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

[bearsgirl]

We are at Aulani right now. Note that the construction over at Four Seasons is active and somewhat loud if you are on the beach. The Starlit Hui is being held in the lobby and is an abbreviated version because the Halawai Lawn is being renovated after some heavy rains, according to a cast member. Having said that, it is our first time here and we love it!

 

[sgrap]

I've been combing through these pages and have made it about 1/4 way through so far . . . but for the sake of time: For those of you who have done various activities/excursions while staying at Aulani (but not necessarily booked through Aulani), what have been your favorite activities? We are going in early June, spending 2 nights in Waikiki before heading out to Aulani for 7 nights. We will have myself (turning 50 on the trip!), dh, and kids 24, 22, 15 and 13. Our youngest loves, loves, loves animals. 22 year old have his dive certification (and we will be celebrating his college graduation and commissioning as an army officer). Definitely want to do Pearl Harbor. What else should I consider? Anything to avoid? We will rent a car the entire time. I'm thinking of giving them a couple of 'activities' for Christmas and am a bit overwhelmed at all the options I'm finding.

Also, any suggestions for a 50th b'day? I am somewhat limited by back/neck problems and have severe motion sickness, so I'm a bit wary of some of the excursions. But would love to do something fun and special on my birthday that I could do with my family.

 

[Olafluvr]

This may sounds a little silly, but for breakfast, we had Ulu Café included. My daughter doesn't love breakfast but she loves bacon. About half way through the trip, we realized (by simply asking) that we could get all bacon for the breakfast! Delicious. I hope I don't spoil it for next time.

 

[Amw1064]

We were at Aulani last June when my youngest was 12 and she loved the little lagoon by Paradise Cove. It is about a 5 minute walk down the sidewalk from Aulani. The first time we walked over there we saw the friendliest sea turtle and the second time we saw a Hawaiian monk seal laying on the beach and finally swimming back out into the ocean. She loved that. We did the Pearl Harbor tour and also the Aloha swap meet. That was fun for all and we did all of our souvenir shopping there. Another day we went to the North Shore and found the beach with all the sea turtles. There were at least 20 and they were huge. I loved finding sea glass and had to prepare myself a few times for when I bent over to pick it up in the water that I didn't come face to face with a huge turtle. (yes that did happen and yes I did fall over backwards) We are going back this upcoming June. Will be there June 6-17. My daughter also loved the Paradise Cove luau and she got her hair done at Aulani that afternoon with braids and flowers. She loved it. That could be a fun 50th birthday celebration. Since she is 13 now I am curious to see if she will do any of the teen activities. They looked like they had alot of fun doing beach activities.

I've been combing through these pages and have made it about 1/4 way through so far . . . but for the sake of time: For those of you who have done various activities/excursions while staying at Aulani (but not necessarily booked through Aulani), what have been your favorite activities? We are going in early June, spending 2 nights in Waikiki before heading out to Aulani for 7 nights. We will have myself (turning 50 on the trip!), dh, and kids 24, 22, 15 and 13. Our youngest loves, loves, loves animals. 22 year old have his dive certification (and we will be celebrating his college graduation and commissioning as an army officer). Definitely want to do Pearl Harbor. What else should I consider? Anything to avoid? We will rent a car the entire time. I'm thinking of giving them a couple of 'activities' for Christmas and am a bit overwhelmed at all the options I'm finding.

Also, any suggestions for a 50th b'day? I am somewhat limited by back/neck problems and have severe motion sickness, so I'm a bit wary of some of the excursions. But would love to do something fun and special on my birthday that I could do with my family.

 

[Nathalia Santosa-Smith]

I wish I knew that I have to get up early when Aunty's house is barely open to put my kids names for the day.

 

[twodogs]

That thread I mentioned on the other site will give you TONS of great info on Pearl Harbor. Here's the website for the national monument at Pearl Harbor:

http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm

The USS Missouri is there to tour, there is an aviation museum among lots of other displays and museums. Most days they will have a WWII survivor there to meet. Pretty awesome stuff. The USS Arizona Memorial was beyond moving. Keep in mind you can bring NO bags of any kind to tour the memorial. NONE. You can bring your phone only if it is turned to silent and you are using it solely as a camera. There is a bag check for a nominal charge there. Fabulous local place to have breakfast that's quite close to Pearl Harbor is the Highway Inn. YUM!

Has anyone bought the Passport to Pearl Harbor that includes PH, Missouri, Aviation museum Etc? It seems available to purchase at least 6 months in advance. If so, then as I understand it, I would not need to get the separate Pearl Harbor tickets 2 months out??

 

[southerngirl528]

Twodogs, does that Passport to PH include the USS Arizona Memorial? That is the toughest ticket to snag, and you book a specific time. There are always at least a couple of active threads about Pearl Harbor and the various options to visit on trip advisor's Oahu forum.

 

[twodogs]

I did some further reading and NO thenPassport does not include Arizona tickets. So if still have to reserve them 2 months out. Need to see if I can find what time of day and in what time zone "2 months out" starts?

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Yeah what to do about Pearl Harbor anyone can direct us?

