Canadian Buffoon's Semi-EPIC Vacation - 10/29 - Link to new TR!

[Terra Nova guy]

It's May! Nice, sedate, May.
May the fourth, to be precise.

It's just gotta be dead there, right?

Yeah, nothing special about that day. Well, unless you’re a Star Wars fan.
I’m a fairly big fan and I would be tempted to visit DHS on that day, but I’m not sure I would because of the added crowds. Makes sense for you though if it’s the only day you could get the SDD FP.

Always beat your children.
Builds character.

I strive for that. It usually works.

The show was cute but
definitely a one and done.

I can sit through most shows more than once, but for some reason I have no desire to see BatB again.

Standing room only! For Indy!)

Wow. It shows how crowded the park was. I didn’t think standing room for Indy was possible anymore.

Consistently, Mama Melrose
was rated as the worst
restaurant in all of Disney.
But I'd lately noticed that more
and more positive reports
were popping up

It’s been a few years, but my family had a good meal there. I had the steak with mac and cheese. I really enjoyed it.

And then Elle said it.
"You know how it goes up and
down in that one part?
That's like a slinky going
down stairs."

Do you think she's right?
Did they design it that way???

I think she’s right! I had never thought of it that way before, but it makes perfect sense to me.

Due to the weather, today's
March of the First Order
has been canceled."

Luckily they run them every 15 minutes for 12 hours. At least that’s what it seemed like last year. I’m a fan, but it got a little annoying bumping into all the time.

But not before spending
an extra $500 or so.
(It was then that I
purchased my AP.)

Spending that much, I would have guessed it was either an annual pass or a bottle of Coke from a cart. One or the other.

And that's what
half orders look like,
if you've never seen
that before.

What is this half ice cream you speak of? All or nothing for gluttons like me. My belly can attest to that.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Somehow you snuck a couple of updates past me when I wasn't looking. Back to catch up...

"You almost stepped on
a squirrel!" She exclaimed.

SQUIRREL!

Sorry, somebody had to do it.

Ladies and gentlemen and Mark.

Yes?




I mean--HEY!!

Believe me when I say that
Disney is the last place you
want to squash a rodent.

They have friends in high places.

Because if it was the other way
around, he would've taken steps
to avoid us.

Truth.

Within seconds, PR and Elle were
chatting away and completely
ignoring the two old dudes
who were paying for everything.

Ah...teenage girls.

But this had that... chunky
feel to it, so I'm pretty sure
I got the right thing.

After reading @Steppesister 's TR, I'd be a tad concerned about receiving anything chunky.

If it's not particularly clear,
I'm handing Elle her diploma
(she's wearing her Disney
graduation mouse ears)
while Doc and PR applaud
her accomplishment.

Ah, I see it. Rather complex for a gag photo.

And if you look a little closer,
you'll note that I wore some
headgear myself.
It says, "Proud Parent".
And you can juuuust make
it out at is flies off my head.

That'll happen when your ceremony is going 30 mph.

Love this one! Especially the cluelessness of everyone else in the boat.

When we got off the ride,
we hung around the POTC
exit for a bit until
we saw some young kids
with their parents.
We gave the kids our pirate booty.

We glanced back as they
walked away and noticed
the little boy holding
his dad's hand in his hook.

Worth it.

I love this. That's great.

"What's that?" Elle asked, pointing.
"Tiki birds." I warily replied.
"Can we go?" She said, excitedly.
<sigh> I almost made it out
of Adventureland unscathed.

I will say this about the Tiki Birds.
It's definitely air conditioned.

That it is. At least in Disneyland I could distract myself by eating a Dole Whip the whole time.

My eldest ghoul then tried to
drag me onto IASW, but
the wait time was thirty minutes.

Aw, darn. That's way too long.

It must be done.
If you ride it, a foot photo
is an absolute requirement.

Eh. Nobody needs to see my stinky feet.

That's me on the left.

You did an excellent job shaving your legs.

Elle, on the other hand...

Took this shot of the Tron
construction site.

I absolutely can't wait to ride that one.

Not the worst view in the world
to dine to, don't you think?

That really is a nice spot for a meal.

Tragic.
Note to self.
Next time you want to
make out with a fish,
leave the kid at home.

That sentence may never have been written before.

When I mentioned how I'd
given her a "dinglehopper",
she exclaimed "I still have it!"
and pulled one out.
It was the exact same size
as the one I'd given "her"
in California!

That's great!

