CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Another great update! I also can't wait to see your pics of the resort and the surrounding area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 This is just getting better and better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Not sure how I missed this. Better late than never!Awesome TR so far. Cant wait to see and hear more about Aulani.DW and I want to get there at some point......looking forward to your take/review of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Not sure how I missed this. Better late than never!Awesome TR so far. Cant wait to see and hear more about Aulani.DW and I want to get there at some point......looking forward to your take/review of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 152 Posted July 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 I'm so excited! You are there! Now stop having fun and post more I'm trying... it seems that I have the most success at posting while the girls are getting ready to go someplace or early in the morning while everyone is sleeping.... The airport may need some upgrades but... oh my gosh can't you just smell the Aloha when you walk outside?! I love, love, love the smell of the tropics when you walk out the doors. Wow, grew up in Washington State, so I've been to the islands 9 or 10 times...but it's been a good 8 or 9 years and your TR is really taking me back! So excited to hear about the rest of your adventure :jumpforjoy Aloha!! :wave1: You are absolutely correct Nacole, the airport served its purpose, and has done so for folks from all over the world. I guess it was not what I pictured in my head (which is not a pretty place sometimes), not just the airport, but the entire island. I will have to say, that this place has really grown on me and I will definitely be back! I have always wanted to travel to Hawaii ever since I saw Peter Brady take a header on his surf board, but flying across this wide country adds quite a few Benjamins to the price tag. Dan, I remember that episode! You are correct, the flights here are not cheap, especially from the east coast. That is why we flew free on SW to SFO and paid United to fly to Hawaii from there. There are some cheaper alternatives... If you can make to the west coast somehow, Hawaiian Airlines is not a bad choice. If we didn't have the DVC option, I'm not sure if I would have made it here... Really looking forward to pics of the resort! You are probably still sleeps right now....I don't know why you don't wake up and post an update for us! Dave, last night, or early this morning to be exact (around 4:00 AM EST) I was working on posting the tour of our room.... Stupid me accidentally hit some button and deleted it before I could post anything. I gave up and went to bed. It is currently 6:25 AM and I am out on my balcony with coffee and computer in hand with good intentions in mind... We'll see how this goes. Another great update! I also can't wait to see your pics of the resort and the surrounding area. They are coming Gwen, and I have A LOT of them... I am learning my new camera and all the bells and whistles that came with it. This is just getting better and better. I hope I am not boring everyone to tears... Not sure how I missed this. Better late than never!Awesome TR so far.Cant wait to see and hear more about Aulani.DW and I want to get there at some point......looking forward to your take/review of it. Aaron, if you can get here, I don't think you will be disappointed... Disney knocked it out of the park on this one! Not sure how I missed this. Better late than never!Awesome TR so far.Cant wait to see and hear more about Aulani.DW and I want to get there at some point......looking forward to your take/review of it. Looks like the ghost of Hilo Hattie! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 152 Posted July 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Aulani.... AAAAaaaaahhhhh! When I left off, we had just finished our lunch at MonkeyPod. We loaded ourselves back into the Jeep and headed literally across the street to this... Since I am the chief cook and bottle washer of transportation and activities to the trophy wife, daughter and friend, pictures of our check-in did not occur as I was trying to keep everything moving in a forward direction. But before I get into that, let me give you a little info on the resort itself... The best way I can describe Aulani is that it somewhat resembles the Animal Kingdom with a Polynesian/Hawaiian flair. The resort itself kind of forms a "U", where the lobby area and main building is at the bottom of the "U" with 2 wings headed off to the left and right. As you stand in the entrance of the lobby, the wing to the right is comprised of the hotel side of the joint, and off to the left, the DVC portion. I think in the DVC side or the Ewa Tower, there are 15 stories. In between the two wings is the Weikolohe Valley. This area is made up of a lazy river, a couple of large waterslides, a snorkeling area similar to the one at Typhoon Lagoon, a large pool, a kids splash zone and water spray area, family hot tubs and a couple of adult only pools and hot tubs as well. As you can imagine it is landscaped to the hilt! There are palm trees, flowering shrubs and all sort of other greenery everywhere. Okay, now that you know what this place looks like, there is no need for pictures....!! Just kidding. So now back to check-in... Before we left home, I checked us in on line just to see what would happen... I have to say, for here, that was one of the best decisions I could have done. We pull up and get directed where to park, and as the valets begin to swarm, I was fully expecting them to start opening doors and pulling out bags, however I was pleasantly surprised that didn't happen. I told them we had checked in on line and they directed us to a desk over to the side. Once we were all together, I gave the lady our names and we proceeded to get lei'd.... The girls received flower lei's and I got a nut lei. I told them that I would be self parking this week, then they handed me my KTA cards(Keys to Aulani), our packet of information and sent us on our way... Parking here for DVC members staying on points is free, however for the "hotel trash" :rofl3: it is $35 per day! I guess membership does have its privileges... Once parked, off the room we go with all of our worldly possessions. Not wanting to be on top of each other for the week, I reserved a dedicated two bedroom villa for the week. There was no way that I was going to be setting up and taking down a sofa bed all week as well as not having at least two bathrooms for 3 women.... With that being said, here is the floorplan of our little beach front efficiency... The kitchen, dining and living area as you head off to the right as you enter the door The half bath off to the left as you enter the door Back to the living room Okay guys, I hate to do this, but "she who must be obeyed just came out and ordered me in.... This is our last full day, and she wants to go out and do some stuff... We will continue our tour when I get back.