The Road Trip from Hell and then Sunk by the Nautilus (November 27 - December 8, 2021)

[Hubie]

Our Day at Animal Kingdom Continued.

Before getting on the Gorilla walk, we missed the start of it and passed through part of Asia where I took a couple more pictures. Then we made a U-turn to go back to the walk in Africa.





When we arrived back at the start for the Gorilla walk, we were shocked to see the paved trail was jam-packed. There were so many people on it that the line was 3-people wide and moving very slowly up to the first sharp turn. When we finally got to the hippo and fish water view shelter the crowd peering through the glass or trying to peer through the glass was massive. I snapped a picture of the huge hippo skull.



Then we left the shelter to see if we could get ahead of some of the people. But most of them soon caught up to us when I stopped to take a picture of the small falls through a stand of bamboo. While continuing to try and stay ahead of the crowd just behind us, we ran into another mass of people where several of bachelor gorillas can usually be viewed sitting around and eating. We didn't see one gorilla.



We eventually made our way back to the main Hambre Village Plaza, got some ice water, found a seat on the concrete curb and watched the African Drummer's perform.



Then we decided to mosey over to Pandora. DW checked the standby wait time for FOP, and it was 80 minutes. Not that bad for the time of day and the best ride in Florida.

On our way there Pocahontas and Meeko passed by on the Discovery River. I also took a picture of some lily pads and their purplish blossoms because I liked the lighting.





Before getting in the long queue to ride on the back of a banshee, we decided to quench our thirst again at Pongu Pongu. We both had a Night Blossom Drink (the watermelon-lemonade, smoothie drinks with the apple-favored Boba Popping Balls). They are a little sweet but so refreshing.

After finishing our drinks, we were rewarded with a shorter wait of only 60 minutes for FOP. We actually were able to walk all the way up to where you enter the tunnel leading to the ride. The winding-tunnel route inside, however, seemed like it was a lot longer before you arrived at the lab displays, but at least we were out of the sun.



The ride as usual was fantastic. Afterwards at Wind Traders, we bought a multi-colored glowing ornament and I picked up an Avatar pin I liked.



We then left Pandora and headed into Asia where I convinced DW to ride Everest as a single rider. Afterwards she told me she was paired with a 12-year-old boy and while on the ride his mask blew off.



I mentioned above that we usually like to take KS near sunset, but the park was so crowded we just decided to go back to SSR and take the boat over to DS for the evening. We, unfortunately, missed the light show on the Tree of Life.

 

[Hubie]

Friday, December 3, 2021, Back to Magic Kingdom

After having our cold-brewed coffee and micro-waved oatmeal we got another late start on Friday, December 3. We arrived by bus at Magic Kingdom around 10:20.

I had set up my six park reservations back in September using the crowd calendar. It was supposed to be a 3 or 4 day in MK, but the park was absolutely packed. And this was the week after Thanksgiving!

We again went into the Emporium first thing to escape the mass of people trying to walk up Main Street. While in the store I found and bought the Grumpy T-shirt I had seen and liked at AKL the day before.

After leaving the Emporium our first goal was to ride JC. But the wait was 120 minutes! While in the area, we decided to get some Dole Whip. Well, forget that there was also a long line waiting to order at Aloha Isle.

We then choose Plan B and backtracked to Sunshine Tree Terrace to order Fanta Orange Floats. We found an opening on the little, cement wall located right across from the place to sit while eating them. Believe it or not I thought a queue was going to form to wait for a seat on the wall.

After finishing our second-choice treats, we checked the JC standby line again and it spilled all the way up the steps leading down to where you usually wait.

We walked from there to POTC. By then it was 10:30, and instead of taking the boat ride we looked around in Pirates Bazaar where I bought a T-shirt. Then we checked out the crowds mulling around the MKMR and decided to just walk back up towards Sleepy Hollow where I took a picture of the Castle.



We also checked out the adjacent Ye Old Christmas Shop but didn't see anything there we wanted. Where are all of the usual ornaments?

The crowd continued to grow as more and more people were spilling into the Main Street Plaza. I took some pictures of the castle from there and then we decided to just leave.







On our way out of the park I took a picture of DW sitting with Minnie on the bench outside of the Town Hall Building. Then we caught a short parade that came down MS to where the tracks turn by the big Christmas Tree.





After the parade passed by, we walked to the bus stations and endured a rather long wait for a bus to return to SSR.

