Trip Report 2 broke guys and the deluxe bday trip!

Yes, yes, I know we just got back. We went in the middle of December, then again for Christmas, then again in the middle of January, and now - our third month in a row…

When: Feb 2-4
Where: All-Star Music, and All-Star Music (you’ll see.)
Who:

Tony

And Brian

Wait, wait - that’s not right. Pretty close, but not right. Let’s try again.

Tony

And Brian

OK but those were reject “blooper” pics from our last TR. Here’s one where we’re overdressed:

That’ll do.

And…Mickey.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

The young woman responded, “You’re good!” We proceeded!

That 20 minute wait? Try zero minutes! It was a walk on. I don’t know why they didn’t adjust the time estimate.

Very hard to take pictures on this ride! They all come out blurry. Got one:

Time check: 12:26am. What next?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

What next?

No, I’m not mistaken. Here’s the logic: it’s a walk on. And it’s usually a long line that we avoid! And we already got clearance from the people working the entrance, so why go plead our case again elsewhere, when we can just go again?

Puppy.

So we did Peter Pan twice in a row in a very short period of time. That banked something like two hours, or so I’m telling myself. Very cool.

Next:

I noticed a wait time of 13 minutes!

They did not scan our bands.

Time check just before the hanging: 12:38 AM.

ETA: as soon as we sat in our doom buggy, Brian asked, “Where’s my phone?“

He thought he left it on Peter Pan. Or maybe it was small world? Probably Peter Pan.

It’s more difficult to enjoy the ride when you’re wondering if your phone is being stolen as we listen to Madame Leota.

Once exiting the cemetery, we hurried back to Peter Pan and asked if they had found a phone? They had! It took just a few minutes for someone to get it back for Brian from a secure location. Bravo, WDW CMs!! Thank you! Whew!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Could we possibly squeeze in one more after that slight delay?

Time check: 12:56am! They did not check our bands.

Woo hoo!

I knew I’d find him here!

Brian had that look like, “Should I get you one?”

I gave him that look like, “We should get the heck out of here, these kids want to go home.”

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Very random parting shots.

I have to say, for the brief amount of time we had, we had the best time! This felt almost like a caper of sorts. And we got a lot done, quickly!

Back to the “very close” hotel for some shuteye.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Next morning, I did something I debated back and forth as to whether it was responsible or kind of irresponsible, but it was a birthday gift to myself:

I paid off my car.

I knew if I didn’t do it here, I wouldn’t do it home. We’re going into the slowest time of year, and cash flow will be that much tighter. But I’ll save on interest! Very happy.

And while I may not have hit my exact goal weight and shape (and was bloated all week!) For age 54 and married 18 years, I’ll take it, and keep going.

There’s that elevator again.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

You’ll recall over the last several trips, I ditched Brian early in the morning, and spent another day alone.

Even though we drove up together, I could’ve done the same thing. It didn’t feel right with the personal celebrations. And really, we had spent the “extra” day together by getting a room Wednesday night.

We couldn’t linger in the morning because Brian had to be at work at 3 PM, which means he had to leave our house by 2 PM, which means we needed to leave Disney by 11 AM.

That doesn’t mean we were finished.

Did I say we were finished?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Well, we were almost finished.

I had some ideas the night before, ruled some out, and decided to see what time we were both reasonably awake and ready, so as not to stress ourselves trying to go back to Magic Kingdom super early or something. That effort is not worth it when you come out frazzled.

But we did wake up early enough and were packed well enough to book a brunch on our way out.

We checked out of the wannabe Star Wars hotel that pretended to be super close to Walt Disney World, and drove to the Grand Floridian.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Yes, of course we had a reservation. It was for about 10:15 AM. I figured 45 minutes was plenty of time for a nice meal, and we wouldn’t be hungry on the road. Brian would be more likely to nap in the car.

But you see, what we had been told earlier was true. These signs were up at at least some of the resorts.

We scored a nice window seat in the morning sun.

Brian ordered a coffee, and I, one of my favorite pre-noon drinks:

I know I’ve posted this drink before. The honeycomb really makes it.

Where’s the honeycomb?

After a few sips, I really felt the drink was missing something. I stirred the glass to see if the honeycomb had sunk to the bottom? I did find something down there. Some little blob of something.

It was a piece of candied ginger.

Out of curiosity, when our server returned, I asked if they were out of the honeycomb? He didn’t think so, and would bring me one.

He returned with a plate of candied ginger.

Yes, they were in fact out of honeycomb. The chef decided to substitute the ginger. Hey, I like ginger.

He finally thought to offer me a baby jar of honey. I gladly accepted. That made the drink right! Well done, CM. Nice save.

Things were taking a little longer than expected, though.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Brian ordered a simple breakfast platter. I ordered, again, what has become a favorite: the grand Floridian eggs Benedict. This is the one that comes with pulled pork instead of Canadian bacon/ham. It’s phenomenal.

In the meantime, these guys came and dug a bunch of holes around this tree.

It was kind of fascinating. Drill a hole, stuff a plant in there, next hole, repeat.

The food came kind of late, but not too bad.

Except…they brought me regular eggs Benedict…with the ham.

I can’t go for that (no can do.) I had to ask for a refire. That came much more quickly, but this pic was taken at 10:54.

