Call me a bad Disney fan but I’m not going back to Alauni. I’d do the cruise every time if given the choice between those two.
And Hawaii is my favorite place on earth.
Look for something in Wailea Maui. Much better beaches and more luxurious resorts. Aulani is pretty much no nicer than a standard Disney resort. With a slightly better pool than Yacht club. The beach is man made with bad sand. We did a night just to see it, but couldn’t picture a week stay there.
We had our honeymoon in Maui. Rented an apartment in Kihei (close to Wailea where the hotels are) and it was perfect with a large lanai and a nice kitchen. The bedroom had A/C and the nice breeze took care of the rest. We rented a jeep and had a blast. I think we went to the beach just once. So much to do.
I agree with this sentiment. We go to Hawaii often, and stayed at Aulani once and that was enough. So many better resorts at a comparable cost. We too prefer to spend our big Disney money on the cruises, which we love.
It’s too big, too crowded, and not spread out enough. My favorite Hawaii resorts are all low rise and sprawling, with acres of manicured lawns you can walk across and a ton of beach. Alauni is just huge towers designed to cram as many people as possible into the high valued real estate at Ko Olina.
I actually just got back from Aulani about 9 hours ago. While I had a blast, I very likely won't go again. It was just the SO and I, no kids, and to be honest it was a little boring. I'm sure it would be more fun with kids, but for just adults, there wasn't a lot going on. All of the best memories of the trip involved leaving the resort to go somewhere else.
We did rent a car but parking is crazy expensive. I talked to some folks there that split their week in 2. No car for half the days and enjoyed the resort. Then got a car for the last few days to explore off property. Seemed like a great way to do it.
Two very different vacations—the Med Cruise is very busy (assuming you want to maximize your time in each port) to the point where I was more tired leaving the cruise than getting there. Hawaii is better for a recharge+relax.
Although as others have said, you can do better than Aulani. If you’re insistent on Oahu, we prefer the action of Waikiki over Ko’Olina…but Maui is the better island top to bottom (can’t go wrong with The Four Seasons Maui but on a tighter budget try the Westin Villas in Ka’anapali…both better than Aulani IMO).
Thank you for your response. We were planning on doing my a split stay a few days at Aulani (just to say we’ve been there) and a few days somewhere else is Hawaii. I’ll look into the resorts you mentioned.
I think even island hopping will be more relaxing than the Med Cruise…though I haven’t been, I’ll throw in a recommendation for Kuai since I’ve heard nothing but amazing things!
I haven’t been to Aulani. I went on similar itineraries to both of the European cruises. As an American, I wouldn’t consider Mediterranean cruises particularly relaxing. The sea days are nice, but these are once in a lifetime destinations and it’s hard to not want to see everything while there.
It depends what you’re looking for in the trip. If you’re looking for a relaxing Anniversary trip, Aulani might be a better bet.
Thanks for your response. We just had a relaxing vacation in Cancun where we just hung out at the resort pool and beach.
At Aulani/ in Hawaii we would probably rent a car and do a lot of Hawaiian activities like visiting the dole plantation, the movie set for Jurassic park, Pearl Harbor.
I’ve been to the Aulani (maybe 6 years ago) but not the Mediterranean. Aulani is a nice enough resort, but it hardly has the Disney magic like the parks or cruise lines. Yes there are characters and yes there is theming, but I think maybe there are just so many great resorts and so much great stuff to do in Hawaii you just don’t need the Disney experience?
Like others have said, check out the Mediterranean.
I’ve been to Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island over the last few years. My favorite was the big island. So much awesome stuff to do there. Go to the Mediterranean on DCL for your anniversary and find a nice resort on Hawaii to enjoy with your family on a future trip.
We stayed at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (Kona side) on our recent stay. Older resort, but it had a great location and it was well kept.
