Aulani vs other resorts on Oahu

[newdeal]

We are considering a trip to Hawaii. We live on the east coast and are frequent visitors to Disney World. We've been to Disneyland once. My husband has been to Hawaii once when he was a teen but the rest of us have never been. Would you recommend Aulani for first time visitors to Hawaii? We have a family of 5 so I believe we would need at least a 1 bedroom due to occupancy which substantially increases the cost. Should we look someone else for a family our size? We are just in the very early stages of considering this trip so any and all advice is welcome. Next summer our kids will be 18 (oldest DS will just have graduated high school), 16 (DD with special needs), and 13 DS.

With kids of that age even a 1 bedroom might be too small. I would look in to the other hotels or condos in Ko Olina the experience will be similar and possibly cheaper

 

[TheLyinKing]

We do split stays when we go to Oahu between Aulani and a resort in Waikiki (depending on what travel credit I need to use). Love Aulani, but only worth it if renting DVC points or own DVC points. Not worth $800 a night or whatever Disney charges nowadays for cash rate. Aulani is also located in a quieter area on the southwest side of Oahu, where there honestly isn't much to do other than resort activities.