Hawaii Disney

[sillygoosegirl]

A friend called me at work today to tell me she won a trip for 4 to Hawaii, and would we like to join them. Apparently it's the real deal, radio sweepstakes thing of some sort. Unclear if this would include kids or not (their kid is 18 months and would fly free, our kid is almost 4, and my friend seemed on the fence about bringing kids). It's at the Disney resort on Oahu, for some number of nights she probably said but I don't remember. She also is thinking they'd stay additional time to go to the big island and see the volcano.

Of course I immediately said yes, without honestly thinking about it at all. Then talking about it with DH, he's pointing out that we'll be getting our own room still (since presumably this "trip for 4" is assuming parents and kids in one hotel room), food, etc. Of course, but I hadn't thought through that. How much is a resort like this likely to run per day? And would it be terribly gauche of us to suggest DH and I (and DD?) stay somewhere else the days they are at the resort, and travel together to the big island (although I've been before, seeing the volcano again is one of the main things I'd like to do in Hawaii... fancy resorts aren't really our jam... although I suppose maybe this would be the time to try it anyway)?

[alleinesein]

The resort is Aulani and it is both a hotel and a DVC resort. It will not be cheap but you can rent DVC points from one of the many rental sites out there. It is outside of Honolulu so you will need a car to get around.

[curbsideprophet]

I was also going to suggest renting DVC points.

[orval]

I would find out what type of unit she will have. Some are two bedroom villas and you wouldn't need your own room. It's more like a condo than a hotel room.

[sillygoosegirl]

Oct 16, 2018 6:28:41 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

I was also going to suggest renting DVC points.

What does this mean?

[dcrunnergirl52]

Oct 16, 2018 7:34:27 GMT -5 orval said:

I would find out what type of unit she will have. Some are two bedroom villas and you wouldn't need your own room. It's more like a condo than a hotel room.

This is what I was thinking too. 

FWIW, we went to Aulani in November 2016 when DD and DS1 were 6 and DS2 was 3 years old. We LOVED it. I blogged about if you're interested in my trip report:

pipeandfletch.blogspot.com/2016/11/

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2018 9:02:39 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Oct 16, 2018 6:28:41 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

I was also going to suggest renting DVC points.

What does this mean?

They are suggesting renting Disney Vacation Club points because it typically comes out cheaper than the standard room rate.

[cherh]

I am in Hawaii right now, we actually were at the Aulani yesterday. I have a lot of feelings about the place but the Disney board isn’t the place for it. That said, if fancy resorts aren’t your jam, it’s a kid-free trip and you’re going with the goal to explore other islands, I would look into other resorts. The Aulani is $500-ish a night right now and it’s low season. There are other spots to stay in Ko Olina for less money and/or caters to a more adult crowd.

[curbsideprophet]

Oct 16, 2018 9:02:39 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Oct 16, 2018 6:28:41 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

I was also going to suggest renting DVC points.

What does this mean?

Here, this might help

www.disneytouristblog.com/renting-disney-vacation-club-points/

[bronxgirl]

Oct 16, 2018 21:20:43 GMT -5 cherh said:

. I have a lot of feelings about the place but the Disney board isn’t the place for it.

This is intriguing.

[raangoli]

Oct 17, 2018 22:26:29 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

Oct 16, 2018 21:20:43 GMT -5 cherh said:

. I have a lot of feelings about the place but the Disney board isn’t the place for it.

This is intriguing.

I want to know more, too. cherh We don't flame non-Disney people, please share your insights.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2018 8:06:32 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Oct 17, 2018 22:26:29 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

This is intriguing.

I want to know more, too. cherh We don't flame non-Disney people, please share your insights.

I want to know too.

[sillygoosegirl]

My friend clarified that she did intend for us to all 4 share the room, if we were okay with that, which we are.

And they don't want the kids to come. We have child care, so that's fine too. It's kind of a bummer to not bring DD, since I'm sure she'd adore it. But we can bring her some other time if we decide we want to spend our money that way, and we'll probably have more fun with her at home anyway... just have to be careful how we talk about it in front of her so she's not too jealous. Anyway, I'm not surprised: their kid is more at the eating-sand age, and if they wanted to bring him along, they have a widowed grandparent who loves babysitting who they could have invited as their 4th instead of us.

