So, to chime in…
I think this is an important point. We are DVC members and have now been to Aulani 5 times and hope to go back next year.
However, when we go, we always use points and get a 2 bedroom, which has a full kitchen and washer/dryer. Are other resorts great too? Yes, but at Aulani, I can use my DVC points to get a Hawaiian vacation. We always rent a car (parking is included for DVC members) and make Costco/Target our first stop. We eat in most nights, maybe eating out once or twice a week. Also, you can load up on Mai Tai’s at Costco as well. Last few times, we have had views over the Haleiwa lawn, so we get to watch the Luau multiple times for free, all while enjoying my Trader Vic’s Mai Tai’s, chips, and that awesome Maui salsa they sell at Costco. In the mornings, I enjoy my Vanilla Macadamia Nut coffee on the same balcony.
Now, would we do this if we weren’t DVC members? Heck no! However, the value proposition, at least for us, has changed a lot over the past few years. As our DD has gotten older and the parks have become so more not user-friendly, especially for us, who never get up early, the whole
Genie+/park reservation thing just takes away from how we used to do the parks. We have found more value in the Aulani, Veros, and HHI’s of the system lately, and out of all those, we prefer Aulani.
Now, this is totally specific to us, but it is what works for us. And if we weren’t DVC, it would completely change the calculus. But for DVC folks, Aulani is a very good proposition.