Aulani when it reopens - will they need offers?

SteveNZ

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
We have a September DLR vacation booked that we’ll likely be cancelling, and Aulani is a tempting alternative. Which got me to thinking I bet a lot of people will have the same idea. A lot of folks won’t want the risk of coronavirus infection or the likely limited experience of a “normal” Disney vacation this year, but how dreamy does a Disney vacation in Hawaii sound after these past few months?

Right now there are no offers on the site beyond June and I’m thinking maybe there won’t be any as there may well be enough demand to fill inventory without them. Any thoughts from the Aulani experts?

As a non DVC member, at the rack rate I’m priced out of this one but if I could afford it I would love to go back there again instead of DLR.
 
If there are people who don't want to risk going to Disney because of coronavirus, then I'm not sure spending 5-9+ hours on an airplane is a better alternative. There are people who are risk averse that will not travel at all this year, and there are those with a higher risk tolerance that will take their chances. IMO, anyone who is willing to go one place and not the other is being hypocritical - they all carry the same risk. So, I would say Aulani wouldn't be any more or less busy than WDW or DLR, and I'm sure we'll see offers for all Disney products to entice people.
 
I just booked a week in July, and was going to use a CM "friends and family" discount. When he called in, they proactively offered a significantly better discount available to anyone--roughly 35% off.
 
We have plans to go to Aulani in August and as of right now are taking a "wait and see approach". A lot can change by then. We are not hypocritical, rather we are less worried about air travel - the airlines have ramped up their cleaning and we always travel with antibacterial wipes and sanitizer anyway. Not to mention the airlines are talking about (maybe it's already implemented) blocking middle seats so passengers will be more spread out. I can't fathom that the parks will be better - even if social distancing is implemented, think about every ride getting cleaned before and after - it would be a lot more stressful in my mind than simply flying on a plane.

We are really hoping it's safe to travel to Hawaii by then. I would imagine it wouldn't be too hard to distance. Keep away from others at the beach. Distance on hiking trails. Our trails have been open here at home and it's been working well. When we see others approaching we move way off to the side. Anyway, time will tell!
 


I just booked a week in July, and was going to use a CM "friends and family" discount. When he called in, they proactively offered a significantly better discount available to anyone--roughly 35% off.
Thank you for posting. I’ve been watching for Aulani discounts since we had to cancel our Universal trip so when I saw your post I called and was given the same discount. The lady I talked to said you have to ask but it’s a 35% discount. She also said that “Hawaii” would be opening May 31st. She said that they were not taking reservations for the Luau until stays beginning in July and she felt the spa would be open then as well. She was very helpful and seemed very sure but I’m just passing along what I heard, I hope it all comes to be. Now I’m off to convince my husband, wish me luck! 😂
 
If there are people who don't want to risk going to Disney because of coronavirus, then I'm not sure spending 5-9+ hours on an airplane is a better alternative.

You forget that for many people it also takes a flight to get to the parks.
 
Thank you for posting. I’ve been watching for Aulani discounts since we had to cancel our Universal trip so when I saw your post I called and was given the same discount. The lady I talked to said you have to ask but it’s a 35% discount. She also said that “Hawaii” would be opening May 31st. She said that they were not taking reservations for the Luau until stays beginning in July and she felt the spa would be open then as well. She was very helpful and seemed very sure but I’m just passing along what I heard, I hope it all comes to be. Now I’m off to convince my husband, wish me luck! 😂

Mahalo to you both! After reading your posts, I contacted our travel agent and she was able to call Disney Travel and get us the 35% discount for our already booked July trip. Saved us over $2K!!! Now we just have to hope and pray that things get better in the world and we don't have to postpone...but if we do, then October is looking inviting!
 


Thank you for posting. I’ve been watching for Aulani discounts since we had to cancel our Universal trip so when I saw your post I called and was given the same discount. The lady I talked to said you have to ask but it’s a 35% discount. She also said that “Hawaii” would be opening May 31st. She said that they were not taking reservations for the Luau until stays beginning in July and she felt the spa would be open then as well. She was very helpful and seemed very sure but I’m just passing along what I heard, I hope it all comes to be. Now I’m off to convince my husband, wish me luck! 😂

not sure why aulani would be saying that hawaii would open may 31st...currently the island of oahu will continue to be under stay at home restrictions until may 31st...state orders have yet to be extended past end of april...kauai is looking at possibly easing restrictions as early as first or 2nd week of may...but will not allow itself to be treated as an experiment for restarting tourism...so it likely means travel restrictions and visitor quarantine rules will remain in effect longer. some of the retrictions regarding the beaches and parks should start to get lifted on oahu soon...so if that goes well it may be possible that some form of tourism could restart this summer...if not...it might be a while.

the big island might try to re-open the earliest of all the islands in hawaii...it's mayor has tried to declare significantly more business types as essential than the other mayors, but given that they've had outbreaks relating to a mcdonalds there...maybe not so much on trying to re-open early.

