Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa: A Tropical Paradise in Hawaii

The beach and calm waters of Ko Olina at sunset

We visited the beautiful property of Disney Aulani resort for two nights at the end of February prior to boarding the Disney Wonder.

We stayed in a 1-bedroom DVC villa.  This size room has a full kitchen, king bed, full bathroom with jetted tub, and walk in shower.  In the living room is a full size pull-out sofa.  This room also has a twin size fold down bed.  This room would comfortably sleep a family of 5 with 1-2 smaller children.  This room has two different lanais, and ours happened to overlook both the ocean and the area in which they host the Aulani luau. 

We were able to sit on our balcony and watch the entire Luau show— for free!  This is a great perk of these rooms.

During our stay we also visited the 3-bedroom grand villas. These have one king bed in the master bedroom, two bedrooms with two queen beds each, a fold out (full size) sofa bed, and a twin fold out bed.  These rooms would sleep 12-13 people.  Their views of the ocean, at the very end of each tower, is stunning.  They have one very long lanai that runs the entire width of the rooms. 

The star of the resort is the pool and beach area.  The grounds are absolutely gorgeous.  They have a long lazy river area that have 1- and 2-person tubes (complimentary) that you can float in, and there are multiple slides that dump out into multiple pool areas.  There is a stunning infinity edge pool that looks out over the ocean.  Aulani also has a quieter adult only pool area that is heaven.  One knock on many resorts is the lack of chairs to lounge on, but Aulani does not have that problem.  There are chairs everywhere including plenty on the beach that look out to the private cut-out cove area in which you can snorkel or paddle board.  Those activities cost a small fee for renting the equipment.  The kids splash park area is lots of fun and large.  This resort really is perfect for families with kids age 3-12 years old.  All families would love it here, but those with younger kids would be perfect.

How Disney themed is it?  It is more island themed with some Disney touches such as characters like Stitch, Max, and, of course, Mickey & Minnie.  Aulani also has that classic Disney exceptional service.  Kids can go to the kid’s zone called Aunty’s Beach House, which is complimentary, while parents enjoy some alone time. 

The food at Aulani is also delicious.  Ama Ama Restaurant has unique island inspired dishes, and the view of the sunset on the ocean side patio is spectacular.  Off the Hook, a casual poolside restaurant, is another option and you can even do mobile ordering from this restaurant.  There are several bars throughout the resort for those wanting those delicious tropical refreshments.  An option we took advantage of is walking across the street from the resort and picking up food from the Island Marketplace in Ko Olina.  There are also a couple of non-Aulani restaurants next to the marketplace that were delicious. 

Pro Tip:  Three of the restaurants there do discounted Happy Hour prices from 3-5pm, so grab late lunch and drinks there to save a bit of money. 

I would say the ideal amount of time would be 5-6 nights.  There is so much to do on the island of Oahu from visiting Pearl Harbor, exploring the North Shore, lying on the legendary Waikiki Beach, taking a surf lesson, or enjoying fresh pineapple at the Dole plantation.  We can not wait to go back. This is truly an island paradise!!!

Are you ready to book your own Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa tropical paradise? Reach out to your favorite Upon a Star Travel Advisor or Contact Us for a Quote!

Upon a Star Travel Advisor Eric and his wife Delaina enjoying the views in Ko Olina!

Upon a Star Travel & Concierge Receives Disney's Earmarked Gold Status Again!

At Upon a Star Travel & Concierge, we are thrilled to announce that Upon a Star Travel & Concierge has once again been named a Disney Earmarked Gold Agency! 🏆✨

Disney Earmarked Gold status is awarded to travel agencies that have demonstrated superior knowledge, commitment, and excellence in booking Disney vacations. Earning this status means that our team has consistently gone above and beyond to help our clients plan the most seamless, stress-free, and unforgettable Disney experiences possible.

For our clients, this status means you are working with a trusted, highly-qualified Disney vacation expert — someone who understands the magic of Disney and can provide personalized recommendations tailored to their needs and dreams. Whether you're dreaming of a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Aulani in Hawaii, sailing on Disney Cruise Line, or any other Disney destination, we have the insider knowledge, exclusive benefits, and personalized attention to make your experience truly unforgettable.

We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing the magic of Disney to life for our amazing clients, and we can’t wait to help you plan your next Disney adventure! 🌟

Contact us today to start making your Disney dreams come true! 

New Dining Experiences Coming to Walt Disney World

Trattoria al Forno at Disney’s Boardwalk

This is a brand-new character meal featuring Disney Couples!  This new breakfast will feature couples from Tangled and other films like The Little Mermaid.  Looks like this will be the first-time Rapunzel will have be at a character meal.

While enjoying enjoy breakfast, guests will be encouraged to “share the tales of their own hopes and dreams” or maybe tell a tale of a great adventure.

Trattria al Forno has a great location.  The Boardwalk is within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios so it’s a great place to start your park day.

While the official menu has not been released here’s hoping their waffle with espresso-mascarpone cheese remains.  It’s excellent!

This exciting new Character Breakfast is set to open this spring.  Advanced Dining Reservations are recommended. 

 

Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios

Minnie’s Seasonal Dine has been a enjoyable dinner experience with Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Goofy for a little over a year now.  Soon there will be more chances to join Minnie and Friends for some festive fun.  This spring Minnie’s seasonal Dine will be offered for lunch! 

Minnie Mouse arrives for lunch starting May 14, 2017.  Advance dining reservations are recommended.

