Crazy Question... Anyone else think Aulani is overrated?

[CaptainAmerica]

takes a photo at 8:30am, thinks that justifies stripping away yet another piece of what made AUL a wonderful experience for *all*

11am. Though to be fair, my mother got in shortly after this. I believe she's the first person in it all day.

 

[Kmk2]

How is this monstrosity doing?

 

[cgattis]

11am. Though to be fair, my mother got in shortly after this. I believe she's the first person in it all day.

View attachment 647445

11 am in February…In my opinion, though, that’s just the most boring “adult” pool ever. They could’ve at least done a seating ledge along the wall and some waterfalls coming down it. And one of those cool barnacle rock things from the grotto pool.

Send a pic from a balcony so we can see how big that stage really looks from up there. Seems like it’s bigger this time but maybe it’s just me.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

11 am in February…In my opinion, though, that’s just the most boring “adult” pool ever. They could’ve at least done a seating ledge along the wall and some waterfalls coming down it. And one of those cool barnacle rock things from the grotto pool.

Send a pic from a balcony so we can see how big that stage really looks from up there. Seems like it’s bigger this time but maybe it’s just me.

Can barely see it from 14. You can definitely hear it, but I can also hear Olelo so I'm not docking points for that. They're done by 8pm.

 

[OKW Lover]

Current look at the former adult pool that people are upset is no longer an adult pool.

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What time of day was this? How busy were the other pools?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

What time of day was this? How busy were the other pools?

We were in and around the various pools from about 8:15 to 4:30. That pool never had more than four people in it as far as we could tell, and never any children. Even though kids are allowed there, it's not a terribly fun or interesting pool so they don't WANT to be.

It's hard to gauge crowds right now because American Idol is rehearsing and filming, so crowds aren't distributed normally. Lots of people were crowded around the infinity edge, for example, but the lazy river wasn't crowded at all.

 

[OKW Lover]

They could’ve at least done a seating ledge along the wall

 

[CaptainAmerica]

What a difference a day makes. Most of our trip this week was phenomenal. Polite guests, fantastic cast, high level of service. Then the long weekend hit. Starting Friday, the resort was completely overwhelmed with the most obnoxious guests I've ever seen. Most were that one type of DVC member that takes "owning the place" a bit too literally. This one woman went so far as to collect a bunch of fresh towels in the evening, take them to her room overnight, then use them to reserve 10+ chairs the next morning at 7am before the towel stands were even open. I'm anti-mask but pro-following-rules, and was super annoyed when mask compliance went to hell as well. Cast did their best but staffing was nowhere near the level it needed to be, except at the bell and valet stands. Those guys took amazing care of us.

Curious if @Inga experienced the same switch in the whole vibe of the resort starting Friday.

 

[damn_straight]

What a difference a day makes. Most of our trip this week was phenomenal. Polite guests, fantastic cast, high level of service. Then the long weekend hit. Starting Friday, the resort was completely overwhelmed with the most obnoxious guests I've ever seen. Most were that one type of DVC member that takes "owning the place" a bit too literally. This one woman went so far as to collect a bunch of fresh towels in the evening, take them to her room overnight, then use them to reserve 10+ chairs the next morning at 7am before the towel stands were even open. I'm anti-mask but pro-following-rules, and was super annoyed when mask compliance went to hell as well. Cast did their best but staffing was nowhere near the level it needed to be, except at the bell and valet stands. Those guys took amazing care of us.

Curious if @Inga experienced the same switch in the whole vibe of the resort starting Friday.

We were there this past week as well and also noticed the energy shift starting on Friday. It was our last full day at Aulani and I’m glad that the rest of our trip wasn’t like that. Overall, we had an amazing time and are already discussing when to return.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We were there this past week as well and also noticed the energy shift starting on Friday. It was our last full day at Aulani and I’m glad that the rest of our trip wasn’t like that. Overall, we had an amazing time and are already discussing when to return.

I'm itching to get back already as well, but I won't let myself even start to consider it until everyone involved decides that the pandemic is 100% over. Aulani, Disney, Hawaii, Honolulu, the TSA, etc.

 

[TheHulamuffins]

A few observations from pre-pandemic trips to Aulani, one in March and one in August:

I think the resort itself is lovely. Features that my adult daughter and I liked: The Spa. Absolutely wonderful! The rain shower with all sorts of shower heads--probably available elsewhere, but unique in my experience. Overall, calming and excellent. Great staff members! Great memories!
The adults only pool--sorry that is no longer. The carvings on the lazy river are quite interesting, and I always enjoyed it, when it was open. The slides were my speed, not high or fast enough for some. The main pool is quite nice. I am a fan of zero entry. The little snorkeling pool is extremely convenient, and it offers a good introduction to snorkeling in a safe environment. You can move on from there to boat trips with snorkeling. The Polynesian-style double outrigger canoe sailing trip. We liked the lagoon, though I can see the attraction of real waves.
The characters, and the Menehune adventure trail/scavenger hunt--cute, even for adults. The fireside talk by Uncle.
The buffet, the Shave Ice stand and the quick pick-up food place (I've forgotten the name).
I enjoyed painting a cel, as an activity. Daughter slept in.
If there were lines, we were almost always second or third in the line, so no problem with that.
I actually liked the gift shop quite a lot.

