More than 80 years after Mickey Mouse piloted “Steamboat Willie” and whistled his way into the hearts of children across the world, he has finally reached the shores of Hawaii. The Walt Disney Co. on Friday gave a peek of its sprawling, beachside Hawaiian resort that is under construction and scheduled open next year. “Aulani” is Disney's first major stand-alone resort away from a theme park and could serve as a model for future projects as the company diversifies and expands its vacation offerings. “This is a very special project for us,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “It's unlike anything that Disney has done before; at the same time, it's very like many of the things we do.” Aulani will have 359 hotel rooms, 481 time-share units, restaurants, convention center, a 15,000-square-foot spa and massive water play area that includes a volcano tube slide and snorkel lagoon. It sits on 21 acres on Oahu's Leeward Coast in the Ko Olina development, known for its white-sand lagoons, scenic golf course and colorful sunsets. Ko Olina is about an hour west of Waikiki, where most of the hotels and tourists are. Jim Lewis, president of Disney's time-share component, said Hawaii makes “perfect sense” with its rich culture, traditions, warm greetings, family values, friendships and story-telling. “Those are also terms synonymous with Disney,” he said. “And by the way, Hawaii also happens to be one of the most popular vacation destinations on the planet, and that's the business that we're in.” Most of the resort is currently a jungle of concrete, steel, wires and pipes with no Mickey and Minnie in sight. Aulani is scheduled to open Aug. 29, 2011, with hotel reservations to begin next month. Time-share sales started three weeks ago.
