Aloha, Shannon!
Welcome to planDisney, and mahalo for surfing by with your question about your upcoming visit to
Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. Shannon, our family has been to Aulani three times, most recently in August. I can certainly help you discover some special experiences so that your family vacation is memorable and full of Disney magic and the spirit of Aloha.
Shannon, you are correct that the
Aulani app is much simpler, especially if you are used to the My Disney Experience app. The one thing it does have is the Daily 'Iwa, which is your daily go-to for all of the events and happenings at the Resort.
When you go to the Aulani app, look at "Daily Activities" and you will be able to see the range of activities happening each and every day. Some of these will require reservations and an extra fee, like the "Make Your Own Mickey Ears" activity, and it does fill up. So I recommend looking at these to see if you can book them if they interest you. If they do, click on the activity and you should see a "Book Now" button, which takes you to an outside scheduling site for you to book and pay for the activity. These are primarily for the premium services.
But my kids absolutely loved spending the day exploring the
Waikolohe Pool, waterslides, and Menehune Bridge. You can book the snorkeling at
Rainbow Reef and this can be done when you arrive to the Resort (though I would recommend calling the Front Desk before your arrival to confirm.)
The Menehune Adventure Trail can be done at any time and it's a complimentary activity. You can check out the tablet from the Pua Hana Community Room when you are ready to use it and begin the self-guided adventure in the pool area that brings scenery to life that you may not be able to see with your eyes. It's a lot of fun for kids and adults!
Now, I would definitely recommend booking the
KA WA'A Luau, and if you can't find availability online from the Aulani website, call the Holoholo Desk. They have access to reservations that you may not be seeing online and if there is availability, they can book it for you. This is actually how we got our priority reservation. For the
Character Breakfast at Makahiki and sunset dining at 'Ama 'Ama, you can make reservations on the app. Click the "Aulani Resort" symbol in the bottom center of the app. Where it says "Daily Activities," click on that which shows a drop-down menu. Select "Dining" and you can make those reservations on the app. If you have any trouble with this, I recommend speaking with the Front Desk or the Holoholo Desk, who can help book dining and the Holoholo Desk can also help you book island excursions as well.
That same button I mentioned with the drop-down menu can help you sort by activity too, so if you want to find out the times of Character Experiences, you can do that. If you want to book any spa experiences or even hair braiding, this can be found on the drop-down menu too, and can be booked from the app.
I hope this helps you, Shannon. If you have any further questions about your upcoming trip to Aulani, surf back here to see me. At planDisney, we are your 'ohana and that means nobody gets left behind.
A Hui Hou (it means "until we meet again" in Hawaiian, )
Keri