The beds and bedding are horrible!

I think the problem is sometimes we go to places like Aulani with such great expectations and can be disappointed if things are not perfect. I read LOTS of reviews the good the bad and lowered my expectations that it would not be perfect it probably would not be as wonderful as the Disney cruise due to other reviews. So yes I agree there were some issues with Aulani but I still had a wonderful time and would probably go back.
We were there the last week of February too!
I hated not having a duvet or comforter yes the blankets were not ideal they brought us. Would have used the quilt on the bed but my husband reminded me they do not normally wash them My hubby loved not having a comforter and just a sheet My kids decided to use their blankets from home my daughter actually slept in her mermaid tail blanket to stay warm. It was crazy we went to bed with it cool would never change the thermostat and it would be unbearably hot by 1am I did not want even a sheet on me because I was pouring sweat! I think we had a bad thermomstat but I never complained since I knew they were at capacity so what could they do. We were normally so tired it did not matter! There were lots of great things too i just focused on that and reminded myself I am in Hawaii not working, there is sunshine and warmth and my family is healthy and together so how can I not be happy and loving life!
Oh and the bath robes were wonderful so made up for the crappy blankets!!
 
4lilrere said:
It was crazy we went to bed with it cool would never change the thermostat and it would be unbearably hot by 1am I did not want even a sheet on me because I was pouring sweat! I think we had a bad thermomstat but I never complained since I knew they were at capacity so what could they do.
Click to expand...
I hate the thermostats at hotels now. The newer the hotel or more recent the remodel, the better chance that the thermostat has a motion sensor and that I will be uncomfortably hot while sleeping.
 
4lilrere said:
I think the problem is sometimes we go to places like Aulani with such great expectations and can be disappointed if things are not perfect. I read LOTS of reviews the good the bad and lowered my expectations that it would not be perfect it probably would not be as wonderful as the Disney cruise due to other reviews. So yes I agree there were some issues with Aulani but I still had a wonderful time and would probably go back.
We were there the last week of February too!
I hated not having a duvet or comforter yes the blankets were not ideal they brought us. Would have used the quilt on the bed but my husband reminded me they do not normally wash them My hubby loved not having a comforter and just a sheet My kids decided to use their blankets from home my daughter actually slept in her mermaid tail blanket to stay warm. It was crazy we went to bed with it cool would never change the thermostat and it would be unbearably hot by 1am I did not want even a sheet on me because I was pouring sweat! I think we had a bad thermomstat but I never complained since I knew they were at capacity so what could they do. We were normally so tired it did not matter! There were lots of great things too i just focused on that and reminded myself I am in Hawaii not working, there is sunshine and warmth and my family is healthy and together so how can I not be happy and loving life!
Oh and the bath robes were wonderful so made up for the crappy blankets!!
Click to expand...
I understand enjoying the positive things. That's not the point. Yes I enjoyed my trip regardless of the few things I disliked and we will go back too. The point is that when we fork out the amount of money they charge at aulani we expect certain things and a certain level of service and luxury
 


fairytalelover said:
I understand enjoying the positive things. That's not the point. Yes I enjoyed my trip regardless of the few things I disliked and we will go back too. The point is that when we fork out the amount of money they charge at aulani we expect certain things and a certain level of service and luxury
Click to expand...

And therein lies your problem. Disney charges the rates they do because they can. They get that rate every day. Aulani is full or close to it practically every night. The level of service and luxury they provide is what it is. YOU are not going to change it. If you don't like it, there are many other properties on that island that may (or may not) suit your needs. But, coming on here and complaining over and over and over again isn't going to change a single thing about what Disney charges or what they provide. When Aulani first opened they DID have duvets on the beds. Last year Disney decided they were no longer going to provide duvets. Did they ask you? Nope. Did they ask me? Nope. But, that's what they did. And, maybe someday THEY will decide to change things again. Some will like it, some won't. But regardless, THEY will do what they want. The only recourse you have is to talk with your dollars. Stay there or don't stay there. The choice is yours. But guess what? If you decide not to go back, someone else is waiting to take your place. And will probably love it. Nobody made you "fork out the amount of money they charge".
 
