vacation. I can certainly see the draw of an all-in-one vacation resort - especially if you have kids. When we took our kids to Hawaii, back when we were just tourists and not residents, it was difficult keeping them "occupied." We found all sorts of things for them to do (surfing lessons, organized tours, beach activities, whale watches, historic tours, etc.) They seemed more interested in watching videos and playing video games. So first - know your kids.

Resorts in general - I've never actually been, though I've visited Disney world in Orlando. It was fun and there's lots to do. I never felt the need to stay at the resort, though it would shorten your day. I'm sure they count on that to fill the resort. Staying in an independent hotel and traveling to Disney World meant an hour each way, at least. The all in one has its appeal, but I get the feeling an enterprising entrepreneur could do the same thing in the middle of a big city in Minnesota or Ohio - I think it's actually been done. Just build a big all-in-one resort under lots of glass and put in a few fake palm trees. People should flock to it and pay half the price of the Hawaii (or Caribbean) experience.

I always felt that a "walled off" resort was artificial. And to that point, the Ewa coast where the Hawaii resorts are is pretty much artificial - even the beaches (though well done as nearly as I can tell.) Except for the sunshine, you could build these places in Ontario if you had enough building materials.

Absolutely not bashing the resort experience - as mentioned, I've never really done it. So here is what we used to do. Find a medium priced hotel with a pool at LEAST across the street from Waikiki beach (drops price in roughly half). Rent a car for half your stay (very expensive when you add in hotel parking, though I found ways around that.) Travel and explore the Island all day and sleep in the hotel at night (do some night life if you have the energy.)

This probably isn't ideal for kids/grandkids but for "people" - esp. couples - we loved it and could easily stay 2 weeks for the price of a less-than-week in a resort. Again, know yourself and anyone you would bring because this is very much a YMMV situation.

 

[pacergal]

Koolau--thank you for your input.
Yes, we have stayed at resorts and "off site", both with and without kids.
We rented a condo in Kauai once when our kids were older and due to the lower cost, were able to stay 2 weeks. Kids enjoyed both the pool and ocean front, and liked having a fully stocked kitchen to return to during the day--lol.
We are still in the planning stage, a few years away, and not even sure we can get everyone together and off work/school at the same time!