Auntie’s beach house reduced hours/offerings

[Disfamwa]

When did Aulani shorten their Auntie’s beach house offerings? The last free session is now at 12:00pm and there is no longer an afternoon premium session. The afternoon sessions were still offered when we went last summer.

 

[VGCgroupie]

When did Aulani shorten their Auntie’s beach house offerings? The last free session is now at 12:00pm and there is no longer an afternoon premium session. The afternoon sessions were still offered when we went last summer.

I think it was like this in August when we went.

 

[J-Dog]

I might be remembering wrong and completely making this up, but I seem to remember them saying something about reducing hours this past spring - maybe May-ish.

Don't know why - probably budget cuts , since lack of utilization didn't seem to be the issue.

ETA: @VGCgroupie - did you go August 2025, and they still had afternoon sessions? If so, then I'm wrong, but for some reason, I remember the announcement this spring...

 

[VGCgroupie]

I might be remembering wrong and completely making this up, but I seem to remember them saying something about reducing hours this past spring - maybe May-ish.

Don't know why - probably budget cuts , since lack of utilization didn't seem to be the issue.

ETA: @VGCgroupie - did you go August 2025, and they still had afternoon sessions? If so, then I'm wrong, but for some reason, I remember the announcement this spring...

In August 2025 I am pretty sure I remember it only being morning /early after noon around 12. I do know thats all we booked.

 

[J-Dog]

In August 2025 I am pretty sure I remember it only being morning /early after noon around 12. I do know thats all we booked.

Oh, okay. That lines up then.

 

[Disfamwa]

Such a bummer! The afternoon premium session was a great break from water activities in the morning followed by more water activities in the late afternoon.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Must be due to the lack of international tourists and political influence from outside of Aulani. Less tourists = less families = less children to watch over. I’m sure much of the international audience made a last minute substitution to foreign Disney resorts or even no Disney at all.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Must be due to the lack of international tourists and political influence from outside of Aulani. Less tourists = less families = less children to watch over. I’m sure much of the international audience made a last minute substitution to foreign Disney resorts or even no Disney at all.

I just went in August and it was substantially more packed with people and families than the previous August. Not everything fits this narrative.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I just went in August and it was substantially more packed with people and families than the previous August. Not everything fits this narrative.

I second this. I have been visiting annually in mid-to-late August every year since the COVID-19 reopenings in 2021, and this trip was the most crowded I have seen. Also, I've noticed a significant uptick in Japanese guests, especially this year, and they might've outnumbered local or mainland American tourists. The character breakfast was hard to get a reservation for, and all the lines for characters were very long compared to years past.

 

[WinterSolider]

this trip was the most crowded I have seen.

Aulani is sold out pretty much always. Their business model is to sell as much as they can full price, then offer increasingly steep discounts to kamaaina, local military, etc., until every bed is sold.

Outside of COVID or when there are rooms taken out of inventory for refurbishment, there is no "less crowded" or "more crowded" at Aulani. I agree that it can certainly feel that way sometimes, but occupancy is extremely consistent and the perceived changes in crowd levels are more based on whether guests are spending more or less time at the resort versus elsewhere on the island rather than more or fewer guests in total.

 

[J-Dog]

Aulani is sold out pretty much always. Their business model is to sell as much as they can full price, then offer increasingly steep discounts to kamaaina, local military, etc., until every bed is sold.

Outside of COVID or when there are rooms taken out of inventory for refurbishment, there is no "less crowded" or "more crowded" at Aulani. I agree that it can certainly feel that way sometimes, but occupancy is extremely consistent and the perceived changes in crowd levels are more based on whether guests are spending more or less time at the resort versus elsewhere on the island rather than more or fewer guests in total.

I totally agree with you, but I also agree that there are definitely times that "feel" less/more crowded. I wonder why that is? Coincidence? Big events on other parts of the island at different times drawing people away?

I think that there are some "actual" lesser-occupied times, but usually has more to do with days, like Sundays and Mondays, in which there is more room turnover, and the lower occupancy is hours-long, not days or weeks-long.

 

[WinterSolider]

I totally agree with you, but I also agree that there are definitely times that "feel" less/more crowded. I wonder why that is? Coincidence? Big events on other parts of the island at different times drawing people away?

I think that there are some "actual" lesser-occupied times, but usually has more to do with days, like Sundays and Mondays, in which there is more room turnover, and the lower occupancy is hours-long, not days or weeks-long.

I don't have any data but I would expect turnover days to feel more crowded, not less. A family checking in and a family checking out both have full access to the resort amenities even though they only "occupy" a single room between them. Plus, neither family has access to the room while housekeeping is turning it over so both families are forced into the resort common areas.

I suspect the other big factor is just weather. Just about everything at Aulani is water-based so people aren't going to be out at the pool and beach as much if it's not warm and sunny.