Back in our room we just wanted to relax for a while, but I was soon checking on and sending some emails. The main pool by the way was also pretty busy. Actually, we never even took our swimsuits out of our suitcases this trip.

Later around 3:30 we took the boat over to DS where we had an early ADR at the Boathouse. Initially we looked around in the WODS again to see if they had anything new out regarding the 50th Anniversary. And to no one's surprise we found nothing on the clothing racks in size medium.

When we finally left the packed store, we passed by the Lego Store where some of the characters from the more recent Star Wars Movies constructed out of Legos were on display outside the building, along with some from Frozen and Micky the Magician.










From there we slowly made our way to the Boathouse. We've never eaten at the restaurant, but I had found several good recommendations for it on the DIS. I have to say we were impressed with both the food and the service. When we arrived there, I asked for and was given an excellent, outside table right next to the waterfront.

Our waiter, Yoan, was fabulous. He immediately brought us paper menus and took our drink orders. DW ordered the Duck Duck Razz, and Yoan stated that it's the most popular drink at the restaurant. I had a Beach Hippie IPA. When Yoan promptly came back with our drinks, I took a picture of DW with them.

To be continued on the next post.

 

[Hubie]

Friday Evening, December 3, 2021, Continued



DW than ordered the Cedar Planked Maine Salmon, which came with some red potatoes, kale and green beans. The salmon was perfectly cooked but, being outside, the green beans were a little cold. I decided to try the Shrimp & Andouille Mac & Wisconsin Cheese in a spicy beer sauce. It was delicious and my favorite TS meal of the trip.





We watched the sunset began to set while we ate.

After finishing our meal, we slowly made our way to the one of our favorite stores, UNIQLO. On the way there I took some more pictures of the seasonal decorations.







After spending a bit of time in the unique clothing store I bought a pair of lightweight, royal green sweatpants and DW got a very soft, light-blue fleece jacket.

Then on our way back to the boat dock we decided it was time to stop at Ghirardelli's for sundaes.



Yum! When we waddled out of there, I took some nighttime pictures of Rain Forest Cafe before we caught the boat back to SSR.







Next up, Saturday breakfast at Trail's End and how we spent the day without going into a park.

 

[rdkeim]

Sounds like you're enjoying your time even with the crowds. Wonder if capacity is back to pre-covid levels? Your dinner at Boathouse looks very good! Anxious to hear how your meal went at Trails End. I've read a lot of not so good reviews. We're staying in Ft. Wilderness cabins in March and thought we'd eat there our first night. Hoping you had a good experience!

 

[Hubie]

Sounds like you're enjoying your time even with the crowds. Wonder if capacity is back to pre-covid levels? Your dinner at Boathouse looks very good! Anxious to hear how your meal went at Trails End. I've read a lot of not so good reviews. We're staying in Ft. Wilderness cabins in March and thought we'd eat there our first night. Hoping you had a good experience!

Ah, the meal at Trail's End was as great as ever. I can't imagine what people are complaining about if they had the breakfast. We were given so much food that it was like being at a buffet and it was all very good. But we've never eaten there in the evening so I can't comment on what the dinner is like.

We did enjoy ourselves once we didn't have to drive anywhere, but it was just the two of us. We never had to rush to get anywhere or get up too early after an exhausting day of rope-dropping a park and staying until it closed. We didn't really care how many rides we were able to get on. But the lack of Fast Pass did really hurt our enjoyment of the parks. What's next to be cut?

 

[Piglet843]

Enjoying your Report. Its funny... My family and I were there the same week as you guys - we were even at almost the same parks everyday
(I did look to see if I was in any of your pics - lol)

 

[Hubie]

Saturday, December 4, 2021, a No Park Day

I purposely avoided having to go to a park on the weekend and seeing how crowded the parks had been the past week I figured it was a very good decision on my part. We did have a 10:10 ADR for breakfast at Trail's End, which meant we had to take a standing room only bus from SSR to MK, and then catch a boat from there to the dock for the CADFWR.

We arrived at the MK Transportation Station around 9:15, walked to the boat docks and joined all of six people waiting to board one of the small crafts transporting folks to the WC (funny that's what indicates a toilet in much of Europe). While waiting with them, we watched in awe as large masses of people arrived by either the big ferry boats or the Monorail. I congratulated myself for not having made a reservation for MK that day. The park was definitely going to be even more jammed inside than the day before.

