Pros and Cons of Aulani, Disney’s Hawaiian Resort

Posted by Jul 20, 2016 Disney Dining, Disney Resort, Disney Tips , , , , , , , , , , , 223 Comments
Pros and Cons of Aulani, Disney’s Hawaiian Resort

When I got engaged, I told my then-fiancé that I’ve always wanted to get married at Disney World. Ever since I was a little girl, I envisioned myself getting married at the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Florida. However, he didn’t like that idea at all. Can you believe that?! Ugh. So we regrouped and compromised (because that’s what marriage is all about, right?) and decided to get married in Hawaii. And of course that meant going to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii. There are both pros and cons to Aulani, so let’s get to them!

Pros Cons
  • It’s gorgeous. Seriously. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful this resort is. If you’ve ever been to the Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World, I would describe Aulani as the Polynesian on steroids. Get ready to see the most breathtaking sunsets of your life. Plus, the details Disney put into this resort is unlike anything I’ve seen before. And that’s saying a lot because it’s Disney we’re talking about!
  • The food is amazing. If you know me, you know I love Disney’s all-you-can-eat restaurants and buffets, so I really loved Aulani’s buffet, Makahiki. The word Makahiki comes from a Hawaiian festival of abundance, and there is definitely an abundance of food and flavors. I highly recommend both the prime rib and the bread pudding.
  • Scared that a Disney resort means you won’t be able to relax without screaming kids running around? Fear not. Aulani offers an adult-only pool and bar area.
  • There are so many activities like being entertained by hula dancers, listening to stories around a fire pit and watching movies under the stars that you will certainly never be bored!
  • Meet and greet with your favorite characters. Um, hello. This is Disney. Did you think you were going to fly all the way to Hawaii and not see Mickey Mouse and his pals? Come on! And they’re decked out in festive aloha gear.
  • It’s in the middle of nowhere. It takes about an hour to get there from anywhere or anything you’d want to see on Oahu. It’s on the leeward side of the island, which is not close to anything. It’s far from Waikiki (where all the action is), the North Shore (where the best surfing is) and the windward side (where all the best scenery is).
  • It’s EXPENSIVE. Disney is expensive. Hawaii is expensive. A Disney resort in Hawaii is REALLY expensive. 14 of my family members rented this house on the water for the same it costs to get a suite in Aulani, and another six stayed in this house for the same as Aulani’s standard room. The cheapest room at the cheapest time of year is going to cost you $469 at Aulani, and it only goes up from there.

As you can see, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Sure, there might be nothing to do outside of the resort and it is really expensive, but with everything there is to do at Aulani, you won’t need to go outside the resort and spend extra money to be entertained. But if you do want to get out and see more and save some money, you could always spend just a couple days at Aulani and spend the rest of your time on Oahu at another resort or rental house on a different part of the island. But I definitely think you need to at least visit Aulani once and experience the magic. And seriously, can you imagine a more beautiful spot for wedding photos?

Aulani lobby

Disney Aulani Wedding

Aulani balcony


Hawaiian wedding

Hawaii wedding

Aulani wedding

Aulani sunset wedding

Aulani Makahiki

What a great place to spend time with family!

Aulani Pros and Cons

Animal Kingdom Penthouse

Posted by Jul 10, 2016 Disney Resort, Disney Tips , , , , , , , , , , , , , 237 Comments
Animal Kingdom Penthouse

One of the coolest experiences I ever had at Walt Disney World was when my family got upgraded from a one-bedroom suite at Animal Kingdom’s Kidani Village to the two-story, three-bedroom penthouse with two living rooms, a dining room, a kitchen and four bathrooms. I wouldn’t even call it a hotel room. It was bigger than my house. And let’s not forget about the view. I think we saw more animals from our three balconies at Kidani Village than we did at Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom. Want a peek at what the penthouse at Animal Kingdom’s Kidani Village looks like? Check out these photos.

Animal Kingdom Living Room

This is the living room on the first floor. You can see the dining area and kitchen in the background as well.

Animal Kingdom room

Here is one of the three bedrooms. I wish I took more photos so you could see all the beautiful details, but of course at the time I didn’t know I was going to have a Disney blog, haha.

Animal Kingdom Kidani Village

While my mom relaxed, I couldn’t stop checking out the view.

Animal Kingdom view

And this is why. Look at all those zebras and giraffes! They fed the animals right outside our window.

Animal Kingdom balcony

My brother, husband and I were all so excited about our upgrade.

Animal Kingdom breakfast

We had enough space for eight of us. In the morning, we had room service delivered, and it was actually really reasonable and not expensive at all. I think it wound up being around $15 each, including tons of food, juice and coffee, all served by a private butler who set the table and made extra pots of coffee in the kitchen. She was really great and super friendly.

Animal Kingdom dining room

Animal Kingdom kitchen

Check out some more photos from our three-bedroom villa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village.

Animal Kingdom bathroom

This is one of the four full bathrooms.

Animal Kingdom staircase

Here’s the staircase to the second floor.

Animal Kingdom landing

When you walked up the stairs, this was the landing.

Animal Kingdom couch

View of the living room from the second floor.

Afrique

One of the beautiful pieces of art.

Animal Kingdom Lodge view

Animal Kingdom chair

View from Animal Kingdom Penthouse

Happiest 4th of July on Earth

Posted by Jul 5, 2016 Disney Tips , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments
Happiest 4th of July on Earth

I love going to Disney World pretty much any day of the year, but it is a little extra special to go on a holiday. Here are some photos from my trip to Disney for the 4th of July. It was pretty crowded and really hot, but I love seeing all the patriotic décor around Magic Kingdom.

4th of july tinkerbell

Where else would you expect me to be on the 4th of July? Ha! Check out my patriotic outfit: blue tank top with white stars, red shorts and Magic Band. And I know you can’t tell in this picture, but my blue Mickey ears actually light up like fireworks — get it?! I’m such a nerd. 😛


Of course I had to get a red, white and blue snack too. As much as I love the Nutella waffles from Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom, I’m not sure it was the best choice to have a hot treat on such a hot day. I would, however, highly recommend it in the fall or winter. It’s amazingly delicious.

Ice cream probably would have been a better choice. Can’t go wrong with the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor!


How freaking cute is Cinderalla’s carriage? And the Independence Day sign was a nice touch!


It was so hot that I couldn’t stay the whole day, just for the morning. But it was still worth it! Going to Disney for a few hours is better than not going to Disney at all. That’s my motto.

God bless America (and Disney World)!