WDW Reopening Update: Orange County Defers to Disney & Florida Announces Phase 1
In this Walt Disney World reopening roundup, we’ll cover yesterday’s press conference by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, WDW cancelling more hotel reservations for May, Southwest Airline’s “request” for the parks to reopen, and a meeting by the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force during which they essentially deferred to Disney.
Before beginning, we want to address the vocal minority expressing closure update ‘fatigue.’ Some readers understandably only want to know when Walt Disney World announces the parks are officially reopening. To be transparent, this is not that–it’s an incremental update. It will be abundantly clear when there’s a major announcement–the words “Disney officially announces” will appear in the title and the news will be emphatically shared far and wide across social media.
If you aren’t interested in anything other than that, we’d encourage you to stop clicking these posts until seeing such a headline. Some have lamented that anything short of an official reopening date is pointless and perhaps stress-inducing, as these inner machinations are easily misconstrued or overblown. For our part, we’ve attempted to combat that by contextualizing everything, frequently using words like tentative, speculative, preliminary, etc. in order to quell rumor and fear-mongering.
There’s a huge appetite for the “inside baseball” updates on Walt Disney World, Orange County, and the State of Florida as they all inch towards reopening. For evidence of this, look no further than the comment counts on any post related to the closure as compared to our fun posts or top 10 lists. For many, the drawn out reopening process is fascinating just as is following the business side of the Walt Disney Company.
The simple reality is that many of us are stuck at home with nothing better to do. Between curiosity and a surplus of time, I’ve voraciously read dozens of articles per day. I have a Google alert set up for a couple of ancillary topics that likely will be impacted (not Disney-related). It doesn’t produce any definitive news (yet), but I nonetheless read all of the commentary and speculation.
On a daily basis, we watch governor press conferences for states where we do not live. Yesterday, I watched a full 84-minute briefing by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. Why? I don’t know. We don’t live anywhere near Arizona. I certainly don’t blame CBSN for airing the newsworthy content. They didn’t force me to watch it.
While there is overwhelming interest in these closure and reopening updates, we nevertheless want to balance that (most of our content is still fun and lighthearted, like the Cats of Disney or Ducks of Disney posts) and minimize the chances that smaller stories are given outsize consideration. Accordingly, we’re going to begin consolidating some of this news into “WDW Reopening Updates,” which is what we’ve done here. Basically, if you see that preface in a title going forward, it’s less consequential and not breaking news.
With that out of the way, let’s start with the biggest piece of the puzzle first: Florida as a whole. Governor Ron DeSantis held a briefing late yesterday, during which he outlined the steps the state had been taken thus far before unveiling Phase One of Florida’s reopening plan.
Florida will reopen certain businesses throughout the state on Monday (May 4, 2020), excluding the hardest-hit counties of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. During this phase, restaurants and retail spaces can allow customers inside, but only at 25% capacity. Restaurants can also offer outdoor seating if tables are 6 feet apart.
Schools and most other businesses in Florida cannot reopen yet. Explicitly included among these are movie theaters, bars, fitness centers, hair stylists, and other personal services.
In public, all people must adhere to social distancing guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Face masks are recommended in public for interactions and situations where social distancing is not possible.
The implications here for Walt Disney World are minimal, if any. While the theme parks and resorts will not be reopening as part of the first phase, it does leave the door open for Disney Springs.
The questions are whether Walt Disney World wants to reopen the complex, if it’s viable for third party dining to operate at only 25% capacity, and when Orange County will allow restaurants to reopen.
Our expectation is that Disney Springs will be the first component of Walt Disney World to reopen, but that’s incredibly unlikely to happen on May 4, 2020. Orange County’s tentative timeline for businesses was previously May 11, and even that seems aggressive.
However, we view Disney Springs as likely to reopen before the parks and resorts because it’s mostly third party tenants that are frequented by locals. There’s far less cost to Walt Disney World in allowing these restaurants to reopen, and some upside. Disney Springs would offer a ‘proof of concept’ venue to see how some of the modified operational protocol might play out, as well as observing guest demand and behavior trends.
The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force has kicked things into high gear, with meetings held yesterday by its four subgroups covering a range of topics. Of pertinent interest to Walt Disney World fans is the Guidelines for Reopening Businesses Group, which includes leaders from Disney, Universal, and other Central Florida hospitality businesses.
