Is Aulani Disney themed?

[Clairracuda]

Of course Aulani is Disney and the characters are there and everything, but I heard that the rooms and area aren't themed (hidden Mickeys, etc.). Is this true? I'm really hoping that the people I've heard this from just don't know what to look for...

 

[jtba]

no no, there are hidden mickeys in the hotel rooms.





and if i recall correctly one of the lamps is mickey-shaped.

someone else described it best: aulani is hawaii with a touch of disney, rather than disney with a touch of hawaii.

 

[Clairracuda]

no no, there are hidden mickeys in the hotel rooms.

View attachment 173891

View attachment 173890

and if i recall correctly one of the lamps is mickey-shaped.

someone else described it best: aulani is hawaii with a touch of disney, rather than disney with a touch of hawaii.

I'm glad to hear it and thank you for the response and pictures. That quilt is awesome!

 

[cmph]

Hidden Mickeys in the artwork in the bathroom, too! And yes, the lamps are Mickey lamps. The water coolers at check-in have hidden Mickeys made from citrus slices arranged on the walls of the cooler. They're around! You'll be so charmed by the Hawaiian aspects, you won't miss Disney-overload in the decor, trust me. You can hunt for menehune hidden around, and hidden animals carved into the slides/lazy river areas.

Beyond the character meals and the scheduled character appearances, they really do wander around. We went to check out a board game, and Chip and Dale were just hanging out in the community room. Eating at Ama'Ama, Chip heard someone singing happy birthday and jumped to poke his head over the wall. Very cute!!

Also - you'll find Disney-themed food too. Ama'Ama's kid pancakes are big Mickey heads. Darth Vader cupcakes, Mickey head brownies and cookies, even Mickey head spam musubi at Ulu cafe.

I'm sure I'm forgetting more.

 

[Clairracuda]

Hidden Mickeys in the artwork in the bathroom, too! And yes, the lamps are Mickey lamps. The water coolers at check-in have hidden Mickeys made from citrus slices arranged on the walls of the cooler. They're around! You'll be so charmed by the Hawaiian aspects, you won't miss Disney-overload in the decor, trust me. You can hunt for menehune hidden around, and hidden animals carved into the slides/lazy river areas.

Beyond the character meals and the scheduled character appearances, they really do wander around. We went to check out a board game, and Chip and Dale were just hanging out in the community room. Eating at Ama'Ama, Chip heard someone singing happy birthday and jumped to poke his head over the wall. Very cute!!

Also - you'll find Disney-themed food too. Ama'Ama's kid pancakes are big Mickey heads. Darth Vader cupcakes, Mickey head brownies and cookies, even Mickey head spam musubi at Ulu cafe.

I'm sure I'm forgetting more.

It sounds like it's just more subtle, which is great as long as it still has that Disney Magic! It sounds beautiful. We are starting to plan a trip there next February, thank you for the response.

 

[cleophus12]

Disney themed, but not hit-you-over-the-head Disney themed. But you're not likely to forget you are at a Disney resort.

 

[Drusilla99]

It's VERY subtle...we are her now & love all the hidden mickeys in the room. It's day 4 and I still gave the seen a character roaming around and we've been laying at the beach, casabella, or the pool all day, everyday. My dd16 said yesterday "there needs to be a little more Disney." Don't get me wrong, we have fallen in love with the resort, but we like being hit over the head with it sometimes.

 

[E&Cmom]

Aulani emphasizes the Hawaiian culture and art which I believe it should. It has sprinkles of Disney enough to know it is a Disney resort but it is not in your face.

 

[Tink6666]

I am a huge Disney fan and was disappointed in the lack of Disney touches. I was also disappointed in the lack of "celebration" items. No mention by cast members of the 2 celebrations we had going on. We have always had those recognized when traveling to WDW. We will save our points for WDW in the future. We are leaving today from Aulani after a 5 night stay. Not worth the 2 years of points.

 

[keaster]

I love that Aulani is just enough Disney to let you know it's a Disney resort but not too much in your face. We are looking forward to returning there next year!

 

[Camshell]

Of course Aulani is Disney and the characters are there and everything, but I heard that the rooms and area aren't themed (hidden Mickeys, etc.). Is this true? I'm really hoping that the people I've heard this from just don't know what to look for...

I think of Disney as characters and stories. Aulani showcases the stories of Hawaii. The hotel tour is great at giving you the stories of the artwork and building design, which really bring the "story" alive. Without it I would not have even known what I was looking at had so much thought put into it. Everything you see in that hotel (particularly the public areas) has a story behind it. Aulani also introduces new characters into the mix - the Menehune (which are mythological little people from Hawaii), even though Disney didn't invent the character. My kids loved trying to find all the Menehune, they took pictures of everyone they found, around 80 or so. I believe there are 300 or so on site so we didn't find all of them. Searching for them is just as fun as looking for hidden Mickey's. I think the theming and stories are there, but you do need to educate yourself on them in order to best appreciate them.

