Villa booked, now car questions

94bruin

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 28, 2009
Hi!

We booked a 1 bedroom villa through Disney for June stay. Our package includes RT airport transfers as well as a one-day car rental. We will stay in Waikiki for 5 nights after our Aulani stay. In the interest of saving money, we are now considering NOT renting a car but maybe doing daily rentals and/or other forms of transportation. Currently, through Costco and including parking, a week's car rental would be over $550 for the Aulani portion of our trip. The Waikiki portion would be over $400.

However, to figure out how often reserve daily rentals, I need to figure out a few items.

Grocery shopping: Is there anything within walking distance? How well stocked is it? I'll try to do most of the shopping at the beginning of the week, but may need to run to the store for some incidentals. What are my options? Taxi? Uber/Lyft? Not a huge fan of Uber/Lyft, but will use them for grocery purposes.

Any way to combine any of the following trips? Where does it make sense to do these trip from - Aulani vs Waikiki. We are not committed to any of these activities except for Pearl Harbor and maybe surfing. I do like to get out and about but am trying to save on transportation costs. Our kids have been to Maui & Kauai a handful of times, so it's not as necessary for us to explore Oahu.

Pearl Harbor - I want to do this early in our trip, so definitely from Aulani - is there a better day of the week to reserve our tickets? We are at the Aulani from Friday-Friday.
Surfing lessons - from Aulani or Waikiki?
North Shore
Manoa Falls
Diamond Head
Hanauma Bay

Would love to hear suggestions. Thanks!
 
There's a small market across the street, but things there are pretty pricey. There is a Costco nearby that you can get to. Pearl harbor tickets are first come first served. You should be able to find surfing lessons either places. The last three are close to Waikiki and you should be able to do them when you get to the Waikiki portion of your visit. Also, it might beer better leaving from Aulani to get to the north shore vs leaving from Waikiki. You would avoid most traffic from Honolulu. There is an Alamo in the lobby of Aulani should you need a vehicle for a day trip. Parking fees are based per night.
 
Our kids have been to Maui & Kauai a handful of times, so it's not as necessary for us to explore Oahu.

Doesn't visiting the North Shore, Manoa Falls, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, and Hanauma count as exploring?


Manoa Falls
Diamond Head
Hanauma Bay

These are in Honolulu, so do them in Waikiki.
 
There's a small market across the street, but things there are pretty pricey. There is a Costco nearby that you can get to. Pearl harbor tickets are first come first served. You should be able to find surfing lessons either places. The last three are close to Waikiki and you should be able to do them when you get to the Waikiki portion of your visit. Also, it might beer better leaving from Aulani to get to the north shore vs leaving from Waikiki. You would avoid most traffic from Honolulu. There is an Alamo in the lobby of Aulani should you need a vehicle for a day trip. Parking fees are based per night.

If I don't have a car to get to Costco, what are my transportation options? Yes, I've priced out the daily rate for the Aulani Alamo. Will return to valet to avoid parking charge as that's what the reservation agent told me that I can do.

Doesn't visiting the North Shore, Manoa Falls, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, and Hanauma count as exploring?

These are in Honolulu, so do them in Waikiki.

Yes, but none of those are requirements for our trip (other than Pearl Harbor). If we can make it work with transportation, we will explore. On prior trips to the to other islands, we prioritized exploration over the pool/beach. This trip is geared more toward relaxation with a little bit of exploration. Will just have to figure out which sites work best with our limited transportation. I'm guessing two days off-site from Aulani should do the trick. Maybe one to PH and one to the North Shore. Will just have to figure out how to get to the store.
 


I'm guessing two days off-site from Aulani should do the trick. Maybe one to PH and one to the North Shore. Will just have to figure out how to get to the store.

Why would you go to Pearl Harbor from Aulani? It's 20 miles away from there versus 11 miles from Waikiki.
 
