Trip Report COMPLETED - Let's do the Time Warp (to 2013) and go find my liver!!

PART ONE - THE JUNE TRIP THAT NEVER HAPPENED

Well......this is probably not a good idea, just cause I don't have a lot of time right now, but most things I do are not good ideas, so this will fit right in perfectly with the rest of my life.

But........ since my 2015 trip report was pretty fun to write, I've since realized that I have enough pics from 2013 that I could write a sequel. Errr......prequel.

However, be warned, that with the exception of Godfather II and Aliens and maybe a few more that I'm not recalling right now, sequels and prequels generally suck, so don't expect too much.

Of course, this particular trip had at least three major disasters, one of which takes place right away, so at least you can expect a bit of drama.

So with that in mind, travel back in time with me two whole years, folks, to the delightful 2013. Miley Cyrus twerked. Anne Hathaway won an Oscar. Reese Witherspoon got arrested for drunk driving, and Lohan went to rehab. As you may recall, it was a VERY eventful year.

And over on Long Island, Phil and Buddy had been saving for the trip to end all trips for over a year. To remind you, Phil does not agree to go to Disney easily, and every time he does, it's like a freaking miracle. He acts very put upon, like it is a great hell for him to go. He acts like he's just agreed to eat a scorpion covered in grape jelly.

This time, we had decided on Yacht Club for June 2013. After a year of planning and saving and reserving restaurants, and waiting, it was finally the day before the trip. And then my phone rang at work.

It was Phil.

His 90++++ grandmother had just passed away.

Trip instantly cancelled.

So that's the end of the trip report folks, thanks for reading.

Kidding.

So, Phil's grandmother had been almost catatonic for a very long time, and although we were not at all expecting this to happen the exact day before we were supposed to leave, we knew it was a possibility. For that reason, we had flight insurance, and that was refunded, and although we did not have insurance for the room (not sure if that even exists), Disney refunded every last penny within 24 hours. They were so cool about the whole thing.

This was a very difficult situation - no one ever wants a Disney vacation replaced by a funeral - Basically happiness replaced by sadness. It was completely awful on so many levels.

Yeah, that's a horrible pic but we were feeling horrible.

Luckily this guy was there to try to cheer us up. He was secretly happy, because he wasn't going to get left alone with a cat sitter for five nights.

Phil and I were both really, seriously sad. Obviously about the death of his grandmother, but also about the ruined trip. I thought we needed something to cheer us up and as it happened, Cinderella (not the Disney version) was playing on Broadway that weekend, and I was able to get discount tickets for about fifth row center. This was kind of a life saver It was uplifting and magical and.....oh, well, please, enjoy for yourselves:



Yeah, that'll do it.

I honestly didn't think we were going to reschedule the trip, but after the show, we were feeling a bit better, and Phil said "Why don't we reschedule it for September?"

And we did.



Coming up -
Phil's birthday is in September and he milks it for every drop
Another insane drink around the world. Bristolsmom/Buzzkillington - beware!
Not So Scary turns scary when two adult males dress like Michael and John from Peter Pan
And the infamous lock out happens!

It all happens this season on.......a Disney trip report

 

[BuddyThomas]

PART TEN - BOYS BEHAVING BADLY AT A HALLOWEEN PARTY

So, months ago, when this all came about and Phil realized that he was going to be dragged through the Magic Kingdom at a Halloween Party, he decided that we had to dress like Michael and John from Peter Pan. I have no earthly idea where he came up with that idea. I told him that meant I would have to be wearing neck to toe long-sleeve pajamas in the humid Florida heat, and that we should think of costumes with, err, less costume to it. We could be pirates. Nope!!! It had to be Michael and John.

I had to give in. The last time that Phil and I dressed up for Halloween and went to the Village Halloween Parade, I put him in the most ridiculous costume imaginable, and he was so miserable that he became the Halloween b*tch from hell for the entire night.

