Aulani days vs.Touring days

ebenmax

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Our family (all adults and one 15 yr. old) is planning to visit Aulani for one week in June 2018. We tend to like "active" vacations like Walt Disney World vs. beach vacations which are often quieter and more laid back.
We are trying to decide how many Aulani days we should plan vs. days where we are out and about on Oahu. Other than the pool/beach or spa, what other types of day time activities go on at the resort? (We are not really bar/lounge people.) OR should we plan days mixing resort and touring time?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
Ellen
 
If you go on the website and look at the Daily Iwa you can get a good idea of what types of activities there are throughout the week. In the morning there are different exercise classes like sunrise yoga and paddeboard yoga and throughout the day they do stuff like nature walks and photography classes, then at night they have storytelling and stargazing. We usually do go to Waikiki at least one day to go to Duke's and have gone to Pearl Harbor, the Aloha Swap Meet, the North Shore and the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
 
We find the best mix for our family is to have an early out of the resort activity during the day and then head back to the resort for late afternoon (3:30-4ish) That is the best time for us to hit the pools because a lot of families are getting out of the pool or beach area and getting ready for dinner. This way we (sometimes-LOL) avoid the crazy busy times of the resort. We work this by having late lunches and later dinners or early dinners and a snack after the pools.
 
We find the best mix for our family is to have an early out of the resort activity during the day and then head back to the resort for late afternoon (3:30-4ish) That is the best time for us to hit the pools because a lot of families are getting out of the pool or beach area and getting ready for dinner. This way we (sometimes-LOL) avoid the crazy busy times of the resort. We work this by having late lunches and later dinners or early dinners and a snack after the pools.

I definitely second this method. We enjoyed getting out early (we're East Coasters and were up before the sun everyday) exploring the island or doing an excursion and then returning to the resort in the afternoon to enjoy the on site amenities. Following this schedule we were always able to find a chair, the lazy river/slides were not overly crowded and the grounds didn't feel as overly crowded. We stayed June of this year into the first week of July.
 


I would recommend avoiding any "resort time" on Saturday and Sunday, if you can schedule it in such a way. We arrived at the resort around 4pm on Saturday and just hung out there the rest of the night and all day Sunday. Our first touring day was Monday. We did notice a difference in crowd levels from Sunday to Monday, as locals and weekend visitors are more prevalent on Saturdays and Sundays.

What worked best for us was every other day resort then touring day. Saturday night & Sunday was resort time, Monday was North Shore day, Tuesday resort day with a spa appointment, Wednesday Kualoa Ranch & Kailua, Thursday resort day, and then we left Aulani Friday afternoon. On our resort days, we enjoyed sleeping in and moving between our chairs, the pool, and beach. We get a little antsy laying around in the sun too, so we got our chairs by 9-9:30, ate lunch around 12-12:30, and went back up to our room to shower for dinner around 3:30-4. This worked out really well for us and we didn't get bored.

I would venture to say most people choose Aulani because of the resort. It's not conveniently located nor is it priced well for people to use it just as a home base while being off-site all day. If someone intends to be off enjoying the island all day, Aulani is not the greatest option for that IMO. That's why we made sure to build in ample resort time, since that was our main reason for staying there.
 
I would recommend avoiding any "resort time" on Saturday and Sunday, if you can schedule it in such a way. We arrived at the resort around 4pm on Saturday and just hung out there the rest of the night and all day Sunday. Our first touring day was Monday. We did notice a difference in crowd levels from Sunday to Monday, as locals and weekend visitors are more prevalent on Saturdays and Sundays.

What worked best for us was every other day resort then touring day. Saturday night & Sunday was resort time, Monday was North Shore day, Tuesday resort day with a spa appointment, Wednesday Kualoa Ranch & Kailua, Thursday resort day, and then we left Aulani Friday afternoon. On our resort days, we enjoyed sleeping in and moving between our chairs, the pool, and beach. We get a little antsy laying around in the sun too, so we got our chairs by 9-9:30, ate lunch around 12-12:30, and went back up to our room to shower for dinner around 3:30-4. This worked out really well for us and we didn't get bored.

I would venture to say most people choose Aulani because of the resort. It's not conveniently located nor is it priced well for people to use it just as a home base while being off-site all day. If someone intends to be off enjoying the island all day, Aulani is not the greatest option for that IMO. That's why we made sure to build in ample resort time, since that was our main reason for staying there.
I very much second this. (Except after 10 days around the islands, we were pretty lazy on our resort days!!!) I would definitely choose a less pricey option if I intended to do a lot of activities, then move to Aulani to enjoy it.
 
Your 15 year old might enjoy a surfing lesson. I booked one for my daughter with a Groupon. She loved the lesson and it gave us a fun day exploring the North Shore.
 


I very much second this. (Except after 10 days around the islands, we were pretty lazy on our resort days!!!) I would definitely choose a less pricey option if I intended to do a lot of activities, then move to Aulani to enjoy it.
Thank you for all the suggestions! We are DVC members who will be staying on points and Aulani makes it much more affordable for our family even though it is away from much of the tourist activities.
We plan to rent a car for our length of stay, so transportation shouldn't be an issue.
However, we definitely want to build in plenty of resort time blended with touristy activities.
I appreciate the advice about avoiding "Aulani days" on the weekends!
 
Your 15 year old might enjoy a surfing lesson. I booked one for my daughter with a Groupon. She loved the lesson and it gave us a fun day exploring the North Shore.
I have a feeling several of the adults may want to try this too!
This may be a silly question but are there surfing waves in June at the North Shore?
 
