Trip Report *COMPLETED* Aloha...E Komo Mai to Our Aulani Adventure!

Hi Everyone!

Based on the feedback we received during our last trip report, which you can read here, we have decided to write a trip report chronicling our first visit to the Aulani resort in Ko 'Olina, Hawaii. Not sure if this is the place for such a report as it's not WDW-based but figured I'd start here and if it's moved, so be it.

We just returned yesterday afternoon after a terrific eight days in paradise. Amazing to think how quickly things came and went, especially considering we made this reservation using our DVC points seven months ago, but the visit will be one we look back on for a long time. We didn't put together a pre-trip report or anything so here is a short preamble before we dive into all the sunny details.

So...for those of you who read our last report, you may recall that our last visit to WDW was not supposed to happen. Instead, we were 48 hours away from traveling to Honolulu for our second visit to the island. We were booked to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, not Aulani. Less than two days before we were to take off, hurricane Lane hit the Hawaiian islands and our trip was wiped out. Our last minute scrambling allowed us to salvage our vacation and resulted in an unexpected return to the World. That trip was fantastic but we couldn't help feel lousy about missing out on Hawaii.

It was something we looked forward to for months so when we returned from WDW, Kelly and I decided we would try it again, this time focusing on using our DVC points to stay at Aulani. Our plan was to look at an April 2019 visit and as the seven-month window crept closer, we kept a close eye on the availability of a standard view studio. The day finally came that we were able to jump on the DVC site and we were most pleased to snag a studio for a trip from April 6 - 13!

We were pretty jacked up but felt a little guilty revealing to our moms, Ally and Deb, that we were heading back to Hawaii. They were so excited to be going to the islands with us before the hurricane and you could tell they were disappointed not to be included on this trip. Alas, we had a long-awaited beach vacation to look forward to and the added bonus of some Disney magic!

This report might not be as detail-oriented as a typical WDW visit, but we took a lot of pictures and explored the resort as best we could while we were there. Hopefully it gives you a good look into what Aulani has to offer.

Mahalo in advance for reading along. Kelly and I are excited to share our latest trip with you!

 

[dizfan917]

Dumping their luggage but still flying passengers for such a long flight (knowing that they will be VERY disappointed when they land) doesn't seem to make much sense to me. Is this a typical airline practice?!

Yikes!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Dumping their luggage but still flying passengers for such a long flight (knowing that they will be VERY disappointed when they land) doesn't seem to make much sense to me. Is this a typical airline practice?!

Yikes!

That was what made everyone so mad. Clearly the crew knew that luggage was being removed and it sounded like some passengers could see bags coming off the plane, but we were told it was just to shift the balance and not to worry. Had they let us know, at least we could have been prepared but it came as a surprise when we landed. WestJet is my favourite airline and always seem to go above and beyond for customers which made this move even more bizarre.

I will say, they were quick to clear up the situation and did more than simply cover costs of incidentals. I'll get into that in the report.

 

[Rista1313]

Hi Everyone!

Based on the feedback we received during our last trip report, which you can read here, we have decided to write a trip report chronicling our first visit to the Aulani resort in Ko 'Olina, Hawaii. Not sure if this is the place for such a report as it's not WDW-based but figured I'd start here and if it's moved, so be it.

We just returned yesterday afternoon after a terrific eight days in paradise. Amazing to think how quickly things came and went, especially considering we made this reservation using our DVC points seven months ago, but the visit will be one we look back on for a long time. We didn't put together a pre-trip report or anything so here is a short preamble before we dive into all the sunny details.

So...for those of you who read our last report, you may recall that our last visit to WDW was not supposed to happen. Instead, we were 48 hours away from traveling to Honolulu for our second visit to the island. We were booked to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, not Aulani. Less than two days before we were to take off, hurricane Lane hit the Hawaiian islands and our trip was wiped out. Our last minute scrambling allowed us to salvage our vacation and resulted in an unexpected return to the World. That trip was fantastic but we couldn't help feel lousy about missing out on Hawaii.

It was something we looked forward to for months so when we returned from WDW, Kelly and I decided we would try it again, this time focusing on using our DVC points to stay at Aulani. Our plan was to look at an April 2019 visit and as the seven-month window crept closer, we kept a close eye on the availability of a standard view studio. The day finally came that we were able to jump on the DVC site and we were most pleased to snag a studio for a trip from April 6 - 13!