Anyway, I'm super excited.

[alleinesein]

Oct 16, 2018 21:20:43 GMT -5 cherh said:

I am in Hawaii right now, we actually were at the Aulani yesterday. I have a lot of feelings about the place but the Disney board isn’t the place for it. 

If you have valid comments/concerns regarding your experience at the resort, feel free to post them.  It gives others a heads up about things that they need to watch out for when they go there.

Now if you are someone who hates all things Disney and went into your experience with an attitude of "everything Disney does is shit and awful", then yes, you would be better off not posting your feelings on here.  We all know that Disney has issues and that they can be overpriced, the parks can be stupid crowded, they do stupid things from time to time, etc but we aren't a total disney love fest either.  The house of mouse isn't perfect and we don't act like it is.  

[cherh]

Oct 18, 2018 16:35:29 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Oct 16, 2018 21:20:43 GMT -5 cherh said:

I am in Hawaii right now, we actually were at the Aulani yesterday. I have a lot of feelings about the place but the Disney board isn’t the place for it. 

If you have valid comments/concerns regarding your experience at the resort, feel free to post them.  It gives others a heads up about things that they need to watch out for when they go there.

Now if you are someone who hates all things Disney and went into your experience with an attitude of "everything Disney does is shit and awful", then yes, you would be better off not posting your feelings on here.  We all know that Disney has issues and that they can be overpriced, the parks can be stupid crowded, they do stupid things from time to time, etc but we aren't a total disney love fest either.  The house of mouse isn't perfect and we don't act like it is.  

I have taken an insane amount of Disney trips in my life. I’m a Disney person. I *personally* feel like Aulani is all the downside of Disney without the great parts of it. I don’t want to bring down anyone looking forward to their trip though. I love Hawaii but the Aulani isn’t for me or my family.

[bronxgirl]

Oct 19, 2018 21:37:31 GMT -5 cherh said:

Oct 18, 2018 16:35:29 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

If you have valid comments/concerns regarding your experience at the resort, feel free to post them.  It gives others a heads up about things that they need to watch out for when they go there.

Now if you are someone who hates all things Disney and went into your experience with an attitude of "everything Disney does is shit and awful", then yes, you would be better off not posting your feelings on here.  We all know that Disney has issues and that they can be overpriced, the parks can be stupid crowded, they do stupid things from time to time, etc but we aren't a total disney love fest either.  The house of mouse isn't perfect and we don't act like it is.  

I have taken an insane amount of Disney trips in my life. I’m a Disney person. I *personally* feel like Aulani is all the downside of Disney without the great parts of it. I don’t want to bring down anyone looking forward to their trip though. I love Hawaii but the Aulani isn’t for me or my family.

If you feel comfortable sharing, I would love to know more.

[jamer]

I’m curious why you think it’s all the downside of Disney. We went in February and loved it. I like that it’s lower key but still with plenty of kid options. We stayed a week and stayed at the resort the entire time. Guess it depends on what you are looking for but for our family it was perfect for their ages. (3 and 6 years old)

[cherh]

Oct 21, 2018 23:09:46 GMT -5 jamer said:

I’m curious why you think it’s all the downside of Disney. We went in February and loved it. I like that it’s lower key but still with plenty of kid options. We stayed a week and stayed at the resort the entire time. Guess it depends on what you are looking for but for our family it was perfect for their ages. (3 and 6 years old)

I just flew back from Hawaii this morning. We have gone a number of times with kids. Hawaii is our favorite family destination. Disney is probably second. I found the camping out for chairs, the lines for everything, the inability to walk into a restaurant and just be seated, being charged for everything, the subpar food, the sheer quantity of people etc. to be everything I put up with at DW without the payoff of the Disney rides, Magic etc. We’re also east coast, so I don’t want to fly 12 hours to stay at a resort the entire time. For me, there’s a lot of resorts in Hawaii that I much prefer for families.

