Trip Report I am Jack's raging excitement

Merry Christmas to all my WDW Magic friends! We just returned from a wonderful 9 days at Disney that was jam packed with fun, food, and of course....these little beauties,

We truly had many wonderful experiences and of the many trips we have had at WDW , this was one of our most memorable ones. I was eager to get this reported started as soon as we got home, but shortly after our return I was in a pretty bad car accident which slowed me down a bit.

Thankfully I am ok, aside from a mild/moderate concussion when my head slammed into the steering wheel. The drivers of the other cars were ok as well. But lets rewind to appx two weeks ago when my radiator was not lodged into my engine and C and I were heading off to the warmer temperatures of Orlando!

As usual, we left the house early in the am in an effort to beat Atlanta traffic. We left around 6 am and within minutes there was an update on the radio that the highway was completely shut down due to an accident. We took an alternate route, but so did everyone else who had exited the expressway.

It normally takes us about 20 minutes to get to Atlanta once we got on the highway, but with the hwy shut down it took a little over an hour. But once we got passed the accident and got back on the expressway, we cruised the rest of the way. A few hours later were in Fla!

We stopped out or favorite breakfast spot in Gainesville, Maple Street Biscuit, for a quick meal.

We got our food to go so we would not loose to much time. I'll say this, an ooey-gooey chicken bacon gravy biscuit is even better when its served in a small bowl.

As we got in the car, we noticed this man walking around the parking lot for someone to flash?

We think he was looking for Phyliss from "The Office", haha.

We like stopping at Gainesville not only for the amazing biscuits, but also because its a little under two hours from WDW so it helps make the last leg of the drive feel pretty short. We take the 429 toll to Apopka becuase there is an awesome Publix we stop at to grab stuff for the room.

We always get some our our "go to" beers (New Belgium) and I also get an experimental brew as well. Last trip in July I tried the Bimini Row and I was not pleased. This trip I went with Funky Buddha "Top Gun". I shall report on it later...And please note the Vitamin Water. Those who read my last TR may remember my nocturnal IBS and I was not about to let it happen again, lol!!! And C always gets lots of healthy fruits and snacks too!

We also take the 429 so we can exit off Western Way and take the back entrance to WDW which spares us from driving through Orlando traffic and is a much more peaceful drive, IMO.

For the holidays, some prefer to to be beneath the mistletoe, but we prefer to be under these...

Up next... checking in to our resort!

 

[MinnieM123]

Honestly....no I did not.

Hmm . . . is that a little tarnished spot I see on the Shirley halo?

 

[Tuvalu]

Hmm . . . is that a little tarnished spot I see on the Shirley halo?

You tell me....

 

[fractal]

Very true. The rif raf of the deluxes are the type of people with the arrogant and pompous attitude.

Wife and I were having lunch one day a few months ago and a lady overheard us talking about Disney and planning to watch fireworks from Top of The World Lounge at BLT. The woman felt the need to chime in with an extremely arrogant tone and tell us, "Top of The World" is ONLY for DVC members and you wont be able to get in". I replied with, "yes, we know that". She then tells us that she has DVC and shes been to Top of The World, blah, blah, blah. I did not feel the need to tell her we have DVC nor did she ask as she continued to gloat and tell us about a Disney cruise she went on.

Then she tells us that we should look into buying DVC. Thats when I said we are actually already members and purchased it a few months ago. I raised my glass to her and said "welcome home"! Instead of raising her glass and joining in the moment, she gets a rude look on her face and asks "where"? I told her BWV. She says, "oh, you must have bought a small points contract through resale" (still with a judgmental look on her face). Since she wanted to play that game, I let her know we have a good amount of points and it was already paid off (because I figured she would ask that next) and that we are looking at getting a second DVC. She just rambled on with her arrogance and spouted off a few things about the parks that were completely wrong but I wasnt about it debate it with her. I managed to end the conversation shortly after.

I can't stand people like that! You handled it very well.

 

[fractal]

Day 3 ctd...


We hopped off the monorail at TTC and decided to walk over to Poly. C had to use the bathroom so I waited outside for her. When she exited the bathroom, she was clearly shook up. She was nearly in tears and I asked what was wrong? She explained that a woman and her daughter had entered the restroom when she did and the little girl was running up and down the stalls kicking and pushing the doors open. C said she waited a moment to let the unruly kid (whose mother was standing at the sink doing make up or something in the mirror) and once the kid seemed to be finished, C entered one of the stalls (which were all empty). As soon as she entered, the mother began to bang on the door and was literally screaming at her saying, "how dare you cut off a child and go in the stall she was about to use!! C said the woman was banging on the door so hard it was shaking the whole stall. When she exited the stall the woman was standing there and got right in her face and continued yelling. C apologized and said she waited for her daughter. The woman continued yelling. C said she seriously felt like the woman was going to start a fight. She manged to get out of the restroom and found me. I immediately started walking to get a security guard but C said the woman had left the restroom by the time she found me and just wanted to leave. It seriously made me mad and all I wanted to do was find the woman and get security. That type of person is serious riff raff trash and has no place being at WDW with an attitude like that, let alone with a bratty child who she allows to kick open bathroom stalls.

