Thursday, May 7th: the conclusion
We were here…..our last dinner of this trip in Orlando (the one at the airport the following evening doesn’t count…..eating in the food court just isn’t the same). We had to cross another “new to us” place off the list, so we headed to Millers Ale House in Lake Buena Vista to see if we could snag a table. We tried to dine there on our vacation last August, but it was so jammed we couldn’t even get a spot to park the car, let alone a table in the restaurant. We were willing to wait a bit if needed, or even to try the I-Drive or Kirkman Road locations if necessary, so off we went
.
Happily, there were no crowds to battle on this trip, and we secured a parking spot and a table with no problems at all. A very personable young fellow named Kevin came over and greeted us as our server.
Now, let me take a little moment to speak about Kevin. Heck of a nice guy, and I’m quite sure that he’s the life of the party everywhere he goes. He was FUN….bouncing from table to table with endless energy to chit chat animatedly with guests…but oh my, was he scatterbrained 
. Or (and I’m almost afraid to say this….’cause maybe we were totally wrong)…..under the influence? (ahem….not alcohol either….perhaps another substance? 
). He was a hoot, no arguments there…..however, he was seriously out to lunch……but alas, he was ours for the duration, so we quietly raised our eyebrows at each other from time to time and made do with Kevin the Clown.
It was our last night, so we considered indulging in an adult beverage over dinner, and inquired as to the drink of the day. Well, didn’t that just throw Fun Kevin for a loop, because he had no idea. None. He skittered around the dining area, looking for something that might give him an idea of what the drink of the day might be, and even stopped to ask the table behind us if they knew. Lol, hey….why not ask another patron for answers??? When he resorted to asking other diners, we assured him it was no big deal, and I just ordered a lemonade while Steve just went for a beer….let’s keep it easy.
Or not
.
Kevin reappeared a few minutes later with my lemonade in hand, but no beer for Steve….at which point he said (with a straight face….no joke) he wasn’t sure he could serve him just yet, and could he please see some proof of age? Steve, who’s only half listening as he perused the menu….smiles and nods and keeps on reading. I give him a good kick under the table, as sober-faced Kevin looks on, and once I catch his attention, I say
“your driver’s license, Steve….he needs your driver’s license!”. Steve snaps out of his menu reverie and says with a huge grin.....what? He’s ID’ing me? To which Kevin says
“Dude, I have to make sure you’re over 21”. Steve laughs…..a big, belly-shaking giggle…..as he whipped out his license. Steve turns 44 at the end of June, and its been a long, LONG time since anyone questioned if he was legal to drink a beer, so this made his day. Kevin apologizes
…."Sorry Dude! You just look sooo young!”…..and promptly bounces off to fetch Steve’s beer. Back at the table a few minutes later, he excitedly tells us he figured out what the drink of the day was! Ding, ding, ding! Chock one up for Kevin!
And because he couldn’t tell us what it was when we asked, he’d give us one for free. A sweet gesture for sure, but we ultimately declined it (we had beverages in front of us by now, anyway), however in hindsight, Fun Kevin almost made me
want to have a drink……so I should have taken it while it was offered!
Hallelujah, we’re finally able to order an appetizer and our entrees. Let’s get this show on the road.
We had an email coupon for a free flatbread, so we asked Kevin which one he’d recommend (they all sounded yummy). He said his favourite was the barbecued chicken, so that’s what we ordered. He dashed off to the kitchen, and reappeared a short time later with this:
Absolutely at 10 out of 10
. Super good, super hot, and it was super fast. The chicken was delicious, the sauce was yummy, and all the toppings just went together so nicely. We ate every bite.
Kevin stopped by at least half a dozen times to inquire about the flatbread. Did we like it? How was it? Did I give you a good suggestion? Honest, you really liked it? Was it big enough? Too much? Oh, Kevin, if I only had your energy
.
Our entrees came out just as the remnants of the flatbread were being polished off.
