Looking into a trip, is it worth it vs 'other' Hawaii resorts

[claven123]

We have never been to Hawaii and are looking into a trip there next spring/summer. We're also thinking of a Disney cruise from Florida (we're from Michigan).

The other option is another Hawaii resort for a week.

Can you rent DVC points here?
I feel from reviewing the websites and other media it's a great resort with lots to discover. Do people leave the resort to do other things? I would like to see pearl harbor and live volcano's. But, would love to just do beach time and swim. It would be myself and wife and 8 year old dtr at that time.

Is it common to stay here and then transfer to a standard hawaii resort and do tourist type things?

Thanks,

D

 

[wanderlust7]

Yes, you can rent DVC points for Aulani. You would get free parking, which makes a big difference in the rent car vs not calculations. A split stay is a good idea for cost savings.

The only live volcano is on the Big Island. There are frequent flights from HNL to Hilo (ITO), but a day trip would be a long day and probably you wouldn't be able to stay late enough to see the lava glow at night. If you can do 2 weeks, I'd highly recommend a week on Oahu (split between Aulani and another Oahu hotel) and a week on the Big Island (split between the Kona and Hilo sides).

 

[newdeal]

We have done Aulani, a hotel in Honolulu and a Disney western Caribbean cruise. My thoughts are as follows.
The cruise is VASTLY overpriced. It's fun but it's not Hawaii. I would never pick a Disney cruise over Hawaii.
Honolulu sucks, it's a big city not real Hawaii
Aulani is not in Honolulu therefore is better than any hotel in Honolulu. There are other options for hotels not in Honolulu but I can't say they would be any cheaper than Aulani.

If I wanted a cheap tropical vacation I would pick an all inclusive resort.

If I wanted a cruise I wouldn't book with Disney again due to the cost

If I wanted a more expensive vacation I would go to Aulani and not go on a Disney cruise.

If I wanted to go to Hawaii and not stay at Aulani I would not go to Oahu

 

[John-DVC]

Family and I really enjoy Disney cruises - never tried one to Hawaii but overall can’t see it being bad. The onboard activities for the kids is really good.

The split stay is a really good idea. With the price of Aulani I think it’s worthwhile to stay at the resort and enjoy the beach, pools and amenities. 3-4 days is more than enough to do it all. Split to a cheaper hotel after for exploring the island. That’s what we’ve done a few times and it has worked out well.

For alternatives I actually like Maui and big island more than Oahu. Mainly go to Oahu because of Aulani and DVC. If you skip Aulani all together there are other resorts with just as much if not more and prices are in the same ballpark.

 

[thedogatemyhomework]

staying at aulani or somewhere else is likely to come down to how much disney you want. if you’re only considering the ko’olina resorts, then aulani is pretty much right in line with the other resorts there price wise...and amenity wise aulani is tough to beat...especially given its location.

split stays can have additional benefits (reducing the need to fight traffic) by doing things like staying in waikiki to do diamond head, hanauma bay, pearl harbor, aulani for the resort and north shore (or add turtle bay for north shore)

oahu will have the most well known tourist spots, waikiki, diamond head, hanauma bay, pearl harbor, north shore, kua loa ranch, polynesian cultural center, just to list off some of the more well known ones.

every other island will likely feel more like what people imagine hawaii is like...but other than the volcano on the big island, theres probably quite a few that wouldn’t really be able to name anything specific on another island. maui, kauai, and the big island are the most commonly visited of the other islands.

some of it might also come down to do you want a beach that might have no one in sight, or would that make you paranoid...most everywhere with a sandy beach on oahu will have several other people there nearly every day, the other islands...its more common to find a stretch of beach with no one else there most of the time (well...maybe not maui). if you like forest type hikes oahu doesn’t have many, kauai and the big island would be better for those...but if you want hikes where you pass by others frequently then oahu has that in spades (manoa falls).

 

[claven123]

I was thinking of a Caribbean Disney Cruise......

I’m not very familiar with the different islands. Will have to learn more. Not opposed to going there another one. Also, the logistics of travel to Hawaii is interesting, and a whole other issue.

I guess a nice all inclusive in the Caribbean stay would be cool also, we’ve done that. Don’t flame me, but is Hawaii that much different/better, I really don’t know.

 

[Shanti]

I was thinking of a Caribbean Disney Cruise......

I’m not very familiar with the different islands. Will have to learn more. Not opposed to going there another one. Also, the logistics of travel to Hawaii is interesting, and a whole other issue.

I guess a nice all inclusive in the Caribbean stay would be cool also, we’ve done that. Don’t flame me, but is Hawaii that much different/better, I really don’t know.

