Aunty’s Beach Club

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Now that Hawaii is lifting the Safe Travels restriction, I’m guessing that was the final key to unlocking Aunty’s.

Keeping in mind the staffing difficulties, and the constant changes in state and federal guidelines, planning to re-launch Aunty’s would have been difficult. Add on to that the fact that Disney, more than just about any other American company is their reputation, opening an activity which is completely about child care, and then having that show up in the news as a “superspreader” event, was almost certainly not worth the risk and effort.

(Companies have a hard enough time trying to police adults to keep in compliance with things like social distancing and mask enforcement. Having to do this for kids, and then being blamed when kids get infected, and people start sharing the “kids weren’t wearing their masks, and Disney wasn’t doing anything about it!” videos? No thank you!)

Can’t wait for our August trip. We will go with or without Aunty’s being open, but our daughter LOVES her playground time - she always makes new friends, and environments like Aunty’s are really important to her. While I would just as soon spend the whole day with her playing in the water, I know she’ll love time with other kids.

 

[Willow1213]

Now that Hawaii is lifting the Safe Travels restriction, I’m guessing that was the final key to unlocking Aunty’s.

Keeping in mind the staffing difficulties, and the constant changes in state and federal guidelines, planning to re-launch Aunty’s would have been difficult. Add on to that the fact that Disney, more than just about any other American company is their reputation, opening an activity which is completely about child care, and then having that show up in the news as a “superspreader” event, was almost certainly not worth the risk and effort.

(Companies have a hard enough time trying to police adults to keep in compliance with things like social distancing and mask enforcement. Having to do this for kids, and then being blamed when kids get infected, and people start sharing the “kids weren’t wearing their masks, and Disney wasn’t doing anything about it!” videos? No thank you!)

Can’t wait for our August trip. We will go with or without Aunty’s being open, but our daughter LOVES her playground time - she always makes new friends, and environments like Aunty’s are really important to her. While I would just as soon spend the whole day with her playing in the water, I know she’ll love time with other kids.

I honestly don't think Aunty's will reopen as soon as some were expecting. The backyard play structure is gone completely. Plus, masks are still required indoors. I think those are 2 very large barriers to a quick reopening.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

I honestly don't think Aunty's will reopen as soon as some were expecting. The backyard play structure is gone completely. Plus, masks are still required indoors. I think those are 2 very large barriers to a quick reopening.

Play structures go up pretty quickly, so I don’t expect that will be a major hurdle. I hadn’t heard they removed it, but if they’re going to replace it, you probably wouldn’t do it unless you were planning to reopen pretty soon (relatively) after.

The indoor mask requirements are another issue, but unless there are significant pandemic developments, Hawaii will probably remove those in the next couple of months. This was from a recent news interview with Ige:

“Hawaii’s indoor mask mandate will remain in effect until at least March 25, Ige said, and state health officials will evaluate it after that. Hawaii is the last state with a statewide mask mandate.”

 

[jkips]

With case counts low it seems like it should be about time to reopen. Would really like it as an option for my June trip.

 

[scoobdoo]

I honestly don't think Aunty's will reopen as soon as some were expecting. The backyard play structure is gone completely. Plus, masks are still required indoors. I think those are 2 very large barriers to a quick reopening.

indoor mask mandate ends 3/25

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

indoor mask mandate ends 3/25

Glad you caught that. This is probably one of the big reasons why Aulani has been slow to make plans (I know relatives who live/work in Hawaii complain about this all the time) - Gov. Ige and staff are constantly changing the rules.

On 3/1, Ige announced the end of Safe Travels on 3/25, but commented that mask mandates would remain in effect until 3/25, and would be re-evaluated then. Then on 3/8, he announces the mask mandate will end on 3/25. So much for re-evaluating on 3/25.

So I’m guessing 3 weeks to install a new outdoor playground structure, and to rehire staff. So Aunty’s could be back the second week in April.

Anyone see any new playground set construction going on?

 

[tankin]

Frankly given the manner in which the Disney Corp has acted at all of their properties, I wouldn't plan on anything "free" returning anytime soon. Once they make the decision to reopen, hiring and training staff is not a short process in the current environment.

Personally, I wouldn't plan on either Aunty's or Ama Ama (or its replacement) reopening until later this summer if ever. I think Ama Ama eventually gets replaced because it generates revenue... Aunty's not so much.

 

[Lilsia]

Frankly given the manner in which the Disney Corp has acted at all of their properties, I wouldn't plan on anything "free" returning anytime soon. Once they make the decision to reopen, hiring and training staff is not a short process in the current environment.

