Auntie's Beach House & Teen Club

[trixie08]

The Aulani website looks like they have not restarted Auntie's Beach House and the Teen Club. The most recent Daily 'Iwa posted online has very limited activities it appears. Does anyone know when it might come back?

 

[kdonnel]

Hawaii has been extremely cautious in their reopening. They are many months behind most other states.

I would not expect Aunties to reopen for many, many months.

 

[jodybird511]

And with regard to other activities, they are FEW and far between. We just returned, and there was VERY little happening, outside of pools/beach/restaurants/character greetings. Unfortunately, the entire time we were there, the Menehune Adventure was down due to technical probs. It was disappointing and definitely a departure from our previous visits. We understand, though, and look forward to when things are more normal. We still had an amazing trip.

 

[trixie08]

Update. I called Aulani. They do not have a set date to reopen Auntie's Beach House.

And with regard to other activities, they are FEW and far between. We just returned, and there was VERY little happening, outside of pools/beach/restaurants/character greetings. Unfortunately, the entire time we were there, the Menehune Adventure was down due to technical probs. It was disappointing and definitely a departure from our previous visits. We understand, though, and look forward to when things are more normal. We still had an amazing trip.

@ Joybird, Thank you for reporting back from your recent trip.

 

[Kmk2]

Hawaii has been extremely cautious in their reopening. They are many months behind most other states.

I would not expect Aunties to reopen for many, many months.

A 3 minute walk away the four seasons kids club was open and fully operational with tons of activities for the kids.

Aunties is not open for reasons other than public health.

 

[pamelaj]

A 3 minute walk away the four seasons kids club was open and fully operational with tons of activities for the kids.

Aunties is not open for reasons other than public health.

Why isn't it open? Is it a staffing issue?

 

[monsterkitty]

Why isn't it open? Is it a staffing issue?

A staffing issue is my guess. There are several daycares in my area that have greatly reduced numbers of children because they don't have enough staff or they've just closed because of the shortage.

 

[Kmk2]

Why isn't it open? Is it a staffing issue?

I would assume they would need to pay people more to come back and are waiting it out. There would also have to be limits on capacity so some thinking outside the box would be needed. And I assume they just don’t want to bother

Also Auties is not a revenue generator - so Disney is going to get away with keeping it closed. Lots of kids running around during the day spend money with their parents also.

I spoke with a staff member re ama ama and they said the kitchen can’t accommodate social distancing so they don’t want to retrofit it. That sounds nuts to me. What beachfront resort doesn’t have beach view restaurant.

It’s penny wise and pound foolish bc we just spent our money elsewhere and I will just use my points elsewhere. They will certainly be able to keep up this bare bones operation for a while - but it is not good.

We stayed at the Four Seasons and the Royal Hawaiian and the experiences were so vastly superior that it was barely comparable. That is not to say anything negative about the Aulani staff, who are wonderful.

 

[pamelaj]

I would assume they would need to pay people more to come back and are waiting it out. There would also have to be limits on capacity so some thinking outside the box would be needed. And I assume they just don’t want to bother

Also Auties is not a revenue generator - so Disney is going to get away with keeping it closed. Lots of kids running around during the day spend money with their parents also.

I spoke with a staff member re ama ama and they said the kitchen can’t accommodate social distancing so they don’t want to retrofit it. That sounds nuts to me. What beachfront resort doesn’t have beach view restaurant.

It’s penny wise and pound foolish bc we just spent our money elsewhere and I will just use my points elsewhere. They will certainly be able to keep up this bare bones operation for a while - but it is not good.

We stayed at the Four Seasons and the Royal Hawaiian and the experiences were so vastly superior that it was barely comparable. That is not to say anything negative about the Aulani staff, who are wonderful.

I would add Auntie's Beach House is one of the big reasons we bought points at Aulani. Allowing families with small children to relax on vacation is HUGE. It's a big loss for guests and they will feel it at some point. I think they will also lose money at the Spa. When I booked spa appointments, they recommended how early to drop off our kids at Auntie's Beach House before our appointments. Without Auntie's Beach House, you lose one or both parents at the spa. My kids are older now, but I hope it returns soon.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I would assume they would need to pay people more to come back and are waiting it out. There would also have to be limits on capacity so some thinking outside the box would be needed. And I assume they just don’t want to bother

Also Auties is not a revenue generator - so Disney is going to get away with keeping it closed. Lots of kids running around during the day spend money with their parents also.

I spoke with a staff member re ama ama and they said the kitchen can’t accommodate social distancing so they don’t want to retrofit it. That sounds nuts to me. What beachfront resort doesn’t have beach view restaurant.

It’s penny wise and pound foolish bc we just spent our money elsewhere and I will just use my points elsewhere. They will certainly be able to keep up this bare bones operation for a while - but it is not good.

We stayed at the Four Seasons and the Royal Hawaiian and the experiences were so vastly superior that it was barely comparable. That is not to say anything negative about the Aulani staff, who are wonderful.

Of course this is just my impression, but the four seasons looks so ugly and generic, with such a blah pool, that I couldn’t imagine ever staying there. The restaurants are all so monumentally overpriced.

 

[Kmk2]

Of course this is just my impression, but the four seasons looks so ugly and generic, with such a blah pool, that I couldn’t imagine ever staying there. The restaurants are all so monumentally overpriced.

It’s better than the Aulani in terms of calm and service in every single way. It’s visually meh. The adult only pool (you probably couldn’t see it if you didn’t stay there) has a swim up retro bar car. You are allowed to drink a mai tai in the pool while looking at the sunset - without 8000 children. It’s a luxury hotel. The aulani has it’s own charm when they are actually providing services— but they are bare bones at this point. And the food at Aulani doesn’t exist - it’s a glorified 7-11 and a rando redesigned dinner. I thought you liked Mina’s — must have been someone else.