BobNed said:
And therein lies your problem. Disney charges the rates they do because they can. They get that rate every day. Aulani is full or close to it practically every night. The level of service and luxury they provide is what it is. YOU are not going to change it. If you don't like it, there are many other properties on that island that may (or may not) suit your needs. But, coming on here and complaining over and over and over again isn't going to change a single thing about what Disney charges or what they provide. When Aulani first opened they DID have duvets on the beds. Last year Disney decided they were no longer going to provide duvets. Did they ask you? Nope. Did they ask me? Nope. But, that's what they did. And, maybe someday THEY will decide to change things again. Some will like it, some won't. But regardless, THEY will do what they want. The only recourse you have is to talk with your dollars. Stay there or don't stay there. The choice is yours. But guess what? If you decide not to go back, someone else is waiting to take your place. And will probably love it. Nobody made you "fork out the amount of money they charge".
Click to expand...

Cannot wait for the Mandarin to open. Now that will be worth 500 a night
 


BobNed said:
And therein lies your problem. Disney charges the rates they do because they can. They get that rate every day. Aulani is full or close to it practically every night. The level of service and luxury they provide is what it is. YOU are not going to change it. If you don't like it, there are many other properties on that island that may (or may not) suit your needs. But, coming on here and complaining over and over and over again isn't going to change a single thing about what Disney charges or what they provide. When Aulani first opened they DID have duvets on the beds. Last year Disney decided they were no longer going to provide duvets. Did they ask you? Nope. Did they ask me? Nope. But, that's what they did. And, maybe someday THEY will decide to change things again. Some will like it, some won't. But regardless, THEY will do what they want. The only recourse you have is to talk with your dollars. Stay there or don't stay there. The choice is yours. But guess what? If you decide not to go back, someone else is waiting to take your place. And will probably love it. Nobody made you "fork out the amount of money they charge".
Click to expand...
That's a horrible way to think and not very accurate. Disney has changed many things throughout the years because of complaints from guests. They have changed things in the parks and their resorts. It happens all the time. I've shared my opinions here in order to inform others of issues and to see if others shared my experiences. Burbank also shared all of this with the management at aulani. If enough people air their complaints then things will change. They always do.
 
We have been to aulani four times. Always in may so weather is warm. We love a firm bed and have been comfortable. We keep room very cold especially at night. But still get hot at night because air goes off when no one is moving around. I have to get up and move to trigger it to start again. The colder the better for us!
 
fairytalelover said:
That's a horrible way to think and not very accurate. Disney has changed many things throughout the years because of complaints from guests. They have changed things in the parks and their resorts. It happens all the time. I've shared my opinions here in order to inform others of issues and to see if others shared my experiences. Burbank also shared all of this with the management at aulani. If enough people air their complaints then things will change. They always do.
Click to expand...
Disney is in business only to make money and keep its shareholders happy. They will change if it suits their profit making needs and only if it suits those needs.
 
We stayed at Aulani from March 11 - 18 in a one bedroom DVC room on the 10th floor, in the "7" series rooms. The king size bed was terrible from a comfort perspective. My wife, not one to complain, really complained about the bed comfort. It looked like to me that Disney pushed two twins together to make the King bed. There was a "lump" down the middle where the twin bed mating-piece typically goes in. I did not pull the bed apart to confirm this, though.

We had the two sheets with a minimal duvet as described by fairytalelover above. We brought our own blankets however, by chance not by design, and we used them on the bed. Our children used the blankets in the ottoman for the queen sized pull-out bed in the living room. The thermostat was kept on 70 degrees.

We were more "put-off" by the bedding comfort than by the bed sheets. We stayed the first two nights we arrived on Oahu at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Kapolei, and the Hampton Inn had as comfortable (or more comfortable) bedding than Aulani. Just our $0.02 - YMMV . . . .

