While the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shuttered nearly every Disney resort worldwide, one has decided to remain open.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii, has revealed that it remains open during the epidemic, with extra precautions taken to mitigate the spread of the disease. In addition, Disney has waived the change fees for those looking to rescheduled their reservations “until further notice.”

From Aulani:

Aulani Resort remains open. We are carefully monitoring the situation related to COVID-19 and are in regular contact with health agencies for information and guidance. We will continue to implement preventive measures in line with their recommendations and the input of our company’s medical teams. For example, we have increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing high-touch surfaces, and we are providing information about illness prevention to our Cast Members.

Aulani Resort has high standards of cleaning and sanitation and has health and safety protocols in place, such as:

• Training for Cast Members with ongoing reinforcement on a regular basis
• Defined cycles for frequent cleaning and disinfection of targeted areas
• Easy access to handwashing facilities
• Cleaning and sanitation of high-touch surface-areas, including handrails, doorknobs, Guest telephones and elevator buttons
• Cleaning and sanitation processes for our secured children’s programing, including oversight of children’s hand-washing before and after meals and at snack time
• End-of-day sanitation procedures for restrooms, kitchens and other facilities
• Frequent cleaning and “wash down” of outdoor locations, including walkways and queues
• Quick response to spills, trash and other situations

The CDC recommends everyday health and safety actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, such as staying home when sick, washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, following proper respiratory cough etiquette, avoiding close contact with people who are sick and avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. We continue to communicate these recommendations to our Cast Members.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Adjusts Change Fees

Walt Disney Travel Company is making a temporary adjustment to its policy on change fees for vacations at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa. The following applies only to leisure package bookings made through Walt Disney Travel Company:

• Until further notice, Disney will waive the Disney-imposed $50 change fee for Aulani packages.
• Guests may move their reservation to a future date in 2020.
• Changes are subject to availability, and the Guest is responsible for paying any increase in price resulting from the change. In addition, any change fees assessed by other suppliers must be paid, and some products or services may be nonrefundable. If air transportation has been ticketed, the Guest will be responsible for any increase in airfare as well as any change fee assessed by the airline.
• For Guests who purchased travel insurance, there is an updated policy in effect until further notice. Up to 24 hours prior to arrival, Guests may modify their arrival dates and maintain coverage under the protection policy as long as there is not a claim on the original travel dates.
• Some events and dining experiences may not be offered on the new dates and may be nonrefundable.
• This temporary policy does not apply to changes made for groups, meetings, and other room block bookings.
• If a vacation is cancelled, all applicable cancellation fees continue to apply.
• For reservations made through Disney Reservation Center or Aulani.com, please call (866) 443-4763 between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM (PT).

Information for Disney Vacation Club Members is available here.

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, you should visit the Hawaii State Department of Health website and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

Keep reading WDWNT for continuing coverage of this ongoing story.