American Idol @ Aulani in January??

CDN Prince Charming

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 10, 2005
Found this on a FB group page today and am not pleased as we will be there from the 26th-Feb. 1. Apparently its due to American Idol...(isn't that show a thing of the past yet?)
Anyone else heard of this or have any more info?

Aloha ******* Party,

We are delighted you have chosen Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa as your vacation destination.

We are looking forward to welcoming you soon and wanted to make you aware that we will also be welcoming a national television production, which will be at the Resort during your stay.

To help you prepare for your visit, we want to let you know that this television production will be utilizing a portion of Ko Olina beach at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa from January 27–February 1 for stage preparation, performances and filming. Aulani beach activities and amenities will continue as normal. As part of this production, ‘AMA ‘AMA Restaurant will be closed to the public on February 1.
During the dates listed above, it is possible that you may see or hear set-up, interviews, production and performances taking place. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and hope you will enjoy being at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa during this exciting time.

We would also like to make you aware that Wailana adult pool will be closed during this time due to previously scheduled refurbishments. This refurbishment is unrelated to the television production, and all other areas of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa will be available for you to enjoy.

If you have questions or need assistance prior to your arrival, please call Disney Vacation Club® Member Services at 800-800-9800 or 407-566-3800 between the hours of 9:00am-9:00pm (ET) Monday through Friday or 9:00am-7:00pm (ET) Saturday and Sunday.

General Manager Kimberly Agas and the Cast Members at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa look forward to your arrival and wish you a truly magical stay!

Sincerely,
Disney Destinations,
Arrival Date: 1/20/2020
 
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We were there last year when they were setting up for American Idol on the beach area. We left the day before filming began. We did lots of production staff setting up around certain areas of Aulani.
 
We are there 29-31st. I read that last year the performances were on Monday on the beach and then Tuesday was the taping of the judges cutting contestants from 40 to 20, which took place where the Luau is held. But nothing beyond that. Any ideas what else goes on the rest of the week or if what I read was accurate about the schedule?
 


Hopefully you will at least get some enjoyment out of seeing the production taking place. I would find that interesting if it was going on during my trip there this summer but I understand it's not what you signed up for.
 
We have stayed there during TV productions in the past. It didn't seem to interfere with the plans that our family had. We are of the 'ugh, why' variety, because we dislike the sort of show that was going on, but honestly, it was fine.
 
Ugh, I received this email today as well. Following for more info....
I called ms about this a few days ago and voiced my concerns. I was told to send an email as well by the cm. No response from dvc yet. I also called Aulani and spoke to a representative there as well. We should have been notified much earlier.
 


My wife and I were at Aulani a couple of years ago when Oracle had its annual retreat at the resort and it was terrible. They got a permit to close the beach in front of Aulani for a concert, they closed the main pool at 2-3 pm for an Oracle party, there were a bunch of other evening closures of parts of the resort, and Aulani itself was overflowing with Oracle employees and their families, most of whom were nice but a few were obnoxious and entitled (you could tell they were Oracle staff because of their bright red Oracle tote bags over the shoulder as they were making a scene). The worst was there was no advanced notice when we booked or before we arrived. We got a $200 resort credit when we complained to the front desk, but $200 in no way came close to the hassle we experienced with Oracle.

I’m not sure if the tv production experience compares to the Oracle experience. But Aulani really needs to do better about (1) disclosing these events when they contract for them and not a couple of weeks before someone’s vacation; and (2) give guests the option to reschedule their vacation up to +/- two weeks with no additional cash out of pocket for the room change or increase in points. And for those who can’t (or don’t) want to reschedule, give some legit compensation for the hassle.

Aulani is my home resort for DVC. I’m not sure to what extent these events reduce my maintenance fees, but I’m guessing not a whole heck of a lot. The Aulani traditional convention space is tiny and normal convention business doesn’t seem to interrupt the typical guest visit to Aulani. But these over-the-top events are a major disruption, and Aulani could do so much better when those types of events come to town.
 
