2 Nerds, a Vegetarian and a Ninja walk into the Magic Kingdom Update 4/7

[Disney Is My Drug]

More Tabby please!

 

[Reddog1134]

We had a great first day (and long night) at Disney but decided to change it up and go to Universal on our second day. Holly really wanted to see the new Harry Potter area of Islands of Adventure but I felt we should do that on a day that we could get up early before the crowds really got heavy. Since three of us were out until after 2am, I felt that today we should just go to the Studios. Then we could sleep in and hit Universal in the late morning or early afternoon. Unfortunately, my internal clock was still running to precision and I work up at 7:45 as I do on most days.

I got out of bed, grabbed some clean clothes and headed to the shower. I thought I was being quiet but when I came out of the bathroom, everyone else was up. I grabbed my cheese danish (don't know what everyone else had for breakfast) and turned on the TV while everyone else was getting ready. I started flipping through channels looking for something to watch and I found this.

I don't know Japanese so I think it was a talk show about dogs. The hosts and the guests appeared to have brought their dogs to the set and the camera would often focus on the dog just sitting there.

They also showed some footage of a man kayaking with his dog. The thing that made it really strange though was the late 80's/early 90's pop music they would randomly play in the background. None of had any idea what was going on in the show but we couldn't stop watching it.

Eventually the show ended and the trance wore off. We packed our things in the car and drove to the Hospitality House so we could check into the 1BR.

We checked our bags and headed to the lobby. Again there was no wait. Tabby looked behind the counter and saw all the neat balloons and asked the CM for a sword.

She also acquired a hat. So now she thinks she's a ninja AND a pirate. Which is completely ridiculous. Everyone knows ninjas and pirates are natural enemies.

We walked over to Good's Food to Go and bought our refillable mugs. Well, 3 of us bought them but I think one of us plundered theirs.

Then we headed over to the gift shop to look around. I don't think anyone bought anything and I'm pretty sure there was no pillaging. After browsing around for a bit, we got into the car and headed to Universal.

Next: Universal Studios​

 

[TanzUnited99]

Maybe all the programmes at Disney have a spell put on them to reel you in and make sure you finish watching it before leaving the room!

Love Tabby's choice of sword...was just looking at the balloon display and I wonder what they would do if a child really insisted on wanting one of the balloons that actually spelt the 'welcome home'??

 

[glennbo123]

They also showed some footage of a man kayaking with his dog. The thing that made it really strange though was the late 80's/early 90's pop music they would randomly play in the background. None of had any idea what was going on in the show but we couldn't stop watching it.

Eventually the show ended and the trance wore off. We packed our things in the car and drove to the Hospitality House so we could check into the 1BR.

That's a funny story!

I was the same way when I watched a concert on TV of the new version of Journey, with a filipino guy as the lead singer. I couldn't stop watching...he sounded just like Steve Perry, but looked like, um, a filipino guy.

Everyone knows ninjas and pirates are natural enemies.

Well of course. Although pirates wouldn't stand a chance against ninjas.

 

[holleypie]

Around 11am, we finally arrived here:

Since Tom had never been, he had to pose for this obligatory shot.

Pay attention to that shirt he's wearing, because it will become important later.

Tom hadn't bought his Universal tickets, so the rest of us went inside and took silly hat pictures while we waited for him.

When that stopped being amusing, Tom still hadn't made his way into the park, so I wandered around and took pictures of the Halloween decorations.

And then he STILL wasn't in, so Tabby and I went off on a photo shoot. I think we left Brian in the gift shop.

I wanted Tabby's picture with this guy, but she chickened out.

Then we collapsed at a fake bus stop and waited. FINALLY, Tom called and said he was in the park. We sat on our bench and waited for the boys to catch up. When the gang was all together again, I demanded that we head for my favorite ride.

Sadly, the wait that day was SUPER LONG. Fortunately everyone enjoyed the ride. But then we were hungry. We'd done one ride and it was already time for lunch!

I think some of us were feeling a bit crankypants that day, and we had trouble picking somewhere to eat. Finally we decided to split up. Tom went to Richter Burger and the rest of us headed to Louie's. I got a table outside while Tabby and Brian waited in line, and I called Tom and told him where I was. Brian and Tabby got back with our food, and we waited a few minutes for Tom.

When he didn't show, we gave up and started eating (figuring Tom wouldn't want OUR food to get cold just because he was stuck in line, right?) We finished eating and Tom STILL wasn't back. I either called or texted him and asked where the heck he was. He claimed that he didn't think he could take food from one restaurant to another, so he'd eaten at Richter Burger alone! I think maybe he just wanted a break from us. I can't say that I blame him.