Yes, Hawaii really is much nicer than the Caribbean, which is quite obviously impoverished, and for related reasons it is also cleaner and safer. The Caribbean is not as strikingly beautiful as many parts of Hawaii. Hawaii is a more expensive vacation than the Caribbean for most Americans, though. I probably would not go all the way to Hawaii just to stay at a Disney resort on Oahu. I recommend southern Maui (avoid the touristy Lahaina area), Kauai, or the big island.

A Disney cruise is a very nice, albeit expensive, vacation. A cruise really can't be compared to a land vacation, so you have to want the cruise for the sake of being on a cruise.

 

[John-DVC]

Beaches in the Caribbean have nicer sand and views imo.

Hawaii is safer though from a food and environment standpoint.
I do like the Hawaiian culture and food found on the island (a bit more Asian centric).

 

[Sunclytie]

I also think that the vibrant Hawaiian culture sets it apart from the Caribbean — it's not better, just different, and is something worth experiencing. The music, the food, the stories, the landscape — it's all quite unique and lots of fun to become familiar with.
My recent Hawaiian trip was the most relaxing vacation I have been on in a long time. It was great to just have no plans and just chill out.

 

[aulanidreamer]

We own DVC at Aulani and love it. We just did our first Western Caribbean cruise this past November and loved it, but they are very different vacations. I would argue that for the most part people who don’t like Oahu really mean they don’t like how crowded Waikiki is and/or traffic. It is definitely the most populated island but is very beautiful if you stay out of Honolulu.

What we love about Aulani is it is more about relaxing at the resort with a few day trips, so there is lots of beach, pool, and relaxing time. The cruise was great and we loved the experience of seeing a few different places, but we did find it was just a small taste and we wished for a longer experience.
We found ourselves wondering if it would have been cheaper to find a resort in Grand Cayman for the week. It’s really only 5-6 hrs on each island. Castaway Cay was awesome though. We loved the experience of the inclusive dining and the themes each night, but the food itself is fine but not amazing. If your idea of vacation is the pool, I would say Aulani wins that one. Our biggest disappointment about the cruise was the surprisingly small family pool(s) that was packed with kids and was closed very often because when you pay that much for a vacation most people apparently don’t think any of the diaper rules apply to them. I also despised the huge screen that plays movies all day by the pool as my son watches it whenever he wasn’t forced to do something else.
I would say the kids activities are better on the ship and they have better options for preteens and adolescents. Anyway these are a few of my thoughts on both, sorry if I got ramble-y.

 

[claven123]

I guess a main part of it for me is the logistics of travel time and cost of travel.

I've been to 48 of the US states, with Alaska and Hawaii last, so It's a bucket list thing for me. I'm sure Aulani would be wonderful, but I would likely split the time between Aulani and another area/resort/island to do sightseeing stuff. This way the main focus wouldn't be on the resort.

The issue is would you do the touristy visit first and end it with Aulani for relaxation etc...

How many days at Aulani is adequate?

Are there menu's and prices posted someplace? I'm assuming it's Disney food pricing.

D

 

[bajadahl]

I was (or am) in your same predicament.... I haven't completed my trip yet so I guess I'm still in your predicament....Our trip is in July. I guess everything depends on budget but I kind of decided intra island travel to be a little too costly for this trip so I am spending all 10 days on Oahu. I am spending the first 5 nights at the Hampton Inn in Kapolei and the last 5 nights at the Aulani. The big benefits of the Hampton Inn are the price and free parking. It looks like it is just in a shopping center area and not near any beach really but that's not a problem for me since we intend to rent a car for the first 5 days and explore the island. (North Shore, Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, and some hiking like Diamond Head and Manoa Falls) With all the exploring where we sleep is less important. Once we move over to Aulani I will return the rental car and we will stay at the resort for the remaining 5 days doing the pool, beach, and Disney stuff.

And as far as the bucket list items... This trip completes all 50 states for my family! I promised both my daughters we would visit all 50 states before they finished high school and my oldest will be a junior in the fall so I am getting it done a year early! lol We did Alaska in 2014 via a Disney Cruise and I highly recommend it! Although that Alaska cruise was much more expensive than Hawaii is going to be!

 

[aulanidreamer]

So far in both our Aulani stays we have done split stays between Aulani and a vrbo/ Airbnb on the northshore or the east side. I would say Waimanalo/ Kailua is my favorite part of the island... the beaches are perfect and calm enough to swim. (Northshore in winter is too wild unless you are a professional surfer). It’s the sugary sand you think of from postcards. I hear a Marriott courtyard has opened up in Laie, which I would say is a better option than Kapolei if you really prefer a hotel but we’ve had great experiences at the vrbos. Kapolei (and Aulani) are pretty far from many of the tourists spots. We’ve avoided Waikiki so far but it’s always an option for a few nights. We like to do our sightseeing while away, then stay and relax when at Aulani. It’s a small island but really it’s a long drive to the other side. It’s nice to experience both sides.

