There are still characters, hidden mickeys, dole whips and mickey waffles, but it's the overall Disney quality that makes it what it is.
Agree! The spa there is such a great experience.The spa was one of the best we've ever been to.
What time of year did you stay at Aulani?I guess I'm the odd one out. Aulani was definitely not for me. My daughter (at the time 17), and I did a short inter-island trip from Maui to visit it a couple years ago when my husband and son flew home to get back for something. Background ... I've spent a lot of time in Hawaii, including summer school on Oahu in High School (same school that President Obama went to), regular family trips to different islands since childhood, and in the last 5 years multiple trips a year to Maui where my mom purchased a condo at the Ho'olei (connected with the Grand Wailea). My son is special needs so we spend a lot of time at Disney (DVC owners on both coasts, platinum cruisers, and numerous ABD trips)--we are big Disney fans.
So in other words, I love Hawaii and I love Disney, but the mix of them in Aulani didn't work for me. The resort was just too big, the pools were a zoo (and this is from someone who regularly goes to the Grand Wailea's pools, LOL), the location of the resort is horrible, and there aren't enough food choices around. I felt as if the resort was extremely expensive even by Hawaii standards and the "value" wasn't there (specifically the resort restaurants).
My kids are also older so that probably also had an impact on our enjoyment. There were a lot of little kids while we were there. I think families with smaller children gravitate toward Aulani, which definitely makes sense, but for me it wasn't conducive to relaxing. Aulani has great theming and I do think an effort was made to build something culturally respectful, but for me it was completely lacking in the Hawaii "island vibe" that I get from other places.
If you've never been to Hawaii before and want to check it out, maybe do a split stay at Aulani and maybe a more traditionally located Waikiki hotel or better yet another island like Maui?
This was during an extended spring break trip a couple years ago so first week of April 2018.What time of year did you stay at Aulani?
We stayed at four resorts over our 16 day honeymoon in Hawaii, including Aulani. One thing I have read about Aulani is that it was designed with the thought in mind that people would use it as a home base while exploring Oahu, and they underestimated the amount of people that would stay at Aulani just for the resort without leaving to tour. This attributes to the sometimes crowded pool areas, and limited capacity at the restaurants and Aunty's.I guess I'm the odd one out. Aulani was definitely not for me. My daughter (at the time 17), and I did a short inter-island trip from Maui to visit it a couple years ago when my husband and son flew home to get back for something. Background ... I've spent a lot of time in Hawaii, including summer school on Oahu in High School (same school that President Obama went to), regular family trips to different islands since childhood, and in the last 5 years multiple trips a year to Maui where my mom purchased a condo at the Ho'olei (connected with the Grand Wailea). My son is special needs so we spend a lot of time at Disney (DVC owners on both coasts, platinum cruisers, and numerous ABD trips)--we are big Disney fans.
So in other words, I love Hawaii and I love Disney, but the mix of them in Aulani didn't work for me. The resort was just too big, the pools were a zoo (and this is from someone who regularly goes to the Grand Wailea's pools, LOL), the location of the resort is horrible, and there aren't enough food choices around. I felt as if the resort was extremely expensive even by Hawaii standards and the "value" wasn't there (specifically the resort restaurants).
My kids are also older so that probably also had an impact on our enjoyment. There were a lot of little kids while we were there. I think families with smaller children gravitate toward Aulani, which definitely makes sense, but for me it wasn't conducive to relaxing. Aulani has great theming and I do think an effort was made to build something culturally respectful, but for me it was completely lacking in the Hawaii "island vibe" that I get from other places.
If you've never been to Hawaii before and want to check it out, maybe do a split stay at Aulani and maybe a more traditionally located Waikiki hotel or better yet another island like Maui?