Our boat soon arrived and shortly after all eight of us boarded the captain quickly cast off. A heavy fog veiled the shoreline scenery as we were motoring from the Seven Seas Lagoon to Bay Lake. But at least there was little to no wind to make it a cold and damp water transit in the open boat. We've nearly frozen on the same trip a couple of times on past trips. After we entered Bay Lake, I was surprised to learn that the smaller boats were no longer servicing CTR. We had planned to go there on our return trip after breakfast.

We arrived at Crockett's Traven and the Trail's End Restaurant for their now family-style breakfast instead of a buffet at 9:40. I took a picture of the tree outside by the playground and then we sat outside on one of the wooden benches to wait until we could check in.



After waiting for about 15 minutes, I checked in with the CMs manning the station outside the restaurant entrance. We then only had to wait about another five minutes before being ushered to our table. It was the same table we shared with my DD and DSIL in 1/2020.

The restaurant was only about half-filled, and our cheery waitress, Candice from Alabama, immediately came by. After introducing herself she asked us where we were from and, then after a little chit-chat, she inquired about what we would like for drinks. We requested a pot of coffee, water and some Moonshine, which she promptly delivered with a big smile.

A waiter soon also brought us each a dish filled with strawberry-yogurt granola with fresh, mixed-berries on top. Then Candice came by again with a basket of pastries for me. It contained two Croissants, a small cinnamon roll, a small blueberry muffin and a little dish of strawberry yogurt spread. She also delivered a couple of Gluten-free, plant-based biscuits for DW.

After a few minutes another waiter came and brought us skillets, or should I say pots, full of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, waffles, and sausages. The entire meal was really good, and like our previous Boma breakfast, we left the rustic restaurant with expanded waistlines.

While waiting on the dock for our boat ride back to MK a local gentleman started complaining about all of the changes the Mouse has made over the past few years, especially about having to pay for parking when staying at one of the WDW resorts. Being DVC that's one thing they haven't taken away from us (yet).

As I may have said earlier in this TR, we heard similar complaints from just about everyone we talked to, while either waiting for transportation or in a standby queue for a ride. Some even said that they were done coming to WDW. It's become just way too costly for many young families especially, if like us, they aren't Florida residents.

When we arrived back at MK, we were astounded by the huge crowd of people waiting to buy tickets to enter the park. We both said, "Wait until they all get inside and find it jam packed."

We then made our way to the Monorail and rode it to the CT. After looking around in the stores located on the second floor, I took a picture of the big mosaic outside in the hall.



And, because I'm a huge dog lover, I had to take one of this cute, Labrador service dog.



We then returned to the Monorail and rode a packed railcar back to MK where we decided to skip my plan of checking out Destino Tower and just went to catch a bus back to SSR.

Well, it was a bad decision. We waited forever for a bus. There was a bus parked right in the SSR slot. But when we arrived there after running to catch it, the driver said he was done for the day. He was just waiting for his replacement. He told us we could board the bus if we wanted to, but if his replacement didn't show up soon, which apparently happens more often than not, he would have to park the bus. He also told us that before COVID he only drove to and from one park, EC. Now they have the drivers they have going everywhere.

Finally, after waiting about 35 minutes another driver arrived, but to everyone's surprise the guy wasn't the replacement. He walked right past us to the next slot. People who had already boarded the bus got off and the driver parked across the street and went home. We all waited 10 more minutes before another bus finally arrived.

Back at SSR, the Springs bus stop is the last stop on the bus route through the huge resort complex, so we wasted a lot of time just getting back to our room. We probably should have headed to the pool, but instead we returned to DS. I guess we're just gluttons for punishment.



After disembarking at the DS dock, our first stop was at WODS, and it was almost standing room only inside. Masks or no masks we couldn't get out of there fast enough.

We then walked back to UNIQLO where DW bought another pair of sweatpants and a couple of really soft, almost velour-like, Heat-Tech T-shirts. I got a very soft, light weight, insulated green vest.

It was 2:15 when we were passing by Gideon's, and we decided to sign up for the virtual queue. The CM who signed us in told us to come back about 7:30. Then we'd have the pleasure of standing in the real line for another 20 minutes or more.

Before we went back to SSR to take care of some of our expenses with our DVRC and a couple of DGCS, we went over to the RRMS. I bought a Guinness hat and an Ireland mask. DW also got a mask and an inexpensive, but very pretty, silver ring (Sorry no picture). But I did take this shot of the hot-air balloon.