 

[DLgal]

I'm itching to get back already as well, but I won't let myself even start to consider it until everyone involved decides that the pandemic is 100% over. Aulani, Disney, Hawaii, Honolulu, the TSA, etc.

Thank you for saying this. This is my opinion as well. We had booked for spring break but cancelled. I have no desire to travel anywhere that still has covid restrictions in place.

 

[TheHulamuffins]

I decided to break up my previous post into multiple posts, because I think the original falls into the TLDR category:

Outside Aulani, our best side trip was a boat trip with snorkeling in August. We swam alongside sea turtles. No sea turtles on this trip in March. We tried to take a whale watching tour, but it was cancelled. I happen to like the Dole "tourist trap," but opinions vary. I got a black pearl, which signifies wisdom. Then I misplaced it. Not very wise. We did not go to Honolulu on either trip, but that might have been interesting. We also did not go to Pearl Harbor, because I was sure that it would make me too sad. You might want to choose the performances at the Polynesian Cultural Center and the luaus somewhat carefully, if any in your party have had a recent break-up, since a number of the shows are oriented to honeymooners. The final evening show at the Polynesian Cultural Center was excellent. The walking tour at Waimea valley was lovely, and the people who offer activities in the area before you go on to the natural waterfall/pool are excellent! We did not go in the water because of signs posted about leptospiridosis (probably approximate spelling), though. I would have liked to see turtles at Turtle Bay, but our timing was off. The parking area there had really large potholes--and I am from Michigan so I know potholes.

 

[TheHulamuffins]

A few things I would like to see changed:
Espresso drinks available at Aulani later in the day, please! They are available at the coffee shop across the street, though, and that is a nice store. I bought a few small gifts there for relatives who were not traveling with us.
Maybe the menu at Ama Ama? I thought it could use more variety. Also, the restaurant is much better for couples than for a mother/daughter combo.
Ocean view rooms come with a variety of ocean views. Technically, we could see the ocean from our room, but only a moderately wide sliver of it.

 

[TheHulamuffins]

Roy's (still open the last I looked, hurray!) is just a short distance away, and I recommend it very highly. The food is outstanding, and the quality to price ratio is very high, in my experience. Monkey Pod across the street makes a good escape, but I don't think it has as high a ratio of quality to price, even though it is much less expensive.

 

[TheHulamuffins]

Relative to previous trips to Hawaii: I will just mention that Volcanoes National Park (on the big island, I think) is fascinating. I also went on a hike through a lovely rain forest on the big island I think, but I cannot recall the exact location. Swimming at Waikiki was fun, but that was a long time ago.

Maybe a word of caution for land-lubbers: At Waikiki, we were taken aback by how rapidly the tide came in, and what a difference it made in the depth of the water and the distance to the dry sand. I was experienced with the tides on the East Coast of the US, but this was almost an entirely different phenomenon.

Final comment: There are advantages for those who live on the West Coast. The flights are much less expensive, and there is much less jet lag than if you travel from the Eastern Time Zone.

So, all together more readable, I hope!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Thank you for saying this. This is my opinion as well. We had booked for spring break but cancelled. I have no desire to travel anywhere that still has covid restrictions in place.

It's really weird going on vacation to a place that feels, in some ways, less free and fun than what you're used to at home.

 

[Paul Stupin]

We’re going for 15 nights in May and can’t wait. We love hanging out on the beach, swimming in the lagoon when we feel like it, going for walks on the pathway connecting the lagoons, floating down the lazy river, and just having a good time. For us, the place feels as magical as ever.

 

[DLgal]

It's really weird going on vacation to a place that feels, in some ways, less free and fun than what you're used to at home.

It's hard for us because we live in a very beautiful area in Southern CA and I see palm trees and mountains every day and can be at the beach in 15 minutes. We also have amazing community pools, hiking trails, etc. We have a rule about vacation that it has to be better than home for us to spend the money. Right now, Hawaii is not that. More restrictions than CA is nuts.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I see mountains and palm trees every day is socal as well…at the beach in 15 min too!…but Southern California isn’t Hawaii, and in my opinion just can’t compare to the beaches and tropical environment of the islands.