Luckily, I just so happen to have photographic evidence of that costume. See if you think he was justified in being miserable:

That's right. I put a gigantic pumpkin on top of a 6'4 man's head. I was trying to make us be "The Spirit of Halloween". We were covered in crazy strands of cloth and leaves and glitter and of course, the giant pumpkins on our heads that actually glowed on the inside with flickering light. By the way, please notice the woman behind him sitting there on the subway as if this is just a normal day in the subway system. You could drag a dead horse through the New York City Subway and no one would blink an eye. But anyway, by the time Phil banged into something and knocked the pumpkin off his head for the 35th time, he had had it. In the meantime, I was having a fabulous time:

Phil and I got in a huge fight that night because he was not having any fun and made us go home early, and needless to say, that was the last Halloween we ever went out again. Which is not cool for me, because I LOVE Halloween. Hey, me and a group of my friends even won a costume contest once as the cast of Carrie, which is ironic, since years later I accidentally went to the California Grill dressed in Carrie's blood shirt. And although I don't have any pics of that little escapade for some reason, I do happen to have some others, so in honor of October, and before we venture down Main Street dressed as toddlers, let me share with you a few Halloween memories, starting with me dressed as some glittery pirate standing next to a Cat in the Hat (I have no idea who that is, by the way):

And then one year I decided to be whatever the hell this is:

Oh hello, Mr. Indian. That was back in my bartending days. As was this:

Again, I have no idea what I thought I was trying to be, but apparently, I used to like face paint, even though I was clearly no good at it and I should stick to my day job.

Then one year, my friends and I dressed up like the cast of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Here are me (Frodo) and Esmerelda on a subway downtown, and believe me, that ain't no lady.

And finally, one year I was just a little devil:

Yeah, so there you have it, and now that you know the crazy lunatic that you are dealing with, you probably have more sympathy for Phil, and you realize why I decided to take one for the team and dress in long pajamas in a Floridian heatwave.

Geez, I got off on a wild tangent there. Sorry about that. But here we are back in 2013, and we are ready for Mickey's Not So Scary:

And the party will begin momentarily!

 

[BuddyThomas]

We *love* Tune-In Lounge!! But we don't drink Dad's fairy lemonade. The regular drinks are great (ouch!) the bartenders are great (especially Julie - just when you think you're about to leave, she refills your glass!) and you can order whatever is served at the 50's Prime Time Cafe and eat it at the bar without anyone yelling at you. Trust us, give it another shot.

Been meaning to try Sci Fi Dine-in. Had a rez once and canceled. Do they have beer & likka?

Yeah they have drinks at Sci-Fi, all right. I'll definitely try Prime Time again, but probably on a trip when I leave Phil at home.

 

[catmom46]

Yeah they have drinks at Sci-Fi, all right. I'll definitely try Prime Time again, but probably on a trip when I leave Phil at home.

Oh, do let me know when you take that trip! I would love to crash it. I'll even wear a pumpkin on my head for you.

 

[BuddyThomas]

PART TEN - continued

Okay well since I am taking the day off tomorrow to avoid Pope hysteria in NYC, I'll keep this going for a bit longer.

We had a very, very, very, very early dinner reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern before the party. I'm talking 5PM.

And I posted this in my other report, but here again is our arrival at the tavern:

Ahhh. A nice clean, sweat-less pink pajamas. Let's see how that works out for me by the end of the night. And Phil was happy as could be. After all, he's basically wearing a dress. All sorts of places for air to get in. Me, not so much.

So, it took forever to get seated. I mean, we were standing there for over an hour past our reservation time. When we asked why, they told us that they had "campers", and explained that people without tickets to the Halloween party were camping out at their tables even though they were finished with their meals so they could see a bit of the festivities before they left.

Well, that's pretty frustrating.

But people kept coming up and asking for pictures, which I thought was strange, but at least it passed the time.

Soon (well, not soon enough) we were at our table and here is Phil:

Note that he kidnapped Tink and she is in his pocket.

And here I am:

Those strange specks on us are glitter, or should I say, pixie dust. It got all over everything and was kind of a pain in the neck.

We ordered a couple of Patriot Punches with our traditional turkey dinners, but they were so sweet that of course we had to "water" them down, ahem:

Meal was great, service was wonderful, we were there for far too long, so it was time for the party. First up, I decided to put Phil in a giant teacup.

And quick selfie!!!

Then we ran into our first but not last Peter Pan of the evening, and of course we had to take a pic with him.