We returned to DS about 6:00 and had personal pizzas again at Pizza Ponte. After finishing our quickie meal, we walked to Gideon's and were allowed to join the real queue outside a little after 7:00. The wait went fairly quickly (about 25 minutes) and the group playing Irish folk music outside Ragland Road was quite entertaining as we waited to enter the unique bakery.

Once we were escorted inside the unique bakery, I realized that I left my camera in the safe in our room. But DW saved the day and took a few pictures with her phone. The last one is of the cash register.









As you can see, the slices of their cakes are enormous. We, however, came to get a cold-brew peanut butter coffee and some of their famous 1/2 lb. cookies. They have four varieties every day, but we just bought a half dozen of the regular, chocolate-chip ones.



We five of them in the freezer when we returned to our room and ended up taking four of them home. We gave two to our DD and one to a good friend. The other one we ate the day after we got home. They are very, very good!

To be continued on the next post, another day without the parks.

 

[Hubie]

Enjoying your Report. Its funny... My family and I were there the same week as you guys - we were even at almost the same parks everyday
(I did look to see if I was in any of your pics - lol)

Glad you're enjoying the report. I still have a couple of days left to do and then there's the two-day road trip from Hell on the way home.

We saw the same people a lot of the time. Probably ran into you too at one park or another or at DS. Where were you staying?

 

[Hubie]

Sunday, December 5, 2021, Another No Park Day

I had taken an opportunity on Saturday morning to go into MDE and make a change to our breakfast ADR for today at GFC. I also altered my ADR for breakfast on Monday morning at TEF on the Boardwalk to give us a little extra time to get to the restaurant from SSR.

As I may have noted before, we had decided to leave our car parked for the duration of our stay as it was resting in a nice, shady spot under a southern oak tree right outside our room. It was getting pounded occasionally with small acorns falling on it, but I had discerned that they didn't have the velocity falling from the tree or the weight to do any damage. But they did create quite a mess all around the car when I crushed them by walking on them whenever I cleaned them off of the roof of the car and off of the wipers and out of the gap below the wipers where they accumulated.

We arrived at the Springs bus stop about 9:35. There were only four others waiting there with us for a bus, and an MK bus came almost immediately. Low and behold we actually got to sit down in it. Apparently, most of the park goers from SSR had left earlier or more probably much earlier.

We soon were at the HS park bus stop station where we took the adjacent stairs leading up to the Monorail for the three, Magic Kingdom Resorts on the route. When we arrived at the GF there was hardly anyone around at least outside the main entrance.



After taking pictures of some of the beautiful decorations, including the large tree, lobby and huge gingerbread house in the elegant Victorian resort we needed to locate the GFC. We've never eaten there before. On previous visits to the GF for breakfast we were with our DD and her family, and we all went to the character breakfast in 1900 Park Fare. Other times on past trips we've dined in two of the main GF restaurants (Narcoossee's and Citricos) for dinner. I can't say I was thrilled with the food at Citricos when we ate there, but our meal at Narcoossee's in 1/2020 was excellent. Our waiter even allowed the four of us to go outside behind the restaurant to view the MK fireworks before paying our bill.















A left turn from the Gingerbread House took us to the GFC. We had to wait in the small, brightly lighted lobby a few minutes before checking in. But when our time came, we were quickly escorted to our table.

I ordered their famous buttermilk-fried, Chicken and Waffle, and DW had the Grand Breakfast (Two eggs served with Bacon, Sausage, and Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole). My two chicken breasts with sriracha-honey drizzle and the malted waffle were as fantastic as advertised and was enough to feed two people.





Continued on the next post.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Your no park day sounds really nice. We have eaten at Trails End breakfast buffet before Covid and we really enjoyed it.
You should have checked out Destino, really a beautiful resort to visit!
I love Uniqlo and we always shop there at DS.
I’m glad you got to try the yummy Gideon’s famous cookies!

 

[Hubie]

Your no park day sounds really nice. We have eaten at Trails End breakfast buffet before Covid and we really enjoyed it.
You should have checked out Destino, really a beautiful resort to visit!
I love Uniqlo and we always shop there at DS.
I’m glad you got to try the yummy Gideon’s famous cookies!

It was a nice weekend and we really enjoyed both days, especially our meals at Trails End on Saturday, and on Sunday at the Grand Florian Cafe and Jock Lindsay's Holiday Bay.