it may seem like it would be easy to exercise social distancing on beaches...but florida has shown that if there are enough people that go to the beach...social distancing isn't really possible.

it may also be possible that hotels that book a lot of rooms in advance may need to issue a lot of reservation cancellations...if a hotel allows 50% of its rooms to be booked thinking that this is a safe number...but then the state's guidelines say "25% max capacity" for hotels...1/2 of the room reservations would need to be cancelled.

there may also be some extra potential whammies visitors may run into...if there is some form of health check imposed on incoming flights...what happens if 1 person in a family of 4 fails the check (temperature, covid test, or whatever may be implemented)...does just that family get quarantined for 14 days...does the entire flight...or does everyone get back on the plane and have to endure a flight straight back to where they just left?

basically until the state updates its policies/plans past the end of april...it's going to be a guessing game as to when tourism (unless you count enduring the 14 day quarantine) will restart...and just like many other states, it seems unlikely that the next update will provide guidance past the end of may.
 
not sure why aulani would be saying that hawaii would open may 31st...currently the island of oahu will continue to be under stay at home restrictions until may 31st...state orders have yet to be extended past end of april...kauai is looking at possibly easing restrictions as early as first or 2nd week of may...but will not allow itself to be treated as an experiment for restarting tourism...so it likely means travel restrictions and visitor quarantine rules will remain in effect longer. some of the retrictions regarding the beaches and parks should start to get lifted on oahu soon...so if that goes well it may be possible that some form of tourism could restart this summer...if not...it might be a while.

the big island might try to re-open the earliest of all the islands in hawaii...it's mayor has tried to declare significantly more business types as essential than the other mayors, but given that they've had outbreaks relating to a mcdonalds there...maybe not so much on trying to re-open early.

it may seem like it would be easy to exercise social distancing on beaches...but florida has shown that if there are enough people that go to the beach...social distancing isn't really possible.

it may also be possible that hotels that book a lot of rooms in advance may need to issue a lot of reservation cancellations...if a hotel allows 50% of its rooms to be booked thinking that this is a safe number...but then the state's guidelines say "25% max capacity" for hotels...1/2 of the room reservations would need to be cancelled.

there may also be some extra potential whammies visitors may run into...if there is some form of health check imposed on incoming flights...what happens if 1 person in a family of 4 fails the check (temperature, covid test, or whatever may be implemented)...does just that family get quarantined for 14 days...does the entire flight...or does everyone get back on the plane and have to endure a flight straight back to where they just left?

basically until the state updates its policies/plans past the end of april...it's going to be a guessing game as to when tourism (unless you count enduring the 14 day quarantine) will restart...and just like many other states, it seems unlikely that the next update will provide guidance past the end of may.
I don’t disagree with anything you said, I was just passing
along what she told me. It could be she had been told Aulani would be open by May 31st and assumed that meant all of Hawaii. It could be Disney is booking people without a firm date of reopening. Like I said she seemed very sure and volunteered the info., I did not ask. I honestly didn’t bother bc I figured I would get the standard answer and I was booking for late July. I’ve warned my family that there is a chance we will have to cancel but I’m feeling pretty good about it at this point.
 
I don’t disagree with anything you said, I was just passing
along what she told me. It could be she had been told Aulani would be open by May 31st and assumed that meant all of Hawaii. It could be Disney is booking people without a firm date of reopening. Like I said she seemed very sure and volunteered the info., I did not ask. I honestly didn’t bother bc I figured I would get the standard answer and I was booking for late July. I’ve warned my family that there is a chance we will have to cancel but I’m feeling pretty good about it at this point.

for most in hawaii there is an increasing sense of confusion as things don't match up between what the city and state are saying. aulani may have gotten info that hasn't been made available to anyone else as well (I don't believe the governor has made public exactly who is a part of his re-open hawaii taskforce). it just adds to the confusion if a company like disney isn't treating hawaii in the same way as its other locations (have yet to hear that disneyland/disneyworld are making similar firm date claims as to when they'll be open...much less an entire state.)

aulani doesn't have to be closed...it could technically re-open anytime it wants to (hotels/motels are on the essential business list...unless it just recently got removed)...however it may overall be better that they remain closed until tourism restarts or it could leave those with june reservations without automatic refunds...and potentially in a situation where they may assume aulani being open means that hawaii's shutdown has ended (i.e. stuck in their room for 14 days, and potential protestors at the airport). visitors are being informed at the airport as to what the rules are, but there have still been several people arrested and/or sent home for violating the rules so far.
 
for most in hawaii there is an increasing sense of confusion as things don't match up between what the city and state are saying. aulani may have gotten info that hasn't been made available to anyone else as well (I don't believe the governor has made public exactly who is a part of his re-open hawaii taskforce). it just adds to the confusion if a company like disney isn't treating hawaii in the same way as its other locations (have yet to hear that disneyland/disneyworld are making similar firm date claims as to when they'll be open...much less an entire state.)

