Would you do Aulani for 40th anniversary trip??

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

( I have edited the title)
Thinking about go to Aulani for 40th wedding anniversary in 2021.
We would be flying out of Detroit, Michigan.
But my problem is our anniversary is in the December, very close to Christmas.
And having to book something at the 7 month mark using our DVC pts , I have a feeling it's going to be slim pickings.
So, for those of you who have done this.
What month is the best chance to get.
Were looking at a 1bedroom standard. Or would a studio be possible??
Oh and what car rental company do you use.
I'm sure I'm going to be asking more questions.
TIA

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Standard will not be possible. It is a very small catgeory at Aulani. At 7 months for those dates you will need points for OV.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

We'll have approx 442 pts to use, so not sure what view or room to book .
What I'm concerned about is the month.
My husband was asking about October. is that month doable?.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

Husband would like to know if we can use Disney gift cards at the resort??, and where??. TIA

 

[_auroraborealis_]

We'll have approx 442 pts to use, so not sure what view or room to book .
What I'm concerned about is the month.
My husband was asking about October. is that month doable?.

Standard is unusual at 7 months. It is a very small category that books in home resort.

Gift cards can be used at the resort.

 

[Off to Neverland 7]

For car rentals in Oahu, we use whichever of these is cheapest: Alamo, Enterprise or Hertz.

 

[Lizziemom]

We went for our 25th anniversary. Best decision we could have made, the trip was magical! Went to Ama Ama and it was truly special. We went for 8 nights, arrived the Friday of Labor Day Weekend. Resort was empty come Monday, but the weekend was very busy with locals.

We booked pool view 1 Bedroom with no problem at the 7 month mark. We did not want standard or island view and we didn't need ocean view, so this was perfect for us.

So much to do on the island. We rented from Hertz and toured the island every day. Back at the resort by 2 PM and mostly spent 2 to 6 pm at the pool or on the beach.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

We are planning on going next year for our 30th anniversary. We were going to go on our actual date in July, but then decided it's so much cheaper points-wise to go in September/October. Plus it will be less crowded and better weather. I can't help you with room information since I've never been, but I wanted to pipe in and say I think it's ok to celebrate at a different time. Have fun!!!

 

[BillPA]

If you go, I would not spend much time at DVC. Maybe 2 or 3 days. There is just too much to see in the islands to be 'stuck' way out there on the west side of the island. Also unless you expect to go several more time, go visit other Islands, Maui, Kauia, The Big Island... You can rent out your points required for DVC and get a real Ocean Front resort and still put money in your pocket. It would be kind of like going to WDW and only going to EPCOT. JMHO

 

[DenLo]

( I have edited the title)
Thinking about go to Aulani for 40th wedding anniversary in 2021.
We would be flying out of Detroit, Michigan.
But my problem is our anniversary is in the December, very close to Christmas.
And having to book something at the 7 month mark using our DVC pts , I have a feeling it's going to be slim pickings.
So, for those of you who have done this.
What month is the best chance to get.
Were looking at a 1bedroom standard. Or would a studio be possible??
Oh and what car rental company do you use.
I'm sure I'm going to be asking more questions.
TIA

Considering doing a 40th anniversary celebration all year long, so you can pick the month you want to celebrate at Aulani. Points are lower during adventure season, in 2020 it runs from 01/05-02/22/20. I expect it will have similar dates in 2021. BTW we are celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2020 with 4 cruises, a stay at Aulani after a cruise and a couple of trips to WDW. Keep in mind we usually do half that much traveling normally. Who knows how much travel we will be able to do for our 50th anniversary? Congratulations to on your 40th anniversary.

 

[AvidDisReader]

Great idea! I am planning on retiring in 2 years and an Aulani trip to celebrate would be a great way to kick the next chapter in life. Thanks for the idea.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you go, I would not spend much time at DVC. Maybe 2 or 3 days. There is just too much to see in the islands to be 'stuck' way out there on the west side of the island. Also unless you expect to go several more time, go visit other Islands, Maui, Kauia, The Big Island... You can rent out your points required for DVC and get a real Ocean Front resort and still put money in your pocket. It would be kind of like going to WDW and only going to EPCOT. JMHO

Co-signed. Maui is amazing. The Big Island is underrated, I think - I just love the volcanos and the black sand beaches there. The Aulani side of Oahu is super-commercial and very much a tropical bubble. You can do a generic tropical bubble far cheaper elsewhere.

 

[adamak]

Would I? I'd go to Hawaii to celebrate next Tues if I have the money.

Definitely do it. Go Jan instead. Perfect weather there. Send pics back to Detroit to rub it in. Don't do XMas. Plane tix and everything is extreme. And like other said, don't stay the whole time in Aulani if this is your first trip.

 

[chalee94]

Used my non-DVC timeshare to visit Kauai in May so I'll vote for that. The "Grand Canyon of the Pacific," Na Pali coast, waterfalls everywhere, such as those shown in Jurassic Park and Fantasy Island...

(The third pic above is from the balcony of the Marriott Kauai Beach Club Resort in Lihue.)

Oahu is nice for a few days but Kauai is currently my favorite.

 

[moericus]

If you're looking for a more peaceful scenic trip than I would do a minimal stay at Aulani and then take Hawaiian Airlines over to Kauai or Maui.

Maui's Haleakala and Molokini really blew anyway anything we saw on Oahu. But Oahu does you give you a better cultural history lesson with the palace/punch bowl/etc...

Aulani's lazy river is awesome. The pool bars and outside cafe's are nice. The main lobby, stores, restaurants seem really crowded.

If your coming from Michigan, be ready to eat a lot of fish and seafood. There's plenty of places to get beef and chicken, but all the nicer places were seafood.

 

[Pooh2]

We did Aulani for our 30th anniversary. We had an amazing trip! We stayed for 9 nights and toured the island until mid-afternoon, stopping at beaches to swim, checking out local eateries. Then floated in the cove and lazy river all afternoon. Would highly recommend!

 

[Granny]

We celebrated our 30th anniversary at Aulani last year...our anniversary is in July but we went in April. As @DenLo indicates, it works well to consider the entire year your anniversary so you don't worry about the exact date and instead book the time that makes the most sense for you.

I am in the very small minority that says you might want to just stay at Aulani and enjoy the resort amenities and then just do day trips around Oahu if you like. We just don't like to keep moving around on vacations (no split trips for us at WDW for example).

Oh and what car rental company do you use.

We rented a car for Oahu through Costco...we have found them to be the best for us. We also looked at Sam's Club rates which were pretty close. Our best Costco deal was for an Alamo rental (through the Costco travel site) and it went smoothly.