It's called Slater's 50/50, same as what Alison said. it's a local chain. The 50/50 burger is what their famous for but they have other things.
D'oh! She did write that.
I was wondering there!
Hmmm..... Corn Dog Palace sounds like an awesome place for lunch today.
Your resort
Epcot
Yes
2
Frozen
Rice Pudding - Yum!
11pm
10 minutes
Fetch it to Ketch it
I must admit to feeling some trepidation
when I posted the previous chapter.
I essentially wrote about nothing
except my day spent in airports.
Then I left you all figuratively
standing with me at the bus stop.
Once, when I had begun
one of my TRs in
the same manner,
I received notice that reading
about it was a complete
waste of time.
I truly thought about skipping it,
or at the very least, paring it down
to just a few words.
Perhaps a sentence or two.
But that's just not me.
I feel that writing about that first day,
the trials and tribulations of merely
getting to Disney World,
sets the tone for the entire TR.
And it's my style.
So for better or worse,
there it is.
For those of you who
were less than entertained
with the last chapter,
I hope this one makes up
for any disappointment
you may have felt.
I tried, I really did.
On the other hand,
if you're like me...
Then on with the show.
--------------------------------------------
After a seven minute wait for the bus,
(Seven minutes! Seven! What gives, Disney?)
the ride to the Magic Kingdom
seemed to go by quicker than usual.
It may have had to do with my
trying to spot the Disney World airport
that was abandoned in the '80s.
Despite having a pretty good idea
of where it was, I missed it.
Seconds later, we were driving under water,
past the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower
and turning into the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
Here!
Made even better when a Monorail
passed by directly overhead.
But now I was going to have
to pass through the first gauntlet.
Bag check.
Normally, I don't worry about bag check.
I'm never bringing in anything that
I'm not supposed to bring.
Last year, I was briefly stopped
by a guard who had to ask
whether or not I could bring in
my Gorilla pod. (I could)
The Gorilla pod is great,
and I had brought it again,
but it has its limitations.
So this time, I was also
bringing in a full size tripod.
But there are rules.
Disney guidelines state
that tripods must fit
inside a standard backpack.
And a standard backpack
may not exceed 24" in length.
My tripod, folded, exceeds 24".
But I can break it down to less
than that.
About 23".
But it won't fit into my
'non-standard' backpack.
Would they let me bring it in?
They didn't even blink an eye at it.
Gauntlet successfully hurdled!
Woot!
As for my backpack,
they only gave it a cursory look.
It almost seemed as if
they started to look... but gave up.
Geez, I know there's stuff in there, but...
Whatever.
Next up is something I'd never done before.
I rented a locker.
Yes, I wanted to bring my tripod,
but I didn't want to lug it around all day!
Besides, later I'd need to...
No. I'll get to that a bit later.
And incidentally,
this is why I didn't use DME
to bring my bag to my room.
I could have used it,
but I wanted my tripod for the park,
and it was in the checked bag.
Of course I also needed....
Well, I already said
I'd get to that later.
After stashing the tripod,
I entered the park.
Soak it in, people.
The fall decorations were out in full display.
I had a bit of a conundrum however.
I had an ADR coming up at 4:50
and I had a FP that I didn't want to miss
from 4:25 - 5:25.
My original thought was to do the FP
at 4:25 and then go to my ADR.
But it was already 4:30 or so.
I didn't think I'd have time
to get to and do the FP
and then make it to the ADR on time.
And it wasn't an easy ADR to get,
so I assumed I wouldn't be able
to eat there later if I missed it.
I decided to go to the ADR first,
and see if they could get me in early.
If not, hopefully I could eat quickly
and still make the FP.
Well, let's see, shall we?
I started to walk down Main St.
It's funny.
Every time I first get to Magic Kingdom,
and I cross the threshold into the park
or see the castle for the first time...
I get goose bumps and I break out
into a silly grin.
But not this time.
I wasn't feeling it.
I wasn't feeling much of anything.