Yup, my costume is starting to be sweated and dripping beyond belief. At least I had apparently collected some candy, even though I didn't recall that until seeing this shot. Go figure.

Grrr. Computer freezing again. Have to reboot, and then i will finish this party up. Back to you soon.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Oh, do let me know when you take that trip! I would love to crash it. I'll even wear a pumpkin on my head for you.

I think the four or five of us would have a total Mr. Toad.

 

[BuddyThomas]

PART TEN - continued again

Okay, where were we? Oh yes, wandering around the Magic Kingdom in pink pajamas and a blue dress, with a bag of candy that I don't even remember collecting. By the way, Phil did try to find the white dress thing that John wears, but there was nothing anywhere in his size. Do you know how hard it is to find a nightshirt for a 6'4 man? It is practically impossible. When we came across that blue thing, even though it is not accurate, we just grabbed it.

Anyway, onward:

So where should Michael and John go next? Oh, I know!!

Who the hell are those two people next to us in nice cool outfits while I am about to sweat myself to death???

But Luckily, we met another Peter Pan on our way into the ride:

Errrr.....He might actually be Robin Hood or something, but close enough.

We went on a bunch of rides and had no problem with any wait times. The only time we had any issue was when Hallowishes was about to start and the area in front of the castle was so crowded that it felt dangerous. You could not move. At all. Insanity.

Eventually, it was that time of night - the end, and we headed down Main Street:

Yeah, it's dark, but that looks a bit crowded all right.

We decided to take a couple of parting shots, and here is Phil and a pumpkin. He is glad it is not on his head:

And as for me, well, this is the disaster that I was by the end of the night:

I don't know if you can tell, but that thing is totally drenched in sweat. Also, the bear is gone. I gave it to a little girl and she looked like she just won the lottery.

A quick bus ride home and we were back in the Yacht Club for our last night before Universal Studios. I don't know if you guys want to hear about that or not, but that is where the lock out of the room naked happens so maybe you do.

In the meantime, Phil says good night!

 

[MinnieM123]

Your pictures of past Halloween costumes are classics! (The pumpkin head costume on the subway was a riot, and the non-reaction from the riders would have been the same on our subways here as well. We've seen it ALL !! )

I don't know how you managed to not pass out from the heat in your pajama costume. The picture of you guys with Peter Pan in the queue line at Peter Pan's Flight was was great! Talk about timing, huh?!

Still chuckling about Phil's birthday pin--proudly worn--TWO days after his birthday!

 

[Figgy1]

I just love the jammies but would never wear something to heavy in that heat. However did you survive?

 

[BuddyThomas]

I just love the jammies but would never wear something to heavy in that heat. However did you survive?

vodka

 

[Longers]

Love your outfits - you two seem to have a lot of fun!

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

@BuddyThomas you two are just too funny. Loving this-you are such a great, vivid writer. Phil Beast really did wring that birthday button dry. What the heck happened to the Tigger cake? The vodka must have been how you survived the costumes because just thinking about being trapped in footy jammies in the Florida humidity is making me Hulk out. Can't wait for the naked lock out story.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Somebody should do an entire trip report using nothing but pictures of kittens and puppies from the Internet.

 

[DisSplash]

You guys are a total riot!! Loved all the Halloween costume pics ... we used to dress up and head out to parties every year, but then we got kids and that all stopped. Go figure! We did dress up like pirates on our first Disney cruise ... that was fun, although I somehow looked like a bloated wench in all of the pictures, so I won't be doing that again. A t-shirt and 'free' Disney pirate bandanna it is!

The Michael and John idea was genius! Your costumes were perfectly on point, but Phil's was definitely more easy and breezy. At least he didn't suggest that go as one of the Lost Boys in their furry suits (although sleeper PJ's are not that much better!). And of course I love that you passed on a bit of Disney magic of your own by gifting your bear to that little girl. So sweet!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Possessing your drinking skills at the world are my ultimate goals.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Thanks for the likes and the comments, everyone. I'll be back with the rest of this early next week, probably Monday.

 

[Figgy1]

Thanks for the likes and the comments, everyone. I'll be back with the rest of this early next week, probably Monday.