[bex]

Thanks for the feedback cherh. I think less-than-glowing reviews of Disney related things can be good sometimes bc it is so easy to get swept up in a sense of “Disney does everything PERFECT!!” and i think that can often lead to disappointment sometimes. I know I felt that way before our cruise - my expectations for it were sky high and I was disappointed. I think if I had had more reasonable expectations I may have enjoyed it more.

[cherh]

bex I agree. I really went in expecting to be wow’d by the whole thing. But, going to HI a number of times and having an emotional attachment to it, there are a lot of places there that I enjoy much more. That said, I don’t want to discourage anyone from going there or loving it. But when people ask me what I think, I give my friends the same kind of heads up because it was not what I was expecting at all.

[ribollita]

Thanks for your thoughts. I love Hawai’i and have never felt the pull to Aulani although we love Disney. I’ll keep with my plan to stop by for a character meal and enjoy the islands elsewhere.

[cherh]

Oct 23, 2018 7:52:25 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Thanks for your thoughts. I love Hawai’i and have never felt the pull to Aulani although we love Disney. I’ll keep with my plan to stop by for a character meal and enjoy the islands elsewhere.

This is exactly what we do too.

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2018 20:26:05 GMT -5 bex said:

Thanks for the feedback cherh . I think less-than-glowing reviews of Disney related things can be good sometimes bc it is so easy to get swept up in a sense of “Disney does everything PERFECT!!” and i think that can often lead to disappointment sometimes. I know I felt that way before our cruise - my expectations for it were sky high and I was disappointed. I think if I had had more reasonable expectations I may have enjoyed it more.

Can you share your thoughts on the cruise? I have always heard nothing but glowing reviews. We're looking at doing one in a few years, and I'd like to hear your input to be able to use that as a consideration point(s) compared to all of the "it was the most amazing vacay ever."

[kittycatlove]

Oct 23, 2018 9:31:07 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

Oct 22, 2018 20:26:05 GMT -5 bex said:

Thanks for the feedback cherh . I think less-than-glowing reviews of Disney related things can be good sometimes bc it is so easy to get swept up in a sense of “Disney does everything PERFECT!!” and i think that can often lead to disappointment sometimes. I know I felt that way before our cruise - my expectations for it were sky high and I was disappointed. I think if I had had more reasonable expectations I may have enjoyed it more.

Can you share your thoughts on the cruise? I have always heard nothing but glowing reviews. We're looking at doing one in a few years, and I'd like to hear your input to be able to use that as a consideration point(s) compared to all of the "it was the most amazing vacay ever."

I'm not bex, obviously, lol.  But we did a Disney cruise in 2017 and are going on another one over spring break next year.  The first one we did was a 4 night to get our feet wet so to speak to see if we liked it.  Overall we really enjoyed it (as we have another one booked but there are some things that could be better.  Everyone raves about the kids club and how their kids never want to leave.  Not mine, he hated them.  He's already not looking forward to them.  We will only send him so we can do some of the adult only options (liquor tastings and brunch in Palo).  I think they are bit too chaotic and the age ranges are just too big.  FTR DS was 5 almost 6 on the first and will be 7 almost 8 on our next.  We're hoping now that he's a bit older he might enjoy it more.  But if he doesn't, we will find plenty to do.

The pools leave a lot to be desired.  They are really small and super crowded.  Like for as much as Disney is for kids, the lack of adequate pools is so crazy to me. 

Disney's private island is awesome though.  I can't wait to go back.

We loved the restaurants and the rotational dining, but I know not everyone is into that.

If you have any specific questions I'll be glad to answer them.  I know dcrunnergirl52, has also cruised Disney.

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2018 9:46:52 GMT -5 kittycatlove said:

Oct 23, 2018 9:31:07 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

Can you share your thoughts on the cruise? I have always heard nothing but glowing reviews. We're looking at doing one in a few years, and I'd like to hear your input to be able to use that as a consideration point(s) compared to all of the "it was the most amazing vacay ever."

