Just Checked Into Aulani!

[poohj80]

We didn’t make reservations to go out to the Arizona Memorial, since we didn’t want to be held to a specific schedule and I had read that you have to make them months in advance.

On the Pearl Harbor web site, it seems like tix can only be requested a week in advance. Wondering if I’m missing something and there’s a place to request earlier?

 

[braysmommy]

On the Pearl Harbor web site, it seems like tix can only be requested a week in advance. Wondering if I’m missing something and there’s a place to request earlier?

It is only a week in advance right now and tickets for USS Arizona go fast so you should be logged in and ready to make reservation at 3PM Hawaii time.

 

[kdonnel]

IMO kind of stupid that they require you to show it at the rental car and Aulani. Do they really think you arrived in Hawaii via stowaway or someway you couldn’t be tracked. I know I will catch some heat for this thinking but really seems like overkill to me.

Probably trying to keep the people that should be quarantining actually quarantining. Make it much more difficult for them to ignore the quarantine by making it hard to rent a car or check into a hotel without them knowing you are someone that should be in quarantine.

 

[Paul Stupin]

It is only a week in advance right now and tickets for USS Arizona go fast so you should be logged in and ready to make reservation at 3PM Hawaii time.

For us, as I mentioned, we made no reservations whatsoever, had no tickets, and were able to join a group through the standby line yesterday with no wait. It was a pleasant surprise!

 

[Paul Stupin]

Yesterday evening we walked down to the Marriott for a quick dinner at their counter service restaurant Longboards. It was good, but of course we've been spoiled by all the other restaurants nearby. I wasn't aware that at night this place turned into a sit down restaurant, so we weren't able to just take our "to-go" food to one of the tables. So, instead, we ate on some of the lounge chairs on the grassy area near the beach, kind of a picnic!

Anyway, throughout or beachside dinner and subsequent walk back to Aulani, the moon--a beautiful orange crescent with a visible black orb, got lower and lower in the sky, touched the ocean, and subsequently disappeared. Not a sunset, but a moonset! I've never witnessed this before and it was absolutely magical. But that's not all! When we got to the Aulani lagoon, I wanted to point out some constellations to my wife, since the nighttime sky here is so amazingly clear and full of stars. So we turned and looked up at Orion, and right as we were watching, a bright orange (flaming) shooting star shot across Orion's belt! Wow. Just...Wow.

When we got back to the Aulani pool area, a small group was stargazing through a very fancy looking telescope. We asked at the concierge desk, where we were told that its an activity you have to sign up for in the activity room in the Ewa Tower. So, today, we will investigate! Not sure if there is a cost involved, but after last night I'm convinced it will be worth it. They also told us to check in the Aulani app, but of course it wasn't listed. And, as we all know, you cannot make dinner reservations on it. We've been reminded many times to download the app, but honestly its kind of useless. Maybe it will improve as time goes on. At least the interface looks nice!

 

[vacay77]

Yesterday evening we walked down to the Marriott for a quick dinner at their counter service restaurant Longboards. It was good, but of course we've been spoiled by all the other restaurants nearby. I wasn't aware that at night this place turned into a sit down restaurant, so we weren't able to just take our "to-go" food to one of the tables. So, instead, we ate on some of the lounge chairs on the grassy area near the beach, kind of a picnic!

Anyway, throughout or beachside dinner and subsequent walk back to Aulani, the moon--a beautiful orange crescent with a visible black orb, got lower and lower in the sky, touched the ocean, and subsequently disappeared. Not a sunset, but a moonset! I've never witnessed this before and it was absolutely magical. But that's not all! When we got to the Aulani lagoon, I wanted to point out some constellations to my wife, since the nighttime sky here is so amazingly clear and full of stars. So we turned and looked up at Orion, and right as we were watching, a bright orange (flaming) shooting star shot across Orion's belt! Wow. Just...Wow.