We were pretty jacked up but felt a little guilty revealing to our moms, Ally and Deb, that we were heading back to Hawaii. They were so excited to be going to the islands with us before the hurricane and you could tell they were disappointed not to be included on this trip. Alas, we had a long-awaited beach vacation to look forward to and the added bonus of some Disney magic!

This report might not be as detail-oriented as a typical WDW visit, but we took a lot of pictures and explored the resort as best we could while we were there. Hopefully it gives you a good look into what Aulani has to offer.

Mahalo in advance for reading along. Kelly and I are excited to share our latest trip with you!

I'm in! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

 

[Laura Loves Tigger]

Following along. Excited to read about your trip!

 

[MinnieM123]

I enjoyed the gleeful look of one of your daughters, while she was on the "moving sidewalk" in the airport. I like riding on those, too!

Looking forward to your TR, and sorry about the luggage situation. Hoping all went well for you after that.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I'm in! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

Following along. Excited to read about your trip!

Thanks for following along!

I enjoyed the gleeful look of one of your daughters, while she was on the "moving sidewalk" in the airport. I like riding on those, too!

Looking forward to your TR, and sorry about the luggage situation. Hoping all went well for you after that.

They went out of their way to find those sidewalks at the airports! Maybe they were missing the WDW rides or something.

Thankfully for us, things got sorted pretty quickly and we didn't miss a beat.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

As we hopped out of the car, we were immediately greeted by a friendly CM who directed us to the online check-in desk that was situated just outside the front entrance. The CM who took care of us there was super friendly and was quick to place a beautiful lei around the girl's neck and a kukui nut necklace around mine. She also offered us some ice cold infused water which really hit the spot!

Within a few minutes, we had our room keys to room 365 in the Ewa Tower along with a welcome package of resort information and maps to help guide us around. We were excited to get to the room to check out our digs for the week so we hustled into the lobby to find our way. The foyer when you first walk in spectacular. Amazingly well themed, as is the case in Disney, with sweeping views of the property off the giant balcony and amazing natural light everywhere.

We didn't really stop to take it in, instead making our way to the Ewa tower to find our room. Room 365 was lobby level, though two levels above access to the restaurants, bars, and pool area.

Our room was halfway down a long hallway. We arrived, swiped our key and took a tour inside. Having stayed in many studio accommodations before, we knew what to expect and while there were no huge surprises when we walked through the door, we were all very happy with our room for the week. Spacious, well decorated, super clean and the right touch of Disney spread throughout the room.

We dropped our carryon's and looked around the room.

and of course, you knew I'd be looking for what goodies I could take back home with me when all was said and done...

We were in a standard view room so our balcony view was that of a rock wall with a peaceful sounding water feature but considering we didn't plan on spending too much time in the room, I don't think the view was a major deterrent to any fun we were going to have. It was actually kind of quiet and super private out there which I really liked. And the rest of the family seemed very pleased as well!

As the girls settled in, I was going to make my way back to the front desk to park the car in the parkade. I had done a bunch of research before the trip and one of the reasons we decided to rent a car was we knew that DVC members booking through points got to park for free while on property.

I made my way back to the lobby and found the car waiting for me just outside the front door. I circled the resort and entered the self-park area. There are multiple levels in the parkade, each with dedicated areas for EV parking and charging. We didn't need to charge the car yet but the EV parking was always available which made things super convenient when trying to find a good spot.

I parked the car and made my way back towards the hotel to join the girls and do some exploring. Before leaving, this sign made me even more appreciative of our DVC status.

With everything else, $37 USD a day to park would be a tough pill to swallow!

 

[MississippiBelle]

That luggage situation would have had me STRESSED!! Especially with small children! So excited to see the rest of the trip report and I'm glad y'all had a good time!!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

That luggage situation would have had me STRESSED!! Especially with small children! So excited to see the rest of the trip report and I'm glad y'all had a good time!!

We were definitely a little freaked out by it, Kelly especially! We were just hoping it would be waiting for us at bell service the next morning as we were told it could be by the airline.

Aside from that, it gave us, well Kelly, even more of a reason to get to Target. Any trip to the States includes multiple Target visits no matter how long or short or trip is.

 

[Swissmiss]

Aside from that, it gave us, well Kelly, even more of a reason to get to Target. Any trip to the States includes multiple Target visits no matter how long or short or trip is.