 

[85glht]

no no, there are hidden mickeys in the hotel rooms.

View attachment 173891

View attachment 173890

and if i recall correctly one of the lamps is mickey-shaped.

someone else described it best: aulani is hawaii with a touch of disney, rather than disney with a touch of hawaii.

Well said! The resort is perfect in my eyes.

 

[Fuhnuh]

I love this resort. As far as theming, it reminds me a bit of the Grand Californian and a lot of the Animal Kingdom Lodge as far as regional/Disney theming balance. I agree with Cleophus 12 in that I can enjoy it as a beautiful resort, but never forget that I'm at a Disney property. This might also be things like the hidden Menehune are not technically Disney, but it feels a lot like Disney to search for them. The family always gets excited when we get the Menehune elevators. This December may be the first year since it opened that we won't be there. My wallet says "yay" but my heart secretly hope DD15 changes her mind about spending a night or two there (we are still going to Oahu, so adding a day or two is still possible).

 

[cmph]

I love this resort. As far as theming, it reminds me a bit of the Grand Californian and a lot of the Animal Kingdom Lodge as far as regional/Disney theming balance. I agree with Cleophus 12 in that I can enjoy it as a beautiful resort, but never forget that I'm at a Disney property. This might also be things like the hidden Menehune are not technically Disney, but it feels a lot like Disney to search for them. The family always gets excited when we get the Menehune elevators. This December may be the first year since it opened that we won't be there. My wallet says "yay" but my heart secretly hope DD15 changes her mind about spending a night or two there (we are still going to Oahu, so adding a day or two is still possible).

I said the same thing about AKL in comparison! The imagineers went to great efforts to pay homage to Hawaiian culture and make Aulani more special than the other chain resorts nearby, which is why we loved it. We love the parks, too, but we didn't go to Aulani to replicate that experience... We wanted a true Hawaiian vacation. It's probably not a great choice for anyone who wants a parks-like experience set in Hawaii. But even then, you may end up loving it without Mickey overload. DD wants to go there instead of the parks from now on!!

 

[hopemax]

At one point being Disney themed meant creating romanticized versions of reality. It's only been the last generation where Disney themed turned into having Disney character decorations everywhere. Over on the news & rumors boards, in the early 2000s we would have these death-match conversations over themed vs decorated, and if the All-Stars and Pop Century were abominations or not. But the crux was if Disney went too much in the direction of hidden Mickeys, oversized characters like at Movies or Art of Animation, and even things like Frozen in Norway would people recognize the old romanticized design philosophies (think places like New Orleans Square or the Epcot countries when they opened) as "Disney" or would they be "disappointed" by them. Personally, I think it's a shame that "Disney" has become pigeonholed into needing characters. That used to be only one aspect of the experience, "the sprinkles on the sundae, not the ice cream."

So Aulani is absolutely Disney themed, but I guess it depends on what one interprets as Disney themed.

 

[Diznygrl]

MTE, hopemax! I miss the days when people said something was or wasn't "Disney" enough it meant impeccable theming and high quality, not whether or not there were a bunch of characters and movie references all over the place.

I'm excited to visit Aulani to see Disney theming the way it's supposed to be done.

 

[North of Mouse]

Guess I'm not of the majority. If I'm doing 'Disney', prefer to be immersed all the way in 'Mickey & pals' stuff . For Hawaii, we want island theming all the way, not a mixture.
To each their own!

 

[bcla]

Disney to me means applying a high standard for a fantasy experience. They make things their own, and it's not necessarily about ties to characters from their movie/TV portfolio.

I mean - what was It's a Small World, Pirates of the Carribean, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Big Thunder, etc?

 

[Mokat76]

I am a huge Disney fan and was disappointed in the lack of Disney touches. I was also disappointed in the lack of "celebration" items. No mention by cast members of the 2 celebrations we had going on. We have always had those recognized when traveling to WDW. We will save our points for WDW in the future. We are leaving today from Aulani after a 5 night stay. Not worth the 2 years of points.

Completely disagree, but that's what makes life interesting, eh? What I liked best was the subtlety of the Mouse touches. The WDW quality/service were there. Hidden Mickeys were there, but it felt like a luxe Hawaiian resort with Disney flair, not a theme park hotel without a theme park. I found it refreshing after in-your-face theming at WDW and did not regret having spent two years worth of points. When I left Tuesday I only wished I'd had a few more days.