 

Paddlefish at Disney Springs

Adding to the new food line up is Paddlefish, the multi-million-dollar transformation of Fulton’s Crab House in Disney Springs.  The iconic paddleboat has been reimagined into a modern yacht experience.

The seafood-centric menu features Maine lobster, King and snow crab and a selection of fresh fish picked daily.  Some favorites from Fulton’s are still on the menu like the lobster corn dogs.  An expansive wine list as well as classic turn-of-the-century cocktails as to the ambience of the restaurant.

Paddlefish is now open.  Advance Dining Reservations are recommended.

 

Planet Hollywood Observatory at Disney Springs

Planet Hollywood has re-opened its doors in Disney Springs.  The overhaul of the interior and exterior took more than a year.  The new observatory houses the new Planet Hollywood Restaurant and shop along with the new Stargazers Bar. 

The menu features burgers and other items created especially for the Planet Hollywood Observatory by The Food Network’s Guy Fieri.  For guests that speak in Guyism’s you’ll recognize LTOP, SMC and Donkey Sauce on the menu.  The Stargazers Bar will showcase local Florida Craft Beers.

Planet Hollywood Observatory is now open.  Advanced Dining Reservations are recommended.

These new dining experience are an exciting addition to the food choices at Walt Disney World.  Contact your Upon A Star Agent for more details. 

 

 

 

 

 

Star Wars Guided VIP Tour coming soon!

Attention Star Wars fans: Starting January 2nd, Disney's Hollywood Studios will be offering a seven-hour guided tour that offers VIP access to the parts of the park that feature a galaxy far, far away.

These specialty tours include Star Tours, Jedi Training, and Star Wars Launch Bay. Guests will also have the opportunity to have interactions with Kylo Ren and Chewbacca.

There will a special themed meal, and the evening will be capped off with a dessert party during the park's "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular" fireworks/laser/projection show.

My family just experienced all of these things last week and were completely in awe of how the Star Wars experiences have revitalized Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Galactic Spectacular left me speechless and trading with the Jawas was a highlight of our vacation!

Starting January 2nd, tours will be given on Mondays and Saturdays at 1:00 p.m., and will cost $121.12 per person, in addition to the cost of admission to Hollywood Studios. It's a great deal!

Contact your favorite Upon a Star Agent for more information. They will happily book this tour for you! uponastartravel.com                       

Express Transportation: Disney World

Here is a new way to make transportation even easier at

Walt Disney World!

Express Transportation service is now available to all guests with Park Hopper tickets and all everyone that holds a Walt Disney Annual Pass. Special buses will take you to a special location inside of the next Disney theme park that you choose to go to. The express buses will depart every 30 minutes and the service is available from 10:00am till park closing. Park Hopper tickets are required because you will be taken inside of next theme park and not to the front gate. Of note: the buses do not run to the resort hotels. This Express Transportation Service allows you unlimited transfers between parks for one day or 7 consecutive days if you purchase the multi day pass.

 

Express Transportation can be purchased for $15 per person for one day use or $24 per person for 7 consecutive days from the date of the purchase. The check in locations can be found at:

  • Magic Kingdom: Near Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
  • Epcot: East Side of Spaceship Earth
  • Hollywood Studios: In the courtyard of Rock 'N' Roller Coaster
  • Animal Kingdom: Near Kilimanjaro Safari

What do you think? Is this something that looks good to you?

We'd love to help you plan your next magical vacation!

Contact your agent today!

uponastartravel.com

 

 

runDisney Marathon Weekend 2016

After a week of hiatus (apologies!), our blog is back in action with a report about this year's Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna! I had the honor of running during race weekend for the 3rd year in a row, and it was my husband's 4th year in a row.

As usual, it was such fun! We always like to have some days in the parks both before and after the races, so we truly were able to enjoy the full experience.  We started off with a bang by going through the Expo, touring the new Disney Springs area, and we followed it up with a treat: the last night of the Osborne Lights.  I will be dedicating blogs to both of these last 2 topics in the coming weeks (it's just too much for one post!)

When running a race in WDW, if you stay on property, you can always be assured that there will be transportation to the event; that being said, we aren't fans of having to wake up super early to avoid the traffic when riding a bus.  We decided to stay on the monorail for quick access to and from the event. In the past, we have always been proponents of using the Race Retreat, but with this year's good forecast, we made the decision to forego it.  This allowed us to sleep 'til 3am rather than rising at 2am.  

We were to Epcot in fairly short order, but due to the heightened security, we ended up waiting in the line to have our bags searched for quite sometime.  This resulted in our jogging to our corral (E)... so at least we got a bit of a warm up in! We heard the National Anthem being sung and knew we had to hustle.  We arrived about 5 minutes before the first corral released.  Close one! My advice for future races is to not bring a bag if it can be avoided.  If you do, arrive early to avoid arrive to your corral late.

Weather this time around was a bit chilly for the majority of the trip, but for our Half Marathon, it was absolutely perfect.  We had intended not to stop for any pictures, but ... well, who can resist when lines are short for characters you've never had a photo with?  All told, we met our goal time-wise even with the stops! 

Entertainment throughout the course was fun as always, and each year I feel like the corral releases are more organized.  This year was no exception. Throughout the run I tried to take some video clips.  Considering I was running throughout most of them, I'm impressed with my camera work (hahaha!).  I've compiled everything into a little video so you can appreciate the fun of a runDisney event.