Our Aulani trip is scheduled for late March. How's everyone doing?

[Sepo]

We’ve been at Aulani since 3/3, leaving tomorrow afternoon. We’re still seeing lots of new people arriving at the resort for the start of their vacations. It still seems business as usual with a few minor exceptions. I saw them disinfecting the elevators today, some cast members are wearing gloves, and they’re regularly disinfecting store counters. We’ve been all over the island during our trip, including Pearl Harbor and a number of hikes and excursions. Almost everything we’ve done has been outdoors which is less concerning than being in a crowd indoors. Honestly, the only time I felt we were in close quarters with others was in line at Matsumoto’s. We’ve had no worries while here, but will again be cautious at the airport and on the plane ride home. I feel like our risk of catching the virus is greater at home (MN).

Makes sense. Based on the flatten-the-curve mission (to not overwhelm the healthcare system) that we are all part of nationally, the outdoor hiking etc that we are planning for should be within bounds. We’re still scheduled tentatively for week after next. How is the pool situation? The chlorine is a mitigator but the food court and counters and maybe slide area gives a bit of pause.

 

[dachsie]

@corgi_monster @dachsie...stay safe!!! Thinking of you guys. Scary to be on an island in these situations.

Thank you @cgattis I am in TX and work at a large medical center. What I am also scared of is that I see mostly elderly patients. So far I am ok.

 

[corgi_monster]

How is the pool situation? The chlorine is a mitigator but the food court and counters and maybe slide area gives a bit of pause.

Most of the pool areas are large enough to practice social distancing, especially since hotel occupancy will likely be down. The only pool I've ever seen uncomfortably crowded is the infinity pool overlooking the ocean at sunset hour. Even if all the chairs are taken by towels, bags, etc. you'll rarely see them heavily occupied by actual people . . . but that's a whole 'nother issue.

The slide gets crowded and there is a line, but people can't stand too close together while holding those gigantic yellow tubes.

Food:

Makahiki is a buffet so . . . yeah, lol. I've felt claustrophobic in that restaurant because the chairs are incredibly close together, similar to how they are arranged at WDW character meals.

Tables at Ama Ama are spread out and the restaurant is open-air.

There are tables and chairs set up outside the QS area but there's a lot of foot traffic passing by those table and it was a no-go for me even during "normal" times. The baked goods are in a case, but it's self-serve. The vast majority of grab-and-go foods (sandwiches, yogurt, fruit salad) are sealed. The entrees, pizzas, and fresh food are prepared in an area that is off-limits, and I believe out of sight, to the public.

There is an outdoor seating area just above Mama's Snack Shop and we found this to be the quietest area to sit down and enjoy our food.

Pool bar dining area is outdoors with comfortable spacing between tables.

You can also order food from your lounge chair and eat at the pool.

 

[beachbunny]

My sister is an ER doctor in Hawaii. She has been trying for weeks to get her patients tested, but the state has refused to do any testing - even patients who have high fever, cough, and have been to Wuhan and other Asia hot spots. As of the end of last week, the State had only done 32 tests. No testing, no positives. Why would Hawaii kill the golden goose?

 

[thedogatemyhomework]

while the state government definitely has issues (fake missile alert...mauna kea...lots and lots of other smaller things...), the lack of testing isn't unique to hawaii...there isn't a single state where you'd find doctors that are happy with how much testing that gets done.

some of it's supply (lack of test kits that work), some is red tape (only fed labs allowed to test...then they let state labs test...and now finally private company labs can test too)...none of it is good, hopefully it gets better soon.

 

[beachbunny]

We've gone from two confirmed cases on Friday to six on Saturday. It's just the tip of the iceberg. We'll hear about a lot more cases now that doctors here are able to order private testing.

 

[teawar]

We are “supposed” to fly out this Friday, March 20, spend the night in San Jose, CA and head to Oahu on a Saturday morning flight. I’m an educator in Alabama and the state just closed all K12 schools from March 16-April 6 due to “state of emergency”. Our state is behind with testing for coved-19, so all of it is just hitting the fan. We have not canceled our Trip yet, because everything is refundable for flights, we are staying on DVC points, and we are currently out zero dollars for rental car. We would need to cancel our reservations for the luau at Aulani.

