Does anyone else care?

[t3hWheez]

Hi all,

We just returned from Aulani for our third time last week. When we first came in January of 2020, it was just amazing and pretty much solidified our desire to keep going. Since COVID though, some of the magic seems to be going away at Aulani, at least the ambiance. Is anyone else noticing that all except one torch in the rear of the resort are turned off? Anyone else notice that a ton of water features are broken? The lobby water feature hasn't been working for awhile now but they did have workers on it last week so maybe that is a good sign?

The resort lost a lot of life after COVID and while simple, torches, water features, etc all make Aulani, Aulani. I do hope others care about this and if they do are providing feedback to management or DVC member services. Prices are absurd right now, if the Four Seasons can afford to keep their torches running, so can Aulani in my opinion.

End of my rant!

 

[Paul Stupin]

Hi all,

We just returned from Aulani for our third time last week. When we first came in January of 2020, it was just amazing and pretty much solidified our desire to keep going. Since COVID though, some of the magic seems to be going away at Aulani, at least the ambiance. Is anyone else noticing that all except one torch in the rear of the resort are turned off? Anyone else notice that a ton of water features are broken? The lobby water feature hasn't been working for awhile now but they did have workers on it last week so maybe that is a good sign?

The resort lost a lot of life after COVID and while simple, torches, water features, etc all make Aulani, Aulani. I do hope others care about this and if they do are providing feedback to management or DVC member services. Prices are absurd right now, if the Four Seasons can afford to keep their torches running, so can Aulani in my opinion.

End of my rant!

I care, but I didn’t notice anything in Feb, other than the adult whirlpool not working for 4 days, though they did ultimately get it fixed. What water features weren’t working? Will be there next month…will be on the lookout!

 

[Iceman93]

I haven't been back since BEFORE the pandemic, but we had noticed cutbacks like this even then. Perhaps more importantly, the overall level of guest service has declined dramatically over the years. At our first stay, which convinced us to join DVC, the overall feel of the resort was up to Ritz-Carlton/Four Seasons standards. At our last stay, some of our interactions weren't even up to Marriott/Hilton standards.

 

[t3hWheez]

I care, but I didn’t notice anything in Feb, other than the adult whirlpool not working for 4 days, though they did ultimately get it fixed. What water features weren’t working? Will be there next month…will be on the lookout!

Check out the single torch that is on right behind Makahiki. After that take a stroll around the rear area. You'll notice tons of torches not lit.

Lobby water features, some of the water features in the lazy river, most if not all of the black bowl water features are non functioning. Look closely and you'll see a LOT is broken/off/not-working.

 

[scoobdoo]

Some of us notice, some of us care. No more lei greeting, flavored water as you walk in…these little things are stripped away, and they will never return.

 

[Kmk2]

I do care. Many of us have been trying to call attention to the cutbacks, negative changes etc.

But all I can do going forward is vote with my feet.

All visitors can do is write a detailed TripAdvisor review, give feedback here and to the hotel. It is a shame though.

 

[J-Dog]

The optimistic part of me hopes that these were Chapek-era cutbacks, and now more investments just haven't trickled-down the Disney ladder to Aulani yet. But I'm not holding my breath.

 

[NorCalFanatic]

We were there early this year. I didn’t notice any torches not working, or water features not working. The one in the lobby was working at the time. The big slide was down for maintenance, that was the only water feature not working at that time. We had a great time, we even added on more points after that stay.

 

[izma]

I noticed. I care. It's the small things like the Lei greeting and the water. They make a difference. It's sad.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I noticed. I care. It's the small things like the Lei greeting and the water. They make a difference. It's sad.

Everything looked great last week, though I didn’t wander around looking for flaws. For me, the Kris and water are not particularly missed.

 

[AustinTink]

I care, but I didn’t notice anything in Feb, other than the adult whirlpool not working for 4 days,

That would have been a tough one for us. That was our favorite spot besides the lagoon.

 

[OKW Lover]

We just returned from Aulani for our third time last week. When we first came in January of 2020, it was just amazing and pretty much solidified our desire to keep going. Since COVID though, some of the magic seems to be going away at Aulani, at least the ambiance. Is anyone else noticing that all except one torch in the rear of the resort are turned off? Anyone else notice that a ton of water features are broken? The lobby water feature hasn't been working for awhile now but they did have workers on it last week so maybe that is a good sign?