Hopefully we'll get to see Destino the next time we visit. I've seen pictures of it, and it does look very beautiful. I'd also like to try the middle of the lake restaurant (Crossroads?) at the resort.

Uniqlo has become our favorite store at Disney Springs. We enjoy the Japanese vibe there and their clothing goods.

And lastly thanks, Gideon's cookies are amazing!

 

[Hubie]

Sunday, December 5, 2021, Continued

After finishing breakfast, we wandered around the hotel for a while. I took more pictures, including one of the Enchanted Rose, which wasn't open. It was Sunday morning after all. We've never been there for a drink, but it looks like a really nice place to have one.










The Enchanted Rose Cocktail Bar




We also checked out the shops and spent quite a bit of time in the upstairs soap shop. Then DW took a picture of me next to the white, antique auto outside the main entrance before we caught a bus to DS.



We spent the rest of the day and a good part of the night at DS. We mostly just wandered around taking in the sights and scenes. And, of course, I took several more pictures.







More pictures and the day are continued on the next post.

 

[Hubie]

Sunday Afternoon and Evening Continued at DS.



I took the two pictures below inside Disney Styles where the images appear on large wall screens.





We found the new ED&CB shop the CM at the outside queue for Gideon's had tipped us off about and we each bought one of their uniquely decorated donuts. I got the 50th Anniversary donut from the top row and DW chose the Sea-Salted Caramel one from the lowest rack.



We ate them the next morning, and we both agreed that they definitely aren't worth $7 a piece.

After leaving the donut & cold brew shop, we encountered these guys outside the new M&M's store.



We then eventually walked to the HOBGS and found the T-shirt's we both had wanted from there back in 1/2020. At that time no mediums had been available. HBR&B is another place we've never eaten at. Located at the far western end of DS near the BTOHS parking lot it doesn't seem too ever be that busy.

From there we walked all the way back to the WODS where DW actually found the quilted 50th Anniversary, shiny, dark-blue jacket in her size. They run a little small and it was the only XL on the rack. The rest were all sized XS, S and then there were a couple of XXLs and 2XXLs and one 3XXL. She hesitated to buy it, but I told her to get it because it was surely a rare find in the right size.

After that we continued to just walk around and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and, as day became night, I took some more pictures.











We eventually decided that we needed to eat something but neither one of us wanted anything too filling. We ended up at JLHB for a drink and appetizers. I always wanted to check Jock's out, but we just never landed there. We had to wait about 30 minutes before getting an outside table, but it was definitely worth the wait. We also were able to score two of the very comfortable, padded seats located just outside its entrance, and were entertained by a small, orchestra on the outside stage right next door.

After we were seated just outside of the Hanger Bar's interior, we both enjoyed a drink and appetizer. DW ordered the Tacos Chicken 3 and the Cool-Headed Monkey Drink. I really wanted to purchase the monkey head container, but DW put her foot down and reminded me that I had already bought the "In her mind!" absolutely useless Nautilus from TSGG. Meanwhile, I ordered the Steak Churrasco and a Jai Alai to drink. My steak was cooked perfectly. In fact, both of our appetizers were just enough and very tasty. We will most definitely return to the unique bar next time we come back down to WDW.

To be continued on the next post.

 

[Hubie]

More on Sunday Evening at DS.













We then stopped to get some caffeine at the Marketplace Starbucks. After getting our drinks, we sat and listened to the band playing on the AdventHealth Waterside Stage located just across from WODS. The band was called "Drey-C" and their lead singer was fantastic! You would've thought that he'd originally recorded all of the songs he sang. We could have sat there all night.





We eventually walked to the Christmas Store but didn't see anything we really wanted.



Then before calling it a night I took a picture of DW sporting her new jacket.

 

[Hubie]

Monday, December 6, 2021, back to Epcot

Today we had a 10:10 ADR for breakfast at Tattoria El Forno on the Boardwalk. It's another restaurant we haven't tried before. I've read so many good reviews about it on other TA's that I really wanted to go there for breakfast. And I have to say we left the restaurant both full and impressed.

This morning we got a little earlier start and took the bus from SSR to HS around 8:30. I was surprised the bus that arrived wasn't packed, and we both got a seat right in front behind the driver.

After we arrived at the HS bus stop, we walked directly to the Sky Liner. But the line that takes you to EC wasn't running yet. The CM standing where you wait to board it told us that it wouldn't start up for another 15 minutes. He suggested that if we didn't want to wait, we could catch the boat to the Boardwalk.

