One day at aulani

[battymum]

We are staying in Oahu for 13 nights in September - I have booked our final night at aulani as a treat to myself, so I am trying to make the most of it.

My plan is to leave Waikiki around 8:00am arrive and check in, leaving our luggage with bell services as I know the room will not be ready until the afternoon.

Hoping to book a 9:00am character breakfast and then renting a cabana for the day, then having a nice dinner.


Does this sound doable?? How is traffic heading out of Waikiki in the AM - it will be a Thursday morning? DH is getting stressed and wants to book a second night - but as we are family of five with older teenagers , we had to get a two bedroom villa and quite frankly another night is out of our budget,


Our flight home is 12:30 pm the next day, so we will be leaving the resort about 9:00 - I had hoped to do character meal this morning, but it looks like our daughter will be on a separate flight and will need to leave the resort at 6:00am.

I am trying to catch one last Disney experience as a family!

 

[battymum]

Oh, and we are staying on rented points.

If I book a cabana do I get the discounted dvc rate?

I have rented points through David's and have emailed them with the question - but I am too impatient for a reply. I am in Sydney Australia, and that 15hour time difference can be a real nuisance!

Might have better luck with someone being awake here!

 

[Dasha Hermosilla]

My guess is no for the DVC discount since you are not a DVC member. For the WDW resorts and parks I know people who rent points do not get the DVC perks (dining and annual pass discounts).

 

[Cinderpamela]

I think your plan is totally do able. You will be heading the opposite way of traffic as in the morning most folks are heading in to the city while you will be heading away from it.

On our morning of check in it probably took around 35-40 minutes for us to get from our condo in Waikiki out to Aulani.

We checked in really early because we wanted to go to the DVC member meet/mingle that was that very morning. Held our luggage with bell services and then had it brought up to the room once we got the text that our room was ready. It was really easy.

As the previous poster stated you would not be able to get the DVC discount on cabanas. However since you are staying on DVC points (as a guest of the member) you do get the free DVC parking which is a nice perk!

You might also consider looking into the Executive Lanai's as those are a bit less costly but have some of the same perks.
Here is a thread with pictures of them and other info:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3212158

 

[Krand12]

I lived there from 1976 - 1994 and go often to visit my parents (a couple of times a year). I've noticed that traffic gets worse and worse every time I go back. Yes, leaving Waikiki can be a pain during rush hour traffic in the mornings. But it's always been hit or miss. If there's no traffic, it takes about 35-40 minutes to go from Waikiki to the Ko Olina area where the Aulani resort is located. But traffic can really snarl it up.

My DH and I visited a year ago for a work function of his. We flew in at 6:30 pm, Dad picked us up from the airport and we visited with my parents for a few minutes and left the Halawa area (about halfway between Waikiki and Ko Olina) around 7:15 pm. We didn't make it to the resort until around 8:00 pm because there was construction on H1 (freeway) and we were at a stand still. I've never been caught in that before, but apparently it happens.

But Aulani is wonderful. Every morning, my DH loved taking a swim in the little bay that they kind of share with the Marriott. There are some small fish in there too. It's really beautiful.

On a side note, if you get the chance to get to explore a little in Honolulu, I highly recommend stopping at Liliha Bakery for a snack. Their specialty is coco puffs. Kind of like a cream puff, but so much better! They're closed on Mondays, though. I always have to bring some of those back to the mainland with me when I visit. So ono! They have a website you can look at too.

I hope you have a great time and that everything works out!

 

[SuperRob]

The only flaw in your plan is that after one glorious night, you'll have wished you booked two.

 

[SGDisneyFam]

I personally would opt out of the character breakfast as there are many scheduled opportunities during the day to see the characters . And would also skip the cabana ( you'll be there early enough to snag a couple
Chairs) and with the money you save stay another night!!!

 

[jerseygal]

IMO, no need for cabanas...I would save the $!

Sounds like you have an EXCITING vaca coming up!

 

[battymum]

Thanks all for your input.

Whole I am a Disney fan, unfortunately we have only been to WDW once, that 15000kms between us is a real drag!!! As my kids were 16 & 13, 13 at the time we opted out of character meals, they fell about laughing when I suggested it. However I feel like I missed out on something. We went to Tokyo last year and I really wanted to do a character meal but it didn't happen, so this is my last chance, the kids will be 19, 17 &17 but will humour me, because it's my birthday and there is food involved!

As for the cabana, I am not entirely fixed on that plan and I am not going to tell DH the cost - he will likely have a conniption - but I figure it ensures we will have a base for the day. If I could be sure that we could get loungers .

