Aulani - A Disney Resort & Spa' Discussion Thread

Hey everybody!

This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Aulani - A Disney Resort & Spa, this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion.

Official Resort Website

Below are some links to past updates from the resort, you may be interested in. Enjoy!

--Robb

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2005

February 18th, 2005 - Disney testing group vacations in Hawaii and Wyoming

2008

October 16th, 2008 - Disney unveils plans for Hawaiian resort

2010

January 19th, 2010 - Disney reveals new details for 800-room Aulani resort

2013

January 20th, 2013 - New details on Aulani expansion released!

October 21st, 2013 - Ka Maka Landing now open at Aulani

2014

March 18th, 2014 - Aulani: The Music of the Makaʻala now downloadable!

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Original Post:

Disney is up to some weird stuff lately.....

Disney to Test Group Vacations in Hawaii, Wyoming

Fri Feb 18, 2005 03:00 AM ET

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) theme parks group, which has already expanded into cruise lines, will test leading group tours to Hawaii and Wyoming this summer, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

 

Disney plans to take about 400-450 veterans of its parks and ships on one-week tours in groups of 35 people or less, spokeswoman Lisa Haines told Reuters. She declined to comment on pricing but said the test trips would be at discount rates.

 

Mickey Mouse won't be hiking in the mountains or getting a tan on the beach, but Disney expects its reputation for service to draw crowds of customers nonetheless.

 

"We are experts in the family vacation, but you are not going to see (Disney) characters in places they shouldn't be," said parks spokeswoman Lisa Haines.

 

Disney will hire its own guides for the trips, which could form the beginning of a new business. The initial Hawaii trip will include visits to the big island of Hawaii, Oahu and Kauai, while the Wyoming trip will take in the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.

Have been to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Jackson Hole in Wyoming, can't think of anything that a family with younger kids, that Disney is known to cater to, will do out there in summer. We went in summer and there wasn't much to do, we white-water rafted down the Snake River, and horse-back rode in the Grand Tetons which were both awesome but both weren't targeted to younger kids... so I guess Disney is planning to start catering more to adults than to the family. IMO I don't think this will go to well.

^Who knows! They could do one of their "Alice in Wonderland Tea Parties" for the kids at the National Parks! Or how about rafting to a picnic where you go on a Disney Scavenger Hunt. There are really no limits to what they could do with this idea!

Elissa "there are so many Disney Enthusiasts it could work!" Alvey

As soon as I hear someone saying they are an 'expert' I roll my eyes and yawn because someone is missing the big picture.

I visited all those places as a kid (thanks to my parents). Disney trips won hands down.

You know a company is going in the shi**er when if fails to capitalize on its own unique market it created.

Was on the monorail today...being on those express trains from the parking lot to MK gives you a rare picture of BOTH parents and kids excited to go somewhere...it is magical.

Not sure how I found this article (I think during a search for another topic), but the D-CL has been stationed here off the coast of Maui (Kahului Harbor) for a couple of days and conducting "unofficial" tours around the island chain.

The ship(s) arrives during odd dates/times and there seems to be no clear way to track how often Disney does come, but some of the employees (and themepark management) have been seen trying many Hawaiian-local foods and I just have to laugh at their facial expressions.

There may be a link on Disney's cruise line regarding the trips to Hawaii and around the islands (I've heard prices as low as $450 a week!).

This is news? You guys could have asked me about this months ago.

http://abd.disney.go.com/abd/en_US/index

God, that audio is amazing.

^love the Hula Music..lol

The reason why I didn't see that earlier because the Hawaii (DCL) was a test market and they weren't sure if the cruise line would still have "any" of the Hawaii routes because our TSA (security) was trying to ban incomming cruise lines to ALL islands for some dumb-ass reason. Well, thats the HI. gov't at work.

But there are some offers out there even CHEAPER that the Disney website.

You can search on the Hawaii tourism sites and find links that are about 30% cheaper (even during winter-peak season). That is best time to come anyway, because the humpback whales come to Maui.

Heh! This has been going on for a bit. There were tests last year that went well so it is going forward on a semi-perm basis. These are designed as high-end family vacations. Really no disney touches except the guide and the planning. The general market for this is someone who gets a VIP guide (or would consider getting a VIP guide) when they visit WDW.

Not sure how I found this article (I think during a search for another topic), but the D-CL has been stationed here off the coast of Maui (Kahului Harbor) for a couple of days and conducting "unofficial" tours around the island chain.

 

The ship(s) arrives during odd dates/times and there seems to be no clear way to track how often Disney does come, but some of the employees (and themepark management) have been seen trying many Hawaiian-local foods and I just have to laugh at their facial expressions.

 

There may be a link on Disney's cruise line regarding the trips to Hawaii and around the islands (I've heard prices as low as $450 a week!).

Huh? The Disney Cruise Line is no where near Hawaii - they are on their normal Caribbean Itins.. The only outside the normal 3,4 and 7 day cruise plans are next years trips to Europe. Nada for Hawaii.

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts unveils plans for Hawaii resort: Pacific Business News

The resort will feature two towers, gardens, pools, water slides, a fake volcano caldera, spa, banquet and meeting space, and wedding facilities.

 

Disney film characters played by humans, such as mermaids, are expected to play a regular role at the resort.

 

This is Disney’s first vacation club-hotel venture to be separate from its theme parks in California, Florida and Japan. Disney also operates vacation clubs in Vero Beach, Fla., and Hilton Head, S.C.