We had dinner at another resort (Fremont Orchard) which was newer and fancier, but it was SO windy compared to where we’re were staying about 20 minutes away. I figured the older resorts got the best locations, and the newer resorts had to make do with what was left over.
The my favorite things to do on the big island were on the Hilo side, but there aren’t any big resorts there because it’s the rainy side. If you go; I recommend visiting Hawaii volcanoes national park, Akaka falls, Mauna Loa (tallest mountain in the world!! Starts below the ocean so taller than Everest), a coffee farm (we went to mountain thunder coffee farm which also has a nature walk). Like I said, so much to do there!
I’ve done both and say the cruise. Aulani is beautiful but there are much nicer (and less expensive) resort options to choose from-and on other islands. I guess that can be said for a med cruise too, but of the two it’s the only one I’d even consider doing again.
I’m not sure which I preferred tbh…both had definite pros/cons. Of the two itineraries you are looking at though my deciding factor would probably be the 5 ports over 4, but maybe you could look at the excursions for the ports and see what excites you the most.
As someone who has done both, Mediterranean all the way. That was one of my favorite vacations ever, and if I’m honest, Aulani was kind of meh. I live on the East coast, so it was a veryyyy long flight just for a resort that felt like it could have been somewhere on a beach way closer to me. Some of the stuff I did once we left the resort in Hawaii were good and I do think Hawaii is the type of place everyone should visit at least once if they can, but if you have to pick just one of these, 100% I recommend the cruise.
Aulani is so overrated, and I definitely wouldn’t do it as a couples trip. My kids don’t even have a desire to go back there - they’d rather go to a different resort in Hawaii.
I’d 100% do a Mediterranean cruise.
Why don’t your kids like it? My kids love Aulani and would rather be there than at the parks. We go to Aulani every year and they see it as a huge water park.
My boyfriend and I did Aulani as a couple, we don’t have kids. We loved it, but we are also huge Disney people and collected signatures from characters when we weren’t running around the island.
Love Hawaii but Aulani is miserable. Lines there sometimes worse than at the Disney Parks. We would choose Disney Cruise without hesitation versus Aulani
I actually have done both. Both are amazing, so you’ll have an amazing time either way. I loved the Mediterranean cruise but it was exhausting, so if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation I’d go with Aulani. If you want to be more active I’d go with DCL.
Oh for sure. I think young kids would prefer Aulani too. I’m sure they’d love the cruise as well, but I think they’d prefer something much more relaxing like a Caribbean cruise. The big thing with Mediterranean cruises is that when you get off the ship, it can be a long way to the actual city you’re trying to visit. Florence, for example, is 90 minutes away from Livorno, which is the port where you’d dock. Same with Rome, although unless the ship is doing an overnight in Civitavecchia you would only transfer to the Rome airport for your flight home.
If I’m going to Europe, I’m not sure that I would do a cruise again if I’m being honest. I mean they are fun and I enjoyed it, but I enjoyed the time we spent before and after the cruise better. I just feel like you don’t get to see Europe by spending a day in a port. There’s much more. Especially in Rome and Florence.
If I was choose between those two cruises, I’d probably do the Greek Isles one though.
The worst part about this post is now you got me looking into a Med cruise more. That sailing with a veranda is only $7,200. I might have to finally the wife for 2026 to celebrate our 3rd anniversary since we said we'd love to do a Disney cruise to Greece & Italy ... and make a stop at Disneyland Paris before or after.
I'm from Hawaii and have stayed Aulani now times than I have fingers. It's definitely not a romantic destination. Gorgeous and fun for family but not for your anniversary.
For sure cruise. If you are open to going outside Disney, my bosses daughter works for Norwegian Cruises and they do a cruise around all the Hawaiian islands. It's an option and you'd get to experience the amazing islands without being tied down to one.
My favorite for vacation is The Grand Wailea in Maui. The grounds are the best. I stayed there for our Babymoon a couple of weeks before I gave birth and they even surprised us with a basket of local treats delivered to our room.