Personally, I wouldn't plan on either Aunty's or Ama Ama (or its replacement) reopening until later this summer if ever. I think Ama Ama eventually gets replaced because it generates revenue... Aunty's not so much.

I am actually surprised that they have any kind of child "care". None of the other DVC resorts have a free supervised child activity center. It makes sense on the cruise, since everyone is "stuck" on the ship and need something to do. But Hawaii has a ton of things for families to do. I am surprised that they even put one in to begin with. It doesn't affect me since my kids are grown. We learned on the cruise that my youngest was not at all interested in going to these clubs. I can't imagine planning a trip, expecting to send your kids there and your kid not wanting to go. I would see it as a bonus, not a necessity.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Frankly given the manner in which the Disney Corp has acted at all of their properties, I wouldn't plan on anything "free" returning anytime soon. Once they make the decision to reopen, hiring and training staff is not a short process in the current environment.

Hiring and training staff is already underway. Many of the current staff working in non-Aunty's roles are former Aunty's cast members who are currently displaced. They don't need to fully recruit Aunty's from scratch, they need to roll those existing cast members back to their "home" roles and then backfill them.

Personally, I wouldn't plan on either Aunty's or Ama Ama (or its replacement) reopening until later this summer if ever. I think Ama Ama eventually gets replaced because it generates revenue... Aunty's not so much.

You do not understand the Aunty's business model.

1. Aunty's directly sells premium experiences. Sure you can drop your kid off for free, but you can also spend $X for fish-feeding experiences, special crafts with Moana, parties, etc. They're not cheap.

2. Aunty's indirectly sells spa treatments, alcohol, and signature dining. When Mom and Dad drop kiddos off, Mom and Dad go spend money on Mom and Dad things.

3. Aunty's indirectly sells room nights. People book Aulani in the first place because of offerings like Aunty's.

I am actually surprised that they have any kind of child "care". None of the other DVC resorts have a free supervised child activity center. It makes sense on the cruise, since everyone is "stuck" on the ship and need something to do. But Hawaii has a ton of things for families to do. I am surprised that they even put one in to begin with. It doesn't affect me since my kids are grown. We learned on the cruise that my youngest was not at all interested in going to these clubs. I can't imagine planning a trip, expecting to send your kids there and your kid not wanting to go. I would see it as a bonus, not a necessity.

Lots of guests, DVC members in particular, go to Aulani because they want to have a Disney vacation that just happens to be in Hawaii. They have no interest in a Hawaii vacation that just happens to be at a Disney resort.

I agree with you though. My kids are prime kids' club age but they get their fill of either Aunty's or the DCL clubs after a couple of hours once or twice. It's completely foreign to me when I hear people talk about sending their kids off to the clubs and not seeing them until dinner time. I got on family vacations to spend time with my family.

 

[tankin]

@CaptainAmerica Lots of the things that Disney has killed off indirectly helped the bottom line ... and they still killed it off. Magical Express at WDW was all about trapping you on property and selling room nights both of which increased revenue... that's gone and not coming back. Magic bands were all about making it easier to spend $ and track a guest's "whole revenue" both of which lead to higher revenue and better direct marketing... those are gone. Magic Hours sold room nights and helped justify the price point Disney sold rooms at... gone too. That's just at WDW...

So just because Disney offered a free "thing" that indirectly drove revenue doesn't mean its coming back. Disney has other resort hotels with similar amenities and hasn't seemed to need to offer a free kids club at those.

BTW - I've sat through a number of Disney Institute classes over the years. All of what I talked about above isn't my opinion or conjecture its direct things we talked about in those classes. In fact I was in one the week before MagicBands were announced and they walked us through the entire decision process for the multi-million dollar commitment.

 

[tankin]

@Lilsia I agree with you... As with everything with the Disney corp now, I'll only believe a "free be" is coming back when I'm standing in front of it and its free....

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Magical Express at WDW was all about trapping you on property and selling room nights both of which increased revenue... that's gone and not coming back.

Uber, Lyft, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter killed on the on-property bubble. I loved DME and I wish they'd bring it back, even as a paid option, but Disney cut it in response to the bubble being popped by outside factors. They didn't decide to kill the bubble on their own.

Magic bands were all about making it easier to spend $ and track a guest's "whole revenue" both of which lead to higher revenue and better direct marketing... those are gone.

MagicBands are not gone, they're being expanded to Disneyland and a new generation of them is set to launch whenever they get the supply chain sorted out.

Magic Hours sold room nights and helped justify the price point Disney sold rooms at... gone too.

The old EMH was one park opening 1 hour early per day. Now all four parks open 30 minutes early every day. That's not a cut, it's literally an expansion of the program.

