Just watched Governor’s press conference

[Cliffside]

I am getting more concerned with our upcoming trip from 9/5-9/12..basically the Governor has asked only essential travel to come to the state basically saying now is not a good time to come…not sure if this was the same message being sent when Aulani originally reopened..
Also not sure if the luau will be canceled due to the new restrictions put in place…
He seemed to be noncommittal as to whether they will go into lockdown again…
I guess I have another week or so to keep changing my mind.

 

[AquaDame]

This puts us in a bind... our travel is not essential but unless they close again we'd be out a lot of money (rented points, non-refundable airfare), so it kind of is. We have 37 days to go before we board our plane to Maui so I guess we'll keep waiting to see.

 

[Cliffside]

This puts us in a bind... our travel is not essential but unless they close again we'd be out a lot of money (rented points, non-refundable airfare), so it kind of is. We have 37 days to go before we board our plane to Maui so I guess we'll keep waiting to see.

Hopefully by then things will be going in the right direction..we are supposed to leave in 13 days..
I think we can a voucher for our first class tickets from nyc to hnl and hopefully we would be able to use it before they expire.
Unfortunately our DVC points will go into holding..I think most of the activities I booked are refundable except the luau..although based on the new rules they might not be able to be held.

 

[JLemaire7]

We don’t have a trip booked but we were thinking of booking one for winter time but are now giving it serious pause. A lot of uncertainty with Delta and all of this talk about testing coming back even for vaccinated, beaches potentially closing, and limited capacity in restaurants plus record crowds is giving us pause. Too much uncertainty still.

It seemed like the governor was more willing to lock the whole state down than to bring back mandatory testing for all.

 

[MickeyMamaof5]

We are going to watch it now. Flight there leaves this Thursday.

 

[AquaDame]

TBH if we hadn't already booked we wouldn't be going... I don't blame anyone who makes a different choice than us though!

We definitely thought things would be getting better or at least stay mostly the same back in March when we were starting our vaccination series. If it weren't a special anniversary (10 years, we were married on Maui and honeymooned at Aulani) we wouldn't have done it, but we were a bit naive and stubborn I guess...

 

[Cliffside]

TBH if we hadn't already booked we wouldn't be going... I don't blame anyone who makes a different choice than us though!

We definitely thought things would be getting better or at least stay mostly the same back in March when we were starting our vaccination series. If it weren't a special anniversary (10 years, we were married on Maui and honeymooned at Aulani) we wouldn't have done it, but we were a bit naive and stubborn I guess...

We booked around the same time…after our Celebrity Greek islands cruise got canceled thinking this was a safer option..
We are going to celebrate our 25th anniversary..we went to Maui and Kauai for our honeymoon and said we would go back for our 5th anniversary and have yet to be back..
So hard to know what to do?

 

[FoodieFriend]

I follow a person on Instagram that posts statistics about how covid is going in Hawaii. Majority of people are getting sick from community spread, not from travel. I don't see coming to Hawaii as a bad thing, but people don't seem to want to follow the basics: stay 6' apart, wear your masks, wash your hands. I've read a few posts about people joining other groups outside of their personal pods in the Aulani elevators. I don't think that's a smart way to handle the situation. Unfortunately, the elevators at Aulani are SLOW SLOW SLOW & with the safest way to use them being 1 pod per car, it makes waiting extremely long. My only advice on that is if you find an empty car, get in no matter which way it's going & ride it till you get where you need to go.

I just walked around Waikiki this weekend. More than half the people walking around were not wearing masks. I actually saw the same group of people trying to enter a restaurant without a mask & every employee told them they needed a mask to come in, walk out, try to walk in again without a mask, get denied entry, walk out & try again without a mask. 3x. They were not foreign & understood English. GAH!

I don't want to have the state go into another shutdown, but please just follow the rules when you come here, vaccinated or not.
One of our nearby hospitals just went into a critical/disaster situation because they have no beds left. So many people are being treated for covid that they can't take in any other patients for heart attacks, stroke or anything else into their ER. Medical procedures are being delayed because there's not enough beds to accommodate them. I've even read that a patient that was coding had to be worked on in the hallway because there's no beds/rooms.

 

[Drewski77]

We have a trip planned starting on 9/11 and hope to make it there.

We are vaccinated and will stay basically at the resort going from the pools to the ocean.

We were there in February and felt it was safer than our hometown in many ways.

We will see how things go, but unless things change from today, we are excited to get back to paradise.

 

[MickeyMamaof5]

If the outdoor gathering is limited to 25 people starting Wednesday, I'm assuming that means Luau will be canceled and perhaps changes to the pools?

 

[DRussell83]

We went to Aulani thanksgiving week and I feel like non essential travel was really frowned upon then as well - we are leaving 9/27 and if it’s the same restrictions in place as it was in November it will be ok with us - just my husband and I we are vaccinated and plan to stay around the resort and just venture out for some food trucks and hiking.
To be honest the Governors message is confusing and everything I’m reading is that this surge is not due to travelers but community spread.
crossing my fingers for all!

 

[corgi_monster]

To be honest the Governors message is confusing and everything I’m reading is that this surge is not due to travelers but community spread.
crossing my fingers for all!