Kurt H.
 
We stayed at Aulani in a 2 bedroom villa May 2016. I remember using that patchwork quilt on the bed, turning it sideways, because I was cold. It was not optimal. I think we also asked for blankets and got some.

For comparison, we stayed at AKL Kidani in a 2 bedroom last week, and got the "3 sheets" bedding, no blankets, as well. We left a nice note for Mousekeeping, and they left several blankets. Some were thin but some were nice fleece like material. We used them on our bed, the Queens, the sofa bed and the chair bed. There was no duvet, but we were comfortable with two blankets on each bed. And this was during the cold snap Spring Break when it was in the high 30's at night!

I love duvets, so I miss them at Disney. I wonder if they eliminated them due to the difficulty washing/drying them? I would hope (though I'm quite sure it's not true) that hotels wash the duvets between guests. Probably never going to happen due to cost/time involved. But even if they wash them once a month (gasp!), that still takes a lot of time to wash/dry those bulky duvets. I'm not saying it is a good reason to get rid of them because I LOVE duvets, but it might be the reason (see accurate post by BobNed above mine about shareholder value...) :(
 
We have been to Aulani twice so far. Being from the north, we are used to being cold for at least half of the year; we don't even have air conditioning at our house! Therefore, we are delighted to go to warmer climates. As such, we almost always turn off the air conditioning when vacationing in Hawaii, Bahamas, Mexico, etc., because we can't stand all the cold air blowing on us. We open the doors and let the warm breezes in and a sheet is often all we need.

We did not think the beds were uncomfortable, but maybe they need to schedule a refurbishment to replace the mattresses if enough people complain.
 
The first time we stayed in a Dvc room my biggest disappointment was with the beds and bedding. I assumed it was going to be comparable to a 4 star resort. The theming is over the top but the only two properties I've ever had good bed and bedding was grand Floridan villas and the Disneyland hotel. It's one of those things you just have to live with or choose to stay at another hotel. The Grand California Villas is supposed to be their flagship resort in California yet you will find better beds and bedding at a 2 or 3 star off property motel. I just think it's something Disney isn't interested in fixing. Our room at GCV had just been refurbished with new beds and bedding. My kids college dorm mattress was higher quality. The villa new bed and bedding consisted of a junky platform bed with a saggy mattress and a couple sheets over the top. No box spring so large gap in headboard, and no tucking in the flat sheets on the mattress. If using points as a Dvc member I overlook but I certainly would be shocked if paying $600/night for that!
 
Hmmmm I will be staying for the 1st time at both GCV and Aulani this July. Curious if I notice any difference or even remember this thread to remember bedding.
Only thing I remember about any Dvc bedding is how the sofa beds are the best I have ever seen. No bar and easy pullout with place for blankets and such. I agree you can find better bedding in lower star hotels. I just stayed at Hilton garden inn and bed had adjustable air to make softer or firmer... nice duvet etc. BUT this is only feature of hotel and one of the reasons I picked garden inn and not the other identical just as cheap one down the road.
However no one picks their Disney hotel based on bed comfort. It's all about theming and convenience, so they don't have to put best beds in earth cause we going anyway.....
However it certainly would be AMAZING if they did have the best beds and bedding:-)
Kerri
Littlelulu01 said:
The first time we stayed in a Dvc room my biggest disappointment was with the beds and bedding. I assumed it was going to be comparable to a 4 star resort. The theming is over the top but the only two properties I've ever had good bed and bedding was grand Floridan villas and the Disneyland hotel. It's one of those things you just have to live with or choose to stay at another hotel. The Grand California Villas is supposed to be their flagship resort in California yet you will find better beds and bedding at a 2 or 3 star off property motel. I just think it's something Disney isn't interested in fixing. Our room at GCV had just been refurbished with new beds and bedding. My kids college dorm mattress was higher quality. The villa new bed and bedding consisted of a junky platform bed with a saggy mattress and a couple sheets over the top. No box spring so large gap in headboard, and no tucking in the flat sheets on the mattress. If using points as a Dvc member I overlook but I certainly would be shocked if paying $600/night for that!
Click to expand...
 
