We returned last week from a 12 night stay there. In hindsight, I didn't miss a single thing that you list.
-We didn't even SEE a character, not one! While they are fun to see and get pics with, I didn't miss it.
-This was a "dang!" thing for us. We LOVE the spa there, and we are treadmill/gym people, so those two closures had us worried. But big picture, the spa is just a few hours experience over a whole vacation and we utlized the beautiful path for runs and the open space for strength workouts. I worked out next the ocean...better than a gym.
-Eat at Roys for the quality of food and head up to Beach House 604 for the AMAZING sunset on the patio.
-Well, this one didn't matter to us. If that is your reason for visiting Aulani, then yeah, you'd better not plan on it.
-Masks are a fact of life but we don't want them memorialized in photos. We did not take up any photos pass opportunities because I don't want photos of my family in masks.
-Eh. Not a miss for us. I don't think any Luau will be making appearances anytime soon.
-This could be a bummer for parents of little ones. When our kids were younger they spent some time there, so I can see that as a hold off for parents looking for a few hours of solo time.
-But Uncle does come to the pool some evenings to tell the wonderful stories of his home. Same stories, just a different location
The CMs seemed so happy to be at work and they would certainly disagree with the resort being operational. The crowds were chill over the Christmas holiday, we enjoyed Pearl Harbor even more due to the Covid restrictions, North Shore is open and seemed as busy as ever, and the Monkey Pod happy hour is OPEN FOR BUSINESS (mai tai or bananna hammock, anyone?) While the list looks long, with some perspective, it is hardly noticed.