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

A couple of questions-
When I called to make the reservations for auntys premier events, they said they also let you choose three events to pre sign up for. So does this eliminate the need for the early morning lines? Or will I need to do that just to let my daughter play there? I'm a bit confused.

Also, what is a casabella? Are they the beach chairs/umbrellas? And those are first come, first served? Or are they pre reserved?

Are soft sided coolers allowed on the beach?

 

[Mom of a *Princess*]

We are currently at Aulani. I pre registered my kids into 3 activities. Yesterday Aunty's was at capacity and they would not allow children in unless they were registered in an activity. They asked that we drop off the kids no earlier than 30 minutes before the activity as there was no guarantee they would get in any earlier due to capacity. I asked how long we could leave the kids following the activity and there was no time limit. IMHO the best approach seems to be pre register your kids to guarantee they can get in otherwise you will have to wait in line each morning to register for activities or get there early to get them into Aunty's before capacity is met.

The loungers and umbrellas on the beach or near the Aulani pools are first come first serve. Casabellas are covered loungers which you rent. The ones in the resort usually need reservations while those in the beach are available on a first come first serve basis which you pay for at the rental shop near the beach.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

We are currently at Aulani. I pre registered my kids into 3 activities. Yesterday Aunty's was at capacity and they would not allow children in unless they were registered in an activity. They asked that we drop off the kids no earlier than 30 minutes before the activity as there was no guarantee they would get in any earlier due to capacity. I asked how long we could leave the kids following the activity and there was no time limit. IMHO the best approach seems to be pre register your kids to guarantee they can get in otherwise you will have to wait in line each morning to register for activities or get there early to get them into Aunty's before capacity is met.

The loungers and umbrellas on the beach or near the Aulani pools are first come first serve. Casabellas are covered loungers which you rent. The ones in the resort usually need reservations while those in the beach are available on a first come first serve basis which you pay for at the rental shop near the beach.

What do you think about Aulani since you're there now quick impressions?

 

[Mom of a *Princess*]

What do you think about Aulani since you're there now quick impressions?

This is our third time here. And it's still beautiful as ever. Definitely busier but manageable. We are early risers (still dealing with the time change ) so we are able to get chairs by the pools without much problem. Pools open at 8. We love the new Ulu Cafe. Had pizza for dinner there last night while watching the sunset. Went to the Starlight Hui last night and noticed it had a shorter performance then the previous times we saw it. I thought there was Less dancers. Overall Disney Aulani is still a great place for a family vacation.

 

[heybets30]

Thank you so much for the detailed info! We will be there for the first time in April and this is so helpful.

Quick question - you mentioned signing up in advance for the activities at Aunty's - do you know how far in advance these can be reserved? I looked on the Aulani site and it doesn't mention if it's 180 or otherwise. Thanks so much!

Just getting up-to-date on disboards!! LittleStinkerbelle - if you haven't, REGISTER YOUR KIDS ONLINE BEFORE YOU GO!!!! Seriously, do the online registration. You will be asked to pick 3 activities for your kids - the free ones, hula, space goo, and 2 others were the options. For Surf's Up and for Fish are Friends, I called 4 months ahead of our arrival. I was able to get kids into Fish are Friends at the 4-month mark (you pay day-of), and Surf's Up wasn't available until ~3-1/2 months ahead of our visit. I seriously called every 2-3 days.

I believe you can register 90 days ahead for Aunty's. Not many people know that you will get a "complimentary" date/time assignment for the 3 activities you select for your kids. Of course, they select times/dates, but if you have flexible plans, it's better than waiting in line!!!

 

[heybets30]

in regards to Aunty's: so if you pre-registers for the premium stuff, like Stitch's space goo, do you still need to go down there in the morning? or are they automatically signed up? what if you just want to drop your kids off to play? can you walk up and do that in the middle of the day? or do you have still sign them up in the morning? the whole Aunty's thing seems confusing to me. I will hae a 10 and 7 year old at time of travel. I wonder if the chip and dale surf program and fish feeding program would be too babyish for a 10 year old?

PAdislover - if you've pre-signed them up for an activity, you do NOT need to go down in the morning to do anything. Because they are registered for a premium activity, a slot is automatically saved for them the rest of the day after the premium activity. So for Fish are Friends, which was 11:30 check-in, I think, it included lunch - and ended at maybe 2. We were told that our kids were guaranteed a space in Aunty's after the activity, so we didn't need to get them right at the end of the activity. You can try to get them in during the middle of the day, but they do keep VERY close count, and it fills up quickly. The hotel was near 100% capacity during our stay.

Surf's up was very enjoyable for my almost 9-year old. They get to make & keep an AWESOME wooden surfboard. It is about 14 inches long, 8 inches high. It was a GREAT souvenir. The photopass photogs take lots of pictures of the kids too - some of the best shots of my kids during our trip were during the paid sessions. Fish are Friends was really lunch, then go to Rainbow Reef to feed the fish. Again, my almost 9-year old at the time LOVED it.

