Sell me on Aulani

[dlavender]

I know we all love Disney more.

We are planning our 2022 Hawaii trip (never to late to start!). We have never been. Being native Floridians, a tropical vacation just hasn't appealed to me. But it's on DW's bucket list so 2022 here we come! Plus planning this trip out is giving me something else to do and looking at pictures of Hawaii is pretty fun.

Now, to get down to it. I'm only in prelim research phase as I understand there are many islands to visit and the pros/cons of each one. However, I started where any good disser would, Aulani! We don't own DVC and I am aware of renting points. Looking at purely cost, if I could rent at $15/pp our family of 5 would need at least a 1 bedroom. That would cost about $5000 for a week. Looking around, there seems to be a very nice Marriott that looks to be next door. We could rent a 2 bedroom ocean view there for $3500. Cost wise it seems to be a no brainer. However, we all know and love the Disney difference. We have 3 kids who will be 14, 10,8 in 2022 (took me way to long to do that math). IMO on site WDW hotels can be worth it under the right circumstances, but off site locations have really come up. Long story short, is Aulani worth the extra $1500 for the week? Anyone stayed at that Marriott for comparison? TIA!

 

[varkgirl]

We (DH and I, we have no kids) went for the first time in March, right before they shut down. We are from FL too. We are Platinum Disney Cruisers (took our 20th cruise in Feb) and we usually vacation via the cruise line, so this was really different for us.

We did not leave the resort (because we were concerned about the growing fears of COVID - we cancelled all of our off-property plans). It rained a good chunk of our visit. Restaurants started closing/modifying things and the spa closed before our week was up. Our luau was cancelled...

BUT EVEN WITH ALL THAT, we were VERY pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it. Really, we LOVED it. We thought the food was great everywhere (except the character dining, meh) and the resort was beautiful. Plenty to see/do if you are just looking for a relaxing time.

We booked a non-ocean view on a spring deal and asked about upgrades when we got there and ended up with an AMAZING ocean view room for a lot less than it would have been if we had booked it in advance.

We are DEFINITELY going back after all this COVID stuff is over!!!

View from our room (on a rainy day):

 

[dlavender]

We (DH and I, we have no kids) went for the first time in March, right before they shut down. We are from FL too. We are Platinum Disney Cruisers (took our 20th cruise in Feb) and we usually vacation via the cruise line, so this was really different for us.

We did not leave the resort (because we were concerned about the growing fears of COVID - we cancelled all of our off-property plans). It rained a good chunk of our visit. Restaurants started closing/modifying things and the spa closed before our week was up. Our luau was cancelled...

BUT EVEN WITH ALL THAT, we were VERY pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it. Really, we LOVED it. We thought the food was great everywhere (except the character dining, meh) and the resort was beautiful. Plenty to see/do if you are just looking for a relaxing time.

We booked a non-ocean view on a spring deal and asked about upgrades when we got there and ended up with an AMAZING ocean view room for a lot less than it would have been if we had booked it in advance.

We are DEFINITELY going back after all this COVID stuff is over!!!

View from our room (on a rainy day):

View attachment 516225

Aulani does look gorgeous! I also love the pools and the theming is more on point that other places (obviously).

Thanks for your input! Did you stay in a 1 bedroom? If so, what was size like?

 

[cmrdgrs]

.@varkgirl -- I was at Aulani too in March -- March 14 - March 22. We were scheduled to be there until March 28, but our trip was cut short due to Aulani closing the resort on March 24th.

To the OP. The Aulani resort is very, very nice -- but, the Marriot KoOlina is also very nice. If you don't own DVC I'd look at the Marriot and maybe do a split stay (put the Marriot first). One advantage of the Marriot over Aulani is the pools and hot tubs stay open much later at that property. For me, Aulani shuts everything down too early.

Realize that Aulani is on the very far side of the Island. You will need a car if you plan to leave the resort and explore Oahu.

 

[varkgirl]

.@varkgirl -- I was at Aulani too in March -- March 14 - March 22. We were scheduled to be there until March 28, but our trip was cut short due to Aulani closing the resort on March 24th.

We left a day early too. We were there March 14-20 (was supposed to be 21)

 

[varkgirl]

Aulani does look gorgeous! I also love the pools and the theming is more on point that other places (obviously).

Thanks for your input! Did you stay in a 1 bedroom? If so, what was size like?

We did not. It was a regular ocean view room with two queen beds (we prefer 1 king but whatever...) - it was quite large.