The poor thing jerked in the
opposite direction. I think she
thought I was actually moving
in for a kiss!

Security would like a word with you.

I saw a duck fly up and land
in a planter, that was attached
to the retaining wall.
I mentioned it to Elle and surmised
that perhaps it was settling in
for the night.
And if so, it might have its
slumber rudely interrupted.

That's an experienced duck who knows where the best views are.

I asked if we could sit at a closer
table and he brought us to one
of the ones we'd picked earlier.
Yusss! Unobstructed view!

The duck had just laid some eggs!
I think this because when I mentioned
it to Elle, she spotted an egg about
six inches away from the others.
And when I looked again, later,
momma had moved it over to join
the other eggs.
Would seem to mean that at least
that egg had just been laid?

Maybe? Neat little discovery there.

The show was fun to watch,
as always, but I still feel a little
nostalgic for Wishes.
HEA is fine, but it doesn't
get you in the feels like
Wishes used to do.

(whispers) It's a Disney clip show. That's all.

Ooh, nice shot there.

After the party/fireworks,
we <sigh> unfortunately
walked upstream against
the prevailing crowd current
and found ourselves in front of...


IASW


And this time, shockingly,
it was a walk on.

Son of a...

As the zombies nodded their
heads in a good heavy metal
head banging frenzy I saluted
them and their enthusiasm.


Those dolls rock.

I do like this technique. Need to remember it for next time. If there's a next time.

I may have been a little bit
more deaf, however.

Worth it.

Huh? What?

We checked out of the hotel
and then checked our bags
at 8:25am.
We then boarded a bus
at... 8:25am.

I wish this pass was available in the U.S.

I mean, it's not high season
or (worse) Christmas season.
It's May! Nice, sedate, May.
May the fourth, to be precise.

It's just gotta be dead there, right?

Sure. Absolutely. Nothing to see here.

The standby line for TSMM was
already up to 40 minutes.
We both figured that it wasn't
going to get any lower today, so...
We hopped in line.
Which was 45 minutes long.
Fairly accurate.

Bleh.

What did matter was that
I beat Elle.

Always beat your children.
Builds character.

Um...at games. Always beat your children at games.

Would it surprise you to
know that at 10am the
wait time for TOT was
110 minutes and RNRC was
already up to 115 minutes?

No. No, it would not.

We'd already done this ride,
so it didn't have quite the
excitement factor that the
first go-around did.

Nice one!

Contrast our expressions
with the two young ladies
in front of us.
Oh how I hope they got
their PP photo!

That makes it even better!

I did this for Elle of course.
She loves TOT.
I was just along for the ride.

The things we do for our kids.

There was an Indy show
that had just started.
We were told it was standing
room only but we decided
to watch anyways.
(Standing room only! For Indy!)

Wow. I must admit, I still like the show. I have such a soft spot for Indy.

Consistently, Mama Melrose
was rated as the worst
restaurant in all of Disney.

I'd never heard that. I always heard mediocre things. Ate there once several years ago, and sided with the mediocre rating.

The ribs were fall-off-the-bone
delicious and that risotto!
WOW!
It was fantastic.
I have dreams now of that
risotto.

Nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!

The only thing marring the dish
was that tiny piece of green
on the plate at about ten o'clock.
How dare they!?!?!?!

Get that garbage away from my food!!!!

It's a fun little coaster.
Not really thrilling...
but fun to ride all the same.

Agreed.

And then Elle said it.
"You know how it goes up and
down in that one part?
That's like a slinky going
down stairs."

Do you think she's right?
Did they design it that way???

With the amount of thought they put into these things, I'm going to say yes. Nice observation.

We got...
Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

Yay.

The Frozen Sing Along was...
Hilarious! We both enjoyed
it a lot!

Glad you liked it! I rode RnRC instead of seeing that, so I'm going to still say I won.

After that, we headed out
of the park.
But not before spending
an extra $500 or so.
(It was then that I
purchased my AP.)

Well, that'll do it.

I settled for a stern
"Harrumph!" directed
at the ship's captain.

He hung his head in shame.

And then threw you off the boat.

Each shift is, on average,
(5 4 3 2 1 <SPIN!>)
seven hours long.
They spend 30-45 minutes
on each station.
So... for 30-45 minutes,
you're doing...
1 2 3 4 5 <SPIN!>

I don't know what they're
paying these kids...
But it isn't enough.

Goodness. That's a long time to be on your feet.

Hello my beauties.
Oh! And that's what
half orders look like,
if you've never seen
that before.
(Yes, you can order
a half-order!
Thanks @franandaj
for that tip!)

