Trip Report One Little Spark *COMPLETED*

One little spark of inspiration
Is at the heart of all creation
A dream can be
A dream come true
With just that spark
In me and you

One little spark ignited a relationship that is currently four decades long.

One little spark inspired a surprise (and very last-minute) birthday trip to WDW.

One little spark made a dream come true.

Who: Tuvalu and Woody
When: February 8-12, 2023
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort

 

[Tuvalu]

We exited the restaurant via a side door and walked past the Merida meet and greet area up towards the Castle.

Wondering if the royal drapes will be removed at the end of this month? Or will they be incorporated into the 100 celebration?

Another attraction without a wait. We walked through the empty queue, grabbed our glasses and went straight into the theater.

I was happy to have a clear view of the screen. Last time I sat behind a tall woman with Mickey ears (which she did not remove.)

 

[pkkurz]

For lunch we opted to….

In order these are our QS go-tos:
Pecos Bill
Columbia Harbor House
Pinocchio’s Village House

(Be our Guest lunch held top honors for seven years then…. )

We typically avoid the popular Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. Popular = crowded. In the last decade our food and experiences there haven’t been the best.

In the spirit of second (or 3rd, 4th, 5th) chances, we decided to pay Sonny Eclipse a visit.


View attachment 703543

Only he wasn’t there!!!!!

But we had a mobile order in and it was too late to cancel so we stayed.

The illuminated Topping Bar sign looked promising….

View attachment 703545

….until we discovered the toppings were only pre-packaged condiments. Freshly chopped lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, shredded cheese and salsa had NOT returned, as we had hoped.

View attachment 703546

We found a quiet table against the rear wall to eat. Both of us had ordered cheeseburgers which were pictured with lettuce and tomatoes. Ours arrived plain. I returned to the counter and was told that “our new vendor serves burgers plain” but they are happy to provide lettuce and tomato on the side for those who ask. (Hence the separate container in the pic below.)

Perhaps the app should then mention the change?

View attachment 703547

The burgers, once properly dressed, were better than expected. (There’s no way to convey they were hot and moist with fresh buns without sounding risqué, but they were!) Fries were warm and crisp.

Not sure Cosmic Ray’s will be on our regular rotation but it was a solid choice today.

Our granddaughter was blown away by her hot dog on our last visit.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Giving it another go in 23 days.

(Although I did take them to Animal Kingdom - that should elevate me to really good, @Zipadeelady @AKemily?)

 

[MinnieM123]

In the spirit of second (or 3rd, 4th, 5th) chances, we decided to pay Sonny Eclipse a visit.

Only he wasn’t there!!!!!

I've read that sometimes they lower Sonny Eclipse down (on the lift) underneath the stage -- if they're working on some of the electronics. He's probably happy for a break from "performing" every now and then?!

 

[Tuvalu]

Our granddaughter was blown away by her hot dog on our last visit. View attachment 703628

Oh my - did she finish it?

I've read that sometimes they lower Sonny Eclipse down (on the lift) underneath the stage -- if they're working on some of the electronics. He's probably happy for a break from "performing" every now and then?!

Sonny had his “break” during the Christmas Party season - I expected he’d be back at work six weeks later!

 

[pkkurz]

Oh my - did she finish it?


Sonny had his “break” during the Christmas Party season - I expected he’d be back at work six weeks later!

All but the “bite“ her brother talked her out of.

 

[JenniferS]

All but the “bite“ her brother talked her out of.

I gotta ask. Was it as good as a Costco dog?

 

[amjt660]

(There’s no way to convey they were hot and moist with fresh buns without sounding risqué, but they were!)

Max

 

[pkkurz]

I gotta ask. Was it as good as a Costco dog?

I doubt it. I didn’t actually taste it. She covered it in ketchup right after I took the picture. She typically likes a little hot dog with her ketchup.

