Pre-Trip 2 Broke Guys (now with Table of Contents!)

Important note: First post edited 7/13/17 to make this odyssey easier to follow!

The reason is I started this pre-trip report over a year ago to help plan our most important trip ever (so far) our 10 year wedding anniversary trip.

However, we have AP's, and we took many short "side-trips" along the way. Rather than creating so many Trip Report threads and looking like a total egomaniac, I just added those mini-TR's into this same thread.

People have said it was hard to follow (I can see that.) Someone suggested putting a "table of contents" in the beginning. So that's what I'm doing. Then you can skip to the pages with the other trip reports, or just read the ones pertaining to "the big one" coming up in early September, 2017.

I will post that trip report separately when it finally happens, but will of course link to it here.

Speaking of linking here, here's a little background. This old post details our vow renewals a few years ago, for a very specific reason. If you haven't read my other trip reports or interacted with me very much on the boards, it kind of sets the stage for what's to come. Here's that link:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...orporate-disney-into-your-vow-renewal.903761/

What follows is the original first post (from 2/11/16) of this long, long thread. At the end of it, I'll put the table of contents to guide you through the rest of the thread.

I am sitting here in a hotel in Tampa, just an hour away from "home." And I'm thinking about it LOL. Oh, am I thinking about it.

When I'm "home home" - in Fort Lauderdale, I never have time to do more than some quick posts because I am always busy with work.

This is going to be a long-@ss pre-trip report.

Not necessarily this first post, but the report as a whole - by necessity, since the trip isn't until early September 2017. And I know I can use some help and advice in putting this all together - it's a very special trip - and have already begun organizing my thoughts based on discussions on this forum.

The basic premise is this: We are going to spend our 10-year wedding anniversary celebration at WDW, with the centerpiece of that trip to be the biggest dinner we can afford at Victoria & Albert's (hopefully the chef's table.) One of the things we enjoy most about Disney in our forties are the amazing meals at places like the Flying Fish Cafe and the Yachtsman's Steakhouse. I expect this meal will be at least as mind-blowing, but probably more.

The catch is - it costs a freaking fortune (at least to us.) I'm estimating something like $600 to $800 when all is said and done(?) And there is no way I could justify spending that much money on one meal.

Except...we have the Disney Chase Visa card, and have come to rely on this for our last several trips. This has opened doors to new experiences that we couldn't afford before. Instead of getting a 4-day ticket, we started getting AP's. Instead of staying off property, we started staying at Disney Moderates. And loved it!

And - we have a year off (sort of) to save up for this magical trip and important celebration. For the last several years, we've been getting the Florida Resident Weekday Select Annual Pass every other year, never two years in a row. I think it's good to go away and miss it for awhile, especially with all the work being done. Stay away for a year and come back to lots of little surprises. (Like those metal detectors! Ha!) They're fine. Anyway, that's the responsible side of me to say we shouldn't spend that much money every year. (We really shouldn't.)

But the advantage of that in this case is to amass Disney Chase Visa card points for months on end (sort of.) We used up all the rest of our points on our last short trip in January of 2016. But then at the end of the month, we earned more money. It's just sitting there...LOL.

Well, I made a deal with myself - if I can save up that $700 or $800 just in Chase points, then I can justify booking that meal at Victoria & Albert's. So that is the first goal. I know somebody will tell me when is the first day I can book it, and I will make a note on my phone so I don't forget LOL.

Based on January rewards being $146.50, I'm thinking this should be cake. (Mmm...cake...)

I'm not saving up for this September, but next September 2017. Total cake, right?!

Then we have to figure out where to stay. I'd like it to be our first Deluxe (possibly on the special floor with the extra goodies) and probably our first DVC rental. DVC Upside - real cost is less. Downside - can't pay for it with Disney Chase dollars LOL. That is funny, but it is a real consideration.

There's the obvious choice - to stay in the Grand Floridian to be where Victoria & Albert's is.

I don't know if that would be my favorite place in general.

I think my favorite place might be the Polynesian - I like the food & the vibe - and the walking into MK. I think that's a must on this trip - have to be able to walk to somewhere. That would include all of the Boardwalk area properties, which are fine with me as well.

Or AK with the Savannah view.

Then there's the corny and sentimental way - 10 years ago, our honeymoon was to Key West. They have a Key West DVC hotel. We love Olivia's. Somehow it doesn't seem big deal enough or have something special like a footpath to MK lol.

At the very least, a monorail resort, even if not walking distance, would be preferred.

