Aulani split stay

[tom1944]

Have any of you used Aulani as part of a split stay? I am considering buying a small contract and am thinking of going to Oahu and using Aulani for 5 days and paying cash at different hotels as part of another 5 days either on Oahu or one of the other islands. I would use 3 years of points for the 5 days.

I want to just stick my toes into the commitment on the initial purchase and see how we like it. I could always purchase additional points or just use the small contract combined with my SSR points at WDW if we limit our Hawaii trips.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'm not a fan of split stays, either at Aulani, or elsewhere. But when we go to Aulani from the east coast we do try to go out a couple of days before our Aulani stay begins. We spend a couple of nights in a Waikiki hotel for those two nights. It works to stretch the points and helps us adjust to Hawaii time.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Since I have a rental car and enough DVC points to cover a week in Oahu, I don't feel a split stay is necessary. Most tourist points on Oahu are reasonably close to Aulani, especially if you plan around rush hour.

 

[Bucketfoot]

Did a split stay our first time to Aulani and will again on our upcoming trip.

The first time was Oahu only and we spent the first part of the trip at Waikiki Beach before moving to Aulani. In September we will be staying in a condo on Maui before heading to Aulani.

 

[tom1944]

Did a split stay our first time to Aulani and will again on our upcoming trip.

The first time was Oahu only and we spent the first part of the trip at Waikiki Beach before moving to Aulani. In September we will be staying in a condo on Maui before heading to Aulani.

This is what I am thinking. I am not sure I want to commit to a significant point total.

I want to try a 5 day trip to Aulani every 3 years combined with 5 days elsewhere on the Islands.

 

[VGCgroupie]

This is what I am thinking. I am not sure I want to commit to a significant point total.

I want to try a 5 day trip to Aulani every 3 years combined with 5 days elsewhere on the Islands.

Keep your eyes out for a subsidized resale at Aulani, best of both worlds.. extra Aulani points and cheap dues for stays at other resorts.

 

[jimmymc]

I haven't done a split stay, but I have stayed other places on Oahu, and they were nice. I think Turtle Bay area is a great place to split it with, since you cover both sides of the island.

 

[WinterSolider]

Aulani or not, I wouldn't buy any DVC contract where you need to bank and borrow three years worth of points and still won't get a full week out of it. There are too many logistical hassles when it comes to booking and you leave yourself with zero flexibility.

Hypothetically, what happens to your perfectly calculated three year bank/borrow plan if the points charts shift and your target dates get even slightly more expensive? What happens if the airline you prefer changes their flight plan and forces a date change?

I don't think it would be wise to pick something to "try" that you can only actually use once every 3 years because it's going to take you 6 years, which is an eternity, just to get two data points in your trial. This is much more of a commitment than just buying a contract in the first place that you can sell if you decide that Aulani isn't for you.

I also wouldn't mess with a split stay for your first trip. Because if something doesn't feel quite right about it, you're not going to know if it's because you didn't like the split stay or something about Aulani itself just wasn't for you. When we did our first Aulani trip, we learned that we wanted more nights, not fewer (started with 7 and our trips since have been 8). We just did the Big Island, also for 8 nights, and found that length to be perfect for us. Even though a 5/5 split stay is longer in total than a single 8 night stay, I think it feels much faster because you're not able to mentally unwind for the first half since you have to be prepared for the logistics of checking out and another flight, etc.

I'm not a fan of split stays, either at Aulani, or elsewhere. But when we go to Aulani from the east coast we do try to go out a couple of days before our Aulani stay begins. We spend a couple of nights in a Waikiki hotel for those two nights. It works to stretch the points and helps us adjust to Hawaii time.

A different perspective, especially with kids, is that we intentionally try *not* to fully adjust to Hawaii time. We take advantage of waking up super early, eating "dinner" during late lunch or happy hour windows, and getting to bed early as things start to shut down anyways. I feel that this makes the return home easier.

 

[mort1331]

You mentioned that you have SSR points, why not use them. We used ours for 10 nights there in Aug no issue.

 

[tom1944]

You mentioned that you have SSR points, why not use them. We used ours for 10 nights there in Aug no issue.

I might. I am thinking I may want to go to Aulani about every 3 years and use points at the 11-month window for that. Aulani points over what I need could be combined with my SSR points for my WDW stays.

I might not buy anything and just use my SSR points for stays at WDW every other year with an occasional Aulani stay. I have some extra cash, and I like to consider all possible options.

We have gone to Disney the last 3 years and our current plan is to skip in 2026 but at the right price maybe we do every other year at WDW and some type of Aulani rotation.

I do not think we want to go WDW one-year Aulani the next because we are thinking of taking vacations for cash in Canada, South America, Asia and Europe so I am thinking of what will work.

I would rather have points set that on occasion I might pay cash to meet our 10-day vacation. For example, this year I added cash for a 4-day cruise and in the future, we might add cash for some portion at Universal.

I would rather start with a small purchase to see how it works and how I find the commitment financially.

