Aloha Carrie and welcome home, or as they say in Hawaii, E komo mai! Coming from Alaska, I’m sure that visiting
Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa must be quite the retreat! The beautiful weather, delicious food, and most of all, the Disney magic, is certainly what keeps our family coming back!
As a Disney Vacation Club resort, Aulani has
special offerings to make us DVC members feel special. While the offerings may change from time to time, we’ve been treated to some unique experiences. For example, Cast Members organized a member appreciation night complete with a character dance party during our stay. Not too many folks can say they did the Cupid Shuffle with Chip and Dale decked out in Hawaiian gear! In addition, the resort had a special event just for DVC members to celebrate National Lei Day (which also happens to fall on my birthday!). Cast Members taught us the significance of the lei and how to make one. They also taught our family how to do the hula dance. It was certainly quite the unique experience and one our family still raves about!
Aulani also may offer special gifts to DVC members. Similar to the unique experiences, these offerings may change based on when you visit and availability. For instance, during our trip our family received kukui nut lei necklaces, Aulani magnets, a Menehune necklace, and a Maui’s Hook necklace. Some of these items required us to attend certain member events or do a scavenger hunt to visit certain areas of the resort and talk to various Cast Members to redeem. Be sure to visit the DVC kiosks to inquire about these gifts!
Carrie, you also asked about using gift cards at Aulani. I’m happy to say that Aulani accepts
Disney gift cards as a form of payment for participating merchandise and dining locations as well as payment for vacation packages. I highly recommend treating yourself to some Mickey-shaped musubis from
Ulu Café and the Mickey Ears shave ice from
Papalua Shave Ice! With a digital gift card, it’s best to print it out including the barcode, account number and EAN (the 4 to 8-digit pin number) to make transactions go seamlessly.
One bonus tip I want to offer. Carrie, did you know that you can combine and manage Disney gift cards online? On
the Disney Gift Card site, you can check your balance and transfer balances between gift cards. Sometimes when I purchase digital gift cards before a Disney vacation, I will often combine them onto one physical gift card to make sure purchases go smoothly.
Carrie, I hope you find this information helpful and mahalo for visiting planDisney! I hope you enjoy your upcoming stay at Aulani and please feel free to visit us here at
planDisney with any additional questions.
Your pal,
Sean