Are excursions worth the $$$?

[meggiebeth]

Hello everyone,

We are visiting Aulani later this year and I am starting to plan out our itinerary and the excursions we want to do.

I won’t lie, I am shocked at the prices for a lot of the excursions and experiences that are widely recommended by people. For example, the recommended tours at Kualoa Ranch are something like $200 per person, which for a family of five adds up to $1000 for just a few hours’ experience. Similarly, the Aulani luau being $200 per person adding up to $1000. Are these types of experiences really that good that they justify the high cost? I know being in Hawaii likely raises prices a bit, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has paid $1000 for a meal for their family of 5, or for a few hours driving on an ATV!

If you have any other recommendations for must do excursions and experiences, I’d really appreciate those too. We are definitely going to visit Pearl Harbour and drive around the island but other than that I’m undecided!

 

[AgentMama]

Well, we're not a family of five, but we are a family of 4 and find that the costs you're mentioning are in line with many of the excursions we have done on various vacations. If the costs are a burden for you, you might want to look at touring the island on your own.

 

[lilsonicfan]

We are a family of 5. We opted not to do Aulani’s luau in favour of a cheaper (and IMO better) experience at Toa Luau, but could we have done without the luau entirely? Of course!

We also did the Kualoa ranch UTV tour, definitely a pricey option and a splurge, but we had a blast.

I think it’s all in how you vacation. We didn’t have a single meal that cost over $100 for our family, that is because we didn’t eat at the Disney restaurants or really even the Ko Olina ones. We ate in our room for breakfast and for some dinners; although by that time we had already eaten our fill of poke and Hawaiian plate lunches and musubi… there are also lots of cheaper or free options you can do around the island.

 

[Lilsia]

The way that I looked at it when I was planning my first trip was, why am I going to Oahu for vacation? Am I traveling for 2 days each way and spending a small fortune, to just end up sitting at a hotel? I don't think so. If this was going to be my chance to go to Hawaii, I would rather put it off for a few months or even a year to be able to do what I am going there to do. I WANTED to go horseback riding at Kualoa, I wanted to see a luau, I wanted to go the botanical gardens and see a waterfall, etc. I can sit by a pool at any hotel at home for a few hundred bucks. As far as the luau, you referred to it as a "meal". It is not a meal, it is them sharing their cultural dance and traditions with us. The food is just a bonus, you are paying for the show. So I would say to think about what you want out of your vacation and plan accordingly.

 

[Ashlotte]

You can often book the same excursions on your own for less. I’d check on how much it would be to rent a car and to book the excursions directly with the company (excluding the Disney luau).

 

[AstroBlasters]

I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer because it is such a personal question.

My Napa Rose bill from this DL trip crossed the $1k mark because we got a wonderful bottle of 2013 Pinot ($250) in addition to 2 wine pairings and 3 chef’s tasting for the adults + 2 steak dinners for the kids. Apparently kids menus are only for age 8 and under at Napa Rose now. Add all that up with tax and 20% tip… boom $1k. (Yes, I paid with a Disney gift card )

I’m not trying to “flex” as I am actually a bit embarrassed at spending so much… but I wanted to show that it can and does happen.

Now, I am back home and will not eat out and avoid “just looking around” at CostCo for a while so that I can save up my pennies for our Aulani trip in August.

 

[mort1331]

I hear ya...buy I will 2nd Toa Luau...for half the price od Aulani,,if you have a car..make a day of it...drive up the coast stop hit a beach...the Luau includes admition to the gardens and swimming at the waterfall. Leave time to do activities before the Luau starts.
We also downloaded the Shaka app for the whole island and loved just driving around the island that way.
Skip the Aluani swim tank,, and snorkel in the ocean and different coves around.
Hike Diamond Head,,make sure to get reservations.
Enjoy

 

[pinkxray]

We had to pick and choose our excursions for our family of 5. We skipped the luau but did the ATV at Kualoa Ranch. It was a great day. We also spent another 200+ per person for 2 to do ziplining at Climbworks.

I tried to pick things that we were looking forward to seeing in Hawaii. At the time we thought it was a once in a lifetime trip so we picked the ones most important ones.

We are heading back this fall so we are thinking about trying the luau but balancing it out with cheaper things such as trying more beaches and hikes around the island.

 

[Gruenilda]

We booked through Ko Olina Marina and booked snorkeling for 4. You can walk to the marina and it was great. We saw 2 types of dolphins and fed the fish snorkeling. Then hit the sail (with a red eye’d pirate sail) and enjoyed our 4 hour excursion.

 

[WillGan]

Hello everyone,

We are visiting Aulani later this year and I am starting to plan out our itinerary and the excursions we want to do.

I won’t lie, I am shocked at the prices for a lot of the excursions and experiences that are widely recommended by people. For example, the recommended tours at Kualoa Ranch are something like $200 per person, which for a family of five adds up to $1000 for just a few hours’ experience. Similarly, the Aulani luau being $200 per person adding up to $1000. Are these types of experiences really that good that they justify the high cost? I know being in Hawaii likely raises prices a bit, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has paid $1000 for a meal for their family of 5, or for a few hours driving on an ATV!

