Here at Aulani now….

[PEANUT1]

This is what I hear the most from first time visitors, they are expecting something that it is not. That is lack of research ahead of time. Aulani has never claimed to be another park, it is a hotel in Hawaii, with a few touches of Disney. And that is exactly what you get. We love our stays at Aulani and think that it is a beautiful resort with plenty to do. Too many people treat it like a WDW vacation, as if it is an all inclusive, instead of a Hawaiian vacations. Island life is completely different then other places and many things close early. That is an Island thing. If I could give everyone a piece of advice, it would be to plan your vacation to Hawaii, and think of Aulani as you would any other hotel. You are going to one of the most beautiful places on the planet, go and explore instead of just sitting at your hotel. I compare it to going to Paris. Would you spend your whole trip at your hotel and never leave to see the sites? Of course not, so why would anyone do that at Aulani?

I agree. Can’t imagine going to hawaii and staying only at the hotel

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I agree. Can’t imagine going to hawaii and staying only at the hotel

Or cooking all of your meals in the room... Or eating at chain restaurants...

 

[mort1331]

Or cooking all of your meals in the room... Or eating at chain restaurants...

or only swimming in the pools,,,not dipping in the ocean

 

[nlenguyen]

This is what I hear the most from first time visitors, they are expecting something that it is not. That is lack of research ahead of time. Aulani has never claimed to be another park, it is a hotel in Hawaii, with a few touches of Disney. And that is exactly what you get. We love our stays at Aulani and think that it is a beautiful resort with plenty to do. Too many people treat it like a WDW vacation, as if it is an all inclusive, instead of a Hawaiian vacations. Island life is completely different then other places and many things close early. That is an Island thing. If I could give everyone a piece of advice, it would be to plan your vacation to Hawaii, and think of Aulani as you would any other hotel. You are going to one of the most beautiful places on the planet, go and explore instead of just sitting at your hotel. I compare it to going to Paris. Would you spend your whole trip at your hotel and never leave to see the sites? Of course not, so why would anyone do that at Aulani?

We are going on our first trip in June. I know that it is too far away because things can change at any minute, but would you out of our 3 days there to have at least one day to do all the water things like the reef and pools? Or would you say that it is just a couple hours, then off to tour the island?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We are going on our first trip in June. I know that it is too far away because things can change at any minute, but would you out of our 3 days there to have at least one day to do all the water things like the reef and pools? Or would you say that it is just a couple hours, then off to tour the island?

You'd have no trouble filling 3 days at Aulani staying just at Aulani if that's what you want. The people who have problems are the people who try to fill 7+ days at Aulani just staying at Aulani.

If this is your first trip to Oahu, I would make sure you do at least one of the Bishop Museum or the Polynesian Cultural Center. For me, a Hawaii vacation needs to have a cultural/historical component, a nature component, and a pure "relaxation" component. If you're going to skip any one of those three, there are places to go that are much cheaper and easier to get to.

 

[starlite_]

People can vacation in dif ways. This thread seems to be a few ppl competing about the "correct" or "right" way to do Hawaii vacations and like just, let others be?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

People can vacation in dif ways. This thread seems to be a few ppl competing about the "correct" or "right" way to do a vacations and just, let others be?

Going to Aulani for a week without leaving property and expecting to be entertained like you're at Walt Disney World is like going to a ski resort and then complaining that it didn't even have a beach to swim at.

There's no "correct" or "right" way to vacation, but there are definitely "wrong" ways to vacation *given a particular vacation destination.*

 

[starlite_]

Going to Aulani for a week without leaving property and expecting to be entertained like you're at Walt Disney World is like going to a ski resort and then complaining that it didn't even have a beach to swim at.

There's no "correct" or "right" way to vacation, but there are definitely "wrong" ways to vacation *given a particular vacation destination.*

Again, let ppl be. It doesn't affect you in any way if another person wants to stay on the resort for 10 days straight. So much judgement on something so inconsequential to anyone but said person.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Again, let ppl be. It doesn't affect you in any way if another person wants to stay on the resort for 10 days straight. So much judgement on something so inconsequential to anyone but said person.