Then we have to figure out whether or not to bring the dog or leave her home, drive or fly, diet for 6 months for the pictures LOL. Maybe this one and only trip would be worth memory maker?

I want to really blow it out - something we will never forget. Go for the upgrades. Pick the right tour or tours. So much to discuss!!

I will end each post in this saga like the parodied "2 Broke Girls" TV show, with the dollar amount of whatever they have left or have made at the end of the show, so you can see where they are in their goal.

So for example, tonight's would be:

$146.50

I'll add in any WDW Gift Cards I might buy or receive in the next year as part of what's saved up for that trip. My free BJ's trial period just expired, so I won't be getting any discounted GC's from them.

Now - the potential issue: there is no way we are not going to go to Disney in some way until September of 2017. We are toying with skipping our usual January or April trip in order to go full-on crazy in September.

But we are also toying with things like my dilemma as I sit here in this hotel with all this time to type. We're less than an hour away. I told this story in more detail at the end of my last trip report thread, so I'll just make it very short: Brian is working in Tampa from the end of January until the middle of February (over three weeks.) Yesterday I packed up our pup and drove up to visit, with our Valentine's Day gifts in tow (mostly specialty sugar-free chocolate dipped pretzels potato chips, oreos, plus peppermint bark, etc. We know we won't see each other for Valentine's Day, so basically tomorrow is it, unless I stay until Saturday morning.

Since no WDW trip was planned, I did not bring either my Tables In Wonderland card, or my Chase rewards gift card. But I called, and confirmed I could go to Guest Services and get another gift card (which of course can be loaded automatically.) There's a nice lunch reservation open. There's a spot for the pup at Best Friends Pet Care for 1/2 day care.

On the one hand - this would be something like a 45 minute to 1 hour drive for Brian from 12:30 to 1:30 to go to a special Disney lunch at 1:50, hang out for a bit, and then drive back 45 minutes to an hour to go to work by 4PM until 4AM. (I would have my own car, spend more money buying Disney records for my record store after lunch, go pick up the dog, and drive home to Fort Lauderdale.)

The other option is to drop the pup off at Petco in Tampa for a shampoo, and then hurry to whatever local restaurant is near that Petco, and meh.

Who would ever forget picking up and driving to WDW just for lunch for Valentine's Day (early) There's a fun story to remember when we're in our 60's LOL.

But it would already deplete our current total towards our V&A goal:

$146.50

OK, that was the first post of this whole thing. Now here comes the table of contents. Separate trip reports will be listed in bold. Regular stuff won't.

Posts 1-11 planning.
Posts 12-18: "The Blip Report" - a spur of the moment, one day drive over to the Yacht Club for Valentine's Day lunch at Captain's Grille (with dog.)
Posts 19-70 planning.
Posts 71-199 (page 4) pre-trip (back pain) & TR for 3-day quickie in September 2016 for Food & Wine (no dog, meeting Tuvalu, car trouble LOL) (skip it if you're only in for the anniversary trip!)
Posts 200-210 stuff. (starts bottom of page 10)
Posts 211-258-ish (begins page 11) "micro-trip" - had to go back up to get our car, might as well visit the Mouse!
Posts 258-ish to 276 planning.
Posts 277-283 (page 14) Pre-trip for almost Christmas at Saratoga Springs
Posts 284-331 planning, chit-chat, Thanksgiving
Posts 332-380 (page 17) That almost Christmas trip at Saratoga Springs
Posts 381-392 (Page 20) mostly chit-chat
Posts 393-561 (starts on page 20) (Several short trips back and forth since Brian had sporadic work in Orlando - all with dog!) Including Flower & Garden, Tiffins, more Tiffins, Valentine's Day again, RoL, and to confuse things, somwhere around #522 I'm at WDW but also planning the September 2017 trip (it was the 180 day mark for ADR's!)
Posts 562-569 chit chat
Posts 570-605 (page 29) - omg another quickie trip, Paddlefish
Posts 606-614 chit chat
Posts 615-657 (page 31) omg another trip - Wishes at Cali Grill (our last time seeing it)
Posts 658-694 chit chat, Record Store Day, Nashville
Posts 695- serious September planning!!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Professionals. I wager that was a posed shot for advertising purposes.

Well, I stole it! LOL.

Taking your hint, I took a few extra pics of the resort. I'll type out my review on the laptop after posting the pictures here. The short version: thumbs up. That surprised me.

I also didn't want to take too many pics of the resort because if you do end up staying here, you should have some surprises!

