# Aulani value vs other Hawaii TS?



## Culli

I have a different thread that brought something else to light so I thought I would start a new one specific to Aulani and or Hawaii.

We are planning for Hawaii in 2/2010 and we own various TS options.  So I thought hmmm Aulani is open maybe we give that a whirl.  But then did some basic math and just my DVC MF's alone at Aulani for a 2br will 
cost me $1500-2000 (rounding MF's to $5 pt which is a little high but makes math easy) depending on view for a week. If I can get a nice trade through II that cost is about $750 with fees etc.

This will be interesting for non WDW/WDL resorts as completion for DVC is totally different. Now I know I'm paying that to stay on WDW too but that is different as nobody can offer me the onsite advantages DVC does, but in Hawaii why pay a premium to stay at a DVC? If you figure $10 or more for pt rentals that $1500-2000 doubles, it will be interesting to see how that unfolds. I admit I'm no Hawaii TS expert so I don't know if DVC buy in and MF costs will be reasonable for comparable Marriotts etc.

So for others out there how is the pricing out there for this DVC Hawaii resort compared to others?  I see they will also dip into the fixed week market with offering up to 35% of the resort for any particular time, which I think is a good idea - but it adds another 10% to the cost.  There is more specifics on this (I think I read on DVC news) and overall it seemed like a good plan.  Heck I would pay 10% more to get a guaranteed week at BCV or even BLT in a specific room size etc.


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## DeniseM

Right now you can buy nice Hawaii timeshares for $1 on ebay.  There have even been a few Starwood weeks that have sold for less than 10% of original retail.  If you just want to go to Hawaii, and don't want/need the DVC experience, you can do far better buying elsewhere on the resale market.


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## jamstew

I've personally never understood the appeal of the DVC resorts that aren't at WDW/DLR and would never consider paying Disney prices/MF for them. There are just too many other options available. What "Disney" experience do HHI, VB and Aulani offer?


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## heathpack

DVC tends to be more of an immersive experience in theme than typical timeshares.  I bet Aulani will feel more stereotypically Hawaiian than many other TSs do.  For many people, that sense of immersion is worth a premium.

Personally, I think all of the nice Hawaiian timeshares are too expensive over time, when you factor in MF and cost of travel.  But if I was looking to buy a TS in Hawaii and there was some hope of being able to have an adult experience at Aulani (the adult-only hot tub at Marriott's Ko Olina is seriously sweet), I would consider DVC for sure.

H


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## bnoble

I agree with Jamie.  There's nothing particularly special about VB or HHI.  Aulani will probably be a fine place to visit, and the resort amenities look like they will be great (pool/water scape, etc.), but I'm not sure the price premium will be justified for anyone other than the "only Disney will do" crowd.


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## Twinkstarr

I own at Vero Beach, we narrowed it down to VB and Marriott's Ocean Pointe. Like the fact the resort is on the smallish side and the rest of the area is not too developed. It reminds me of the FL I remember as a kid. 


Plus with smart use of my points, I was able to book a Beach Cottage for next spring break. 

Not being on the west coast, no way would I buy any resort in HI. Even if I lived in SD or Seattle, I would think twice about it. MF's at the name brand places(*wood especially) are going through the roof. 

Disney is really going after the Asian market with Aulani imho, hence the ability to fix a week(I think important for those who want Golden week). Look Hilton is going to build 2 more towers at their devlopement in HNL.


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## mj2vacation

From everything I have seen alumni looks pretty cool.  It's sort of like hotels.  Some people are fine with a motel 6, some prefer a Jw Marriott or ritz.  Neither is right or wrong just different. 

Will see when the resort opens.  Seems like some have an opinion formed on nothing more than it being a DVC resort without a park attached.  Building a destination resort is something Disney is pretty good at.  WDW is really just swamp land, and it seems to do ok........


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## bnoble

> Some people are fine with a motel 6, some prefer a Jw Marriott or ritz. Neither is right or wrong just different


I'd hardly call the HI HGVCs or Marriotts "motel 6".

But, hey, for some anything but the Mouse is "motel 6".  Go for it.


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## mj2vacation

bnoble said:


> I'd hardly call the HI HGVCs or Marriotts "motel 6".
> 
> But, hey, for some anything but the Mouse is "motel 6".  Go for it.



Neither did I.   It was a much more general statement.