I have a few concerns with moving forward with the trip: A: the unknown factor of “traveling into the unknown”; B: will we get to Aulani and most of the activities are shuttered? C: will there be a travel ban, and we will have to scramble to get off the island? D: will we be fine traveling, but infect others? E: if I travel, will my school district require me to self-quarantine? F: all of the above.

I have friends/family that work in healthcare here, and their thoughts are all over the place in regards to covid-19.

Im sure a lot of people are in the same boat as my family. Selfishly, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for 7 months! We are looking at moving it, but I’m not sure if we will find ourselves in the same situation later. It’s the not knowing that is driving me crazy.

 

[Sepo]

Hi. Just summing up some good info on earlier posts from this thread. Several healthcare people on this thread (I myself am a physician and on several work-related chats w colleagues directly on the front lines including intensivists).

#1 As most heard, our efforts are about curve flattening: not to overwhelm the healthcare system. This is the most true statement.

#2 Absolutely. The cases we finally (!) suspected will start to be known. The biggest failure was the perception to the public that’s there were only 15 or 100 or 1000 cases etc. This was bc of the extreme low testing and denials of testing. What should have happened was folks should have been given “possible” and “presumptive” diagnoses when not terribly sick and sequestered at home thereafter. Instead, many who visited healthcare with fever and aches were falsely led to believe they were in the clear and sometimes returned to normal activity. It’s in the past.

#3 What we are now doing is finally sensible. But it should not lead to panic. Just awareness and preparation.The actual numbers are almost certainly in the tens of thousands (based on epidemiological models) and could even hit the millions; South Korea tests 10-20K a day and now estimates based on asymptomatic/low carriers and their stats that perhaps the mortality could be as low as 0.6 (1/10th the previous).But if we crest at 1 million over 6 months that is far far better than cresting at 50 million over 3 months. This is the perspective needed.

#4 We know who is most at risk. Those populations need to be seriously addressed to try to avoid this exposure. The rest of us will continue sensible measures.

I hope this email’s tone is not paternalistic. I am only trying to offer perspective. There will be a new normal for 6-15 months but the goal is to slow it and protect and care for those who need it.There are many “normal” things we can still do.

 

[Sepo]

I have a few concerns with moving forward with the trip: A: the unknown factor of “traveling into the unknown”; B: will we get to Aulani and most of the activities are shuttered? C: will there be a travel ban, and we will have to scramble to get off the island? D: will we be fine traveling, but infect others? E: if I travel, will my school district require me to self-quarantine? F: all of the above.

I

#C - this is what we are also most concerned about. It will depend on people’s reactions to this coming week to the “new” cases that will finally be confirmed.

#B - the pool potentially shutting down would be the biggest bummer. We hike a fair amount so that could be a temporizing factor.

#D, E - people seem to report extreme care on planes. One person wrote they were inhaling hand sanitizer in the aisles. The equation I run in my head is whether it is more likely I will get exposed here or doing outdoor activities there. Thus far, I do not see a higher risk to my family there than here.

 

[plasmo]

We are “supposed” to fly out this Friday, March 20, spend the night in San Jose, CA and head to Oahu on a Saturday morning flight. I’m an educator in Alabama and the state just closed all K12 schools from March 16-April 6 due to “state of emergency”. Our state is behind with testing for coved-19, so all of it is just hitting the fan. We have not canceled our Trip yet, because everything is refundable for flights, we are staying on DVC points, and we are currently out zero dollars for rental car. We would need to cancel our reservations for the luau at Aulani.

I have a few concerns with moving forward with the trip: A: the unknown factor of “traveling into the unknown”; B: will we get to Aulani and most of the activities are shuttered? C: will there be a travel ban, and we will have to scramble to get off the island? D: will we be fine traveling, but infect others? E: if I travel, will my school district require me to self-quarantine? F: all of the above.

