Tips for Disney Aulani

Aloha!

If you are looking for a Hawaiian island vacation, with a Disney touch- then Aulani is a perfect fit. We have our top 10 tips when staying at Aulani, so you can make the most of relaxing and enjoying your visit.

Our Top Tips for Aulani

Lounge Chairs sometimes are hard to come by (especially in busy season) around the pools. Our favorite spot to get a chair is the area to the left of the main pool (if your facing the ocean), in front of AMA AMA. It’s quieter and has umbrellas for shade too! It’s easy access to the pools, adult hot tubs overlooking the ocean AND to the beach! You can start at 7 am to sit and put your stuff on a chair, just don’t be that person that saves 10 chairs for 4 people!
You need a new wristband to use the pool etc. each day of your stay and the line in the morning can be long. But there is a trick! You can get the next days wristband in the afternoon (when the line is super short) for the following day. You can get these at the same place you get towels,so pick up a towel at the same time and save yourself a ton of time in the morning.
Want to watch the Luau but don’t want to fork out all of your budget to buy tickets? Instead choose an Island Garden View room when renting Disney Vacation Club, and request a room overlooking the Luau garden. You can sit on your balcony, eat a regular priced meal (we ordered doordash) and enjoy all of the entertainment from the Luau too! Lower floors (2-7) are better for viewing than others.
By far the best value for a family meal is the whole pizza at ULU CAFE. Starting at $20 for a huge whole pizza, you can order right at this quick service and either eat it at any of the tables, or take it back to your villa. It could easily serve four, which is a fantastic value in Hawaii.
If you are planning on staying a long time at the resort, consider purchasing a refillable drink mug. At $20, it’s a really good deal for soda (they have multiple coke freestyle machines), coffee and tea. It’s also a fun souvenir to bring home after.
If you want to see Turtles, take a short walk down the street to Paradise beach cove. It’s a little hard to find so here are our best instructions. Walking out of Aulani, turn left and walk down to the main street. Then take a left and walk on the sidewalk. Continue to walk on the main street past the light (you’ll see the strip mall with ABC and Eggs and things on the opposite side). Continue walking until the parking lot for paradise cove Luau. Turn into the parking lot and in the back is a small sign for the path to the cove. It’s a great swimming and snorkeling cove with a good chance of Turtles.
Aulani is in a quiet area of Hawaii, so if it’s your first time visiting the islands, rent a car to explore. Bonus if that every DVC rental comes with free parking (up to two cars for free! Renting cars can be pricey, so also consider Touro.com to compare costs.
Join a couple of Facebook groups- There are a couple of groups we suggest for planning. The first is Aulani planning group. They are great to answer any questions you might have about the resort (or you can ask us too!) and have great tips on where to eat, transportation, etc. The second is a pay it forward group for the resort. People post items when they are leaving (like water, soda, snacks) and also beach toys, snorkel equipment, that they don’t have room for in their checked bags.
Don’t miss out of some of the free activities and tours! We had the best time at our Ukulele lesson Sign ups are at the community hall (close to the elevators pool level). Make sure to sign up early as space is limited. You can even check out a Ukulele for the length of your stay to practice.
Have a late flight home? Not to worry! You can use the pool/beach all day, and tell the front desk that you would like to use the lounge that day. There are showers, couches and a TV to use.