The group met yesterday, and heard from local health care officials for guidance and best practices. The health care recommendations included the wearing of face masks by all employees and guests, continued social distancing, testing for symptomatic individuals, proper hand hygiene, surface sanitization, and temperature checks for all employees and guests.
Some of these best practices were well received and meshed with tentative guidelines and mandates for theme parks, restaurants, and hotels released the previous day by the group. However, there were concerns about the feasibility of temperature checks and face masks for all guests in addition to employees.
The temperature checks appear to be the biggest point of contention, and officials with the Florida Department of Health have likewise called into question their efficacy and practicality. Given all of that, it seems likely this will be left to the discretion of Walt Disney World and other theme parks.
Speaking of leaving discretion to Disney, that was another topic of the virtual meeting. Following comments the previous day from Thomas Mazloum, SVP of Walt Disney World Resorts & Transportation, the task force expressed its intent to grant greater leniency and deference to Disney, Universal, and other complex venues in determining their own best practices.
The consensus seemed to be that Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are more like “self-contained cities” that are best situated to internally determine their own level of safe capacities throughout the various phases, consistent with CDC guidelines. Mayor Demings and others on the call expressed that Disney and others will be judged on potential guests’ perceptions of safety and driven by opinions on social media and elsewhere.
This might sound like Disney and Universal are receiving an exemption to not follow the guidelines and mandates, it’s probably better construed as autonomy to reopen components in phases and develop higher standards. Safety is part of Disney’s brand, and they’re much more likely than a mom and pop shop to be excoriated online if consumers are dissatisfied with their approach.
In other words, the stakes are higher for Disney than most businesses. They have a corporate responsibility to protect guests and Cast Members, and are reputationally behooved to do so. As such, the ultimate OC Task Force guidelines and mandates will be instructive, but not conclusive in terms of what Disney does. They’re more likely to be a floor than a ceiling on safety measures. At least, that’s our hope.
Walt Disney World is sending out emails to guests with stays scheduled between May 17 and May 23, 2020 as a notification that their reservations will be cancelled. The email presents recourse in terms of processing refunds due, what’s nonrefundable, and typical stuff you’ve probably already seen. It also presents the Free Dining Recovery Deal as an option for future bookings (details unchanged since it was announced).
This is unsurprising, and it’s safe to assume that in a week or two, reservations through May 31, 2020 will be cancelled. Disney has been taking the rolling approach so as to not overwhelm its call centers with cancellations. The big question at this point is whether reservations for June 1, 2020 and beyond will be next to get cut. That was Walt Disney World’s initial target reopening, and the start date for the recovery deal and when rebookings began.
While a lot remains unknown, it’s fairly clear that the process to reopen will be longer and more drawn out that the closure period. June is now just one full month away, and if even some of the hotels will be operating by that date, the wheels on that need to start slowly turning in the next couple of weeks. We should know whether June 1 is plausible sooner rather than later.
Finally, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly recently gave an interview in which he said that air traffic levels are next to zero at this point, and that “a lot of things are going to have to happen for the country to come back to life, much less air travel.”
When asked what needs to happen for people to travel again, Kelly said that people need to feel safe and “they need to have something to be able to do when they get there. So Disney World needs to open back up.”
Walt Disney World is a superstar in Central Florida, providing the ‘sunlight’ to support a range of smaller businesses and hundreds of thousands of local employees. However, Southwest is far from a small business on I-Drive–this statement really underscores just how instrumental Disney is to the other businesses in its orbit, including a ‘planet’ like a major airline. If you’re wondering why so many people are anxiously awaiting any and all news about Walt Disney World’s potential reopening, look no further than that statement by Southwest’s CEO.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Phase One of Florida’s reopening plan? What about Orange County granting more discretion to the major theme parks? Do you expect Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort to go above and beyond what’s required here? Thoughts on Southwest CEO’s comments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Tom, thanks for the update, as always, and for catching the part about Southwest. I think the airline’s are going to be interesting to watch going forward, especially after the CARES act ends and airlines start to restructure different routes. I think we could see a lot of service lost, in particular, to small/midsize cities who may lose direct service, to leisure places like Orlando, and have to connect through various hubs making it a little less convenient to get there (just my guess). It’s a shame as MCO’s traffic number’s have been through the roof these past several years (Disney’s as well obviously) and hopefully this doesn’t hurt them for too long. Also, any chance of a new TravelCaffeine article!?! Perhaps a ‘top’ list of Natl. Park places/experiences yet to experience, or something of that sorts just to discuss. Thanks for the great work!