After lunch, we did Twister and then went to:

My favorite show! I love it. By the end, I always hurt from laughing so much. And the way they interact with the audience, it's a different experience every time. Incidentally, do you see how Brian snuck into my picture? That's because he walks ahead of me ALL THE TIME. After our first few trips, he had me convinced that I walk unusually slowly and that it's MY fault I get left behind. But on this trip Tabby and Tom always matched my pace, with Brian walking twenty feet ahead of us. I felt vindicated.

Anyway, next we rode The Simpsons ride.

Brian and I had done this on our last trip but it was obviously new for Tabby and Tom. I think they enjoyed it? They must have. It's fun.

After that, we were sort of wandering around deciding what to do next when a Universal employee struck up a conversation with Tom about Chick-Fil-A. Tom was sporting a Chick-Fil-A tee AND hat that day. He thought Tom worked for Chick-Fil-A, but Tom explained that he's just a very loyal customer. Apparently this guy really liked Chick-Fil-A too...so he escorted us into the express lane for Jaws! Yay for Tom and his love of chicken!

Our last adventure of the day was Disaster. I was so excited for Tom to see the Christopher Walken part because it's so freaking cool. But as it turned out, we recognized a few other people in the show:

It's Tabby and Brian!

They played two of the three evil villains. I couldn't get a good picture of them on stage because the guy behind me kept screaming at me.

Universal closed pretty early that night--6pm--so we didn't get to do as much as I wanted. I'd kinda sorta really wanted to attend the free taping of TNA wrestling that was happening that night. I've never even seen TNA, but I was a big WWF fan as a kid and some of the wrestlers have migrated over. But I didn't want to cut our day even shorter, and no one else was even REMOTELY interested in watching wrestling.

(I really wanted to ride Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. It was supposed to be open on our previous trip but there were some delays in its completion. Just before this trip, the manufacturer informed the park that there were some design flaws or something that needed to be addressed. So the ride was closed from just before our trip until just after our trip. -Brian)

On our way out of the park, Tom got the biggest smile on his face and wanted me to take his picture. What got him so excited?

The car from Back to the Future. Of course.

We hit the gift shop on our way out and took a few more silly hat pictures.

Next: We get up close and personal with the local wildlife.​

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the silly hat photos. I don't blame Tabby for chickening out from taking a picture with that tall guy...he would make even a tall person look tiny!

Tabby and Brian suit the evil villain roles...they look great in those costumes

 

[holleypie]

Tabby and Brian suit the evil villain roles...they look great in those costumes

You should have heard their maniacal laughter! They were born to play evil villains.

 

[Reddog1134]

After leaving Universal Studios, we headed back to check into our new room. We were leaving the quiet subtleness of Old Key West for the subtle quietness of...Old Key West.

I went to the front desk and got our keys and room number. We hopped back into the car and drove to our new room. Does this picture look familiar?

It should. We were in the same building. Actually, we were pretty much right below our previous room. And what a nice, spacious room it was. It felt like a home and not like a hotel room. A lot of people say, "The room doesn't matter to me. I don't go to Disney to hang out in my room." Well, I don't go to Disney to hang out in my room either. But having a room like this makes me want to. (I loved the one-bedroom suite. It was so big, I got LOST a few times. - Holly)

After exploring the room and relaxing for a little while, we decided to appease Tabby's new found passion for Alligators. As far as I know, she had never mentioned alligators before our trip. But now she was adamant about seeing some while we were there. I hopped on the computer and started looking up some places to go. I was trying to find the place Holly and I had gone a few years earlier but I couldn't remember the name or the exact location. So we just got in the car and started driving off property.

Eventually we found a place and parked the car. So far, this was the most excited I had seen Tabby. We walked up to the front counter but there was only a single person working and she was helping someone else. They had some smaller gators up front and a large gator statue so we looked took some pictures of them while we were waiting.

Holly and I both had to use the bathroom so we walked off to the side of the building where the restrooms were located. There were 2 single occupancy bathrooms and the Ladies room was occupied. So Holly went into the Men's room while I waited outside. As soon as Holly walked out the employee came out from behind the counter and said "You're not supposed to be back here. You haven't paid." There was no sign or anything so we had no idea we were in a "restricted area". She ushered us up front and then roped off the area we were in. Tabby wanted her picture with a live gator so the woman eventually brought out a small baby gator that Tabby held for a picture. Then she said she wanted to feed the gators. The employee said she could buy a small bag of food that looked like "dried turds" (her words, not mine) to feed to the gators. We would also have to pay a small admission fee.

We paid for the food and the admission and were finally allowed into the "restricted area" so I was able to use the restroom. (Our entrance fee included admission to the Gator Show, which had inconveniently already happened that night. The friendly, helpful woman working behind the counter assured us that we could hold onto our tickets and come back any night to see the show. Tabby bugged us for the rest of the trip about going back to see that Gator Show. Spoiler Alert: We didn't. I still have the tickets. If she's good, I'll take her back on our next trip in December.) As we walked through the course we saw some small aquariums with baby alligators.

