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Bullet Sunday 903

Posted on May 18th, 2025

Dave!I may be back from a few days vacation and mentally preparing myself to return to work, but the bullets cannot be stopped... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Andor! The first thing I did after getting home from vacation was take a nap. I had been up for 23 hours and needed sleep. The second thing I did? Watch the final three episodes of Andor...

The Healer from Andor

And, yes, this is officially the best thing to ever come out of Star Wars in my humble opinion. So as not to spoil anything, I'll wait a while before breaking down my thoughts (and I do have them). Suffice to say that you should watch this. Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not.

   
• Murdery Goodness! The second thing I watched? Murderbot on AppleTV+. I was surprised that they are deviating from the excellent source material like they are... but I don't hate it. The show is just a separate thing. Not always in a bad way. Especially with the opening credits, which looks like it was made with dolls...

I can see where some diehard fans of the books will not like it, but I still think it's worth a watch.

   
• Super! The final Superman trailer has dropped...

This looks so good. I may actually end up in the theater for this one.

   
• Blast From the Past! Something that got brought to my attention... somebody has an old Blogography Bad Monkey hat for sale on eBay...

A Bad Monkey Hat on eBay.

Wasn't expecting that! And $25... I think I sold them for half that?

   
• Duke's! If you think that I went all the way to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and didn't have lunch at Duke's, just like the good ol' days, you don't know me at all...

My table view from Duke's!

A Duke's Falafel Sandwich!

That Falafel Sandwich was ever so dreamy!

   
• Puka Dog! If you think that I went all the way to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and didn't grab a Puka Dog, just like the good ol' days, you don't know me at all...

It's the Puka Dog Food Truck!

A Puka Dog!

A Bite Out of My Puka Dog!

I mean, yeah, it's called "Hula Dog" outside of Kauai now, but it's still a delicious veggie Puka Dog.

   
• Maters! When I got home, I noticed that tomatoes were starting to grow on my AeroGarden. At last...

Tiny Green Tomatoes!

I'm still not convinced that AeroGarden is feasible for anything but herbs, but here we are.

   
And now? Back to my post-vacation blues.

   

Disney Aulani Eats

Posted on May 15th, 2025

Dave!Disney's Aulani Resort on Oahu has plenty of dining options, and there's always at least one "plant-based" option on the menus for vegans and vegetarians, so you won't starve if you share my dietary choices. Furthermore, service is impeccable everywhere you go. Even at the one bad food experience I had, the server was beyond great. Food, generally is pretty darn expensive, but worth the price. You're paying to stay inside the Disney Bubble here, but I think that they put in the effort to at least give you some value for the money.

Here are the restaurant options I saw while visiting for my all-too-brief stay.

‘AMA‘AMA — 5 course, $130 (not including drinks)
Insanely expensive, but some of the best food you'll eat with service and views to match (we had a beach-view table). I started with a Waipoli Greens Salad, substituted the Ginger Chickpea Spread for the mushroom appetizer I couldn't eat, had a Local Vegetable Fricassee for my entrée, then the Pineapple Tart for dessert. Everything was perfect except reservations. I booked through the app at the only date and time available... 8:00pm on Wednesday, then saw it in my future plans. Before I left for Hawai‘i, I got a "Robo-Caller" call that I didn't pick up. Once I listened to the voicemail from ‘AMA‘AMA wanting confirmation, I immediately called back and confirmed. At which point my reservation disappeared. I eventually confirmed at the desk that my reservation had been canceled with no explanation, but got them to re-activate it. Finally stopped by the concierge desk because the reservation never appeared after too many shenanigans, and they got me a new reservation at 6:00pm for the same day (out of pity, I'm guessing). This nonsense was unacceptable, even though it resulted in a better time. Phenomenal experience though. You may even get an adorable teeny-tiny gecko friend to join you...

Vegetable Fricassee

Sun is Setting

Sun Has Set

Baby Gecko

Makahiki — 3 course, $80 (not including drinks)
The only disappointment during my stay. My starter of a Roasted Tomato Soup was excellent. My dessert of Warm Mickey Brownies was great. But my entrée of Vegan Sausage Pasta? Inedible. Not even joking. No idea if it was cooked wrong or what, but the vegan pasta was tough, bone-dry, and gummy like glue. The sausage was rubber. Horrific. Could not believe it was served to me. Furthermore, when it comes to the view you can't see much past the greenery, so it wasn't as nice as what you could get elsewhere. Maybe the Character Breakfasts are good, but I would only eat here if you're not vegetarian.

Makahiki Restaurant Entrance

The ‘Ōlelo Room — Price Varies
Gorgeous, intimate bar off of neighboring Makahiki. The malasadas donuts at breakfast were the best on the island I've had outside of Leonard's. But it's the drinks that are out of this world. We put ourselves in the hands of master mixologist, Aukai, who started with a menu drink... then took us on a custom cocktail journey built around the alcohol we started with. Two nights of some of the best-crafted cocktails I've ever had. Highest possible recommendation, but prepared to keep coming back and spending way more money than you plan because it's that good.