 

[kyton]

The Four Seasons also wasn’t built from the ground up like Aulani was - it was previously the Marriott Ihilani. Four Seasons bought it and refurbed the interior but didn’t do a massive amount externally.

 

[Paul Stupin]

It’s better than the Aulani in terms of calm and service in every single way. It’s visually meh. The adult only pool (you probably couldn’t see it if you didn’t stay there) has a swim up retro bar car. You are allowed to drink a mai tai in the pool while looking at the sunset - without 8000 children. It’s a luxury hotel. The aulani has it’s own charm when they are actually providing services— but they are bare bones at this point. And the food at Aulani doesn’t exist - it’s a glorified 7-11 and a rando redesigned dinner. I thought you liked Mina’s — must have been someone else.

My issue with Mina’s isn’t that the food was bad, I did like it, but in retrospect I appreciated the location near the water more than the meal. My wife and I don’t have kids but still love Aulani. The quick service location, Ulu Cafe, is great for lunch, and Makahiki is pretty good for dinner. And all the other Ko Olina restaurants are within easy walking distance anyway. We do like Noe at the Four Seasons though.
The thing is, for me, the Four Seasons just looks so old and dated. That atrium is something out of the 70s. Maybe the rooms have been redone, but overall it’s a block of white concrete on the beach. No grounds to speak of. A generic pool. No real identity.
Aulani has for us more character and fun. The lazy river is a blast. And re service, seems fine to me, but all I really need is someone to bring us ice tea on the beach.

 

[OKW Lover]

but overall it’s a block of white concrete on the beach.

We've often commented on this. When first spotting Ko Olina from the road as you approach the area you see a group of white concrete boxes on the beach. In the middle of them (well, actually towards one end) is a resort that blends in with the environment.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It’s better than the Aulani in terms of calm and service in every single way.

"Calm" does not mean "better," it's just different.

I'd take "fun" over "calm" any day of the week. "Calm," to me, means "boring."

Also Auties is not a revenue generator.

Yes it is. Both directly and indirectly. They sell premium experiences for the kids, and they drive spa revenue when parents have a place to drop their kids.

 

[Lilsia]

I would add Auntie's Beach House is one of the big reasons we bought points at Aulani. Allowing families with small children to relax on vacation is HUGE. It's a big loss for guests and they will feel it at some point. I think they will also lose money at the Spa. When I booked spa appointments, they recommended how early to drop off our kids at Auntie's Beach House before our appointments. Without Auntie's Beach House, you lose one or both parents at the spa. My kids are older now, but I hope it returns soon.

I think that guest mentality, like yours, is why they have not opened with their limited capacity. I am not implying anything bad, just the Disney guest are way more demanding then regular people. Due to State regulations, they can not have more then a certain amount of people in one area. I believe that it just went up to 25 people, but was 5 and then 10 for a very long time. So if they opened Aunty's, but with limited capacity, you know that there would be plenty of people that, to put it nicely, would complain that their kid was not one of those able to get in. I have seen way too many posts, from various sites, from people who will only go to Aulani because of the free child care. No one wants that kind of a nightmare guest issue. I'm not saying that staffing and costs are not an issue, but I doubt that they are the only reasons why it is not open yet. And I don't think that you can compare Aulani with the Four Seasons. That place is always dead and the fact that anyone can just walk in, and there is room for your child, is proof that they don't have anywhere near the amount of kids that Aulani has.

 

[Paul Stupin]

It’s better than the Aulani in terms of calm and service in every single way. It’s visually meh. The adult only pool (you probably couldn’t see it if you didn’t stay there) has a swim up retro bar car. You are allowed to drink a mai tai in the pool while looking at the sunset - without 8000 children. It’s a luxury hotel. The aulani has it’s own charm when they are actually providing services— but they are bare bones at this point. And the food at Aulani doesn’t exist - it’s a glorified 7-11 and a rando redesigned dinner. I thought you liked Mina’s — must have been someone else.

Not quite sure what you mean by “services.” I’ve found the services at Aulani to be fine, and I’m not sure what else I’d need hanging out at the beach, pool, or exploring either Ko Olina or the island. I think I’d rather deal with some annoyances from the kids than what seems to me a lack of any activity at the Four Seasons.

 

[Paul Stupin]

"Calm" does not mean "better," it's just different.

I'd take "fun" over "calm" any day of the week. "Calm," to me, means "boring."


Yes it is. Both directly and indirectly. They sell premium experiences for the kids, and they drive spa revenue when parents have a place to drop their kids.

Agreed. I just can’t imagine enjoying myself anywhere on the grounds of that unappealing Four Seasons building.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Agreed. I just can’t imagine enjoying myself anywhere on the grounds of that unappealing Four Seasons building.

I looked over there and there was no doubt in my mind that a decent amount of the people (and all of the ones with kids) were looking longingly over at Aulani and wishing they had a pool complex like "ours."

 

[Lilsia]

Agreed. I just can’t imagine enjoying myself anywhere on the grounds of that unappealing Four Seasons building.

We walked through the Four Seasons and thought the same thing. For one thing, there was hardly anyone there, either guests or staff, 3 years ago and this past June. The pools were just regular hole in the ground, pools. Not much of a gift shop. And while the food is good, it is crazy expensive. It feels very sterile, like a hospital. I imagine that the service is amazing, but the atmosphere is lacking.