Yes, I said "course". It was also a semi-indoor miniature golf course. You actually had to walk through the course to get to the feeding area. It would have been a real pain if there were people actually playing. We made it to the feeding area and started feeding the gators.

I thought gators liked soft meat but they really seemed to enjoy the "dried turds". Then, with Tabby's gator desires fulfilled, we decided it was time to feed ourselves. We headed back to the car where Tabby exclaimed, "I'm starting a gator farm". Of course you are Tabby. Of course you are.

Next: We check out the local "Wild Life"​

 

[CreightonsMomma]

Universal looked like it was a lot of fun. I haven't been there in two years. I kind of burnt myself out. I want to ride the Rip Ride Rocket though so I guess I need to go back. I also want to see WWOHP. Looks sooo cool!

Oh my! that is so funny that she described the gator food as "dry turds" hahaha.

Great TR so far!

 

[Reddog1134]

Universal looked like it was a lot of fun. I haven't been there in two years. I kind of burnt myself out. I want to ride the Rip Ride Rocket though so I guess I need to go back. I also want to see WWOHP. Looks sooo cool!

Oh my! that is so funny that she described the gator food as "dry turds" hahaha.

Great TR so far!

Yeah, Universal is a lot of fun. I sort of agree with you though. I reach a point at US where I am ready to leave. I don't feel that way at Disney.

 

[Darkfirewolfe]

Nice to see the Lantern corps are now working with Star Command. I'm totally subbing - nice to see a nerdy report!

 

[Reddog1134]

Nice to see the Lantern corps are now working with Star Command. I'm totally subbing - nice to see a nerdy report!

Well, if the good guys can't get along then there is no hope for the galaxy.

Thanks for following.

 

[holleypie]

Here is Tabby with that poor baby alligator. It's a picture of the picture they gave her, so the quality is...awful. But this photo was the whole point of our gator excursion, so I thought it needed to be posted.

And here are some photos from our 2007 trip when Brian and I fed the gators. We did NOT feed them dried turds. We fed them hot dogs. With a fishing pole. Yeah.

Okay, moving on. My camera batteries died while I was taking pictures of the gators. We hadn't decided yet where we were going for dinner, but I had a feeling it would be photo-worthy. So we stopped at the souvenir shop next door, bought new batteries, and then we were on our way.

We all agreed on T.G.I. Friday's, but...somehow, we couldn't find Friday's. So instead we decided to take Tom to a restaurant where he'd NEVER been before.

Here he is perusing the menu. Can you tell where we are?

I'll give you a clue. Here's our lovely waitress.

It's Hooters! To me, Hooters is just one of those "I'm on vacation" kind of restaurants. We have one down the street from our house but the service is so bad, I won't go there. Therefore Hooters has become one of our vacation traditions.

We shared the fried pickles for an appetizer, I had a grilled cheese, Tabby and Tom both got either some sort of BBQ pork or chicken sandwich, and Brian got all-you-can-eat wings. (They start you off with 10 wings and the "refills" are only 5 wings at a time. That just wasn't cutting it. I had our waitress bringing me plates of 10 -Brian)

Before we left, we convinced Tom to pose for some pictures with the local hotties. Actually, Tabby pretty much dragged him up there while I patted myself on the back for having the foresight to buy extra batteries. Tom, though, was NOT pleased.

And then, he was.

By the time we got back to our awesome suite at Old Key West, we were all exhausted from our action-packed day, so we washed up and went to bed.

Next: We head to Downtown Disney. What magical mode of transportation will we use to get there? Who will shop longer--the girls or the boys? Will we spot any internet celebrities at lunch?

(Have I managed to make a leisurely morning at DTD sound exciting, or should I keep going?)

 

[Reddog1134]

I just noticed that sign to my right. Now I feel bad for all those alligators visiting from overseas.

 

[BookTrout]

You guys are cracking me up! I love this dual perspective trip report.
Sharon

 

[TanzUnited99]

It's a shame you could not feed the gators hot dogs this time as well, but I suppose it was fun to shake things up a bit.

Hooters looks like a great place to eat, though I wouldn't be happy with the 5 chicken wing refills either so am glad you managed to sort that out

Didn't notice the sign until you pointed it out - that sure is not good news for alligators from overseas!

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

I love the title of your TR. So far it sounds like it was a great trip and I have enjoyed your hilarious commentary.

I also would really like some fried pickles right about now.

 

[Reddog1134]

You guys are cracking me up! I love this dual perspective trip report.
Sharon

Thanks for joining in. We're here to please.

It's a shame you could not feed the gators hot dogs this time as well, but I suppose it was fun to shake things up a bit.

Hooters looks like a great place to eat, though I wouldn't be happy with the 5 chicken wing refills either so am glad you managed to sort that out

Didn't notice the sign until you pointed it out - that sure is not good news for alligators from overseas!