Good to know! Thanks Alison!

Did you see it in this chapter?

Those dancers are getting uglier all the time.

 

[MinnieWebster]

We started with the
"Fresh Mozzarella and
Vine-ripened Tomatoes".
Not sure why they don't
just say "Caprese salad".

Yum

It's a fun little coaster.

Yes, it is.

And while we waited in comfort,
I snagged two more FPs for
the Frozen Sing Along.
I'd never been, and had
heard good things.

The Frozen Sing Along was...
Hilarious! We both enjoyed
it a lot!

Glad you enjoyed it! We love this one, they are so funny!

We split an order of
grilled cheese and
tomato soup.

One of my favorite meals

Hello my beauties.
Oh! And that's what
half orders look like,
if you've never seen
that before.
(Yes, you can order
a half-order!

Oooh….might have to put in a request to eat here at some point!

Did you see it in this chapter?

Yep!

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, nothing special about that day. Well, unless you’re a Star Wars fan.
I’m a fairly big fan and I would be tempted to visit DHS on that day, but I’m not sure I would because of the added crowds. Makes sense for you though if it’s the only day you could get the SDD FP.

I knew going in it would be busy,
but also knew we wouldn't be
doing anything Star Wars related
and have FPs for what we did
want to do.
It worked out fine.

I strive for that. It usually works.

I can sit through most shows more than once, but for some reason I have no desire to see BatB again.

It's a great place to avoid!

Wow. It shows how crowded the park was. I didn’t think standing room for Indy was possible anymore.

I was pretty surprised by that too.
The park was crowded, but I figured
everyone would be gravitating
towards SW stuff.

It’s been a few years, but my family had a good meal there. I had the steak with mac and cheese. I really enjoyed it.

I keep hearing good things
about the steak.

I know exactly what I'm gonna have!
The fish!

I think she’s right! I had never thought of it that way before, but it makes perfect sense to me.

I dunno. I've looked, but...
I couldn't find anything other
than it's designed to go around
the backyard.

Luckily they run them every 15 minutes for 12 hours. At least that’s what it seemed like last year. I’m a fan, but it got a little annoying bumping into all the time.

Spending that much, I would have guessed it was either an annual pass or a bottle of Coke from a cart. One or the other.

Nah. We were hydrated already.
Remember the frozen lemonades?

What is this half ice cream you speak of? All or nothing for gluttons like me. My belly can attest to that.

Okay... okay...
I'll make up for it next time
by ordering two.

 

[pkondz]

Somehow you snuck a couple of updates past me when I wasn't looking. Back to catch up...

Slacker.
I'm keeping up on your TR.

SQUIRREL!

Sorry, somebody had to do it.

Yes?




I mean--HEY!!

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Truth.

Yes.




I mean--HEY!!

Ah...teenage girls.

Careful how you say that.

After reading @Steppesister 's TR, I'd be a tad concerned about receiving anything chunky.

Ah, I see it. Rather complex for a gag photo.

worth it.

That'll happen when your ceremony is going 30 mph.

Love this one! Especially the cluelessness of everyone else in the boat.

We had a lot of fun with it.

I love this. That's great.

That it is. At least in Disneyland I could distract myself by eating a Dole Whip the whole time.

You're the second person
to tell me that.

Thanks for rubbing it in.

Aw, darn. That's way too long.

Well, actually... anything is too long.
"Look! IASW is a walk-on!!"
"I ain't got that kind of time."

Eh. Nobody needs to see my stinky feet.

You walk around Disney
in bare feet????

What... are you a Hobbit?

You did an excellent job shaving your legs.

Elle, on the other hand...

She's going for that
Mediterranean look.

I absolutely can't wait to ride that one.

Me too!
Did you see the ride video?

That sentence may never have been written before.

Oh, sure.
Pretty sure Tolstoy wrote it.

That's great!

I was so surprised!

Security would like a word with you.

I would think that if some guy
actually did try to kiss her,
he'd likely get arrested for assault
and be handed a life-time ban.

Hopefully it either hasn't happened,
or is extremely rare.

That's an experienced duck who knows where the best views are.

Great. Now I've got this picture in my
head of a bunch of baby ducklings
oohing and ahhing over the fireworks.

Maybe? Neat little discovery there.

(whispers) It's a Disney clip show. That's all.

I also imagine that's what the
Mama duck said to the ducklings.

Ooh, nice shot there.

