HyperspaceMountainPilot
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2019
Same same.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.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.
The free loungers above the Amalie deck are all equipped with umbrellas, exactly like the ones on the paid loungers.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.
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!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.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.View attachment 834086
This is what the Malie deck used to look like before they added the casabellas.
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.I just cropped and enlarged the section with the seating.View attachment 834094
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.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.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 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.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….
A text book example of a tragedy of the commons: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.
Yes and they are just trying to make a family.I was going to mention the adult hot tub has a great sunset view! And OMG! Do people know it’s a family resort?
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.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….
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.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.
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.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 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….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.
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?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.