Why would you go to Pearl Harbor from Aulani? It's 20 miles away from there versus 11 miles from Waikiki.

I have a friend who is there this week. She said that they couldn't go out to the memorial because of a pending thunderstorm. I hear the Navy boats do get canceled for high winds/significant rains. Going to PH is important to me. If my reservation is canceled due to bad weather, I want to make sure I still have time to go back later on during our stay. I don't want to stress about it so want to hit early on.
 
A thought for Hanauma Bay is to take a tour bus there from Waikiki. We have gone there a couple times from Waikiki by tour bus. I believe the buses leave from many of the Waikiki hotels. We used the Outrigger one that was next to our condo. It was easier for us even though we had a car because then you are guaranteed entry and don't have to worry about parking. There may be similar tours for Diamond Head and Manoa Falls, but I have not checked in to them. I believe the cost was reasonable. We do the North Shore from Waikiki every visit and have not had a problem with morning or early evening traffic (occasionally a little slow leaving the North Shore).
 


The cheapest by far for car rentals is not from Aulani but from Cstco. You should be able to get a car for half what you are quoting that would be good for your entire trip. We rented a mini van for 11 days and the cost was about $300 from Costco. The price was originally high, but kept going down the closer we got to the trip.

We have been to Pearl Harbor 4 times and have never had the tour boats cancelled due to weather. Go first thing in the morning for the best weather.

Groceries are cheaper at Costco, Safeway, or Target ... all close to Aulani in the same shopping center.

I would only do the North Shore and West side touring from Aulani. All others are best done from Waikiki.
 
A thought for Hanauma Bay is to take a tour bus there from Waikiki. We have gone there a couple times from Waikiki by tour bus. I believe the buses leave from many of the Waikiki hotels. We used the Outrigger one that was next to our condo. It was easier for us even though we had a car because then you are guaranteed entry and don't have to worry about parking. There may be similar tours for Diamond Head and Manoa Falls, but I have not checked in to them. I believe the cost was reasonable. We do the North Shore from Waikiki every visit and have not had a problem with morning or early evening traffic (occasionally a little slow leaving the North Shore).

Thanks! I'll have to look into these tours.

The cheapest by far for car rentals is not from Aulani but from Cstco. You should be able to get a car for half what you are quoting that would be good for your entire trip. We rented a mini van for 11 days and the cost was about $300 from Costco. The price was originally high, but kept going down the closer we got to the trip.

We have been to Pearl Harbor 4 times and have never had the tour boats cancelled due to weather. Go first thing in the morning for the best weather.

Groceries are cheaper at Costco, Safeway, or Target ... all close to Aulani in the same shopping center.

I would only do the North Shore and West side touring from Aulani. All others are best done from Waikiki.

It's not the car rental itself but the parking fee. The rate thru Costco is $333 for 7 nights (pick up and return at airport) but I'd have to add $252 for parking fees. I will keep checking on the rates for the entire time but for the moment will go the way of a few daily rentals.

So, any suggestions or experience with getting to the Target/Costco shopping center without a car?
 
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Thanks! I'll have to look into these tours.



It's not the car rental itself but the parking fee. The rate thru Costco is $333 for 7 nights (pick up and return at airport) but I'd have to add $252 for parking fees. I will keep checking on the rates for the entire time but for the moment will go the way of a few daily rentals.

So, any suggestions or experience with getting to the Target/Costco shopping center without a car?
Have you looked into daily rentals? Just taking it out for one day and then bringing it back so you’re not parking anything overnight.
 
We also stayed in Waikiki and opted to not have a car during our time there. In addition to the rental savings, it saves on parking costs and driving/parking hassles. Where are you staying in Waikiki? If on the strip, there's a lot of things in walking distance and there is also a trolley (pink line) that makes multiple stops along the strip for a nominal fee.

