Welcome luvs2cruise! Thanks for letting me know! I fixed them all today.
Let's Stay, Play, Dine, and Shop! An Aulani TR June 3 - 12, 2014 update 7/7
- Thread starter mathed101
- Start date
Welcome luvs2cruise! Thanks for letting me know! I fixed them all today.
Let's Stay Part 2
Aulani!
After hiking Diamond Head and Makapuu Trail as well as seeing the sights up the Winward coast, we had lunch, swam at Waikiki Beach, packed up and headed to our home for the next 8 nights!
Driving from Honolulu to Aulani was very easy and fairly quick. We were on the road at 1:00 pm and the traffic going to Ko Olina was light. The traffic inbound to Honolulu was getting a bit heavy but moving right along. We used the Garmin to guide us and it did a good job.
As we were getting close we could see Aulani rising above the other resorts. Talk about excited!!
The ramp off to the Ko Olina resort area is really pretty!
Just keep driving....
Look to the left! Golf course and Aulani is in our sight!
Slow down right about here since there's a wicked speed bump this far from the guard shack! The guard guys loved to wave at us and didn't stop us once during our stay. Also, there is a great picture opportunity across from the guard shack. Beautiful water with tons of flowers right on the golf course. I missed the picture every time!
Around the corner just past the Paradise Cove Luau place.
Straight ahead down this beautiful tree lined street.
JW Marriott to the right at this intersection. Monkeypod, Island Market, etc..to the left. So much closer than I imagined!
Almost there...watch for golf carts and bicycle riders and people taking pictures in front of the sign in the next picture!
Finally here!!
Aulani!
After hiking Diamond Head and Makapuu Trail as well as seeing the sights up the Winward coast, we had lunch, swam at Waikiki Beach, packed up and headed to our home for the next 8 nights!
Driving from Honolulu to Aulani was very easy and fairly quick. We were on the road at 1:00 pm and the traffic going to Ko Olina was light. The traffic inbound to Honolulu was getting a bit heavy but moving right along. We used the Garmin to guide us and it did a good job.
As we were getting close we could see Aulani rising above the other resorts. Talk about excited!!
The ramp off to the Ko Olina resort area is really pretty!
Just keep driving....
Look to the left! Golf course and Aulani is in our sight!
Slow down right about here since there's a wicked speed bump this far from the guard shack! The guard guys loved to wave at us and didn't stop us once during our stay. Also, there is a great picture opportunity across from the guard shack. Beautiful water with tons of flowers right on the golf course. I missed the picture every time!
Around the corner just past the Paradise Cove Luau place.
Straight ahead down this beautiful tree lined street.
JW Marriott to the right at this intersection. Monkeypod, Island Market, etc..to the left. So much closer than I imagined!
Almost there...watch for golf carts and bicycle riders and people taking pictures in front of the sign in the next picture!
Finally here!!
luvs2cruise
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2010
Love all of your pictures! Can't wait to read more!
Thanks and I am glad that the pictures are showing up! I am working on uploading and organizing the enormous about of pictures that I have of Aulani!
Welcome alohamom! I am so excited for you that you get to go to Aulani next month. Is this your first trip there? If you have any questions about anything please let me know and I will try to help!
When we finally arrived at Aulani and drove up the driveway to the entrance, it was absolutely beautiful! We felt like we were home...again! One of our DVC homes is Animal Kingdom and the way Aulani is set up to receive their guests is similar. We just loved it immediately!! 
The CM's are over the top outstanding in every way! They are so friendly and genuinely interested in helping you and treating you like a guest, but even better, they treat you like visiting relatives or family.
We didn't get any pictures of the area where we were greeted or unloaded our bags.
I am trying to figure out how I missed those pics and then I remember that we were just so happy to be there!
The next thing we knew after we pulled up (and answered their Alohas and yes we were checking in, and yes this is our first trip, and yes flying all the way from Orlando was super long), is that we were literally whisked away from our vehicle, given fruit infused water, and taken on a tour of the unbelievably beautiful lobby by the sweetest CM ever.
Our bellman was waiting there to take us up to our room that was ready upon arrival (around 2 pm). I was totally psyched to hear our room number.
I called Member Services a week or so before our trip to make my requests and they were all met! The CM at MS was very careful with the wording and literally spelled out and checked each part before she submitted the request. We booked an ocean view studio. Here's my request: Waianae building, ocean view studio facing waikolohe valley, highest floor with room number ending in 04 or 10.
This was the perfect room for us! We didn't want to see the JW so we picked the Waianae bldg. Our location gave us fabulous views of mountains, Aulani, and the ocean! We were close to the elevators, ice, and trash. It was just a short walk to the parking exit, the Laniwai Spa, the Ulu Café, and the adult pool. And the best part was that is was in shade the entire day! We were out on the balcony all the time. And really, the walk to anywhere was just so scenic, easy, and not far at all. I will let the pictures speak for themselves!!
