bhp

Has anyone visited without staying there? I'm planing to drive there to pick up some souvenirs for the kids. Any public parking options?

Anthemflyer

Its open to anyone. You won't be able to use their facilities, but you can visit the resturaunts. You'd probably find better souvenirs at the Disney store at Ala Moana Mall in Honolulu. There is no public parking to speak of, but if you park @ Disney or at any of the 2 Marriotts and eat, you can get your parking validated.

Do NOT attempt to park across the street at the shopping centers. Security is tight and they'll boot your car. You then have to pay a cash fine to get them to realease it.

jerseygirl

Each of the lagoons have a public parking area, maybe for 20 cars
there are empty spaces quite often during the week and early or later in the day

davesam12

We observed every day during our visit (particularly in the evenings) locals and/or non guests enjoying the Aulani's restaurants, cocktail lounges. Had staff tell us locals were visiting often. Yes, they do a different color wrist band daily for guest to monitor use of pool areas and associated amenties and as standard with all Disney properties you sometimes have to show your resort card id given to you at check in. Beach front access to and from the resort property is gated and can only be accessed by your resort card. Sometimes the gate was also monitored by a staff member. Parking will be the hassle if the public beach park lot fills up, plan on paying even if you come just for the day or evening I think pulling up to the front hotel entrance valet is the same daily rate if you just pull in the parking garage and self-park. And as mentioned if you eat, they will validate.

Anthemflyer

While there is a small lot next to Disney, it fills up quickly. I wouldn't plan to use public parking and waste your day waiting for a spot. If you drive to Lagoon 4, you can park at the Marina for $10 per day as well and walk to Aulani.

LVLover08

Went there today, about 2:30pm, with my daughter to check out the property. Got a parking space, actually had three spaces to choose from, in the beach access lot betweenthe Aulani and the JW Marriott.
We walked into the Aulani parking structure, then went up to their lobby level with a short walk into the hotel.
NO CHARGES!

EXPLAT

I was helping a guest pick up a rental car at the Alamo desk in the Aulani the other day. The place was packed!

The property is beautifully done, with nice Hawaiian theming throughout the buildings. The outside area around the pool felt like I was at Disneyland, the rocks looked similar to splash mountain.

The property has a buffet restaurant down stairs, along with a fine dining restaurant and a snack bar around the pool and beach area. They also have a shave ice stand.

I agree that heading to Ko Olina is like going to an outer island without having to catch another plane flight. I recommend Kua Aina and Matsumoto's as well on the North Shore. Mom used to take me to Matsumoto's for a reward after I got my hair cut across the street. The barber shop is long gone but good memories.

hqly2001

I'd like to take my family to this disney resort (daughters will love it!) and would like to know if anyone has been able to fibd a site to get the room at a cheaper rate? For march-april 2014, rates are around 450-550 a night.
I dont think this hotel is associated with a majr band hotel so i cant use points.

Mary2e

The hotel is fairly expensive, even for locals using the kaamiana rate. The best way to get a room would be to go to one of the disney websites, such as www.disboards.com, go to the DVC forum, and see if anyone has points they are willing to rent. There are also other sites for DVC owners to rent their points.

You would be renting from the timeshare room inventory. The hotel inventory is different and it is going to be difficult, at best, to get a decent discount. You may want to check disney.com to see if they have any specials for your dates - which, unfortunately, are probably at prime Spring Break season/Easter.

davesam12

^ Excellent advice above. Good luck trying to get an Aulani rate below $400'ish a night. We've stayed at Aulani twice now just as resort guests - non DVC in a standard, non-view room -- it runs just under $500 a night. The up side -- it's worth it imho. You can find some reviews of the resort here on Hawaii forum. Aloha!

PainCorp

Even technically being employed by Disney, I still paid $300 a night. It's a nice hotel, don't get me wrong, but that's a lot for a hotel that's so far away from everything.

Ancien Maestro

Just stayed at Disney Aulani, and took advantage of the Buy 5 Pay 4 rate, with $100 food and beverage credit.

I worked out the DVC timeshare rates, and figured that I paid $350 more for a 5 night stay then a DVC member that's invested into Aulani.. this is based on a one bedroom island view villa, which afforded me ocean view on my stay. Problem is even though its $350 more per night, DVC members would have to go without daily housekeeping and evening turndown service which we received daily throughout the stay. Plus with DVC you're into the property for the next 49 years obligated to pay $5.60 per point maintenance fee (2013) adjusted for inflation for years to come. Currently, the property is selling retail $150 pp retail with discounts from the developer if buying points in larger quantities.

My suggestion since the DVC is not entirely sold for this property is to book Disney Vacation Villas in either their studio or one bedroom on their promo right now. Its pretty much the same as those whose invested into DVC recently, and you aren't tied into a leasehold real estate investment.. and you get full service daily housekeeping and evening turndown for the nominal price difference.

