Friends,
I will make an attempt to address a few questions, based on our visit to Aulani January 18-25, 2013.
We had an ocean view studio on the 12th floor of the Ewa tower. Construction noise was never an issue for us and the construction area was not an impediment to our spectacular view of the Waikolohe Valley and the Pacific Ocean.
We rented a Mustang convertible for the week from the Alamo car rental agency at Honolulu International Airport. The cost for the car rental came in at under $400 for the week. This was accomplished through a judicious use of coupons and codes garnered from mousesavers.com car rental information page.
The car rental allowed us the opportunity to travel around Oahu at our leisure. This included visits to Pearl Harbor, Honolulu's Chinatown, Waikiki Aquarium, Waikiki Beach, Dole Plantation, Haleiwa, Waimea Bay Beach Park, Waimea Valley, Halona Blowhole, Polynesian Culture Center, Laniakea Beach, Bishop Museum, & Iolani Palace. We also attended the luau at Paradise Cove.
During our stay at Aulani we ate at Ama Ama; Makahiki Character Breakfast; Olelo Room; One Paddle, Two Paddle; Mama's Snack Stop; & Papalua Shave Ice.
Yes, the Aulani dining prices are high. Heck, dining most anywhere in Oahu brings a higher than mainland price tag with it. We were on holiday. The flights from Toronto to Honolulu through Chicago were paid for using frequent flyer points (the total flight cost to us was $360 for three people) and we are DVC members. The room cost was paid for long ago, save for the $5.67/day Hawaiian tax we had to pay. We didn't mind paying the cost of the meals -- and we found all the meals we ate while on Aulani property were excellent.
We cannot say the same for Paradise Cove Luau. The kalua pig was bland. Think of putting a pork roast into a slow cooker for the entire day. It was pulled pork without any seasoning. The fried chicken was nothing special. Neither was the fish and the desserts were all quite normal. The hula performances were nothing special. We were not impressed with the experience and would not go again.
The same goes for our experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is a highly overpriced visit. We did not attend the luau there, but simply visited for the day. That alone cost $100 for the 3 of us. It was nice to be able to talk with the students from Brigham Young University-Hawaii (the entire center is a mission outreach of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- the Mormons) -- and get some insight into the Hawaiian hula & the Polynesian ocean going canoes at the Hawaiian pavilion, however we do not believe it was worth the cost of admission.
If/when we do a return visit to Aulani we will enjoy another dinner at Ama Ama. The cost was high, but it was such a wonderful experience. We had a sunset view table. Our maitre d' and the waiter gave us excellent attention throughout the evening. As soon as we were done with plates and cutlery the bus staff were there to clear the dirty dishes away and refill our water glasses. We found the food to be excellently prepared to our liking. At no time did the staff try to "upsell" us to a most expensive option.
As well, on our next visit we will spend more time at the Bishop Museum. We learned more about Polynesian culture through a 25 minute docent tour at the Bishop Museum than we did in an afternoon and evening combined at the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Paradise Cove Luau. As well, the Science Center gives a wonderful demonstration of the formation of the Hawaiian Islands, topped off by the pouring out of molten lava. The small planetarium shows a wonderful presentation of the night sky (that particular night's sky, for that matter) over Oahu and does a session on Polynesian navigation using the stars. Get to the planetarium shows early. The best seats are in the back of the auditorium. Don't forget -- there's a DVC member discount at the Bishop Museum.
The Aulani Starlit Hui gave a much better presentation of the Hawaiian hula than anything at the Paradise Cove Luau -- as well, we didn't have to suffer through the requisite luau tradition of making fun of mainlanders trying the hula (including dressing up an overweight male guest in grass skirt & coconut bra). Instead the Starlit Hui was a respectful presentation of Hawaiian culture, including different forms of hula. Guests were invited to take part in the hula -- but not to mock them or the hula. Instead they had the opportunity to learn the steps of the Aulani hula in the lead up to the Hui and then to be a part of the presentation of the hula.
The Dole Plantation is a tourist trap -- there is no getting around that fact. The store is a collection of every bit of Hawaiian kitsch you can imagine. It is not a truly operational pineapple plantation. That occurs elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands. The train trip through the fields is a nice way to learn about how pineapple is cultivated and the history of pineapple cultivation in Hawaii (like most everything else that we think is Hawaiian, pineapple came from somewhere else). Military discounts are offered. There are coupons available in all the tourist coupon books. The Dole Whip was excellent -- very different from what is sold at WDW.
Hawaiian Green Sea turtles are often seen at Laniakea Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, between Haleiwa and Waimea Bay Beach Park. There is a wide spot on the road with shoulder parking on the south side of the road and the beach on the north side of the highway. Do not park on the north side -- police are around and will ticket your car. The Honu guardians have a spot on the eastern end of the beach with signs and information. They are wonderful people to chat with and will give you as much information about the sea turtles as you can take in. You might see the turtles swimming in the water. You might see them basking on the beach. (keep a respectful 6' distance, please) You might not see any sea turtles at all.
During the winter months the surf pounds the north shore of Oahu and many serious surfers make their way to Waimea Bay. If you're not an experienced surfer -- keep a respectful distance from the water. This is not a place to go paddling about in the ocean. The rip currents are dangerous and the surf rescue will be truthful in warning you away from the water's edge. What was dry sand one second can be knee deep in a wave the next second. As the surf rescue guy told us, "it's just not worth it." However, watching the surfers is a wonderful experience. Put the zoom lens on your camera, set it on Sports mode, screw on the polarizing lens filter and enjoy the photographic experience as surfers ride the wild waves of the North Shore.
Disney Photopass is in operation at Aulani. Find the Photopass photographers and use them to get those wonderful photographs. They have a bit of a different system there -- using both the traditional Photopass cards and going through photos of events & activities you attended during your stay. A photo package purchased at the Makahiki character breakfast can be added to your Photopass CD. A Photopass CD costs $99 -- but if you've been judicious about using the Photopass photographers, you could end up with a nice collection of holiday memories.
Please feel free to ask any questions -- I hope I have been able to answer some questions already out there.
Best wishes & Aloha!!!
Neil