Much like POP has different buildings with different decades, here we have buildings with different genres. I stayed at the Rock Inn.

Those are some big maracas! And here is the bigger pool. The smaller one is under construction right now. The only real detail is the fountain you see with the Three Caballeros. The other one had a little mermaid.

No that's not Macy's on the left, it's an arcade attached to the food court and gift shop.

Let's go inside!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That was a bit of the hallway on the way to the gift shop, and here is the gift shop:

Detail in that display cabinet in the entranceway:

...and of course:

I loaded up on lion King soundtracks again LOL.

And what the heck?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I should have but didn't take pics of the food court - it was high breakfast, pretty crowded, and I was carrying a bag of records LOL.

I managed one shot:

Hey, priorities!

And here is front desk:

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I think someone mentioned somewhere what those tents are? I can't remember and didn't explore. In the back, the green is the All-Star sports.

 

[Tuvalu]

Great pictures, thanks so much Tony. In the interest of full disclosure, I have stayed at All Star Music a couple times but not since 2006 ~ and I was curious if there have been any changes (good or bad). Happy to hear you are pleased. Though the rate I got was not nearly as cheap as yours, anytime I can stay on property for under a hundred bucks a night is a good value.

And I need that good value to balance the remaining overpriced days at the second resort...

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Great pictures, thanks so much Tony. In the interest of full disclosure, I have stayed at All Star Music a couple times but not since 2006 ~ and I was curious if there have been any changes (good or bad). Happy to hear you are pleased. Though the rate I got was not nearly as cheap as yours, anytime I can stay on property for under a hundred bucks a night is a good value.

And I need that good value to balance the remaining overpriced days at the second resort...

I get it! I do the balancing act, too!

And I stayed there once before as well, way back in 2000/2001. (I remember with whom I stayed so I know when that relationship was LOL.)

This brought back some memories. I'm certain last time, they put us in Country, which is the only one I wouldn't prefer LOL. This time I was in Rock, much more appropriate.

Now, so much of this stuff (like anything) boils down to expectations and perspective. What am I expecting to see/receive, etc. (whether realistic, informed opinion, or not) and how do I react when expectations and reality don't jive.

I choose to generally make the best of everything, unless it's really, really bad.

But back then, it was our first stay "on property." We had only stayed at whatever random Hwy 192 motel came up the cheapest when we entered a $30 bid on priceline - the Rodeway, the Ramada, the Red Roof, etc.

So they put the 3 (at the time) All-Stars on sale for FL residents for like $50/night, and we booked that. Mind you, that was a splurge for us then.

Having never been, I think I expected it to be what Art of Animation is now. Disney characters all over the place, etc. So when we checked in back in 2000, I was a little bummed, and thought it was basically similar to a Red Roof with a few subtle references to Disney (in the artwork, etc.)

Also at that time, we were parkstormers. We woke up early, got there early after a quick Mickey Dees drive-thru for a steak bagel. Never left property until closing. As a result, we didn't see much of the resort, and never made it to the food court because it was always closed when we got back. Didn't enjoy the bus transportation, thought it took to much time out of our day. Side note: check-in took HOURS because it was holiday time and there was this long line of people checking in at once that I've never experienced anywhere else at any time.

So my overall review in 2000 was "blech." Too many cons, not enough pros. I don't think they had extra magic hours yet or anything else like that.

It felt very far away, and the amenities were unavailable to me because I stayed til park close.

OK back to 2017.

Having since stayed at POP (as well as moderates, etc., but the best comparison is POP - which I liked) I realized how similar they all were. They look similar from the outside with the big staircases on the ends all decorated, etc. Same basic design, different doo-dads. I took that as a plus. And I don't really care if one room is X sq. ft. bigger than the other unless it's a significant amount.

Keeping in mind I booked this technically the day of, and did online check-in, and didn't arrive until after midnight - I never got the check-in text or email. So on the drive up I called just to check, because when I got there, I knew I'd be half dead and it would be so much easier to go to the room. They were very helpful and said they would send me the text/email now. I never got either, but they also told me the room number over the phone, and made sure the correct magic band I had with me was attached to open it. I thought maybe when I hung up the phone with them, the text would come through, but it never did. No biggie, just odd.

So my first reaction upon parking was, "Oh, this is pretty much like POP" (keeping realistic expectations.) They are painting, so it looks really clean and nice. I skipped checking in at the front desk which was one of the biggest drawbacks last time.