When we got back to the Aulani pool area, a small group was stargazing through a very fancy looking telescope. We asked at the concierge desk, where we were told that its an activity you have to sign up for in the activity room in the Ewa Tower. So, today, we will investigate! Not sure if there is a cost involved, but after last night I'm convinced it will be worth it. They also told us to check in the Aulani app, but of course it wasn't listed. And, as we all know, you cannot make dinner reservations on it. We've been reminded many times to download the app, but honestly its kind of useless. Maybe it will improve as time goes on. At least the interface looks nice!

I’m seriously living vicariously through you . My guess is that it’s the stargazing activity at extra cost. I plan on signing up for this activity because my son is fascinated by the constellation system. Thanks for all your updates!

 

[Paul Stupin]

Just in case anyone's interested, they're still playing the loud Hawaiian chant on the PA system around the pool area every morning at 7 AM sharp! Its not really an issue for us because we're trying to stay on LA time and are up before then anyway. But if you're a light sleeper, you can hear it through the closed balcony doors. It was louder from our other room in the Ewa tower, the section without the slanted balconies that faces the ocean, during our last visit.

Also, for the first time I noticed that the rocks surrounding one of the kids' splash pads occasionally light up during the day and display the figure of a smiling menehune as volcano/thunder sounds play, and pinpoint LED stars light up on at least one of the walkway tiles at the base of a staircase leading down to the beach. Its a very cool, fun surprise!

 

[kdonnel]

Also, for the first time I noticed that the rocks surrounding one of the kids' splash pads occasionally light up during the day and display the figure of a smiling menehune as volcano/thunder sounds play, and pinpoint LED stars light up on at least one of the walkway tiles at the base of a staircase leading down to the beach. Its a very cool, fun surprise!

I believe that is part of the Menehune Adventure trail. I remember doing it with my kids and making the volcano erupt.

https://www.disneyaulani.com/activities/menehune-adventure-trail/

 

[Paul Stupin]

Tornado on the beach!!!

Well, that got you attention, no? Ok, so yesterday was a nice relaxing day on the beach. Around three or four, a small wind picked up. Then it became a bit stronger, then suddenly there were huge gusts. Nothing apocalyptic, but we certainly wanted it to go away. Keep in mind, all of this is occurring within just a few minutes. At the height of this unpleasantness, on the Four Seasons' side of the lagoon, a swirling mass of debris--papers, floats, cups, all sorts of flotsam and jetsam--rose into the air. It was tall, the height of the hotel, and though you couldn't actually see a funnel cloud or anything, and it wasn't strong enough to lift anything too heavy into the air, everyone was awestruck and just sat there staring at it. It lasted less than thirty seconds and then just stopped, with all the debris floating downward in various directions. Then the wind completely vanished, the air was markedly warmer, and our lovely beach day continued. Apparently three umbrellas were shredded and someone was hit on the head though,

Beach attendants proceeded to immediately close all the umbrellas, and wrap zip ties around them so they were impossible to open for the rest of the day. (Someone at first did reopen theirs, hence I think the zip ties.) Certainly an unexpected turn of events!

Yesterday night it was off to Longhi's at the Marriott for dinner, delicious as usual. Then, after that, at 8:45, we went back to Aulani for stargazing! Its an activity that cost $45 per person, and takes place in one of the darker areas near the pool. It was just one other couple and my wife and I. A very fancy telescope was set up, and for half an hour our guide (who was great!) showed us one amazing sight after another...galaxies, nebulas, new stars being formed, binary stars, etc, etc. He also pointed out all kinds of constellations with a laser pointer, which in Los Angeles, because of the "light pollution," are impossible to see. We absolutely loved it! We'll probably do it again when we're back during another time of the year, since the views will be different.