This sliding door closes off the bathroom to the rest of the room.
Views from the balcony!!!
The CM's are over the top outstanding in every way! They are so friendly and genuinely interested in helping you and treating you like a guest, but even better, they treat you like visiting relatives or family.
We didn't get any pictures of the area where we were greeted or unloaded our bags.
I am trying to figure out how I missed those pics and then I remember that we were just so happy to be there! The next thing we knew after we pulled up (and answered their Alohas and yes we were checking in, and yes this is our first trip, and yes flying all the way from Orlando was super long), is that we were literally whisked away from our vehicle, given fruit infused water, and taken on a tour of the unbelievably beautiful lobby by the sweetest CM ever.
Our bellman was waiting there to take us up to our room that was ready upon arrival (around 2 pm). I was totally psyched to hear our room number.
I called Member Services a week or so before our trip to make my requests and they were all met! The CM at MS was very careful with the wording and literally spelled out and checked each part before she submitted the request. We booked an ocean view studio. Here's my request: Waianae building, ocean view studio facing waikolohe valley, highest floor with room number ending in 04 or 10.
This was the perfect room for us! We didn't want to see the JW so we picked the Waianae bldg. Our location gave us fabulous views of mountains, Aulani, and the ocean! We were close to the elevators, ice, and trash. It was just a short walk to the parking exit, the Laniwai Spa, the Ulu Café, and the adult pool. And the best part was that is was in shade the entire day! We were out on the balcony all the time. And really, the walk to anywhere was just so scenic, easy, and not far at all. I will let the pictures speak for themselves!!
This sliding door closes off the bathroom to the rest of the room.
Views from the balcony!!!
A few more from the balcony of our room 1510!
Tip: Check on the DVC resort board for the Aulani Villas & Views thread to help you decide what view you would like best! We picked our building for another reason contrary to picking the Ewa building, we were going to watch the sunsets from the beach and not from our room.
We really loved the views!
Tip: Check on the DVC resort board for the Aulani Villas & Views thread to help you decide what view you would like best! We picked our building for another reason contrary to picking the Ewa building, we were going to watch the sunsets from the beach and not from our room.
We really loved the views!
amyren
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2009
It was perfection... very expensive perfection
I was a bit underwhelmed with some of the food choices but overall it was fantastic!! I've started a trip report on my blog but it's not nearly as detailed as yours! Our Aulani stay was a piggyback on a Tokyo Disney Resort stay and I did like zero planning.Any way your view was fantastic! I was impressed with our parking lot view on the 7th floor because we could see water and mountains beyond the parking deck but yours was really beautiful!!! I look forward to more of your trip
goofy4prez
A guy can love Disney and still keep his man card!
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
Count me in on this TR. 
We are thinking of changing things up for our vacation plans next year. Usually we go to WDW but my DD(16) will be going to Japan next year with her Japanese class in high school and I'm thinking of a trip to Hawaii for my wife and I and Aulani is one of the resorts I'm interested in. I'm looking forward to the rest of your TR.
We are thinking of changing things up for our vacation plans next year. Usually we go to WDW but my DD(16) will be going to Japan next year with her Japanese class in high school and I'm thinking of a trip to Hawaii for my wife and I and Aulani is one of the resorts I'm interested in. I'm looking forward to the rest of your TR. It was perfection... very expensive perfection
Any way your view was fantastic! I was impressed with our parking lot view on the 7th floor because we could see water and mountains beyond the parking deck but yours was really beautiful!!! I look forward to more of your trip
Hi Amy!
I totally agree with about the cost of perfection and the underwhelming food choices. We usually make dining more of a priority on our WDW trips but this Hawaii trip was all about the activities!! We kinda just fit food in between what we were doing with a few special reservations thrown in.
Count me in on this TR.
Welcome goofy4prez! Thanks for joining me and I think you have a great opportunity to go on a trip with your wife. We loved getting away by ourselves and Aulani/Hawaii was the perfect place to do it!!
Aulani had plenty of locations to sit and enjoy the many water areas. One of our favorites was the adult only pool basically because we were on an adult's only trip and there we no kids splashing about or running amok!! (I love kids but sometimes it is just oh so relaxing not to have to worry about anybody but yourself, or anyone else's kids!) We did appreciate the lazy river at 8 am and the infinity hot tub was our second favorite spot (adults only too).
Here we are enjoying a bit of shade at the adult pool. It was a great location for us because we could just go down the elevator and exit by the Laniwai spa or we could walk out the doors to the valley and go around by Ulu Café, making a stop at the Rainbow Reef shack for towels and a wristband.
I didn't actually take a picture of the pool but it is a good size and only a few feet deep! There is a bar right by it if you would like to belly up to it or if you would rather stay in your lounge chair there are servers that come around to take your order for drinks and/or food. We brought our own beverages to the pools whether it was a water bottle or something stronger!