We did Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head as part of organized tours from our Waikiki Hotel, the Marriott. Buses picked us up right from the tour lobby at our hotel and everything ran very smoothly. Our Pearl Harbor tour also facilitated getting the tickets for us, and took us to the Swap Meet. We used Discover Hawaii Tours for Pearl Harbor and Oahu Nature Tours for Diamond Head, and I would recommend both. I don't recall exact costs, but I think it was less than $50 per person. We felt it was worth it.

We did have a car during our Aulani stay, during which time we explored the North Shore and the windward side of the island. We could have gotten away with daily rentals, but parking was free for us (DVC points) and we needed to get back to the airport anyhow. If you do daily rentals, just decide which will be your "exploring" days and secure your reservation in advance. I've hear daily rentals can book up.
 
Have you looked into daily rentals? Just taking it out for one day and then bringing it back so you’re not parking anything overnight.

Yes, that's what I'm trying to figure out. How many daily rentals I should get. I'm also trying to time it with grocery shopping, but if it's not too much to get to the Target/Safeway, then I could just take a taxi or Uber/Lyft.

Does anyone know if taxis are readily available to take me to Kapolei and back. How much would it be?

I need to grocery shop the first morning, so I probably will have a daily rental. Any suggestions on something nearby that we can explore- in the space of the afternoon/evening? Is the North Shore doable? Say we eat lunch at back at Aulani after shopping in the morning, can we head to the North Shore for some general exploration? It'll be a Saturday in June.

We also stayed in Waikiki and opted to not have a car during our time there. In addition to the rental savings, it saves on parking costs and driving/parking hassles. Where are you staying in Waikiki? If on the strip, there's a lot of things in walking distance and there is also a trolley (pink line) that makes multiple stops along the strip for a nominal fee.

We did Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head as part of organized tours from our Waikiki Hotel, the Marriott. Buses picked us up right from the tour lobby at our hotel and everything ran very smoothly. Our Pearl Harbor tour also facilitated getting the tickets for us, and took us to the Swap Meet. We used Discover Hawaii Tours for Pearl Harbor and Oahu Nature Tours for Diamond Head, and I would recommend both. I don't recall exact costs, but I think it was less than $50 per person. We felt it was worth it.

We did have a car during our Aulani stay, during which time we explored the North Shore and the windward side of the island. We could have gotten away with daily rentals, but parking was free for us (DVC points) and we needed to get back to the airport anyhow. If you do daily rentals, just decide which will be your "exploring" days and secure your reservation in advance. I've hear daily rentals can book up.

We are staying at the Hyatt Regency. I'm hoping to be able to use public transportation to get around Waikiki.
 
I just found out from my friend (if anyone reading this in the future wants the info) that taxi rides are $15 one way to the bigger stores eg Target/Costco/Safeway/Foodland. With this knowledge, I'll make sure to get everything I need when I have the daily rental!
 
Does anyone know if taxis are readily available to take me to Kapolei and back. How much would it be?

Taxis are extraordinary expensive here, but they come and get you wherever you are unlike Uber/Lyft where you have to wait to see if someone is in your area. I'd use a fare finder website to see approximately how much you'd pay. Once I took a 20-minute cab ride and it was $60. Ridiculous! That's a daily car rental!

I need to grocery shop the first morning, so I probably will have a daily rental. Any suggestions on something nearby that we can explore- in the space of the afternoon/evening? Is the North Shore doable? Say we eat lunch at back at Aulani after shopping in the morning, can we head to the North Shore for some general exploration? It'll be a Saturday in June.

If you want to go to the North Shore, I'd do it in the late morning and work your way backward. Northshore (maybe a beach and/or snorkeling), look at shops, lunch, drive towards Aulani, get groceries, return car at Aulani and have dinner.


We are staying at the Hyatt Regency. I'm hoping to be able to use public transportation to get around Waikiki.

Waikiki is small. About 2 miles from tip to tip, but most of the action is condensed into a 1-mile area. You can easily walk to everything, but there are tons of busess that go up and down Kuhio if need.
 
