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There have been some recent posts of people coming to visit the islands and are going to Aulani or doing the 4 island cruise. I think that has to be a bad introduction to the islands. Aulani is in the middle of nowhere and you'd pretty much miss the experience of Waikiki. It seems like you could find a closer "destination" resort from the mainland. As far as the cruise it seems that you are on the boat more than off. On the Carribean cruise I did I saw the island trips pretty much an interuption of the cruise with all the transporting and time limits. I can see the allure of staying in one place. When I first came to the islands I took a land tour that visited 4 islands but we flew between islands. It was nice in that we just had to pack and hour before leaving and luggage was picked up in our room and was in the next room before we arrived. There was generally a "tour" from the airport to the hotel which was pretty much to allow time for our bags to get there before us but the tours were actually pretty nice. One was just a beachside lunch on Maui (get your Maui Chips) and that was very nice.
For people that have visited before do you think a first trip on a cruise or Aulani is the way to go?
There have been some recent posts of people coming to visit the islands and are going to Aulani or doing the 4 island cruise. I think that has to be a bad introduction to the islands.
People who generally go to Aulani are people with children who want the kids to have the Disney experience and Disney Vacation Club members. Waikiki isn't exactly appealing to a lot of people with little kids - and it is no picnic to vacation in Orlando in the middle of summer when it is basically a sauna amd I definitely wouldn't recommend S. Cal either. The Four Seasons is under construction right next door - so the area is definitely up and coming.
And cruises - some people like the structure - the meals - entertainment - activities - and don't want to spend $80+ per person each way for a flight - rent a car - pack, repack - etc.
Well I have not been to Aulani but have visited Disneyland, Disney World and Epcot. I can't imagine Aulani being an alternative to them unless you've been to all of them and have been to Hawaii repeatedly. Ten hours of flight minimum with children? I would think a Hilton Hawaiian experience would be better for both children and parents. Plus those Disney places are open year round so you don't have to visit in the summer.
As far as cruises you can have that structure with a shorter/cheaper flight to Ft. Lauderdale or Houston. It doesn't seem like the itinerary is really Hawaii friendly.
My question is would you consider a visit to just cruise or stay at Aulani worth the trip from the mainland if this was your first and possibly only trip to Hawaii? I visited the Grand Canyon with a day flight from Vegas to a tour bus. This was because I took my folks that have mobility problems. It was nice but even though I have been to the Grand Canyon I really don't claim that I have experienced the Grand Canyon. That's my same thinking about the cruise and/or Aulani. What do you think?
I just checked Google Maps and it looks like Four Seasons Hotels has bought the JW Marriot. I've stayed at that JW and it was beautiful. When it was new, it was stunning. Second time was different. The Aulani was now there and the JW was pretty vacant but the beach and the lagoon was crowded with the Aulani visiters. Most beaches can handle a crowd, but the lagoon isn't that big and the Aulani sail boat and rafts and water toys didn't work for me. Maybe the Four Seasons can expand that small beach just west of the hotel.
I'm not a cruise person so I'd never do a cruise in Hawaii. I also wouldn't stay at Ko'Olina for my whole vacation. I would suggest a land cruise of Oahu for someone coming to Hawaii; stay on Waikiki for a few days, move to one of the Kolina hotels for a few and finish off with a VRBO or HomeAway rental on the North Shore or Kailua.
Don't get stuck in Aulani the whole time. Stay in Waikiki, do a few tours , figure out what you want to do the next time. No one comes to Hawaii only once.
Well, if you cruise through the islands, you'll get a glimpse of a few of them. Your time in port is pretty limited, but cruising is an easy way to get around. Several days on an island would also be good, so a cruise and land stay would be good, IMHO.
However, what sort of vacation do you want? Some folks like to go to an inclusive report and experience fantasy land. Other folks are looking for culture and history. Other folks just want to bar hop in lalaland. So until we know what sort of vacation the specific visitors want, it's kinda hard to recommend anything.
Everyone wants different things for their vacation stay. The Aulani is great when you have kids, but if it's your first trip I would think Waikiki is the best idea.
The cruise is nice. I didn't like it as much as ships that fly under a foreign flag (service). It's a great way to visit each island without the stress of flying and constantly packing. It stay two days on two islands, then day stops for the rest (Kaui, Maui, Hilo and Kona).
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Why would anybody go to Aulani? There are other islands where they have natural beaches (Aulani ones are artificial), no traffic, and other things to do
My wife and I had been living on Oahu (quite near Aulani actually) for two-and-a-half years when we decided we wanted to get a feel for the other islands. Neither of us are cruise-people types (that is social drinkers [some might say heavy drinkers], like loud music, party-hearty types, definitely don't like getting dressed up [but on Norwegian you don't have to], etc.) but decided Norwegian's circle island tour, which departs Honolulu every Sat. would offer a good sampler of the other islands.
The cruise sails mainly during the night so you arrive at new ports almost every morning. You get one-and-a-half days on Maui, two days on the Big Island (one day each in Hilo and Kona), and one-and-a-half days on Kauai. The only daytime departure is from Kauai back to Honolulu so they can sail past the Na'pali coast during the afternoon.
Our expectations of not really being cruise types was fully fulfilled (average food, lack of any place quiet, shuttled around like a herd of cattle) but the ship did offer our nightly accommodations, so we knew every day where we'd be returning to, a big advantage to a whirlwind tour in my mind.
On Maui and Kauai, because of having a day-and-a-half on each, we left the tour groups behind and rented through (pre-reservation) our own car to see as much of those islands as we could. We were able to take in Kauai almost entirely and got to see about half (the west end and up-country) of Maui.
As a "sampler" of what Hawaii has to offer, especially for a first timer with intentions of returning, I would very much recommend this way to go. Each island has it's own, very unique atmosphere, and in seven days you get a feel for what each of these are about in all their diversity. You'll likely find your own favorite island and then you can return to the state more educated about what your very-own Hawaii feels like.
It sounds like you are only giving us a choice of Aulani or cruise. So based on that only I would suggest doing a minimum of a two island vacation. Stay at Aulani if you like for 2-3 days and then fly to another island of your choice. Each island has its own personality so you will get a different experience at each place. Personally, I would not stay at Aulani unless the Disneyland experience is what you are looking for. Like others stated here, staying in Waikiki might be more pleasurable for you. The choice is yours, however.
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