We usually would head out early and do some hiking, snorkeling, exploring, whatever other activity we chose for the day, etc... before heading back to the resort in the afternoon for some relaxing (and more snorkeling in the lagoon). We enjoyed the snorkeling in the lagoon so much that even on our days spent solely at the resort, we had plenty to do to keep us entertained. I would tell you to plan the stuff that you know you absolutely have to do/see. Other than that, don't overthink it and just play it by ear and see what fits you and your style once you get there and get a better feel for it. The island is certainly not difficult to navigate (just avoid the Honolulu/Waikiki area around rush hour) and even though Aulani is "out of the way", it's really not bad at all. Never once did we not get to do something or go somewhere because of the drive from Aulani. You just have to be smart about the time's you leave and return to best avoid the heavy traffic patterns in and out of Honolulu/Waikiki.

With a 1 week trip, you're gonna leave wishing you had done more of both (activities and resort days), there's no way around that. So don't stress about it. Do what you can and have the best time you can have! Enjoy it all, it truly is amazing. You'll be planning your return trip before you're even home!
 
You just have to be smart about the time's you leave and return to best avoid the heavy traffic patterns in and out of Honolulu/Waikiki.

Enjoy it all, it truly is amazing. You'll be planning your return trip before you're even home!

What are the approximate rush hours to avoid? Are they different from other cities?

And yes! I'm sure we will be hoping for another trip someday!
 
What are the approximate rush hours to avoid? Are they different from other cities?

And yes! I'm sure we will be hoping for another trip someday!

In general, if we weren't on our way by 7am we'd wait til after 9am. In the evenings we tried avoiding that 4-7pm timeframe.

A lot of it also depends just how close you are going to Honolulu/Waikiki though. For instance, we didn't have much of an issue getting from Aulani to H2 (route to the North Shore) even during rush hour. You'd hit a little backup, but you're still a little outside of the real nasty traffic. Same with coming back from the North Shore. You'd hit some, but not the worst of it. If you're going to/coming from the Windward side, then you'd be going through a little bit of the heavier stuff generally.

We have a few posters on here that live on Oahu though, so I would certainly defer to them as they'd know much better and could speak more specifically than I would.
 
I have a feeling several of the adults may want to try this too!
This may be a silly question but are there surfing waves in June at the North Shore?
So when we were there in June, there were definitely surfable waves on the North Shore--I mean, plenty of folks were out there, and there were definitely waves breaking (i.e. a curl) However, for my young teens just learning to surf, I think they would've been too much. I'd watch (people who looked like) locals (or at least experienced surfers) get pounded and stay under for a looong time. I felt much safer with my kids surfing at Waikiki, with the "crumbling" versus breaking waves. I think it just depends on how strong and confident a swimmer you are.
 
So when we were there in June, there were definitely surfable waves on the North Shore--I mean, plenty of folks were out there, and there were definitely waves breaking (i.e. a curl) However, for my young teens just learning to surf, I think they would've been too much. I'd watch (people who looked like) locals (or at least experienced surfers) get pounded and stay under for a looong time. I felt much safer with my kids surfing at Waikiki, with the "crumbling" versus breaking waves. I think it just depends on how strong and confident a swimmer you are.
Great advice!! Trust me, my DD15 is definitely at the beginning stage! (As would be the other younger adults - although stronger swimmers).
So maybe we should plan to learn how to surf at Waikiki instead of North Shore??
Thank you for this!
 
Great advice!! Trust me, my DD15 is definitely at the beginning stage! (As would be the other younger adults - although stronger swimmers).
So maybe we should plan to learn how to surf at Waikiki instead of North Shore??
Thank you for this!
That is what we read ahead of time, and what we saw seemed to support that. There are probably other good beginner spots too; hopefully some locals will chime in here and give you some other input.

Also, one other word of advice... I planned surfing as a one and done activity. I really didn't expect both my kids to be able to do it, and DD loved it. She was hacked she never got to go again, but our other plans really didn't leave time for it except on the north shore, and it was too rough there for me to let her try it. So, I'd just say do it early in the trip and be flexible in case you want to repeat.
 
Also, one other word of advice... I planned surfing as a one and done activity. I really didn't expect both my kids to be able to do it, and DD loved it. She was hacked she never got to go again, but our other plans really didn't leave time for it except on the north shore, and it was too rough there for me to let her try it. So, I'd just say do it early in the trip and be flexible in case you want to repeat.

Thank you for this suggestion! I tend to overplan! Sometimes I need to remember spontaneity is key!
 
Thank you for this suggestion! I tend to overplan! Sometimes I need to remember spontaneity is key!
I'm a planner too, and being our first trip, I wanted to see everything we could. In hindsight, I'd say prioritize what you want to see, so if you really love something, you can decide whether you'd rather skip seeing something new in favor of repeating something. We do this for our park visits; should've done it here too. But that's really one small regret in an overall awesome trip!!! Yours will be too!
 
Great advice!! Trust me, my DD15 is definitely at the beginning stage! (As would be the other younger adults - although stronger swimmers).
So maybe we should plan to learn how to surf at Waikiki instead of North Shore??
Thank you for this!

We are youngish adults who took surfing lessons the first two times we went which were our first two times surfing. The first one was at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. You had to paddle very far off shore and it was exhausting. The bottom of the ocean was also very sharp and not too deep and we both got multiple cuts on our feet and legs. The second time we booked a lesson through the Aulani website excursions and it was excellent. We were picked up at Aulani and taken to a beach a little south of there. We were actually the only two in the excursion even though we hadn't booked a private and it was the middle of July. The paddling distant was much less and the waves were just normal sized.
 

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