 

[lindawdw]

I'm finally all caught up with your fabulous TR!!! I feel like I've been away from the Boards too long since my last post. You' ve certainly had a lot of positives happen on this trip like the free breakfast at Pop Century which is always such a nice surprise!!! The chalk art at Epcot FOA is always my favorite thing to take in and the picture you posted of the 3D image is the best one yet! I wish I got to see it in person this year. Your meal at Sebastian's sounded wonderful enough to make me want to check it out on a future trip. I'm glad your noisy neighbors at Pop finally left so you could get a good night's sleep. I cannot get over how many attractions you were able to enjoy at the MK from your latest posting!!! We are so looking forward to riding the railroad in May after it being down for soooo long!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 4, con’t

Crowds had picked up somewhat but the MK remained unexpectedly quiet for a Saturday. Without the hordes of cheerleaders and dancers (was it a competition day? Departure day? New groups not arrived yet?) wait times were low. If we were ride commandos, we’d have knocked out most of the park by dinner.

Had I been by myself, I might have done just that.

Instead Woody and I meandered back to Main Street for a photo shoot.

We also returned to a less-busy Emporium to browse.

Lots of 50th anniversary merchandise was still on display and lots of “Disney 100” merch had been added. Are we celebrating the 50th or 100th? It was very hard to tell!

There was also a large display of Christmas items - ornaments, home decor, plastic ware - none of which was marked down. Who is going to pay full price for Christmas stuff in February?

I’ll bet this old-timey mural is often overlooked.

Someone wanted another Grand Circle Tour.

We spent a couple minutes taking in this missed view from above.

The TOOT TOOT drew us to the load zone.

Happy Official Conductor of the MPB.

 

[Swissmiss]

Woody may be happy but the guy behind him looks like he sucked on a lemon

 

[MickeyCB]

Woody may be happy but the guy behind him looks like he sucked on a lemon

Was thinking the same exact thing!! Call me crabby queen!
Hopefully their day got better!

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody may be happy but the guy behind him looks like he sucked on a lemon

Was thinking the same exact thing!! Call me crabby queen!

 

[lindawdw]

I would have been a ride commando with you if I was there!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I would have been a ride commando with you if I was there!!!

We’d have the best time!!

 

[lindawdw]

We’d have the best time!!

We certainly would!!!

 

[MickeyCB]

That's just mean!

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 4, con’t

We left MK after our Grand Circle Tour and had only a brief wait for a bus back to Pop. Once in our room, I organized all our purchases and did some packing since we'd be leaving first thing in the morning. Woody watched sports on TV as I was being the busy bee.

Around 5:30 pm we headed for the Skyliner. I'd booked a same-day ADR at this DHS classic.

We arrived early and sat on a bench people-watching until we could check in at 6:15 pm. We watched the sky behind Gertie go from this.....

....to this.

There was a CM outside the restaurant doing the preliminary check in. Once she found our name, we were allowed to go inside. The lobby was a chaotic madhouse. CMs kept requesting guests to "move into the bar area, we need to keep the lobby clear" but the adjacent bar area (with most of the furniture removed) was crammed with guests waiting to be called to eat. Kids were crying, waiting parents had lost their patience, and it was obvious the restaurant had overbooked. Woody and I stood stationary for 25 minutes before our name was called.

Not exactly the fun last-night meal we were hoping for.

But once we were seated, the situation greatly improved. Our server wasn't over-the-top embarrassing with his "schtick" but he had noticed my birthday button and pretended to gloat over me while only paying cursory attention to Woody. (Woody of course was a good sport and played along.) He accommodated my special requests with kindness and was prompt with water refills and checking on us. As we dined, we enjoyed the antics at the tables around us.

Woody had high praise for the Chicken Pot Pie.

My fried chicken was crisp and tasty, though not as good as what I can get at a fave spot close to home. (@k8einwdw knows!) It was also a huge portion (for me, anyways) that I would have preferred to share with someone.

My yummy chocolate shake was also a generous size, which I did share with Woody.

We left 50s Prime Time full, and in much better spirits than when we'd entered.

 

[amjt660]

It was also a huge portion (for me, anyways) that I would have preferred to share with someone.

Going back in the vault for this one

In the movie the Blue Brothers the leads Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) Blues visit a diner owned by the one and only Aretha Franklin

Elwood orders dry white toast.
Jake orders 4 fried chickens and a Coke - 4 full chickens

I think you got Jake's order at Prime Time!!

Max