Actually... I was...
Wishing I hadn't come.
Oh, sure, I was taking pictures.
But it was more out of a sense
that I should rather than I wanted to.
It took about an hour before
I finally started to feel... normal.
And it was little things that did it.
Those bits and pieces of thoughtfulness
and surprise that make up
the Magic of Disney.
A father hoisting his giggling child
onto his shoulders.
A couple, skipping hand in hand
towards another adventure.
A CM, smiling broadly.
I eventually smirked at something...
gave a grudging nod at something else...
and eventually found myself
with a big grin on my ugly mug.
You know what the problem was?
Burn out.
No. Not because I'd been essentially
awake for Gawd knows how long.
It was shift after shift after shift at work.
It was working until I couldn't work anymore,
and then working some more.
It was working 32 hours out of every 40.
Repeatedly.
I hadn't realized just how bad
it had gotten until just then.
I couldn't put my finger
on why I wasn't happy,
but when it did happen,
it was like the proverbial
weight had lifted off my shoulders.
Man it felt good to be back!
I really needed this vacation.
I needed....
Disney.
Enough babbling.
I'm boring you to tears.
I can tell.
Here. Look at more pictures.
You may be noticing a certain... theme
to the above photos.
I was only going to include one in the TR.
But then I thought... screw it.
Shove 'em all in.
So... Voila.
Whoops!
Better stop dawdling,
I have an ADR to get to!
A quick left at the castle,
a short stroll down the lane.
(I wasn't feeling like sashaying
at this point, yet.)
And I soon arrived... here:
But I'm not eating here, so I walked on by.
Ha! Kidding!
You were just thinking
"Oh, that pkondz fooled me again!"
Or maybe you weren't.
How should I know?
My hidden cameras
can't read minds, you know.
But I'm working on that.
Give me time.
I strolled up to the Porter's post
(still not sashaying)
and asked if they could seat me early.
I was shown into the waiting room
and told it would only be a few minutes.
Sweet!
A couple of pics of the waiting area:
Free water!
It was hot, so I may have imbibed.
A few minutes later, I was being seated
in the Mess Room.
Not my first (or second) choice,
but I didn't want to wait any longer.
As it was, by the time they sat me,
it was my ADR time anyway.
A quick look around:
Way over to the right, under the Exit sign
is where I believe the Jungle room is.
Could be wrong.
My server showed up
and passed me a menu.
I want those salt and pepper shakers.
They're mini mason jars.
The server came back and she asked if
I wanted her to point out her favourites.
I said "Yes", so she did.
<pointing vaguely>
"That one. And that one. And that one."
Yup. Just like on the ride.
Perfect!
I was in a rush, so didn't take much
time to peruse the menu
but simply ordered what I had
already decided I was going to get.
"I'll start with the Hot and Sour soup
(love that) for an appetizer and I'll
have the Char Shiu Pork with white rice."
(Marinated Grilled Pork
served with Chinese Broccoli
and choice of Five-grain or White Rice)
And to drink, I'll try a Schweitzer Slush."
(Frozen Apple Juice and Passion Fruit
topped with Bursting Green Apple Boba Balls, (?)
first concocted by the noted explorer
and humanitarian, Dr. Albert Slush )
In very little time,
my drink and soup arrived,
along with some bread
and honey dipping sauce.
The soup was good and not overly spicy,
The honey dip was a nice counterpoint
to the heat of the soup.
The drink?
I liked it.
If you've ever had bubble tea,
drinking it was like that.
You'd sip from the over-sized straw
and suck up the "boba balls".
It did feel a little weird at sucking
up Dr. Slush's balls though.
But I soon got used to it.
On the list of things I never thought I'd say...
Anyway.
I had hardly put a dent in the soup
when the main course arrived.
The server offered to bring it back
to the kitchen and keep it warm,
but I told her that it was fine
and to leave it.
Looks good?
It was.
While I ate, the server would
come by every now and then
to check on me.
"Is the soup, souper?"
