I posted a trip report Aulani - One & Done. We will probably not return to Aulani, but that is not a negative review of Aulani. It was just not a good fit for us.
We are semi retired, empty nesters, who do not enjoy hanging at pools or on the beach. However, Aulani gave us a chance to visit our #1 destination -- Pearl Harbor.
From our perspective, I'll address your concerns.
Noise - we were in a 1 bedroom ocean view unit. We were far back in the resort, so honestly, it was a pool/ocean view with more pool. We did have a nice ocean view from the left corner of both balconies. The problem with noise, for us, was mainly from the activities/music at the pool which kept us from reading on our balcony during the afternoon. We were also located over a restaurant, where there was music in the evening. The music, while not unpleasant, permeated our unit. There was NO noise from neighbors or the hallways. I even commented to DH that Aulani was one of the quietest DVC units we have stayed in.
Food - We were not overwhelmed with the high end dining at Aulani and in the immediate area. But the food was, generally, not bad with the exception of the pizza from the pizza place across the street. The happy hour meal at MoneyPod was reasonably priced and tasty. If you go to Anna Miller's (a place near Pearl Harbor that I learned of from the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Dreams Unlimited Aulani podcasts) you can have an old fashioned, reasonably priced diner type meal with breakfast being served all day. The breakfast at AmaAma was better than the dinner. But the view for both breakfast & dinner was THE BEST.
Chairs - Yes, on the two mornings that I got our preferred seats, I went down before 8 A.M. But I wanted a very certain type of seat. I don't sit in sun due to prior problems. We had no interest in sitting by the pool. I wanted shaded, beach view seats, not on the beach & they were limited. As PP mentioned, there were always seats in the lounges on the beach. And a large part of the problem is people saving chairs for "the kids or Dad" whom you never see. It is unreasonable to think that Aulani can solve the problem of self centered vacationers.