“Also, any chance of a new TravelCaffeine article!?!”
Yes! I’ve actually been working on editing National Park and other non-Disney travel photos this week as a bit of a mental escape–an article would fit nicely with that.
The Governor is a politician Tom, and I can’t remember one that wasn’t or isn’t self-promoting. All of that goes in one ear and out the other. Nobody really listens.
As for criticisms, your posts are factual and informative. They are about the farthest thing from “clickbait” one could imagine. Of course you DO want people to read what you’ve written so you need a lead that will be a typical “teaser.” Again, you don’t want to be generic and you do a good job!
Keep it up! Smile lots and enjoy a nice glass of “Cab!”
Thanks for the updates, Tom! Speaking only for myself, I’m not at all fatigued by your expertly prevaricated interpretations of these municipal and corporate updates, but am exhausted by the tone taken in many of the comments. I agree with you that our group is not the best reflection of worldwide demand for theme park vacations at present. You always seem to have a decent handle on Disney’s place in the market. Do you think there is a risk here for major restructuring or takeover as they continue to miss out on income opportunities? I’m ok waiting another 12-18 months before planning my next Disney trip, but I’m pretty nervous about what could happen if they can’t generate the necessary revenue from these parks in the coming year.
“Do you think there is a risk here for major restructuring or takeover as they continue to miss out on income opportunities?”
The risk of that has definitely increased over whatever it was a year ago, but that really isn’t saying much. I think a big part of the reason Iger “came back” was to make it easier for Disney to raise more via debt offerings.
If this does stretch into 2021, I think Disney has serious problems. However, they don’t need theme parks pulling record numbers to be better situated to weather this. If ESPN can start airing live sports or PVOD proves viable, that’ll help. One thing that is needed sooner rather than later is Hollywood production resuming–Disney+ already had content flow problems before this, and it’d be a shame if that lost its momentum due to churn.
One other thought. . .
The Rodent ain’t a Rookie! Disney has some of the world’s best talent. They’re exemplary at what they do. I’m sure that once the initial shock were off they’ve been brainstorming reopening late into the evenings and from every conceivable angle. I’m sure they have several cross-discipline teams working on it from angles we have even thought of. It’s gonna be fun and instructive to see what happens. I know we’re gonna be among the first in line to go back if only to see how they’ve handled things.
Tom, that’s a great insight into the content issue. My good friend is a manager in Disney Animation, and has been telling me of super human efforts going on to keep at least the animation side powering through from home. They are terrified by the lack of active production in their industry.
Tom – Keep doing what you’re doing. This is your site and people are ridiculous to complain over the content. They can easily choose to not read the posts that will stress them out. I fully appreciate your updates. Disney is not going to miraculously reopen – there’s soooo much more to it and I fully enjoy your thoughts and how you pull together various news features.
Unfortunately, we have canceled our June trip for various reasons.
Sorry if you’ve covered this elsewhere, but what would you suggest the strategy be for people who plan to travel to WDW later in the year (if possible/worth whatever the cost is at that time given any closings) but haven’t made a reservation yet? For example, we did the ultimate Christmas package last year and found it a really great way to do WDW for the holidays. Now we can’t imagine doing Christmas any other way and, pre-COVID, planned on booking the package again when they announced it this year.
Now, with all the talk of capacity limits and a potential fall outbreak that could keep those limits in place longer, I know we can all only speculate how this will affect the WDW holiday season. So my main question is, should we still hold off on making a hotel/ticket reservation until/when a Christmas package gets announced? Or should we book a trip sooner with the assurance that we’ll get a refund on what we’ve paid so far if Disney ends up closing again (I’m nervous even putting that suggestion into the universe)? My concern is that if they have capacity limits, even with the lowered demand, with the people wanting to return to WDW doing so in a shorter time span, we’ll get cut out from being able to make a reservation later and we should try to get a reservation in now in the hopes that we’ll be far enough up in line to make the cut.
Thank you so much for all your helpful posts, btw. Disney obsession is one of my main distractions during all of this, and your posts have been wonderful.