Without expressing any preferences, I was in a nice, quiet area. I never heard one peep. I heard one pee from next door, but not a peep. No kids running around, nothing. I was very close to the parking lot, but on a corner near a small wooded area. Perfect, thank you! Loved the location. Room 4512.

The room, honestly, is just a shade better than the newly remodeled Red Roofs, which is fine. It was only - what, under $20 more, so that's completely appropriate, especially with the little perks and even the food court, gift shop, etc. I think it was a very good deal. And I paid half cash and half points, so it was only about $80 out of pocket with taxes for 2 nights.

I was pleasantly surprised all around. The food court was smaller than POP and Art of A. If POP's is a step down from AofA, then this is a step down from POP. Smaller, fewer selections (or so it seemed.) It also seems smaller when you walk in because of the way it's built - there seems to be a long narrow expanse to the right, which I never walked through.

I almost got the Mickey waffles - but, $10 - and I didn't really care for bacon this morning. So I got a mini-loaf of banana bread for I think $3.75 and that was fine. I don't usually eat breakfast, but needed to soak up some of the Crown I accidentally drank at karaoke at the Swan last night (more on that later, too!)

But at least you know they have the Mickey waffles! Pretty sure they were at two stations.

If I want to nitpick (I don't) but being objective: the in-room telephone didn't work. I would never have noticed except when I went to call down to see if I needed to come to the front desk for check out or not (there was no invoice left under my door as usual.) I did not have to go down, but I mentioned the phone to the front desk just in case that might bother the next guest. I did check and it was plugged in.

Yes, the old finding a hair on the bathtub thing happened. Ack, I hate that so much. But realistically, it's pretty hard to always avoid that. No biggie, again just objectively mentioning any negatives after all those positives.

I brought my own towel and pillow. When I walked in, I noticed one bed had 2 pillows and the other had one. Thought nothing of it, added my pillow to the bed with only one, and slept in that one. Later I noticed the other pillow was on the floor between the bed and the wall and had been there the whole time. Now, IMO, carpeted Hotel floors must be nasty, right? So I didn't want that on my face. I moved it away from the area entirely, hoping they would replace it but didn't leave a note or anything.

When I got back from my daily stuff, there were two pillows on each bed. I had no way of knowing if they were clean or not. So I switched the pillows with the other bed LOL.

Also, I brought some hand sanitizer and used a tissue to wipe the handles, knobs, etc. When I wiped the remote - oooh did a lot of nasty come off of that thing.

None of this is complaining, I never said anything about it. But we all have different standards, so maybe someone else would be making an "Unmagical Day at Magic Kingdom" post about it. Just putting all the info out there - and heading to Epcot. Will fill in all our park adventures and what not when I can.

Long story short (too late) the little All Stars are back in rotation as possible stays for us for a non-special occasion quickie trip, but only when they are on sale under $80.

 

[Tuvalu]

Very thorough and objective. Thanks again!

 

[MinnieM123]

For @MinnieM123
View attachment 185257

I feel a little creepy taking pictures of other peoples' kids, but they keep getting in my shot with the characters LOL.

Now, what's with these people and their giant white boards?

View attachment 185258

Awww . . . thank you for the cute Minnie photo! (And, yes, dang those kids who are always in the camera range when the characters come out! )

 

[Tony the Tigger]

OK backing up a little bit...the late start, etc. - the first day - driving up:

I had booked the rental car for 3:30PM pickup. It was a new place we'd never tried, and I thought it was closer than it was. I had a lot to do (leaving the business takes some planning, and this was a last minute trip so I had to wrap some things up - and then more things came up during the day that needed to be addressed, etc.) So my day of packing, resting, and tying up loose ends turned into a full day of work (and then some.) Plus we were supposed to have an early dinner with Brian's Dad for his Dad's bday. Didn't know until that afternoon whether it would be at a restaurant, at the house, what time, etc. His dad's health is good and bad at various times, and that car accident up in NY made matters worse.

So it was planned for 4:30 at his Dad's house, leaving us time to go pick up the car. We would bring the chow (the food, not Kylie.)

Naturally, I was a few minutes late getting us out the door, and as I said, the place was not as close as I thought. But I've never had an issue picking up a rental car a little late (or even a little early.) We finally got to the place, Brian dropped me off, and I walked up to the door. It was locked. They closed at 4PM. It was 4:08PM. What kind of car rental place closes at 4PM on a Wednesday? This one.

...the one with a 2 star yelp page that shows it closes at 4:30 on Wednesday (and is closed on Saturdays?)