 

[DVC California]

We own and stay at Aulani and enjoy their Hawaiian theming. It's not like the Poly at WDW, something more natural and authentic? We walked past the Marriott and the Four Seasons many times and I would probably arbitrarily rate Four Seasons as #1, Aulani #2, and Marriott #3 as far as personal curb appeal. (All 4-stars or better though.)

The Marriott is what you would expect in any vacation time share on the beach: nice grounds, beautiful pool, morning yoga, etc. There might even be a little water fall around the pool, IIRC. But if you dropped me blindfolded at that hotel, I would be hard pressed to say exactly where I was except at a Marriott. (Just my opinion from walking the grounds outside, I haven't stayed there.)

With both Aulani and the Four Seasons, you know you're on vacation in Hawaii. From the public art to wall displays to the warm Alohas from staff; there is a sort of immersion you go through to slow down to island time and just relax.

To compare, I guess the difference would be similar to staying on site at a WDW resort (Yacht/Beach) vs "offsite" at the Swan/Dolphin. Both excellent resorts but one is slightly more magical. (I've stayed at both).

One thing I might suggest in breaking your trip up and staying a few days somewhere on the west coast. The time difference of 6 hours between EST and HST can be rough with jet lag really affecting east coasters. Acclimating a few days in Vegas, LA, or SF seems to help.

Cheers, Steve

 

[dlavender]

We own and stay at Aulani and enjoy their Hawaiian theming. It's not like the Poly at WDW, something more natural and authentic? We walked past the Marriott and the Four Seasons many times and I would probably arbitrarily rate Four Seasons as #1, Aulani #2, and Marriott #3 as far as personal curb appeal. (All 4-stars or better though.)

The Marriott is what you would expect in any vacation time share on the beach: nice grounds, beautiful pool, morning yoga, etc. There might even be a little water fall around the pool, IIRC. But if you dropped me blindfolded at that hotel, I would be hard pressed to say exactly where I was except at a Marriott. (Just my opinion from walking the grounds outside, I haven't stayed there.)

With both Aulani and the Four Seasons, you know you're on vacation in Hawaii. From the public art to wall displays to the warm Alohas from staff; there is a sort of immersion you go through to slow down to island time and just relax.

To compare, I guess the difference would be similar to staying on site at a WDW resort (Yacht/Beach) vs "offsite" at the Swan/Dolphin. Both excellent resorts but one is slightly more magical. (I've stayed at both).

One thing I might suggest in breaking your trip up and staying a few days somewhere on the west coast. The time difference of 6 hours between EST and HST can be rough with jet lag really affecting east coasters. Acclimating a few days in Vegas, LA, or SF seems to help.

Cheers, Steve

Thanks for your input.

So you are saying we need a night or two in vegas.........

Something I've known I've needed for quite a while, lol.

 

[cgattis]

So my 2 cents worth...

if I was only doing Oahu, and it was only $1500 more (on top of flights, food, car, etc. and flying allll the way there), yes I’d just stay at Aulani. It’s the most beautiful man-made thing I saw in 14 days on 4 islands. Loved it.

The four of us stayed in a 1BR and it was great. But with 5, you’ll need two of them to share a bed and the one who gets the pull-down needs to be smallish (my 5’2” daughter had plenty of room but my 6’ son would not). The rooms are quite large and very nice. I NEVER do laundry on vacation, but it was just too easy with it being right there, so I went home with all clean clothes!

As a PO said, rental car is an absolute must!!
As I said, we did 4 islands and called it “once in a lifetime....” and by about day 3 I was already planning my return trip!!! There is absolutely plenty to do on Oahu for a week, but if you stay longer than that, consider another island too. There are unique things on each one (like say LAVA...)—let those be your guide.

And a final note. We flew for the east coast too, and it was rough. But I didn’t that time (and won’t the next time), “waste” any time or money spending nights somewhere along the way—I’m spending it ALL in beautiful Hawaii!! We stayed up until our usual bedtime on arrival day (and boy we were tired), but then we were fine from then on.

And if you do hop—islands or just resorts—as PP said, save Aulani for last!!

 

[notaprincess]

I’d say Aulani all the way, the theming is just so awesome. But I wouldn’t count on renting DVC for $15 a point. I paid 19...not sure which way Hawaii goes by 2022.

 

[dlavender]

So my 2 cents worth...

if I was only doing Oahu, and it was only $1500 more (on top of flights, food, car, etc. and flying allll the way there), yes I’d just stay at Aulani. It’s the most beautiful man-made thing I saw in 14 days on 4 islands. Loved it.