 

[DisneyDad0315]

Have any of you used Aulani as part of a split stay? I am considering buying a small contract and am thinking of going to Oahu and using Aulani for 5 days and paying cash at different hotels as part of another 5 days either on Oahu or one of the other islands. I would use 3 years of points for the 5 days.

I want to just stick my toes into the commitment on the initial purchase and see how we like it. I could always purchase additional points or just use the small contract combined with my SSR points at WDW if we limit our Hawaii trips.

We own 100 point contract at Aulani and go every year. That's enough for 4 nights a year and we will stay at Waikiki for 4 additional nights. We always split stay Oahu. We fly from the West Coast so the flight is not difficult and we usually get it under $300 direct round trip

 

[tom1944]

We own 100 point contract at Aulani and go every year. That's enough for 4 nights a year and we will stay at Waikiki for 4 additional nights. We always split stay Oahu. We fly from the West Coast so the flight is not difficult and we usually get it under $300 direct round trip

We are in NJ so the travel is an issue. That is one reason I am hesitant.

I will see how the 7 month window looks next January because that could impact my decision.

 

[WinterSolider]

We are in NJ so the travel is an issue. That is one reason I am hesitant.

I will see how the 7 month window looks next January because that could impact my decision.

JFK to HNL direct on Hawaiian Airlines is extremely convenient and affordable that time of year.

But 7-month availability is going to be pretty bad for Studios and/or the lower view categories.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

JFK to HNL direct on Hawaiian Airlines is extremely convenient and affordable that time of year.

But 7-month availability is going to be pretty bad for Studios and/or the lower view categories.

Same feelings about Hawaiian Airlines when I do the BOS to HNL direct flight

 

[PlutoNotPlanet]

The first time was Oahu only and we spent the first part of the trip at Waikiki Beach before moving to Aulani.

We've done a split stay although unpacking and packing is such a hassle. There are other funs to have at Oahu if you haven't get bored with all of them. If we live on the west coast that we can visit frequently, we might do differently. I would second Waikiki Beach area.

the commitment on the initial purchase

If you can use SAP of your other contracts and booking at 7 month is not a problem, that would be easier.
Or you can rent for points if you don't want such commitment to Aulani.
Or you can buy subsidized contract and use as SAP while you can get home resort priority every couple years.

subsidized resale at Aulani

BTW, I think EWR-HNL direct flight falls in the UA domestic flight category, meaning sometimes it takes 25k miles for a 10+hour round trip

 

[Amyunder]

We are in NJ so the travel is an issue. That is one reason I am hesitant.

I will see how the 7 month window looks next January because that could impact my decision.

We are in NC and go every other year. We have 160 points which is enough for a one bedroom a week (320 total more or less). By owning there you have more flexibility on views which can really have different point costs. We go for 10 days and usually start out at the Surfjack in Waikiki because (being on east coast time) we need the lights and activity of the city to help keep us up the first couple nights. It's also a nice spot to get to things on the windward side/Diamond head area so we don't have to deal with city traffic once we head to aulani. We will still hit the north shore and makaha from there but we don't head back towards town till it's time to leave

 

[abdgeek]

Have any of you used Aulani as part of a split stay? I am considering buying a small contract and am thinking of going to Oahu and using Aulani for 5 days and paying cash at different hotels as part of another 5 days either on Oahu or one of the other islands. I would use 3 years of points for the 5 days.

I want to just stick my toes into the commitment on the initial purchase and see how we like it. I could always purchase additional points or just use the small contract combined with my SSR points at WDW if we limit our Hawaii trips.

There’s nothing wrong with doing a split stay at Aulani. Depending on traffic, the resort is 45 minutes to one hour from Waikiki. Aulani is one of my home resorts and I only stay there when I plan on staying at the resort or doing things near the resort. If most of what I want to do is in Waikiki, I stay there. In my early days of going to Hawaii I stayed at Aulani, but was driving to Waikiki everyday to sightsee and have dinner. It got old very quickly.

I would recommend that you purchase enough points to stay at Aulani for a week during high season for the view and size room you want. Don’t forget that your points can also be used to do a vacation exchange through Interval International. I do that all the time in Hawaii and always island hop when I go. A lot of vacation exchanges are only 150 points for a one bedroom for a week.

 

[Bucketfoot]

We've done a split stay although unpacking and packing is such a hassle. There are other funs to have at Oahu if you haven't get bored with all of them. If we live on the west coast that we can visit frequently, we might do differently. I would second Waikiki Beach area.

My biggest problem with going to Aulani is that I really have no desire to visit Oahu other than going there. There is nothing appealing to me about Honolulu.

 

[PlutoNotPlanet]

My biggest problem with going to Aulani is that I really have no desire to visit Oahu other than going there. There is nothing appealing to me about Honolulu.

One plan we have is to spend a few days in Kauai and then chill in Aulani

 

[WinterSolider]

My biggest problem with going to Aulani is that I really have no desire to visit Oahu other than going there. There is nothing appealing to me about Honolulu.

You can very, VERY easily spend 10+ days on Oahu and never set foot in Honolulu once you leave the airport.