Aulani questions

[Pixie_Dust]

Tried to read through an Aulani thread here and got overwhelmed. Hopefully I'll get some advice here.

We have a shot at going the first week in Sept. Is that still summer weather?

Garden or ocean views available, not pool view. Is the ocean view really worth half again as many points vs. garden view?

Do the studios have anything other than a kitchenette and sofa that the hotel rooms don't have, other than a chance at something other than standard view? Is it worth it to get an "obstructed garden view" vs. the standard "parking lot or conference center view"?

What's doing laundry like there if u r in a studio?

Do we have to rent a car? How much is a shuttle, or are there so many side trips available that most people want a car? I called DVC and they said there is no Magical Express from the airport in Hawaii. How long does it take to drive to/from the airport?

Thanks all!

 

[Pixie_Dust]

P.S. It would be 114 pts. for garden view vs. 150 for ocean. I booked ocean "just in case" knowing I can probably change it later.

 

[amym2]

It is always summer in Hawaii! The temps really don't vary too much year-round and Sept is a great time to go.

We were in a 2bdrm, so I can't help with studio questions. We had an island view and it was great! I didn't want to spend the extra points for ocean view. If you do your research on here, you can request an island view room that has a peek at the ocean.

If you just plan to stay at the resort, you can survive without a car. It's about 30min from the airport and cabs are expensive. Most people rent a car to do excursions on their own. We were very glad we had a car. We paid around $160 for a full size for 5 nights in October.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

Thanks, Amym2,

I'm glad to know about Sept weather - DH's birthday month, have been so glad that Sept is DVC low point season -- this should be an awesome bd trip for him

I definitely would have picked island view if it had been available on our days, but I had to choose between garden (the person I called at DVC said that was listed as "obstructed view,") or ocean. Or I could have chosen standard with a possible view of the parking lot, in which case I might as well have chosen the standard view hotel room.

Btw, when we would use less points at Florida locations, we would spring for the 1-bdrm even tho there are only 2 of us, b/c I loved having the laundry and the full kitchen (as well as jacuzzi tub), but the 1-bdrm vs. studio at Aulani is a huge point jump!

 

[KulaMauiMouse]

Weather in September if definitely still summer-some of the hotter temps of the year and very little rain. Though it is hurricane season I wouldn't worry at all about that.

As for needing a car it depends if you plan on touring any of the island. Aulani is a good drive away from many of the regular tourist spots like Waikiki and the North Shore and a car would be necessary to visit spots like that. I would consider renting a car for a few days at the beginning or end of your vacation if you want to go off property. If you are only concerned about transportation to and from the airport you could take a taxi (guess about $50) or book a speedishuttle in advance (Google it).

As far as the room views, I'm not familiar with the different views of the rooms however I would recommend you take into consideration how long you will be in your room. Are you planning to hang out and relax there or is it just a landing pad to sleep at?

Hope this helps

 

[KulaMauiMouse]

Duplicated advice...
Sorry, I'm still learning

 

[christine*]

We stayed in an ocean view room our last trip and booked one again for our upcoming trip. There's just something I love about being able to see to ocean from the balcony. It really is a personal preference.

As for the laundry, when we stayed at the studio we used the laundry room on the first floor by the pools. The machines were coin operated but if you go to the front desk and let them know you are staying on DVC points they will give you coins for the laundry.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

Thanks for the laundry advice!

As for hotter temps, I assume the rooms are air conditioned! We will have to make do, as those are our only possible dates.

Cheers

 

[KulaMauiMouse]

Hotter temps make the pools that much nicer And its definitely worth it to go when it's hotter-less chance of rain. (It's been raining here for the better part of the last two months).


Glad to hear ocean view rooms at the Aulani are true ocean views, so many hotels here bill ocean view rooms with tiny little peaks at the ocean!

Excited for you!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Here's a link to the average temperatures for Aulani. As you can see there isn't that much variation so I wouldn't worry too much about that aspect.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USHI0040

We've visited Aulani once and stayed Ocean view. If I'm by the ocean then I like to have as many opportunities to see it as I can and as long as we have the points that's what I'll always book there. I've had several Hawaii trips over the years and have had all views. Not being able to get the ocean view would never stop me from going but that's just my preference now.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

This is exciting. I realized that trip planning is a big part of what I like to do, and have always loved the DIS boards for Disney vacays

Am considering doing the Norwegian Cruise Lines 7-day cruise after our Aulani stay so we can see the other islands as well. Has anyone done that?

