First Trip to Hawaii / Aulani - Our Trip Report

JM735

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
The Background….

Welcome to my/our first trip report! My partner, Brad, and I frequently get to Disney World, have gone on two Disney cruises together, been to Disneyland a few times and are DVC owners. So, when we decided we wanted to go to Hawaii, of course Aulani was the obvious choice. We asked his parents if they wanted to join us, and they agreed. So, the planning began over a year ago for what we considered a once in lifetime/one and done trip.

We debated several different options for travel and lodging – a stop in California, island hopping, resort hopping, etc. For flights we agreed while it may feel long, the direct flight from Chicago to Honolulu would be best. For lodging, we ruled out island hoping pretty quickly and decided we’d all be happier not changing resorts on Oahu. So, we went for bust and decided to get a two-bedroom, ocean-view room for our ten-night stay. There was definitely some point banking, borrowing and one-time-use involved!

Based on work schedules and DVC point seasons, we decided on January. And escaping January weather in the Midwest was fine for all of us! It then became a waiting game for the seven-month window to open so we could make our resort reservation. This gave us plenty of time to start researching what we wanted to do and when. I fully admit this forum became my go-to for most planning; there is so much useful information available here. So now I’m trying to pay things back (or forward) a little bit with this trip report.

About this time is when my planning spreadsheet was born. I’m a planner. And I love data. It can be a bad combination for what many consider a vacation but it works for me. There were tabs for the schedule, menu planning for in-room meals, grocery lists, restaurants, confirmation numbers, budget, packing, etc. Lots of information but it helped keep us organized.

We all agreed that we wanted to see Oahu, but we also wanted this to feel like a vacation and spend time relaxing and enjoying Aulani. Experiencing local restaurants was important to us, so we planned to eat out a lot, with the exception of most breakfasts and a couple dinners, which we planned to have in the room. Every time we’d watch another Dreams Unlimited video or see a different restaurant mentioned online it would be added to the list. Then we started prioritizing and fitting them into a plan. Our dining budget had several increases during the planning.

That’s probably enough background. Up next… Travel to paradise.
 
Can't wait to read this! I also do an extensive excel spreadsheet when planning vacations - love it! My Disney ones also include park hours, extra magic hours and estimated crowd levels! You can never have enough data :)
 
Following! We went for our supposed one-and-done trip in Dec 2016/Jan 2017, but guess what--we're headed back this May! Oh, and the spreadsheet? Yep, we're on the same page. :) Hope you guys had a terrific time.
 


Following as well. We are going in July for the first time as well. Can't wait to follow your adventures!!!
 
Also going in July to celebrate my birthday. Look forward to reading your trip report and seeing which restaurants you visited. Elaine
 


Travel to Oahu!
Tuesday, January 9, 2018

The day had arrived to start our vacation. We had a car scheduled to pick us up at 6:30 a.m. This method ended up being cheaper than parking at O’Hare and was more convenient. Also, since we were being dropped off at the door we could skip taking winter coats.

Even though Brad’s parents don’t often travel by air, we encouraged them to get TSA pre-check to make the security screening a bit less stressful. I’ve had it for a while and swear by it. There is not always a shorter line in pre-check but the reduced hassle is a benefit. On a trip to Disney World a couple years ago, I was on the plane at Midway before Brad was through the regular security line. And he was in line before me since I checked our bags. I think he started signing up for pre-check during that flight!

Under the premise of it being a trip of a lifetime, a splurge was to upgrade us to First Class. However, I opted to keep this a surprise. Bag check was a breeze and the pre-check line was relatively short for a weekday morning flight. We made it to the gate and waited for boarding. There may have been a Starbucks run too… Our nonstop United flight was on time to depart at 9:35 a.m. and we began boarding around 8:50 a.m.

Leaving dreary Chicago:

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The flight was great; it was relatively smooth and we landed ahead of schedule. The lie-flat seats were comfortable, the in-seat entertainment options were extensive, there was never a line for the bathroom and the food and beverage service was very good. We had breakfast soon after takeoff, there was a snack cart available throughout the flight and we were served a cheeseburger shortly before landing. It was more than enough food for all of us.

Breakfast and the view somewhere over the Pacific:

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On our approach, we were able to spot Aulani:

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Upon landing we took the shuttle bus to baggage claim and our bags arrived soon after. We left Pam and Dave (Brad’s parents) with the luggage while we went to get the car.

We used Hertz points for our rental. Unfortunately, a ten-day rental using reward points would have required us to book a two-week rental. To maximize points, we made a weeklong reservation and then a separate three-day reservation. So, we had to go back to the airport to end one reservation and start the other. I was hoping we could just phone it in, but apparently that wasn’t an option for a reward reservation. So, we just planned to be in Honolulu shopping on the day we had to make the stop at the airport. We were given a Ford Expedition, which we figured would be more than enough space for four people and a lot of luggage.

