Aulani: What's the One Thing You Wish You Knew?

[deedisneydream97]

Wish we had tried out Longboards at the marriott (the one that is down by the marine, not the one next door). Heard about it the day we were leaving....was told food was good.

Safeway seems to have the best prices for alcohol. Target was fine for most everything. They do not weigh anything there so everything like fruit is priced "per" I.e. per Apple, per pear, etc. We bought pre priced pre packaged cold cuts that were okay. And beef patties that we cooked on the grill. And steaks too. The A B C store across the street makes great salads. They also had a 5 .99 cheeseburger special with fries and large drink.

 

[hbg4]

We'll be staying in a 1 bedroom villa in April.
I've booked a rental cat. Does any one know or have any tips about parking in Waikiki? Also is there free wifi for DVC members?
Thanks for any advise.

 

[LisaT91403]

We'll be staying in a 1 bedroom villa in April.
I've booked a rental cat. Does any one know or have any tips about parking in Waikiki? Also is there free wifi for DVC members?
Thanks for any advise.

The wifi is free for everyone at the resort, not just DVC members.

 

[LUVMICKEY]

Subscribing: We are planning on going in October of 2014 and am finding this thread very informative. Thanks so much for all your good ideas everyone.

 

[WDW_Diane]

We'll be staying in a 1 bedroom villa in April. I've booked a rental cat. Does any one know or have any tips about parking in Waikiki? Also is there free wifi for DVC members? Thanks for any advise.

When we visited Waikiki last summer, someone suggested that we park at the OHana hotel parking garage. I think it was OHana east. It worked out great location wise and was inexpensive. We were walking to Dukes for lunch that day, as well as going out on a catamaran from behind the Sheraton.

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

We will be at Aulani in March. Has anyone done the sunset cocktail cruise? When I look at Aulani excursions it shows one for about $62pp. for about 2hrs going up the west coast. Unfortunately, it doesn't say if it leaves out of the Ko olina marina. When I go to the Ko olina marina site they don't show a sunset cocktail cruise just snorkeling and meals. I would rather not book through Aulani but I also don't want to have to go to honolulu for the cruise. Any thoughts???HTH

 

[poohj80]

We are also going in March after spending a couple days on the Big Island to see Volcanoes National Park (figuring once we get to Aulani, DD won't want to leave). I am making a list of suggestions and this thread is great! We will have a 1BR and do plan to rent a car so will be making a run to Costco/Target/Safeway so we aren't eating out every meal. How do the Costco and Target prices compare with those on the mainland? Does Costco sell any local microbrews?

Does anyone know of anything special we can do at Aulani to celebrate a birthday besides the room celebrations?

Thanks!
PJ

 

[Sur]

I see from the website that the Entertainment Book has a discount for Alaskan Air. It'd be a little late to book it once already there, or even the beginning of the year if going in summer. Does anyone know what the offer is on the airline discount? It may be worth it to buy the book the year prior.

 

[Doingitagain]

We will be at Aulani in March. Has anyone done the sunset cocktail cruise? When I look at Aulani excursions it shows one for about $62pp. for about 2hrs going up the west coast. Unfortunately, it doesn't say if it leaves out of the Ko olina marina. When I go to the Ko olina marina site they don't show a sunset cocktail cruise just snorkeling and meals. I would rather not book through Aulani but I also don't want to have to go to honolulu for the cruise. Any thoughts???HTH

Here is a link to my trip report, it includes a review of the Ko Olina Coast Sunset Cocktail Cruise we booked through Disney. (Also includes Half Day Adventure Tour Kualoa Ranch, Catamaran Experience, Manoa Valley Rainforest & Bamboo Forest Hike, Pearl Harbor and Ford Island)
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3092048

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Is the Ko Olina Coast Sunset Cocktail Cruise strictly for adults, or would it be appropriate to take children too?
TIA

 

[Doingitagain]

Is the Ko Olina Coast Sunset Cocktail Cruise strictly for adults, or would it be appropriate to take children too?
TIA

You can take families. The cocktail cruise (at least ours was) was targeted to adults, and I would have been worried about my kids disturbing others. They have other excursions for whale watching, snorkeling, etc. that are very family friendly.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Thanks for the heads up, Doingitagain!

 

[georgiasmom]

Great thread everyone, thanks for all of the advice! We will be there March 15-25 with 4 adults and 2 kids (11 and 14) staying in a 2 bedroom. Can't wait!

