I really wished I had know about the beach with the seals! I managed to miss that on both trips. I also wish I would have know how draining the trip from the East Coast and the time change would be. On our first trip we were in such a fog when we arrived, which when the whole greeting and resort overview was lost on me. I did learn better on the second trip and made a "jet lag" adjusting stop at
Disneyland. As others have stated, if you are going to Hawaii and will be staying longer than your Aulani stay, save Aulani for the end. You'll want to maximize your time to enjoy the amenities and relax! Do all your sight seeing and island exploring while staying elsewhere. other random tips: The Polynesian Cultural Center is large, if you don't finish touring it all, you can return within a week of original entry for free. Costco online has Go Oahu cards which offer discounts and free attractions to various places on the island for a good deal less than buying directly from Smart Destinations. I think they only sell the 3-day which gives you three days worth of activities, so one the card is charged it counts against a day. You also get a bonus event such as a Luau. If you are an uber planning you can really get ahead on this. We went to Wet n Wild, did a catamaran sailing and took several tours to name a few things.