Due to the beaches in Hawaii are public (with some exception to the military) and requires public access, I hope there's a large parking garage for the public. On second thought, I hope the public takes care of the beach!

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Wow that hotel ( especially the pool area) is beautiful.

The hotel itself looks really nice but a little generic IMO. The pool area though looks really nice though, and hopefully the public takes care of the beach like miniviews said.

^ They usually do, all the "public" beaches that I saw in Hawaii had life guards, waste management people, and lots of other stuff to make it work well. in Hawaii.

Also about the public beaches, I went to Oahu to see some "Lost" filming sites, and they filmed a lot on one specific beach, but of course you can't get to it. A lot of beach front on the North Shore is legally owned by the residents, aka NO TRESPASSING.

Nice, I think I'd stay in that hotel.

I'm from the Montana/Wyoming area, and I can only pray Disney would look into building a hotel complex in those areas. There is literally nothing on their level in those states/areas. For the most part, the areas around Yellowstone are not developed as well as they could be.

Disney's largest resort property not tied to a theme park finally has a name! More details continue to trickle in as we get closer to 2011, including the opening of a new resort preview website found here:

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/01/disney-names-hawaiian-resort-aulani/

The 800-plus room resort Disney is building in Hawaii has a new name: “Aulani.”

Disney announced the moniker today, as part of the ongoing promotional buildup for the hotel and time share. The resort broke ground last year and it will be the company’s biggest resort not tied in to a theme park. It is being built on the island of O’ahu.

Aulani, which means “the place that speaks for the great ones” or “the place that speaks with deep messages,” will have about 350 hotel rooms and about 480 Disney Vacation Club time-share units. The first phase is scheduled to open in fall 2011.

The official Disney Parks Blog has also released an update with some more information regarding the new resort:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/01/aloha-aulani-disneys-new-destination-resort-in-hawaii/

Aloha! I have the distinct pleasure today of sharing some exciting news from Hawai`i. Believe me, I only step away from the beach — I mean office — to share really important news. As you know, construction is well underway here on the Leeward Coast of O`ahu on Disney’s new family destination resort. For months, that’s what we’ve called it. Disney’s new family destination resort. Descriptive, but not too catchy.

 

That’s why I’m so excited to tell you that the place now has an official name: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai`i. The name Aulani, for you mainlanders, means “the place that speaks for the great ones” or “the place that speaks with deep messages,” and it reflects our company’s ongoing commitment to celebrating the great culture and traditions of these magnificent islands.

 

Our oceanfront resort, planned to feature 360 hotel rooms and 481 two-bedroom-equivalent Disney Vacation Club villas, is scheduled to open its first phase in fall 2011. Until then, you can stay up to speed online at www.DisneyAulani.com where you’ll find the latest updates, images and more. I’ll leave you to that as I head back to the beach. I mean conference room.

I've also added some screen captures from the new Disney Aulani website including some concept art and construction photos of the new resort.

https://twitter.com/DisneyAulani/status/349618055552323584/photo/1

Take a look at a sneak peek rendering of the new Ka Maka Landing, coming this fall to #Aulani!

Someday I will be able to afford a vacation to here, given the crazy rates...

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/10/new-ka-maka-landing-officially-opens-tomorrow-at-aulani-a-disney-resort-spa/

Hele mai – come this way – and celebrate the official opening of our new Ka Maka Landing here at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.

 

This week, we have hosted more than 100 television, radio, print and online media to showcase our spectacular new pool and dining location. Ka Maka Landing is stunning addition to our Waikolohe Valley, adding an infinity pool and a dynamic splash zone to existing slides, pool, Waikolohe Stream and Menehune Bridge. And donʻt forget that Ulu Cafe now provides great choices for your dining selections at Aulani for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

We were able to give sneak peeks to some of our resort guests, and the reaction has been unbelievable. They love swimming in a pool whose edge seems to blend with the horizon of the blue Pacific, and at night, the grotto lights up with stars – just like magic!

 

So, hele mai! Visit your travel agent or DisneyAulani.com and check out a chance to get your 4th night free with a consecutive four-night stay, along with free breakfasts each morning (for two adults) at Ulu Cafe during your stay. We look forward to seeing you here!

I am not a Hawaii person at all, but I suppose at some point I'll return, and when I do I'm sure we'll do it the 'Disney Way'!

It's a very very nice resort if you have the money for it. Perfect for families. But you definitely need a rental car!

One of my co-workers was at this resort 2 weeks ago, and she said it was beyond amazing!

The resort is a bit out of the way, but she rented a car and didn't mind.

She also said the restaurants on property were excellent. She said she couldn't wait to return.

Overall another Disney success!

Also my coworker has no children and just went with a 'friend' (For those who think that Disney anything means you have to kids in tow)

Good Times!

Looks like a really nice place but for me it is on the wrong island. I have no desire to go back to Oahu.

I had no urge to visit Hawaii until this resort was announced. Hope I can afford it one day!

Hawaii is a great place to visit but Oahu is my least favorite of the four Hawaiian islands I've been too. I still liked Oahu, but not as much as the other islands. Of all the people that I've talked to that been to HI the only ones that weren't crazy about it were the ones that only went to Oahu and spent most of their time in Honolulu. I can see why they built this on Oahu; most population, most infrastructure, and most flights. But I feel this resort would have also been successful on Maui.

Maui and Kauai have nicer beaches and Kauai has a lot of nice things to see even if you don't like the beach and amazing helicopter tours. The Big Island has an active volcano where you can get really close to active lava flow which was a really cool experience.