We decided to go for that option because we could see a boat was currently tied up at the HS dock. But wouldn't you know it, it pulled away right before we got there, and we ended up waiting the same 15 minutes for the next boat anyway. But I do believe we still saved some time taking the boat because the vessel eventually puts in at the Crescent Lake Boat Launch located in the center of the Boardwalk within a few steps of TEF. Whereas the Sky Liner drops you off near the International Gateway and walkway back to HS. Then you have to hoof it across the bridge, walk down past Seabreeze Point and past almost half of the Boardwalk to get to the restaurant's door.

When the next boat arrived, we were the only two passengers waiting for it. The captain's assistant welcomed us aboard and inquired as to where we were headed. We replied that we had an ADR for breakfast at TEF. He said, "Well in my humble opinion you made a good choice because they serve the best breakfast within the Disney grounds. Their "Steak and Eggs" is fabulous!" Not being big red meat eaters a steak for breakfast didn't appeal to either of us. But his recommendation had us looking even more forward to eating at TEF.

After entering Crescent Lake, the boat first stops at the launch located outside the YC. While tied up there four others heading to TEF for breakfast boarded.



Then the boat captain tooted the launches horn three times, said hello and goodbye to the local bird mascot he called Waldo, which sat motionless on one of the end posts of the launching dock, and quickly cruised across the lake to the dock on the Boardwalk side of the lake.

We weren't surprised when we arrived to see others waiting outside of the restaurant. We arrived too early to check in and joined the folks waiting outside the front door.

When our check-in time arrived, we still had to wait a few minutes before we were led to our table for two. But then our waiter arrived immediately. He was very attentive to our every need, and we didn't have to ask him for a pot of coffee, because he refilled our cups every time he passed by even when waiting on his other tables.

When it was our time to order, DW had the Caprese Omelet (Mozzarella, Ripe Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Breakfast Potatoes served with a side of Ham). I asked our waitor, "Which is better the buttermilk pancakes or the French toast?" Without hesitation he recommended the Tiramisu-style French Toast (Cinnamon Brioche, Mascarpone Cream and Cocoa Powder, served with a side of Ham). Both of meals were very filling and tasty.





After two much coffee we made use of the restrooms and then made our way into EC. We initially walked directly over to the big Christmas Tree located between Port of Entry and Disney Traders to take another look at it in the daylight.

From there we wandered at a leisurely pace to the World Celebration Area where we ended up at World Nature. We rode SATW three times. The first two times we had feet in our view, but they really didn't interfere with our enjoyment of the ride. Both times we were seated at the end of the row at the middle isle. On our third ride, like the famous baseball announcer, Bob Uker, we were sitting in the front roll.

Afterwards, we witnessed why the new LL isn't worth paying for. Having walked on the scenic ride all three times we were astounded to see numerous people were there using their LL reservation they had paid for to ride it.

We next went to World Discovery but decided to skip Test Track. And neither one of us was interested in riding Mission: Space. Like TT, we've both ridden Space a few times on past trips. I've actually ridden both the green and orange missions, but I got serious motion sickness when I rode the orange mission before the green mission was offered.

Instead of doing either ride we decided to just check out the new Creations Shop again. Afterwards, we realized it would likely be our last opportunity to get a Dole Whip and we took the Monorail to the TTC and from there to the PR.

When we arrived at the Poly, we first checked out the Bou-Tiki shop again and I found the light-blue sweatpants DW had been looking all over the World for that match the light-blue sweater top she had bought earlier at Creations in EC. There was just that one pair in her size.

From there we went out the back to get our Dole Whips. I ordered the regular cup of the pineapple soft-serve and DW ordered the pineapple sundae. When we received our order there was a shot of rum sitting behind her sundae. The sundae with the rum accompaniment cost more than double what she had ordered, and of course she refused it to pay for it. The CM working at the stand said that his manager would have to adjust the charge and she had just gone on break. He asked if we could come back and DW said no we're here now but leaving once we eat our Dole Whips. Well, he disappears and eventually comes back with a young woman whom I assume is his manager. She quickly gave us a full refund for the sundae.

After devouring the Dole Whip treats, we caught a bus back to HS. From there we took the Sky Liner to the RR to catch a quick meal at the Bar Riva. I had heard great things about their burger. We sat at one of the outside tables adjacent to the pool side bar. I ordered the Bacon Cheddar Burger with a side of Herb Fries and a Jai Alai. DW had the Grilled Chicken with Herb Fries.