“what would you suggest the strategy be for people who plan to travel to WDW later in the year (if possible/worth whatever the cost is at that time given any closings) but haven’t made a reservation yet?”
I’d wait and see. Have fun planning (if that’s something you enjoy doing), but don’t commit to anything just yet. If things start to look more promising and clearer later in the summer, book then. There’s no need to rush into it.
What is the turn around for the supply chain for Disney And WDW specifically? If Disney could open even on 6/1, can all of the food purveyors and merchandise meet a 6/1 date?
On top of that, does Disney have the sufficient staff (#s and trained) to operate a park, let alone multiple parks.
Curious of the opening timeline and how quickly they can get the back-end operations going.
Tom,
I want you to know that I love reading all of your blogs. Your wealth of knowledge is amazing and very informative. My trips to a Disney Parks were all wonderful because I read your blogs. Please keep doing this. I always look forward to your next blog and experiences!
Here’s my thought on opening: as an older person (65), I definitely want to wait until we are told/advised that it will be safe to go and mingle with the crowds. I’m so glad that my husband and I went last September!
My sister and I can’t wait to return and walk the Boardwalk with Margaritas from Boardwalk Joe’s, hopefully by August. We both work in healthcare in Broward including my mom and the reopening of Disney will definitely be reassuring to our morale. Thank You for your updates.
I love ALL of your updates, so please don’t stop. You are able to take a lot of information, from many sources, analyze the information, and present it in a coherent and clear format. This is unbelievably and helpful (and always interesting). My only regret is that I didn’t know about the Disney Tourist Blog until after my January 2020 trip. What a difference that would have made.
Look how long Shanghai Disney was closed….
I don’t envy Disney. There are a lot of things in play here-some of which are out of their hands. Like the restriction on people coming in from NY, NJ and Ct and needing to self quarantine. That is by the governor of Florida. Plus the logistics of planning to bring in new fresh food, workers, maintenance, etc. Maybe even a rehiring event. Lots of moving parts.
I have to think lower crowds would be a good thing. But I personally wouldn’t want to go if there were no fireworks. That is part of the attraction of going for me.
My thoughts are somehow they will go to a reservation system like they do for the California Flex pass where you have to reserve your day in the park. I would hate to get there from out of state and find out I couldn’t get in due to capacity constraints! And they wouldn’t want the crowds to all gather early am standing in line with social distancing is my thought.
I personally have no problem with soft opening. They are going to have a learning curve. I don’t want to pay airfare and hotel and not have the full experience. I would rather wait.
I think that locals would be happy to help them out with adjusting to their new learning curve. They have no airfare (and hotel $) at stake for the most part. Really that does seem like a sensible solution at least until the infection rates drastically reduces. Just one person’s opinion.
This is all going to be really different going forward.
I’m sorry you’ve had people complain. I don’t understand why they think it’s ok to gripe when you’re trying to keep us informed in such a changing time. I appreciate your articles and your enthusiasm for Disney! Thank you for providing information and great pictures of a place so many of us will enjoy going to again!
How would the parks go about operating at 25% and insuring social distance? Cancel all current bookings for July and August, then open it up again at first come, first served–only resort guests allowed? Only select resorts/attractions/restaurants opened for those lucky enough to get a resort reservation? Trying to wrap my brain around this. Theme parks are in essence the antithesis of social distancing.
Realistically, I’d expect demand to be lower than even reduced capacity. Outside the bubble of Disney fan sites, 85%+ of Americans polled have indicated they wouldn’t attend a large event in the near future (I assume theme parks qualify).
Comments from Disney fans might suggest a lot of pent-up demand, but that’s probably a matter of selection bias.
I don’t think I would attend a concert etc. in the near future, but the thought of an empty Disneyworld makes the diehard fan in me want to book a week ASAP. That is definitely a siren song. I’m sure my family will sit me down and talk some sense into me!
It’s hard to know whether people will follow through on their claims of not wanting to attend. Back a long time they asked people what they would do if gas got to a certain price, x. Surveys overwhelmingly showed that the people said they would not buy it. However when the price rose through x, and even higher levels, there was no slackening in demand for gas. What people say, and what they do are two separate things.
Tom,
Your posts are great.
There’s always some tidbit of info that makes them worthwhile and they are a daily bridge that gets us to the next day/blog.