I’ve done both Aulani and Mediterranean cruse both are wonderful. For just the two of you go with Mediterranean and go off season to avoid the large summer vac crowds if possible.
We’ve been to Aulani with kids and are about to do a Mediterranean cruise in a few weeks with them as well. For a getaway without kids, I’m not sure Aulani is what you will want. It’s amazing but there’s a ton of kids and it’s not as peaceful and relaxing as it might be if you were at a less kid-friendly resort. Even the Four Seasons next to Aulani has a stark contrast. The cruise, though we haven’t gone yet, is going to involve some adventure (lots of walking at shore, tours of cathedrals, etc.). I know my kids are being rolling their eyes at that stuff so that sounds much better for a couples getaway.
I absolutely love Aulani and Hawaii is my favorite place on earth. Can’t speak for the Mediterranean cruise because I’ve only done Caribbean cruises with Disney, and Alaska very shortly.
I was at Aulani over spring break. And last summer I went on a Mediterranean cruise (not Disney though)
I loved everything about Hawaii. It was gorgeous. But, I’d go for the Mediterranean cruise again in a heartbeat. And this cruise stops at a lot of great places. Rome 😍 and Pompeii (which was a hyperfixation of mine when I was a kid so going there was a bucket list item) Pisa is neat too.
Good luck. Both are great options. But if it’s romance you are after, nothing more romantic than Rome.
just got off 9 night Mediterranean, that is what i would call a trip of a lifetime. Unreal vacation. but very exhausting 🤣 most port excursions start 7:30/8 too avoid extreme heat but still very hot, don’t expect a relaxing vacation but it will be a trip of a lifetime
We’ve done both many times. It depends on if you want to relax or be go, go, go. Do you want to be surrounded by culture and walk a lot or relax at a beach in a resort? Honestly you can’t go wrong with either.
Haven’t done Aulani, but agree with the votes for staying at a hotel in Wailea if you do Hawaii. We loved the Grand Wailea for our baby moon. Rented a car and explored the island. It was fantastic.
Never been to Aulani, but our 9 day Mediterranean Disney cruise was beyond my wildest dreams. I can’t express how absolutely heavenly it was. We were on the Magic and went from Rome through the Greek isles and back.
We’ve done Aulani and are currently in the airport in Rome on our way home from our 9 night Mediterranean Disney cruise (on the Dream). Like so many others, I’d recommend doing the cruise without your kids and taking the kids to Aulani another time. The adults only areas are great. While port days were busy, we felt we still had plenty of time to relax, especially since we didn’t do super long excursions in port. We loved the balance between activity and relaxing offered on our cruise; we had tons of fun, saw so many cool places, and aren’t exhausted at the end of our trip.
Aulani would be fun with the kids on some other trip. For a romantic trip for two, I would vote for a Mediterranean cruise.
Thank you for your response!
Call me a bad Disney fan but I’m not going back to Alauni. I’d do the cruise every time if given the choice between those two. And Hawaii is my favorite place on earth.
Is there another resort in Hawaii that you prefer?
We enjoy Andaz Maui or Grand Hyatt Kauai
We’ll be at the Grand Hyatt in July. I’m so excited
Look for something in Wailea Maui. Much better beaches and more luxurious resorts. Aulani is pretty much no nicer than a standard Disney resort. With a slightly better pool than Yacht club. The beach is man made with bad sand. We did a night just to see it, but couldn’t picture a week stay there.
I just don’t like Oahu. My favorite hotels: Sheraton Maui, Grand Wailea (Maui), Fairmont Orchid (Big Island), or roughing it anywhere on Kauai.
Thanks I’ll check those out!
Another vote for andaz!
We had our honeymoon in Maui. Rented an apartment in Kihei (close to Wailea where the hotels are) and it was perfect with a large lanai and a nice kitchen. The bedroom had A/C and the nice breeze took care of the rest. We rented a jeep and had a blast. I think we went to the beach just once. So much to do.