Luckily, I had booked through Orbitz (and Brian circled back around to pick me up right away) so I called Orbitz and they said I hadn't been charged yet, wouldn't be charged, no penalty, etc. It's just canceled. Great. Started looking for another nearby quick booking, and suddenly my $36 rental was more like $75 and up. Kept going, played with the numbers and got lucky - enterprise had one for $41 (total for the 3 days.) We were a few blocks from home, but turned around to go get it. Brian was kind of annoyed. I was annoyed, as I usually plan more carefully. And we were already late for dinner (and we were bringing the dinner.) It was now 5PM.

At this point, I stopped worrying about trying to get up to WDW as early as possible and do anything Wednesday night. Brian went home to get ready and pick up dinner, and I would meet them shortly. I could finish packing afterwards. Rather than trying to race up there for who knows what, I had family right here to enjoy a nice evening, and we did. I'm really glad we did. Didn't rush, had a nice time, went home.

I finished packing (finally - my goodness, for 3 days you'd think it was a month) and planning (leaving the things Brian needed to bring on the table - dog bowls, etc.) and - DAMN - I still had to bring some things to my store for the guys to work on while I was away. There was no avoiding that. To be efficient, on the way, I called WDW and confirmed my room, which had not yet been assigned (or at least not texted or emailed to me.) Got in and out of there quickly, got on the road, got gas (would you believe they gave me the rental car on empty? Like with the gas light lit up and everything!)

I called Brian, and we finally caught up on the day, and he talked me through the first 45 minutes or so of the ride, which made it go more quickly. My husband, such a sweetheart. Until he was ready to go to bed, I could tell in his voice LOL. Then his answers got shorter and shorter...LOL.

The rest of the ride up I was singing along with XM/Sirius radio. This is the first car rental that included it at no extra charge. It was fine, but just fine, no big deal. A lot more channels to have to scan through when you're trying to find a song you like. And I was warming up for karaoke with D at the Swan. (Very out of practice - your vocal chords are muscle, and just like when you don't go to the gym for a long time, it's bad when you don't sing for a long time.) Speaking of not going to the gym for a long time, I did some push-ups and was sore for 2 days. Time to get over to LA Fitness again, bad back or no!

As I already mentioned, I was happy with the room. Arrived around 12:23 I think. And right to sleep - alarm set for rope drop - which you already know happened, finally!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Luckily, Brian packed some leftover Chinese for me from dinner, which was perfect after checking in to not have to try and locate food so late.

I saved the eggroll for the morning, not being much of a breakfast person, but knowing I would have to take some Tylenol with some food LOL.

Got up early, but still didn't get out of bed until close to 7:30. I was reading all the tips about when to get there for rope drop and so forth. Despite my best efforts to arrive before 8 AM, I made it through to Main Street about 8:30 AM. This was fine actually because nothing happens until 8:55 AM. Rather than shopping, I got way up in the front before there was a big crowd. I thought about waiting near one of the "spokes" of the hub to get to a ride quickly afterwards; but the whole purpose of this was to see the welcome show, so that would be my main focus. I was this close to the stage:

And actually ended up moving up a little closer. Some random shots:

It was short and fun! As I said before, definitely worth it once and if I was a natural early bird I would do it again, but I wouldn't make special efforts to wake everyone up and get there so early. So glad I did it! And the way things are going lately, who knows how soon it will change into something else!?

I never even knew there was a rope drop until reading these boards. So thanks, WDWMagic.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I guess I could have done some cropping of those castle pics, sorry LOL. (Random heads at the bottom, etc.)

Now all along, the plan was for D to take the Animal Kingdom tour early in the AM, and I would do my rope drop and try to have a @Tuvalu morning at MK where I would magically walk onto every ride and so forth (with birds landing on my finger, etc.) I would go for my traditional midday break back to the room, and be well rested to meet D at AK in the afternoon.

On the tram from T&TC to MK, I got a text that she missed the tour because the one early bus from OKW to AK never came. She was pretty upset. She said the CM at OKW was pretty unsympathetic and told her (after the fact) she should have taken a cab rather than risk the bus not showing up - oh, and that it may have been a bus with no sign. She said if any bus with no sign had come by, she would have asked the driver where it was going. She spoke to the manager mainly because of that CM more so than the bus. She was offered fast passes, a credit, etc. and she refused them to make the point that it was not about trying to get something, she was genuinely upset. She had gotten up so early and planned this months ago, and didn't want to reschedule because she had other things planned for other days.