There's one constellation I've always wanted to see. Its called The Southern Cross, and has been used for centuries for navigation, and is usually visible only in the southern hemisphere, and cannot be seen from the continental United States. I asked our guide about it, and was told that if we came back around 10 pm and went down to the beach, the constellation would be visible directly over the palm trees on the south end of the lagoon. So, of course we did return, and saw it!!!! For us, it was a brand new and easily identifiable constellation...how often do you get to see that?? And it was also visible from our balcony!!!

Today I think we might take a drive around the southern tip of Oahu, walk down to the lighthouse, maybe stop at the blowhole, and take some pics form a nice overlook or two. Then back to the beach!

 

[Diasmom]

Tornado on the beach!!!

Well, that got you attention, no? Ok, so yesterday was a nice relaxing day on the beach. Around three or four, a small wind picked up. Then it became a bit stronger, then suddenly there were huge gusts. Nothing apocalyptic, but we certainly wanted it to go away. Keep in mind, all of this is occurring within just a few minutes. At the height of this unpleasantness, on the Four Seasons' side of the lagoon, a swirling mass of debris--papers, floats, cups, all sorts of flotsam and jetsam--rose into the air. It was tall, the height of the hotel, and though you couldn't actually see a funnel cloud or anything, and it wasn't strong enough to lift anything too heavy into the air, everyone was awestruck and just sat there staring at it. It lasted less than thirty seconds and then just stopped, with all the debris floating downward in various directions. Then the wind completely vanished, the air was markedly warmer, and our lovely beach day continued. Apparently three umbrellas were shredded and someone was hit on the head though,

Beach attendants proceeded to immediately close all the umbrellas, and wrap zip ties around them so they were impossible to open for the rest of the day. (Someone at first did reopen theirs, hence I think the zip ties.) Certainly an unexpected turn of events!

Yesterday night it was off to Longhi's at the Marriott for dinner, delicious as usual. Then, after that, at 8:45, we went back to Aulani for stargazing! Its an activity that cost $45 per person, and takes place in one of the darker areas near the pool. It was just one other couple and my wife and I. A very fancy telescope was set up, and for half an hour our guide (who was great!) showed us one amazing sight after another...galaxies, nebulas, new stars being formed, binary stars, etc, etc. He also pointed out all kinds of constellations with a laser pointer, which in Los Angeles, because of the "light pollution," are impossible to see. We absolutely loved it! We'll probably do it again when we're back during another time of the year, since the views will be different.

There's one constellation I've always wanted to see. Its called The Southern Cross, and has been used for centuries for navigation, and is usually visible only in the southern hemisphere, and cannot be seen from the continental United States. I asked our guide about it, and was told that if we came back around 10 pm and went down to the beach, the constellation would be visible directly over the palm trees on the south end of the lagoon. So, of course we did return, and saw it!!!! For us, it was a brand new and easily identifiable constellation...how often do you get to see that?? And it was also visible from our balcony!!!

Today I think we might take a drive around the southern tip of Oahu, walk down to the lighthouse, maybe stop at the blowhole, and take some pics form a nice overlook or two. Then back to the beach!

Thank you so much! I have been debating over signing my family up for the stargazing. I will do so now.

 

[patches4me]

Hi everyone....

Lounge chairs can be tough, especially by the pool. They were all gone relatively early. Around 11:00 AM, loungers were still available by the beach, and one of the cast members told us that they don’t really enforce the one hour rule. So we put our stuff on them, then went for a long walk down to the Marriott, then up to the shopping center and the Four Season. When we returned in about 90 minutes, our chairs were happily waiting for us undisturbed, with a nice umbrella for shade, but right now it looks like zero availability. Fri and Sat are the busiest days though, and we still got seating pretty easily. We prefer it to the pool, with so many kids running around.

Loving the Waianae Tower. No waits for elevators and very quiet!

Internet on beach surprisingly ok! Am writing this on the sand right now.

Bring coffee filters! None in the room, and none available anywhere within walking distance. They’re sold out in the shopping center across the street.

Enormous lines for MonkeyPod, even right now for lunch. Not sure it’s worth the wait.