All of Hawaii food is “Disney priced.” The first time I bought milk I couldn’t believe the prices. When you ship everything thing, it’s expensive. So groceries are expensive and eating out is more expensive. I think Disney actually isn’t much different from any other resort, and at least they don’t add that $30 resort fee plus parking like most of the resorts in Waikiki.

 

[aulanidreamer]

Oh and this upcoming stay next month is the first time we will do 3 nights in Maui before going to Aulani. If you book a flight into Maui and out of Honolulu ifs not too crazy expensive I’ve noticed. This particular stay we ended up finding a package deal through orbitz that included our RT hnl-Maui flight and hotel for less than just the hotel booked separately. ( I had already purchased our Hnl flights before we decided to try Maui) I think that was just luck of finding a great deal at the right time.

 

[nkereina]

We spent 3 nights in Waikiki, 3 nights in Maui, 3 nights in Kauai, and 6 nights at Aulani. In that order. My trip report is in my signature.

We rented DVC points to stay at Aulani and it made it very affordable for us. I will say that we were in a standard studio, which was definitely the smallest room we experienced of the 4 resorts we stayed at during our trip. We loved Aulani and of course love Disney, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay elsewhere in Hawaii especially if the cost savings was significant. There are tons of beautiful resorts, many of which are even in better locations.

As mentioned, I highly recommend renting a car. It made it very easy to come and go and do all the exploring we wanted. If staying on DVC points, even as a renter, parking will be free at Aulani.

 

[chainkid]

I don't think you can compare the Caribbean islands with the Hawaiian islands in terms of cleanliness and beauty which I think go hand in hand. Hard to look at a pretty beach when all you see is trash everywhere. Coming from the east coast , I expected to do a one and done three week vacation but I'm now going on my third three week with no plans to stop. It was an eye opener to me as I spend many months of the year working in Caribbean and thought it would be same experience only father away. Aulani is a great destination resort in itself and you can easily travel all over the island if you pick the right times in which to avoid traffic. I also stayed at the turtle Bay resort on north shore and it was a standard hotel with a gorgeous lobby but average rooms. Suggestion would be to do VRBO to find condo if you want to stay North Shore. Chose a Marriot in the city for two nights only just to experience the night life but not a fan.

I found interisland flights were cheapest if you book a multi city ticket on Hawaiian . You can get good deals if you stalk them.

A cruise is a totally different experience and all inclusive's are not my thing as they often do not live up to their hype.

 

[alldiz]

Ok I’m from NY and have visited Caribbean many times... if u have not been u must go it is amazing. However pick an island not touched by this horrendous hurricane season this year.

I went to Aulani with my Dvc last summer combined with a NCl island hopping cruise. This was a one and done for Hawaii. God dang that flight is long!!!!
Well DD just said she wants to go back to Hawaii for graduation present. I always knew I would return cause I loved so but didn’t expect so soon!
Honestly I loved Oahu. We will go back and just stay there!
IMO stay at Aulani to relax and pick cheaper hotel 100 percent to explore !
Happy planning
Kerri

 

[Cissigys]

Hawaii is surprisingly easy to drive around (yes, there's traffic, especially on Oahu, but it's not that bad if you avoid rush hour).

We have family in Hawaii and have gone quite a few times. However, last year we took our daughters for the first trip that was more "touristy". We started with 5 days on Oahu and kept Aulani as our home base the whole time. In the mornings we would go do one thing per day (North Shore, Dole Plantation, Hanauma Bay, Kaneohe Bay, Pearl Harbor) and then in the afternoons we'd just swim, relax, and do stuff at Aulani. For the next three days we did the same thing, except on Maui (mornings at Haleakala, Paia, and the Ocean Center). Finished up with a two-day trip on the Road to Hana.

It was perfect. We got to see everything we wanted to see, but also got a lot of relaxation and beach time to enjoy the resorts.

 

[Midoria]

It is definitely the most populated island but is very beautiful if you stay out of Honolulu.

Huh? Did you find Manoa Falls or Hanauma Bay to be un-beautiful? Because those are both in Honolulu as are many other popular hikes and natural landmarks people love.

 

[buffettgirl]

There is also a lot of history and culture in Honolulu. It's a fascinating place to explore if you're a person who likes to explore cities. It's not that Honolulu isn't "real Hawaii" as someone said up thread, it's that it's not what people pretend in their head that hawaii is going to be like. Honolulu is as real hawaii as Boston is "real Massachusetts", and it's got a significant place in the history of modern day Hawaii. Is it all tropical beaches? No, it's a city. But to discount it , is pretty narrow minded.