I thought they could have put her in a cab or uber at their expense the moment it was discovered. I don't know why they wouldn't have done that or reimbursed her for it. By that time, it was too late.

So she met me at MK instead! Just as the welcome show ended, she entered MK, and we met at HM - with a 5 minute wait.

We got stuck twice (I actually enjoy that at this point, because I get to examine the detail more closely, even took a couple of pics without flash.) As I'm typing this, I'm trying to download icloud on my laptop, so maybe I can post them and this will streamline my trip reporting! (old dog - new tricks.) At the end of the ride, they didn't use my name (I still have yet to see that) and they didn't even do the exploding heads or anything else in the mirrors. Not complaining, just reporting.

And this is why I like live-ish trip reporting, because a few days later, I find it hard to recall the minutiae. But basically, we had the experience I was hoping for. No fast passes, just "let's do this," and "let's do that," keeping in mind to defer to D as much as possible because it's one of her big trips every two years and I'll be back a bunch of times.

And she really wanted me to try this pineapple thing - I assumed it was the Dole whip, but not, it was pineapple on a stick, covered in chocolate. She treated me to one, and took a terrible picture of me eating it:

It was in some big mostly candy store type place that I would never go into with Brian. (Fun to experience WDW with other people!) It was supposed to come in both milk and dark chocolate. She was bummed there was no dark. I prefer milk. This was delicious, and I could fool myself into thinking it was fairly healthy. Fresh pineapple, not canned. Good chocolate, not too much. Nice morning snack! She said she'd been eating one a day. She has a mission to get everyone to try one and calls it "the choco pineapple club." My induction was the most recent. Sold! (And no, my icloud is not up yet, I have to restart the computer for it to take effect. I stole this pic from her page.)

We did Little Mermaid (not as boring as I'd remembered) and for the life of me, I can't remember what else...oh! BTMRR. OH! One of the first things we did (right after HM) was go to Liberty Square to see the Muppets. We arrived 5 minutes before showtime and sat down. At 9AM showtime, an announcement, "We're sorry, blah blah blah..." No show. That's OK, it was scheduled several more times throughout the morning. My parade, no rain.

We decided to go do Buzz Lightyear & CoP. Virtually no waits for anything. Is that giant working viewmaster and very animated Buzz new? Or have I been in a fog? Anyway, as we boarded, the CM told me, "Don't let her beat you, sir." Ha! A little sexist, but funny.

She kicked my butt.

CoP got some attention again - noticeably Father's wardrobe - there was a red sweater in one scene (maybe still there since the holidays?) Anyway, he looked less creepy than last time. But the CoP sign on the curtain in the loading scene is still tilted to the left a bit.

Can't get sick of that ride.

D went on about her preference for the previous song. I didn't feel like arguing.

OK getting hungry - lunch? D is gluten-free and strict about it, plus some other things, so I left it up to her, but suggested Columbia HH back by Liberty Square for another shot at Muppets. We went to Muppets first, arrived a few minutes before showtime, sat down. At showtime, the announcer came on, "We're sorry, blah blah blah." Awww.

At CHH, the greeter CM showed her an "allergy menu" (I didn't even know about these - they list all items for all possible allergies.) The CM literally told her she might want to eat somewhere else. The only options for her would be chicken nuggets or salad. She joked that a few years ago, every GF option was just salad. We got in line, I picked something other than the lobster roll for a change, and luckily she ordered before me, because when we got to the front of the (short) line, we were told the fryers were down, and she could only get a salad. LOL. As we walked out, they were making an announcement to everyone that the fryers were down.

Taking it in stride, she suggested LTT, which I thought would be too pricey (remember, this was an unplanned trip for me, so I had to place my splurges carefully - and preferably when Brian was there.) She suggested Cosmic Ray's. OK. At Cosmic Ray's, the moment she mentioned allergies to a random cast member, another cast member appeared who was the "designated allergy person." D actually thought this was a joke at first, until the CM explained, no really, that was her job. She went over the menu with D, stood in line with D, and placed the order for D. There is a corresponding second allergy CM in the back who makes sure things go smoothly and things that ought not be mingled are not mingled. I was impressed and at the same time. But I know that can be very important to some people with severe allergies, so more impressed.

No surprise, I opted for the bbq pulled pork sandwich - first time at this location - and was pleasantly surprised again. It was very good, packed with pork, and no fat. It kind of made me want the one from CBR that has the Caribbean relish on it, but still I enjoyed it more than I thought I would enjoy lunch at Cosmic Ray's! All in all, a great morning with several new experiences, and fun catching up with D on things you'd be bored to hear about. (I was bored to hear about some of them, and if she ever joins this board, I'll have to quickly edit these posts LOL.)