The cabanas were seldom used during our trip.
The infinity hot tub is a fabulous place to soothe those sore surfing muscles! We enjoyed it the most at 8 am after snorkeling in the lagoon and before hitting the lazy river. Another good time to go for us (crowdwise) was during the dinner hour.
(I love kids but sometimes it is just oh so relaxing not to have to worry about anybody but yourself, or anyone else's kids!) We did appreciate the lazy river at 8 am and the infinity hot tub was our second favorite spot (adults only too). Here we are enjoying a bit of shade at the adult pool. It was a great location for us because we could just go down the elevator and exit by the Laniwai spa or we could walk out the doors to the valley and go around by Ulu Café, making a stop at the Rainbow Reef shack for towels and a wristband.
I didn't actually take a picture of the pool but it is a good size and only a few feet deep! There is a bar right by it if you would like to belly up to it or if you would rather stay in your lounge chair there are servers that come around to take your order for drinks and/or food. We brought our own beverages to the pools whether it was a water bottle or something stronger!
The cabanas were seldom used during our trip.
The infinity hot tub is a fabulous place to soothe those sore surfing muscles! We enjoyed it the most at 8 am after snorkeling in the lagoon and before hitting the lazy river. Another good time to go for us (crowdwise) was during the dinner hour.
Aulani Map and The Weekly 'Iwas
During our tour of the lobby upon our arrival our CM gave us a few things. One was The Weekly 'Iwa and another was an Aulani Dining Guide. On the back of the Dining Guide was a map that I found very helpful to find places. It actually has the names printed on it instead of a alphabet letter legend. The Weekly 'Iwa was available as well as The Daily 'Iwa. I am going to post pictures of the two Weekly 'Iwas in this post and the next. The second week we were there was the start of a more crowded time and some of the daily offerings changed from the first week.
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Front Page
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Page 2
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Page 3
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Back Page
During our tour of the lobby upon our arrival our CM gave us a few things. One was The Weekly 'Iwa and another was an Aulani Dining Guide. On the back of the Dining Guide was a map that I found very helpful to find places. It actually has the names printed on it instead of a alphabet letter legend. The Weekly 'Iwa was available as well as The Daily 'Iwa. I am going to post pictures of the two Weekly 'Iwas in this post and the next. The second week we were there was the start of a more crowded time and some of the daily offerings changed from the first week.
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Front Page
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Page 2
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Page 3
The Weekly 'Iwa June 1 - 7, 2014 Back Page
Girimama33
"I've disgraced the forces of evil."
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2012
Thank you for posting the Iwa.
I am enjoying the report so far.
I am enjoying the report so far.
ProudMommyof2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
Wow! Your pics are awesome! I can really feel your excitement through your words and it is infectious!
pepe3penelope
Princess Ariel at Heart
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2013
I loved reading your TR. Your pictures were so beautiful! I loved seeing things through your eyes! Aulani is our home resort and we have yet to go (we only joined as members last June and we just used our points for the 1st time earlier this month at VGC- we are locals to Disneyland.). Next year we are doing 2 five day cruises on Disney Wonder out of San Diego. Thinking that maybe 2016 might be the year for a DVC member cruise or time to go to aulani. 
SingingMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2001
Just found your report! We arrive Monday!!! I have made some dinner reservations and a few excursions are booked, but that's it. We are in a DVC studio with an Island Garden view. (Not DVC members). Hopefully it will be spacious enough for the three of us - me, DH and DD, celebrating her 21st birthday!
I'm usually a planner, but our last two summer trips were with Adventures by Disney, which takes care of everything, so I have been a bit lazy about this trip! Hopefully all will be wonderful!! I just wish we could have flown first class! Lol
"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
I'm usually a planner, but our last two summer trips were with Adventures by Disney, which takes care of everything, so I have been a bit lazy about this trip! Hopefully all will be wonderful!! I just wish we could have flown first class! Lol
"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
DVCTigger
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
Glad this got bumped up! We arrive two weeks from today (leave on Tues for some big island and Waikiki time pre-Aulani). Loving the pictures! Pool view studio for DH and I celebrating our silver anniversary 
I will miss not having the kids with us, but this will be a very special first time trip to Hawaii for us! But then again, our kids are adults, so they have their own lives to lead now!
Enjoying your trip report!! Looking forward to your play and dine excerpts!!
I will miss not having the kids with us, but this will be a very special first time trip to Hawaii for us! But then again, our kids are adults, so they have their own lives to lead now!Enjoying your trip report!! Looking forward to your play and dine excerpts!!
saintstickets
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2009
I just found your TR and love it! DW and I went to Aulani Sept2012 before some of the major changes were completed. I like reading your TR with the pictures to see what changed from our trip. Subbed in and looking forward to more of your TR!
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