For me too

 

[Darstarr]

We were definitely a little freaked out by it, Kelly especially! We were just hoping it would be waiting for us at bell service the next morning as we were told it could be by the airline.

Aside from that, it gave us, well Kelly, even more of a reason to get to Target. Any trip to the States includes multiple Target visits no matter how long or short or trip is.

I dont know about the rest of the US but they have ruined the Targets on Long Island! It is as if they are trying to make them more upscale. The shelving is smaller, the layout is not as streamlined and they carry less product. Awful! I stopped going for the most part because last month I had a list with 3 things on it that I always get at Target. They no longer carry those item plus who knows what else. Warn Kelly, it’s coming. And they will put themselves right out of business!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I dont know about the rest of the US but they have ruined the Targets on Long Island! It is as if they are trying to make them more upscale. The shelving is smaller, the layout is not as streamlined and they carry less product. Awful! I stopped going for the most part because last month I had a list with 3 things on it that I always get at Target. They no longer carry those item plus who knows what else. Warn Kelly, it’s coming. And they will put themselves right out of business!

Oddly enough Kelly commented on this during the trip. When Target was here in Canada she loved it and was super sad to see it go. She’s gone out of her way to visit Target anytime we go to the states.

These last couple trips she’s been very disappointed with how much change there seems to have been. It hasn’t stopped her from visiting multiple locations each trip (haha) but she’s noticed a huge difference.

 

[susan lees]

Following along

 

[krisri18]

I'd just like to say thank you for getting the Lilo and Stitch the Series theme song stuck in my head for the last few days!

 

[TheMouseFan]

I dont know about the rest of the US but they have ruined the Targets on Long Island! It is as if they are trying to make them more upscale. The shelving is smaller, the layout is not as streamlined and they carry less product. Awful! I stopped going for the most part because last month I had a list with 3 things on it that I always get at Target. They no longer carry those item plus who knows what else. Warn Kelly, it’s coming. And they will put themselves right out of business!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the remodels! I thought maybe I just wasn't classy enough to appreciate it!! I(I wanted to put the winking emoji here, but apparently I'm not allowed to use them anymore as they are grayed out!)

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I always get so excited to go and yet I’m always so disappointed when I leave. I find that our Walmart’s here are really stepping up their game and I’m almost liking it better.

 

[Darstarr]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the remodels! I thought maybe I just wasn't classy enough to appreciate it!! I(I wanted to put the winking emoji here, but apparently I'm not allowed to use them anymore as they are grayed out!)

No winking for you!!!!

 

[LeighM]

Following along

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Following along

Thanks for following!

I'd just like to say thank you for getting the Lilo and Stitch the Series theme song stuck in my head for the last few days!

Haha my bad! It’s amazing how much Stitch we saw but absolutely no Lilo

Following along

Thanks for following!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

After parking the car I quickly made my way back to the room from the parkade. It had been a long travel day to this point and with the craziness of the luggage kinda behind us now that we had finally made it to the resort, we were very excited to explore what we’d be enjoying for the next week. We were also pretty hungry so we figured we better find a bite to eat before we made our way to Target to pick up supplies.

As we walked from our room towards the staircase that leads you down to the pool levels, we couldn’t help but point out the amazing detail all throughout the hotel. Leave it to Disney to ensure no stone is left unturned.

I loved this lamp in our room...

And this huge mural of the Hawaiian islands was displayed in the hallway leading to our room...

As soon as we walked out the doors of the hotel and outside into the courtyard/pool areas, we ran into our first character. It was almost like Stitch was waiting for us to arrive. There was no line and the girls ran right into his arms to give him a big hug.

After saying goodbye to Stitch, we immediately turned our attention to the beauty around us. The outside courtyard is unbelievable. So peaceful, very well landscaped and everything you’d hope for in a Hawaiian getaway. It certainly helped that the weather was perfect and there was this slight little breeze making it feel very comfortable.

We set off down the winding paths around the resort to look for some food. Of course, along the way there were some terrific sights to see before we found a restaurant.

As we passed the koi pond we ran into a few more friends! The luggage fiasco was definitely behind us at this point and it was all about enjoying how much fun the girls were already having less than an hour after checking into the hotel.

At this point we were all really hungry so we paused our exploration and hunted for the nearest quick service restaurant, the ULU Cafe. Luckily it was only a few steps away from our run in with Chip and Dale. We were starving and couldn’t wait to get our first real meal of the day.