Aulani Post Covid Reopen ~ Fell Below Expectations This Time...

[IceSkatingPrincess]

The adult pool allows children now. Not sure why.

I sincerely hope that the adult pool sharing ends by fall. I feel like it is probably unlikely but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I sincerely hope that the adult pool sharing ends by fall. I feel like it is probably unlikely but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Why unlikely? Late summer/early fall seems to be the general consensus "back to normal" timeframe.

(FWIW, Walt Disney World just announced that valet parking and the College Program are back.)

 

[Kmk2]

I sincerely hope that the adult pool sharing ends by fall. I feel like it is probably unlikely but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I reserved a cabana mid-summer at the formerly-adult pool area. I mentioned that if it were only adult it wouldn’t work for us and they seemed to think it would not be an issue. I plan on following up closer to the date - but certainly a data point on their timeline for changing that back.

 

[Kmk2]

Why unlikely? Late summer/early fall seems to be the general consensus "back to normal" timeframe.

(FWIW, Walt Disney World just announced that valet parking and the College Program are back.)

Most cynical view - it was underused as adult only and they have cabanas they can rent out more easily if it is a family pool. But not sure at all.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Most cynical view - it was underused as adult only and they have cabanas they can rent out more easily if it is a family pool. But not sure at all.

On my only trip it was under refurb, but it seems like it's in a dumpy location, no?

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I reserved a cabana mid-summer at the formerly-adult pool area. I mentioned that if it were only adult it wouldn’t work for us and they seemed to think it would not be an issue. I plan on following up closer to the date - but certainly a data point on their timeline for changing that back.

I'm there mid-October and have my fingers crossed. I have lanais and cabanas reserved for our resort days right now. I'm happy to keep those, but would really love an adults only pool too.

DH and I do not have children yet. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the joy and excitement of little kids (one of the sweetest parts of WDW!), but sometimes a little bit of quiet time is nice too.

 

[doublesided]

We stayed for 12 nights in April and loved it. It was crowded at the limited capacity so I can't imagine the resort at full capacity. We had no issues with our second room, our first room had a terrible view so they moved us after 3 nights. We didn't mind the Covid restrictions at all, in fact it was the reason we went with our medically fragile kid. We were able to stay away from non mask wearing folks on the island for the most part and it was nice to be able to take off mask on the beach in the spot we were in and only have to use it when going to the bathroom/get towels/etc.

We liked the elevator rule, we only wanted our family in it when all 3 of us were together. If I was alone and I saw another single person or two that was wearing a mask I invited them on. We wouldn't have used the kids club so we didn't miss it. My kid had a blast at the lazy river, pools and exploring the island. We spent half our time at Aulani and half out exploring using Aulani as a base.

The food was the only real downside for us, we would have liked more options. I wouldn't have minded the spa being open but I spa at home every couple of months and likely wouldn't have done that until Covid is over anyway. Oh and the line at the gift shop at night was atrocious, we would randomly want to pop in to buy my kid a milk and it was rough but we planned accordingly after a couple of days of the line.

Overall if you don't care that some options aren't open, don't cancel your trips. It's a good opportunity to just enjoy Oahu when it's less busy. We plan to go back within the next two years and will I'm sure be crazy bummed at the crowds next trip!

 

[Kmk2]

On my only trip it was under refurb, but it seems like it's in a dumpy location, no?

Yeah, it’s kind of off to the side. The 2
times I swam there it was there it seemed more chilly (maybe just the shade) and it had a decent amount of leaves in it. It was still nice (bc Hawaii) but it’s not the prime real estate!!

 

[Kmk2]

I'm there mid-October and have my fingers crossed. I have lanais and cabanas reserved for our resort days right now. I'm happy to keep those, but would really love an adults only pool too.

DH and I do not have children yet. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the joy and excitement of little kids (one of the sweetest parts of WDW!), but sometimes a little bit of quiet time is nice too.

My husband and I travelled a lot before kids and I totally understand and agree!

 

[jimmymc]

Most cynical view - it was underused as adult only and they have cabanas they can rent out more easily if it is a family pool. But not sure at all.

I'm not sure what their reasoning was, but this is true. Even pre-COVID it was rarely full.

 

[Lilsia]

I should also mention that I did visit Hawaii in November, just not at Aulani. I had a car, tried so much delicious local food and explored the entire island of Oahu (literally, from Ka'ena point to Makapu'u point). I didn't think Aulani justified the premium price with so much of it being closed, but I definitely want to stay next time I'm in Oahu.

We use DVC points so the stay is practically free. I would need to use the points anyway and Aulani is a good use of them. I can understand if someone was paying cash feeling like they are not getting their money's worth. But for us, we are just happy to be healthy and able to go.

 

[jimmymc]

We use DVC points so the stay is practically free. I would need to use the points anyway and Aulani is a good use of them. I can understand if someone was paying cash feeling like they are not getting their money's worth. But for us, we are just happy to be healthy and able to go.

Yes, with DVC Aulani is a good deal given all the resort has to offer. Even with everything open I think the rack rate is overpriced, but Aulani frequently offers discounts on longer trips.

 

[nkereina]

It obviously doesn't apply to DVC members, but the biggest offender here is the lack of daily housekeeping. I wouldn't be shocked if they made that permanent at WDW but I can't imagine Aulani won't go back to normal service pretty soon.

Disney has little incentive to return to "normal" operations, as we knew it. People are still coming in droves, especially now as more become vaccinated and restrictions are loosened. We've already seen them implement some pretty big changes that are very obviously operational savings (i.e. DME termination), so I would not at all be surprised if limited housekeeping is now current procedure going forward. Pre-pandemic, at least at WDW, they had many people opt-out of housekeeping as it was. Couple that with DVC that doesn't offer daily housekeeping anyway. There's no financial incentive for Disney to spend the money on staffing for full service every day again. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Disney has little incentive to return to "normal" operations, as we knew it. People are still coming in droves, especially now as more become vaccinated and restrictions are loosened. We've already seen them implement some pretty big changes that are very obviously operational savings (i.e. DME termination), so I would not at all be surprised if limited housekeeping is now current procedure going forward. Pre-pandemic, at least at WDW, they had many people opt-out of housekeeping as it was. Couple that with DVC that doesn't offer daily housekeeping anyway. There's no financial incentive for Disney to spend the money on staffing for full service every day again. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

There's a ton of pent-up demand in the short term, but I think travel is going to end up settling somewhere short of 2019 for a long time. There are a lot of people dying to vacation because they haven't for the past year, but there is another group that is going to be uncomfortable returning to crowded settings any time soon.

 

[Lilsia]

.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Not going till mask mandate is going…people are getting a little stupid with it.

 

[Pete W.]

Not going till mask mandate is going…people are getting a little stupid with it.

I’m with you but “unfortunately” we scheduled our upcoming trip to Aulani for the first week of June nine months ago when we assumed unscientific things like outdoor mask mandates would’ve been repealed by now. Of course we’ll still enjoy our stay but it’s sad that many people still cling to the fairy tale that cloth stops viruses.

 

[Proud Cheapskate]

Is it Dr Pete W? I'm curious where you went to medical school?

 

[Pete W.]

Is it Dr Pete W? I'm curious where you went to medical school?

Ad hominem. One doesn’t need a medical degree to review the scientific literature and decide for oneself if wearing a piece of cloth on one’s face outdoors will have any meaningful effect on a respiratory virus.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Is it Dr Pete W? I'm curious where you went to medical school?

Cringe. you’re trying too hard, it’s ok to have a different opinion.