I'm not bex , obviously, lol.  But we did a Disney cruise in 2017 and are going on another one over spring break next year.  The first one we did was a 4 night to get our feet wet so to speak to see if we liked it.  Overall we really enjoyed it (as we have another one booked but there are some things that could be better.  Everyone raves about the kids club and how their kids never want to leave.  Not mine, he hated them.  He's already not looking forward to them.  We will only send him so we can do some of the adult only options (liquor tastings and brunch in Palo).  I think they are bit too chaotic and the age ranges are just too big.  FTR DS was 5 almost 6 on the first and will be 7 almost 8 on our next.  We're hoping now that he's a bit older he might enjoy it more.  But if he doesn't, we will find plenty to do.

The pools leave a lot to be desired.  They are really small and super crowded.  Like for as much as Disney is for kids, the lack of adequate pools is so crazy to me. 

Disney's private island is awesome though.  I can't wait to go back.

We loved the restaurants and the rotational dining, but I know not everyone is into that.

If you have any specific questions I'll be glad to answer them.  I know dcrunnergirl52 , has also cruised Disney.

Thanks. That helps. We aren't even locked down on when we'd want to go but when we do start trying to decide, I'll definitely reach out again.

[bex]

@princessbubbleyum, ditto that the kids club was not great. I think it really is a "hate it or love it" kind of place. My nieces were 4.5 and 6 when we went and they liked it okay, but didn't love it. We found the kids program on Royal Caribbean to be significantly better, which was surprising.

The pools were okay, and there was only one really small splash area for babies, which surprised me because I have to imagine that there are a lot of a kids in diapers on a Disney cruise. It was broken for two days of our cruise and the workers just didn't seem to care.

I also just found the service overall to be lacking. We had trouble finding towels on the pool deck, no one helped us set up chairs on the deck so we had to unstack some ourselves, my SIL asked for the girls' bunk to be turned down earlier than 9 and the response was "9 is really early on a Disney cruise."

I thought the food was okay but not great.

I did love the size of the room, having the split bathroom, and the satellite phones in each cabin. And overall the theming was really good, especially in the Animator's Palette restaurant. And castaway cay is really fun.

My biggest issues as I look back all relate to the poor service; after having been to Disney world a few times since then I am even more surprised at the level of service on the cruise.

So would I go on a Disney cruise again? Probably, but I would definitely go into it with different expectations.

I know that a lot of people have amazing experiences and love it and that's great for them, but I think its helpful sometimes to hear the other side as well.

[sandandsea]

We went this summer with our two kids ages 2 and 6.5 and had a great trip. It’s a kids place and they have character dinners, characters visit the pool, iPad scavenger hunts for the kids, kids club, babysitting, etc. the pools are big and they had a great lazy river and two water slides. It was great for a family but I wouldn’t chose it for an adult trip. My kids enjoyed the Disney part but aren’t Disney obsessed and I still think it was worth it. Ds never visited the kids club as he wanted to hang at the pool and beach with us. And ds2 was too young for it anyway.

[sandandsea]

Oh and there are some great restaurants just across the street from Aulani like Roys and the Mexican food place. Also you can buy your souvenirs at the ABC store too.

[abs]

DH and I went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth about a million times on the Disney cruise. It gets glowing reviews (mostly) and we like their Eastern Caribbean itinerary better than other cruise lines. We have even booked a cruise twice! Ultimately though we ended up canceling both times. We are going to do Royal Caribbean instead this summer. They are not perfect by any means but it is literally half the cost which makes the imperfections easier to deal with. The biggest complaints about Disney--pool size and chaotic kids clubs--were our deal breakers because those are important to DD.

That said, we are saving for Alaska and will probably do Disney there because the other ships are just worn down and the price difference isn't as huge.

Re: Aulani. We've looked into that, too. For a free or low cost trip I would go in a nanosecond!! If I am flying all the way to Hawaii though I don't want to spend all my time at a crowded Disney resort. The islands are so beautiful and you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don't get out and explore. We are going summer 2020. Our plan is to do 5 nights in Maui and then 2 at the Aulani. Neither DH nor I are over excited but DD will love the pool and leaving from Oahu makes our flights so much easier!

Basically we have decided while we are Disney people we are Disney PARKS people.