Aulani Party-Crashing

[mesaboy2]

I am considering a trip to Hawaii in Summer 2014 but Aulani is simply not in the budget. (We'll be getting our Disney fix on our way there as we visit DLR for a few days.)

I am a WDW veteran and know (and respect) all the controversial no-nos as they apply to WDW resorts--pool-hopping, parking, etc.

That said, it would be a shame to be in HI and not stop by Aulani to see what it's like--who knows, we may be in the market one day after all. We might be interested in walking around the property, maybe grab a bite to eat, and maybe shop for instance. I would assume Disney would allow this much, and I assume the general consensus here is also this is okay--it generally is considered socially acceptable at WDW resorts. Opinions?

Now for what may be the more controversial topic. What about M&Gs? Aren't there a few of these around the property--unlike most any other Disney resort? Is this even possible for resort-crashers and if so, would getting a picture with Mickey in his cabana wear be considered taboo?

I welcome your opinions, but please go easy on me--I consider myself a "rule-follower" and considerate of others in general. If it's clear that most of the responses say this is a bad idea, I will respect that.

<ducks>

 

[Cinderpamela]

You can dine at the resort and shop and even check out the DVC office to get more info.

Taken from the Disney Aulani site:

Parking for Daytime Visitors

Valet parking is $35 per day; Self parking is $10 for the first hour and $5 for every half hour after that, with a maximum day rate of $35.* When you spend $35* or more at Aulani dining venues or at Laniwai Spa during a single visit, you'll get validated valet or self parking for up to 4 hours.

They do require that hotel guests wear wristbands to access the pool area and water features, but you can certainly walk around and check it all out. Just as you would at WDW when wanting to see or dine at a different resort than where you are staying.

 

[honeylove]

Sadly, Aulani now requires guests to have wristbands to do the M&G's with the characters.

 

[wdrl]

You can also stop by the DVC Preview Center while at Aulani and arrange for a tour of an Aulani villa or two. DVC timeshare presentations are quite low keyed and no where near as stressful as many other timeshare companies.

 

[mesaboy2]

Good info everyone, thanks!

 

[disneyjunebug]

Sadly, Aulani now requires guests to have wristbands to do the M&G's with the characters.

This is very sad. We are staying in Ko'Olina on Marriott points in October and I was hoping to go eat at Aulani and get my son's picture with Stitch one day. I understand the reason when it is crowded, but if it's not crowded.... (and I'm a former Cast Member too!)

 

[Iceman93]

I hear ya, DisneyJuneBug, but I was talking about this with a friend yesterday. Stitch is HUGELY popular at Aulani, dare I say even more than Mickey. Part of it is the Hawaiian connection, but part of it is that Stitch is hugely popular in Japan and Japanese tourists make up a sizable portion of Aulani's clientele. I doubt there will ever be a non-crowded M&G with Stitch at Aulani...

 

[Carrie in AZ]

What characters are at the character breakfast? We didn't go to one while we stayed there so I don't know. If Mickey and Stitch are there, you could book the breakfast and get your pics at it.

 

[stitchandco]

When we did the breakfast in March, Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy were there.

 

[SuperPreparo]

Sadly, Aulani now requires guests to have wristbands to do the M&G's with the characters.

We were just there a couple of weeks ago and did not experience this. We wore our wristbands at the pool but didn't need them to get pictures with Mickey and Goofy. We found the characters to be very accessible.

 

[Saralyn]

We stayed at a different resort in Hawaii over Thanksgiving break in 2011 and had lunch reservations at ʻAMAʻAMA and a tour of a grand villa (awesome!). On our way from the restaurant back to the lobby we ran into Goofy and his handler en route to an M&G and he stopped for a few quick pictures with us. This NEVER happens in Disney World!!! The handlers there fend off approaching guests very firmly, but we got lucky at Aulani, and we weren't even registered guests. It was an exciting surprise! Can't wait to stay at Aulani this summer! We'll miss our annual trip to WDW, but we are looking forward to enjoying everything Aulani has to offer.

 

[scroot]

We were there May 13-22 2013 and saw someone get asked to leave the line because she couldn't produce a band or room key. We also had a day when we got closed out of the line because we waited too long to join it.

Something one can do without a wrist band is enjoy the observation windows at rainbow reef.

While they check our room key for the starlit hui they didn't for the "art and culture" tour.

Our night at Ama Ama there were at least two tables that asked to have their parking validated. I would imagine one could hang out much of the day and end was a good meal.

There is also the carved Stitch for photos. He looks much more like the guy in the movie that the M n G character does.

 

[WDW_Diane]

I am considering a trip to Hawaii in Summer 2014 but Aulani is simply not in the budget. (We'll be getting our Disney fix on our way there as we visit DLR for a few days.)

I am a WDW veteran and know (and respect) all the controversial no-nos as they apply to WDW resorts--pool-hopping, parking, etc.

That said, it would be a shame to be in HI and not stop by Aulani to see what it's like--who knows, we may be in the market one day after all. We might be interested in walking around the property, maybe grab a bite to eat, and maybe shop for instance. I would assume Disney would allow this much, and I assume the general consensus here is also this is okay--it generally is considered socially acceptable at WDW resorts. Opinions?

Now for what may be the more controversial topic. What about M&Gs? Aren't there a few of these around the property--unlike most any other Disney resort? Is this even possible for resort-crashers and if so, would getting a picture with Mickey in his cabana wear be considered taboo?

I welcome your opinions, but please go easy on me--I consider myself a "rule-follower" and considerate of others in general. If it's clear that most of the responses say this is a bad idea, I will respect that.

<ducks>

We were over there visiting today and had our photo taken with Mickey. They did not ask if we were guests, only if we were at the Character Breakfast...and we said that no, we weren't. I think it depends on how busy they are or if there is a line.