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## gblotter

As a Marriott owner, it may not come as a surprise that I don't like points-based timeshare programs.  For that specific reason, I have always avoided DVC in the past.  Marriott has now converted to a points system, and I am one of many disappointed and angry owners.

I came very close to purchasing a deeded-week at the Marriott Ko Olina in March while we were there on a trade.  I could still easily purchase a deeded-week on the resale market.

Now that I know Disney is offering fixed weeks at the Aulani, I'm also looking at that option.

As someone else previously mentioned, the Aulani will certainly be more of an immersion experience (in typical Disney fashion).  With the water park, I'm sure it will also provide a much more kid-friendly vacation.

As I compare the two resorts, I'm wondering about the size of the rooms.  At the Marriott Ko Olina, the two bedroom units are 1280 square-feet.  Illustrations can be deceiving, but the Aulani looks to have smallish rooms.  Is that typical for DVC resorts?  Does anyone know know the square-footage of the Aulani two-bedroom units?


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## Culli

gblotter said:


> As a Marriott owner, it may not come as a surprise that I don't like points-based timeshare programs.  For that specific reason, I have always avoided DVC in the past.  Marriott has now converted to a points system, and I am one of many disappointed and angry owners.
> 
> I came very close to purchasing a deeded-week at the Marriott Ko Olina in March while we were there on a trade.  I could still easily purchase a deeded-week on the resale market.
> 
> Now that I know Disney is offering fixed weeks at the Aulani, I'm also looking at that option.
> 
> As someone else previously mentioned, the Aulani will certainly be more of an immersion experience (in typical Disney fashion).  With the water park, I'm sure it will also provide a much more kid-friendly vacation.
> 
> As I compare the two resorts, I'm wondering about the size of the rooms.  At the Marriott Ko Olina, the two bedroom units are 1280 square-feet.  Illustrations can be deceiving, but the Aulani looks to have smallish rooms.  Is that typical for DVC resorts?  Does anyone know know the square-footage of the Aulani two-bedroom units?



I have been following some of the Marriott changes, but will it effect weeks owners much?  I admit it was hard to follow so I know very little at best, I hope it doesn't effect current owners for the worse.  I considered Marriott as one of the premo timeshares around.  One thing about DVC at WDW at least is their 2 brs are smaller than most comparable 2br TS.  I have not stayed in DVC off WDW so I'm not sure if those are more comparable to the Marriotts.  I have stayed in a Marriott in Branson and it was much nicer than the DVCs I have stayed at, and from my understanding that is a lower end of the Marriotts?


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## bigdriz

gblotter said:


> As I compare the two resorts, I'm wondering about the size of the rooms.  At the Marriott Ko Olina, the two bedroom units are 1280 square-feet.  Illustrations can be deceiving, but the Aulani looks to have smallish rooms.  Is that typical for DVC resorts?  Does anyone know know the square-footage of the Aulani two-bedroom units?



Aulani looks to be right around 1100 sqft without the lanai includes.  As far as price, it seems to be pretty close in both MF and upfront costs to the Marriott Ko Olina.  The Marriott is a wonderful property with great pools and Aulani looks to be great as well.

It will be fun to have them both there once Aulani comes on line next year.


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## sjuhawk_jd

bigdriz said:


> Aulani looks to be right around 1100 sqft without the lanai includes.  As far as price, it seems to be pretty close in both MF and upfront costs to the Marriott Ko Olina.  The Marriott is a wonderful property with great pools and Aulani looks to be great as well.
> 
> It will be fun to have them both there once Aulani comes on line next year.



Probably not true. Just came back from staying at a 3 bedroom Ocean front at Ko Olina. 8000 points are needed to book it in summer season, and 8000 points are being sold for around $74000. Our salesrep at Ko Olina (we did an owner's update/preview) told us that 3 bedroom Ocean view at Aulani are around $104K. He may be lying though


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## csalter2

*Aulani aint cheap*

I was at Ko Olina last week and that salesrep is telling you the truth about the cost. First, I visited Aulani and it will be nice. The rooms are nice but the two bedroom model I saw was smaller than my Marriott Ko Olina 2 bdrm. However, make no mistake the room was very, very nice. They also will have great amenities as well. 

The purchase price I was shown has it as 500 points at $57000 at $114 per point with $2155 in annual dues. An Oceanview 3 bedroom in the summer months (Magic Season) is 1113 points. That's a purchase price of $126,882 with annual fees of $4797.03. The Premier season is 1288 points. You can do the math on your own. 

