Aulani Construction Update

[gatorgirl02]

Hi Everyone,

DH and I are heading out on our HI trip in a couple weeks, and wanted to see if anyone who has been out there lately has a construction update. Also, any last minute tips are welcome

TIA!

 

[MyLove4Disney]

I'll be there in just over two weeks also. I would like to know how the construction will affect our stay.

Thanks for posting the question.

 

[disneynutz]

There is a current post around here somewhere. Construction walls are up, some construction noise during the day and the water slide is shut down. They are giving out a pin due to the inconvenience.

Bill

 

[texansue]

There was a surprising amount under construction! One of the two water slides was closed. What was once the adult quiet pool area is completely under construction and we heard lots of jackhammering and heavy construction noise. The area in front of the oceanfront restaurant (sorry, blanking on the name) was under construction too so there is just the one beach entrance. They warned us in the Daily 'Iwa that the kids play bridge was closing down for repairs for a week. The grills were closed off and not available for us. We could tell that there were entire sections in the one tower that were closed off and not occupied.

Our room was gorgeous and the lazy river and pool were great - not affected by the construction. But we couldn't sit out on our oceanview balcony without hearing the construction noise and that wasn't acceptable to me. We also couldn't use the beach unless we were willing to listen to beeps and jackhammering. So we had to make adjustments. I found that it was best to sit near the kids' play bridge because the waterfall noises blocked out the construction noise, but I don't know if it is open yet or not from that construction. And we didn't eat at their restaurants because we didn't want to hear or see the construction. But we ate across the street and it's great that they have those restaurants.

 

[blondietink]

What other restaurants are across the street?

 

[wdrl]

There is a current post around here somewhere. Construction walls are up, some construction noise during the day and the water slide is shut down. They are giving out a pin due to the inconvenience.

Bill

There are two water slides at Aulani. The reports I have read indicate that at least one of the two slides has remained opened to guests. By the way, the downtime on the slides seems to be part of the routine maintenance schedule and is not tied directly to the other construction projects going on at this time.

 

[gatorgirl02]

There was a surprising amount under construction! One of the two water slides was closed. What was once the adult quiet pool area is completely under construction and we heard lots of jackhammering and heavy construction noise. The area in front of the oceanfront restaurant (sorry, blanking on the name) was under construction too so there is just the one beach entrance. They warned us in the Daily 'Iwa that the kids play bridge was closing down for repairs for a week. The grills were closed off and not available for us. We could tell that there were entire sections in the one tower that were closed off and not occupied.

Our room was gorgeous and the lazy river and pool were great - not affected by the construction. But we couldn't sit out on our oceanview balcony without hearing the construction noise and that wasn't acceptable to me. We also couldn't use the beach unless we were willing to listen to beeps and jackhammering. So we had to make adjustments. I found that it was best to sit near the kids' play bridge because the waterfall noises blocked out the construction noise, but I don't know if it is open yet or not from that construction. And we didn't eat at their restaurants because we didn't want to hear or see the construction. But we ate across the street and it's great that they have those restaurants.

Thanks very much for the detailed update. It doesn't sound like we will be getting much peace and quiet with all the work going on , but hopefully that will get moving on some of those projects so we can enjoy our trip!

May I also ask what your favorite restaurants were?

Thanks!

 

[TravelingJen24]

We have been here for a week and the construction has been off and on. During the weekend there was hardly any noise but come Monday it started again. We could handle it but the jack hammering can be a bit cumbersome. We rented a cabana and the noise was right behind us. They gave us a pin at the beginning to make up for it.

 

[pixiedust71]

We are here now. As I posted in another thread the Waianae building villas are closed.

The Menehune bridge is still closed and doesn't look like it is opening anytime soon. Big bummer for us!

The infinity hot tubs were closed yesterday, but I think they are back open.

As another poster said, the construction noise is pretty bad. Very hard to escape it. Not what you want on a dream vacation.

But Aulani is a gorgeous place. If there wasn't construction it would be true paradise!

 

[christine*]

I'm leaving for Aulani in a few days. All the reports about the construction noise makes me a little nervous. I'm going to try to manage my expectations in hopes that it doesn't seem that bad when I get there.

 

[texansue]

The construction really got to us during our trip because we planned on spending the entire week at the resort - no other islands, very little plans of exploring the island. We had just wanted to park our bottoms on the beach and relax completely. That couldn't happen with the construction. So I think if you were planning on being active and exploring outside of Aulani, it would not bother you as much. Also, we had an ocean view villa - in hindsight, if I'd known that the construction was going on, I would have demanded to be switched to an island view in the Ewa tower. Then I wouldn't have heard the noise ever. So I think that is the difference of why some people are saying the construction is not an issue and others (like me) are saying it is. It's also not like a Disney World renovation where you can just go over to another hotel's pool to avoid it - here you don't have a choice.

