Should we book? Opinions needed

Waiting2goback

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
My girlfriend and I are talking about honeymoon options for next summer. (I haven't proposed yet but will be pretty soon). We have thought about booking Aulani but here is the hesitation. The most we can go for is a week as I'm divorced and I have 50% custody of my kids. So they are with their mother a week and she would never work with me to keep them a couple of extra days, especially when she finds out I'm married again. (For the record, I didn't cheat on her or anything, she's just that much of an angry person).

I have heard a week is not enough time to get the most out of Aulani because you lose a day on each end of the trip for travel. (We are coming from MA.). Essentially we would up with 5 days there and be jet lagged for at least one.

We have thrown about some other ideas, like a 4 day cruise and then a couple of days at WDW, a trip from San Francisco down to LA seeing the sights and ending at DL for a couple of days. Or even an all inclusive type resort on one of the islands in the Carribean. I haven't priced any out yet to see if any or significantly cheaper than another. But now that you know what the options are, assuming everything is priced the same, can anyone make a case for, or against, Aulani given these factors?
 
Its your honeymoon, which you only do once in your marriage. DH and I had this mentality so we went all out on our honeymoon, including a 6 night stay at Aulani (total of 16 days in Hawaii). Even though it was at the end of our trip and we didn't have to combat jet lag, we thought 6 nights at Aulani was plenty and we had ample time to enjoy the resort while doing activities/sightseeing every other day. I think its worthwhile to do for only a week, but the flight prices (especially from the east coast) can be cost prohibitive to justify it for many.

An alternative option is to stay elsewhere on Oahu - perhaps somewhere like Waikiki where the resorts are more affordable and everything is more centralized. You can easily drive up to Aulani for a day to enjoy the restaurants, spa, and even the beach/lagoon because all beaches in Hawaii are public. You just can't use the chairs and umbrellas.

Aulani is a great resort but keep in mind it IS a family resort. We knew this and were fine with that, but we also had time at more adult-oriented resorts in Hawaii before getting to Aulani. Aulani is also located on the north-west side of Oahu, so its pretty isolated. You'd have a drive and have to contend with traffic for most sightseeing. IMO, you should plan a trip to Hawaii with a stay at Aulani - not just a trip to Aulani, if that makes sense.

Congrats and happy honeymooning!
 
Well, I would say timing is everything for you.

The summer can be fairly busy with families visiting Aulani.
As @nkereina says above, it is a very family friendly resort too.
I personally would have a hard time knowing my kids were at home when I am surrounded by happy playful children but that is just me.
Maybe two nights Aulani and 3 nights up in the North Shore (much more romantic, imho)

Depending on when in the summer might make me think twice about the cruise/WDW idea simply because of hurricane season and the heat in Florida in July and August.

If you were to go early enough in the summer an all inclusive might be the way to go. Lots of them have on site weddings as well, you might be able to roll everything into one neat little package if you did that!
 
We found that as two adults without kids that three nights was the perfect amount of time to experience everything at Aulani, so if you are worried about not getting the most out of the resort in just 5 days then I think you will find that it will be plenty of time. The concern I would have is getting the most out of the island itself. As PPs have mentioned, Aulani is a little isolated from most of the other things you might want to see and do outside of the resort.

If all you want is a nice resort stay and you're not worried about getting out and seeing more of the island, then 5 days at Aulani will be perfect. If you are wanting more excursions or adventures outside of the resort, I would do as PPs have mentioned and look at other resorts. Turtle Bay on the North Shore is a nice one that is close to a lot of different sites on the north side of the island. Or you could do Waikiki area and hit up the eastern side of the island. We personally loved the Kailua/Lanikai area beaches and towns.
 


This is a lot of useful info, thanks. I am not worried about being disturbed by kids by being there. Together we have 7 kids so noise is part of life. I am not feeling bad about being there without the kids as mine with be with there mother than week whether I am home or in Disney somewhere.

The info about being secluded is very useful. I wouldn't mind getting out and seeing some sights but not if it will be a lot of work. Having 7 kids I am all about relaxing for this one week as we don't get much time for that otherwise. : )
 
I wouldn't mind getting out and seeing some sights but not if it will be a lot of work.

Its isolated in the sense that Ko Olina is a planned gated tourist community. There's not much in walking distance and for the few shops and restaurants that are there, they are tourist traps in cost and offerings. To get out and see the sights and experience Oahu, you'd need to drive on the highway. Driving is relatively easy, but you do have to plan your day around the traffic which can be intense. North Shore, Kailua, and Waikiki are all about a 45 minute drive but in different directions. Pearl Harbor is about 30 minutes. I'd say you can expect to drive at least 30-45 minutes to get to the most visited areas of Oahu.

I love Aulani, but we chose to stay there after deciding on a Hawaiian vacation. Not the other way around. Its a great place to stay if you are visiting Oahu, but I don't think the resort in and of itself is enough of a destination alone considering the time and expense to get there.
 


Congratulations!

As others have said, a week isn't enough time to enjoy the island, especially if it's your first time. Aulani is beautiful and I would go back in a heartbeat but I would be torn between wanting to see Oahu and enjoying the resort, especially spending so much money on Aulani.