Four Seasons looks pretty empty, but things are hopping at the Marriott down the beach.

Definitely agree about the coffee filters. I take a permanent filter I got at the Dollar Store for all DVC trips Our first trip we had to improvise with paper towels. No filters anywhere.
Have fun.

 

[Disney_Fan_01]

Tornado on the beach!!!

Well, that got you attention, no? Ok, so yesterday was a nice relaxing day on the beach. Around three or four, a small wind picked up. Then it became a bit stronger, then suddenly there were huge gusts. Nothing apocalyptic, but we certainly wanted it to go away. Keep in mind, all of this is occurring within just a few minutes. At the height of this unpleasantness, on the Four Seasons' side of the lagoon, a swirling mass of debris--papers, floats, cups, all sorts of flotsam and jetsam--rose into the air. It was tall, the height of the hotel, and though you couldn't actually see a funnel cloud or anything, and it wasn't strong enough to lift anything too heavy into the air, everyone was awestruck and just sat there staring at it. It lasted less than thirty seconds and then just stopped, with all the debris floating downward in various directions. Then the wind completely vanished, the air was markedly warmer, and our lovely beach day continued. Apparently three umbrellas were shredded and someone was hit on the head though,

Beach attendants proceeded to immediately close all the umbrellas, and wrap zip ties around them so they were impossible to open for the rest of the day. (Someone at first did reopen theirs, hence I think the zip ties.) Certainly an unexpected turn of events!

Yesterday night it was off to Longhi's at the Marriott for dinner, delicious as usual. Then, after that, at 8:45, we went back to Aulani for stargazing! Its an activity that cost $45 per person, and takes place in one of the darker areas near the pool. It was just one other couple and my wife and I. A very fancy telescope was set up, and for half an hour our guide (who was great!) showed us one amazing sight after another...galaxies, nebulas, new stars being formed, binary stars, etc, etc. He also pointed out all kinds of constellations with a laser pointer, which in Los Angeles, because of the "light pollution," are impossible to see. We absolutely loved it! We'll probably do it again when we're back during another time of the year, since the views will be different.

There's one constellation I've always wanted to see. Its called The Southern Cross, and has been used for centuries for navigation, and is usually visible only in the southern hemisphere, and cannot be seen from the continental United States. I asked our guide about it, and was told that if we came back around 10 pm and went down to the beach, the constellation would be visible directly over the palm trees on the south end of the lagoon. So, of course we did return, and saw it!!!! For us, it was a brand new and easily identifiable constellation...how often do you get to see that?? And it was also visible from our balcony!!!

Today I think we might take a drive around the southern tip of Oahu, walk down to the lighthouse, maybe stop at the blowhole, and take some pics form a nice overlook or two. Then back to the beach!

You are a great salesperson. You have sold me and others on the star gazing activity. Thanks for sharing your experiences and glad you all are having a good time!

 

[pevensiepals]

Thank you so much for your posts about your experience! I'm going in a month so it helps get me hyped!

 

[figment52]

Yesterday evening we walked down to the Marriott for a quick dinner at their counter service restaurant Longboards. It was good, but of course we've been spoiled by all the other restaurants nearby. I wasn't aware that at night this place turned into a sit down restaurant, so we weren't able to just take our "to-go" food to one of the tables. So, instead, we ate on some of the lounge chairs on the grassy area near the beach, kind of a picnic!

Anyway, throughout or beachside dinner and subsequent walk back to Aulani, the moon--a beautiful orange crescent with a visible black orb, got lower and lower in the sky, touched the ocean, and subsequently disappeared. Not a sunset, but a moonset! I've never witnessed this before and it was absolutely magical. But that's not all! When we got to the Aulani lagoon, I wanted to point out some constellations to my wife, since the nighttime sky here is so amazingly clear and full of stars. So we turned and looked up at Orion, and right as we were watching, a bright orange (flaming) shooting star shot across Orion's belt! Wow. Just...Wow.