The ‘Ōlelo Room Bar

A Yummy Pink Gin Drink

Off the Hook — Price Varies
This is a poolside and ocean-view bar which serves elevated bar food. Lunches are great. Plant-Based Burger ($23) is much better than average. Drinks are tasty.

KA WA‘A, A Lū‘au — Buffet, $190 (general seating) or $219 (preferred seating)
The Polynesian Cultural Center has what's probably the best lū‘au on the island of Oahu, but it's produced by The Mormons, so no alcohol is served. The entire point for me is getting plowed on unlimited cocktails which, surprisingly, Disney has available at Aulani. What they also have is a beautiful show that feels respectful to the art of hula, albeit with a small amount of Mickey and Minnie injected, which is a little inappropriate(?). I've done this lū‘au before but, not surprisingly, I don't remember much about the food. This time I can confirm that the food was pretty darn good for a lū‘au! And there was enough vegetarian options to satisfy me too. The price is crazy-high, but the production values are top-notch and more kid-friendly.

Mickey and Minnie at Aulani Lū‘au

Aulani Lū‘au Performers

Ulu Cafe — Price Varies
This is a "grab-and-go" cafe/market which also has pizzas that are surprisingly good quality. My 12-inch Cheese Pizza had tasty sauce and a great crust. Don't know that it's worth the $20 price tag, but it's one of the cheaper meals at the resort.

Little ‘Opihi's — Price Varies
This is a beach-side stand that serves Pineapple Dole Whip or Pineapple Dole Whip swirled with Vanilla Soft Serve ($8). What can I say, it's awesome.

Mama's Snack Shop and Pāpālua Shave Ice — Price Varies
Just cute little snack shops with fries ($8) or other fried snacks like fish or chicken ($20) or shave ice ($8) in the pool area. I wasn't here long enough to eat at either, unfortunately, but the shave ice is in the shape of Mickey Mouse, so how bad can it be?

Mama's Snack Shop and Pāpālua Shave Ice

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is eat. Disney's Aulani Resort makes it worth the trip if you don't look at the prices until you get back.

To be continued. Tomorrow I'll look at the entertainment at Aulani.

   

Disney Aulani Hawai‘i

Posted on May 14th, 2025

Dave!I used to get to Honolulu fairly often for work. In many ways, it's just another big city. But it's a big city in Hawai‘i, which means it's more than that. And the island of O‘ahu is more than Honolulu. And over the years I've tried to reach as much of it as I can.

On Monday I flew into Honolulu again, but made a point to get as much vacation out of the trip as I could. Which wasn't much, but we do what we can.

I've been to the Disney Aulani Resort twice before. So far as too-big too-crowded too-commercial options go for a visit to "The Gathering Place" of Hawai‘i, it's quite nice. Assuming you can afford it. Like everything Disney, it's crazy-expensive and not for those without deep pockets. Which hardly describes myself, but if you get lucky and plan far enough in advance and stay only a few days, you can happen across deals which won't cost you a second mortgage.

Then Disney Magic™®© is just a flight away...

Mickey Towel Art with Hawaiian Flowers in the Ears

My first stay at Aulani was an early-access kind of thing with a room facing the heart of the resort, which would be nice except it was a lower floor and there was a big palm tree in the way. My second was a "partial ocean view" which was mostly a view of the Four Seasons Resort next door. This time I also had a "partial ocean view" which had the Four Seasons in it, but a considerably more "ocean" view than before...

A view of the ocean

Where I was at on the 14th Floor is high enough to have a great view of the resort every time you leave the elevator, which was nice...

View of Aulani from the 14th Floor

This morning I did something I wanted to do on my previous visits but was too lazy to actually do... get up just as the sun rises at 5:30am and photograph the incredible architecture without annoying people around...

View of Aulani in the Early Morning

Vacant Aulani Hallway

I wanted to get a photo of the moon setting on the beach at Aulani, and was surprised to see that it aligned perfectly between the reef break in the lagoon...

Aulani Beach Moon

Boat on a Beach with a Moon at Aulani

I walked out to the point of the lagoon that they carved out to look back at Aulani at sunrise, which was a nice walk and worth it...

Looking Back at the Sunrise Behind Aulani

Shooting into the sun was not easy, and there's only so much that an iPhone can do, but it's still pretty...

Aulani Pool

Disney does try to work in some history of Hawai‘i and its peoples in-between all the Disney IP, which was nice...

Hawaiian Display in Aulani

And... The End. I went back to get some sleep, which is the best part of vacation, really...

The Lobby of Aulani

To be continued. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the Eats of Aulani.

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