Aulani not hurricane friendly

[Lisa:)]

My niece, her husband, and 3 kids are at Aulani now. They were so excited to finally go to Hawaii and wanted to make it special for their children. With the hurricane, there is absolutely nothing to do there. Kids Club CLOSED, pool CLOSED, beach CLOSED, car rental CLOSED, luau CANCELLED. On top of this, a manager was rude to them about having their children in the bar/restaurant! She told him,”there’s no where for them to go!” You would think that a Disney property would be able to come up with something to entertain the children, even through a crisis. Isn’t there a ballroom or something where they could put something together for them?!? Or even offer free movies in the room? They are literally trapped there with nothing to do. Terrible management.
SO DISAPPOINTED!

 

[kyton]

As sad as it is, you also have to see it from the Hawaiian side of things. It was first categorised as a hurricane, buses and public transport were all shut down. Government facilities were closed. You have staff unable to get to their places of employment plus having to work out what to do with their families and houses.

Yep it’s unfortunate but thankfully it’s now be reduced to a tropical storm and from what I’ve read no loss of lives which at the end of the day is more important.

We travel to Oahu normally twice a year and I can understand being upset but this was a natural event, no-one can predict what will happen - things were closed to keep people safe.

 

[AZMermaid]

Welcome to DISboards!

It is really unfortunate to have this happen on a long planned vacation. I get that. It would be terrible. I’m just thinking there are some young Thai soccer players who have a very different definition of “trapped with nothing to do” than your niece does.

 

[DLgal]

I'm sure the wifi still works. Most kids would kill for the option to watch endless videos on You Tube...

The restaurant part is ridiculous and no one should have been rude, but think about how it is when you get really sick on vacation and are confined to your room. At least they still have power and can watch TV and use the internet. It's not the end of the world.

 

[Bunless]

I saw the title of this thread and thought 'oh no, what happened!' thinking that not being hurricane-friendly meant that there was a structural failure of the buildings during the storm.

 

[heaven2dc]

I saw the title of this thread and thought 'oh no, what happened!' thinking that not being hurricane-friendly meant that there was a structural failure of the buildings during the storm.

I did too!! I can understand frustration of not having your vacation go as planned but they did book during hurricane season and Aulani cast members are doing everything they can to keep their guests safe and happy. Hopefully the guests will have some sympathy for the staff as well and entertain themselves a little bit (a piece of paper, pen and pack of cards go a long way when we go camping!)

 

[keaster]

Being here as well I agree it’s frustrating. However I can tell you the beach was not closed, people were swimming in the lagoon all Day (yes the beach rental place was closed and there are no chairs out.)

We did a couple walks today around the lagoons and to the paradise cove beach where we saw a couple turtles swimming. So while not ideal we did manage to keep ourselves busy as the weather was not bad just windy.

Also yesterday I saw they did move the story time with uncle inside the convention centre.

Depending on the winds I’m hoping the pool area starts to reopen tomorrow! I understand people being disappointed but a beachfront resort has to take all kinds of precautions during stormy conditions.

 

[PleasejointheFarque]

My son and his new wife checked out this morning from aulani, and moved to Sheraton Waikiki, who also had everything closed. so its just the way things are when you are facing a hurricane. Most people would be OK about putting safety of both guests and staff above opening open air kiosks etc. They totally understood and made preparations before hand re:food and charging phones to watch netflix etc. Its all part of the adventure. They actually are missing Aulani, it made such an awesome impact on them both. Aulani management should be congratulated during this trying and stressful time. Remember the staff also have homes and family to worry about.
Thank you Aulani for keeping my boy and his wife safe and giving them a fantastic time. They will be back !

 

[AZMermaid]

I have a friend at the Westin in Maui right now. They’ve been shut down for two days as well. There was a also a large fire not far which gave them some anxiety as they lived on those streets that just were completely destroyed in last year’s Santa Rosa fires. Shes there with her 7 and 6 year olds and her DH and mother. She says being cooped up is no fun and they’ve been walking around the resort area and beach when they can. But she’s not blaming the Westin. It’s just unfortunate timing and a bummer all around.