Time permitting; the plan was to stop at Costco and the grocery before heading to Aulani. The backup plan was to go the next day. Since we landed early and made it out of the airport quickly and easily, we hit Costco. However, soon after getting inside we realized Pam and Dave likely hit the wall of exhaustion. In hindsight, Brad and I should have left them in the car while we zipped through Costco, but I think they had a fear of missing something. Costco quickly became decision paralysis with aimless wandering. But we all survived. Most things were priced around where I expected, with a few exceptions (like bottled water).

However, when Dave was still sitting in the backseat after the rest of us had gotten out, we learned that one of the car doors could not be opened from inside. I figured it was just the child lock, but that wasn’t the case. Also, once we were out of the car rental garage we noticed the vehicle wasn’t in the best condition. It had a lot of wear and tear and was not fully cleaned. I called Hertz while we were at Costco and asked if we could exchange the vehicle the next day. They were very accommodating, so a stop at the airport was added to Wednesday’s schedule.

We decided the grocery store would wait until the next day and headed for Aulani!

Stay tuned for our Aulani arrival.
 
We are also going in July! Our first trip as official DVC members! Yippie can't wait...to read the rest of your TR...AND for our trip!!!:dogdance:
 
Sounds like July will have a lot of people from the boards visiting!

Can't wait to read this! I also do an extensive excel spreadsheet when planning vacations - love it! My Disney ones also include park hours, extra magic hours and estimated crowd levels! You can never have enough data :)

Following! We went for our supposed one-and-done trip in Dec 2016/Jan 2017, but guess what--we're headed back this May! Oh, and the spreadsheet? Yep, we're on the same page. :) Hope you guys had a terrific time.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in my detailed planning process! :thumbsup2 And my spreadsheets started with WDW trips too.

We had an amazing trip. And one and done may not be the case for us after all...
 
We're looking at booking our first Hawaii/Aulani trip in the next year or so. Can't wait to see your first impressions for this trip.
 
Perfect timing! Our first visit to Aluani and Hawaii is this July as well and I too have once in a lifetime mentality. I booked first class both ways with a stop in Disneyland on the way down. COULD NOT RESIST. I love that park....I am anxious to hear how you faired staying in Aulani for all 10 nights. I too am there 10 nights with a 5/5 split in Waikiki and Aulani. I could be persuaded...Cant wait to read more!
 
Following along. Will be headed to Aulani at the end of June in a 2 BR o/v as well.
 
Taggin' along......Thanks for sharing! :worship:

Thinking of a Early December...or early January trip. :)
 
Aulani Arrival
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 (continued)

The next destination was Aulani. All I can say is wow. For me, it was everything I had hoped. We pulled up and the valet attendant showed us where to leave the car while they started unloading everything and we got checked in. We were all given leis and glasses of water. Then we walked inside and started admiring the beauty of the lobby. Disney’s attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. Of course we also started taking pictures. Of everything.

Views from out front:
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The lobby:
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I had requested a high-floor room xx50 through DVC member services. I also completed online check-in 10 days out. We were assigned room 1450 and could not have picked a better room for what we wanted. The view was amazing. We were able to hear the music from The Olelo Room when we were on the balcony. I probably underestimated the walk between the elevator and our room, but it wasn’t too bad. I would absolutely make the same request if I did things over.

Views from the balcony:
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Bell services arrived soon after we got to the room. I was surprised they fit everything on one cart – they are good at space management! While Brad took pictures and videos of the room I went down and moved the car to the self-park garage.

The room:
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We started some unpacking and just relaxed until we decided it was time for dinner. The plan was to hit Monkeypod across the street. Originally Brad was going to grab an OpenTable reservation, but when he checked they weren’t showing reservations available for another hour. We called and they said they could seat us inside downstairs immediately. We decided that was fine and headed over. Since it had been a long day, we drove over rather than walking.

Dinner was very good. I think if we didn’t have so many other places to eat we would have gone back to Monkeypod for another meal. The convenience of being just across the street is a definite bonus.

Monkeypod dinner:
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After dinner we went back to the room and I'm pretty sure everyone was asleep soon.

Next... Our first full day on Oahu.
 
What a fantastic report so far! I love the view you guys got! I like that the Four Seasons is hidden by Aulani and you could still see the sunset it looks like.
 
Monkeypod is my arrival meal day plan too.Looks good! Love your view. Looks like their promotional advertising! I am really interested in your opinion of how you felt staying in Aulani your entire trip vs splitting the stay in Waikikki a bit....
 
Very nice photos. I like all the collages, too. I tell myself I'm just doing Maui and Kauai next trip, but when I look at Aulani pics........sigh. Look forward to reading more.
 

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