The four of us stayed in a 1BR and it was great. But with 5, you’ll need two of them to share a bed and the one who gets the pull-down needs to be smallish (my 5’2” daughter had plenty of room but my 6’ son would not). The rooms are quite large and very nice. I NEVER do laundry on vacation, but it was just too easy with it being right there, so I went home with all clean clothes!

As a PO said, rental car is an absolute must!!
As I said, we did 4 islands and called it “once in a lifetime....” and by about day 3 I was already planning my return trip!!! There is absolutely plenty to do on Oahu for a week, but if you stay longer than that, consider another island too. There are unique things on each one (like say LAVA...)—let those be your guide.

And a final note. We flew for the east coast too, and it was rough. But I didn’t that time (and won’t the next time), “waste” any time or money spending nights somewhere along the way—I’m spending it ALL in beautiful Hawaii!! We stayed up until our usual bedtime on arrival day (and boy we were tired), but then we were fine from then on.

And if you do hop—islands or just resorts—as PP said, save Aulani for last!!

You had me at lava, lol.

Yeah part of what I'm exploring is doing 4 days on Oahu and 4 days on another island, something like that. So good to know to potentially save Oahu ( and Aulani for last).

I think the bed situation would work for us in the 1 bedroom, wasn't sure if there was enough space or if it would feel too cramped.

I’d say Aulani all the way, the theming is just so awesome. But I wouldn’t count on renting DVC for $15 a point. I paid 19...not sure which way Hawaii goes by 2022.

Yeah $15 might be too adventurous of an assumption. I was looking just quickly through independent renters and it seems like $15-17 is the range. Could be better or worse next year. At $17 it pushes it up another $600 and makes the Marriott $2k cheaper, but thats comparing a week to a week. If we do 4 days obviously I need to recalculate that.

It's a lot of info to sort through and plan, that's for sure. I feel like I'm planning a WDW trip and just found out about FP+ last week, lol.

 

[JM23457]

And if you do hop—islands or just resorts—as PP said, save Aulani for last!!

That's how we're planning to do it. We're booked at very nice resorts on 3 islands, with Aulani on Oahu being the last one. I'm looking forward to every resort, but I think Aulani will feel a bit like coming home to us because it's Disney & we know Disney so well.

 

[alltwelve]

We did Aulani November 2018 in a 1-bedroom for a week and are Floridians; we absolutely fell in love with the place and can't wait to return! We're also DVC members and one of us (not me) works for Marriott, so we do Marriotts quite a bit because was can sometimes receive an employee discount. We walked over to the Marriott while staying at Aulani and it is also very nice, though the theming you get at Aulani is gone as soon as you walk on the grounds of the Marriott. Like other posters on this thread, we rented a car (a convertible for fun) and drove around Oahu a couple of the days to try the food and see the sights, but other than that, we didn't really leave Aulani. When we return, however, we hope to explore the other islands as well.

As others have suggested, maybe do a couple of days at the Marriott Ko Olina, then do a night or two at Aulani- especially considering the ages of your children. That way you get the best of both worlds and save a little in the process!

 

[cmrdgrs]

@dlavender -- I haven't stayed at the Marriott KoOlina, but I have a friend that owns there and stays there regularly. The rooms at the Marriott are also very nice and my friend tells me they are bigger than Aulani's. I know about the pool hours because he has been at the Marriott and I've been at Aulani and went down to his resort to use the pools down there as his guest in the evenings.

The beach at Aulani has more chairs and umbrellas than the Marriott -- so for me that is a plus. Getting a chair with an umbrella at the pool at Aulani is a challenge. Prepare to be up VERY early. It seems like no matter when I go to Aulani finding a chair in the shade is a challenge. I honestly do not know what time people start staking out there chairs in the AM. For this reason I just go to the beach.

The lazy river and slide is fun for sure! Aulani is a very nice property. I love the theming of the resort, from that perspective it is very "Disney" Marriott is not as well themed, but it is also a very nice property. My DD17 loves the teen program. I don't know if the Marriott has any programs for kids.

 

[dlavender]

We did Aulani November 2018 in a 1-bedroom for a week and are Floridians; we absolutely fell in love with the place and can't wait to return! We're also DVC members and one of us (not me) works for Marriott, so we do Marriotts quite a bit because was can sometimes receive an employee discount. We walked over to the Marriott while staying at Aulani and it is also very nice, though the theming you get at Aulani is gone as soon as you walk on the grounds of the Marriott. Like other posters on this thread, we rented a car (a convertible for fun) and drove around Oahu a couple of the days to try the food and see the sights, but other than that, we didn't really leave Aulani. When we return, however, we hope to explore the other islands as well.