 

[salemk]

We just got back from a week long stay & it was great. The construction noise for my family was not an issue. Did we hear some construction noise, yes but I can honestly say i don't really recall much of it. We stayed in room 982 in Ewa Long Wing. We also tended to relax more toward Off the Hook part of the pool area away from the construction. I think this helped a lot. My wife read her books on her iPad & told me she barely remembers any construction noise. Also, if your running around with the kids in the pool all day, you tend not to hear or remember the noise. If all you do is sit by the pool all day right next to the construction area then maybe I can see the noise being an issue. Again for me it was not an issue since I was running around the different pool areas with my son. I guess your experience will depend on what part of the hotel your in, where you lounge at by the pool & what type of activities your going to be doing during the day.

 

[MyLove4Disney]

from what hours did you hear the construction when you heard the construction noice. Was like 8 to 5 or even later? I know we will be doing a lot during the day hours, but would like for it to be quiet in the evening hours.

 

[slowly]

What other restaurants are across the street?

There is Roy's which is located in the Koolina Golf course club house which is across the st. It is a local favorite and cheaper and wayyyy better than Ama Ama which is Aulani's high scale restuarant. Another restuarant is Monkey Pod which just opened last month. It's a burger/local flavor type of restuarant. Mid to high end prices. Haven't tried it but the Chef is known. We will try it next weekend during our stay at Aulani. Next door in the Ihilani Hotel is a pretty good Japanese restuarant called Ushio Tei. They have a higher scale buffet on Friday and Saturday nights which is worth trying. IMO better than the buffet at Aulani.

I hate to be a hater towards Aulani restuarants but we have tried them and they just are not up to par with the choices you have around there. The two I mentioned, Roy's and Ushio Tei, are places we frequented before Aulani was even built.

 

[MinnesotaChill]

While there is definitely construction, it hasn't affected us at all. The waterfalls, ocean noise and kids definitely cover it up for us. We're on the 12th floor facing the pool/ocean and can't hear the construction at all. We've been here a week.

Occasionally, we'll hear a beeping from the construction zone, but that's it. I definitely have thought the cabanas wouldn't be worth it right now, but it isn't busy, so we've had no problems finding the chairs/umbrellas we need on the beach.

We're in Ewa, the other tower is definitely closed. We asked and it's due to trying to keep guests consolidated and away from the construction.

The bridge area (kids play area) is still closed, it was supposed to open yesterday, but hasn't been yet. Both water slides are open.

I really, really wouldn't stress about the construction. If you've not been here before, it's hardly noticeable. It hasn't bothered us a bit. We thought the grills being closed would be a problem,but once we saw how far they are from the villas, we realized they wouldn't have been so convenient anyway.

We ate at AmaAma last night and it was after dark, so the fact there is construction at the edge of the restaurant wasn't noticeable either, it was just dark there. We liked the food there by the way.

It is beautiful here, the weather is fantastic and there is a lot to do (and we don't even have our kids with us). If you stress about the construction you'll probably notice it, but I promise that as of right now it's not a problem.

Headed out to the beach for the rest of the day but I'll try to check back in later tonight if you have questions. Can't get the DISboards app to work on my iPad, so that slows things down....

 

[dvcterry]

If someone can let us know about the grills, are they working again? We have a trip March 1. Assuming the construction will still be going on. But it would be nice to use the grills.

 

[MinnesotaChill]

I gave more details in the post just above yours, but no, as of right now they are not.

 

[dizneekrazee]

How long is construction going on? I know there will still be some during our stay (arriving April 12), but I am just curious how long it is expected to last. I've never been to Aulani, so I am unfamiliar to the tower names, forgive me, but we have booked a garden view. How likely is a garden view room going to be near construction? If, by chance, we are offered an upgrade, would that possibly move us closer or further from the construction?

 

[NorCalDVC]

We're they offering any points back on the rooms like they were earlier?

 

[Lisacope]

While there is definitely construction, it hasn't affected us at all. The waterfalls, ocean noise and kids definitely cover it up for us. We're on the 12th floor facing the pool/ocean and can't hear the construction at all. We've been here a week.

Occasionally, we'll hear a beeping from the construction zone, but that's it. I definitely have thought the cabanas wouldn't be worth it right now, but it isn't busy, so we've had no problems finding the chairs/umbrellas we need on the beach.

We're in Ewa, the other tower is definitely closed. We asked and it's due to trying to keep guests consolidated and away from the construction.

The bridge area (kids play area) is still closed, it was supposed to open yesterday, but hasn't been yet. Both water slides are open.

I really, really wouldn't stress about the construction. If you've not been here before, it's hardly noticeable. It hasn't bothered us a bit. We thought the grills being closed would be a problem,but once we saw how far they are from the villas, we realized they wouldn't have been so convenient anyway.

We ate at AmaAma last night and it was after dark, so the fact there is construction at the edge of the restaurant wasn't noticeable either, it was just dark there. We liked the food there by the way.

It is beautiful here, the weather is fantastic and there is a lot to do (and we don't even have our kids with us). If you stress about the construction you'll probably notice it, but I promise that as of right now it's not a problem.

Headed out to the beach for the rest of the day but I'll try to check back in later tonight if you have questions. Can't get the DISboards app to work on my iPad, so that slows things down....

Thanks for the reassurance - we'll be checking in on the 15th of Feb - I have been worrying about the construction but you are putting my mind at ease.