Thanks.

Son of a...

I did not escape unscathed.

I do like this technique. Need to remember it for next time. If there's a next time.

Hopefully there won't be...
But if there is...
You have a sanity saving alternative.

Huh? What?

worth it.


What did you say?

I wish this pass was available in the U.S.

Sorry, Charlie.

Sure. Absolutely. Nothing to see here.

Right. Early May. Nada.

Um...at games. Always beat your children at games.

Oh, sure.
That too.

Nice one!

Thanks!

That makes it even better!

The things we do for our kids.

I mean... who would do this, otherwise?

Wow. I must admit, I still like the show. I have such a soft spot for Indy.

We enjoyed it.
I'd see it again.

I'd never heard that. I always heard mediocre things. Ate there once several years ago, and sided with the mediocre rating.

I had too.
But people kept saying it was good!
And... boy was it ever!

Nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!

I still talk about that risotto.

Get that garbage away from my food!!!!

With the amount of thought they put into these things, I'm going to say yes. Nice observation.

Sure! Why not!

Glad you liked it! I rode RnRC instead of seeing that, so I'm going to still say I won.

Yeah, you did.
But! I'm really glad we
saw it. I had no idea
it was going to be that good.

And then threw you off the boat.

And was promptly eaten
by an alligator.

Goodness. That's a long time to be on your feet.

No kidding.

Good to know! Thanks Alison!

Those dancers are getting uglier all the time.

 

[pkondz]

Yum

Well, as you saw... it certainly
didn't last very long!

Yes, it is.

But I'm not gonna stand in line
for two hours for it!

Glad you enjoyed it! We love this one, they are so funny!

They are!
I don't know if the show
changes each time or if it's
the same jokes each time, but...

We really did like it.

One of my favorite meals

How could it not be???

Oooh….might have to put in a request to eat here at some point!

Yes! Do!
But book well in advance.
It's small and fills up quick.

Yep!

 

[MinnieWebster]

But I'm not gonna stand in line
for two hours for it!

Absolutely not!

I don't know if the show
changes each time or if it's
the same jokes each time, but...

We really did like it.

Some of the CM's have a different jokes, or different delivery, but it is generally pretty similar

 

[pkondz]

Some of the CM's have a different jokes, or different delivery, but it is generally pretty similar

Well... having seen it only once,
I'm sure I'll laugh just as much
the second time through.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

You almost stepped on
a squirrel!" She exclaimed.

That sure would've made your vacation take a turn.

Believe me when I say that
Disney is the last place you
want to squash a rodent.

Good point. I hear there's a mouse in charge.

Within seconds, PR and Elle were
chatting away and completely
ignoring the two old dudes
who were paying for everything.

Perfect!

Love it! This is perfect.

And you can juuuust make
it out at is flies off my head.

Oh no! Did you manage to save it?

Definitely the best Pirates ride photo I've ever seen.

We gave the kids our pirate booty.

Aw that was sweet!

We glanced back as they
walked away and noticed
the little boy holding
his dad's hand in his hook.

Of course a CM showed up about
two seconds later and removed
the rope.

Oo love this. I hear they got rid of it recently and I'm sad we never did it.

It must be done.
If you ride it, a foot photo
is an absolute requirement.

True.

I leaned in for a kiss and...
well... I guess the reality
of the situation was a bit
much for Elle and she
screamed "NO!!!" and pushed
us apart.

I think she
thought I was actually moving
in for a kiss!

Sadly, I'm sure she meets a lot of looneybirds who really would try!

"Are you sure it wasn't a love-bug?"

Why if it was a love-bug would she have wanted you to leave it on her? I don't really want any kinda bug on me.

I asked if we could sit at a closer
table and he brought us to one
of the ones we'd picked earlier.

Perfect!

The duck had just laid some eggs!

Aww.

The show was fun to watch,
as always, but I still feel a little
nostalgic for Wishes.
HEA is fine, but it doesn't
get you in the feels like
Wishes used to do.

Agreed. I like HEA and the projections are amazing but it doesn't get me emotional like Wishes did.

Did you see it in this chapter?

Yup. Beware of martians in the porta-potties.

No waiting. Disney was trying
to make up for making us
wait the maximum 5 minutes
the previous night.

I am, once again, jealous of your transportation status.

May the fourth, to be precise.

Oh dear.

Would it surprise you to
know that at 10am the
wait time for TOT was
110 minutes and RNRC was
already up to 115 minutes?

Contrast our expressions
with the two young ladies
in front of us.

