Unfortunately disappointed compared to WDW resorts

[dvcgirl67]

Oahu and Maui have more nightlife. The Big Island Kauai are more small town feel and close down earlier. It really depends on your lifestyle and interests. We prefer Kauai and the Big Island because they are more laid back and not as crowded feeling. Our favorite places are on these two islands.

I love Punchbowl National Cemetery and would go back to Oahu for that. I'm not sure that there is anything to draw me back to Maui to revisit. Does that mean we would never go back to Maui? No! We would if someone else in our group wanted to go there instead of another island.

Well, you describe pretty much exactly what we are looking for with Kauai and the Big Island. We don't need any night life beyond a 1-3 person entertainer at an evening meal or at a lounge at the resort after our meal. May have to rethink Maui. I see another poster who just said that they prefer Maui to Kauai, but Kauai is 100% on our list. It's our 25th anniversary trip....so we have a good idea what we'd like....quiet, scenery, nice resorts with good restaurants and/or resorts within walking distance for meals. We intend to go out mornings to early-mid afternoon for sightseeing on most days, reserving a few "resort only" days for enjoying resort offerings like spa/pool/beach etc.

I saw a poster say that the scenery of Hawaii is besides the point to him, and that is definitely not the case for us....in the trip that we take to Hawaii, or really anywhere. The scenary/landscape, culture, people, food...etc, is always all wrapped up in one for us during trips we take, but there are definitely trips that lean more heavily on culture, history....etc...and at least for our first trip to the Islands, I know we'll be spending a lot of time outside.

I do think we'll return to Oahu one day for some sightseeing for sure. We've been to Normandy in France twice and so have done lots of touring of that area regarding WWII sights....including the American, British and Germany cemeteries there. We've been to the American WWII cemetery outside of Florence in Italy. So, we're definitely history buffs (my grandfather fought in the European theater in WWII). If we did stay in Oahu, Pearl Harbor and the cemetery will be on the list. It just doesn't quite feel like that kind of trip. Thanks so much for your comments.

 

[bsmcneil]

Well, you describe pretty much exactly what we are looking for with Kauai and the Big Island. We don't need any night life beyond a 1-3 person entertainer at an evening meal or at a lounge at the resort after our meal. May have to rethink Maui. I see another poster who just said that they prefer Maui to Kauai, but Kauai is 100% on our list. It's our 25th anniversary trip....so we have a good idea what we'd like....quiet, scenery, nice resorts with good restaurants and/or resorts within walking distance for meals. We intend to go out mornings to early-mid afternoon for sightseeing on most days, reserving a few "resort only" days for enjoying resort offerings like spa/pool/beach etc.

I saw a poster say that the scenery of Hawaii is besides the point to him, and that is definitely not the case for us....in the trip that we take to Hawaii, or really anywhere. The scenary/landscape, culture, people, food...etc, is always all wrapped up in one for us during trips we take, but there are definitely trips that lean more heavily on culture, history....etc...and at least for our first trip to the Islands, I know we'll be spending a lot of time outside.

I do think we'll return to Oahu one day for some sightseeing for sure. We've been to Normandy in France twice and so have done lots of touring of that area regarding WWII sights....including the American, British and Germany cemeteries there. We've been to the American WWII cemetery outside of Florence in Italy. So, we're definitely history buffs (my grandfather fought in the European theater in WWII). If we did stay in Oahu, Pearl Harbor and the cemetery will be on the list. It just doesn't quite feel like that kind of trip. Thanks so much for your comments.

Can I just make a little recommendation for you (or anyone) with this sort of style who goes to the Big Island? Pineapple's in Hilo. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Right I agree with all of that. Honestly I don't think any resort is worth the flight from anywhere if all you're going to do is the resort. You don't go on an "Aulani vacation," you go on a "Hawaii vacation" and you stay at Aulani.

This is exactly how we vacation. We go to aulani for aulani. We have been to all the islands and around Oahu. We just love the resort. We are going for the 8th time in September and never go for less than 10 days. It never gets old for us. We have not been there since Covid so I hope that I’ll love it as much. The same at DW. We rarely go to parks. We love the resorts. We swim, read, play tennis, walk, etc.