They are most certainly NOT stress inducing. If anything they are stress REducing.
Best Wishes to you, your wife and all the readers here,
I would say that comment is the worst line. There are plenty of people who think he is doing a good job.
There’s no value judgment here as to whether he’s doing a good or bad job. Simply that he spent over the first half of the press conference praising himself, which he did do.
Irrespective of how he’s done thus far, I think a lot of what he said is premature (at best) and is not the right approach to take. Optimism is one thing, cockiness is another–especially given the gravity of the circumstances and at a point when this could still get worse in Florida.
Please accept my apology if you thought I was trying to offend you. Just referencing that we can all have different opinions. I do appreciate your blog.
No need to apologize–I wasn’t offended at all! 🙂
I agree with Debra. I didn’t find the Governor’s update to be “cocky” nor do I feel these next steps to be overly risky. Florida has been doing GREAT as far as not only numbers go, compared to other states. Especially when you consider its uniquely high population of elderly. It could have been a massive graveyard. I found the Gov’s update to be hopeful. But, as new data is showing, while this virus can be deadly in some, MOST of the population recovers or have had it or developed immunity. I, for one, think de Santos has every reason to pat himself and our state on the back- they’ve worked their tails off. These officials have ran on little sleep, while making extremely important decisions. They have much more important jobs than writing travel blogs. They deserve a “pat on the back”. Your comment was snarky. Perhaps you’d rather us be reacting the way California is- panic and Socialism. We all know their track record for “fantastic” leadership! Sorry, Bricker. The political opinionated comment just lost you a subscriber. I’ll get my Disney news elsewhere- good sources are a dime a dozen. I don’t need a Californian to tell me his opinion on what my home state should or should not be doing.
Adios Gail.
Don’t let the door hit you……
Seriously, Gail. There’s no need for that kind of hostility on this blog. We’re all here to enjoy Disney and Tom is by far the best at covering it. While I might eyeroll at his disapproval of people with some of the hardest jobs in the country right now, we as a people need to get back to being able to express our opinions without others packing up their ball and going home. That doesn’t help anyone.
I actually watched the whole thing and I think Bricker’s comment is spot on.
Florida got lucky. There’s no other way to put it. Given the risky choices by the state gov like keeping beaches and parks open thru much of spring break (and no doubt people have died due to that) and the persistently low rate of testing (forget about the trace and contain elements, those were even more minimal), the results come down to nothing more than luck. And it looks like they are getting ready to roll those dice again.
I agree that the reopening of Disney World has to be slow and deliberate. I believe that the regulations they are suggesting will work out and people will abide by those regulations. I do believe that Disney should reopen to Florida residents for the first week or so until other states begin to reopen. We are all anxious for our favorite “home away from home” to reopen. but, in the mean time, thanks for the updates and hope to see you real soon.joanne
This has little to do with your post, but your Skyliner picture made me smile. Remember when those were the controversial blog posts on this site?
The real reason the picture made me smile is during our kids “science and engineering” time during “school” yesterday, which is basically them playing with blocks, Legos, etc. so I can work my son came to show me one of his creations.
He had taken the Skyliner toy he used his money to buy from CBR, taken some string, and tape, and suspended it over a Lego village.
It was just a small reminder of why the parks are special, and what makes these trips worth it (to me).
Thanks for the updates!
Thanks for sharing this story! I love that your son used his creativity to bring some Disney magic to his STEM activity.
I am with you and find all this information fascinating. I haven’t seen as much on your site about Disneyland. Am I just missing those articles? We have our first trip planned to Southern California planned this August thanks a lot to this site and Travel Caffeine and our fingers are crossed. Thanks for everything that you guys do – I always look forward to reading your posts and feel that you do a great job making them factual and objective.
We’ll do an update on Disneyland within the next few days!
Hi, just a side note. Disney is now taking pre-orders on face masks. Several designs and three different size groupings. They aren’t to be delivered until June 15. So maybe they are getting ready for the idea of guests wearing them in parks? Just sayin’
They should be free if you are going there. Otherwise another cash grab during a pandemic.
I really enjoy your posts! What are your thoughts on California/Disneyland reopening?
I appreciate these updates and respect your thoughts I don’t always agree with you, but you always back up your opinions with solid analysis.
