Aulani Trip report (July 21-25)

[CastlesandDreams]

Hi everyone,

I just got back from Aulani today and I have a trip report for you!

INTRO
Travelling with me (age 44) was my mom (71), son Jason (14), son Tyler (11) and daughter Emily (who turned 10 while on this trip).

Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa is absolutely amazing. I expected a wonderful experience because, after all, it is Disney, but my expectations were exceeded. Since it opened less than a year ago, I have been reading reviews in anticipation of our trip. While I read some excellent reviews, there were quite a few about the quality of the food and the lack of activities. So, for our trip, I booked a condo in Waikiki for 5 nights (July 16 to 21) and Aulani for 4 (July 21-25). Was that a big mistake! I should have booked our entire stay at Aulani. I left without taking hula lessons, learning how to make a lei, renting a Stand Up Paddle and my youngest kids cried the morning of departure.

 

[CastlesandDreams]

Day One

The $100 taxi ride from Waikiki to Ko Olina is about an hour. We arrived to Aulani on Saturday, July 21st around noon. We were greeted with fresh flower leis for the girls and Kukui nut necklaces for the boys. The flowers used smelled absolutely wonderful and I could smell them for days.

We checked in but our rooms were not ready yet. Bell Services held our luggage while we went to the pool area to eat at Off the Hook. I was getting ready for mediocre food but I was so hungry that I did not care. I ordered the turkey wrap and it was delicious. It came with the tastiest fries (there was also a choice of a fruit cup or chips). Jason had the cheeseburger, which he said was good. Tyler was too excited to eat and Emily had the kids’ macaroni and cheese and a fruit cup. The mac and cheese was excellent but the portion was very small. So far, I was not disappointed in the food.


Just as we finished lunch, we got a text message that our rooms were ready. We stayed in the Waianae Tower- rooms 942 and 944. The room was large and the view was breathless. I am not one that usually pays for a view, but this one was worth it. We overlooked the entire pool area with the ocean in the distance. We did not have a view of the sun setting, but a quick trip down the beach took care of that.

After resting in the room for a little, we headed down to the beach. We grabbed some chairs under an umbrella and a huge bag of sand toys (both are free) and enjoyed some beach time. For dinner, we grabbed a few hot dogs and more delicious fries at Mama’s Snack Shop. The hot dogs were tasty. For dessert, I had a Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cupcake. Oh my, I want another one!

 

[CastlesandDreams]

DAY TWO

The next day (Sunday, July 22) was a day for the pool, but first Tyler and I were going to enjoy the Auntie’s Breakfast Celebration. We arrived around 8:30am and there were very few people. First is a picture with Mickey (there is a photographer there and you can purchase the 8x10 and 4x6 package for $32). Breakfast is a full buffet with waffles, omelets, bacon, sausage, pancakes, eggs benedict, ham, muffins, bagels and much more. Once again, I enjoyed the meal. I love eggs benedict and I had two. Where was this bad food I read about? Hmmm, I will keep looking. My mom and the other two kids did not want breakfast so they took off for the pool. Even though they got there at 8:30am (pool opens at 8am), the chairs under the umbrellas were all taken. If you want an umbrella, you MUST be there before 8.

To enjoy the pool area, you have to get a wristband first. Locals do try to get in but they are usually found and asked to leave. Towel service is also available poolside. You can get a new towel anytime. Just put the old one in the towel bin and grab a new one. There are two pools (the main pool and
a “quiet” smaller pool. There is a lazy river (awesome) and two slides (awesome) as well as Rainbow Reef for snorkeling (awesome). Yeah, they say the water is cold, but it’s not THAT bad. On Sundays, you can watch them feed the stingray and that was a fun activity. The kids grabbed some quick service at Mama’s Snack Shop for lunch (I was still full from breakfast) and then we decided to get some shaved ice. While I like Italian ice, it’s not a favorite of mine so I decided I was just going to take a few bites from the kids’ cups. One bite and I was hooked. These ARE as amazing as everyone says.

