Aulani Honeymoon December 2020,HELP!

[Stephlovesinatra]

My daughter has a reservation for her honeymoon at Aulani for December 2020. She is pretty sure it will be open but doesn’t want to go if it’s going to be restricted. No extra activities (luau) etc. It’s so expensive to not fully enjoy it. She keeps asking if she should postpone it. I don’t know what to tell her. Any thoughts?

 

[nkereina]

You will get more responses and possibly more information by posting on the Aulani forum. I don't believe Aulani has formally announced what restrictions will be in place, because I don't believe they have determined an exact re-opening date yet. Last I knew, the Governor of Hawaii was not permitting travel into the islands until July 31st with the possibility to extend further. Aulani likely won't re-open until that order is lifted, so that's the time I'd be checking to see what restrictions are exactly in place - both at Aulani and when it comes to traveling in and out of Hawaii. Before the state closed to tourists, they had a mandatory quarantine upon arrival. So even if they re-open to tourists, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't be required to quarantine.

As far as re-scheduling, only she can decide. I think she will not get the full experience of Aulani and Hawaii with things likely to still be restricted through the end of the year. That said, if Aulani is at limited capacity, that bodes well for enjoying the resort. Aulani is usually very crowded and people often complain how difficult it is getting pool chairs. Pool chairs will certainly be limited and spaced out, but I would imagine resort capacity will also be limited. It would be nice to see and enjoy the resort with fewer bodies around. I would think the luau could still be doable if they nix the communal tables and space out the tables appropriately. Not sure whether the spa would operate. If she's honeymooning, I'm guessing kids activities and the kids club don't matter to her.

Does she have a DVC reservation booked? That would be the only wrench. If she owns DVC, she's likely up against banking/borrowing timelines. If she's renting DVC points, its likely non-refundable or cannot be changed.

 

[Miffy]

@Stephlovesinatra--I feel for your daughter. This is such a difficult time to be planning anything, even something 6 months from now. No one has a crystal ball. Who knows what will be the case in December? Or even next March? Will there be a second wave of the coronavirus? Or a vaccine? Impossible to know.

If your daughter can plan this and the majority of the trip is refundable, then maybe it's not such a big deal. But if we're talking about nonrefundable airfares, hotel rooms, food, wedding events, etc., then perhaps planning for something expensive in December isn't such a great idea right now.

I do think your daughter should be prepared for this not to happen. She can always get married in a small ceremony in December and then have a party at Aulani after things return to the pre-covid world. That might not seem ideal, but she and her future husband and their commitment to each other and lives together are way more important than the venue.

 

[Stephlovesinatra]

You will get more responses and possibly more information by posting on the Aulani forum. I don't believe Aulani has formally announced what restrictions will be in place, because I don't believe they have determined an exact re-opening date yet. Last I knew, the Governor of Hawaii was not permitting travel into the islands until July 31st with the possibility to extend further. Aulani likely won't re-open until that order is lifted, so that's the time I'd be checking to see what restrictions are exactly in place - both at Aulani and when it comes to traveling in and out of Hawaii. Before the state closed to tourists, they had a mandatory quarantine upon arrival. So even if they re-open to tourists, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't be required to quarantine.

As far as re-scheduling, only she can decide. I think she will not get the full experience of Aulani and Hawaii with things likely to still be restricted through the end of the year. That said, if Aulani is at limited capacity, that bodes well for enjoying the resort. Aulani is usually very crowded and people often complain how difficult it is getting pool chairs. Pool chairs will certainly be limited and spaced out, but I would imagine resort capacity will also be limited. It would be nice to see and enjoy the resort with fewer bodies around. I would think the luau could still be doable if they nix the communal tables and space out the tables appropriately. Not sure whether the spa would operate. If she's honeymooning, I'm guessing kids activities and the kids club don't matter to her.

Does she have a DVC reservation booked? That would be the only wrench. If she owns DVC, she's likely up against banking/borrowing timelines. If she's renting DVC pointed, its likely non-refundable or cannot be changed.

No she didn’t book DVC. She just booked through the hotel. Thank you for all the info. I guess the best advice is wait and see. Smaller crowds would be a perk though

 

[Stephlovesinatra]

@Stephlovesinatra--I feel for your daughter. This is such a difficult time to be planning anything, even something 6 months from now. No one has a crystal ball. Who knows what will be the case in December? Or even next March? Will there be a second wave of the coronavirus? Or a vaccine? Impossible to know.

If your daughter can plan this and the majority of the trip is refundable, then maybe it's not such a big deal. But if we're talking about nonrefundable airfares, hotel rooms, food, wedding events, etc., then perhaps planning for something expensive in December isn't such a great idea right now.

I do think your daughter should be prepared for this not to happen. She can always get married in a small ceremony in December and then have a party at Aulani after things return to the pre-covid world. That might not seem ideal, but she and her future husband and their commitment to each other and lives together are way more important than the venue.

Yes!! Planning her wedding has proved to be tricky. Yet deciding to postpone a Aulani trip or not is a great problem to have We will just have to wait and see. She did purchase the airfare insurance so she won’t be out anything if they wait.

 

[Lynne M]

I’ll move this to the Aulani board.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the reality is that when you look at WDW and all the stuff being restricted there, you have to expect restrictions at Aulani.