The next Muppets was in 30 minutes. I decided I didn't want to wait that long on a maybe, and it was time for my afternoon chill period (about 1PM.) I also had to catch up on work, etc. She was going to hop on the inter-park bus (the new one where you pay to never have to go the parking lot or go through security again) to AK, and I would meet her back there later in the afternoon, with the plan to add me to her ADR at Tiffins.

gotta restart the computer for the apple thing to take effect.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Oh, one more thing first because I already collected the quotes:

You probably could have used the code. I forgot to book a bounce back code once and on the drive home I called reservations and they gave it to me.

Yeah, I thought of that, too – a little too late. Sometimes my brilliance is a few hours behind LOL

When I went back to my room after lunch, the first thing I did was hunt for a bounce back code, and found it. I called in, and was able to amend my reservation for the anniversary at the GF. It was discounted 30% - so that means for a 3 night stay, we basically saved the price of one night. That's awesome. I may not bother trying to change it to a DVC rental - D was saying she didn't think you could do DVC rental for a concierge room, and I really want to do the concierge room - any insights?

Also, I mentioned to the CM how I had accidentally missed the last bounce back because it was emailed to me, and I didn't check my email until we were in the car on the way home.

She confirmed they will accept the code until 10PM on the day of checkout. FYI!

So this gives me peace of mind, not worrying if I will miss the fall specials or be too late to get the discounts. I think there may be a slight chance they do 35% passholder discount as we get closer? If they do, I'll go for it, but if not, it's already great. I had to pay one full night when I first booked, so I have less than a third to pay off. I'll have the Disney Savings account for that and saving more points all the time.
I have to reread the restrictions on what you can use the DSA to pay for and make sure I do everything correctly.

Restarting the PC...

 

[Tuvalu]

I walked up to the door. It was locked. They closed at 4PM. It was 4:08PM. What kind of car rental place closes at 4PM on a Wednesday?

If my business was on South Andrews Ave I would close at 4 pm too [/QUOTE]

 

[Tuvalu]

Now all along, the plan was for D to take the Animal Kingdom tour early in the AM, and I would do my rope drop and try to have a @Tuvalu morning at MK where I would magically walk onto every ride and so forth (with birds landing on my finger, etc.)

I've never had a single bird land on my finger!

And she really wanted me to try this pineapple thing - I assumed it was the Dole whip, but not, it was pineapple on a stick, covered in chocolate. She treated me to one, and took a terrible picture of me eating it

Chocolate covered fresh pineapple is YUM-O!

It was in some big mostly candy store type place that I would never go into with Brian.

Big Top Souvenirs (in Storybook Circus)

D went on about her preference for the previous song. I didn't feel like arguing.

I'm with D. "Now is the time, Now is the best time, Now is the best time of your life...." (I could go on, but I'll spare you!)

 

[Tuvalu]

When I went back to my room after lunch, the first thing I did was hunt for a bounce back code, and found it. I called in, and was able to amend my reservation for the anniversary at the GF. It was discounted 30% - so that means for a 3 night stay, we basically saved the price of one night.

That's terrific news! Now if @BuddyThomas had only followed my instructions to book the bounce back offer....

Also, I mentioned to the CM how I had accidentally missed the last bounce back because it was emailed to me, and I didn't check my email until we were in the car on the way home. She confirmed they will accept the code until 10PM on the day of checkout. FYI!

I did not know this piece of valuable info, thanks!

I think there may be a slight chance they do 35% passholder discount as we get closer?

There'e always a chance. I booked a bounce back for May and was able to save more with the AP discount.

 

[MinnieM123]

I don't know much about the Florida car rental market (it's been years since I rented a car down there). However, a car rental place that closes at 4 p.m. -- AND -- I also noticed in the picture you posted, that it's CLOSED on both Saturday and Sunday??!!! What the heck kind of rental location is that??!!! The franchisee of that location must be independently wealthy, because I can't imagine a business with those limited hours making much money at all !!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I've never had a single bird land on my finger!

D had a single bird's "gift" land on her finger that morning at MK. Fortunately she was carrying around a backpack and one of the things in it was wipes! (I also bugged her for hand sanitizer after Buzz Lightyear.)