Around 3, it was time to head back to the room for a rest. A few hours later, Tyler and Emily were at Aunty’s Beach House and Jason and I headed to Ama Ama for dinner. The sun does not set until around 7:15pm so the sun is glaring right into the restaurant at this time (5:30pm). Luckily, we had a big stone pillar to block the sun, but the people sitting at the next table were bothered by the sun in their eyes. I would choose a dining time of 7:00 or later the next time. Bread with two kinds of sea salt are served with every meal, of which we enjoyed. I had the Maui Onion Soup for an appetizer and it was tasty. Sometimes this type of soup can be too salty, but not this one. For a main course, I ordered the Chopped Salad from the appetizer section. The ingredients were fresh, but the salad dressing (a ranch) lacked some taste. I tossed in a bit of the sea salt and that took care of that. Jason ordered the filet mignon with potato soufflé, potatoes and broccoli. I ate about half of his meal (that is why I only ordered a salad). The meat was cooked perfectly and had a wonderful taste. The potatoes were delicious and neither of us could not get enough of the potato soufflé. For dessert, Jason ordered a Mickey Mouse cookie with cookies and cream mousse inside. It was very good. I would certainly recommend Ama Ama. After dinner, we spent some time walking around the resort and then picked the kids up at the club. This evening, they went to Chip and Dale’s Surfs Up Party. It was a little pricey at $79 per child, but they had an awesome time. PhotoPass was even there to take pictures. Tyler and Emily made personalized surfboards to take home.

 

[CastlesandDreams]

DAY THREE

On Monday, July 23, we had a tour booked with Hawaii Nautical Tours. They picked us up at Aulani and we were at the dock within 20 minutes (they depart from that side of the island). They served us a small continental breakfast (muffins and fruit) as we headed out to see the Hawaii Spinner Dolphins. And we saw plenty of them. A few even “spun” for us. Then we headed to the snorkeling site where we were able to snorkel for about an hour. We saw many sea turtles and other sea creatures. On the way back, we were served a nice lunch--- sandwiches (ham, salami or tuna), macaroni salad and chips. And all the sodas you can drink. I would highly recommend this tour company.

We were back to Aulani around 12:30 and it was time for a nap. But first, Tyler and Emily wanted to go to Auntie’s Beach House. After a nap and chilling on the balcony (still can’t get over that view), we picked the kids up from the club and headed to Paradise Cove for their Luau. There is a free shuttle from Aulani to the luau or you can walk in just a few minutes. There are some activities such as making a lei, spear throwing and canoe rides (and, of course, plenty of shopping). The meal begins at 7pm and the food was mediocre. There is tossed salad, macaroni salad and pasta salad. Then we were served pork, chicken, rice and corn. Then the show began at 8pm. There were the traditional luau parts- hula, Tahitian dance, fire twirling. I have never been to a luau so I have nothing to compare it to, but I certainly enjoyed this one. We had the deluxe package which included seats close to the stage and pictures of us with two of the dancers (one male and one female). The dancers are available for pictures after the luau and they wave to all the buses as they depart.

 

[CastlesandDreams]

DAY FOUR

Tuesday, July 24th was Emily’s 10th birthday. As a special treat, I decided to splurge and rent a private cabana ($275 for the day). There are four near the main pool, close to the beach and two near the kids’ play area. Cabana #1 has the best view and I did request that one. Unfortunately, we got #3. The cabana has two chairs, a love seat, a cocktail table, a fridge with water, a fan and a TV. It certainly was nice, but I would not do that again. I would rather get up early and grab some chairs under an umbrella. I was disappointed that there were no outlets to plug in my computer so I could only use it for as long as my battery lasted. We did have lunch from Off the Hook. This time I had the Chicken Cesar Salad which was okay. Hard to ruin a salad. The kids had their ususal- macaroni and cheese. I ordered a 6” cake to be delivered to the cabana and it arrived right on time. The cake was moist, but I did not like the taste. My mom said it was one of the best cakes she had ever had.