 

[Cinderpamela]

You just mentioned you are a big Disney fan, so the character breakfast will be a fun treat for you.
Be prepared as Aulani is not as "Disneyfied" as the parks or other Disney resorts... it is more of a homage/tribute to Hawaii, its culture and its people. So it has a completely different vibe than other Disney resorts and has way less emphasis on the characters. Based on that, I would say if you want your "Disney fix" a character breakfast may be the best way to get that.

 

[Fuhnuh]

We have done the 8:00 A.M. drive from Waikiki to Aulani four times with the same 35-40 travel time mentioned by Cinderpamela.

I think you will enjoy the character breakfast at Aulani. It is a little less of a Disney experience than WDW and DLR but when I am at the resort, I feel as much Disney as I do at GF, Poly, Grand Californian.

We love having a cabana at Aulani. Make sure you book as soon as you can as there are only 5-6 cabanas that are available to under 18s and two of them are tucked in by the kiddy area. I would have someone go get your cabana after check in, either while waiting to be seated for breakfast or during breakfast. I have been able to do this after checking in with the restaurant host. I believe now they only hold them until 10:00 A.M. I have received changing/conflicting information over our stays, but it usually doesn't take to long to get your cabana. The Mickey meet and photo opportunity is before you are seated. You should be able to tell how much time you have by the line waiting for Mickey. In the alternative, I believe you could call on one of the resort phones and let them know that you might be a little late. The cabanas are in high demand, so things can go wrong. I've personally witnessed CM's cave to pressure from guests with cabana assignments. Last time someone moved us to the adult pool area and we asked them look at the booking dates and they quickly moved us to cabana 1. I cannot believe the amount of pressure that some will put on the CMs to get the cabana they want. The rule seems to be first to book, first cabana choice. The default for families seems to be Cabana 1 by infinity pool down to those by the Menehune bridge. I guess with all the planning, I am afraid that a particularly persuasive guest will convince a CM to give up our cabana if not there by 10.

If you are leaving the resort at 9:00 A.M., that will be at the end of the morning rush hour. Traffic should have cleared a bit by then, but it may be a little slower than your drive there. Perhaps some locals or people who have left at that time on a weekday can illuminate us.

 

[battymum]

A more subtle Disney experience work be perfect for us! I really want a character photo with the whole family!!


As I said it will be my birthday and I just want to spend if somewhere beautiful.

Our flight the next day is at 12:30pm so I expect we will leave the resort about 9-10 - although I am a stickler for getting to airports early, It looks like DD will be on a separate flight that leaves at 9:45 - so she will need to leave the resort around 6:30 - not sure whether to put her on a shuttle for $16 or DH can drive her and come back to pick us up. - she hasn't flown alone before - DH doesn't mind driving and getting up early and I will like the chance to get up early and take some beautiful photos around the resort,

I don't really want to leave aulani at 6:00 am to spend 5hours at the airport .

 

[Anal Annie]

I might push the breakfast back 15 or 30 minutes so that I'm not stressed over the time and I would call ASAP to book a cabana if you really want one. I called in mid-Feb for our trip in August to reserve one for our last day and I was already 4th on the list. I requested one of the 3 in the family area but she said the others ahead of us hadn't specified yet where they wanted to be so she couldn't guarantee anything. I am unsure if I want to spend that much yet on it (even with the DVC disc.) and if they can't tell me where we're going to be by the time we check in I may cancel it. I do NOT want to be by the little kids area and we CAN'T go to the adult area bcuz DS will only be 17. Guess we'll have to figure it out once we get there. I am hoping that at least one of the other 3 ahead of us will want the kids area or the adult area. REALLY tho I am hoping that 2 of them will want other areas because I don't want the one in the middle of the 3. I'd rather be in one of the bookend ones. This first come / first served rule seems hard to enforce when it comes to cabana location choice. We are going to Maui after Aulani and the cabanas there where we're staying are only $75 / day so I may just save the extra money and book it over there.

 

[Cinderpamela]

LuAnne- when we were there Micheal Jacksons kids Prince Micheal and Blanket (both under 17 I believe) were occupying the cabanas by the adult pool along with their group of younger and older friends with out any problem.... so I say if they can do it, why can't your 17 year old!

We often hung out by the quiet pool.... our 16 y.o. (could pass for 18) when on a chaise was never even questioned by a CM. When our 12 y.o. came over to have a snack the CM gave a warning, but also said he was cool with him coming to "check in" because he knew there was no other seating (Christmas time crowded) but he just could not hang for long.

I saw other families with older teens that were also not approached.

I know the sign says 18 and older in that area but they really aren't going to bother an older teen that is quietly listening to their Ipod and not being loud.

The teens were all quiet and mellow.... meanwhile there was this woman in her 60's playing her music on her phone for all to hear and singing out loud (not quietly... or very well) as we all were trying to read and relax.... she was way more disruptive than my 12 y.o. would have been! ;-)