If you have any other recommendations for must do excursions and experiences, I’d really appreciate those too. We are definitely going to visit Pearl Harbour and drive around the island but other than that I’m undecided!

For 5 people it’ll be pricey but there are other options which I would be happy to share with you. Being a local, my views are much different than our other members but completely understand why certain vendors and excursions are being discussed. For example, in my 42 years of residing here, I have never gone to nor will I ever experience Kualoa Ranch. Sure it’s nice but as you state, the cost, time, and drive, I’d recommend something like taking a drive out to Mokuleia where you can see backdrops of LOST for free. Plus, you get to experience Historic Haleiwa Town, Matsumoto Shave Ice, and Pa’alakai Bakery in a span of 2.5 hours including travel time. I’ll see if I can send you stuff via messages.

 

[WillGan]

Well, we're not a family of five, but we are a family of 4 and find that the costs you're mentioning are in line with many of the excursions we have done on various vacations. If the costs are a burden for you, you might want to look at touring the island on your own.

And with great intel from you Dis Boards Ohana, it’ll be just as good or better!

 

[vacay77]

Are the excursions worth it? That's a very subjective question and answer. They are pricey but my family thought they were worth it. And these prices aren't as expensive as the trip I'm planning to Alaska this summer - the prices for those excursions puts the Hawaii prices to shame, lol.

We did the Jurassic Adventure Tour at Kualoa Ranch and thought the price was absolutely worth it, since we are all fans of the Jurassic Park/World series. And we also thought the luau was worth it, although we've now attended it a couple of times and will likely skip it for future trips. Other than that, we rented a car and drove around the island - for example, we hiked Diamond Head, went to Pearl Harbor, drove to the Polynesian Culture Center.

 

[tankin]

@meggiebeth So we're also a family of 5... Here's my $0.02 and probably not worth that..
1. "Worth it" is a very relative term. We've done everything you're talking about and enjoyed them all (pre-covid when prices got insane). However, your level of enjoyment may relate to your budget. So, a huge splurge for you may only be a "daily expense" to another. You could both experience the same thing and come out with a very different opinion on if it was "worth it." Only you can make that call.

2. On our last trip, we made the choice to cutback. We still had a few "big spends" (surfing lesson for the kids, spa trip for the parents & climbworks for all of us) but chose some "lower priced" options ( for example, the Diamond Head hike). Funny thing is that we enjoyed some of the lower priced options as much as we enjoyed the high priced ones. We also chose to eat in the room much more than in the past (yea costco chicken).

A lot of this comes down to ... what's your budget and is this a "trip of a lifetime" or the "first of many"

 

[Disney_Fan_01]

Could do a lot DIY excursions that don’t cost anything. Best ones from our experience are driving around different parts of the island and spending time there. Could make a day each out of North Shore, Waikiki, southeast and east coast (Kailua). Some easy nice hikes, good food and beaches in all of those parts. Mix it with a couple of relaxing days at Aulani and it will add up to a great week. On cheaper excursion, we are planing outrigger canoeing at Waikiki, which I believe is significantly cheaper than the one in Ko Olina. You could look into other sailing or horse back riding excursion directly with tour operators and drive yourself. Car is a must!!

 

[jimmymc]

For a family of 5, I think you're better off renting a car for a day or two and doing things on your own. Places like the Lighthouse Trail are free, and other locations are pretty cheap if you buy tickets directly.

It is definitely worth it to get out and explore the island.

 

[Iceman93]

Have you ever taken a cruise and, if so, have you done any of the shore excursions offered by the cruise line? Pricing is similarly high, but worth it to many of us who place a value on intangibles like the peace of mind that comes from booking through the overall vacation provider. While Aulani's excursions are delivered by an outside provider, that outside provider obviously has a huge incentive to make sure their Aulani guests are wildly happy.

As others have said, "worth it" is hugely subjective. I think the cruise analogy, though, is a good one.

 

[swooshbear]

We usually don't do excursions on Oahu, but we booked the catamaran that sails out of the lagoon. It was nice trip up and down the coast, but the best part of the trip was one of our guides was Jason Momoa's dad, the locals call him "Uncle Joe".

 

[cgattis]

Lots of good info on free excursions here already. I’d like to add there are numerous free hula shows across the island; just google that. You can see the hula and eat elsewhere if you don’t see the values in a luau. The free show in Waikiki was VERY good.

I will also say I dropped $1k for the Te Au Moana luau on Maui and had an absolutely magical night. Was it “worth” the price? Probably not literally, but if you’d let me pay on the way out the door that night instead of beforehand, I would’ve gladly paid it.

But as others have said, you can pick and choose your splurges and your values. We didn’t spend one cent snorkeling on any of the islands and had some amazing experiences from the beach with our own gear. Couldn’t take our own horses so had to pay for that

 

[cgattis]

We usually don't do excursions on Oahu, but we booked the catamaran that sails out of the lagoon. It was nice trip up and down the coast, but the best part of the trip was one of our guides was Jason Momoa's dad, the locals call him "Uncle Joe".

I think I’d have a stroke if my boat captain whipped out a pic of his son and it was Jason Momoa…….

 

[tankin]

Forgot to mention ... I have found that my family always saved money planning our own trips and not paying for a disney excursion ... Even when you factor in the cost of the rental