Enjoy your weekend.

 

[doylekm]

Possessing your drinking skills at the world are my ultimate goals.

I totally agree! We need to know how it's done.

 

[Mom@disney]

Enjoyed seeing your old Halloween pictures! Thanks for sharing.

 

[BuddyThomas]

PART ELEVEN - DID YOU SAY $17.50?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

So, today was check out day from Yacht Club, which ordinarily would have been time for mourning the vacation, but in this case, we were now about to head to a little mini follow-up vacation at this joint for some Halloween Horror Night fun:

But first, we had to check out of Yacht Club, so get ready for the grand disaster of all disasters.

So we checked out, and we were waiting in the lobby for a car service to take us over to the "dark side", and I dunno, because of boredom, maybe just because, I decided to call my bank to check my balance, which should have been about $750.00, give or take a drink I forgot that I purchased.

I think Phil was off buying coffee or something, and it is a good thing, too, because when the little automated voice came on and said the following phrase, no one would have wanted to be anywhere near me:

"The current balance in checking account number # # # # # # is seventeen dollars and fifty cents. The available balance is seventeen dollars and fifty cents. To repeat this information press -----"

WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!??!?!?!?!

Oh my God, I completely freaked out.

Look, I live paycheck to paycheck to begin with, and I had this vacation saved for down to the very last drink, I mean penny, and how in the hell did I only have seventeen dollars left???

Was I identity thefted? Did I get blackout drunk and finally buy all those overpriced souvenirs? Are the Minoins from Universal pulling some insane joke on me??

I ran to the front desk with my bank card waving in my hot little hand and said "I think there is something wrong here. My account seems to have been drained." (A normal response at the end of any Disney vacation, but in this instance, it was extreme.)

The very nice woman behind the front desk smiled politely at the lunatic in front of her and ran the card and then printed about a million pages of paper (or maybe just three) and handed them to me and said, "Well here are all your charges."

Well guess what.

Every single Magic Band charge that was supposed to have been charged to Phil's credit card was charged to mine.

Going back to the very first chapter, you'll recall that since I paid for the flights, the hotels, etc., we had put Phil's card down for incidentals and Magic Band purchases. Somehow, that did not take, and they sucked almost every dollar out of my bank account while Phil was charged nothing.

Now, in retrospect, what should have happened is that I should have calmly said to Phil, "These are all your charges and they have been charged to me and now I am completely broke before a Universal vacation, so please go withdraw $750.00 from your account and give it to me NOWWWWWWWWW."

But that would have been too easy. Instead, I had a whole back and forth with the front desk person about how this was all supposed to go on Phil's card, and now I was broke, and how do we correct this, and blah blah blah blah."

Short answer - there was nothing she could do and our car had arrived. She gave me some sort of number to call for further help and then Phil was back with his coffee and all of a sudden we were in a car, heading to two nights at Uni, and me with a total of $17.50 to spend.

ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

The good news is that this trip from Disney to Universal seemed like it lasted 60 seconds, because I was on the phone with some sort of Disney accounting office or something or other the entire time. They had record that we had put down Phil's card for incidentals and they did not know why everything was charged to me. They were very nice and apologetic and they reversed all the charges from my card and put them onto Phil's. Awesome.

So when will these funds be back in my account?

Oh, probably within 5 to 7 business days.

WHAT???????

Again, the simple thing to do would have been to say "Thank you." and make Phil cover everything until I could give it back to him, but I don't need to be asking him permission every time I want a sandwich or a drink. There is something about having no money in your bank account just before checking into a vacation resort that makes a person feel pretty helpless.

To make a long story short ----too late ------ I ended up being transferred to the nicest coolest supervisor at Disney and he said that if I had my bank fax over something (I don't remember the exact details), then they could refund the money immediately. This all took about four hours total and bled into the Universal vacation, but the fax was made, the money was refunded, and all was well in the world again.

But sheeesh, right? Not cool.

Anyway, while all this was happening, our car service had deposited us here:

And we checked in here:

And wound up here:

What a nice room. Why would anyone want to get locked out of it naked?

The biggest disaster of them all is revealed in the next chapter.