 

[monsterkitty]

Just back from 10 days in Maui, have visited all 4 islands and can't say I agree at all. I think picking the right spots are important. We stayed in the upcountry for half and then Kapalua. Big Island is huge and requires a lot of driving. Kauai is probably my favorite but we love Maui.

The Big Island is huge!

I highly suggest to anyone going to the Big Island who wants to visit Volcano National Park/Hilo side as well as the Kona side, to break up their stay. If we are flying from another island, we will fly into Hilo, stay in Volcano for 2-3 nights and then drive over to the Kona side for 4-5 nights. We then fly out of the Kona airport.

 

[Blaise]

You're wrong on that. Lots of people go JUST to stay at Aulani the whole time. Both my sisters do this with their families. They literally go there for 5-7 nights and do nothing else on the island. Their kids have seen the airport and Aulani. That's it. Over multiple trips.

I'm West Coast, Northern California. I've been to all of the Hawaiian islands multiple times, totaling dozens of trips across all islands. My kids are probably up over a dozen or so trips themselves. We had been to Aulani a few times before finally breaking down and purchasing enough points for a DVC week and Aulani is our home resort.

I'm sure I haven't seen everything there ever was to see on the Hawaiian islands, but I can say that I've done a significant amount of tourism and experiencing the Hawaiian culture. At this point, I have my week at Aulani so that I can take my kids once a year to a nice beach vacation, and experience the Disney level of customer service (which I know I pay for), but not be overwhelmed with "Disney". We love the fact that Aulani is Hawaiian culture/ambience first and foremost, and you can get a little Disney fix if you go looking for it. By now, we take a taxi to and from the airport and only leave the resort to go to what is within walking distance, with maybe one day to go down to Waikiki to shop and hit some different restaurants we like to go to.

On years we want a "Hawaiian" vacation, we'll bank or sell the points and go somewhere else. Oahu is not on my list of favorite islands for that anyway.

We were just at the Aulani over the week of July 4th, first time back in over two years. It was everything we remembered. The shops were a little more limited on selection and some of the groceries were sold out, but I'm sure that was supply chain issues getting those things to a pacific island. Definitely less of a staffing ratio, so a little more wait times for things. In general though, going in knowing that all the places on the island have similar impacts, we were empathetic and had patience. We were told it was the first weekend that was in the high 90% capacity since the pandemic started, so they were having some pains around that too.

I'd love to see Makahiki go back to the buffet. I think it was a better value. My family of four ate there a few times now that it is prix fixe, and the food, to us, was kind of expensive, even for Hawaii standards. We went down to Roy's and paid a similar price for what I think was better food. The rest of the time we just went to Ulu or across the street, or cooked in room. And excited for my next visit next June, because 'Ama 'Ama will be reopened then, and maybe Makahiki will be back to the buffet.

If I want over the top Disney, we head down south to the Grand Californian and go to the parks for a few days.

 

[ilikedvc]

Just got back from Aulani, and I know this might sound like sacrilege, but I was disappointed. To be completely balanced, here is the good:

1. The weather - Without question the weather is perfect in Hawaii in August compared to Florida with daily rain storms.
2. The Landscape - Beautiful mountains and the scenic ocean view from the resort, also tops Florida.
3. The pool - No resort in WDW has a lazy river + infinity pool + beach on the ocean
4. The food - Mostly not the big box food clearly used in WDW. At WDW you can tell they are ordering in bulk for every resort/park at once.