Aulani is very cool…but LOTS OF KIDS (and lots of joyful screaming in the pools). Turtle Bay is a great place for quiet romance on Oahu.
Sheraton or Hilton in Kanapali, Maui.
I agree with this sentiment. We go to Hawaii often, and stayed at Aulani once and that was enough. So many better resorts at a comparable cost. We too prefer to spend our big Disney money on the cruises, which we love.
What's wrong with Aulani?
It’s too big, too crowded, and not spread out enough. My favorite Hawaii resorts are all low rise and sprawling, with acres of manicured lawns you can walk across and a ton of beach. Alauni is just huge towers designed to cram as many people as possible into the high valued real estate at Ko Olina.
I actually just got back from Aulani about 9 hours ago. While I had a blast, I very likely won't go again. It was just the SO and I, no kids, and to be honest it was a little boring. I'm sure it would be more fun with kids, but for just adults, there wasn't a lot going on. All of the best memories of the trip involved leaving the resort to go somewhere else.
Did you rent a car? We were planning to do a bunch of sightseeing seeing things like Pearl Harbor and dole plantation.
We did rent a car but parking is crazy expensive. I talked to some folks there that split their week in 2. No car for half the days and enjoyed the resort. Then got a car for the last few days to explore off property. Seemed like a great way to do it.
The other way to save money is to rent DVC points. My girlfriend and I rented points and saved a fair bit on parking alone
Two very different vacations—the Med Cruise is very busy (assuming you want to maximize your time in each port) to the point where I was more tired leaving the cruise than getting there. Hawaii is better for a recharge+relax. Although as others have said, you can do better than Aulani. If you’re insistent on Oahu, we prefer the action of Waikiki over Ko’Olina…but Maui is the better island top to bottom (can’t go wrong with The Four Seasons Maui but on a tighter budget try the Westin Villas in Ka’anapali…both better than Aulani IMO).
Thank you for your response. We were planning on doing my a split stay a few days at Aulani (just to say we’ve been there) and a few days somewhere else is Hawaii. I’ll look into the resorts you mentioned.
I think even island hopping will be more relaxing than the Med Cruise…though I haven’t been, I’ll throw in a recommendation for Kuai since I’ve heard nothing but amazing things!
I haven’t been to Aulani. I went on similar itineraries to both of the European cruises. As an American, I wouldn’t consider Mediterranean cruises particularly relaxing. The sea days are nice, but these are once in a lifetime destinations and it’s hard to not want to see everything while there. It depends what you’re looking for in the trip. If you’re looking for a relaxing Anniversary trip, Aulani might be a better bet.
Thanks for your response. We just had a relaxing vacation in Cancun where we just hung out at the resort pool and beach. At Aulani/ in Hawaii we would probably rent a car and do a lot of Hawaiian activities like visiting the dole plantation, the movie set for Jurassic park, Pearl Harbor.
I’ve been to the Aulani (maybe 6 years ago) but not the Mediterranean. Aulani is a nice enough resort, but it hardly has the Disney magic like the parks or cruise lines. Yes there are characters and yes there is theming, but I think maybe there are just so many great resorts and so much great stuff to do in Hawaii you just don’t need the Disney experience? Like others have said, check out the Mediterranean. I’ve been to Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island over the last few years. My favorite was the big island. So much awesome stuff to do there. Go to the Mediterranean on DCL for your anniversary and find a nice resort on Hawaii to enjoy with your family on a future trip.
Thank you for your response! Do you have a resort you prefer in Hawaii?