I think Holly wants to find the original place again the next time we go.

Hooters does have pretty good food. And the scenery ain't bad either.

The fact that they are only employing American Alligators is doing wonders for our economy.

I love the title of your TR. So far it sounds like it was a great trip and I have enjoyed your hilarious commentary.

I also would really like some fried pickles right about now.

Thanks and WELCOME!

I didn't care for the fried pickles but I think everyone else enjoyed them. Actually, I'm the only person I know that has had them and didn't like them. I like my pickles cold.

 

[holleypie]

I didn't care for the fried pickles but I think everyone else enjoyed them. Actually, I'm the only person I know that has had them and didn't like them. I like my pickles cold.

I actually don't even eat pickles, but I tried one just for the sake of trying it. They were okay. Most things taste better fried.

 

[Reddog1134]

The next morning we decided to go to Downtown Disney. I woke up and took a shower. While Holly was getting ready, I decided to see if Tabby and Tom were going to get up and join us at DTD or if they were sleeping in. Tom was already awake and just laying there on the sleeper chair. Tabby was sleeping on the sofa. Not on the sofa bed. Just the sofa itself. She did this every night for the whole trip. I gently shook her and asked "Are you going to Downtown Disney with us?". She yelled out "This is not SPARTA!!!". Apparently she likes 300 just as much as her brother. However, she later said she had no memory of saying that. ("This is not Sparta!" became one of many Tabbyisms that were repeated randomly over the course of the rest of the week -Holly)

Tabby started getting ready and Holly walked to the Hospitality House and got some bagels. (Is anyone surprised that I got lost on the way back? OKW is BIG) Holly, Tabby and I ate them on the balcony while Tom got ready. By the way, Tom takes a LOOOOOOOONG time to get ready. (As a result, he was always the most presentable). Tom finally finished, grabbed a snack from his bag and we were ready to go.

We headed to the Hospitality House so that we could take the ferry to DTD.

We waited at the dock for about 10 minutes before the ferry arrived.

We quickly boarded and after a few minutes we were on our way. I'm really glad we decided to do this . It was very relaxing and beautiful.

We arrived at our destination and took a few photo opportunities.

Doesn't Tom look a child in this photo?

We wandered up and down visiting stores as we went along. However, no one really bought anything. It was still fun to look around though. (Actually, I bought some bath bombs from Basin but Brian probably doesn't remember this because he refuses to enter "smelly stores." I got two that smelled like cherry blossoms and one called Florida Sunshine, because that seemed appropriate. I was looking forward to taking a hot, relaxing bath in our big swanky tub at the end of the night.)

Soon it was lunch time and we decided to try Paradiso 37. We were quickly seated and started perusing the menu. We ordered the Salsa Trio as an appetizer. I ordered the Bacon and Pineapple Burger, Holly had the Jicama Orange Salad, Tabby had Surf and Turf and Tom had Quesadillas.

Just before our food arrived I looked a few tables over and saw my first internet celebrity. Peter Pan guy. Tom and I knew who he was but the girls didn't. For those of you that don't know, he is a man with a very strong affection for the Peter Pan character. He has his own website and dresses like Peter Pan daily. I don't know if he was on vacation or if he lives in the area but it thought it was cool to actually see him in person. (I'd wanted to go here because I'd read the menu online and found something I wanted to try. Of course, the menu online ended up being old and wrong. The salad was delicious, though. I think we all really enjoyed this meal. And the thing with the Peter Pan Guy was hilarious to me because Tom and Brian were SO excited that they recognized him. I'd never heard of him so I couldn't grasp what was so impressive about going to Disney World and spotting...Peter Pan.)

After lunch the girls decided to head back to OKW but Tom and I wanted to stay and look around a little more. They headed down to the Ferry dock. I turned around to say something to Tom but he had already disappeared. I guess he wanted to shop on his own. (Tabby and I took the ferry back to OKW and then started trudging back to our room, wondering if we should attempt to hitchhike because we were feeling tired and lazy. Before we could even stick our thumbs out, an employee out delivering luggage stopped and gave us a ride! We changed into our suits then headed to the pool closest to our room instead of walking all the way back to the main pool at the front of the resort. I don't know how to swim anyway, so it didn't make much difference to me.)

After looking around for another half hour, I started back to the Ferry. On my way back to the room, I saw the girls heading towards the pool. I told them I would get changed and meet them there.

The pool was relatively quiet. After about 45 minutes, Tom called to ask where I was. I told him I was at the pool. He said he thought we were riding back together. Well, then he shouldn't have ditched me. Eventually we headed back to the room to get ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. (I love Halloween). Tom had decided to take the bus back so it took him a while to get there. He finally made it back and soon we were heading to the party.

Next: Party Time!!!​