For some reason I didn't take a picture of DW's meal, but my burger was excellent. I kept telling DW that she was missing out by not getting one. But she replied that she just wasn't hangry for one.

After finishing our quick meal, we took a look inside of the RR. We had stayed there for 12 nights back in 1/2020. The lobby is quite small compared to all of the other deluxe resorts and there's little merchandize available in its adjacent store. Like some others have said, it looks and feels more like being in a modern, high-end hotel. But in my opinion that can also be said about the Contemporary. We did, however, really enjoy our stay there and the easy access to its hot tubs and pools. We also liked having the Sky Liner right there providing easy access to EC, the Boardwalk and HS. We even rode it on a non-park day just to check out DPCR and DAOAR for something to do.

We left the RR and took the Sky Liner to EC. We still hadn't strolled through the World Showcase this trip and we also wanted to check out Harmonious.

After arriving back at EC, we basically just passed through the entire World Showcase. Our only stop was at the Mexico Pavilion. I always like to check out the unique merchandize inside and ride the Three Caballeros. The boat trip was a walk-on as usual and it's a relaxing and somewhat entertaining way to give your feet a rest.









We later wished we had stuck around to see Harmonious the first night we were at the park. I have to say the show is impressive, but we were a little late to snag a decent viewing spot. We ended up standing behind the big crowd that had already gathered around the Port of Entry.



We did stick around until it ended. But then of course we had to wait a while to get a bus back to SSR. It made for a late night when we still had some packing to do.



We wanted to get a very early start (6 AM) on Tuesday morning for our drive to Montgomery, Alabama. We planned on stopping there for the night and then possibly spend the next night somewhere in southern Illinois on our way home.

After our drive down we wanted to make the drive home a little less stressful. I was really hoping the traffic on the route up through Montgomery and Birmingham to Nashville would be less congested than taking I-75 back up through Georgia and having to go through Atlanta again.

Well, in the next post you'll learn how our drive back home turned out.

 

[disneyAndi14]

We really like Jock Lindsey’s and I love the cool headed monkey!
I want to eat at Trattoria again, I loved my breakfast there several years ago!
We stayed at Riviera in August and really loved our stay and the Skyliner is so much quicker than buses!
Row B and front row is the best on Soarin!

 

[Hubie]

Yea, JLHB is a great place to sit and enjoy a drink. We were very satisfied with the appetizers also. Can't wait to return and get the Monkey Cup if DW will let me.

We had one-bed villa at the RR and shared it with my DD and DSIL. It was beautiful and provided plenty of privacy for two couples. We also were up on the 8th floor and our balcony provided a good view of the EC fireworks. It was neat to sit out on it most nights with a beer. The only problem we experienced at the RR was bus service to AK. We just called for a Lyft. Also was handy to use them for transport to Universal.

Soaring is great as long as you don't get near the edges of the rows and get a warped view of everything. I'm always thrilled to see the Matterhorn because I stood on it summit in 1990.

Happy New Year! And thanks for following along. I enjoy your TRs also.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Yea, JLHB is a great place to sit and enjoy a drink. We were very satisfied with the appetizers also. Can't wait to return and get the Monkey Cup if DW will let me.

We had one-bed villa at the RR and shared it with my DD and DSIL. It was beautiful and provided plenty of privacy for two couples. We also were up on the 8th floor and our balcony provided a good view of the EC fireworks. It was neat to sit out on it most nights with a beer. The only problem we experienced at the RR was bus service to AK. We just called for a Lyft. Also was handy to use them for transport to Universal.

Soaring is great as long as you don't get near the edges of the rows and get a warped view of everything. I'm always thrilled to see the Matterhorn because I stood on it summit in 1990.

Happy New Year! And thanks for following along. I enjoy your TRs also.

We had a 9th floor room at RR, studio and wow the balcony view of the fireworks at Epcot was amazing. We only stayed 3 nights there and we planned Epcot and HP for those 3 days, worked perfectly with the Skyliner.
Wow climbing Matterhorn is a big accomplishment!
Happy New Year

 

[Hubie]

Tuesday, December 7, 2021, Driving Home

My plan for driving home was to head back to I-4, take State Hwy 27 N up to the Florida Turnpike, and then head west from there to I-75 N. I also had decided to take I-10 W to State Hwy 231 N and drive up to Montgomery, AL instead of continuing up through Georgia. We both hoped to avoid the congested traffic we had coming down through Atlanta and from Valdosta to Orlando. I also reserved a room at a Holliday Inn Express in Montgomery. And we even talked about making it a three-day drive by staying the next night somewhere in southern Illinois.