aulani doesn't have to be closed...it could technically re-open anytime it wants to (hotels/motels are on the essential business list...unless it just recently got removed)...however it may overall be better that they remain closed until tourism restarts or it could leave those with june reservations without automatic refunds...and potentially in a situation where they may assume aulani being open means that hawaii's shutdown has ended (i.e. stuck in their room for 14 days, and potential protestors at the airport). visitors are being informed at the airport as to what the rules are, but there have still been several people arrested and/or sent home for violating the rules so far.
That makes sense. It sounds like we need to not just depend on the fact Aulani being open means tourism as a whole is back open. Thank you for the insight, it helps to know what to watch for as we get closer to our dates. What are your thoughts as to when Oahu might open for tourism without the 14 day quarantine?
 
without a quarantine of some kind...it might not end until a vaccine or reliable treatment is widely available (close to or over 1 million people on oahu alone...and unless more arrived recently only 550 or so ventilators...) if you also want to avoid protestors

in reality...it will happen whenever the governor/mayor decide to do it (as soon as they figure out who can do what and when each of them is comfortable with making changes to existing restrictions).

it hopefully will be done at a point where at a minimum testing is far more reliable, and plans are more coordinated between city/state officials...(the mayor of honolulu had a mass testing plan of sorts...unfortunately the tests he was planning on buying are already known to be faulty...so that got scrapped...for now).

ideally it would be done when the state and city officials can coordinate with the airport, airlines, transportation, and hotels so that things can be properly communicated, planned, and implemented...rather than everyone trying to guess on their own.

in the end its an exceedingly tough call to make.
 
Just changed our reservations (over the phone) from June to August, and the 35% discount is in effect.
 
Interesting article posted over on the News & Rumors forum:

https://www.piplsay.com/covid-19-travel-impact-how-soon-will-americans-hit-the-road/
I'm not sure it's entirely fair to say anyone who doesn't want to visit WDW but may be willing to consider a nearby beach vacation for example is a hypocrite. WDW has a reputation for being crowded (i.e. lots of germs, points of potential contact), and even if they cap it, social distancing is still a lot easier and more possible in places where there aren't as many people moving around in a relatively small amount of space (like a small resort's private beach). Then, you have people who love Disney and really want to go but might not be able to due to their current financial situation or they may not even want to at the moment if it's going to a reduced or more limited experience if this is going to be their only WDW vacation for the next year or so (certain parks not open, certain rides and shows not available, no parades or fireworks, etc.).

I've maintained my position that I'm fairly certain that WDW is going to have a hard time after all of this. I don't think the general public appetite for a vacation destination that already had a reputation for lots of people and germs in tight quarters. No matter what Disney does that's the public perception and reputation that has been developed over nearly 50 years. You can't just change that overnight, and you combine that with an economic downturn and it's going to be a rough patch for WDW. And I say this as a huge Disney fan who can't wait to go back to WDW and will probably go right after it reopens, but I also realize that I am not representative of the majority of population or travelers to WDW. Aulani will be a more intriguing case, but I think it'll take a hit from people still being nervous about flying and, probably more so, people just not having the means at the moment for an expensive luxury vacation (Hawaii is expensive after all, no matter what discounts Aulani offers)
 
Thank you for posting. I’ve been watching for Aulani discounts since we had to cancel our Universal trip so when I saw your post I called and was given the same discount. The lady I talked to said you have to ask but it’s a 35% discount. She also said that “Hawaii” would be opening May 31st. She said that they were not taking reservations for the Luau until stays beginning in July and she felt the spa would be open then as well. She was very helpful and seemed very sure but I’m just passing along what I heard, I hope it all comes to be. Now I’m off to convince my husband, wish me luck! 😂
Thanks so much for posting your experience! I just called Aulani and was able to book a few nights in mid July at 35% off also. So much better than the hassle of trying to rent points in order to get a discount. I think we have a decent chance of things being ok for travel by then.
 
You forget that for many people it also takes a flight to get to the parks.
I think you've missed my point. If someone is hesitant to go to a theme park because of coronavirus concerns, why would that same person be willing to spend 5-9+ hours on an airplane to go to Aulani? The risk of being in a germ filled theme park is about the same as being trapped in close proximity of strangers in a germ filled airplane for a long period of time. So, I don't think Aulani will necessarily do better because people are scared to go to the parks. I think those with a higher risk tolerance will make their vacation plans to wherever and travel as they normally would, while those who are more cautious will hold off traveling or will travel somewhere within driving distance where they can be more isolated and have less exposure.
 
I don't think the 14 day travel quarantine will be lifted this summer. The Hawaii AG told the Hawaii Legislature that the quarantine would be in place even after the State opens.
 
Is the state AG the deciding authority?
technically it is possible that the AG might be (probably not tho)...I think it technically may be the state supreme court (or would the supreme court have to get involved in a state vs. city thing...)...the governor did also mandate that pretty much anything the mayors want to do now needs to be approved by him...so kauai's night time curfew can't be lifted by the mayor of kauai anymore unless the governor approves it.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top