Gov. Ige and most reasonable people in Hawaii acknowledge it’s not tourists' fault that the virus is raging out of control. It‘s community spread, plain and simple. He's asking people to stay away because their vacations will be impacted, not because he thinks visitors are responsible for the current surge.

He's giving everyone a head's up that the situation is evolving and more restrictions are imminent. Anyone choosing to come to Hawaii right now has to understand that they may not be able to access the beach (Hawaii island and Maui counties currently working towards this), restaurants may be take-out only, or that hotels may be subject to capacity restrictions and reservations might be cancelled. Also, Ige also said that a lockdown is possible if hospitals are at capacity. Hawaii is not very fun when you're confined to your hotel room.

That being said, I'm not cancelling my October staycation just yet!

If the outdoor gathering is limited to 25 people starting Wednesday, I'm assuming that means Luau will be canceled and perhaps changes to the pools?

Luaus might be allowed if they fall under the "dining" umbrella. At first, the officials said no luaus, then they said luaus are ok . . . I don't think anyone really knows yet lol!

Pools should not be impacted. If you're traveling with a group of more than 25 people, you'll have to separate into two smaller groups and sit 6' apart. Hawaii island is trying to mandate masks in outdoor areas where there are a lot of people (like pool decks) but I haven't heard anything about outdoor masking making a comeback on Oahu.

 

[DRussell83]

Gov. Ige and most reasonable people in Hawaii acknowledge it’s not tourists' fault that the virus is raging out of control. It‘s community spread, plain and simple. He's asking people to stay away because their vacations will be impacted, not because he thinks visitors are responsible for the current surge.

He's giving everyone a head's up that the situation is evolving and more restrictions are imminent. Anyone choosing to come to Hawaii right now has to understand that they may not be able to access the beach (Hawaii island and Maui counties currently working towards this), restaurants may be take-out only, or that hotels may be subject to capacity restrictions and reservations might be cancelled. Also, Ige also said that a lockdown is possible if hospitals are at capacity. Hawaii is not very fun when you're confined to your hotel room.

That being said, I'm not cancelling my October staycation just yet!



Luaus might be allowed if they fall under the "dining" umbrella. At first, the officials said no luaus, then they said luaus are ok . . . I don't think anyone really knows yet lol!

Pools should not be impacted. If you're traveling with a group of more than 25 people, you'll have to separate into two smaller groups and sit 6' apart. Hawaii island is trying to mandate masks in outdoor areas where there are a lot of people (like pool decks) but I haven't heard anything about outdoor masking making a comeback on Oahu.

Appreciate your response! Didn’t even think of it from that point of view.

 

[_19disnA]

Since most tourists fly to Hawaii from elsewhere, it makes sense to me they want to restrict visitor/travel due to covid. Obviously, tourist will shop/eat/visit places where they will interact with the locals so there will never be a precise way to determine how someone got covid.

 

[jcbftw]

He's asking people to stay away because their vacations will be impacted, not because he thinks visitors are responsible for the current surge.

IMO, I think it's more about hospital capacity than vacations being ruined. I have a trip scheduled for 10/31-11/12 and that's what I'm keeping an eye on. My party is vaxxed and will happily mask, but if activities start getting cancelled, stuff starts closing down, hospital capacity is still bad - we may consider cancelling.

 

[knhellesky]

Gov. Ige and most reasonable people in Hawaii acknowledge it’s not tourists' fault that the virus is raging out of control. It‘s community spread, plain and simple. He's asking people to stay away because their vacations will be impacted, not because he thinks visitors are responsible for the current surge.

He's giving everyone a head's up that the situation is evolving and more restrictions are imminent. Anyone choosing to come to Hawaii right now has to understand that they may not be able to access the beach (Hawaii island and Maui counties currently working towards this), restaurants may be take-out only, or that hotels may be subject to capacity restrictions and reservations might be cancelled. Also, Ige also said that a lockdown is possible if hospitals are at capacity. Hawaii is not very fun when you're confined to your hotel room.

That being said, I'm not cancelling my October staycation just yet!



Luaus might be allowed if they fall under the "dining" umbrella. At first, the officials said no luaus, then they said luaus are ok . . . I don't think anyone really knows yet lol!

Pools should not be impacted. If you're traveling with a group of more than 25 people, you'll have to separate into two smaller groups and sit 6' apart. Hawaii island is trying to mandate masks in outdoor areas where there are a lot of people (like pool decks) but I haven't heard anything about outdoor masking making a comeback on Oahu.

I wouldn't say that this is the most accurate statement, but I do understand what you mean.

 

[colleen costello]

My son is getting married on 10/1 and I booked them ten nights at Aulani for a honeymoon. All this has me so anxious. Honestly I would be relieved if they postponed but I of course understand they won't want to. They are fully vaccinated. But if travel IS restricted closer than 30 days out, will DVC let me book another time for them or am I eating those points? Saved up for this.

 

[OKW Lover]

This is a disconcerting development. We are less than a month away from a two week visit to Hawaii. Using DVC points for 9 of those nights at Aulani. A significant portion (75+%) of those points will expire at the end of September so rebooking isn't really an option unless DVC makes another accommodation.

