Shanghai Disneyland made history by becoming the first of Disney’s theme parks to reopen after a temporary closure. We’ve written a lot about the park, including our thoughts on whether it reopened too early and a summary of our follower’s responses to the new health and safety measures.

With all of our articles about Shanghai, as well as Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland‘s responses to the unprecedented pandemic, it’s easy to forget about the one Disney resort that doesn’t include a theme park.

Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa travel alert

Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, the company’s presence in the state of Hawaii, is a resort and spa and a dream come true for any Disney loving guest.

Hawaii has been in lockdown since March 26th, meaning that any visitor to any of the islands, local or otherwise must undergo a mandatory 14 day quarantine. You can find full details on the Hawaiian Tourism Authority website which also states the below;

‘All individuals, both residents and visitors, arriving or returning to the State of Hawaii through June 30, 2020 are subject to a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The mandate applies to all arrivals at state airports, including private and commercial aircrafts. All arriving passengers are required to initial and sign this order confirming they are aware of the 14-day quarantine and acknowledging they understand violating the order is a criminal offense, and subject to a $5,000 fine and/or a year imprisonment.’

‘You must stay in your visitor lodging/home to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 to other people. This means:

• Do not use shared facilities such as pools, spas, gyms, restaurants, or bars
• Ask someone to drop off food and other necessities at your front door or order room service
• Do not go to public places such as the beach, work, school, shopping centers, childcare, or local attractions
• Do not let visitors in—only people who usually live with you should be in your home’

As you can imagine, this means that travel is severely limited and tourism, in general, is entirely on hold, including stays at the Hawaiian resort. The Tourism Authority outlines June 30th as the current lockdown end date, but as we know, this unprecedented situation is ever-changing, so don’t be surprised if that changes.

Right now, there are a confirmed 640 cases and 17 deaths on Hawaii as outlined by the Hawaiian department of health. The very nature of the various island’s isolation means that enforced quarantine can be an effective tool to halt the spread of the virus.

When the resort does finally reopen, it’s a safe bet that similar health and safety measures to what we’ve seen at Disney Springs and Shanghai Disneyland including temperature screenings, cast member enforcement teams, and physically distant character meet and greets will all be introduced.

The Walt Disney Company has communicated what the current situation means for Aulani Resort and Spa on its website. Let’s take a look at the current line.

What the Walt Disney Company has said about reopening Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa

We’ll leave you with the full statement from Disney’s Aulani Resort. The short version is that the resort remains closed without an opening date at this time. Reservations are available for July 1st and onwards, suggesting that Disney wants to reopen Aulani as soon as possible should the lockdown and enforced quarantine not be extended past June 30th.

As we thought, the line about modifying experiences and services seems to suggest that measures like social distancing with characters during meet and greets looks likely. It also stands that guest numbers will be reduced to further promote social distancing; again, something we’ve seen Shanghai Disneyland introduce.

The following is taken directly from Disney’s Aulani Resort website as it was on May 19th.

While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of COVID-19, the safety and well-being of our Members, Guests and employees remain The Walt Disney Company’s top priority. In line with direction from health experts and government officials, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa is currently closed and a reopening date has not been identified. We will continue to carefully evaluate this complex and fluid situation.

Upon reopening, Aulani Resort rooms, restaurants and other locations may be limited in capacity and subject to restricted availability or closure based on direction from health experts and government officials to promote physical distancing. Furthermore, experiences, services and amenities may be modified, have limited availability or may remain closed. We will provide more information as it becomes available. We reserve the right to cancel any reservations or purchases and provide applicable refunds.

Our focus remains on the health and safety of the entire Disney community, including the well-being of the Cast Members who are caring for and securing the Aulani Resort during the closure. We’re currently evaluating new and enhanced safety measures to help us all stay well. Learn more about this measures.

For Disney Vacation Club Members and Guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for travel dates July 1, 2020 and later. As always, Members and Guests are able to modify these bookings if Aulani Resort opens before or after that time.

Resort Rooms and Packages

For upcoming reservations booked through the Aulani Resort website or The Walt Disney Travel Company, call (866) 443-4763 to reschedule reservations to a future date. To provide additional flexibility, we are waiving all Disney-imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in for these impacted reservations, as well as those rescheduled reservations with arrivals through June 30, 2020.

Please contact The Walt Disney Travel Company at (866) 443-4763 to rebook or cancel room-only reservations or Aulani Resort hotel packages. We will also process a refund to the original form of payment if a payment had been made.

If you did not book through Disney directly, please contact your travel professional. Please note that cancellation fees imposed by third-party suppliers, including airlines and rental cars, as well as nonrefundable products like travel protection plans, are deducted from refundable amounts for Walt Disney Travel Company packages.

Disney Vacation Club Members

Disney Vacation Club will automatically cancel any reservation scheduled for arrival during any closure. Members do not need to cancel the reservation online or contact Member Services. In light of the unusual circumstances and to provide more flexibility, Disney Vacation Club will return Points to the current Use Year without placing them into holding. Please view temporary updates to our cancellation policy.

As we anticipate high call volume in the days ahead, we encourage you to use the Disney Vacation Club website for general information—and we ask that you contact Member Services only if you need assistance with an existing reservation. Any Member who would like to book a new Disney Vacation Club Resort reservation or modify an existing reservation may do so through the Member online booking tool.

Did you have a vacation to Disney’s Aulani Resort planned? Are you planning to rebook and visit the resort? Let us know in the comments below.