So just because Disney offered a free "thing" that indirectly drove revenue doesn't mean its coming back. Disney has other resort hotels with similar amenities and hasn't seemed to need to offer a free kids club at those.

Aulani is not like Walt Disney World.

 

[tankin]

@CaptainAmerica Free magic bands are gone ... not coming back. EMH also existed at night... that was hours long and hasn't returned so yes that, by definition, is a cut.

Shall we delve further into the ways in which Disney has decontented their product and make you pay for stuff that was formerly included (like FastPass)?

Just keep hoping the Aulani is going to be different than every other Disney line of business that has done price increases through decontenting... I, for one, will believe it only when I see it.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

One thing I think many are missing about Aunty’s is that it’s not just “free child care”. If Disney offered a free baby sitter to anyone who wanted it, I wouldn’t be interested at all. Aunty’s is a “kid’s club” - it’s a chance for kids to get together, and socialize with other kids their age. So it’s really part of the experience for kids, and I think Disney views it in this way.

If an adults “resort” doesn’t have a swimming pool, or a spa, or yoga sessions, is it really still a “resort”? Or does it just become a hotel? Disney has positioned (and priced) Aulani as a resort, and with Disney’s focus on families, I think they see the importance of experiences for kids. Aunty’s may not be the right activity for every kid, but for those who like to socialize, and meet new people, it is the one activity that does this, and I think Disney sees the importance of having it.

 

[Kmk2]

I was in Hawaii last month and my waiter at another hotel had worked at Ama Ama and he was summarily let go in the early days of shutdown. So if Aulani treated the Auntie’s staff the same way I wonder if they would even go back.

Based only on educated guess I doubt they are going to rush to reopen. Chapek was talking about the need for liquidity recently in the context of the (delayed/cancelled?) Mary Poppins attraction - and at its core Aunties is a loss leader.

I hope I am wrong though - I read on old Instagram post from Joe Rohde the other day about the beach house and it was designed with such care and intentionality.

 

[Kmk2]

I am actually surprised that they have any kind of child "care". None of the other DVC resorts have a free supervised child activity center. It makes sense on the cruise, since everyone is "stuck" on the ship and need something to do. But Hawaii has a ton of things for families to do. I am surprised that they even put one in to begin with. It doesn't affect me since my kids are grown. We learned on the cruise that my youngest was not at all interested in going to these clubs. I can't imagine planning a trip, expecting to send your kids there and your kid not wanting to go. I would see it as a bonus, not a necessity.

Most high end resorts have a kids club. They would be an outlier not to.

 

[Lilsia]

I agree with you though. My kids are prime kids' club age but they get their fill of either Aunty's or the DCL clubs after a couple of hours once or twice. It's completely foreign to me when I hear people talk about sending their kids off to the clubs and not seeing them until dinner time. I got on family vacations to spend time with my family.

I belong to a big Aulani group on FP, and the amount of people that say that they won't book unless Aunty's is open is kind of surprising. There are so many unknowns about the situation that I would not book a family vacation based on if I can dump the kids off or not. Your kid might have liked it last time, but will hate it the next time. It is not a daycare, it is a supervised kid's activity area. If someone's kids wants to leave, they call the parents to come pick them up. They might book up and you can't get your kids in when you want to. I guess people forgot the line of dads outside at 7am trying to reserve a spot for their kids every morning. People used to complain about it and how they were not able to get a spot for their kids. It just seem strange to count on something like this to "make" your vacation.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

based on if I can dump the kids off or not. Your kid might have liked it last time, but will hate it the next time. It is not a daycare, it is a supervised kid's activity area. If someone's kids wants to leave, they call the parents to come pick them up. They might book up and you can't get your kids in when you want to. I guess people forgot the line of dads outside at 7am trying to reserve a spot for their kids every morning. People used to complain about it and how they were not able to get a spot for their kids. It just seem strange to count on something like this to "make" your vacation.

Sorry - your choice of words comes across as condescending and narrow minded - not sure you mean it that way, but I think the majority of parents don’t view kids clubs, day care, or babysitters as “dumping the kids off”. Not usually anyway!

Some parents may indeed be treating it as a dumping ground. But many of us think that Aunty’s is an experience for the kids. The more experiences which are unavailable, the less appealing the resort. If I just wanted to “dump the kids off”, I’d just leave mine with her real aunty (and grandma) over in Manoa. And I would probably be staying at the Halekulani instead.

Just like I might not go to DCA if Web Slingers or Radiator Springs Racers was closed for renovation, I might think twice about Aulani if Aunty’s isn’t available. I totally get why some people might make that decision.