As others have suggested, maybe do a couple of days at the Marriott Ko Olina, then do a night or two at Aulani- especially considering the ages of your children. That way you get the best of both worlds and save a little in the process!

That's a good thought, 2 days at Marriott 2 days at Aulani, something like that. I'll have to research renting points at Marriott vs renting a week but I know it can be done.

@dlavender -- I haven't stayed at the Marriott KoOlina, but I have a friend that owns there and stays there regularly. The rooms at the Marriott are also very nice and my friend tells me they are bigger than Aulani's. I know about the pool hours because he has been at the Marriott and I've been at Aulani and went down to his resort to use the pools down there as his guest in the evenings.

The beach at Aulani has more chairs and umbrellas than the Marriott -- so for me that is a plus. Getting a chair with an umbrella at the pool at Aulani is a challenge. Prepare to be up VERY early. It seems like no matter when I go to Aulani finding a chair in the shade is a challenge. I honestly do not know what time people start staking out there chairs in the AM. For this reason I just go to the beach.

The lazy river and slide is fun for sure! Aulani is a very nice property. I love the theming of the resort, from that perspective it is very "Disney" Marriott is not as well themed, but it is also a very nice property. My DD17 loves the teen program. I don't know if the Marriott has any programs for kids.

The rooms at Marriott are bigger. We would have to do a 2 bedroom as their 1 bedroom only sleeps 4. The 2 bedroom is 1200 sq ft vs 800 sq ft I believe in a 1 bedroom Aulani.

I've read about the chair issue, lol. People getting down there at 6 am and trying to hold 5 chairs at a time?! Since we are homeschooling hoping to pick a time perhaps early May or another time that may be a little more off peak and not be as crowded.

I think its a little crazy Aulani closes pools at 8 PM. Marriott's looks to be 10 or 11 depending on the night. That's a big win for Marriott. With our kids probably wont be swimming too late but would be nice to be out until at least 9.

Not sure on kids programs either. Will be another thing I need to look into. But if we do 2 at Marriott and 2 at Aulani maybe that's the best compromise to get it all in...

I've also read that Marriott has its own lagoon while Aulani shares its with 4 seasons making Aulani's feel crowded. Have you had any experience with that?

 

[cmrdgrs]

@dlavender -- The beaches in Hawaii, as far as I know, are public. I don't think that a resort can really stop someone from using the lagoon or the chairs at Aulani. Same at the Marriott. But, you are right that the lagoon at Aulani is shared with guests at the Four Seasons. I guess if you look at the lagoon, 1/3 of the lagoon is just beach (down in front of the wedding pavilion), 1/3 of the beach has chairs/umbrellas for Aulani guests, and the other 1/3 is located more in front of the Four Seasons. I personally haven't ever felt "crowded" at the beach, but it is supporting more guests at this lagoon than the others, for sure.

 

[bcwife76]

We left a day early too. We were there March 14-20 (was supposed to be 21)

Holy heck we were there the same time too, March 14-20! LOL We didn't cut our trip short though, those were always our dates. I remember trying to social distance by the pools (HA! as if!) and telling my family to stay out of the hot tubs (people soup) LOL Oh how I miss the lazy river.......

 

[cmrdgrs]

Holy heck we were there the same time too, March 14-20! LOL We didn't cut our trip short though, those were always our dates. I remember trying to social distance by the pools (HA! as if!) and telling my family to stay out of the hot tubs (people soup) LOL Oh how I miss the lazy river.......

My family is hoping to return to Aulani in March 2021 -- we're just trying to decide if that will even be possible.

 

[DRussell83]

Holy heck we were there the same time too, March 14-20! LOL We didn't cut our trip short though, those were always our dates. I remember trying to social distance by the pools (HA! as if!) and telling my family to stay out of the hot tubs (people soup) LOL Oh how I miss the lazy river.......

how was the weather during that time? Someone said some periods of rain - were there still come good beach/pool days?

 

[hedberg1661]

Aulani is a fantastic resort. You really can't go wrong staying there. The price difference you show is a real thing and everything in that area and especially Aulani is a sticker shock. If the price is a big deal for you I would suggest doing a split stay. Start at Marriott and end with the Disney touch. There is a nice convenient shuttle system to take you between the resorts however, you really can't do much other than shop, eat, and look around if you aren't a resort guest.