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Okay guys, I hate to do this, but "she who must be obeyed just came out and ordered me in.... This is our last full day, and she wants to go out and do some stuff... We will continue our tour when I get back....That will give us all time to recover from $35 a day parking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 I'm wanting to see the views off the balconies ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sherryberry 35 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Great pictures! I would love to see all of these sights for myself one day. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disney4dan 68 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Like the view of stall #1, but looking forward to beach photos Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 $35 a day?!?! OMG! I think I forgot a my comments before that. Beautiful room! Or should I say rooms? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 The room looks nice!Enjoy your last night! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Wow...so, so pretty! Two lanais, very nice :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disneylitch......Debbie 61 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Beautiful!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 152 Posted July 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Last day in paradise... It's a little after 7:00 in the morning, and already our flight back to SFO has been delayed almost 2 hours.... Oh well, there could be worse places in the world to be delayed... So since I have absolutely nothing to do, I will try to continue on. That will give us all time to recover from $35 a day parking! From what I understand, most folks who are staying on the hotel side just take a taxi or some sort of car service. They either stay onsite for their entire time here, or rent a car once they get here at the hotel. Alamo has a car rental desk here. I'm wanting to see the views off the balconies ... I probably have more pics of this place than I would like to admit.... I usually began each day out on that balcony. Great pictures! I would love to see all of these sights for myself one day. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip! Thanks Sherry. Just head on out to the airport and hop on a plane. Like the view of stall #1, but looking forward to beach photos Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Got'em, they are coming up. $35 a day?!?! OMG! I think I forgot a my comments before that.Beautiful room! Or should I say rooms? Yeah, that $35 charge would be a bitter pill to swallow. This is Disney you know... Although, I am finding that more and more hotels, especially in large city settings are charging a fee per day for parking. The room looks nice!Enjoy your last night! Disney, outdid themselves here... the attention to detail is amazing. I just hope over time as this place ages that they keep up with it and keep it nice. Wow...so, so pretty! Two lanais, very nice :) I have more pictures of the rest of the place coming up! Beautiful!! The designers did an awesome job with this place! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Judy in Texas 150 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 My flight from Hawaii back to the states was ROUGH till we got over the California coast. I was told it is a normal occurance - has to do with the heating and cooling of the ocean. I wish you a smooth, safe flight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 152 Posted July 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Aulani Room 586 Part II Continuing where we left off.... The main balcony off the living room... while we didn't get an ocean front room, the way these balconies were angled, we could still see the ocean with no problem. I have more views of that coming up. Let's not forget these little jewels... They seemed to get a workout during our stay... No fishing for quarters here. Let's step into the master bedroom shall we? Nice, comfy king size bed Mater bath... This place even has its own library... Now, lets head over to the girl's room The little hallway to their bathroom They even have a library... You can't see the seating arrangement, but trust me, its there That is all for the tour of the room(s), now on to some other things, like the views from our balconies. This was taken during right after we checked in. It had been a mix of clouds and sun all day. The white resort across the way is one of the Marriott Vacation Clubs. This was taken on our way down to go exploring... A neat thing about this place, especially in the lobby area, is that they keep the doors open all the time and a gentle breeze blows through. They have the ability to open and close all of the full length doors and windows depending on what the weather is doing, but there are always several doors open all the time. The next several shots are taken from the beach looking back This was a neat shot... The location is down the path around the lagoon from the resort. I need to upload some more pictures, and trust me, I have more, A LOT more.