The torches all seem to be working. Perhaps there was an issue when you were there but they have resolves it.

The only water feature that we noticed broken was the two fountain/reflecting pools that parallel the lobby when you enter. Actually, I'm not sure "broken" is the right term. They just don't have water in them right now.

The most disappointing thing for us is that the "Adult pool" is no longer Adult.

 

[tidefan]

Happy to report that the lobby water feature was back on today.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Happy to report that the lobby water feature was back on today.

There’s also a water feature on the outside patio of The Olelo Room, right by the little curved bridge leading to Makahiki, that was dry last week. It’s a nice little pool with vertical elements sticking out of the pool that also bubble water. We had never noticed it before. Do you know if that is working?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Oahu has been in drought conditions for at least a year. Locals are fairly angered about the water use at resorts.

In certain respects, not having a ton of decorative water features is practically considerate given the numbe of times this year alone Oahu residents have been asked to curtail water use.

 

[Kmk2]

Oahu has been in drought conditions for at least a year. Locals are fairly angered about the water use at resorts.

In certain respects, not having a ton of decorative water features is practically considerate given the numbe of times this year alone Oahu residents have been asked to curtail water use.

Sure - I could see how that would be upsetting for locals.

But these small water features are a literal drop in the bucket given the water park facilities at aulani. Perhaps in a future redesign they can address it - but things that don’t work at Aulani tend to be broken - not some considered attempt at curbing water use.

 

[Teacherk12]

Sounds like less for more money as been happening for the last 20 years. I have actually thought about buying into DVC after we got the kids through college, but it seems that the past few times we went Disney is chipping away at the magic and increasing the prices. The only way they are going to change is for people to quit going. I’m glad I didn’t buy into it. I will still go to Disney, but with lower expectations, shorter amount of time and less often. Currently deciding if my next family trip will be Disney, Universal or somewhere else. With the cost of Disney there are lots of options for the same amount of $.

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Oh no! Another small water feature that wasn’t working? I’ll make sure I let it upset my visit in a few months, it really ruins the experience of the pools, slides, lazy river, cabanas, lagoon, snorkeling pool, food and drinks, weather, sunsets, and all the resort activities when a small water feature isn’t working when I’m there, they just make the whole 3000 mile trip! . Where can I sell my 600 points, it’s just going to hell…..I’ll make sure the next trip to take my clipboard and spend the whole day walking around looking for things that are broken or not working to report back!

All sarcasm aside, those are the least of my concerns when we visit. There’s so much more to enjoy. When we were last there the lava tube by Ulus with the baby turtles that rotate through wasn’t working, and then the last two days it was. I assumed it was on a “list” to get fixed and they got to it. Probably the same for many of these minor things.

 

[scoobdoo]

Sure - I could see how that would be upsetting for locals.

But these small water features are a literal drop in the bucket given the water park facilities at aulani. Perhaps in a future redesign they can address it - but things that don’t work at Aulani tend to be broken - not some considered attempt at curbing water use.

yes exactly right, this is all recirculated water anyway. pitiful excuse to let blight enter what was once a beautiful resort

 

[Pizzaman12]

We just completed an Aulani stay last week and we were not impressed. We've been DVC members for over a decade (BLT) and have fairly reasonable expectations. Most of the issues with our stay weren't "huge", but they were annoying.
Multiple times we entered an elevator and couldn't get a certain floor's buttons to work. Not the end of the world but certainly the level of maintenance I expect based on how much we're paying.

I found many staff members to be less informed than I would have expected. More than once we asked cast members about character schedules, only to be told "check the app!". It took a few days until we found out the app isn't always accurate, and that there's also a phone number you can call to hear the character lineup for the day.

We were misquoted operating hours on a handful of occasions.

We were sent to the wrong room, then were told to hand in our key cards after our first stay in a split stay, only to be asked why we didn't keep our key cards when we checked in again.

We encountered 2 pool chairs where the fabric had been completely ripped off at the bottom.

None of these were deal breakers and there were plenty of positives. We enjoyed Olelo room very much, as well as the character experience at Makahiki. The poke bowls at Ulu were oustanding. It all worked out just fine.

However, it was definitely not an over-the-top experience. I'd be hard-pressed to spend over $1,000 a night (or that equivalent in DVC points) unless I heard reports that the service levels had improved.