So what was disappointing:

1. The room - I know I was staying on DVC points and we don't get cleaning service every day, but it feels like they are cutting back every way they can. No dish or hand soap in the room on check in and only 3 tiny bottles in the shower. I get more from Holiday Inn. Plus the room wasn't exactly clean enough. It wasn't dirty, and I might be nit picky, but for the best of the DVC resort, I wanted it spotless on check in. Even they get cleaning service it isn't high end. Just didn't meet my standards on this. Certainly nothing more than you get at GF, WL, BLT, etc.
2. The cost - Holy smokes is everything expensive. We are a family of 5, so a dinner at Makahiki crossed $500 for us. Not something we could do more than once, but even once wasn't worth it. The price fix menu of salad, NY steak and cheesecake wasn't worth the money. Throw in some drinks and a tip. It just wasn't worth it. And the quick serve options are also expensive. The Luau, again family of 5 here, $178/person. Basically a thousand dollars for the show. Good show, but not worth a thousand dollars.
3. The stores - So disappointing. For a property that size, how are the stores that small? The Poly for example has a much bigger store with a much better selection of items. Give me a place to get lost in my options.
4. Not enough Disney - I know they want to keep the locals happy, but you can easily forget you are at a Disney resort. I don't want to forget that. I want to be surrounded by the magic. The characters are sparse and hard to find (unless you pay extra for a character breakfast). Things like Disney movies under the stars are once a week. We just didn't have that "in the Disney bubble" feel.

Overall, we are flying 5 people from the East coast, over 11 hours to Hawaii. The cost of flight, food, rental car and sightseeing was just astronomical. When you couple that with not enough Disney feel, poor shopping options, limited food options and a room that was just "meh", and we were disappointed. For us, flight to Orlando is under two hours, a quarter of the price and we are surrounded by limitless Disney food options and shopping within WDW. Sure there is no ocean at my doorstep and Florida has the regular rain storm, but for someone not local to Orlando, there just isn't anything that compares to living in Disney for that vacation.

Just my initial thoughts. Feel free to disagree.

Just got back yesterday myself, also from the Northeast, RI. Went with 6 in my family so feel your pain on the costs. Agree and disagree with your thoughts.

Agree that the resort, weather, pool and ocean views are amazing. It's absolutely beautiful.

Disagree of some other points. Not a surprise that the food costs are over priced, it's Hawaii. Went to Maui for a day while there and the food costs were exactly the same. Hawaii was closed for a year, supply chain is terrible and it's Hawaii.

I didn't to to Hawaii to see Disney, I went to Hawaii to sit on the beach and know I had a Disney like resort waiting for me and I was not disappointed. Just enough Disney at the resort.

I also didn't go to Hawaii to shop. Sorry, I went to relax and Aulani hit the nail on the head.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Just got back yesterday myself, also from the Northeast, RI. Went with 6 in my family so feel your pain on the costs. Agree and disagree with your thoughts.

Agree that the resort, weather, pool and ocean views are amazing. It's absolutely beautiful.

Disagree of some other points. Not a surprise that the food costs are over priced, it's Hawaii. Went to Maui for a day while there and the food costs were exactly the same. Hawaii was closed for a year, supply chain is terrible and it's Hawaii.

I didn't to to Hawaii to see Disney, I went to Hawaii to sit on the beach and know I had a Disney like resort waiting for me and I was not disappointed. Just enough Disney at the resort.

I also didn't go to Hawaii to shop. Sorry, I went to relax and Aulani hit the nail on the head.

Yeah, that’s how my wife and I do Aulani as well. We love the resort, as well as the Ko Olina bubble with the other hotels on the walkway and the shops across the street. We don’t go to “do” Hawaii, we specifically go to enjoy the resort, and its totally worth it. We always rent a car, though, and venture out for fun meals, the farmers market in Kakaako, a walk in Waikiki, a hike, the zoo, Haleiwa, etc, but for us that stuff is always fun but secondary. We also find that we venture out less as our vacation time progresses.

 

[Sydnerella]

Thank you for your review. We live in Australia and I often think that going to Hawaii could be a closer Disney fix than going to the parks, but for similar amount of money I have always been concerned that it might not be enough Disney and not enough to do. You confirmed this for me so thank you!

I would watch some vlogs rather than go with one persons opinion who did not appear to know how to find the character MGs - in the app or by calling from room phone. We never saught them out as our focus was the pools, reef, lagoon, excursions around Oahu… and we ran into Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Stitch, Olu, Moana and Mickey. We also had the Makahiki character breakfast which was excellent food (as compared to the dinner reviews) and unmatched character interaction compared to any of our past WDW or DL trips. Note our kids are 18 and 15 now…

It is a truly lovely lux Hawaiian resort with the highest quality of Disney service and activities that provide plenty of fun and Disney experiences too if so desired. The Menehune trail game is pure Disney magic… and we did not touch on the kids club as mine are too old.

