Post #696443 by AceExplorer on Wed, Oct 16, 2013 5:31 AM

Here are some more details on Disney’s Aulani Resort. This is a transcribed segment from the Walt Disney World Radio Show (a free podcast) by Lou Mongello, show #332, released on 8/4/2013. The segment runs from 26:11 to 28:15. Note that this podcast often serves as a thinly-veiled advertisement for a travel agency which Lou is affiliated with. His show is Disney-centric, very well produced, and has won “best travel podcast” for the last 6 or 7 years in a row due to the excellent content. All rights are his (alright!) and this material is provided with the understanding that it furthers his mission and goals – to get this sort of information out into the general travelling public. Now on to the material itself…

L = Lou Mongello, host of the show
B = Beci ("Becky") Mehnken, owner/spokesperson of an affiliated/sponsoring travel agency

L: Next question comes from Laura who says, “Lou, I have a quick question about visiting,” timing is everything, Beci, “Aulani. I’m in Hawaii on business…” What kind of business takes you to Aulani? That’s where I want to go. “...I want to visit the Aulani resort. Unfortunately it’s completely booked, but I’d still like to check it out since I’m here, especially after watching all of your coverage of it. Do you know, can people just visit the resort to look around for a few hours or do you know need to be a guest? Again, thanks. Laura.” Laura, I agree with you, if you’re on the island and you’re able to get over to Aulani, you can, and you should, go and check it out because even if you are not a hotel guest you can go and check out Aulani and enjoy the restaurants and look through the property. They’ll validate your parking for four hours or less if you spend $35 or more at the resort otherwise you have to pay for parking. Obviously, you can’t use the pools, you have to have a wrist band to enter the pool. Kids can’t go to Auntie’s Beach House, you can’t use those facilities, they don’t really have a “day pass” option without being a hotel guest, but you can certainly go wander and explore, and if you get a chance to eat while you are there, the restaurants are wonderful.

B: Uh, yes, you can shop, eat, browse, walk around, check it out, just even hanging out in the lobby for a while to look at all of the art and to soak up all of the history that they’ll tell you about, the Hawaiian history, it’s amazing, I am so in love with that resort and I want to go back – now. But I highly encourage anybody, if you haven’t been over there, or if you are there and you just want to go check it out, go, definitely. Eat something, or go to the Happy Hour for $5 appetizers and make a meal for $30 bucks.

L: The Olelo Room is our favorite place! What a lot of people do, and we see especially on weekends, is they’ll go to the Character Breakfast like on a Saturday or Sunday morning, so you can certainly go as well too.

B: I saw a lot of locals there too. That really is an amazing place to have a meal with your family and friends.

L: There you go!