Aloha, Renee!
E komo mai (that means "welcome" in Hawaiian) to planDisney and mahalo (that means "thank you" in Hawaiian) for surfing by with your question. Renee, see where the line in the sky meets the sea? It calls me, which is why our family has visited Aulani several times, and I know the island well. It is one of my favorite Disney Vacation Club Resorts because when the magic of Disney meets the spirit of Aloha, it is a very special experience indeed.
Renee, you do not need to have MagicBands+ to visit Aulani. If you have one, it will work for opening your room door and for making charges toyour room at the Resort if you have it connected to your account. However, it doesn't do anything "extra" like it does in the theme parks. They do sell them in Kalepa's Store, which is the onsite gift shop. However, if you don't want ot purchase one, you will be given traditional room cards for entering your room.
For making reservations, you can make dining reservations in advance. However, in my experience, there is a fair amount of availability. If you have your heart set on a special meal, like a sunset dinner at
'Ama'Ama (which I recommend) or a Character Breakfast at
Makahiki, I would reserve these in advance, and I would definitely advise making a reservation for the
KA WA'A Luau. The Luau reservations can be made through the Aulani website; however, if you try to make reservations and don't see availability, call the Holoholo Desk at the Resort. They often have availability that is not shown online, which is how we secured our Preferred Seating reservation for the Luau.
There are quick service restaurants at the Resort, and there is a shopping center across the street with several dining options available. You may also want to enjoy some
day excursions while visiting Aulani. Some of these are available for booking through the Concierge at Aulani, but others can be booked through outside vendors. While out for excursions, you may want to enjoy dining at some of Oahu's famous restaurants (I recommend Merriman's, Duke's, and Sanseis). So for this reason, I would think about what you want to do when visiting Aulani, which days you want to dine at the Resort, and then make reservations for those days, but keep other days open for a more flexible schedule. There is so much to explore on Oahu, you will definitely want to enjoy all that the island and spirit of Aloha have to offer.
I hope this helps you, Renee! If you have any further Disney vacation planning questions, sail back here to see us. At planDisney, we know the way to help you plan the most magical vacation on earth.
A Hui Hou (it means "until we meet again" in Hawaiian),
Keri