When we got back to the Aulani pool area, a small group was stargazing through a very fancy looking telescope. We asked at the concierge desk, where we were told that its an activity you have to sign up for in the activity room in the Ewa Tower. So, today, we will investigate! Not sure if there is a cost involved, but after last night I'm convinced it will be worth it. They also told us to check in the Aulani app, but of course it wasn't listed. And, as we all know, you cannot make dinner reservations on it. We've been reminded many times to download the app, but honestly its kind of useless. Maybe it will improve as time goes on. At least the interface looks nice!

We did this and and it was amazing. We were lucky enough to be there the night of a full moon and the astronomer took a picture with my phone thru the telescope and I can zoom it and see the craters on the surface of the moon. It was available a couple nights during our stay and I think it was $40/person. Great experience. Worth every penny to me. We even saw the rabbit in the moon (similar to the man in the moon but it Hawaii they can see the rabbit not the man).

 

[LoveMickey]

I'll chime in and say thank you very much for your reporting. It has given me a lot of information.

 

[OKW Lover]

Enjoying reading all these experiences. Looking forward to our next visit to Aulani in September.

Question for anybody who has been to Lombardi's at the Marriott - is there free/validated parking? We have a person in our group that is a bit mobility impaired (walks just fine, but not a long distance) and would wind up driving over to the Marriott.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Hi everyone!

We had a fun day of exploring yesterday! Around 10 AM we left the hotel and headed toward Honolulu and the southern part of the island. You just stay on H1 and it eventually turns into the scenic highway around the tip of Oahu. Our first stop was a scenic overlook, with very unusual rock formations that stretch down the cliff to the water. Almost like sand, layer after layer of smooth, eroded rock is stacked on top of one another. Looks like an alien landscape! You can get some amazingly unusual pics.

Just a quick drive further down the road is the Halona Blowhole. Fun too see the spray shoot out of a small opening in the lava rock when the waves crash below. It wasn't quite as spectacular as I'd imagined, but still an interesting sight. One important warning!!! Lock your car!!!!! While we were there, a family had stuff stolen out of their vehicle. Prior to witnessing this, we hadn't really payed attention to the posted signs (which basically say ""high crime area" and warn you not to leave your car unlocked), but they're there for a reason.

Next up down the road is the southern tip of Oahu and a great hike up the mountain to the old lighthouse. This for us was a must do. The trail is actually paved and its not too strenuous, but you are going up a mountain and its still a pretty good workout. Took about a half hour, longer if you stop along the way at various lookouts. At one point we were able to look across the channel and see Maui, Molokai and Lanai in the distance! One of the local hikers told us that you can't always see all three because of the mist. When you get to the top, you can also watch local hangliders flying overhead! The views from here of the eastern side of the island, with lava rocks, gorgeous blue water, and lush green mountains are stunning.

From here the road goes downhill and you're on the eastern side of the island, which looks like Skull Island from King Kong! It actually is, since scenes were filmed there. Truly breathtaking. We drove up to Kailua, and made our way to the white sand beach at Kailua Beach Park. Right across the street is Buzz's steakhouse, which gets good reviews. We didn't eat there, but it looks cool and fun. Instead, we parked and went swimming. There were plenty of locals, but the beach is enormous, and curves around a very picturesque bay. Looks like it goes on for miles.

After that it took about 45 minutes to drive back to Aulani on the H3, which is another beautiful highway that cuts right through the center of the island and also goes up those amazing mountains. Its always an experience! We got back by about 3 pm, just in time to hit the beach and relax by the lagoon.