A luau in Hawaii is going to cost near that amount anywhere and the Kawaa Luau is conveniently located onsite with excellent food options amd activites.Plus a story weaved through to honor hawaiian culture, teach guests and this matches the resort theming.

The storytelling at this resort is amazing - first night stargazing and poolside storytelling to learn of Hawaiian culture and how real Maui and his hook are! Next day the reef and then part or all or the Menehune trail, then hit the Luau. Then have those old enough to appreciate it do the resort cultural tour… the storytelling of the Hawaiian and polynesian people is tied together through these and other experiences.

Or make ears, take a painting class, meet characters and get autographs, watch Disney movies on the lawn and learn the Hula with disney friends… so many options.

A car rental is recommended as Oahu has SO much to offer outside of Aulani - its not a theme park its a high end resort with many amenities - but the island is better than a theme park for a diverse cultural exchange with unique experiences and sights.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Just got back from Aulani, and I know this might sound like sacrilege, but I was disappointed. To be completely balanced, here is the good:

1. The weather - Without question the weather is perfect in Hawaii in August compared to Florida with daily rain storms.
2. The Landscape - Beautiful mountains and the scenic ocean view from the resort, also tops Florida.
3. The pool - No resort in WDW has a lazy river + infinity pool + beach on the ocean
4. The food - Mostly not the big box food clearly used in WDW. At WDW you can tell they are ordering in bulk for every resort/park at once.

So what was disappointing:

1. The room - I know I was staying on DVC points and we don't get cleaning service every day, but it feels like they are cutting back every way they can. No dish or hand soap in the room on check in and only 3 tiny bottles in the shower. I get more from Holiday Inn. Plus the room wasn't exactly clean enough. It wasn't dirty, and I might be nit picky, but for the best of the DVC resort, I wanted it spotless on check in. Even they get cleaning service it isn't high end. Just didn't meet my standards on this. Certainly nothing more than you get at GF, WL, BLT, etc.
2. The cost - Holy smokes is everything expensive. We are a family of 5, so a dinner at Makahiki crossed $500 for us. Not something we could do more than once, but even once wasn't worth it. The price fix menu of salad, NY steak and cheesecake wasn't worth the money. Throw in some drinks and a tip. It just wasn't worth it. And the quick serve options are also expensive. The Luau, again family of 5 here, $178/person. Basically a thousand dollars for the show. Good show, but not worth a thousand dollars.
3. The stores - So disappointing. For a property that size, how are the stores that small? The Poly for example has a much bigger store with a much better selection of items. Give me a place to get lost in my options.
4. Not enough Disney - I know they want to keep the locals happy, but you can easily forget you are at a Disney resort. I don't want to forget that. I want to be surrounded by the magic. The characters are sparse and hard to find (unless you pay extra for a character breakfast). Things like Disney movies under the stars are once a week. We just didn't have that "in the Disney bubble" feel.

Overall, we are flying 5 people from the East coast, over 11 hours to Hawaii. The cost of flight, food, rental car and sightseeing was just astronomical. When you couple that with not enough Disney feel, poor shopping options, limited food options and a room that was just "meh", and we were disappointed. For us, flight to Orlando is under two hours, a quarter of the price and we are surrounded by limitless Disney food options and shopping within WDW. Sure there is no ocean at my doorstep and Florida has the regular rain storm, but for someone not local to Orlando, there just isn't anything that compares to living in Disney for that vacation.

Just my initial thoughts. Feel free to disagree.