By 4:00pm, we were done and it was time to get ready for dinner anyway. So back to the room to get ready for Makahiki. I am very glad that there are a la carte items on the menu now because my mom did not feel well enough for a buffet and Tyler and Emily are very picky eaters. I would have hated to pay $43 for a buffet for them only to eat one slice of pizza. I did have the buffet and, again, the food was excellent. The pot roast was delicious, so were the roasted potatoes, fried rice, vegetable tempura and prime rib. I had two pieces of mango cheesecake and two pieces of macadamia nut caramel tart. The kids had pizza off the kid’s a la carte menu. It looked okay, like the typical pizza you find at Disney parks. The atmosphere is wonderful as the restaurant overlooks the lush Hawaiian landscape.

After dinner, we headed to the gift shop. The kids picked up some Aulani pins and I picked up an adorable statue with Chip & Dale. I also purchased the PhotoPass CD with all our pictures for $99. The gift shop is quite small. There are some shirts, towels and typical souvenirs. There are also some grocery items- milk, peanut butter, cereal, bread, bagels, chips, popcorn, frozen pizza and…….. Mickey Mouse Ice Cream bars. There are also the typical sundries: laundry detergent, hairspray, medicine for most ailments, sunscreen.

Unfortunately, it was back to the room to pack. I opened the balcony door, as I did every night, and listened to the sounds of Aulani while packing.

 

[NoodlesMom]

Thanks for the review! It sounds like you had a great time.

 

[NC State Tigger]

Thanks for posting your trip report. Sounds like you really enjoyed Aulani! The more I read reports, the more excited I get thinking about traveling to Aulani!

Our family hopes to go to Aulani next Spring. I have a few questions---if you don't mind.

How did you fly to Hawaii? What airline and how many stops? Most of our flying has been much shorter flights from NC to Fla and I do not look forward to the long flights.

We hope to have 10 days and thought about staying 3 nights in Waikiki and 7 nights at Aulani? Good idea or not? Thought we could do the tourist stuff around Waikiki, go to Pearl Harbour on the day we moved to Aulani and avoid traveling back to Honolulu after we get to Aulani. I plan to rent a car and explore the North Shore and have several days to enjoy the resort.

I had planned to try to reserve a cabana for a day or two that we stay at the resort---we are not "morning people" and I am afraid we would not get out early enough to get chairs and an umbrella. Do you know how far in advance reservations can be made for the cabanas? How do you go about reserving one?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

Donna

 

[oktracy]

Great Review!! I have been dying for another Trip Report. Glad you and your family enjoyed the resort. I may just re-think that cabana rental myself. I could spend the money at the spa instead. I hope you and your family get to experience the resort again soon.

 

[dec5girl]

Wow, we were there at the same time! We were there July 16 - 23.

NC State Tigger ~ We did 2 nights in Waikiki and then 7 at Aulani for all the same reasons you mentioned. I think it worked perfectly.

It was one of our best family trips!

 

[CastlesandDreams]

You're welcome!

Tigger- hello fellow NCer. We took USAir and had to change planes in Phoenix. I think 7 nights at Aulani and 3 in Waikiki is a good idea. Are you a DVC member or renting points? (If not, parking is $35 per day).

You can call 808-674-2000 to book a cabana. Not sure how far in advance you can make a reservation.

Oktracy- yeah, it is not something I would do again. I don't think it was worth it. I'd rather get up early and save the money. I was hoping to get some work done, but there was no outlet so what was the point.

Dec5girl---- I agree, one of the best trips ever.

 

[Ets80]

Wow,
That is very extensive detail. I have been several times and have never kept a log like that. I am still trying to get pictures organized from our trip last January. lol

 

[BlazerFan]

Note on the phone number to reserve the cabanas. The correct number is 808-674-6200.