An aside, buying points can come at a premium since the number of points required to book Aulani is going to be more than a regular DVC resort. Plus the inventory for DVC and retail are different. You would likely need to get a room 7 months ahead using points, and talking with some DVC members onsite, its not unusual for DVC members to change rooms 3 times in a weeks stay, to make it work. imo worth it to get the extra attention for $350 more for a 5 night stay. YMMV.

http://resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-...et-fifth-free/


Special Offer – Get 5 Nights for the price of 4

Plan your fall vacation to Hawai‘i and take advantage of a limited-time offer! Enjoy more time to discover the wonders of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa.

When you book a minimum 5-night stay, you will receive your 5th consecutive night free (excludes Ocean View Rooms and Villas).

This offer is valid for stays most nights October 1 through November 23, 2013 and December 1 through December 15, 2013—book by October 15, 2013! Rooms allocated to this offer are limited.

Or, if you would prefer an Ocean View Room or Villa, you can save 15% on your nightly rate, valid when you book a minimum 5-night stay during the same travel period.

Book This Offer Now
Call (714) 520 -7001 and mention offer code KDH, or book online by using the booking module located on the upper left-hand side of this page. Select a 5-night stay or longer during the valid travel dates to explore availability. In your search results, this offer will appear as “Special Offer.”

Flexible travel dates? View seasonal rates.

Included With Your Stay
With an extra night in paradise, your ʻohana can make more magical memories together. Many activities are already included with your stay:

•Aquatic experiences, like sparkling swimming pools, thrilling slides and beach access
•World-class entertainment, including fireside storytelling, movie nights under the stars, visits from some Disney Characters and Starlit Hui—an evening celebration of Hawaiian traditions and Disney storytelling
•Aunty's Beach House, a state-of-the-art kids club for ages 3 to 12, offering interactive activities and magical surprises
Please note that Aulani is undergoing enhancements in fall 2013, and some amenities may not be available. Learn more.

Special Vacation Experiences
Your Resort Credit can help you enjoy other outstanding experiences at Aulani that are not included in your nightly rate:

•Sumptuous dining options to satisfy nearly every taste
•A luxurious, full-service spa with the only outdoor hydrotherapy garden on O‘ahu
•Rainbow Reef, the only private snorkeling lagoon on O‘ahu
Beyond Aulani, O‘ahu beckons you to explore. Behold lush rainforests and sparkling waterfalls, take a surf lesson, tee off on championship golf courses or unwind on some of the world's best beaches. Whatever vacation pleasures you seek, you'll find them all and more when you stay an extra day at Aulani.

About 5th Night Free Savings
The free night savings is distributed across total room nights and is reflected in a reduced nightly rate, based on the non-discounted rate.




Important Details
•The number of rooms allocated for these offers is limited, and room availability may vary by dates of stay.
•Excludes Resort fees and taxes.
•Not valid in combination with any other discounts or offers.
•Offer excludes Ocean View Rooms, Ocean View Villas, suites and 3-Bedroom Grand Villas.
•The “Save 15% Offer” is for Ocean View Rooms and 1- and 2-Bedroom Ocean View Villas for Guests who stay 5 or more consecutive nights during the same periods.
•Valid offer bookings must NOT include stays any days between November 24, 2013 and November 30, 2013.
•Must book between September 3, 2013 and October 15, 2013.
•Savings based on non-discounted room rates.
•Additional per adult charges may apply if more than 2 adults per room.
•Offer applied once per reservation.
•Check for offers for other lengths of stay.
•Advance reservations required.
•Subject to restrictions and change without notice.
•Limit 2 rooms per reservation.

RussianTexan

How was transportation from the resort to Honolulu/Waikiki. What did y'all use to get around?

davesam12

For our two Aulani stays we did not rent a car. Had Aulani book transportation for us both visits both inbound from HNL and then to our Waikiki hotel post Aulani. "Charlie's Taxi" was their preferred vendor. For an airport pick up just call Aulani at least a couple weeks prior to your arrival. You can arrange other transportation you want after you arrive with the Valet/Bell desk. The rate was surprisingly reasonable. From HNL - $50 plus tip. To Waikiki was something like $75 as I recall.

Ancien Maestro

We were on the tail end of a six week trip, when visiting Aulani on Oahu this past summer.

We always rent a car, but because we paid so much to stay at Aulani, I thought to cut back the rental car and save $35 per night for parking.. A savings of about $400. We didn't want to leave the resort, so that we can be immersed in a fantastic Disney experience. And we're all glad we did.

For transfer HNL to Aulani.. We used Go808 Express..

http://www.yelp.ca/biz/go808-express-honolulu

Rated 5 out 5.. They also do transfers to and from Waikiki from the resort.

This service company is fantastic and I highly recommend it. Check out the Yelp ratings, as they have fantastic personnel and they care. Transfer companies are under a lot of pressure, but these guys bend over backwards, often cashing in on 12-15 hour days, just to make sure you arrive and get picked up on time.

There are some nightmare HNL transfer companies. Do your research and don't prepay unless you've researched to ensure you're using a good quality transfer company. Nightmare stories I've heard is that customers prepay, and end up not getting picked up at the time agreed, or a bit late for pick up.. and the entire transfer fee is forfeited without refund. YMMV if using a non-reputable transfer company.