I agree with the positives. On your negatives:

1. The Room - I was more impressed with housekeeping at Aulani on my 2021 and 2022 trips than on my recent Poly or Grand Californian trips. The Aulani studio rooms were a tad cleaner plus housekeeping was more responsive at Aulani. If I ran low on soaps and cups, Aulani housekeeping refilled them frequently. Aulani housekeeping emptied the trash daily and changed the towels and bed sheets on time every 4th day.
2. The Cost - I didn't feel the cost of dining in HI was burdensome compared to WDW, DL, or major US cities. We are not into signature/upscale dining except for character dining or dinner shows. We splurged on the Makahiki Character Breakfast and the Luau. We loved them and will do them again on a future trip. We reviewed menus, watched Vlogs for dinners at Makahiki, Olelo Room, and other nearby Ko Olina upscale restaurants, and chose to skip them without regret.
3. The stores - Poly has a beautiful gift shop, but I disagree with Aulani. Since we love the Duffy and Friends plus classic Mickey characters, we love the Aulani merchandise. We spent more money at Aulani's gift shop than at any gift shop at WDW or DL.
4. Not enough Disney - I'm afraid I have to disagree with this. The character selection at Aulani is almost my dream team of Disney characters. Aulani's theming is on par with my favorite WDW/DL resorts, such as Poly, WL, AKL, and GC. The character greetings were far more accessible, personable, and unrushed at Aulani than character greetings at WDW or DL.

 

[bluenosemickey]

We have just rebooked our third trip to Hawaii for 2023. Our first trip to Hawaii was 27 yrs ago and we didn't return until Aug 2019 with our older kids for our 25th anniversary. We used Aulani as a base and explored Oahu. I agree with the positives. I understand the cons.
-While it's not acceptable for housekeeping to be sub-par, you only get one "first" time to enter the room. I'm sure if you went into 10 new rooms you would find that most are good. It's just bad luck and timing for you. I've had 12 years of DVC membership and with split stays and multiple trips, we have entered countless rooms for that "first" entry. We have had sub-par housekeeping with only about 10% as an estimate. I don't let it taint my experience. It only diminishes your experience for an inconsequential reason. And now "post-pandemic" we need to expect short staffing everywhere in the hospitality industry.
-Prices in Hawaii need to be anticipated. This is why we choose not to do a Luau and eat away from the hotel. We also made more meals in the room, not a hardship. But there are no park passes to buy for 5 of us, this is offset somewhat by the cost of flights, but not entirely. And there were so many no cost or low cost island experiences as long as you had a rental car. The car was more expensive, but not excessively. We went to world class beaches, swam and snorkelled with turtles, visited spectacular and peaceful gardens and temples, hiked areas that are all over you tube and so cool for my grown kids.

But I have to say the best parts were that this is a place that has spectacular scenery and a way to experience new cultures and yet still have the relative security of the USA. You really are in a different part of the world. It's volcanic, lush, with epic nature up close.
We are from the east coast of Canada (a beautiful place itself I might add) and therefore takes 24-36 hrs of travel time to get to Honolulu. We even felt that the travel was part of the experience. To make the size of the world more real to our children and to appreciate the effort taken to arrive at this beautiful place.

If you want a touch of disney magic for the comfort and familiarity and yet have a unique cultural and geographical experience I believe Aulani is the place. It did not disappoint and I am looking forward to returning this spring without our kids, as a couple to enjoy things again with only the two of us to please.

 

[SomeImaginationHuh]

To make the size of the world more real to our children and to appreciate the effort taken to arrive at this beautiful place.

I love this. Perfectly stated.

 

[redboat45]

We were at Aulani last October. We thought the resort was very nice. We traveled around the island quite a bit and did most of the things. If we ever get the chance to go to HI again we will definitely island hop. We'd maybe do 2 days on Oahu/Aulani and then check out other places. Oahu just wasn't what I pictured when I thought Hawaii. It was very green but not very floral or what I would consider tropical. We'd skip Oahu completely but want to give it one more shot since we were there when not everythign was open yet.

 

[Mommy2Logan]

If you go to the Poly expecting Aulani, you will be sorely disappointed.
If you go to Aulani expecting WDW, you will be sorely disappointed.

Having stayed at the Polynesian several times and Aulani several times, I absolutely love both but the Polynesian is like the dumbed down version of Aulani in terms of a resort and Aulani is the dumbed down version of WDW magic depending on how you look at it. That may be blunt but the Poly is more run down, is not as beautiful, and needs a lot of repairs. Aulani has a kids club, a world class spa, and an ocean you can swim in without risk of being the prey of a predator. Aulani doesn't have the theme parks though so how can you really compare and contrast two totally different trips?

