Aulani split stay

[jodybird511]

Question for you vets. We are going to Aulani at the end of May 2018/beginning of June 2018. We will be on the Big Island for the first 3 nights of our trip, and then want to do 6 nights at Aulani. We need a 1 BDRM villa, and looking at the resort availability calendar, we won't be able to get a standard view, but will likely have no prob getting an Island Garden view. Unfortunately, for that, we don't have enough points for 6 nights--only 5, even with one-time use points. So, looking at staying the first night of the 6 in a studio, and then moving to the 1 BDRM on day 2. My question is this. Do most people, when booking split stays, book two trips separately online or call MS to have them book it all at the same time? I would guess most would recommend, even if we book the two rooms separately ourselves, calling Member services to try to get the two reservations "merged?" Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Cyberc1978]

I haven’t been to Aulani.. Yet.

I would book them online, you get a head start from 08.00am, MS opens at 09.00am.

My understanding is that MS can’t hold both reservations and need to do the first and then the second one. Also as you have two different sizes of rooms then the ressies can’t be merged. To merge they need to be the same size and same view.

Have in mind that when booking a split stay that you are “homeless” for 1/2 a day, that might not matter in WDW when you go to the parks but I can’t say if it matters at Aulani.

 

[Sur]

We did a split stay, using contracts with different use years, booked separately online. We started off with a hotel room (considered DVC), then moved to an island garden view, finally an ocean view. The moving was easy, as it was in only changing floors, not buildings. We especially liked the free parking onsite for DVC members, as parking around the island can be costly and most other hotels charged a pretty steep fee (as does Aulani, if not a DVC member). We chose the move days for when we were doing an excursion- going to the Dole Plantation or the North Shore, then we just ate there rather than the room.

 

[jodybird511]

We did a split stay, using contracts with different use years, booked separately online. We started off with a hotel room (considered DVC), then moved to an island garden view, finally an ocean view. The moving was easy, as it was in only changing floors, not buildings. We especially liked the free parking onsite for DVC members, as parking around the island can be costly and most other hotels charged a pretty steep fee (as does Aulani, if not a DVC member). We chose the move days for when we were doing an excursion- going to the Dole Plantation or the North Shore, then we just ate there rather than the room.

Sur, did you do anything to alert the resort at check-in about your total length of stay/room changes? Or you just checked out and checked back in at each room change day? Also, curious, did you store your luggage during the move days, or how did you handle that?

 

[DenLo]

First of all you cannot book all those days on the 7 month mark for your first night. The 7 month mark for the 1BR would be the next day. I would just book them both online.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

I recently booked a split stay with MS (5 nts studio, 4 nts 1 br) and have two separate reservation numbers.