We are staying at the Hyatt Regency. I'm hoping to be able to use public transportation to get around Waikiki.

As PP mentions, we were able to walk to everything in Waikiki. We used the pink line of the trolley for transportation to Ala Moana Center and Hilton Hawaiian Village, but everything else was walkable. Enjoy!
 
Taxis are extraordinary expensive here, but they come and get you wherever you are unlike Uber/Lyft where you have to wait to see if someone is in your area. I'd use a fare finder website to see approximately how much you'd pay. Once I took a 20-minute cab ride and it was $60. Ridiculous! That's a daily car rental!



If you want to go to the North Shore, I'd do it in the late morning and work your way backward. Northshore (maybe a beach and/or snorkeling), look at shops, lunch, drive towards Aulani, get groceries, return car at Aulani and have dinner.




Waikiki is small. About 2 miles from tip to tip, but most of the action is condensed into a 1-mile area. You can easily walk to everything, but there are tons of busess that go up and down Kuhio if need.

As PP mentions, we were able to walk to everything in Waikiki. We used the pink line of the trolley for transportation to Ala Moana Center and Hilton Hawaiian Village, but everything else was walkable. Enjoy!


Sounds like we'll be able to forgo the car rental while we're in Waikiki. I'm so accustomed to renting cars on the other islands that this is a new way of island travel for me. Well, the Waikiki portion isn't a big deal since there is public transportation. It's the Aulani portion that is throwing me for a loop!

I see that the car rentals at the Marriott are about $5 cheaper for the exact same car. Is the Marriott within walking distance to the Aulani? If so, how easy/how long would it take me to walk there. ETA: Yes, I'm cheap! If it's an easy walk, I'll walk over to the Marriott to save $5. But if it's not easy, I'll just stick to the Aulani. Just want to know my options!

Also, do I have to pay for parking if I'm not storing the car in overnight parking but for maybe an hour or two in between shopping and sightseeing?

Thanks!
 
Sounds like we'll be able to forgo the car rental while we're in Waikiki. I'm so accustomed to renting cars on the other islands that this is a new way of island travel for me. Well, the Waikiki portion isn't a big deal since there is public transportation. It's the Aulani portion that is throwing me for a loop!

I see that the car rentals at the Marriott are about $5 cheaper for the exact same car. Is the Marriott within walking distance to the Aulani? If so, how easy/how long would it take me to walk there. ETA: Yes, I'm cheap! If it's an easy walk, I'll walk over to the Marriott to save $5. But if it's not easy, I'll just stick to the Aulani. Just want to know my options!

Also, do I have to pay for parking if I'm not storing the car in overnight parking but for maybe an hour or two in between shopping and sightseeing?

Thanks!

It's an easy walk. Maybe a 10-15 min walk. You are charged per night, so if you enter once, that's a charge for the night. They do have hourly charges too.
 
It's an easy walk. Maybe a 10-15 min walk. You are charged per night, so if you enter once, that's a charge for the night. They do have hourly charges too.

Thank you for your quick response!

Will they allow me to leave my car at the front for a little bit of time just to unload groceries? Say 20 minutes?
 
I see that the car rentals at the Marriott are about $5 cheaper for the exact same car. Is the Marriott within walking distance to the Aulani? If so, how easy/how long would it take me to walk there. ETA: Yes, I'm cheap! If it's an easy walk, I'll walk over to the Marriott to save $5. But if it's not easy, I'll just stick to the Aulani. Just want to know my options!

As PP mentions, the Marriott is walking distance to Aulani. IMO, it's easier to walk there via the beach pathway behind the resorts. Took probably about 10 minutes. Not sure I'd make the walk to save $5 but to each their own!

Will they allow me to leave my car at the front for a little bit of time just to unload groceries? Say 20 minutes?

My guess is yes. There were always cars in the front when we were there.
 

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