It was so worth it. Hey, I’m not the one who was going to be late to work!

And at 11:04

Nice job! And in the time it took to get my breakfast. They were on to the next tree.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

As much as I hate to wrap it up, I need to wrap it up. I’ll spend the next 4 weeks mostly working on taxes for the biz. (Maybe I’ll need a little trip afterwards?) Hmm…I think my staff may revolt.

They don’t have to know!

It was nice to visit the GF unplanned that morning.

Goodbye, GF! Goodbye for now, WDW.

We made great time until we listened to Siri’s advice to move from the Turnpike to I-95 and then hit bumper to bumper traffic. We should have known better. Brian was late, but not bad.

The steady rains continue, but mercifully, no hurricanes yet. We celebrated 18 years on Monday quietly with a movie (The Conjuring) and ordering in. I had been teetering on the edge of Disney “ick” since we had gotten home, and it seemed to catch up with me that day. I’m feeling much better today, though!

Bring on those taxes.

Still to do, hopefully this year:

The new Test Track.
Guardians with Dramamine.
The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere in Vegas.

The trip planning continues!

Thanks for following along! I may go look at room rates now. Shall we do Christmas again?

 

[Swissmiss]

Thanks for bringing us along - your trips are always fun and full of surprises and I really like being able to have armchair couch participation in them

 

[MinnieM123]

The trip planning continues!

Thanks for following along! I may go look at room rates now. Shall we do Christmas again?

YES!!!

Tony, you've outdone yourself with this most recent TR. I was on the edge of my seat, reading about how you managed to fit in so many experiences, in such a tight timeframe. Happy that you and Brian had such a fun vacation, and thanks for taking us all along!!

 

[93boomer]

As much as I hate to wrap it up, I need to wrap it up. I’ll spend the next 4 weeks mostly working on taxes for the biz. (Maybe I’ll need a little trip afterwards?) Hmm…I think my staff may revolt.

They don’t have to know!

It was nice to visit the GF unplanned that morning.

View attachment 882759

Goodbye, GF! Goodbye for now, WDW.

We made great time until we listened to Siri’s advice to move from the Turnpike to I-95 and then hit bumper to bumper traffic. We should have known better. Brian was late, but not bad.

The steady rains continue, but mercifully, no hurricanes yet. We celebrated 18 years on Monday quietly with a movie (The Conjuring) and ordering in. I had been teetering on the edge of Disney “ick” since we had gotten home, and it seemed to catch up with me that day. I’m feeling much better today, though!

Bring on those taxes.

Still to do, hopefully this year:

The new Test Track.
Guardians with Dramamine.
The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere in Vegas.

The trip planning continues!

Thanks for following along! I may go look at room rates now. Shall we do Christmas again?

Lovely trip for you!! So happy you enjoyed your time there.
Hoping you do another Christmas trip. We won’t be seeing the decos this year. Another trip with family at the beach.
Thanks for sharing always!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I’ll spend the next 4 weeks mostly working on taxes for the biz. (Maybe I’ll need a little trip afterwards?) Hmm…
The trip planning continues!
I may go look at room rates now. Shall we do Christmas again?

My challenge to you in February:

You’ll need 3 more WDW trips before 12/31/25 to do so. Just sayin’.

 

[dizfan917]

What a fun trip!! You've inspired me to see if there is a Sip! Savor! Sparkle! event in December when we're there. I've been sick for 15 days now post Disneyland... I hope yours doesn't return. blah.

Looking forward to the day when we can meet for a drink with @Tuvalu and her posse (and maybe @Figment Forever and the fam, too!). Thanks for the great report!! and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!! mine is next week. Go Virgos!

 

[Bullseye1967]

Thanks for another great TR!!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

My challenge to you in February:
View attachment 882786

You’ll need 3 more WDW trips before 12/31/25 to do so. Just sayin’.

 

[93boomer]

View attachment 882923

You can do it Tony!!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

What a fun trip!! You've inspired me to see if there is a Sip! Savor! Sparkle! event in December when we're there. I've been sick for 15 days now post Disneyland... I hope yours doesn't return. blah.

Looking forward to the day when we can meet for a drink with @Tuvalu and her posse (and maybe @Figment Forever and the fam, too!). Thanks for the great report!! and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!! mine is next week. Go Virgos!

I need to hear how Disneyland was! Hopefully I can tag along for the drink with you, Tuvvalu, Tony and Figment Forever sometime! And Happy early Birthday!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

My challenge to you in February:
View attachment 882786

You’ll need 3 more WDW trips before 12/31/25 to do so. Just sayin’.

You’re probably keeping better track of my trips than I, but friendly reminder: there was an extra visit before this trip report began.

What a fun trip!! You've inspired me to see if there is a Sip! Savor! Sparkle! event in December when we're there. I've been sick for 15 days now post Disneyland... I hope yours doesn't return. blah.

Looking forward to the day when we can meet for a drink with @Tuvalu and her posse (and maybe @Figment Forever and the fam, too!). Thanks for the great report!! and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!! mine is next week. Go Virgos!

Sip, Savor is highly recommended at this point!

I need to hear how Disneyland was! Hopefully I can tag along for the drink with you, Tuvvalu, Tony and Figment Forever sometime! And Happy early Birthday!

I think we’re all overdue for a magicians meet up!