I have friends/family that work in healthcare here, and their thoughts are all over the place in regards to covid-19.

Im sure a lot of people are in the same boat as my family. Selfishly, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for 7 months! We are looking at moving it, but I’m not sure if we will find ourselves in the same situation later. It’s the not knowing that is driving me crazy.

We are in exact same situation and dates with you, just a couple days behind you in your schedule. Haven't rented a car yet, but i'm sure we shouldn't have a problem getting one last minute.
Here's info on the last two HI cases: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/...ositive-coronavirus-county-officials-confirm/
I applaud how detailed the press briefing is (compared to ours where details are completely left out) on locations and who these patients came in contact with, to help ease fears with the public.

 

[Sepo]

For what it’s worth, tickets to Hawaii shot up in price the last 24 hours from here. Over $200 more per seat since yesterday morning.

also, yesterday I got a great deal with Hertz. They are usually most expensive. Got even better pricing than Costco. Hertz has a lot of corporate business that may have diminished. Check them out too for sure.

 

[Sepo]

I have to vent for a moment:

This federal screening fiasco at the airports is so wrongheaded. We are past the detecting phase; that was last month. We are in the containment and “slowing” phase. This means distancing. Crowding thousands of people together to find 1 of 100 max is counterproductive when you may be exposing hundreds more to that one. Face-plant.

 

[CarolynFH]

I have to vent for a moment:

This federal screening fiasco at the airports is so wrongheaded. We are past the detecting phase; that was last month. We are in the containment and “slowing” phase. This means distancing. Crowding thousands of people together to find 1 of 100 max is counterproductive when you may be exposing hundreds more to that one. Face-plant.

I agree with this and your other comments this morning. Unfortunately those making the decisions on what to do have not been listening to the right advisors.

 

[disneygirl777]

We are “supposed” to fly out this Friday, March 20, spend the night in San Jose, CA and head to Oahu on a Saturday morning flight. I’m an educator in Alabama and the state just closed all K12 schools from March 16-April 6 due to “state of emergency”. Our state is behind with testing for coved-19, so all of it is just hitting the fan. We have not canceled our Trip yet, because everything is refundable for flights, we are staying on DVC points, and we are currently out zero dollars for rental car. We would need to cancel our reservations for the luau at Aulani.

I have a few concerns with moving forward with the trip: A: the unknown factor of “traveling into the unknown”; B: will we get to Aulani and most of the activities are shuttered? C: will there be a travel ban, and we will have to scramble to get off the island? D: will we be fine traveling, but infect others? E: if I travel, will my school district require me to self-quarantine? F: all of the above.

I have friends/family that work in healthcare here, and their thoughts are all over the place in regards to covid-19.

Im sure a lot of people are in the same boat as my family. Selfishly, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for 7 months! We are looking at moving it, but I’m not sure if we will find ourselves in the same situation later. It’s the not knowing that is driving me crazy.

I was in the exact situation as you with nearly the same concerns. We were planning on flying to Maui on the 27th, but have rescheduled for September. Before we rescheduled we were all insanely stressed at the thought of sitting here for 2+ weeks not knowing if our vacation was still going to be able to proceed, wondering every day if something would be closed or restricted the next. I start a new job on April 6th and could not risk potential quarantines, whether I got sick there and quarantined or the US quarantined travelers coming back from Hawaii if the situation there blew up in the meantime. I also didn't want my Hawaiian vacation to be tense and be on edge the whole time wondering what was going to happen next. We enjoy going to Hawaii and talking to others at the pool, eating at our fave restaurants, having a relaxed time, and with this anxiety and social distancing, this stuff won't be the same. Who knows if our fave restaurants would still be open when we got there, or if activities would be cancelled. We did call our resort and they said right now it's business as usual, but they were looking at it potentially changing day-to-day depending on the situation. Last thing I'd want is to get there and wind up with activities cancelled and the pool closed. However right now this doesn't seem to be the case. I have a friend on Oahu right now and she said other than the grocery stores, it's all pretty normal. I think for you you just have to weigh the benefits vs risks and if you can deal with the risks if the worst happens.