 

[Sailorsgirl]

so good to hear all are safe and OK too bad about things being shut down but I totally understand having been through hurricanes in Texas - one as recently as a year ago and having been at WDW a few years ago when they shut the parks down for a day due to Hurricane Matthew. As far as management/staff is concerned - they too have family, loved ones and property to think about as well as their guest at the resort . . . I work for a local grocery food chain here in Texas before Harvey we were doing all we could before the storm, also working short on staff and then after the storm cleaning up and getting back up again. Praying all will be well once Lane has left the area.

 

[TagsMissy]

Wow, first world problems... there was a state of emergency, fear of a possible major hurricane hitting and you're complaining over no kids clubs and the pool being closed. Wow, just wow.

 

[alldiz]

I’m sorry your long awaited Hawaii visit was certainly not ideal in any way.

Such a rare storm for Hawaii, not like you were visiting Caribbean during hurricane season.

Unfortunately the weather in our world is changing/ fluctuating rapidly.
Kerri

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I think this is pretty standard...

We have been in a tropical storm at a resort and everything was closed down there too. It's for guest and employee safety...

Also, there are hundreds of dvd's available to use for free. Each room has a dvd player.

 

[Summer2018]

I saw the title of this thread and thought 'oh no, what happened!' thinking that not being hurricane-friendly meant that there was a structural failure of the buildings during the storm.

Me too. I was picturing loss of lives and destruction of property.

Thank God that is not the case.

It's important to keep things in perspective.

 

[southerngirl528]

It's important to keep things in perspective.

Indeed! Living in FL, close to WDW, I know more than a little about hurricane safety and prep at Disney resorts. While our OP (where are you?) has some frustrations that can be understood on one level, they are a bit unrealistic in the wake of what was a major hurricane. Protecting life and limb is #!, and with Disney SAFETY is the very first thing a Disney CM is taught. The first.

Sorry a hurricane happened during the OP's vacation, but thank God it wasn't even close to as bad as it very easily could have been.

 

[ggc]

After considering possible responses, it's really not worth the effort.
Hey, the sun will come out tomorrow!!!!!!!!

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

We just left Aulani yesterday, and I am sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with you. I thought the staff was wonderful in dealing with the storm, and I applaud them for putting people’s safety first and closing certain amenities for a day or two. What is more important—staying safe or swimming in the pools? They had games, videos, coloring sheets, etc. available to check out for free in the community room to take back to your room. And technically, your niece could have gone to the beach at her own risk because that’s public property and Aulani couldn’t kick them off. My husband saw several people down there yesterday morning.

 

[happymommy]

This hurricane was a very big deal. I'm sorry that you felt that Aulani didn't provide more entertainment, but with offices, businesses, schools all closed, families needed to board up their homes, I'm sure that the staff that was working was dealing with a lot of stress as well. It sounds like there were some options of games and videos that you didn't take advantage of.

 

[Artygal90]

...yeah, OP, Lane was at one point a Category 5 hurricane on track to make a direct hit on the islands. Hurricane winds, storm surge, and rain are nothing to take lightly, and considering they haven't had a hurricane make landfall since 1992, I'm not surprised they didn't have backup entertainment plans in place the way WDW might. I'm also sure all the staff were concerned for their safety as well and decided it was better to be safe than sorry. I am sorry your niece's vacation was interrupted. It would be nice if they offered free in-room movies or something, and that manager was rude to you about having your kids in the restaurant. I'm glad the storm weakened and avoided the islands for the most part, although the 30" of rain in a few days is bad enough!

I work for a local grocery food chain here in Texas before Harvey we were doing all we could before the storm, also working short on staff and then after the storm cleaning up and getting back up again. Praying all will be well once Lane has left the area.

I really and truly think that the people working the grocery/big box stores in Texas were heroes before and after Harvey. I remember going to the store the Thursday before to stock up on water, candles, non perishables, etc. The lines were very long and the cashier told me she hadn't taken a bathroom or meal break in hours. But because she was there before the storm, I was able to get supplies to stay safe when we had to evacuate our home. So thank you!

 

[nkereina]

Wow, first world problems... there was a state of emergency, fear of a possible major hurricane hitting and you're complaining over no kids clubs and the pool being closed. Wow, just wow.

This. Hurricanes are rare in Hawaii so this is not a protocol Aulani has to enact often. And they have to do so without much warning. Add to this the fact that I am sure they were also short-staffed. In situations like this, keeping guests safe is far more important than entertaining them. Your niece and her family should just be thankful they were safe and then reach out to their travel insurance for assistance in some kind of reimbursement.