If you just want to put the kids in for lunch or dinner, then you MUST get them signed up first thing in the morning. The meals are a GREAT deal ... I think there were 3 main meal options each meal, kids could get more if they were still hungry. My kids especially loved it because options like chicken nuggets, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese - about as kid-friendly as you could get!!! As hubby and I wanted to ensure a second dinner out, and we didn't have the kids in premium activities, I waited at 6:45 to GUARANTEE they'd get dinner spots that last full day there. dinner was "sold out" by about person 10 or so. Even though we were in a premium activity for lunch - Fish are Friends - I had to wait in line to sign up for general Aunty's dinner.

I didn't know until Day 2 that you can stick kids in just for lunch/dinner ... it wasn't clear from the hundreds of posts I read!! When you get there, you'll truly understand how even though you feel you're prepared, you won't be prepared

 

[heybets30]

Like the pp, I am also a bit confused. I guess my bottom line question is what Aunties options do I have if I can't wait in line? It's just going to be me and DD 8 and I don't want to leave her in the room sleeping while I wait in line. The only things I really want to do without her are go to the spa and spend some time in a lounge listening to music. She loves kid's clubs, though, and will probably want to go at other times also.

Quinnc19 - DEFINITELY pre-register your daughter for Aunty's BEFORE you leave!! Up to 90 days beforehand. You are asked to select 3 options of free classes for your child. SELECT 3!!! Why? Because they will assign you date/time and you will NOT have to stand in line to get her a spot in those classes!!! Additionally, you can leave her in AFTER the classes as well, once your kid is in Aunty's, they can stay ... they don't tell you "come back at 3:20 so we can get another family in" so you get mommy time

BUT, this is a BIG BUT, if the free activity is right before lunch, and you want to have her eat lunch there, then you must get in line super-early to save her a spot that day for lunch. Premium activities can be booked about 3-1/2 months to 4 months before your arrival. Fish are Friends is over lunchtime - lunch included; Surf's Up is over dinner time - dinner included. Both ~$75 average per kid.

You'll get the confirmation well before your trip, so you can book your spa treatments accordingly!! And, if you get her in for lunch or an activity, they want you checking her in 1/2 hour before the scheduled start time. When busy, it can take up to ~15 minutes to check them in, so really, get there 1/2 hour beforehand!

I hope that helps! YOu definitely will be able to book things for yourself if you plan ahead & do the online registration, or book her for premium events. You'll DEFINITELY know date & times that you can do stuff for yourself!

 

[quinnc19]

Thank you so much heybets30!!

 

[dbenlee]

I've been combing through these pages and have made it about 1/4 way through so far . . . but for the sake of time: For those of you who have done various activities/excursions while staying at Aulani (but not necessarily booked through Aulani), what have been your favorite activities? We are going in early June, spending 2 nights in Waikiki before heading out to Aulani for 7 nights. We will have myself (turning 50 on the trip!), dh, and kids 24, 22, 15 and 13. Our youngest loves, loves, loves animals. 22 year old have his dive certification (and we will be celebrating his college graduation and commissioning as an army officer). Definitely want to do Pearl Harbor. What else should I consider? Anything to avoid? We will rent a car the entire time. I'm thinking of giving them a couple of 'activities' for Christmas and am a bit overwhelmed at all the options I'm finding.

Also, any suggestions for a 50th b'day? I am somewhat limited by back/neck problems and have severe motion sickness, so I'm a bit wary of some of the excursions. But would love to do something fun and special on my birthday that I could do with my family.

When doing Pearl Harbor, make sure to reserve your boat time to the Arizona in advance and reserve it for early in the morning. Wind and sea conditions can cause the Navy to stop transport out to the Memorial in the middle of the day or early afternoon. Plan for at least half a day at Pearl Harbor, more if you plan on the Aviation Museum.

 

[msaseifert]

SOOOO EXCITED!!! Wejust booked a 2bedroom Ocean view for the last week in July! I was a lot of points but its a first for all of us...me, dh, ds 20 and dd17. I am about 1/4 of the way through this thread and I already feel like I know a lot...its so awesome to belong to this group! What do we need to know right now? Is there anything I need to do NOW? We are scuba divers and would like to schedule a scuba day...anybody know where to go? We plan to do the Dole Plantation and of course Pearl Harbour....What are other do not miss with kids 17/20?

 

[alohamom]

What are other do not miss with kids 17/20?

There is so much to do for all ages in and around Oahu but surfing, boogie boarding and snorkeling are tops on our kids list. Kailua beach is amazing, the sheltered, man made lagoons in Ko Olina are great for toddlers and really young kids but most older kids want the bigger waves. My kids love the vibe of Waikiki and Ala Moana mall. I know it sounds crazy to go to a mall in Hawaii but if you happen upon a really rainy day it can be a fun thing to do. It is mostly open air and they have unique Hawaii stores too plus an awesome food court and a very cool Japanese department store called Shirokiya. Another fantastic thing is the ATV tours and horse back riding at Kualoa Ranch http://www.kualoa.com/oahu-tours/atv-tours/ but you need to make sure you have close toed shoes or they wont let you ride.