That's not the point.

I don't care what THAT person does, but I want to point out what I consider their mistakes so that the unrelated third person who is reading this thread while they consider or plan a trip to Aulani can avoid those same pitfalls.

If I know a restaurant has AMAZING chicken and TERRIBLE fish, and user comes her to complain about the fish, I'm going to point out how good the chicken is. It's not because I care what that person ordered for dinner, it's so that the next person has relevant information for their upcoming meal at that restaurant.

 

[starlite_]

That's not the point.

I don't care what THAT person does, but I want to point out what I consider their mistakes so that the unrelated third person who is reading this thread while they consider or plan a trip to Aulani can avoid those same pitfalls.

If I know a restaurant has AMAZING chicken and TERRIBLE fish, and user comes her to complain about the fish, I'm going to point out how good the chicken is. It's not because I care what that person ordered for dinner, it's so that the next person has relevant information for their upcoming meal at that restaurant.

That is not the same thing, maybe you can't notice but as an outsider that just read all this thread, some of your posts (and some of others)read super judgy of anything that isn't the "right" way to vacation in Hawaii according to you. You are doing it right now by saying that what THAT person does is falling in pitfalls.

You sound very knowledgeable and I'm sure are just trying to help future planers, but as one of those future planers all the good tips you are giving are painted in condescension and judgement.

Not really looking to continue this conversation, I said my piece. Take it as you will.

 

[DLgal]

Going to Aulani for a week without leaving property and expecting to be entertained like you're at Walt Disney World is like going to a ski resort and then complaining that it didn't even have a beach to swim at.

There's no "correct" or "right" way to vacation, but there are definitely "wrong" ways to vacation *given a particular vacation destination.*

Nobody is going to Aulani expecting it to be Disney World. How stupid do you think people are? Everyone knows there aren't theme parks and water parks and a huge shopping and dining district at Aulani.

That said, Aulani DOES advertise itself as a "resort." So, people expect a bit more of an "experience" vs just a bed and shower. And if Aulani can't deliver on that for the price they charge, people should be made aware of those limitations.

I know numerous people who go to Aulani and never leave the immediate Ko Olina vicinity. Once you've done Oahu, you've done it, and if you go back again, there's not much point in revisiting the same sites. Hawaii is a very popular vacation destination for people from Southern CA. Most people I know who go to Hawaii every year spend their entire vacations at their resorts, enjoying the amenities and beaches,snorkeling, etc. My sisters family just took their 4th trip to Hawaii/Aulani and didn't even rent a car. They stayed at Aulani the whole time and that is exactly the kind of vacation they wanted.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Nobody is going to Aulani expecting it to be Disney World. How stupid do you think people are? Everyone knows there aren't theme parks and water parks and a huge shopping and dining district at Aulani.

Aulani had to gut the entire central part of the resort almost immediately after it opened because people (DVC owners in particular) expected exactly that.

 

[nlenguyen]

You'd have no trouble filling 3 days at Aulani staying just at Aulani if that's what you want. The people who have problems are the people who try to fill 7+ days at Aulani just staying at Aulani.

If this is your first trip to Oahu, I would make sure you do at least one of the Bishop Museum or the Polynesian Cultural Center. For me, a Hawaii vacation needs to have a cultural/historical component, a nature component, and a pure "relaxation" component. If you're going to skip any one of those three, there are places to go that are much cheaper and easier to get to.

Our goal was to do something. We have to move rooms after the second night so the time between check out and check in we are wanting to go tour the island

 

[DLgal]

Aulani had to gut the entire central part of the resort almost immediately after it opened because people (DVC owners in particular) expected exactly that.