Anybody who doesn’t enjoy these updates should just go away for a while.
I’ve got an 11-night June 9th vacation at WDW that is clearly up in the air.
And while I understand people’s frustration because they want to know now what’s happening in June, Disney simply doesn’t know yet.
I appreciate them not presently shutting the door on June, or blatantly saying “We’ll be open!”.
Let’s wait a bit longer.
If they’re open, I’ll be there.
Even if it’s just to hang out at the Resorts & Disney Springs for 11 nights.
The profits are being donated to Medshare, which aids the families of medical personnel.
Here’s some official Disney info on those face masks.
To further help those in need, Disney is donating one million cloth face masks for children and families in underserved and vulnerable communities across the U.S., including California and Florida, that will be distributed by MedShare. Disney will also donate all profits from the sales in the U.S. of Disney’s cloth face masks to Medshare, up to $1 million, now through September 30, 2020.
I don’t work for Disney and I agree that you should get a free face mask with your tickets.
My wife is involved in making facemasks. She is a volunteer and we pay all the expenses and donate them for free.
PS having learned the above info I do intend to preorder a 4 pack AS A DONATION because when we go to Disney late June I’m still wearing my industrial mask. lol
I, for one, am eagerly reading all of your updates even though my wife is high risk and we have canceled our August trip. I’m waiting for either science on the efficacy of cloth masks (or, hell, any type of mask), effective treatment, or a vaccine. I recognize that if cloth masks on all people isn’t effective in a crowded setting, we are basically homebound for a year or more. Luckily, my job has allowed me to work from home for now. Her business (she is self-employed) is closed for the foreseeable future because it relies on large conventions. But we are going to have one hell of a trip to Disney when we can, and I love looking at all the updates! Ignore the naysayers!
Disney needs to make an announcement for those of us who are suppose to check in on June 1st… I realize they have a lot of decisions to make, but it’s time to pull the plug and decide something ..they are never going to be able to please everyone, especially if they seek the opinions of the public off social media. I’m getting really bummed!
I’m with you. I finally cancelled my June 2 trip as I didn’t want to make a final payment and wanted to get my $200 back. I have tickets for Villains After Hours on June 5. About a month ago I call to try to get my money back and spent 90 minutes waiting to speak with a Cast Member. I was told I couldn’t get my $500 back and tickets could be used for a party in the future. I really could use that money back. Thoughts anyone?
I’m guessing if they announce they won’t be open on June 5th, they will refund you the money then…. I think that’s what I’ve read they did for the special events that have occurred thus far during closing. And I don’t think final payments are due until 7 days before now as oppose to the 30…. so I haven’t cancelled yet but I still would like more than a weeks notice if we are going!
I was told that if Disney cancelles the party date you can get the tickets back but not if you cancel before they do. Now that Disney is cancelling those dates perhaps you can get a refund rather than a future credit. Let us know what happens.
Lila is correct about the final payment. It is not due till 7 days before rather than 30 days as it was in the past.
I was told that yesterday by Disney.
For special ticketed events there is no refund unless Disney cancels the event. Had the same thing happen during hurricane season and the Halloween party. We rescheduled our trip and bought new Halloween party tickets, but our original Halloween party tickets were not refunded at first. Once Disney canceled the event we received a refund for the original tickets.
what about aulani?
Aloha Ed,
I live on Oahu. Until further notice, Aulani is still closed until and all flight arrivals (including resort visitors and residents) are required to quarantine for 14 days within their living quarters. People violating quarantine have been warned, fine, sometimes arrested and as a last resort forced to depart Hawai’i for failing to comply.
Even after quarantine, our restaurants are still pick up or delivery only, and masks and 6 feet distancing are required everywhere.
Right now, it means no sightseeing, no tours, no luaus. You are only allowed to use beaches to access the ocean for exercising, so no sunbathing.
It seems harsh and it is hard for comply, especially because our state relies so much on tourist – 25% of our labor force filed for unemployment from mid March to mid April. But so far it’s working to help prevent a rapid escalation of cases here.
I would recommend staying in touch with Aulani as you approach your reservation date and check our governor’s page for quarantine updates when deciding when to visit.
I wish I had a better picture to offer but hopefully this info helps you with decision making.
Mahalo!
Sorry Ed, I forgot to include the Hawaii website for travel advisories.
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/coronavirus/