 

[corgi_monster]

I wouldn't say that this is the most accurate statement, but I do understand what you mean.

Unlike most states, Hawaii has tried to do contact tracing. We actually do know where many cases are coming from and it's definitely not tourists. This link will take you to the Hawaii Dept. of Health webpage that shows how many cases are from non-resident tourists. They make up 1%-2% of all cases. 93% of all August cases are attributed to community spread.

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/current-situation-in-hawaii/#travel
The latest cluster reports also show that travel, lodging, and tourism related businesses are not seeing very many clusters/cases - 6 clusters with 28 total cases last week. https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavir...eekly_Cluster_Report_19-August-2021_FINAL.pdf

Covid is raging in the areas that are of little to no interest to tourists - Waianae, Waipahu, Ewa Beach, Makaha. The number of covid cases for the past 14 days in Waikiki, Kailua, and Haleiwa COMBINED is less than Waianae alone. You can find the covid maps here: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/current-situation-in-hawaii/

I just can't see how tourists can be blamed for the surge when the numbers don't support it.

My son is getting married on 10/1 and I booked them ten nights at Aulani for a honeymoon. All this has me so anxious. Honestly I would be relieved if they postponed but I of course understand they won't want to. They are fully vaccinated. But if travel IS restricted closer than 30 days out, will DVC let me book another time for them or am I eating those points? Saved up for this.

The state can change entry requirements, but they cannot tell a US citizen they are not allowed in Hawaii. Pre-travel testing for all (including vaccinated people) may make a comeback, but the gov. stated that any travel changes will be announced 14 days prior to being implemented. I have heard of people testing positive for covid and getting their deposits back, but I'm not sure about points.

I can't imagine Aulani shutting down either. The first time Hawaii was shut down, there was no end to the pandemic in sight so it made sense for Aulani to close. (Lodging was considered essential and not required to shut down.) If Hawaii were to shut down again, it would be for a couple weeks, maybe a month, and I imagine it would be easier for Aulani to limp along rather than shut down/reopen. You're probably better off making the decision on your own rather than waiting for the state/Aulani to make it for you. I have a staycation reserved for that same time period and plan to keep it. The experience may be diminished if there are more restrictions but it will still be a lot of fun. I was at Aulani right after they reopened in Nov. 2020 and while masks were required on the pool deck and only Ulu Cafe, Off the Hook, and Olelo Room were serving food, my family still had a GREAT time!

I really feel for all of you who have to make the difficult decision on whether to come or not. Vacations really shouldn't be this stressful and the Gov.'s request to stay away doesn't provide you with any real leverage to get your money/points back. He needs to make a hard decision one way or the other because this fence sitting is doing more harm than good.

 

[Drewski77]

Unlike most states, Hawaii has tried to do contact tracing. We actually do know where many cases are coming from and it's definitely not tourists. This link will take you to the Hawaii Dept. of Health webpage that shows how many cases are from non-resident tourists. They make up 1%-2% of all cases. 93% of all August cases are attributed to community spread.

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/current-situation-in-hawaii/#travel
The latest cluster reports also show that travel, lodging, and tourism related businesses are not seeing very many clusters/cases - 6 clusters with 28 total cases last week. https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavir...eekly_Cluster_Report_19-August-2021_FINAL.pdf

Covid is raging in the areas that are of little to no interest to tourists - Waianae, Waipahu, Ewa Beach, Makaha. The number of covid cases for the past 14 days in Waikiki, Kailua, and Haleiwa COMBINED is less than Waianae alone. You can find the covid maps here: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/current-situation-in-hawaii/

I just can't see how tourists can be blamed for the surge when the numbers don't support it.





The state can change entry requirements, but they cannot tell a US citizen they are not allowed in Hawaii. Pre-travel testing for all (including vaccinated people) may make a comeback, but the gov. stated that any travel changes will be announced 14 days prior to being implemented. I have heard of people testing positive for covid and getting their deposits back, but I'm not sure about points.

I can't imagine Aulani shutting down either. The first time Hawaii was shut down, there was no end to the pandemic in sight so it made sense for Aulani to close. (Lodging was considered essential and not required to shut down.) If Hawaii were to shut down again, it would be for a couple weeks, maybe a month, and I imagine it would be easier for Aulani to limp along rather than shut down/reopen. You're probably better off making the decision on your own rather than waiting for the state/Aulani to make it for you. I have a staycation reserved for that same time period and plan to keep it. The experience may be diminished if there are more restrictions but it will still be a lot of fun. I was at Aulani right after they reopened in Nov. 2020 and while masks were required on the pool deck and only Ulu Cafe, Off the Hook, and Olelo Room were serving food, my family still had a GREAT time!

I really feel for all of you who have to make the difficult decision on whether to come or not. Vacations really shouldn't be this stressful and the Gov.'s request to stay away doesn't provide you with any real leverage to get your money/points back. He needs to make a hard decision one way or the other because this fence sitting is doing more harm than good.

Great post and we are still planning to go in mid-September.