If you're looking for a relaxing honeymoon, I would suggest an all inclusive resort. Or even a 7 night cruise to the Caribbean.
 
you don't have to see everything, just go to Aulani if that is what you want to do. You only lose 1 day to travel I would think...the day you get there isn't really lost since you are flying with the time change. Jet lag sucks but fortunately many things open quite early in Hawaii because it is a tourist destination and they are used to tourists being jet lagged since everyone who visits Hawaii will have a big time difference due to its location. The day you come home is extremely lost though because of flying against the change. Rent a car, price out your stay with renting DVC points then parking is free.
 
First of all congratulations (when you do pop the question)!

Sounds like you're not quite sure where you guys want to honeymoon. To me, Aulani is just a bit too family oriented for a honeymoon. We come from the East Coast as well, and when we go to Oahu it's minimum 12 nights, usually two weeks (last summer I was there a month, first two weeks just me and the youngest, then DH and oldest joined us).

I recently discovered a really nice, adult only all inclusive in Mexico, Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso. With Southwest Vacations, bundling air (and usually private transfer is included too), it's like getting the airfare for free. DH and I went last November, January, and then late May for our 25th anniversary (yes, 3 times in six months, we loved it that much!). We get butler service, twice daily maid service, 24 hour room service, excellent food (honestly, overall the best dining we've ever had on vacation, like filet or grilled lobster for lunch), top shelf liquor, it's overall amazing. Most guests there are repeat guests. It's mostly couples, plenty to do if you want (games by the pool, bingo, amazing nightly shows in the theater) or chill at the pool or on the beach with waiters constantly bringing you what you want. He loves to work out on vacation, and they have a huge new gym in the complex that even he was amazed at. Just throwing that out there, as like that instead of 12 hours traveling to Hawaii, it's a 3 hour plus flight with no jet lag! So even when we went 4 or 5 nights, it was a nice getaway. It's not crazy party atmosphere, but enough to keep me entertained watching the games and shows, playing bingo once or twice at the pool bar.
 
I’m at Aulani now. We also flew from MA. It stunk, not gonna lie. We are here for a total of 9 nights, but some days have been spent away from the resort sightseeing and other days have been spent entirely at the resort. If you like relaxing by the pool/beach, then you’ll love Aulani. It’s very quiet and serene. I think it would be great for honeymoon. Aloha!
 
I personally agree with the other posters who said with the travel time, it’s reaally not worth it for a week. If I’d never seen Hawaii, I wouldn’t want to go that far and not really see it. And if you’re wanting to relax, you won’t really see it. I’d choose something else and go back to Hawaii another time.
 
We, DH, DS, & I, did less than a week last month, but we have been to Oahu before. It was perfect for us. I think bang for buck on a relaxing honeymoon, a 7 night Caribbean cruise can't be beat, especially if you do someone like Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. You could also do a beach resort in the Caribbean. I personally was very glad that we did "nothing", a 7 night cruise, for our honeymoon. Every other vacation has always been about going and seeing/doing things. Caribbean cruises are the only ones where we even remotely just chill, unless it's some place we have been before. We have since done cruises for our anniversary and loved it. I could also go for a trip to Big Bend in Texas, but you don't want to do that in the summer.
 
We just got back from a two week stay in Hawaii. One week in Oahu and one week in Maui. My sister in law lives in Ko Olina right across from Aulani so I had a chance to tour the resort. It was very nice but personally I would say that if you are staying a week perhaps a few nights at Aulani would be wonderful and then a few nights somewhere else on the island. We went up to the north shore and stayed at Turtle Bay and I have to say that the atmosphere and landscape was incredible on the north shore, totally different from the area around Ko Olani. I fell in love with the north shore. Of course this depends on if you are renting a car but I think it would be well worth it. Getting to Aulani from from the airport is easy and a great place to start. The north shore, and Turtle Bay resort are spectacular and very romantic. Coming back down on the drive on the other shore of Oahu is unbelievably beautiful. We are on the east coast as well and flew direct to Honolulu and we did not find the jet lag to be all that bad...you're just so amped up to be in Hawaii!. Best of luck to you and Aulani is beautiful, my two cents just say try to split between to parts of the island to enjoy the full aloha spirit!
 
We, DH, DS, & I, did less than a week last month, but we have been to Oahu before. It was perfect for us. I think bang for buck on a relaxing honeymoon, a 7 night Caribbean cruise can't be beat, especially if you do someone like Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. You could also do a beach resort in the Caribbean. I personally was very glad that we did "nothing", a 7 night cruise, for our honeymoon. Every other vacation has always been about going and seeing/doing things. Caribbean cruises are the only ones where we even remotely just chill, unless it's some place we have been before. We have since done cruises for our anniversary and loved it. I could also go for a trip to Big Bend in Texas, but you don't want to do that in the summer.

I appreciate all the responses. We have ruled out Aulani until we can go for a longer period of time. We are exploring the cruise idea next. Although we may do Alaska rather than the carribean, we'll see.
 
I appreciate all the responses. We have ruled out Aulani until we can go for a longer period of time. We are exploring the cruise idea next. Although we may do Alaska rather than the carribean, we'll see.

I think Alaska for a honeymoon could be really good. We haven't done it yet, but it's on our list. I think kids would enjoy it, but I think sitting outside wrapped up in a blanket drinking hot chocolate or an adult beverage as the beautiful scenery goes by could be very romantic. Plus, some kids might not like the nature talks as much.
 
Weddings are exhasting. Getting to Hawaii even from the middle of the country is exhausting. I'd go with a laid back, easy trip where you can just relax and focus on each other. You have a lifetime together for adventure. Take it easy on the honeymoon. And congratulations!
 

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