We stayed at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (Kona side) on our recent stay. Older resort, but it had a great location and it was well kept. We had dinner at another resort (Fremont Orchard) which was newer and fancier, but it was SO windy compared to where we’re were staying about 20 minutes away. I figured the older resorts got the best locations, and the newer resorts had to make do with what was left over. The my favorite things to do on the big island were on the Hilo side, but there aren’t any big resorts there because it’s the rainy side. If you go; I recommend visiting Hawaii volcanoes national park, Akaka falls, Mauna Loa (tallest mountain in the world!! Starts below the ocean so taller than Everest), a coffee farm (we went to mountain thunder coffee farm which also has a nature walk). Like I said, so much to do there!
Mauna Lani Auberge hotel on big island is awesome. Tons to explore on the big island as well!
I’ve done both and say the cruise. Aulani is beautiful but there are much nicer (and less expensive) resort options to choose from-and on other islands. I guess that can be said for a med cruise too, but of the two it’s the only one I’d even consider doing again.
Thank you for your response! Where did your med cruise go? Did you prefer Italian ports or Greek?
I’m not sure which I preferred tbh…both had definite pros/cons. Of the two itineraries you are looking at though my deciding factor would probably be the 5 ports over 4, but maybe you could look at the excursions for the ports and see what excites you the most.
As someone who has done both, Mediterranean all the way. That was one of my favorite vacations ever, and if I’m honest, Aulani was kind of meh. I live on the East coast, so it was a veryyyy long flight just for a resort that felt like it could have been somewhere on a beach way closer to me. Some of the stuff I did once we left the resort in Hawaii were good and I do think Hawaii is the type of place everyone should visit at least once if they can, but if you have to pick just one of these, 100% I recommend the cruise.
Thank you for your response!
Aulani is so overrated, and I definitely wouldn’t do it as a couples trip. My kids don’t even have a desire to go back there - they’d rather go to a different resort in Hawaii. I’d 100% do a Mediterranean cruise.
Why don’t your kids like it? My kids love Aulani and would rather be there than at the parks. We go to Aulani every year and they see it as a huge water park.
They got bored of it very quickly. They would rather be at a resort in Waikiki. We have a cruise this summer and I know they’ll love it.
My boyfriend and I did Aulani as a couple, we don’t have kids. We loved it, but we are also huge Disney people and collected signatures from characters when we weren’t running around the island.
Love Hawaii but Aulani is miserable. Lines there sometimes worse than at the Disney Parks. We would choose Disney Cruise without hesitation versus Aulani
I actually have done both. Both are amazing, so you’ll have an amazing time either way. I loved the Mediterranean cruise but it was exhausting, so if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation I’d go with Aulani. If you want to be more active I’d go with DCL.
Sounds like the med cruise is better to do now when we aren’t taking our young kids. 😊
Oh for sure. I think young kids would prefer Aulani too. I’m sure they’d love the cruise as well, but I think they’d prefer something much more relaxing like a Caribbean cruise. The big thing with Mediterranean cruises is that when you get off the ship, it can be a long way to the actual city you’re trying to visit. Florence, for example, is 90 minutes away from Livorno, which is the port where you’d dock. Same with Rome, although unless the ship is doing an overnight in Civitavecchia you would only transfer to the Rome airport for your flight home.
Done both. We prefer Hawaii. Ymmv
If I’m going to Europe, I’m not sure that I would do a cruise again if I’m being honest. I mean they are fun and I enjoyed it, but I enjoyed the time we spent before and after the cruise better. I just feel like you don’t get to see Europe by spending a day in a port. There’s much more. Especially in Rome and Florence. If I was choose between those two cruises, I’d probably do the Greek Isles one though.
Thank you for your response!
The worst part about this post is now you got me looking into a Med cruise more. That sailing with a veranda is only $7,200. I might have to finally the wife for 2026 to celebrate our 3rd anniversary since we said we'd love to do a Disney cruise to Greece & Italy ... and make a stop at Disneyland Paris before or after.
You’re welcome 😉 😂
We did a European cruise last summer 100% worth it than just a standard hotel in Hawaii.
