Paul Stupin
New DVC Member
- Joined
- May 8, 2016
- Messages
- 2,695
Having a wonderful time at Aulani now, so thought I’d post some random info and impressions.
1. The resort, which I expected to be overrun with people in June, is not. Aside from the pool, with its usual crowd, everything is surprisingly peaceful with almost no crowds. Sitting in a Casabella on the deck in front of Ama Ama, and not all are taken. Usually no wait for Off The Hook in early evening. The beach and lounge chairs on the sand have some people, but are nowhere near filled.
2. Staring now at two standup paddle boarders in the lagoon who won’t actually stand up. Have seen that a lot this trip. It’s not that hard!
3. The fun Hawaiian versions of classic Disney movie songs in the elevators are now gone, replaced with low volume, generic Hawaiian music.
4. No more welcome notice on the room’s TV mentioning your family name specifically. Noticed that at WDW as well. Hardly a crisis, but it used to be a nice touch!
5. On June 11, Kamehameha Day in Hawaii, a legal holiday, we found a special commemorative magnet waiting for us in our room!
6. This is just a totally quirky, idiosyncratic opinion, but every time a cast member says something like “Hello Family!” or “Anything else I can get for you, Family?,” to me it sounds a little creepy, like a cult! Hardly a big deal, since the service is first rate, just sayin’.
7. Oh. Last night as the sun was setting on the secret beach, we saw two monk seals actually playing in the water! After seeing them just laying on the sand lazily and hardly moving so many times, it was great to see these seals actually doing something!
8. The walk down the beach to the Marriott is as beautiful as ever, but if you look closely, you’ll see a bunch of about one foot diameter circles of dead grass. I think this is where palm trees were cut down and not replaced, no doubt due to the Rhino Beetle.
Anyway, that’s about all I can think of. Hope you enjoyed it!
1. The resort, which I expected to be overrun with people in June, is not. Aside from the pool, with its usual crowd, everything is surprisingly peaceful with almost no crowds. Sitting in a Casabella on the deck in front of Ama Ama, and not all are taken. Usually no wait for Off The Hook in early evening. The beach and lounge chairs on the sand have some people, but are nowhere near filled.
2. Staring now at two standup paddle boarders in the lagoon who won’t actually stand up. Have seen that a lot this trip. It’s not that hard!
3. The fun Hawaiian versions of classic Disney movie songs in the elevators are now gone, replaced with low volume, generic Hawaiian music.
4. No more welcome notice on the room’s TV mentioning your family name specifically. Noticed that at WDW as well. Hardly a crisis, but it used to be a nice touch!
5. On June 11, Kamehameha Day in Hawaii, a legal holiday, we found a special commemorative magnet waiting for us in our room!
6. This is just a totally quirky, idiosyncratic opinion, but every time a cast member says something like “Hello Family!” or “Anything else I can get for you, Family?,” to me it sounds a little creepy, like a cult! Hardly a big deal, since the service is first rate, just sayin’.
7. Oh. Last night as the sun was setting on the secret beach, we saw two monk seals actually playing in the water! After seeing them just laying on the sand lazily and hardly moving so many times, it was great to see these seals actually doing something!
8. The walk down the beach to the Marriott is as beautiful as ever, but if you look closely, you’ll see a bunch of about one foot diameter circles of dead grass. I think this is where palm trees were cut down and not replaced, no doubt due to the Rhino Beetle.
Anyway, that’s about all I can think of. Hope you enjoyed it!