C calmed down as we walked to Poly and I joked with her about TTC being riff raff headquarters and we wouldnt be using those bathrooms again. Soon we were qt Poly and enjoyed some more peaceful surroundings and Christmas decorations.

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We decided to head to GF and hit up Mizners lounge since we had enjoyed it a few days prior.

We got to GF and C wanted to check out a few other bath bombs and soaps before we went to the bar.

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When we arrived at Mizners it was hopping. We found a seat near the windows and we waited for a server. After 5-10 minutes there was still no server. We noticed there was only one girl waiting on every table in the bar. Seriously, just one server and every table was occupied. I decided to go to the bar. I waited after the group in front of me and when the bartender asked me what I wanted, two older guys next to me who had literally just walked up started to give him their order. He told them I was next. In an effort to be polite considering it was the holiday season, I told them go ahead and order. Without so much as a thank you, they continued giving him their order. And of course, they ordered some ridiculous girly concoctions that required the bartender to mix a bunch of different stuff. I waited and waited, and when he was finished, another guest approached him as he rang up the order and the guy was clearyl upset about the wait. As I waited, C told me the waitress had come to tour table so I just sat back down. A complete waste of about another ten minutes. The waitress came by and greeted us and I was bit happier thinking we would soon have our beers. Not some random mixed drink with 18 different ingredients and a fancy umbrella, just a few beers.

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The waitress never returned, lol. That smile faded pretty quickly.

We had been there at least 25 minutes and as we watched the girl do her best to keep up, we realized it was hopeless. Several other guests were stopping her to complain which only slowed her down. We were surprised that at no point a manager or someone else showed up to help her. We just left.

We were a bit frustrated and decided that a nice boat ride to MK would be nice. We headed into the QS spot to grab a beer and headed to the docks. I thought I had taken a beer pic but I guess my camera was turned around and this is what I got, lol.

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I admired this cool orange and apple dispenser and managed to get a proper pic of it.

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Of course when we got to the dock, the boat was pulling off and the CM announced that the next boat would be there in appx 25 minutes due to a delay. At this point, We had just had it with trying to make a good afternoon at GF and walked back to the monorail. We fully expected the monorail line to be ridiculous, but it wasnt. We hopped right on and got to MK and bid good riddance to GF for the day.

MK quickly lifted our spirits and we were ready for some fun.

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I was able to get a FP for Space Mtn so we headed to TL.

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Up next.. more MK

I feel terrible for C having gone through that experience with that nutcase. Maybe there was something in the water that day? Another reason to drink beer instead.

 

[wdisney9000]

Honestly....no I did not.

Just goes to show how awesome WDW is. As many times as we all have been, we can still find "new" things that have been there for years

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

So sorry for C and that horribly rude woman! Sorry about all your frustrations on the way to MK! At least you finally got your beers! YAY! A Space Mountain Fast Pass!!!
WE love SDMT in the dark!
The Wishing Book looks very cool!

 

[DisSplash]

Thanks for the tip to NEVER use the TTC bathrooms ... some people!!!

Sorry to hear about your GF experience ... that had to be so frustrating sitting there forever and never getting served. And to then have adults cutting you in line at the bar ... ugh.

And I never knew about the wishing book either! I will definitely need to look for it next time ...

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 3 cntd


We arrived at Epcot and headed straight to Norway for, what else,.....beer! Sure, there plenty of spots to grab a beer before Norway, but C really likes the Auss ale and I am always down for an Einstock.

I snapped a pic of the Festival of The Holidays projection.

This was about our fifth stop (this trip) at Norway pavilion for a beer. We go inside the bakery even thought its a smaller pour than the cart outside but its $1 less per beer, but thats not why we go in the bakery. The cart usually has a line and then when people finally get to order, they act like they havent been standing there with PL

ENTY of time to look at the menu and they ask the CM a million questions. One of my favorites is when they ask the CM, "which one do you like better"? smh, its red wine, white wine, or beer. Its not a tough decision and you shouldnt need the 19 year old kid behind the cart to decide for you. So ya, we go inside because its usually quiker to get our beer.

