>> In 1934, Walt and his wife Lillian made their
first of many trips to hawaii
and they instantly fell in love with
what they saw. Inspired by Hawaii's beauty and rich and
diverse culture
in no time walt had some of his most
famous characters hula dancing
playing ukuleles and hanging ten
and now nearly 70 years later disney has
created the aulani resort
that in every way honors the island's
walt disney so enjoyed
why disney in hawaii it's actually
pretty simple it's three things
number one the hawaiians are the most
fantastic
storytellers in the world two
there's a very subtle layer of magic in
everything
and three family if you know anything
about the hawaiians
family is incredibly important disney
also
is about storytelling family and magic
and so when you put disney and hawaii
together
it's like the perfect marriage
the name aulani means one
who speaks on behalf of a higher power
and that higher power is
hawaii and the hawaiians
there's a lot of talk of hawaii about
how spiritual the land is
and the water and the balance of both
and this hotel does
capture the true meaning of aloha and
what hawaii is all about
the aulani resort located on the island
of oahu
sits on 21 oceanfront acres
and features a white sand beach a
saltwater lagoon
and dense tropical landscaping
architectural elements were included to
reflect the rich history of the islands
all with the goal of immersing guests
into hawaiian culture
aulani is a celebration of hawaiian
culture
hawaiian history of the people of hawaii
and it's told in a way that is just
absolutely fascinating for adults and
just
tons of fun for the kids i grew up in
hawaii and you see they really captured
the true essence of hawaiiana
that i grew up with and to show my kids
that is
amazing as disney's first hawaiian
resort
it was important for the disney
imagineers to get every detail
just right and since hawaiians are some
of the greatest storytellers in the
world
ancient hawaiian stories can be found
around every corner
when you first approach the resort on
the outside of the building
are two immense sculpted murals
and at first they look like a textile
pattern
but in fact they are a kind of alphabet
the two towering bass reliefs
on the outside of the resort reference
the rising and setting
of the sun and the moon and are
appropriately placed
facing east and west everything in
hawaiian history has some sort of spirit
relating to every part of nature
and you see that throughout the hotel
creating from the ground up
a truly authentic hawaiian experience
was not an easy task
we did a ton of research we read a lot
of books we went to a lot of places we
took a lot of pictures and then we said
okay now it's time to ask for help and
that help came from local experts
aulani is the first time that the
hawaiians were invited to participate in
the development and the creation of the
place
the hawaiian cultural leaders who worked
with us
were very very gracious with their
knowledge
and insight into hawaiian culture the
thatching
methods are usually set at two fingers
apart so
if this building wants to be let's say
six times the size of that
will the same portion be used and that
traditional design
inspired much of the resort's look from
the moment guests enter the lobby
they're immersed right into the heart of
hawaiian tradition
walking in and just with those arches
and the big ceiling
the complex wooden edifice reaches up to
the gods
and the exquisite 360 degree mural
artwork
tells the story of both ancient and
modern hawaii
all designed to provide visitors with a
truly authentic hawaiian greeting
when you get here and you live in this
place you're living with a culture a
living culture
not something that's contrived and an
important part of that living culture
is the language of olelo to help guests
learn the language
disney's imagineers created the olelo
room we help the guests that come down
with a hawaiian language
we like to kind of call it a little 101
class in hawaiian i try to get everyone
leaving saying ukulele and not ukulele
the hawaiians regard water as an
essential source of life
and the home to many of its most
powerful gods
the aulani resort honors this tradition
with the waikalohe valley
a seven-acre recreation area comprised
of a variety of pools
a foot lazy river an interactive play
area for kids
and two water slides that test every
skill level
we went on the slides like 100 times
and while aulani is definitely a family
resort
disney imagineers also created areas
catering just to adults
there's so many different little pools
and spots that you can really get some
privacy
there's also a snorkeling lagoon called
rainbow reef which includes over 1300
tropical fish the walt disney imagineers
went out and snorkeled around the island
and looked around and saw what the reefs
looked like and recreated that
here in rainbow reef coming up
we explore the beautiful island of oahu
on horseback