Playing along, I told her
it was a little soupy.
Funny thing was,
she actually looked concerned
until she looked at me
and realized I was joking.
(Later)
"So? How is it safari?"
And when I finished:
"Did you leave room to
travel through the desert?"
I may have been able to eat
some dessert, if I forced myself,
but I was already running short on time.
But I did ask (on @SnowWhiteOz 's behalf)
if the Kungaloosh could be had
sans coffee dust.
She assured me that it could.
Kinda wish I'd had time to try it...
I paid my bill
and headed for the door.
It was 5:16pm and I had
precisely nine minutes
before my FP expired.
Yes, I know there's supposed
to be a grace period,
but I don't want to find out
that they've just started
to strictly enforce the times today.
Sorry, no photos along the way
or upon arrival.
I was a tad pressed for time.
I arrived at Splash Mountain
at 5:20pm.
Four minutes!
And a whole five minutes 'til expiry!
Ha!
Is there any better feeling in the World
then walking by hundreds of
sweating, tired guests
as they stand in an unmoving line?
I soon boarded my log
and then was able to relax
and enjoy a leisurely ride
through the land of
Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox
and Br'er Bear.
I must admit though,
that while the ride is
relaxing...
There are those who insist
on getting all worked up about it.
Oh, my word!
People become so agitated!
It's a perfectly nice, sedate ride.
But will people calm down?
No!
I really find it insufferably annoying!
When one is trying to enjoy the finer
things in life, the absolute last
thing one would want
is a bevy of buffoons
hooting and hollering
and carrying on
in a ridiculous manner.
I mean really.
Donning plastic raiment
or throwing one's hands in the air.
Women and children...
and men, too!...
screaming, of all things.
One should sit back and relax.
Perhaps with a nice glass of wine,
or a good book.
Preferably both.
I just don't understand people sometimes.
Yes, yes.
I know.
Enough idle chit-chat.
Photos please.
As you wish.
Look at those people.
Tsk. Dreadful.
And their attire...
One should always try
to maintain a certain
sense of style.
The Story Behind the Photo
Another reason I couldn't use DME
was that I needed my props.
When I left for the park earlier that day,
I packed my camera equipment,
jacket, dress shirt, tie, hat, book
and wine glass into my backpack.
The moment our log rounded the first corner,
I quickly sprang into action.
Let me tell you,
putting a dress shirt on, in the dark,
in a seated position, in a cramped log
takes some contorting.
The jacket wasn't much easier.
While I do have a 'real' bow tie,
I had purchased a clip-on for this.
I had also practiced putting it on
before-hand.
By the time I'd gotten dressed,
poured my 'wine'
(In fact, punch from a juice box.
No sense getting thrown out so soon.)
and retrieved my book,
I was already heading up the hill
before the drop.
I just made it.
One of the fringe benefits of doing this,
that I had no idea would happen,
is after the drop, as you go around the turn,
you'll find people watching you.
I had two separate instances of men
saluting me with their drinks.
I toasted them back in return.
I felt like royalty.
Or upper crust, at the very least.
After exiting the ride,
I headed over to the photo preview area
and, after finding the correct photo,
swiped my MB.
Some people say that it's not necessary,
and all that it accomplishes is that
you now have duplicate copies of the
same photo.
I beg to differ.
When I got back to the resort that night,
I checked on the Splash photo.
I had a nice picture of a group
of strangers going down Splash
and the one posted above,
that I had swiped my MB for.
I was prepared to do it all over again
if necessary, but not because
I got the wrong photo!
After Splash and ensuring myself
of the correct photo,
I made my way to the nearest restroom
and changed out of my fancy duds.
Once unencumbered, I wanted to rid
myself of everything but my camera.
Which meant a return trip to the locker.
Which is back the way I came, or...
You know, I've never taken the train
all the way around the park.
I've only gone from Main St.
to Frontierland.
Time for another new experience!
First, though, I had to tell someone
that yes, indeed this was the way
to the train.