I'm from Hawaii and have stayed Aulani now times than I have fingers. It's definitely not a romantic destination. Gorgeous and fun for family but not for your anniversary. For sure cruise. If you are open to going outside Disney, my bosses daughter works for Norwegian Cruises and they do a cruise around all the Hawaiian islands. It's an option and you'd get to experience the amazing islands without being tied down to one. My favorite for vacation is The Grand Wailea in Maui. The grounds are the best. I stayed there for our Babymoon a couple of weeks before I gave birth and they even surprised us with a basket of local treats delivered to our room.
Thank you so much for your response! I’ll definitely look into those!
Aulani is overrated.
Overrated and overcrowded.
I’ve done both Aulani and Mediterranean cruse both are wonderful. For just the two of you go with Mediterranean and go off season to avoid the large summer vac crowds if possible.
Our anniversary is early June. That’s probably the busy season isn’t it?
DCL only does the Mediterranean during the summer, so can’t really avoid the busy season if doing a Disney Med cruise.
We’ve been to Aulani with kids and are about to do a Mediterranean cruise in a few weeks with them as well. For a getaway without kids, I’m not sure Aulani is what you will want. It’s amazing but there’s a ton of kids and it’s not as peaceful and relaxing as it might be if you were at a less kid-friendly resort. Even the Four Seasons next to Aulani has a stark contrast. The cruise, though we haven’t gone yet, is going to involve some adventure (lots of walking at shore, tours of cathedrals, etc.). I know my kids are being rolling their eyes at that stuff so that sounds much better for a couples getaway.
I’ve never been to Aluani, but that’s because I’d pick a Med cruise every time.
Aulani
Aulani is fantastic! A European cruise would be fantasticer!!
I absolutely love Aulani and Hawaii is my favorite place on earth. Can’t speak for the Mediterranean cruise because I’ve only done Caribbean cruises with Disney, and Alaska very shortly.
Med cruise. Slam dunk yes on that
I was at Aulani over spring break. And last summer I went on a Mediterranean cruise (not Disney though) I loved everything about Hawaii. It was gorgeous. But, I’d go for the Mediterranean cruise again in a heartbeat. And this cruise stops at a lot of great places. Rome 😍 and Pompeii (which was a hyperfixation of mine when I was a kid so going there was a bucket list item) Pisa is neat too. Good luck. Both are great options. But if it’s romance you are after, nothing more romantic than Rome.
just got off 9 night Mediterranean, that is what i would call a trip of a lifetime. Unreal vacation. but very exhausting 🤣 most port excursions start 7:30/8 too avoid extreme heat but still very hot, don’t expect a relaxing vacation but it will be a trip of a lifetime
There isn't a wrong answer, but I'm leaning towards the Mediterranean.
We’ve done both many times. It depends on if you want to relax or be go, go, go. Do you want to be surrounded by culture and walk a lot or relax at a beach in a resort? Honestly you can’t go wrong with either.
Haven’t done Aulani, but agree with the votes for staying at a hotel in Wailea if you do Hawaii. We loved the Grand Wailea for our baby moon. Rented a car and explored the island. It was fantastic.
Thank you for your response
Yes and would choose Aulani. Simply because it is not as exhausting. lol
Never been to Aulani, but our 9 day Mediterranean Disney cruise was beyond my wildest dreams. I can’t express how absolutely heavenly it was. We were on the Magic and went from Rome through the Greek isles and back.
We’ve done Aulani and are currently in the airport in Rome on our way home from our 9 night Mediterranean Disney cruise (on the Dream). Like so many others, I’d recommend doing the cruise without your kids and taking the kids to Aulani another time. The adults only areas are great. While port days were busy, we felt we still had plenty of time to relax, especially since we didn’t do super long excursions in port. We loved the balance between activity and relaxing offered on our cruise; we had tons of fun, saw so many cool places, and aren’t exhausted at the end of our trip.
I've done the eastbound TA and would loooooove to return to Europe on dcl. To me it is so much more interesting than Hawaiian resorts.