Some Lounge Chairs now are bookable

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I’m going to be part of the problem here, because I will pay for chairs to have a reserved place to sit so that I can sleep in.

I’m not happy about it….. but I will pay it.

Same same.

 

[WildernessMickey]

Here are more pictures of the Malie Deck chairs. They don't have their cushions on yet. They bring them out every morning and pack them away at the end of the day. We ended up canceling our reservation since we made different plans that day. The decks above them were closed off for American Idol the day I took this picture, but normally there are lots of free chairs above this deck but not umbrellas. It's a nice spot if you don't mind the price. $110 per set and there are six sets of chairs on this deck.

 

[Paul Stupin]

View attachment 834077
View attachment 834078
Here are more pictures of the Malie Deck chairs. They don't have their cushions on yet. They bring them out every morning and pack them away at the end of the day. We ended up canceling our reservation since we made different plans that day. The decks above them were closed off for American Idol the day I took this picture, but normally there are lots of free chairs above this deck but not umbrellas. It's a nice spot if you don't mind the price. $110 per set and there are six sets of chairs on this deck.

The free loungers above the Amalie deck are all equipped with umbrellas, exactly like the ones on the paid loungers.

 

[WildernessMickey]

This is what the Malie deck used to look like before they added the casabellas.

 

[Paul Stupin]

View attachment 834086
This is what the Malie deck used to look like before they added the casabellas.

I don’t know how old that pic is, but we’ve been twice a year for the last several years, and there have always been umbrellas for the lounge chairs on both decks. We were just there last month and sat under them!

 

[Paul Stupin]

View attachment 834086
This is what the Malie deck used to look like before they added the casabellas.

Took this pic last month. If you look closely at the decks, you’ll see both levels of umbrellas clearly.

 

[Paul Stupin]

View attachment 834086
This is what the Malie deck used to look like before they added the casabellas.

I just cropped and enlarged the section with the seating.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I just cropped and enlarged the section with the seating.View attachment 834094

When we visited in November, there were few (if any) umbrellas by the chairs on the very top tier (I suspect to protect the view from the restaurant?) but there were orange umbrellas (as pictured) on the lower decks.

 

[jaydis208]

Thank you all on the great information, photos, and reporting on the Malie deck casabellas. We are taking our first ever trip to Aulani at the end of April and I was very stressed about the chair situation and ability to get a beach casabella day-of. Stumbled onto these posts and just called in and grabbed a Malie (he pronounced it Mah-lee-ah) casabella for two days during our stay. They also had cabanas and lower verandas still available, so maybe it's a slower time. The agent couldn't have been nicer, and also sent separate confirmation emails for the reservations. No prepayment required. The emails are skim, but include a confirmation code, the date and start time (9am), and a note that says you've blocked out that service for recreation. Doesn't specifically note Malie or casabella, but I'm happy to have the email. We are brand new DVC members with home at VDH, and looking forward to this stay with *less TOT lol. Happy when vacation planning lines up well!

 

[PetePanMan]

I know some are happy with more paid seats so they can reduce stress (I do get it) but I plan to complain next trip (thought it won’t matter given increased revenues for Disney). Makes no sense to me to have fewer seats overall given current issues and I’m concerned about the possibility of a slippery slope of more and more of these in other coveted locations over time.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I know some are happy with more paid seats so they can reduce stress (I do get it) but I plan to complain next trip (thought it won’t matter given increased revenues for Disney). Makes no sense to me to have fewer seats overall given current issues and I’m concerned about the possibility of a slippery slope of more and more of these in other coveted locations over time.

IMO, an underlying issue is that too many people staying at Aulani don’t go do anything else on the island but stay at Aulani. The Marriott and the 4 Seasons don’t have this issue. Maybe they walk over to Monkey Pod and Eggs N Things.

And so the demand by a majority of the guests to save a seat for every person in their family at all times overwhelms supply….