We left SSR at 6:30 AM in total darkness and a very heavy fog. Driving out of the huge, resort complex we couldn't see any road identification and I ended up making a wrong turn. We were actually heading away from I-4 instead of towards it. I quickly made a U-turn and started to retrace our route back. But when we approached the main intersection where I needed to make a right turn, I was in the far-left turn lane and there were two police cars sitting there by a gas station. I was afraid to suddenly cut over across two lanes to make a hard turn right and just made the left turn. Once again, I was heading in the opposite direction I needed to be going. Finally, I was able to turn around and head back to where I could get on I-4 West.

We then eventually took the off ramp to get us onto State Hwy 27 North and we finally felt we were on our way. But DWs phone lady kept wanting me to make a U-turn and head back down Hwy 27 South. It was still dark and foggy, and I wanted reinforcement that we were headed where we needed to go to hook up with the Turnpike. I stopped at a gas station and asked another man who looked like a local how best to get there. He directed me to take the very first right after heading back north from the gas station which would take us to State Hwy 50 West. The two-lane road would then take us eventually over to I-75 North.

We finally made it onto I-75 North. Then I took the off ramp to connect up with I-10 West. I it all the way over to State Hwy 231. The traffic hadn't been bad at all except when we had neared Tallahassee, and other cities like Dothan, Alabama and, of course, as we approached Montgomery.

We reached the Montgomery IHG hotel adjacent to I-85 about 4 PM. After checking in, unpacking and settling into our room I went down to the car to fetch my computer. The desk lady saw me passing by and said, "Oh by the way I forgot to tell you we won't have any hot water until around 5:00 or 6:00." They were apparently replacing a main water pipe. I thought no big deal since we still had to go and eat dinner. Back up in our room I then tried to connect to their WIFI. Well, it didn't work. I took the elevator back downstairs and the woman at the desk didn't have a clue what to do about it, but she ensured me that someone would investigate why it wasn't working. I was starting to get a little upset, but then thought well I don't really need to be on the computer anyway.

We then decided to get something to eat around 5:00. We drove just down the road to a Baumhower's Victory Grill. I had their chicken plus waffles and a so-called, special blackberry lager and DW had their turkey wrap. The beer wasn't anything special, but we left the restaurant full and satisfied around 6:00.

Back at the hotel and up in our room I turned the water on in the bathroom sink. It spat and sputtered then only cold water came out. We waited until 7:00, and then DW tried the shower. Now there was no water! I decided then and there we were leaving. I went downstairs to the lobby to get a refund and found the woman at the desk was unbelievably still checking people in. When I told her about the shower, she said she still didn't know when they would have hot water. I asked for a refund, and she didn't hesitate to give me one. She even advised me to go up I-65 North to Prattville where there's another Holiday Inn Express. I said I was sorry for her inconvenience, and that it wasn't her fault the work on the pipe hadn't yet been completed.

When I returned to our room DW was packed and ready to go. We left and drove across the city on I-85 West to get on I-65 North. Then we got off two exits up the Interstate and headed into Prattville. It was a good move because the Holiday Inn Express there was really nice. It also meant we would avoid Montgomery's rush hour traffic in the morning. But when I plugged into their WIFI and checked my IHG Account there were two reservations for the Prattville Hotel on it for the night with different confirmation numbers. Ugh! I went back downstairs to talk to the woman who had checked us in. After I calmly explained to her that my account showed that I was booked for two rooms instead of one and that each room was under a different reservation number she told me that the IHG App probably just made a duplicate reservation. She made it sound like it happens all the time. She asked me for the reservation numbers, checked her computer and assured me that she only had the one room listed she had booked for me when I arrived. Still worried about being charged twice, when I got back up in our room, I spent another hour with an IHG chat agent trying to get the issue resolved. He could see the two reservations in my IHG account. But eventually he just said there was nothing he could do on his end. He also said that it would be up to the hotel whether they charged me for two rooms or not. Needless to say, once again I was exhausted by the time I showered and made it to bed around 11:00.

How's our drive the next day? Catch the next post to find out.

 

[rdkeim]

Oh my such an ordeal. Hope the rest of your trip home is smooth!