Morning Runs at Disney Aulani
The one benefit of the Disney Aulani fitness center being temporarily closed during my stay? Going out for morning runs and catching these sights.
Life
Amenities in a Two-Bedroom Villa at Disney Aulani
If you’re staying in a two-bedroom villa at the Disney Aulani, don’t worry, it’s fully stocked with amenities. Featuring a full kitchen and a washer and dryer, the accommodations comes with all the necessities you need. Take a look.
And yes, the villas includes daily room cleaning and turndown. Down the hall, you can dump your trash and recyclables. If you bring your own food, the villa is a great option for families.
Communicating Is Hard
Communicating is one of those easier-said-than-done things, especially for big businesses like the Disney Aulani resort. Making sure every employee is on the same page and knows the very latest is just too hard. Case in point, while staycation-ing at the Aulani, I wanted to work out in the fitness center on a Saturday night. The daily calendar said the Mikimiki Fitness Center was closed whereas it had been a 24-hour operation previously.
I called the front desk to ask about this and was told the fitness center was being remodeled and that it had temporarily moved to the conference rooms. I asked if it was open and was assured the relocated fitness center was open. So I headed to the conference rooms. There was a wedding going on in the main conference room (good choice of music by the way, hearing John Legend’s All of Me remix and Animals by Martin Garrix) as I wandered around looking for the fitness center. Then I saw this sign.
Confused, I asked a worker where the fitness center was since the above sign said it was closed. He replied that all the equipment had just moved back to its original location and suggested I head back to the Mikimiki Fitness Center. At this point, a full day of sun and swimming caught up with me, feeling too drained to work out.
Fast forward to Monday, May 26. The daily calendar announces the re-opening of the Mikimiki Fitness Center starting at 4am. No, I didn’t venture out for a workout at four in the morning, but I did stop by later in the day to see what changed.
After stepping inside the previously sealed doors, things looked exactly the same as the last time I was there.
I didn’t see any significant changes to the room itself so I’m not sure what the remodeling was all about. All I know is that getting a workout on Memorial Day weekend at the Aulani was not meant to be and that communicating the status (and whereabouts) of the fitness center to the entire staff is just too hard.
I’m with the BitBand
For real, I am with the Atlassian BitBand. Check out my swag for proof.
Yup, thanks to Atlassian’s sense of humor, I won this Git shirt along with a BitBand band as part of an April Fool’s giveaway. Back on April 1st, the software company announced a hardware product, the BitBand. If you followed the press announcement and attempted to fund their hardware project, you would have found the giveaway entry form. Luckily, I won some Git goodies. The front of the shirt says “Just Do Git.”
Thanks Atlassian (but stick with the software)!
So Tempted
A Slurpee-branded mousepad for only $1. So tempted to buy it even though I don’t have a mouse.
Starbucks Refill Strategy Variation
Here’s a slight variation of my Starbucks Ala Moana refill strategy. Since Starbucks is now at every major shopping mall on Oahu, you can use the refill strategy at any of these locations. Except for Kahala Mall, pretty much there’s no seating so qualifying refills while in store really has no meaning. You can also extend this strategy by buying a drink from any Starbucks and getting your free refill if you happen to be at one of the malls like buying a drink in Pearl City then going to Windward Mall afterwards. Just sayin’.
View from the Weekend, Disney Aulani
Just a view from this Memorial Day weekend spent at the Disney Aulani.
Yes, it did rain but not as bad as elsewhere on-island.
Changes to Starbucks at Ala Moana Macy’s
Thanks to @yoda808, we got word of the renovation and initial views of the Starbucks inside of Macy’s Ala Moana. I finally made my first visit to this remodeled location and noticed a few other changes.
The Doors Moved
When this location was carved out of Macy’s, the existing glass entries were retained for lots of foot traffic into Liberty House Macy’s. Unfortunately, the location for these entrances didn’t make sense for Starbucks. There were at least two sets of doors “in the middle” and walking through them put you right in the middle of the long queue to order or face to face with a display stand. On either side, you’d be squished by tables of patrons. Not a good placement. After the renovation, this is no longer the case with these doors removed. Now there’s the one set of doors near the Macy’s connection point and the original set leading to the outdoor seating area.
Clark Little Photography
Like the Waikiki Park Shore Hotel location, this Starbucks also features a mural from Clark Little Photography. Very nice but too bad it’s on a wall that’s hard to see.
Socks from Paradise Soccer Club
I saw the letters “PSC” on a retail storefront in Kailua and wondered what that store is. PSC stands for Paradise Soccer Club, and if you’re a soccer fiend, this place is for you. PSC just doesn’t feature soccer gear and equipment but promotes a lifestyle influenced by soccer with a modern trend. It’s a cool spot.
I know kicks but not soccer kicks, and these Nike Mercurials look serious.
The Mercurials not your thing? I’m sure you can find something from their wall of shoes (custom made display too).
Need a break to think about your PSC purchase? Play some foosball or check out their soccer-themed LEGO sets behind the counter.
If nothing else, pickup a pair of quality Stance socks, especially the Aloha Hawaii line. Where else are you going to find a camo pattern comprised of shakas?
Kailua Safeway Progress
One scant week ago, I noticed the main Safeway in Kailua was getting remodeled. A few days later, there’s been some progress but more prep work done. Older shelving is being cleared for removal and some newer shelving are starting to show up.
More of the new flooring is installed.
There are more temporary, popup displays.
There’s odd placement of stuff like the poke bar and greeting cards.
Greeting cards, cheese puffs, and the bakery goods.
And candy themed after The Hunger Games: Catching Fire?!?
Better than Sex Cake
Not just that but this is the second version of the recipe.
Yes, it was good. Not sure if it lived up to its namesake but still good.
Update 5/14/14: How selfish of me! I forgot to share the link for the Better than Sex Cake. Find it on allrecipes.com. Have you experienced this dessert delight? Was it good for you?
ASICS Gel Cumulus 15 Running Shoes on Sale
Right now, you can find the ASICS Gel Cumulus 15 running shoes at Sports Authority at 30% off. Normally, these cost $115 but are available at $80. Even better, you can find a 15% off coupon online and apply that for extra savings. Although the Cumulus 16 is now available, the Cumulus 15 was named Runner’s World Editor’s Choice in June 2013. Here’s their review.
Only colors available are white/blue and green/white in normal or wide sizes.