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I know some are happy with more paid seats so they can reduce stress (I do get it) but I plan to complain next trip (thought it won’t matter given increased revenues for Disney). Makes no sense to me to have fewer seats overall given current issues and I’m concerned about the possibility of a slippery slope of more and more of these in other coveted locations over time.

I get it. We’re in the willing to pay camp, but I do think they need to add another hundred chairs or so *and* they need to hire sufficient staff to address chair-hogging. It shouldn’t be possible to keep chairs without using them for more than 45m if nobody is sitting on them… and, even though our family has done it, one person shouldn’t be able to hold 5+ chairs alone for more than an hour either. I was able to find chairs at aulani by just sitting down where there were towels multiple times. I figured if people came back within 40m I could move and if they came back more than that I’d say nobody was there when I showed up.

ETA, I did this 3x over six days and not once did anybody come back to claim the chairs by the time I left them 60-90m later.

 

[J-Dog]

IMO, an underlying issue is that too many people staying at Aulani don’t go do anything else on the island but stay at Aulani. The Marriott and the 4 Seasons don’t have this issue. Maybe they walk over to Monkey Pod and Eggs N Things.

And so the demand by a majority of the guests to save a seat for every person in their family at all times overwhelms supply….

I have no experience, but I agree in that, on other Oahu forums and FB pages, it is almost unanimous that a car is required to visit popular sites on the the island. However, on multiple Aulani pages, people mentioning that they will not be renting a car is much higher.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I have no experience, but I agree in that, on other Oahu forums and FB pages, it is almost unanimous that a car is required to visit popular sites on the the island. However, on multiple Aulani pages, people mentioning that they will not be renting a car is much higher.

A text book example of a tragedy of the commons:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

 

[mort1331]

I was going to mention the adult hot tub has a great sunset view! And OMG! Do people know it’s a family resort?

Yes and they are just trying to make a family.

 

[jimmymc]

IMO, an underlying issue is that too many people staying at Aulani don’t go do anything else on the island but stay at Aulani. The Marriott and the 4 Seasons don’t have this issue. Maybe they walk over to Monkey Pod and Eggs N Things.

And so the demand by a majority of the guests to save a seat for every person in their family at all times overwhelms supply….

This was actually such an issue that Aulani added more pools just a few years after it opened. Management was surprised how much time people were spending at the resort vs going out and exploring the island. I think a lot of people differentiate between an Oahu vacation vs an Aulani vacation. There are enough restaurants nearby, and you can get groceries delivered. Plus rental cars and parking can be expensive.

 

[AstroBlasters]

This was actually such an issue that Aulani added more pools just a few years after it opened. Management was surprised how much time people were spending at the resort vs going out and exploring the island. I think a lot of people differentiate between an Oahu vacation vs an Aulani vacation. There are enough restaurants nearby, and you can get groceries delivered. Plus rental cars and parking can be expensive.

Completely fair, but it doesn’t appear to have be an issue at the 4 Seasons next door or Marriot Ko Olina timeshare down the street.

Maybe it’s demographic (people with young families don’t want to leave the bubble?), maybe it’s the average DVC owners trying to do everything on a shoestring budget once they get on the island because the cost to fly a family of 4 to Hawaii is $$$, maybe it something else…..

A family told me their goal was always to get the least expensive studio and then camp out at the best chairs with an umbrella for the entire day and always have someone come back to secure the location….. They are completely within the rules to do so….but if everyone has that mindset then it perpetuates the scarcity/hoarding issue that we have today. They didn’t actually need all of the chairs reserved 100% for the entire day….

So, when you have an overusage problem…. tolling is one way to deal with it…. and that’s what I consider this pay for chair scheme to be.

So if it’s $200 a day more for 4 chairs with a cover so that I can sleep in and not have this “rope drop” mentality or go somewhere in the morning and still have a place to lounge later in the day …. go ahead and charge me the $200 a day for the days we plan to just hang out….