No, they realized they WAY undersized the pool area. That was their fault. What did they think families with kids were expecting at a resort so far removed from all the local attractions? It's not like Aulani is in the heart of Waikiki and you can hop into the ocean and surf/boogie board. It's in a boring location. Similar resorts on other islands like Maui have HUGE pool complexes (in Wailea and Kaanapali). This is what visitors to these types of resorts expect.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

So I can't imagine that they want to deal with a bunch of kids getting sick being traced back to Aunty's.

This I think is the key consideration. Regardless of state health recommendations, vaccination rates, community transmission rates, etc. - some things are just not acceptable risk from a public perception perspective. Kids getting injured or sick at a Disney kids focused activity would be a media nightmare, and probably no one wants to sign off on it.

 

[Lilsia]

We are going on our first trip in June. I know that it is too far away because things can change at any minute, but would you out of our 3 days there to have at least one day to do all the water things like the reef and pools? Or would you say that it is just a couple hours, then off to tour the island?

Most definitely plan a day to stay at the resort. Your trip is pretty short so you will have to decide what it is you want to do. Going to Hawaii should be relaxing and just sitting at the beach is a great way to spend the day. The pools are nice at Aulani, but I can swim in a pool anywhere in the Country, we go for the beach. But that is just us.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

We are going on our first trip in June. I know that it is too far away because things can change at any minute, but would you out of our 3 days there to have at least one day to do all the water things like the reef and pools? Or would you say that it is just a couple hours, then off to tour the island?

My daughter can easily (and quite happily) spend 4 hours in a pool alone. Throw in viewing the fishes, water slides, an endless river, sandcastles on the beach, etc… it’s easy to spend a full day at the water things at the resort.

That being said, the sun in Hawaii can be pretty harsh, especially if you’re from an area like the Pacific NW like us. So we always try to combine pool/beach time with other activities. Lots of good 1/2 day activities offsite you can combine.

If Aunties were open, full days at the resort would be a no brainer for us, but since it’s not, partial days at the resort will be good.

As Lilsia mentioned though - a full day at the resort, with nowhere to go, is a great way to unwind and de-stress. Depends on what you’re looking for, and who you’re trying to keep entertained.

 

[dreamit]

Once you've done Oahu, you've done it, and if you go back again, there's not much point in revisiting the same sites.

I respectfully disagree. I’m returning precisely because I wish to revisit the same sites. Too, there are so many additional desirable sites, excursions, and hikes which we couldn’t fit into our last (11-night) trip.

 

[Lilsia]

Again, let ppl be. It doesn't affect you in any way if another person wants to stay on the resort for 10 days straight. So much judgement on something so inconsequential to anyone but said person.

I think that you are missing the point. So many people don't do any research and think that Aulani is like another WDW. They believe that they are going to an entertainment, all inclusive type of resort and then are disappointed when they get there and there is not that much to do. I have even heard people ask about what type of rides do they have. People have this mental block when it comes to Disney and we are saying that Aulani is nothing like any other Disney hotel. You don't see that when people book other hotels in Hawaii. Nobody ever says that they are going to the "Marriott" on vacation, they say Hawaii. But for some reason, people staying at Aulani always answer with "I am going to Aulani". People come to these sites to get info and it would be remiss to mislead others. Like I said, the best advice that I can give you anyone is to see Aulani as you would any other Hawaii hotel. Plan your vacation to Oahu, not Aulani.

 

[Lilsia]

Nobody is going to Aulani expecting it to be Disney World. How stupid do you think people are? Everyone knows there aren't theme parks and water parks and a huge shopping and dining district at Aulani.

You would be 100% wrong on this. I am on several Aulani planning groups and people all the time, come on and think that it is another, small Disney park. You should hear some of the things that people assume about Aulani. For some reason, people hear "Disney" and assume entertainment. I also hear when people come back and complain about how they just spent their whole week vacation never leaving the resort and how it was a "waste of money" because they think it is more then it is. Having seen how so many have no clue about what Aulani actually is, is what prompts us to respond the way we do.