(Standing room only! For Indy!)

Wow! Scary.

We were going to try a place
that was new to both of us.
Mama Melrose.

Oo we've always enjoyed our meals here. Glad you did too!

We paused on our way to
Frozen to buy a bag of
crack... er… popcorn.
(Same thing, amirite?)

Close enough.

Elle responded by saying.
"Too bad, so sad."
She didn't care.
She really didn't care.
Not exactly a Star Wars fan.

I'm with Elle, I've never seen Star Wars.

(It was then that I
purchased my AP.)

Woooo and for your wallet

hey spend 30-45 minutes
on each station.
So... for 30-45 minutes,
you're doing...
1 2 3 4 5 <SPIN!>

Wow. I'm dizzy just thinking about it.

Oh! And that's what
half orders look like,
if you've never seen
that before.
(Yes, you can order
a half-order!

Oo thanks for the tip! I didn't know that was an option.

Did you see it in this chapter?

wow they're really desperate for performers in that show.

 

[Creatingpeace]

I've been to both and...
Well, I love Halloween,
so I might be biased,
but I much preferred
MNSSHP to MVMCP.

Good to know! I am seeing the pics of all the treats getting revealed and it is amping up my excitment...41 days out

 

[pkondz]

That sure would've made your vacation take a turn.

Not as bad a turn as
it would've been for
the squirrel!

Good point. I hear there's a mouse in charge.

What happened to Iger?

Oh no! Did you manage to save it?

Nope.
And I knew going in that
I'd probably lose it.
I just hoped it'd stay on
long enough for the photo.

Nope!

Definitely the best Pirates ride photo I've ever seen.

Thanks!

Aw that was sweet!

Nah.
It just saved me from lugging
it all back to Canada.

Oo love this. I hear they got rid of it recently and I'm sad we never did it.

What? They did? When?

Sadly, I'm sure she meets a lot of looneybirds who really would try!

Quite possibly.

Why if it was a love-bug would she have wanted you to leave it on her? I don't really want any kinda bug on me.

Now that is a very good point!

Perfect!

It was a really great spot!

Aww.

Agreed. I like HEA and the projections are amazing but it doesn't get me emotional like Wishes did.

Nope.
You just... watch it.

Yup. Beware of martians in the porta-potties.

Not to worry.
They tend to stay
in the basement.

I am, once again, jealous of your transportation status.

As you should be.

I knew it would be bad...
Just not that bad.
Thankfully it didn't affect
us in any real way.

Oo we've always enjoyed our meals here. Glad you did too!

It was soooooo good!

Close enough.

What do they do to that
popcorn to make it so amazing???

I'm with Elle, I've never seen Star Wars.

Well... it's a movie.

Yeah, that's good enough.

Woooo and for your wallet

It hurt, but...
Now I'm going for "free".

Wow. I'm dizzy just thinking about it.

"I couldn't rescue the drowning
victim because I was too dizzy."

Oo thanks for the tip! I didn't know that was an option.

wow they're really desperate for performers in that show.

 

[pkondz]

Good to know! I am seeing the pics of all the treats getting revealed and it is amping up my excitment...41 days out

There's a few treats I have
my eye on!

 

[pkondz]

Come To The Dark Side

I don't normally post two
updates so close together.
(At least, not anymore.
I got complaints... )
But this is really just finishing
off the last update.
So I'll just go ahead and
upset those of you who
want me to wait at least
a week or more in between posts.


We finished up our
ridiculously good ice-cream
and headed inside the Beach Club.
I logged onto the Wi-Fi and
requested a Lyft.

For some reason, our driver
couldn't seem to find the lobby.
We walked down the road a bit
and we eventually met up.


This should have been my
first hint that maybe he
wasn't the best Lyft driver.


The next part was my fault, though.
It was the first time I used the app
and I didn't know to make the
request for two stops.
I just assumed you could make
another request and just keep
on truckin'.

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.


We piled into the car and headed
back to OKW to pick up our bags.

When we arrived, we asked him
to wait and we were told that
because we were making another
stop, we'd have to put in for
another ride and it may or may
not be him who got it.

We agreed that he would drive
us to our destination for a
flat rate of $20.
(Which, based on the title
of this update, I'm sure you've
got a pretty good idea where
that might be.)

We retrieved our bags and
piled back into the car.
We kinda had to hurry
since he was blocking
a DME bus.
Those arriving on the bus
were probably annoyed.
Unless it was picking up.
In which case the passengers
were over-joyed.

