Touring without a car

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

Hoping to go to Aulani next summer but don't want to rent a car, what is public transportation like to the local sites?

 

[newdeal]

non-existent I think. Ko Olina isn't really that close to anything. There is a bus stop according to the Disney website and you could take a bus to get places but the nearest stop is a mile away from the resort and who the heck knows how much of your vacation you would end up sitting on the bus if you did it that way. Seems like it would be an extremely inefficient way to get anywhere on the island since I am sure it makes a large number of stops along the way. That said, renting a car is cheap (especially compared to the overall cost of the trip) we are renting a convertible for 8 days and it is costing like $320. Parking is where they get you however if you rent DVC points then parking is free.

 

[wendlle]

We don't drive on Vacation and when we went to Aulani this was no exception.
There is NO public transport to local sites. If you want to do anything you need to do it as part of a tour - be it with Disney at Aulani thru their excursions or thru a private company which is what we did.
The only shuttle that is available is one that goes around all the Ko Olina resorts so you can go to other resort restaurants etc

 

[newdeal]

even if you dont want to drive whatsoever you could take an excursion as the previous poster suggested, although if you want to go to aulani and not leave the resort save yourself some money and go to animal kingdom lodge jambo house instead. The two are very similar feeling resorts except one has animals and one has a beach

 

[Disney_Fan_01]

I highly recommend exploring the island in addition to staying at Aulani for which you will need to rent a car. Driving around the island is so much fun especially when travelling to North Shore and the East side. I personally would get bored sitting at the resort for a week. 3-4 days is enough. We alternated with one resort day and an exploration day. Depends on how much time you plan to spend as well.

 

[Disney_Fan_01]

I highly recommend exploring the island in addition to staying at Aulani for which you will need to rent a car. Driving around the island is so much fun especially when travelling to North Shore and the East side. I personally would get bored sitting at the resort for a week. 3-4 days is enough. We alternated with one resort day and an exploration day. Depends on how much time you plan to spend as well.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[nkereina]

Why is it you don't want to rent a car? Renting a car would be the most economical option for touring. If you're staying on DVC points, parking is also free.

If its because you're apprehensive about driving in an unknown place, don't let that worry you. DH and I had never rented a car prior to our Hawaii trip, and we hated the idea of driving on vacation. It stressed us out and all the talk about the horrid traffic in Hawaii made us concerned. But after it was all said and done, we were SO glad we had rented a car and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. We loved having the flexibility to come and go wherever we wanted whenever we wanted. We were able to stop at Target to pick up groceries and toiletries we needed. We had access to tons more dining options outside the isolated area of Ko Olina. The highway driving wasn't as bad as I anticipated, and much of the driving is on one lane (each direction) roads with little traffic to contend with. We did only drive during the Aulani portion of our stay which included stops in Ko Olina, North Shore, and the windward side. We didn't drive near Pearl Harbor or Waikiki, and that would be more congested. We spent 3 nights in Waikiki prior to Aulani and opted not to rent a car then to save on parking costs and hassles. During that time we did organized bus tours to both Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head which worked out really well for us.

As PPs mentioned, without a car, your main option is taking the tours that Aulani offers. That puts you a set schedule, cost is $$$, and I don't think all of them offered even include transportation. Uber is also another option, but I don't think its all that reliable as availability from Ko Olina can be few and far between.

 

[Cinderella94]

I was against renting a car before we got here, but we’ve had it for a week now and I am so glad. We haven’t used it every day, but on the days that we have, it’s been so great to just think, “where do we want to go now?” And be free to do it. We got to Pearl Harbor when we wanted, left when we wanted, and drove to a breakfast spot before hitting the dole plantation. None of that would’ve been doable like that without our car.

 

[wbn36]

I am renting a private driver @ $75 an hour and he is doing a circle tour for us. He helps us create the whole itinerary. We can modify anything we want along the way. Stay longer here, short pit stop there. We are typically fast paced, too much so for a tour.