In the bakery, we normally just move along the line and wait our turn, but this time the polite CM told us we could just bypass the line and order at the register since we werent getting food. Yes! And for the rest of our trip, that is exactly what we did and it was definitely even faster now. Just an FYI if you get beer in the bakery.



We strolled through WS with our drinks and stopped at Japan

And then we had Shirley Status in the Kawai exhibit!

C loves Kitty White! But our favorite is... Salary Man!

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 3 cntd


A quick wrap up of day 3.

We headed back towards the Boardwalk and C went to the room while I hit up Big River Brewery for some food. But might as well have a beer first.

I ordered the Belgian Witbier. Ive had it there before and its always a good beer to start with, IMO.

And might as well order another beer while I wait for the food.

I stuck with the belgian theme and got a Tripel this time. I really enjoy Tripels and this one didnt disappoint. And with an ABV of 10%, it had a nice kick,

I ordered the cheeseburger (didnt get a pic) and took it up to the room to enjoy while C and I watched some more cooking shows. I think this time it was the Bobby Flay challenge show. As I finished my food, I got a text from a friend of mine from Chicago who was also at WDW with his wife and new born baby and they were staying at SSR. His message said they were heading to Big River Brewery for dinner. C was pretty tired and and wanted to relax in the room so I headed back down to Big River for round 2! We had a great time and many rounds of beer. We didnt take any pictures together because we too busy having a good time and by the time we left we were pretty tipsy, but dont fret, they took and Uber to Boardwalk so they got home safely, I stumbled up to the room and hit the showers and then passed out.


Up next, day 4, AK

 

[fractal]

Day 3 cntd


A quick wrap up of day 3.

We headed back towards the Boardwalk and C went to the room while I hit up Big River Brewery for some food. But might as well have a beer first.

View attachment 343887

View attachment 343889

I ordered the Belgian Witbier. Ive had it there before and its always a good beer to start with, IMO.

And might as well order another beer while I wait for the food.

View attachment 343890
View attachment 343888

I stuck with the belgian theme and got a Tripel this time. I really enjoy Tripels and this one didnt disappoint. And with an ABV of 10%, it had a nice kick,

I ordered the cheeseburger (didnt get a pic) and took it up to the room to enjoy while C and I watched some more cooking shows. I think this time it was the Bobby Flay challenge show. As I finished my food, I got a text from a friend of mine from Chicago who was also at WDW with his wife and new born baby and they were staying at SSR. His message said they were heading to Big River Brewery for dinner. C was pretty tired and and wanted to relax in the room so I headed back down to Big River for round 2! We had a great time and many rounds of beer. We didnt take any pictures together because we too busy having a good time and by the time we left we were pretty tipsy, but dont fret, they took and Uber to Boardwalk so they got home safely, I stumbled up to the room and hit the showers and then passed out.


Up next, day 4, AK

Might as well, right?

 

[Rista1313]

Day 3 cntd


A quick wrap up of day 3.

We headed back towards the Boardwalk and C went to the room while I hit up Big River Brewery for some food. But might as well have a beer first.

View attachment 343887

View attachment 343889

I ordered the Belgian Witbier. Ive had it there before and its always a good beer to start with, IMO.

And might as well order another beer while I wait for the food.

View attachment 343890
View attachment 343888

I stuck with the belgian theme and got a Tripel this time. I really enjoy Tripels and this one didnt disappoint. And with an ABV of 10%, it had a nice kick,

I ordered the cheeseburger (didnt get a pic) and took it up to the room to enjoy while C and I watched some more cooking shows. I think this time it was the Bobby Flay challenge show. As I finished my food, I got a text from a friend of mine from Chicago who was also at WDW with his wife and new born baby and they were staying at SSR. His message said they were heading to Big River Brewery for dinner. C was pretty tired and and wanted to relax in the room so I headed back down to Big River for round 2! We had a great time and many rounds of beer. We didnt take any pictures together because we too busy having a good time and by the time we left we were pretty tipsy, but dont fret, they took and Uber to Boardwalk so they got home safely, I stumbled up to the room and hit the showers and then passed out.


Up next, day 4, AK

Sounds like a blast!

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4


We got up somewhat early and I was having some coffee on the balcony while C was getting ready,....or so I thought. After about 15 minutes on the balcony, I went in to get another coffee and C is sitting on the sofa watching an infomercial for the KitchenAid Ultimate mixer machine. She look hypnotized as she stared at the TV. I asked what the heck she was doing and she went into a sales pitch for why she needed it. "I can make zucchini pasta at home"!! she exclaimed. "Yay, my favorite", i said, with a puzzled look on my face, lol.