Now, if I was a cash guest instead of using DVC points…. I’d probably be livid because the cash prices are $$$ and this would just feel like a scam.

 

[jimmymc]

Completely fair, but it doesn’t appear to have be an issue at the 4 Seasons next door or Marriot Ko Olina timeshare down the street.

Maybe it’s demographic (people with young families don’t want to leave the bubble?), maybe it’s the average DVC owners trying to do everything on a shoestring budget once they get on the island because the cost to fly a family of 4 to Hawaii is $$$, maybe it something else…..

A family told me their goal was always to get the least expensive studio and then camp out at the best chairs with an umbrella for the entire day and always have someone come back to secure the location….. They are completely within the rules to do so….but if everyone has that mindset then it perpetuates the scarcity/hoarding issue that we have today. They didn’t actually need all of the chairs reserved 100% for the entire day….

So, when you have an overusage problem…. tolling is one way to deal with it…. and that’s what I consider this pay for chair scheme to be.

So if it’s $200 a day more for 4 chairs with a cover so that I can sleep in and not have this “rope drop” mentality or go somewhere in the morning and still have a place to lounge later in the day …. go ahead and charge me the $200 a day for the days we plan to just hang out….

Now, if I was a cash guest instead of using DVC points…. I’d probably be livid because the cash prices are $$$ and this would just feel like a scam.

I think the demographics play a huge part of it. Families who want to spend all day at the waterpark Aulani has built vs couples taking a quick dip in the pool. Plus getting a whole family to go on an excursion is a huge effort compared to just adults.

Another part is that because of Aulani's cost, a lot of people do split stays. So they find somewhere cheaper to stay during their island exploring, then just want to use the pools and beach for a few days before heading home.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I think the demographics play a huge part of it. Families who want to spend all day at the waterpark Aulani has built vs couples taking a quick dip in the pool. Plus getting a whole family to go on an excursion is a huge effort compared to just adults.

Another part is that because of Aulani's cost, a lot of people do split stays. So they find somewhere cheaper to stay during their island exploring, then just want to use the pools and beach for a few days before heading home.

I remember walking from a mass of humanity and survival of the fittest manifestation at Aulani to a scarcely populated Marriott and being shocked at what being a “Disney” property does to guests….

The Marriott pool areas are no slouch either. As nice as Aulani? No. Unique to Hawaii? Nope…. but nice none the less.

 

[J-Dog]

Completely fair, but it doesn’t appear to have be an issue at the 4 Seasons next door or Marriot Ko Olina timeshare down the street.

Maybe it’s demographic (people with young families don’t want to leave the bubble?), maybe it’s the average DVC owners trying to do everything on a shoestring budget once they get on the island because the cost to fly a family of 4 to Hawaii is $$$, maybe it something else…..

A family told me their goal was always to get the least expensive studio and then camp out at the best chairs with an umbrella for the entire day and always have someone come back to secure the location….. They are completely within the rules to do so….but if everyone has that mindset then it perpetuates the scarcity/hoarding issue that we have today. They didn’t actually need all of the chairs reserved 100% for the entire day….

So, when you have an overusage problem…. tolling is one way to deal with it…. and that’s what I consider this pay for chair scheme to be.

So if it’s $200 a day more for 4 chairs with a cover so that I can sleep in and not have this “rope drop” mentality or go somewhere in the morning and still have a place to lounge later in the day …. go ahead and charge me the $200 a day for the days we plan to just hang out….

Now, if I was a cash guest instead of using DVC points…. I’d probably be livid because the cash prices are $$$ and this would just feel like a scam.

And/or maybe the "WDW bubble" mentality is still present, considering Aulani seems to be a "next step" for many family's vacations after going to WDW?

We are not a WDW bubble-type family - even though we are DVC, we always rent a car and almost always go to UO, Seaworld, etc, when in Orlando. But I know plenty of people who go all the time and literally never leave WDW property, ever.