Either way, there was
an "oyed" involved.


Our driver moved his car
out of the way and stopped.
While he was trying to
set up his GPS for our next
stop, he managed to pick
a spot that blocked a
delivery truck from leaving.

Finally he seemed to have
everything sorted out
and we set out for our
next hotel!


Universal Studios, here we come!!!


And within just a few minutes,
we found ourselves backstage
at Epcot trying to explain to
a not very happy security guard
that we were trying to go
to Universal.


By now, I had lost all faith
in our driver and began
giving him directions.
After all, being Canadian,
I of course have a much
better grasp of the
directions in and around
Orlando.



We eventually arrived at our resort,
the Royal Pacific just after 7:00pm.


Check in was painless and we got
a room that was fairly close to the
elevator which in turn was fairly
close to the lobby.

Big bathroom.
You could put a cot in there.



Our view from our room:

You can see Islands of Adventure
in the background.
Gives you an idea of how close we were.


Once we were settled in, I told Elle
that I was going to go down to
Guest Services to upgrade my
two-day pass to an Annual Pass,
and then we'd go for a swim.

Upon arriving at Guest Services,
I gave my info to the young lady
behind the desk and she
seemed puzzled.
"I can't find a zip code." She said.
"That's because there isn't one." I replied.

Eventually she got it sorted out and
I was the proud owner of a
Universal AP.


My Disney AP, upgrading from
a 5-day park hopper was over $500.
My Uni AP, upgrading from
a 2-day, 2-park ticket?

About $30.

If you think there's even a slight
chance you'll go again in a year,
it's so worth upgrading to
their AP.
Just make sure you check
on the blackout dates.
(There aren't many, but they
do have some.)


When I returned to the room,
we quickly changed into
bathing suits and headed
down to the pool...
Only to arrive just as they
shut it down for an
approaching thunderstorm.

Well, poop.


We headed back up to the
room where I made a
quick phone call.
Well... I thought it would
be quick.

I was renting a car in a couple days
and wanted to know if
National Car Rental would
send someone to pick me up.
It would save me a couple
bucks on a Lyft and a visit
to Epcot's back lot.

Try as I might, I couldn't seem
to find a phone number for
the local office where I was renting.
(At the nearby Four Points Hotel.)
All I could find was the toll-free.

Well, no matter. Of course
they would have it!

I dialed the number and
it was promptly answered
by a female voice.

N: "Thankyou for calling National. How may I help you?"
P: "I'm just looking for the phone number
for the Four-Points location.
I'd like to be picked up, if possible."
N: "Of course sir. MCO?"
P: "No. Four-Points."
N: "Certainly, sir. Do you have the reservation number?"
I rattle it off.
N: "Where are you calling from?"
P: "Orlando"
N: "For how many days?"
I tell her.
N: "The rate for renting a mid-size car at MCO for..."
I cut her off.
P: "No. I'm not renting from MCO.
I'm renting from Four-Points.
I just want the phone number."
N: "Certainly, sir. The phone number for MCO is..."
P: "Not MCO! I'm renting from Four-Points!"
N: "Of course, sir. Let me get that number. Do you have a pen?"
Lady, I've been white-knuckling a pen
for the past five minutes.
P: "Yes, I have a pen."
She gives me a toll-free number.
The number that I dialed to reach her.
I start to laugh.
P: "Gee! Thanks a lot! You just
gave me your own number!"
N: "I can..."
<click>

I hung up.
It was going to be faster
to walk to the Four-Points.
In any event, paying for
a Lyft was going to be
less expensive then the
cost of the aggravation
I was getting on the phone.



Lucky for you, since the pool
was closed, and getting a phone
number was proving impossible
I decided to spend a few minutes
wandering around taking photos.

I know. I know.
"Yay! I can stop reading!"

The front entrance:

Walkway to the hotel:

Hotel entrance:

Lobby:

Guest services:

Place to drown your sorrows
after a baffling phone exchange:

Tomorrow, we'll begin
our first full day in the
Dark Side.

Will it come close to being
as good as Disney?
Will it fall horribly short?
Will it surpass it???

Stay tuned!



In case you didn't see it
in the last chapter:

And...
Did you see it in this chapter?



Coming up... Descent into the Dark Side.

Chapter 12. Bedknobs And Broomsticks​

 

[mustinjourney]

Is your Dad okay? I mean... really?

well -- they did buy into DVC earlier this year (Boardwalk)...and then add-on-itis struck and they bought more points at the new Riviera resort...and now they’re talking about buying more points at Saratoga Springs.