 

[Anal Annie]

If you look at post # 1 in the Aulani rooms and views thread here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2907389 you can see links to pictures of the different types of rooms and their views. You could then compare some of the island views to the ocean views. I think that the OV villas are typically on higher floors and face the pool as well so they're pretty nice views. There are also lots of tips in that thread on how to go about requesting island view villas with partial ocean views. We had to book an island view so I'm hoping we'll get lucky and get a good villa. I requested high floor in the long wing of the Ewa building over the Starlit Hui lawn. Crossing my fingers for a higher floor so we can see the ocean too.

 

[wdrl]

Am considering doing the Norwegian Cruise Lines 7-day cruise after our Aulani stay so we can see the other islands as well. Has anyone done that?

In September 2012, we sailed on the NCL's Pride of America as it sailed around the Hawaiian Islands. Its a good way to see highlights of Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island in a short period. What is really nice is that it spends the night when it calls at Maui and Kauai, giving you a lot of time for excursions on those two islands. The Pride of America also calls at Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, so you'll have opportunities to visit Volcanoes National Park. It was expensive, but a helicopter ride over Kilauea Volcano was one of the highlights of our cruise.

 

[Neraj]

For transportation, if you don't rent a car there are two options from the airport. First is to take a Taxi, I would suggest Charley's Taxi as they offer a flat rate $55 from the AP directly to Aulani. A meter rate usually runs around $75. You will have to make a reservation with Charley's as they don't have a big presence at the Airport. Second, which may be more economical for you, is to catch a Speedi Shuttle (reservations needed) which is $17 per person. The shuttle will be a shared transportation, so they can run late from time to time.

 

[sumlee]

This is exciting. I realized that trip planning is a big part of what I like to do, and have always loved the DIS boards for Disney vacays

Am considering doing the Norwegian Cruise Lines 7-day cruise after our Aulani stay so we can see the other islands as well. Has anyone done that?

We are also doing this after our stay at Aulani in October. If you end up doing it, let us know how you liked it!

 

[TagsMissy]

My answers are throughout

Tried to read through an Aulani thread here and got overwhelmed. Hopefully I'll get some advice here.

We have a shot at going the first week in Sept. Is that still summer weather?

There's no 'cold' time, just slightly warmer or cooler. And definitely a wetter season but Sept should be lovely. Nov-Mar are wetter months.

Garden or ocean views available, not pool view. Is the ocean view really worth half again as many points vs. garden view?

I assume you mean Island View? I think it may officially be called Garden Island view but most of us all it Island, I'm an Aulani owner and have never called any of the views 'garden'

Do the studios have anything other than a kitchenette and sofa that the hotel rooms don't have, other than a chance at something other than standard view? Is it worth it to get an "obstructed garden view" vs. the standard "parking lot or conference center view"?

We had the Island view last trip and had a lovely view of the golf course; I think we were in floor 8 the last time, I cannot remember. We decided on a longer trip but lesser view. It was fine for us as we really weren't in the room too much and there's so many public spaces to sit in. If you can afford the ocean view go for it but that depends on your vacation style. We're thinking of a pool view for our next trip for 10-14 days, if we decide to island hop we'll get an ocean view for 5-7 days then jump to another island.

What's doing laundry like there if u r in a studio?

The laundry is down by the pool. We'd do it in the evenings. Put in a load then sit by the lounge, one of us would run in at the appropriate time and put stuff in the dryer or fold. As a DVC owner you can get free coins for the laundry at the front desk, just ask.

Do we have to rent a car? How much is a shuttle, or are there so many side trips available that most people want a car? I called DVC and they said there is no Magical Express from the airport in Hawaii. How long does it take to drive to/from the airport?

Personally we believe a car is a must. We had days we were lazy and did nothing off site but for those times we wanted to explore it was nice to just up and go as we wished to visit off the beaten path places

Thanks all!

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!! Aulani is amazingly beautiful.