Trip Report Two broke guys & a dog (for the last time.) (Once more, with feelings. 1/13/25.)

No, I’m not mad at Disney. We’ll be back (in fact, it can’t be soon enough.) But this turned out to be our last trip together as a family.

Who: Brian (R) Tony (L) and Kylie.

When: May, 2023.

Can’t tease this, so I’ll just come out with it.

We’ve posted TRs over the years under the “Two broke guys & a dog” banner (and other titles.) Our May trip was short, and we had already booked August for my birthday (complete with a planned meet up with @Tuvalu) so I thought I’d make one double TR after August.

I ended up with Covid mid-month and we had to postpone to December for Brian’s birthday.

In the meantime, Kylie, our 14 year old German Shepherd/Chow Chow was diagnosed with heart failure. That “heads up” turned out to be a gift and a blessing that allowed us to spend so much extra quality time with her.

Kylie’s 14th bday on Halloween:

She stayed with us through the holidays, rubbing on the Christmas tree when she walked past it, per usual (like a cat lol) and was really doing well - eating, going for walks, snuggling. I expected more of a slow, gradual decline…but she passed yesterday. Now my heart is failing.

I don’t know how far I’ll get with this today. It might actually be too soon. But I thought it could be therapeutic, and a nice tribute.

For some reason, since my 30s, if I cry even a little, my eyelids swell up and it’s hard to undo. Ice helps only temporarily. I fear typing all this out will continue the waterworks (it already has) and prolong that condition. OTOH, they’re already swollen, so WTH? I’ll play it by ear, if that’s ok.

This is my love letter to my pup.

 

[93boomer]

Pirate acknowledged us

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and resumed drinking.

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which he continued to do while Shannon took a zillion of the exact same picture of us.

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and we were off!

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Ohh what a fun evening!!!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

By day 2, I always fall behind on the TR-ing!

Shannon is Bri-ish, and Pirate is 5. She has trained him to drive, and has been doing this for 6 years, he for one. He weighs about 2,000 pounds, I don’t know what she weighs.

She is trying to get him trained on the Port Orleans route, but so far, he doesn’t like the boats and reacts to them by acting out in various ways. She says he is “a little too confident,” which I take to mean willful.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We were able to carry on conversation while she drove. Twice I almost mentioned why we were there; twice I got choked up and chickened out. Of course, she asked if we had pets, and I briefly told her why we were here. I did well, not much more than a little quiver in my voice at the end.

Brian knocked over his former drink (cup of ice.) Twice. I was still sipping. It would not be Brian’s last spill of the evening…TBC.

A couple of times, we pulled over to let a car pass. Once, Pirate decided to pee. After that, I told Brian, “I will never again misuse the phrase ‘pee like a race horse.’” There’s no way! It was so much peeing!!

I mean, he drank all that water during the photo shoot.

What to do next? We were winging it.

 

[mpaulam]

We check in at the Fort next Tuesday and I’m debating trying to do this ride at some point!

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Clearly we were backstage, I thought there’d be obvious signage to cut through to the front. Nope. We walked a bit, turned a corner, walked past a few interesting looking rooms, and Brian said, “We’re in the kitchen.”

A CM greeted us and asked if we were guests. I explained, and another CM graciously showed us how to get where we were going.

It was kind of amazing we were able to get as far as we had! Alas, no pictures were taken. I thought I had taken one of the sign, but I guess not.

It sounds like you almost made it into the Hoop Dee Doo Review!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We check in at the Fort next Tuesday and I’m debating trying to do this ride at some point!

$65 for up to 4 people. We had either an AP or Chase Visa discount, so it was less. Bring your drinks. Better than Slinky Dog.

It sounds like you almost made it into the Hoop Dee Doo Review!

Put me on stage!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I gave B some options: we could stay and hang at the Tavern or go to HS.

Whatever he picked, we walked past this

and needed to use the restroom. Who was it who likes bathroom pics? I was fairly impressed.