I had the chicken parmesan and garlic bread (a massive portion!!):
Steve had the special of the day, the 12 ounce prime rib with loaded fries and coleslaw:
Now, he had ordered his prime rib with mushrooms and onions, but they were nowhere to be seen. Strangely enough, neither was Kevin
. Considering he was at the table at least six times as we ate our appetizer, we figured he’d be by again in short order and we’d mention it to him then. Oddly, he seemingly had vanished into thin air, so after a short time, we went ahead and ate. It smelled soooo good……….and it was
.
Again, in both cases, our entrees scored a full 10 out of 10. Steve would have given his prime rib a better than 10/10 score if the mushrooms and onions had have been on his meat….he raved about how it was cooked perfectly and tasted amazing. Food quality was top-notch on everything we ate.
When Kevin did finally materialize, we told him how great the meal had been, but that the kitchen had missed Steve’s prime rib toppings. To his credit, he apologized profusely, and took full blame for the error
(Dude, I am sooooo sorry!)….he freely admitted had forgotten to write it in our order (no surprise there
).
When we finished off our dinners, we waited for Kevin to arrive with the bill. And waited. And waited. Fun Kevin had pulled a second disappearing act, and we were getting antsy to get going….we had packing to do, and wanted to enjoy the pools and hot tubs that evening for one last time. Eventually, we flagged down another server, and asked her if she could locate Kevin and send him over to our table. He came flying over to the table a few minutes later, bill in hand and full of apologies once again
(Dude, I am sooooo sorry!) .
We covered the check ($32 including tax….crazy cheap!), gave him a tip (he was a source of entertainment if nothing else…..and Steve thought he deserved a gratuity just for thinking he might be under 21
) and hopped back in the car. Before heading back to the villa, we pondered dessert
(should we? shouldn’t we? …. heck ya, we should!) and drove on past the Vistana en route to Krispy Kreme in Kissimmee. Fresh donuts are a good cure for the going-home blues, and could be eaten later on when our fullness subsided. We picked up a half dozen of our favourites ($7) and then headed “home” to the resort.
Back in the villa, we texted my boss, who was staying at the Vistana in the Fountains with his daughter. We had a small supply of grocery items that we hoped they could make use of before they left on Sunday…..orange juice, bottled water, coffee cream, cereal, etc. They dropped over a short time later, thankful for the extra nibbles.
Once they left, we got most of the suitcases packed and ready for check-out the following morning. The two minions filled Steve’s full sized suitcase all on their own (with a few small items stuck in the pockets of emptiness) so all of his clothes and personal items had to be jammed into his carry on. What a feat! Thankfully, we had the foresight to bring an empty carry on with us, or we’d have been out of luck. With the minions inside, we were BARELY able to get the zipper fully closed…..god help the TSA if they open and inspect that suitcase. They’d never get it re-closed
.
Packing took us a good hour (maybe more). Getting everything to fit was every bit the challenge we expected it would be. We had to unbox several larger items (like Jake’s new Nike shoes that we bought him at the Nike Clearance Store) but somehow, mercifully, we managed it all. Our Simpsons friends were soft enough that we could cram ‘em in among my clothing. Steve’s carry on weighed almost as much as my suitcase did…..we just hoped it would still fit in the overhead bins.
Once the packing was done, we headed out to the hot tubs. It was quiet out there, and we didn’t really do much chatting. The heaviness of going home always sits on the heart….even if I would be deliriously happy to see my boy. We enjoyed the bubbles and the stars and the comfort of each other’s company.
Back at the villa, I started a final load of laundry, we devoured our donuts (and what was left of our milk) without guilt, and we hit the sack. Tomorrow, we’d begin the long journey home
.
But there was still a little fun to be had. Part 1 of our last day is next.
Might be a fun thing to do on our final Friday, when the parks themselves are projected to be "busy". Nice to avoid the rides on those days, and take in other fun things like a character breakfast!
. I can’t get them both home!!!
. And Ding again! 
Three for three.
.
.
We have no room! But he is undeterred….and three dings later, we are the proud owner of Homer and Bart 