I wish I had good news to relay re our dinner. This trip, we're really splurging on the dining, and for the most part we've been spoiled. But, alas, not last night at Roy's. My wife Lana had the lamb chops, which in all fairness she liked. I ordered the filet (not the best choice since their specialty is fish, but we've had so much of it lately I wanted something a little different.) I usually never do this, but it was so tough and chewy, and of course not cheap, so I sent it back and got some fresh fish the waiter recommended. It had some pesto on it, in my opinion to mask a particularly fishy taste, and it wasn't too good either. Actually, it was pretty bad. But at that point what can you do? We also wrapped everything up by sharing the macadamia nut tart, which, along with the ice cream that came with it, was delicious.

But I don't think we'll be going back again to Roy's. Its just too expensive and doesn't deliver the quality of food we expect. Also, its in an old building in a golf club, and not on the beach. Its not a great environment inside, and if you sit outside it feels like you're surrounded by a huge black void, since there are no lights on the golf course.

After all that unpleasantness, we crossed the street and had a super nice walk along the lagoons back to the hotel. All in all, in spite of a few hiccups, we had another memorable day!!

 

[hygienist999]

I'll try to post a pic tomorrow, but I've had somewhat bad luck in the past. But maybe this time I'll get it right. Went this afternoon to Kualoa Ranch on the east side of the island, where countless movies have been filmed: Jurassic Park, its sequels, Godzilla, King Kong, the list goes on and on. Its really worth seeing. Some of the sets are still up, but what makes the location so special is the stunningly beautiful scenery. My wife and I were on a tour where we were all driving these little ATV vehicles, with the guide's vehicle in front, and it was sooo much fun. Went over a couple streams with a huge splash too. Its also a working cattle ranch, and there was a point where we all had too stop because we were surrounded by cows! They didn't seem to like us and were mooing crazedly.

Afterward, we stopped at a macadamia nut farm's shop, right off the highway, and bought a few bags. The variety of seasoning was impressive (roasted and salted, of course, cinnamon dusted, coffee dusted, unsalted, etc), with samples in little plastic cups to try them, and then drove over to Kailua, a nice little town nearby. Not sure its worth the drive from Aulani, but its warrants checking out if you're nearby. Nice tree lined main street, a few fun shops.

Then back to Aulani for an early dinner at the Ulu Lounge. As usual, the sushi was wonderful. I give it an A. Tomorrow we're laying low and will hang at the pool and beach.

How did you book the Kualoa Ranch Tours? We really would love to go there when we are there in a couple weeks.

 

[Paul Stupin]

How did you book the Kualoa Ranch Tours? We really would love to go there when we are there in a couple weeks.

Booked and paid for the tour online prior to our trip, on their website. It was one of the highlights of our stay here!

 

[Paul Stupin]

Odds and Ends...

Walking around Aulani, have been noticing that there's a level of unique detail that we totally missed in our past visits. We knew that Menehune statues are hidden all over the place, but still keep finding more! Just saw one on a small ledge in the elevator. Also, the metal grillwork in the triangular, peaked roof sections of each tower, that lights up with a warm orange glow at night, is different for each tower, and is related to those huge rectangular wooden-like carvings stretching down the side of each building. There's at least one piece of inlaid tile at the base of some stairs leading down to the beach from the pool that lights up with twinkling stars. Also, and this is pretty cool, tiny green moving spiral designs of light occasionally appear on the floor in the very center of the lobby. The pieces of glass "coral" in the cave section of the pool overlooking the beach light up at night. There's a small hidden cave you can walk into in the volcano that looks down on a lava pit! One of the rocks on a pool pathway near the Ulu Lounge tells a story at night. The list goes on and on!!

I know there must be more, so what else have I missed????

Cannot go into the main shop in the lobby without buying something! So much fun stuff! We have lanyards for our room keys, and its fun to put a pin or two on them.

Oh. Here's something fun to do. The crescent moon sets into the water every night, at least this time of year. I was going to get the exact time to go out and watch it disappear into the ocean, but fell asleep too early. Maybe tonight. If you keep walking on the ocean pathway as it curves around the Four Season, you come to a quiet, private stretch directly facing some rocks and the ocean, thats very dark. Perfect for stargazing and moonset watching.