I don’t know why people ask me
for directions. They just do.
Sometimes I don’t even remember
it happening since it happens so often.
It’s like… breathing.
You don’t really think about it.
I climbed the stairs and of course
the train was waiting there for me.
I believe I was the last,
or next to last person aboard.
Wait time, zero seconds.
Moments later, we pulled away.
I must admit though,
the ride didn't start off too great.
Knowing one of my favourite rides, BTMRR,
was down for refurb was bad enough.
But to see it with scaffolding all over it?
Depressing.
However, this was the first time I got to see
the Native American and animal displays.
That was interesting,
glad I saw them.
When we pulled into Fantasyland Station,
there was a large crowd of people waiting.
Unfortunately for them,
very few people disembarked,
so most of them were left behind.
As the train pulled away,
I stuck my tongue out and shouted
"Nyah! Nyah!" at them.
I think they appreciated the gesture.
As a matter of fact, several waved at me
with at least one finger in the air.
Nice people.
At Main St., I hopped off the train
and dumped my clothes into the locker,
I'll pick up the tripod later,
after it gets dark.
I then sashayed back up Main St.
This time, however,
I didn't take the first left
towards Adventureland,
but the second left
towards Liberty Square.
And most of you already know
where I'm probably headed.
And you're right.
Haunted Mansion.
But if you guessed I had a FP for it,
then I'm afraid you're wrong.
I pretty much never FP HM.
I will once my original FPs
are used up, if there's one available.
But it's too fast a loading ride
for me to worry about it.
Yes, there can be lines,
but usually, I don't have any issues.
Today, the wait time was listed at
twenty minutes.
Yet the queue was virtually empty.
I doubted the posted time
and I was right.
I was inside in about five minutes.
Not sure why I didn't shoot those
again after the room stretched.
Probably had put the camera away
to just enjoy the effects.
Once our host showed us
'his' way out, the door opened
and I was the first one out.
I usually am.
I always enter HM and position
myself near the doors
so when I enter the stretching room
I can position myself nearest the next door.
Moments later, I was in my doom buggy.
Ahhhhh.... Best. Ride. Ever.
That coffin scene is what got
my love affair with Disney started.
I distinctly remember seeing that
on an episode of "Wonderful World of Disney"
when I was a kid.
I knew I wanted to see it for myself, some day.
So every time I see it,
it brings me right back to that day
in front of the (black and white) TV.
Here, Madame Leota is whistling a happy tune...
Always ready to help with the kindling.
Melts my heart.
After HM, I set out for my next ride.
I had a FP for Peter Pan.
As I walked away from HM,
I saw a few varying clusters of people
all gathered around their phones.
I don't know if it was
the way they were standing,
or if it was the way they were talking,
but I could tell that
they were consulting maps
trying to figure out how to go from A to B.
MK can be a confusing place to newbies.
I can see how you could get lost.
I'm glad I was a seasoned Disney goer
and didn't have to rely on...
It was right about there that I realized
I was walking in the wrong direction.
I'm not kidding.
I had turned right, out of HM instead of left.
Whoops!
I reversed my steps and was soon at
Peter Pan within my FP window of
6:40 - 7:40pm.
Seconds later... I was flying!!
Man, that feeling as your 'ship'
trundles down the track and then...
Lifts off!
Gets me every time.
And then, moments later...
flying over London.
Oh my.
Just the best.
And there's this too:
So... really... what's not to like?
(Did you notice the water bottle?
What kind of jerk tosses a water bottle
while riding Peter Pan???)
After the ride,
I remembered that I hadn't had dessert
after my meal at Skippers.
I was thirsty too.
If only there was something
that could satisfy both of those cravings.
Continued in following post
to the TR, Nakira!
) I will be very interested to know how you liked the Rice Cream if you go to EPCOT. Because I don't think we can be friends anymore if you don't. 
Frankly I don't know either.
I guess you'll find out whether I tried it or notI will add, even though I guess DHS, (and thus ALL of my other answers will be wrong