She finally got in the shower and I made sure to take note of the mixer because I had yet to get her her "big" Christmas gift and this would be perfect! FYI, I did get it when we got home and she loves it. The only color they had left was the pastel green/blue color but she wanted the steel/carbon color. But after a few days, she said the color reminds her of 50's prime time and she wound up keeping it!


We headed to the bust stop while C had visions of homemade cucumber strings dancing in her head. This was our first time using the bus since we arrived. We have become seriously disenchanted with bus service over the last few trips. On our last trip, we waited nearly 45 minutes for a bus to AK so we had low expectations as we got to the stop. The boards with wait times for bus service were turned off. 15 minutes later, still no bus

Shortly after a bus did arrive and we were on our way. Not too bad of a wait this time.

Although it may look cold outside in that first picture, it was actually pretty warm. We were excited for our first visit of the trip to AK.

Gondola station coming along nicely.

We entered the park and headed to Everest.

C and her mom had found a new beer on our their trip in October and she wanted me to try it, so we stopped for a morning drink before getting on a roller coaster. My kinda start to an AK day!

She knows I like a good white ale! She got one as well and i was happy to have a drinking buddy!

A few minutes later we were on an expedition to the summit!

I had a little business to handle so I took some time on our descent to return a few calls.

Next up... more AK with some food and booze

 

[Rista1313]

Day 4


We got up somewhat early and I was having some coffee on the balcony while C was getting ready,....or so I thought. After about 15 minutes on the balcony, I went in to get another coffee and C is sitting on the sofa watching an infomercial for the KitchenAid Ultimate mixer machine. She look hypnotized as she stared at the TV. I asked what the heck she was doing and she went into a sales pitch for why she needed it. "I can make zucchini pasta at home"!! she exclaimed. "Yay, my favorite", i said, with a puzzled look on my face, lol.

She finally got in the shower and I made sure to take note of the mixer because I had yet to get her her "big" Christmas gift and this would be perfect! FYI, I did get it when we got home and she loves it. The only color they had left was the pastel green/blue color but she wanted the steel/carbon color. But after a few days, she said the color reminds her of 50's prime time and she wound up keeping it!


We headed to the bust stop while C had visions of homemade cucumber strings dancing in her head. This was our first time using the bus since we arrived. We have become seriously disenchanted with bus service over the last few trips. On our last trip, we waited nearly 45 minutes for a bus to AK so we had low expectations as we got to the stop. The boards with wait times for bus service were turned off. 15 minutes later, still no bus

View attachment 343892View attachment 343892

Shortly after a bus did arrive and we were on our way. Not too bad of a wait this time.

View attachment 343893

Although it may look cold outside in that first picture, it was actually pretty warm. We were excited for our first visit of the trip to AK.

View attachment 343894

Gondola station coming along nicely.

We entered the park and headed to Everest.

View attachment 343895

C and her mom had found a new beer on our their trip in October and she wanted me to try it, so we stopped for a morning drink before getting on a roller coaster. My kinda start to an AK day!

View attachment 343896

She knows I like a good white ale! She got one as well and i was happy to have a drinking buddy!

A few minutes later we were on an expedition to the summit!

I had a little business to handle so I took some time on our descent to return a few calls.

View attachment 343897


Next up... more AK with some food and booze

Yay, the phone is back!

 

[wdisney9000]

Might as well, right?

Its basically 5 o'clock at WDW ALL day EVERY day, haha

Yay, the phone is back!

The woman sitting in front of us saw it when we were looking at the screen when you exit the ride and she says in British accent, "look, that chaps on a call"! Then she sees me standing there and asks me if I was really on the phone. I didnt wanna crush her excitement so I said yes. She seemed very happy to learn it was real, lol. I have had the most odd questions over the years from people who see the picture and then see me. Most common is "we you really on the phone". I can only laugh because its obviously a corded phone which would require an outlet for power. Ive had a few people ask, "how do you get it work". Another odd one is. "where did you get that"? As if they are extremely hard to find. When I explain I simply take it from the resort room, they often seem shocked like I just revealed the secret to a magic trick, lol.

 

[Swissmiss]

So glad you’re back to conference calls

 

[krisri18]

Its basically 5 o'clock at WDW ALL day EVERY day, haha

The woman sitting in front of us saw it when we were looking at the screen when you exit the ride and she says in British accent, "look, that chaps on a call"! Then she sees me standing there and asks me if I was really on the phone. I didnt wanna crush her excitement so I said yes. She seemed very happy to learn it was real, lol. I have had the most odd questions over the years from people who see the picture and then see me. Most common is "we you really on the phone". I can only laugh because its obviously a corded phone which would require an outlet for power. Ive had a few people ask, "how do you get it work". Another odd one is. "where did you get that"? As if they are extremely hard to find. When I explain I simply take it from the resort room, they often seem shocked like I just revealed the secret to a magic trick, lol.