and meet one of its most mischievous
inhabitants
walt disney's connection to the islands
began as it did for many
when the rise of the crews and tourism
businesses in the 1930s
turned hawaii from a far away paradise
to a bonafide vacation spot
the islands are a product of volcanic
action
so we are sitting on the top of ancient
volcanoes
that ultimately have eroded and become
the islands of hawaii
the main volcano on oahu is diamond head
and it can easily be hiked
hawaiians have a strong love of the
outdoors and guests to aulani are
encouraged to explore all of the natural
beauty of oahu
horseback riding through the kualoa
ranch is one such excursion
this 4 000 acre private nature reserve
still
serves as a working cattle ranch
and since the ocean is such an integral
part of hawaiian life
visitors have the opportunity to get an
up-close look at sea life
in their natural habitat
they can also embrace local custom by
riding in an
authentic hawaiian sailing canoe
back on land an afternoon at aulani's
laniwai spa
is a way for guests to relax in a
tropical setting lonely vine means
freshwater heaven
bunny by was designed after a rainbow
and so
it's a play on light color and waters as
you get to the very center point of the
spa
that's where you see the final descent
of the water coming from the heavens
the lonnie all the way to the aina beer
this 5 000 square foot spa was designed
with guests of all ages in mind
and it exemplifies the hawaiian word
nanea
or relaxation so we had a massage and
then we get to go walk around the
hydrotherapy garden
if you go outside and they have
different showers that have
different pressures and they're all
symbolic of different types of
rain it was perfect
as parents unwind the younger guests of
aulani have their own special
ambassadors to keep them
entertained and teach them about local
customs
uncle and auntie are the heart and soul
of aolani they
are our hosts they go out of their way
to make
every guest at aulani feel like family
auntie's beach house is a hangout for
young guests
and disney imagineers designed every
aspect of it with kids
in mind it is our kids club for children
ages 3 to 12.
we have a game room we've got a computer
room we have this beautiful yard outside
i just dropped them off at auntie's
beach house again and he just
ran in and i'm like oh do you want me to
should i stay with you guys for a minute
they were gone
and a favorite for kids of all ages is
to sit around the campfire and listen to
uncle's thrilling stories it was really
sweet to see them you know listening to
uncle and watching him and
just being enthralled by the story one
of hawaii's greatest legends
centers around the mischievous little
people of the island called the menehune
and disney has created an interactive
high-tech scavenger hunt to find these
mystical creatures
legend has it that there's around 300
men who scattered all throughout the
grounds they're
finding little ones in like little
corners of the windows and everything
and my four-year-old man
in designing aulani disney imagineers
considered the unique needs of families
of
all sizes and ages
and the wide variety of restaurants at
the resort offer something for every
pallet
the magic of aulani and its strong
connection to hawaiian culture grows
even more powerful
at night with music dance and
storytelling
another signature experience is the
aolani starlet hui it really
is an opportunity for the family to come
together under the stars
the starlight is a wonderful culture
sharing event there's a chance to
enjoy some of the best musicians we have
wonderful dancers
so it's a wonderful wonderful way of
also saying
again this is an ancient culture but
it's also very much
alive today one of the principles of
hawaiian hospitality we call it hokipa
is acknowledging that you might come as
a stranger but when you leave you're a
friend
maybe more importantly perhaps family
from the early days of disneyland walt
disney infused magic and adventure at
every turn
the same still holds true today whether
it's cruising to alaska
or a tropical island getting a
personally guided tour through the wine
country
or at the great wall of china or
experiencing a resort that blends local
traditions
with modern amenities walt's original
vision for new and exciting travel
has grown much further than he could
have ever imagined
walt once said you know be like a sponge
go out into the world
and soak it all up that's what walt did
and that's what we do with these
products
we had stretched out beyond the
properties that we already knew and we
had reached out
into a new frontier i bet he would be
very proud of the experience we created
because it was an extension of
his love of travel of adventure and his
storytelling
walt disney's love of travel continues
to inspire the dreamers at disney
and as more trips are added every year
experiencing disney beyond the parks
has never been easier