So not sure.

And cute shot of your girls!

Thanks! The younger one is up for her daddy/daughter trip in January 2020! She's sooooo excited about it. She asks me about once a week if it's time for us to go on "cation" with just her and me.

Um...
Sorry, not getting what
you're driving at here?

When I said "friend of minnie" -- that is code for the cast member plays Minnie Mouse.

You had mentioned that ariel has to deal with crazies. This girl that posted a video on youtube had previously been Minnie Mouse and she said an old dude whispered something about Minnie mouse being sexy or hot into her ear during a meet and greet. She said it was super creepy and she was glad she had a mask on b/c it would have been hard to keep a neutral expression.

And explosions.
Explosions would be good.

that's what Indy is for.

Plus explosions would frighten the little kids.

Perhaps that is why you want explosions? Terrorize all the toddlers? You probably hate puppies too.

For a second I thought you
were gonna say:
"Has anyone ever mentioned to you how hot Belle is?"

Thought you maybe had a little
crush going on there.

Belle is my favorite.

Sheesh.
What's wrong with this?

Caprese Salad
Vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh Mozzarella,
balsamic drizzle, olive oil and sweet basil leaves.

That has two more words than "Vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh Mozzarella,
balsamic drizzle, olive oil and sweet basil leaves."

Gotta keep efficiency up.

I liked it!

That Frozen show and Wishes during my first trip with the kids is what really sold me on the Disney magic. My allergies acted up during both of those watching Kat (not-quite-three years old) experience the magic for the first time. I don't think I have to explain Wishes -- but with Frozen when they make it snow at the end, it was so amazing watching Kat become engrossed in the magic that she thought it was actually snowing inside the building.

It's one of my favorite memories.

Damnit -- now my allergies started up just now thinking about it. Good thing I don't work in a cubicle.

I do know that I will
not be making a lightsaber.
For that kind of money,
I expect to be able to
accidentally cut my arm off.

Not just pay an arm and a leg.

I booked a ressie for October. Wasn't going to -- but as a stockholder, I need to help the bottomline.

 

[mustinjourney]

For some reason, our driver
couldn't seem to find the lobby.
We walked down the road a bit
and we eventually met up.

OKW is a sprawling resort -- but finding the lobby isn't THAT hard.

Definitely not a good sign.

And within just a few minutes,
we found ourselves backstage
at Epcot trying to explain to
a not very happy security guard
that we were trying to go
to Universal.

I've messed up and gone into the CM parking lot at DHS -- but I'm not sure how you end up in Epcot's from OKW.

It's a good thing he's not a professional driver.

Oh wait.

Our view from our room:

That is impressive.

My Disney AP, upgrading from
a 5-day park hopper was over $500.
My Uni AP, upgrading from
a 2-day, 2-park ticket?

About $30.

Wow. That's insane.

When I returned to the room,
we quickly changed into
bathing suits and headed
down to the pool...
Only to arrive just as they
shut it down for an
approaching thunderstorm.

Well, poop.

Thunderstorm closure is better than poop closure.

I hung up.
It was going to be faster
to walk to the Four-Points.
In any event, paying for
a Lyft was going to be
less expensive then the
cost of the aggravation
I was getting on the phone.

I've had phone conversations that were like that -- most recently with Sprint when I was upgrading to new iPhone models. I would get the deal I wanted and then they'd pass me on to someone else, and that person would tell me I wasn't eligible for the deal b/c I was already a member.

I was like, "then why did the last person tell me I was eligible even after I gave him all my info?"
I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it.

Will it come close to being
as good as Disney?
Will it fall horribly short?
Will it surpass it???

Rides are probably more thrilling -- but I'm guessing it just doesn't have the same magic feel to it.

And...
Did you see it in this chapter?

Marvin is taking jobs away from frogs now?

 

[MinnieWebster]

Universal Studios, here we come!!!

Beautiful pics of the resort/view!!

Did you see it in this chapter?

Had to do some extra careful looking this time, but yes, I did

 

[KathyM2]

Within seconds, PR and Elle were
chatting away and completely
ignoring the two old dudes
who were paying for everything.

Yeah you never know when bringing random teens together if they will hit it off. Really depends on the day, and their moods and...the phase of the moon or something...glad it worked out so well!

I'm handing Elle her diploma
(she's wearing her Disney
graduation mouse ears)

I love this! I love that you (and loads of other people that are not me) can look so relaxed in ride photos and do fun stuff like that. I'm always the one wondering when the drop is and making a really stupid face by accident, not on purpose.