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

Thank you doingitagain, do you think we should book ahead of time? or can we wait until we get Aulani. Were still a little unsure if we want to do it. I want this trip to be relaxing and at times I feel like we are booking too much.

 

[Anal Annie]

Has anybody bought fresh seafood (like Mahi Mahi) at the Safeway or Costco?? How are the prices? We'll just be in a studio so I was thinking about grilling one night. I thought I could grill some asparagus, Mahi and baked potatoes….was hoping there would be a good selection and reasonable prices on the Mahi Mahi.

 

[bamor]

Has anybody bought fresh seafood (like Mahi Mahi) at the Safeway or Costco?? How are the prices? We'll just be in a studio so I was thinking about grilling one night. I thought I could grill some asparagus, Mahi and baked potatoes….was hoping there would be a good selection and reasonable prices on the Mahi Mahi.

I would love to know the answer to this question, also. We are thinking of doing the same thing one or two nights. I've read Costco has a great Poke bar, was thinking they would have fresh fish. Actually any tips that anyone can offer regarding food shopping. If staying in a studio, will we need to purchase grilling utensils?

 

[lovetotraveltx]

We haven't had a costco near anywhere we live so I'm not familiar with it. I belong to Sam's and all of their food items, fresh, frozen and dry are very large isn't Costco that way. Thinking beer, coffee, fish, eggs, etc. would be way too much for a weeks vacation?? Am I missing something?

 

[poohj80]

We haven't had a costco near anywhere we live so I'm not familiar with it. I belong to Sam's and all of their food items, fresh, frozen and dry are very large isn't Costco that way. Thinking beer, coffee, fish, eggs, etc. would be way too much for a weeks vacation?? Am I missing something?

Yes, Costco is just like Sam's but we find them much cheaper than Target or grocery stores especially for fruit, bottled water and milk. If Costco carries Kona beer, we can put a good dent in a case over a week. There will be some things we get at the regular store like eggs and butter that we don't need a huge amount. Plan to load up on pineapples too.

 

[Anal Annie]

We haven't had a costco near anywhere we live so I'm not familiar with it. I belong to Sam's and all of their food items, fresh, frozen and dry are very large isn't Costco that way. Thinking beer, coffee, fish, eggs, etc. would be way too much for a weeks vacation?? Am I missing something?

Yes, Costco is a warehouse store that sells things in bulk like Sam's Club. I also can't imagine buying very much stuff there….water by the case…if you have an oven in a 1-bedroom+ you could buy pre-made meals to heat up (like penne and chicken with alfredo sauce or large pizzas). If you were planning to make a lot of sandwiches for lunches you could buy lunchmeats & sliced cheese. Breads…pastries…chips…steaks. While I could see DH putting away 2 cases of beer by himself over the course of a week if he's just lounging by the pool I would imagine we could get that anywhere (does the Costco there sell beer? Due to state laws ours here at home does not). But I don't think it will be very practical for our family of 3 to buy very much there.

 

[owensamo]

We haven't had a costco near anywhere we live so I'm not familiar with it. I belong to Sam's and all of their food items, fresh, frozen and dry are very large isn't Costco that way. Thinking beer, coffee, fish, eggs, etc. would be way too much for a weeks vacation?? Am I missing something?

We are planning to shop at Costco in June - but we have a party of 10 in a Grand Villa, so I'm sure we can do some damage on bulk food!

That said, for my family of 3 in a room with a kitchen, I'd still stop there to pick up:

Take-and-bake pizza (18")
Take-and-bake entrees (pasta, salmon, enchiladas, etc) (usually feeds 4-6)
Bread (usually 2 packs - I'd get their fresh baked)
Pineapple (each)
Fruit (I'm pretty careful about how I pick fruit - but berries, etc. for smoothies would be great)
Bagged salad (It's a 2lb bag - would last a week for DH and myself)
Water (1 case)
Wine (by the bottle)
Beer (6-12 packs)
Muffins/pastries (6-12 packs)

That should cover most necessities. I might get eggs - ours has 18ct Eggland's Best at a reasonable price, maybe some additional veggies, and stop at the grocery store for milk and deli meat/cheese.

I'd also look for snorkling gear - our Costco has adult sets for $40 right now. I'd also be on the look out for Hawaii-specific stuff (I know our Costco has dark chocolate coconut/banana snacks right now - sounds like a great snack for vacation! ). On the way out - pizza/hot dogs, drinks and frozen yogurt for lunch. With some planning, we could probably save a bunch on eating out - maybe enough to afford eating at Ama Ama!