 

[Figgy1]

PART ELEVEN - DID YOU SAY $17.50?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

So, today was check out day from Yacht Club, which ordinarily would have been time for mourning the vacation, but in this case, we were now about to head to a little mini follow-up vacation at this joint for some Halloween Horror Night fun:

View attachment 112592

But first, we had to check out of Yacht Club, so get ready for the grand disaster of all disasters.

So we checked out, and we were waiting in the lobby for a car service to take us over to the "dark side", and I dunno, because of boredom, maybe just because, I decided to call my bank to check my balance, which should have been about $750.00, give or take a drink I forgot that I purchased.

I think Phil was off buying coffee or something, and it is a good thing, too, because when the little automated voice came on and said the following phrase, no one would have wanted to be anywhere near me:

"The current balance in checking account number # # # # # # is seventeen dollars and fifty cents. The available balance is seventeen dollars and fifty cents. To repeat this information press -----"

WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!??!?!?!?!

Oh my God, I completely freaked out.

Look, I live paycheck to paycheck to begin with, and I had this vacation saved for down to the very last drink, I mean penny, and how in the hell did I only have seventeen dollars left???

Was I identity thefted? Did I get blackout drunk and finally buy all those overpriced souvenirs? Are the Minoins from Universal pulling some insane joke on me??

I ran to the front desk with my bank card waving in my hot little hand and said "I think there is something wrong here. My account seems to have been drained." (A normal response at the end of any Disney vacation, but in this instance, it was extreme.)

The very nice woman behind the front desk smiled politely at the lunatic in front of her and ran the card and then printed about a million pages of paper (or maybe just three) and handed them to me and said, "Well here are all your charges."

Well guess what.

Every single Magic Band charge that was supposed to have been charged to Phil's credit card was charged to mine.

Going back to the very first chapter, you'll recall that since I paid for the flights, the hotels, etc., we had put Phil's card down for incidentals and Magic Band purchases. Somehow, that did not take, and they sucked almost every dollar out of my bank account while Phil was charged nothing.

Now, in retrospect, what should have happened is that I should have calmly said to Phil, "These are all your charges and they have been charged to me and now I am completely broke before a Universal vacation, so please go withdraw $750.00 from your account and give it to me NOWWWWWWWWW."

But that would have been too easy. Instead, I had a whole back and forth with the front desk person about how this was all supposed to go on Phil's card, and now I was broke, and how do we correct this, and blah blah blah blah."

Short answer - there was nothing she could do and our car had arrived. She gave me some sort of number to call for further help and then Phil was back with his coffee and all of a sudden we were in a car, heading to two nights at Uni, and me with a total of $17.50 to spend.

ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

The good news is that this trip from Disney to Universal seemed like it lasted 60 seconds, because I was on the phone with some sort of Disney accounting office or something or other the entire time. They had record that we had put down Phil's card for incidentals and they did not know why everything was charged to me. They were very nice and apologetic and they reversed all the charges from my card and put them onto Phil's. Awesome.

So when will these funds be back in my account?

Oh, probably within 5 to 7 business days.

WHAT???????

Again, the simple thing to do would have been to say "Thank you." and make Phil cover everything until I could give it back to him, but I don't need to be asking him permission every time I want a sandwich or a drink. There is something about having no money in your bank account just before checking into a vacation resort that makes a person feel pretty helpless.

To make a long story short ----too late ------ I ended up being transferred to the nicest coolest supervisor at Disney and he said that if I had my bank fax over something (I don't remember the exact details), then they could refund the money immediately. This all took about four hours total and bled into the Universal vacation, but the fax was made, the money was refunded, and all was well in the world again.

But sheeesh, right? Not cool.

Anyway, while all this was happening, our car service had deposited us here:

View attachment 112597

And we checked in here:

View attachment 112598
And wound up here:

View attachment 112599

What a nice room. Why would anyone want to get locked out of it naked?

The biggest disaster of them all is revealed in the next chapter.

OMG I would have totally freaked if that had happened to me and polished off a bottle or 3 of wine just to calm down! I'm glad it worked out but OMG you'd think Disney could have handled it better! I'm really waiting to hear the story we're all patiently waiting for!