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dvccamper 32 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Wow, what beautiful pictures! Have a safe flight home and looking forward to reading more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 The place is HUGE! And beautiful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 That is one beautiful hotel! Hope you have a safe, smooth flight back to the States. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmaul 65 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'm real sorry you had to slum it with those accommodations for your trip..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 152 Posted July 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Aloha Y'all! We are back home in the land of biscuits and gravy... We left Aulani around 10:00 on Tuesday morning to make sure we had plenty of time to gas up the Jeep and make it to the airport in time to catch our series of flights back home. In case I didn't mention it in earlier installments, the traffic from Pearl Harbor all the way to Waikiki at times is horrible and comes to a stand still in many places. Several occasions during our return trips back to Aulani from where ever we may have been coming from, we got caught up in some terrible traffic jams and today of all days I did not want that to happen. So long story short, we made it home safe and sound thanks to the fine folks at United and Southwest Airlines. So lets continue on with some of this sights around the island... Wow, what beautiful pictures! Have a safe flight home and looking forward to reading more. Thanks for the compliment. You will have to head to Aulani at some point. Disney pulled out all the stops on this one. The place is HUGE! And beautiful. It is huge and brings a lot of one of a kind experiences to Oahu. That is one beautiful hotel! Hope you have a safe, smooth flight back to the States. Gwen, we need to find a way to get you and your camera over to Aulani. This is a photographer's (which I am not) paradise. I'm real sorry you had to slum it with those accommodations for your trip..... I do what I can with what I have to work with... I will probably have to get 3 more jobs to pay for all of this... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Glad you made it home safely! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 152 Posted July 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Hold on everybody, 'cause this ride may start and stop without warning... In case you forgot what this rag tag bunch looks like, we had all just gotten lei'd! They give you these when you check in From what I have read just after they announced the construction of Aulani, Disney met with all kinds of experts and authorities on Hawaiian culture and history. They just didn't want to create just another resort in a resort area, but really wanted to focus on telling the story of Hawaii and show case the culture. I have to say that as I walked around I was really impressed at the attention to detail that was put into this place. I only hope as time goes on that Disney keeps up with the maintenance and doesn't let it get run down. Here are a bunch of shots that I took as I walked around everyday... This is the view directly across from our balcony As you look to the right The look left Here is a shot of the beach area. In this area of Ko'Olina, there are 4 lagoons carved out along the coast line, and around each lagoon, with the exception of one, there are at least one, if not 2 resorts who share the beaches for each. The water in the lagoons are protected by rocks, so you never get any crashing waves at any of them. This make it nice for families and children. Plus this is the leeward side of the island so the wave, I don't think are ever really large to begin with. The Hawaii Five-O style waves are on the north shore or the windward side of the island. One of the adults only infinity pools looking out over the ocean Another of the adult pools. We hung out here for the entire day on Thursday. One of the kid splash areas This is called the Menehune Bridge... I took this pic after 5:00 after they shut it down for the night, but during the week this seemed to be a hit with families with small kids. Hungry? They placed snack and food stands all around the place... This is Mama's Snack Stop. You could get hotdogs, chicken strips, fries, and drinks here. Across for Mama's was the Lava Shack. Here there was a self serve Dole Whip machine, and you could pick up bottled drinks and bagged snacks This Ulu Ulu, basically their grab and go quick serve joint. They always had breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings as well as the usual pastries, pre-made wraps and other snacks. Ashleigh fell in love with the 1/4 pineapple they usually had everyday. I kind of enjoyed them myself, and we will see one in action later on. They also have the self serve drink stations for the "drink as long as you stay" mugs that are for sale all over the place. I don't think they use the chipped versions like they do at WDW resorts. Here is the eating area for Ulu Ulu. There are few places here at Aulani that are completely enclosed inside. For each major restaurants or eating areas, at least one wall or more is completely open to the outdoors. This is Ama Ama, their sit down, non buffet restaurant. We didn't eat here for dinner, but did do breakfast one morning. As you can see, it is open air as well. The entire restaurant looks out onto the beach. Here is our view from breakfast one morning I may have posted this pic earlier, but here is another view we had from breakfast that morning. That's all I have for tonight... Will try to work on this tomorrow sometime. I have to travel to Miami again and will be there over the weekend, so I should have time to work on some more pics. Good Night Everybody! Mahalo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Duane, you didn't need my camera at Aulani. Your pictures are gorgeous! Looking forward to more. When our kids were little we loved going to the Minnie's Menehune breakfast at the Poly. I never knew what a menehune was until this morning. I was watching "Full House." The family was in Hawaii, and Stephanie was talking about menehunes. And I sign on here and see your picture of the Menehune Bridge! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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