The cost difference between the two is just enough that Aulani is not currently affordable for me as a single income home unless I only take one big trip a year which I don't want to do.

 

[KimMcGowan]

I agree with others, don’t discount O’ahu. Pearl Harbor alone is worth the trip. If you can go there and not be moved I would be surprised. Plus…the Bishop (awesome!), malasadas at Leonard’s and Duke’s (a personal favorite). AND… we had the best shaved Ice of the three islands we visited at Island Vintage Shaved Ice - just spectacular! O’ahu is like a big city anywhere else - IF the big city is on the beaches of paradise. It is my favorite island.
Having said that, my DH thought the Big Island was perfect. Volcanoes National Park is amazing and the pace of life on this slice of paradise is just a little but slower. The highlight of the island for me was at Da Poke Shack on the Kona side. I dream about Pete’s Kiss!
Maui was our least favorite but still nothing to sneeze at. The Haleakalā National Park will wow you. You are literally above the clouds and the change in climate is dramatic. We did like Maui. In fact, my DH (age 52 at the time) took surfing lessons there and thought it was a highlight of our trip. However, we probably would not choose Maui again because we loved the other two islands so much.
I actually think, no matter where you choose, you will have a great time. A bad day in Hawaii is a good day anyplace else.

 

[blondietink]

Ah got it! You’re right. Hawaii is not a bargain vacation destination, and prices there can be a bit of a rude awakening.

LOL, when I first went to Hawaii in 1984, it was eye opening that a dozen eggs were $6.00. Hopefully it is not as bad now. We have been to Costco, Foodland, Wal-Mart and Safeway in the past and have never had to pay that price for eggs again.

 

[Right Fielder]

It's no coincidence that 95% of the threads like this come from DVC members.

Me, a DVC member and passholder, going to Walt Disney World with my family of 5:
- Flights $1,250
- Hotel $0
- F&B $2,000
- Merch (Varies)
- Entertainment $0
- Total $3,250 plus souvenirs

Me, a DVC member, going to Hawaii with my family of 5:
- Flights $4,000
- Hotel $0
- F&B $3,000
- Merch (Varies)
- Entertainment $2,000
- Total $9,000 plus souvenirs

You just cant expect the two to compare.

Did you have to pay a resort fee when you checked out of Aulani or is this just a comparison?

 

[Paul Stupin]

It's no coincidence that 95% of the threads like this come from DVC members.

Me, a DVC member and passholder, going to Walt Disney World with my family of 5:
- Flights $1,250
- Hotel $0
- F&B $2,000
- Merch (Varies)
- Entertainment $0
- Total $3,250 plus souvenirs

Me, a DVC member, going to Hawaii with my family of 5:
- Flights $4,000
- Hotel $0
- F&B $3,000
- Merch (Varies)
- Entertainment $2,000
- Total $9,000 plus souvenirs

You just cant expect the two to compare.

Its a much more favorable comparison for just my wife and I. The flights to and from Los Angeles are less than a quarter of your costs, and aside from just hanging at Aulani, plus the beach, pool, and exploring with our rental car, we have no entertainment expenses other than eating and drinking. No need to factor in annual pass costs either. Its a bargain!! Well, not really, if you factor in a lot of fancy dinners and the rental car cost, but we don't do luaus so at least there's savings there.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Did you have to pay a resort fee when you checked out of Aulani or is this just a comparison?

Aulani doesn't charge a resort fee. The state of Hawaii collects a tax, and I valet park so there's that. But no resort fee.

 

[Right Fielder]

Aulani doesn't charge a resort fee. The state of Hawaii collects a tax, and I valet park so there's that. But no resort fee.

How much is the tax that they collect? If you don’t mind me asking

 

[longboard55]

How much is the tax that they collect? If you don’t mind me asking

The hotel taxes when added together is around 18%, ouch, there is also a small tax on DVC rooms but closer to about 1 or 2%. DVC you save on parking and taxes. If you love Aulani, consider it.