However, a car rental place that closes at 4 p.m. -- AND -- I also noticed in the picture you posted, that it's CLOSED on both Saturday and Sunday??

I can only assume their yelp page is out of date. Orbitz would not let you rent outside of store hours. So if their daytime times were wrong, their weekend times were probably wrong also.

When I was trying to find a replacement, I put in that I would pick up at 5 PM and return at 4 PM and got very few results and they were all very expensive. But I changed it to returning at 3 PM, that's when enterprise popped up – because they close at 3 PM on Saturday!

Here are a couple of those shots from being stuck in haunted mansion:

And the display case where we got the pineapple – I just thought it was pretty – I've been doing merchandising since I was a kid. And again, we never stop to look at these things.

Another old friend visited me in the room during break time:

This is one of two Crown APPLE flavor B got me for Christmas. (I try to order it everywhere we go, and usually nobody has it.) We had a lovely time catching up.

Not because of the crown, I was at least an hour late getting back. Most of the time was spent on work. I think I fell asleep for about 20 minutes, much-needed. ( Crown Apple read me a bedtime story LOL.)

I let D know I was running a little late, but would definitely make Tiffins before our 6pm ADR.

On the way in, I rented an entire private tram all for myself.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We both got over to Tiffins about 5:45 and were seated right away. It was very nice inside. High ceilings, unique decor, separate rooms. I think we were in the Safari room(?) The server explained it was designed based on when the imagineers were planning AK. I found that interesting, more so than a "regular theme."

The menu looked great. They were very accommodating when D asked if we could split a soup. She made a joke about it that we're friends but not close enough to share soup out of one bowl. They poured it into two bowls for us. It was the:

Lobster-Popcorn Thai Curry Soup
Lime-Basil Emulsion, Popped Sorghum

...and it was absolutely delicious - next time, I'm getting a whole bowl for sure.

The chef came to the table to discuss her food allergies, etc. He made a special quick bread/cracker for her (you'll see it in the pic) and I had a little regular bread.

D ordered the chicken with a slight alteration, and I ordered the duck, which was *divine*

Pan-seared Duck Breast
Leg Confit, Forest Mushrooms, Parsnip Purée, Truffle Reduction, Huckleberry Compote

OK I'm not loving the icloud on the laptop thing. Posting pics from the phone.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Some artwork from our dining room:

The duck entree:

(Hey, it's not your cue yet! You're in the story later. Now I need the duck entree!)

Thank you! Again, this was fantastic, right up there with anything we've gotten from the old Flying Fish Cafe. Absolutely loved it, and took the suggested wine pairing.

We did not order dessert, were already full, but each ordered some hot mint tea because we knew we were heading over to the Swan shortly for karaoke. That was the big surprise when the bill came - each tea was something like $14. They brought you a whole little pot (like at a Chinese restaurant) but I probably would have skipped it if we had seen it on the menu.

That said, our 20% off AP discounts came in very handy, and for whatever reason, she comped my wine! So that was almost a wash with the tea.

Very highly recommend Tiffins, and have a feeling we will end up at the Nomad Lounge in the future.

At the end of the meal, we each received a replica of a drawing by Joe Rohde from when he was researching building AK.

And when we got out of Tiffins around 8, AK was deserted! I had forgotten to expect that, so it was eerie and weird and cool at the same time.

So I still haven't seen the tree awakening - still on my to do list with Muppets. But Tiffins was awesome.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

No pics for this, but we got to Kimonos at the Swan a few minutes before nine. Then we found out karaoke didn't start until 9:30 PM LOL. That was fine, I got a head-start on my cocktail. D just drank water.

Just like when Brian and I did this the last time, D and I pretty much took over the room. That's not really saying much since there were maybe only six singers total LOL. But still, we both got great response from the crowd, especially one very full table right in the front of the room - it was a business group letting off some steam and they were very into it and very supportive. The wait staff especially loved D and kept insisting we had to come back the next night. I knew that would be rough, because I would have Kylie the next night.

But we had a really great time, got to sing many songs because there were so few singers. And then at the end of the night, somebody got up and sang God bless America, and the whole room sang along. I was just about to use the restroom before we left, and a woman from our favorite table got up on the stage immediately afterwords, took the microphone and said something about "make America great again." Well, @BuddyThomas !

( I just deleted four paragraphs about what else happened and some political stuff.)

And this is one reason I wanted to be at WDW for Friday - complete immersion and zero acknowledgement of the transition of power.

Coming up: "take the ticket," a DVC tour, something behind the scenes, and passing out in the car.