You know you are probably the feature story of their vacation right? Lol,anytime someone asks how their trip was they probably start with "it was great! There was a guy ON THE PHONE when we rode Everest!"

 

[bee]

I ordered the cheeseburger (didnt get a pic) and took it up to the room to enjoy while C and I watched some more cooking shows. I think this time it was the Bobby Flay challenge show.

Beat Bobby Flay! We always watch that on vacation (and cheer on the challenger!). Looooool at C being mesmerized by the KitchenAid Mixer. It's definitely #goals. Maybe one day...

I had a little business to handle so I took some time on our descent to return a few calls.

Yessss, the phone is back!

 

[Billy6]

I stuck with the belgian theme and got a Tripel this time. I really enjoy Tripels and this one didnt disappoint. And with an ABV of 10%, it had a nice kick,

I ordered the cheeseburger (didnt get a pic) and took it up to the room to enjoy while C and I watched some more cooking shows. I think this time it was the Bobby Flay challenge show. As I finished my food, I got a text from a friend of mine from Chicago who was also at WDW with his wife and new born baby and they were staying at SSR. His message said they were heading to Big River Brewery for dinner. C was pretty tired and and wanted to relax in the room so I headed back down to Big River for round 2! We had a great time and many rounds of beer. We didnt take any pictures together because we too busy having a good time and by the time we left we were pretty tipsy, but dont fret, they took and Uber to Boardwalk so they got home safely, I stumbled up to the room and hit the showers and then passed out.

"Fat, drunk and stupid is not way to go through Disney World, son"....LOL..

Awesome stuff, great report!!!

 

[MinnieM123]

We got up somewhat early and I was having some coffee on the balcony while C was getting ready,....or so I thought. After about 15 minutes on the balcony, I went in to get another coffee and C is sitting on the sofa watching an infomercial for the KitchenAid Ultimate mixer machine. She look hypnotized as she stared at the TV. I asked what the heck she was doing and she went into a sales pitch for why she needed it. "I can make zucchini pasta at home"!! she exclaimed. "Yay, my favorite", i said, with a puzzled look on my face, lol.

I had a little business to handle so I took some time on our descent to return a few calls.

Working, while on vacation -- you're such an inspiration to the rest of us. (P.S.: I laughed about your response to the phone question from the British guest -- yes, you probably did make her day! )

 

[Songbird76]

Day 4


We got up somewhat early and I was having some coffee on the balcony while C was getting ready,....or so I thought. After about 15 minutes on the balcony, I went in to get another coffee and C is sitting on the sofa watching an infomercial for the KitchenAid Ultimate mixer machine. She look hypnotized as she stared at the TV. I asked what the heck she was doing and she went into a sales pitch for why she needed it. "I can make zucchini pasta at home"!! she exclaimed. "Yay, my favorite", i said, with a puzzled look on my face, lol.

She finally got in the shower and I made sure to take note of the mixer because I had yet to get her her "big" Christmas gift and this would be perfect! FYI, I did get it when we got home and she loves it. The only color they had left was the pastel green/blue color but she wanted the steel/carbon color. But after a few days, she said the color reminds her of 50's prime time and she wound up keeping it!


We headed to the bust stop while C had visions of homemade cucumber strings dancing in her head. This was our first time using the bus since we arrived. We have become seriously disenchanted with bus service over the last few trips. On our last trip, we waited nearly 45 minutes for a bus to AK so we had low expectations as we got to the stop. The boards with wait times for bus service were turned off. 15 minutes later, still no bus

View attachment 343892View attachment 343892

Shortly after a bus did arrive and we were on our way. Not too bad of a wait this time.

View attachment 343893

Although it may look cold outside in that first picture, it was actually pretty warm. We were excited for our first visit of the trip to AK.

View attachment 343894

Gondola station coming along nicely.

We entered the park and headed to Everest.

View attachment 343895

C and her mom had found a new beer on our their trip in October and she wanted me to try it, so we stopped for a morning drink before getting on a roller coaster. My kinda start to an AK day!

View attachment 343896

She knows I like a good white ale! She got one as well and i was happy to have a drinking buddy!

A few minutes later we were on an expedition to the summit!

I had a little business to handle so I took some time on our descent to return a few calls.

View attachment 343897


Next up... more AK with some food and booze

FINALLY, you catch up on your phone calls. You were seriously slacking there!