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.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.
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.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.
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?
That is my plan now.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!
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.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.
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.
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.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.
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.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?
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.