We have only been to Aulani one time, in Dec. 2014. We had an island view 1bedroom villa and had 3 sheets on the "master bed" and sheets and blankets on the sofa bed and the pull down bed. We were all comfortable with the temperature and the mattresses. It was coolish outside since it rained most of the time we were on Oahu.

In general we do like heavier blankets with a cool room to sleep. We live on a tropical island, that tends to be warmer and more humid than Hawaii, but I still sleep with a fairly warm blanket at night. I have tried to switch to a lighter one so that I can turn the thermostat up and not run the a/c quite so much but I haven't yet found the right combination yet. To be honest, though, I am so grossed out by the idea that duvets and comforters in *some* hotels not getting clean that I prefer the triple sheet method. I have on occasion asked for another set of 3 sheets so that I have have more "weight" on me when I sleep.
 
Hmmmm, not our experience at all. We were very comfortable.
Problem is, once you notice something bad, it wears on you. You start viewing things from that lens.
 
This is a tomato/tomato type of situation. For every person who likes a soft, pillow top bed, there is someone who likes a hard bed (me:cutie:). I live in So Cal. Last night it was 50° & I slept with a sheet and the windows open. I can bet my sister who lives 1/2 a mile away slept in a long sleeve flannel granny gown, sheet, blanket AND comforter. Her windows are closed and the thermastat set at 68. So, how is it possible for Disney to satisfy both of us when we newly arrive? I feel it's up to us to figure out what would make us comfortable and maybe a phone call to mousekeeping for supplies needed. To say the blankets are cheap & thin just means you need more than 1. Why complain about it? It's just business and really comes down to dollars and sense. Many people are satisfied with the sheet method. Why wash :laundy:100% of the blankets when maybe 25% want the blanket (stats for our villa in Jan)?
 
We stayed in a partial ocean view room during our stay and we liked our bed a lot! It was comfy for us. We spent a lot of time in the evenings in our room/bed. We even ate in our bed a few times watching HGTV! However, I have stayed at other deluxe non-Disney resorts (for example the Hotel Hershey-- which is a 4 diamond rated resort) and the king beds they had there could not be beat! They were what I expected to get when arriving at Aulani. Although they weren't as nice as the hotel Hershey, I didn't think they were bad at all, and it didn't effect my thoughts on my trip at all..

But I do agree about the bedding to a certain degree! Just sheets, the top layer wasn't even thick enough to be considered a blanket in my opinion! lol Honestly, the first night I considered calling down because I was seriously contemplating whether they forgot to leave us a blanket when they prepared our room. LOL. I understand its a tropical locale, and many people may feel hot and not use the blanket at night, but just like most people, we have the AC cranked and the rooms get freezing, and it is something you expect to have in your room from the get-go! They should have a thicker quilt there standard in the room. I don't think guests should have to call down to request and adequate quilt for their room. Again, nothing bad enough to upset me, or even have me call down to the front desk, we just adjusted our rooms temp!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page


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!


New DISboards Threads

D
Predictions - any new trips for 2025?
Replies
0
Views
1
Donalyn
D
Psymonds
A new training log (comments welcome)
Replies
0
Views
22
Psymonds
Psymonds
Jsharp13
Boma on departure day
Replies
1
Views
40
Massachusetts
M
Unity
Is Magic Key worth the money?
Replies
4
Views
67
SOCALMouseMommy
SOCALMouseMommy
J
Don't bring ammunition to Turks & Caicos
Replies
5
Views
113
sam_gordon
sam_gordon
T
Campground eliminating camping in 2026?
Replies
0
Views
93
TiggerFreak
T
NEWS & UPDATES



Latest posts







facebook twitter
Top