The poor thing jerked in the
opposite direction. I think she
thought I was actually moving
in for a kiss!

I really feel for the characters sometimes. Especially the ones like Ariel without a big furry costume between them and the drunken frat boys. I wonder how Disney politely escorts them outta there in Disney style without any pointing or un-Disney like actions?

My Disney AP, upgrading from
a 5-day park hopper was over $500.
My Uni AP, upgrading from
a 2-day, 2-park ticket?

About $30.

Wow. That just shows you how much Universal doesn't want you just adding two days at Universal onto your Disney trip by making it such an incredible rip off that you'll go for the AP because it's such a good deal. I guess if you're in Orlando a lot it really does make sense to have both.

 

[pkondz]

well -- they did buy into DVC earlier this year (Boardwalk)...and then add-on-itis struck and they bought more points at the new Riviera resort...and now their talking about buying more points at Saratoga Springs.

So not sure.

Thanks! The younger one is up for her daddy/daughter trip in January 2020!

Awww... I'm sure that'll be great.

She's sooooo excited about it. She asks me about once a week if it's time for us to go on "cation" with just her and me.

When I said "friend of minnie" -- that is code for the cast member plays Minnie Mouse.

Oops! I forgot that part.

You had mentioned that ariel has to deal with crazies. This girl that posted a video on youtube had previously been Minnie Mouse and she said an old dude whispered something about Minnie mouse being sexy or hot into her ear during a meet and greet. She said it was super creepy and she was glad she had a mask on b/c it would have been hard to keep a neutral expression.

:eek
Okay, that's.... pretty gross, actually.

that's what Indy is for.

Plus explosions would frighten the little kids.

Perhaps that is why you want explosions? Terrorize all the toddlers? You probably hate puppies too.

Oh, boy.
You picked a really bad time
to say that about puppies.

I just finished watching
The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Dog movie.
Talk about being allergic!!!!

Belle is my favorite.

I was right!

That has two more words than "Vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh Mozzarella,
balsamic drizzle, olive oil and sweet basil leaves."

Gotta keep efficiency up.

You have a point there.
How about:
Caprese Salad.
Tomatoes and mozzarella,
balsamic/olive oil/basil dressing.

That Frozen show and Wishes during my first trip with the kids is what really sold me on the Disney magic.

Boy, that would do it!

My allergies acted up during both of those watching Kat (not-quite-three years old) experience the magic for the first time. I don't think I have to explain Wishes -- but with Frozen when they make it snow at the end, it was so amazing watching Kat become engrossed in the magic that she thought it was actually snowing inside the building.

Oh, I totally get this.
First time I took the girls,
they were 4 & 8.
Disney Junior.
It "snowed" there too.

It's one of my favorite memories.

Damnit -- now my allergies started up just now thinking about it. Good thing I don't work in a cubicle.

I booked a ressie for October. Wasn't going to -- but as a stockholder, I need to help the bottomline.

You do what you gotta do.

I really don't mind others making
lightsabers. In fact if that's your
thing, then I encourage it.

It's just not mine.

 

[pkondz]

OKW is a sprawling resort -- but finding the lobby isn't THAT hard.

Definitely not a good sign.

Nope.
But a sign of things to come.

I've messed up and gone into the CM parking lot at DHS -- but I'm not sure how you end up in Epcot's from OKW.

I wasn't paying attention
up to that point.
I had no idea it was his
first time driving in
North America.

It's a good thing he's not a professional driver.

Oh wait.

That is impressive.

Not bad, right?

Wow. That's insane.

And Disney wonders why it's
losing market share to Uni.

Thunderstorm closure is better than poop closure.

Ew.
But... yes.

I've had phone conversations that were like that -- most recently with Sprint when I was upgrading to new iPhone models. I would get the deal I wanted and then they'd pass me on to someone else, and that person would tell me I wasn't eligible for the deal b/c I was already a member.

Oh, for the love of...

I was like, "then why did the last person tell me I was eligible even after I gave him all my info?"
I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it.

Yeah, I can see that!

Rides are probably more thrilling -- but I'm guessing it just doesn't have the same magic feel to it.

You'll see.

Marvin is taking jobs away from frogs now?

 

[pkondz]

Beautiful pics of the resort/view!!

Thanks!

Had to do some extra careful looking this time, but yes, I did

Fewer pictures = extra sneaky.