My wife and I were at Aulani a couple of years ago when Oracle had its annual retreat at the resort and it was terrible. They got a permit to close the beach in front of Aulani for a concert, they closed the main pool at 2-3 pm for an Oracle party, there were a bunch of other evening closures of parts of the resort, and Aulani itself was overflowing with Oracle employees and their families, most of whom were nice but a few were obnoxious and entitled (you could tell they were Oracle staff because of their bright red Oracle tote bags over the shoulder as they were making a scene). ...

That sounds terrible. I've been to DHs annual retreat with a large company a couple of times, and while it is fun for the participants, I would have hated to have been a guest at the resorts we were at.

The TV tapings we were around at Aulani were not nearly that intrusive. One was the morning show that Kelly Ripa was/is a part of. I can't remember what the other was. But neither was really a problem and didn't overrun the resort like a corporate retreat would.
 
I’m taking an optimistic approach. Since we were just notified last week, I want to believe it’s not going to be a big deal. Maybe will even get to see the contestants perform! This is our first Hawaii trip, celebrating our 25th Anniversary, and I want it to be perfect!
 
We were at Aulani a few years for a concert of some Japanese pop stars. They took over the whole beach for a day and half to set up, then put a high fence around so that only those with tickets could see. We could hear it from our lanai. It wasn’t awful. But there was absolutely no warning for this, not even when we checked in. I complained about it after the fact. Not that there was a concert but the fact there was no warning.
 
We were at Aulani during american idol last winter. It was fine, the only thing that they really took over was Ama Ama which made no difference to us. I would highly suggest NOT waiting in line to see the show. They had it on the beach,. we waited in line to see it for way too long. We could easily have not waited in line and watched the whole thing from 30 feet further away because most of the beach was still open and the line up was just to be slightly closer to the stage (but not much because we have kids and they put families with kids further away)
 
That is the day we leave. Kind of relieved and kind of sad. Anyone know what will be going on the 27th thru the 30th, or are all those days just set up?
 
Based on other shows I've seen filmed, they'll be building the stage on the beach during those days as well as doing all the individual interviews of contestants, judges, promo spots etc. around the resort. All that filler stuff we see in the actual show on tv in between performances typically is filmed in the days beforehand.
 
We were at Aulani during american idol last winter. It was fine, the only thing that they really took over was Ama Ama which made no difference to us. I would highly suggest NOT waiting in line to see the show. They had it on the beach,. we waited in line to see it for way too long. We could easily have not waited in line and watched the whole thing from 30 feet further away because most of the beach was still open and the line up was just to be slightly closer to the stage (but not much because we have kids and they put families with kids further away)

Do you know where on the beach the stage was set up last time? We have reservations that night at AMA AMA, so I am really hoping that the concert won’t interfere with our enjoyment of dinner. 🙁
 
From what I've seen in the past, it is set up off center but more towards the Four Seasons. When there was a concert there during one of our stays, you definitely could hear every bit of it, though. And there will be a lot of people on the beach as the audience. If you search on You Tube for American Idol Aulani you'll see some clips from last year. Depending on what experience you are looking for at Ama Ama, you may want to choose a different night. I don't think you'll be able to avoid hearing the performances.
 
Do you know where on the beach the stage was set up last time? We have reservations that night at AMA AMA, so I am really hoping that the concert won’t interfere with our enjoyment of dinner. 🙁

The stage was setup kind of where Aulani would end and the four seasons would begin. Over in that direction anyway. Ama Ama wasn't affected in regards to the view of the ocean. You certainly would hear the music from the restaurant. That said, the whole thing is basically like 3 hours of them setting up shots before they even let the crowd in and then they rush the musicians through back to back with each having like 2 minutes to perform. Its nothing like it is on television and the judges don't do anything more than sit there. They certainly don't interact with the commoners in the crowd in any way. A good amount of time (days) is spent doing construction of the stage etc but it had zero impact on our trip
 

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