Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa

Always enjoy the lazy pool.

Really beautiful grounds, and beautiful resort with fantastic rooms. But be aware that if you book a “standard” view, there is a good chance it will be a mostly blocked view. Our standard view room is mostly just looking at the side of a building (two stories up from lobby floor) for the next two weeks. So keep this in mind when booking! On the positive side, since I now won’t spend the any of trip sitting on the porch enjoying the view, it will definitely encourage us to leave the resort a lot more and explore the rest of beautiful Oahu!

Prior to my visit, I was confident Disney’s top-notch customer service and attention to detail would be the factors that distinguished Aulani from other resorts. Though it goes without saying Aulani is a beautiful property, the amenities are worth nowhere close to the given price tag, and the Disney standard for hospitality / customer service was sorely lacking. The good things about Aulani (nice beaches, pools, and sunsets) could be found at an island resort at another destination for half the cost and significantly better customer service. I’m not joking when I say the Polynesian at WDW was more like what I expected an actual Hawaiian resort to be (and at least I got a complimentary lei there, unlike Aulani!). During my stay, I stayed in both a studio and one of the hotel rooms available to book with DVC points. The studio was cute and very similar to ones I’ve stayed in at other DVC resorts, both in the design of the room and amenities. The hotel room, however, was pretty beat and not worth the price tag at all (stained furniture, half-working shower head, dollar-store shower curtain, dust, etc.); it looked like it had been a while since attention was given to the room. It’s worth noting that, had I paid cash, both of these rooms would’ve cost $750 a night during the relative “low” season; to be blunt, the room didn’t feel like it was worth half that price. Though trivial details don’t make or break a vacation, they reflect the limited effort put into offering an experience that matches the premium price tag. In terms of resort offerings, the beach was one of the few places that had a “paradise” feel; likewise, the infinity pool overlooking the beach was an oasis. The lazy river was nice at times, though often became filled with debris and kids messing around with inner tubes as the day went on (which also made it hard to find a tube at times). Beyond the pools, room tours, and character spots, it was hard to find an activity that wasn’t a “premium experience” (i.e., extra money). The amount of adults who signed up for ukelele lessons admittedly because it was a free activity (pretty much the entire room) was hysterical and reflected the limited nature of complimentary offerings. I didn’t travel with kids, but I can’t imagine how much would’ve been spent if opting to do the various paid offerings (and before thinking you can just tell your kids “no” to all of these activities, the plenty of screaming/crying kids around the resort will tell you otherwise - the lifeguards were looking for a couple missing kids per day). Overall, I was disappointed in the staff at Aulani - the disdain for tourism was evident in quite a few, while others were friendly enough to play the game but seemed insincere. Across the course of my trip, I only had a handful of interactions with staff members that actually came off as genuine (gift shop and character attendants). The front desk staff was pretty stoic and not very welcoming or helpful. Weekend

Amazing hotel for the family - memories cherished. So many features of this hotel made the experience so unforgettable - Character breakfast - Lazy River tube ride - Beach - Lua’u (must book with hotel before 5pm) The resort has its own private beach access, this made the beach a special experience, Especially at sunset. Free body board hire for the beach. The character breakfast was so much fun. Professional photographers will snap your family and Mickey to remember the experience. Thank you will get a visit from Chef Pluto, Max and Chip n’ Dale. I recommend a Lua’u it’s catered for children with lots of activities from taro making to tattooing. Everyone is welcomed with beads and a wrist Lai. The show is incredible and the storyline is easy to follow and so enjoyable to watch. Get in early, the queue is long. The show is 3hrs (5pm-9pm) kids may fall asleep in your lap.

This place is a circus with incredibly rude pool staff. We booked a villa for 5 nights and paid over $1,200 a night. They make you wear wristbands just to go in the pool. On our third day there, I took my autistic 4-year-old to the pool, but we left our wristbands upstairs. The pool staff kept harassing us to go get our bands. I explained to them that I had an autistic boy, and there was nobody to help me with him. They didn't care and made us get out of the pool, at which point my autistic son had a tantrum. If that isn't enough, Aulani is a chaotic jungle. It's crowded, filthy, and way too noisy to have any peace of mind. Disney once epitomized family-friendly hospitality but has significantly declined, as evidenced by their falling stock prices. It is disgraceful how they harassed a family already coping with the challenges of raising an autistic child. They show no empathy whatsoever. Avoid this place at all costs. You would receive far better treatment and respect at a Motel 6.

Let’s start off by saying we are DVC members and love Disney. Not everyone is a Disney fan but this resort for us was wonderful. We had a 2 bedroom unit and it was great for us and our two university age daughters. They loved having their own room, bathroom and balcony. We enjoyed cooking a few meals together and the ease of doing laundry when we needed during our week long stay.the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The only problem we had was our door would not open with the Aulani app. We had to carry a physical key with us throughout the visit. My husband did buy a magic band and it would open the room door but the phones never synced even after staff tried to fix the issue. No biggie for us. I didn’t feel as if the resort was overrun with kids and that’s probably because we chose to go before many schools let out for the summer. The pool areas are nice. It would be an added benefit to have an adult only pool area as many kids still frequent all the pools. We enjoyed the beach in front of Aulani and meals on the property. The Mickey shaved ice was a hit with all of us during our stay. It did rain most every day we were there in May but we still had a great time. We enjoyed many of the activities on property such as the hula lessons, cultural walk, art tour and the story telling around the fire.

We had a wonderful stay at Aulani. The beds were comfortable and we had a fantastic view (garden view hotel room on top floor). All cast members we encountered were very sweet. Loved the swan and anniversary card that greeted us in the room. We enjoyed Off the Hook and Ulu Cafe. The character breakfast was delicious and fun! Also appreciated the restaurants and shops across the street. We found the lower veranda casabellas by Ama Ama quiet, relaxing with a wonderful view. We also had a great time at the Animation class.