The cheapest season is the Adventure season and for a 3 bedroom it will cost 861 point with a purchase price of $98,154 with annual fees of 3710.91. 

That is crazy money for a week even with Disney and even with a 3 bedroom. I loved this property a great deal and they are doing a lot for you to have the Hawaiian experience, but it still just does not justify that kind of money. I will take my Ko Olina and enjoy it. I always get a view of the ocean even though I have a garden view. I love it and it is a great resort. I bought Ko Olina during pre-construction prices and it was no where near the prices for the two bedrooms that Aulani is asking for. 

Disney is getting out of hand with the costs for everything they have. It now costs $75 dollars to get into their theme parks now. That experience will be extinct if they keep increasing their costs so much.

These prices I am giving you come directly from the Disney sales rep. I have the chart before me and the price list. I did not stay for any incentives, but this is where they started. Yep, I got out of Dodge!


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## dvc_john

While the above posts are correct, they are comparing 3-bedroom units, and I don't think that is quite a fair comparison.

At DVC the 3-br's are usually about twice the size of a 2-br, and point-wise, are about twice as many points as a 2-br.

I'm not familiar with the 3-br's at Ko Olina, but all the Marriott 3-br's I've stayed at were basically a 2-br with an additional studio attached. And point-wise, that is approx how they are priced: A 2-br's points plus a studio's points.

So, at DVC, a 2-br is about 50 to 55% the points of a 3-br.
At Marriott, a 2-br is about 75% the points of a 3-br.

A better comparison would be 2-br's, 1-br's, and studio's.

Marriott comes out a little ahead price-wise in 2-br's and 1-br's, DVC comes out better in studios. With the current DVC incentive, DVC and Marriott come fairly close (except of course for the 3-br's). (Not sure what any current Marriott incentive is.)

I'm not sure of Marriott's Ko Olina occupancy, but at DVC:
A 1-br accomodates 5, and has 2 bathrooms.
A 2-br accomodates 9, and has 3 bathrooms.

I understand that both DVC and Marriott have price increases scheduled.
I think DVC's is about 5%, and Marriott's is about 8.5%.

One thing in Marriott's favor is that you can save a bundle of points by staying Sun-Thurs only, since Fri-Sat have a 40-50% premium over weekdays (in Hawaii only, a much higher premium at most other Marriott's which are usually 150-200%). DVC (at Hawaii) is the same number of points every day of the week.


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## dvc_john

duplicate post


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## csalter2

*It's correct.*



dvc_john said:


> While the above posts are correct, they are comparing 3-bedroom units, and I don't think that is quite a fair comparison.
> 
> At DVC the 3-br's are usually about twice the size of a 2-br, and point-wise, are about twice as many points as a 2-br.
> 
> I'm not familiar with the 3-br's at Ko Olina, but all the Marriott 3-br's I've stayed at were basically a 2-br with an additional studio attached. And point-wise, that is approx how they are priced: A 2-br's points plus a studio's points.
> 
> So, at DVC, a 2-br is about 50 to 55% the points of a 3-br.
> At Marriott, a 2-br is about 75% the points of a 3-br.
> 
> A better comparison would be 2-br's, 1-br's, and studio's.
> 
> Marriott comes out a little ahead price-wise in 2-br's and 1-br's, DVC comes out better in studios. With the current DVC incentive, DVC and Marriott come fairly close (except of course for the 3-br's). (Not sure what any current Marriott incentive is.)
> 
> I'm not sure of Marriott's Ko Olina occupancy, but at DVC:
> A 1-br accomodates 5, and has 2 bathrooms.
> A 2-br accomodates 9, and has 3 bathrooms.
> 
> I understand that both DVC and Marriott have price increases scheduled.
> I think DVC's is about 5%, and Marriott's is about 8.5%.
> 
> One thing in Marriott's favor is that you can save a bundle of points by staying Sun-Thurs only, since Fri-Sat have a 40-50% premium over weekdays (in Hawaii only, a much higher premium at most other Marriott's which are usually 150-200%). DVC (at Hawaii) is the same number of points every day of the week.



The 2 bedroom at Aulani I saw only had 2 bathrooms and *not* 3.

The prices given in my post above were an answer to someone stating that the Marriott salesman may have been lying about the 3 bedroom's price at Aulani. I merely gave the actual 3 bedroom prices we were given. Marriott salesman did not lie.


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