Your feelings aren't selfish and nobody should be making you feel like they are. I hate the people who are out there shaming others for caring about their personal lives being affected, because this is completely normal and okay. Ultimately you're the only one who can make the decision on your trip. If you go have a great time and if not, Aulani will always be there in the future. I'm not a DVC member so I'm not sure how the points work, but even going in a few months when the situation cools down a bit and we learn what's going to happen and how to proceed with our lives around it may be less stressful for all if you can reschedule. I honestly think the worst part of this is the sitting and waiting to see what's going to happen. Best of luck with your decision and I hope everything works either way

 

[beachbunny]

The state is closing down...slowly. So far, some city and county of Honolulu government workers (which covers all of Oahu) are staying home. Colleges and private schools will most likely be shut down after spring break.

There have been more than a few cases of confirmed cases of coronavirus after returning home from vacation in Hawaii. The most recent case was reported today - Colorado. My doctor sister is positive that there is already community transmission here.

 

[Sepo]

The state is closing down...slowly. So far, some city and county of Honolulu government workers (which covers all of Oahu) are staying home. Colleges and private schools will most likely be shut down after spring break.

There have been more than a few cases of confirmed cases of coronavirus after returning home from vacation in Hawaii. The most recent case was reported today - Colorado. My doctor sister is positive that there is already community transmission here.

For certain. Can only slow it.

 

[beachbunny]

7th case just confirmed in Hawaii. We've gone from 2 confirmed cases on Friday to 7 on Sunday. Doctors are finally being allowed to do private testing so the numbers are sure to go up fast in the coming week.

We are an international petrie dish. We still have thousands of tourists from Japan and Korea.

Public schools have just extended spring break to the end of the month.

 

[Grom]

Please don’t come to Hawai`i. We have kūpuna that can’t be socially distanced from `Ohana. ALL of the COVID-19 cases here have been travel-related. Tourism lobbyists are lying about Hawai’i needing the revenue. We’ll be fine if you stay away. If you decide to come anyway, don’t be upset if you get stink-eye from locals.

 

[corgi_monster]

I think it’s time to cancel as well. With public school closing past spring break, the shut down of businesses and services is progressing rapidly now. Even if you do decide to visit, you're experience will likely be significantly diminished.

I just got an email from my alma matter saying campus is closed effective tomorrow. This is a school that told us to go upstairs (not home) during a tsunami warning and suck it up because school is important. SAT’s trump safety Despite being on the ala wai canal, across from Waikiki, we were open while schools on the mountain were closed

 

[thedogatemyhomework]

nursing homes in hawaii are all following national guidelines (by monday at the latest I believe). there are also quite a few people here who believe that its already here (with the lack of any community spread cases probably due to lack of testing...only 32 tests having been done...no where near enough). while it is possible that there hasn't been any community spread...as more and more information gets released it seems less plausible.

cdc only recommending no getherings of 50+ for 8 weeks is worrying both for its duration...and the part where its not a requirement and only a recommendation.

based on that there could be a ton of closures announced on monday...but since its a recommendation...theres no real way to know what will/won't close...or when they might make a decision to close if they don't do so on monday.

the tourism lobbyists aren't necessarily lying (exagerating a bit is almost a guarantee tho). and while short term things won't go completely belly up...if this lasts long enough there can/will be long lasting impacts. economies are very odd things...particularly with the way the stock markets place value on perceived growth rather than actual performance, and how dependent many companies are on those valuations to continue operating...things could get very very weird.

depending on how things go...if the virus is mostly mitigated (as far as fatalities). but the world enters a global depression...there may end up being more fatalities overall...but theres a ton of what ifs, and unknowns...and it could simply end up being that when this ends in 2 months or so (hopefully less)...people go back to work, or on vacations and spend more money (2 extra months to save) and everything quickly goes back to normal.