3,298 miles, 10 breweries, and 1 Mega Meet - a July '16 Trip Report *New 6/5/17 - Link to new TR!*

[TheMaxRebo]

We came home with only 3 Chewie steins from our last trip and I had trouble figuring out where to put them. You have quite the collection there!

Enjoyed your TR, as usual!

yeah, we definitely didn't need 5 of them ... they currently sit on the range hood above our stove

Thank you!

Can't go wrong with BTMRR. Peter has great taste!

Honestly, this looks just about as good as anything you guys ordered. Sometimes a good grilled cheese sandwich and soup really hits the spot.

I love Dumbo at night in it's new setting. It really looks great when the lights come on.

Yikes... a long wait, but I'm glad the meet with Joy and Sadness was so great.

#dadjokes

Removing him would have been unforgivable.

I love that ride, but even that many times at once is a bit much for me!

Totally understand the feeling...

I'm glad you made it to La Cava. I always enjoy getting a margarita there, although I usually just grab one to go.

I can understand your take on it. I usually feel it is one of the more affordable options in Disney World (although pricey for just a pizza). We usually just split a pizza and it ends up being one of our cheaper meals in the parks. Although when you add a $12 beer that price quickly escalates.

Well then it's settled. We're not leaving!!!!

The drive home is always longer...

What? You stopping for beer? No way!!!

I remember growing up I could have cared less. My sisters would chase those lizards all over the place when we'd go south.

The kid is going to open a brewery some day.

Yep, that beer was kicking in.

That really is a beautiful stretch of scenery through the Smokies and the foothills.

That's a lot of driving... and the biggest thing I've noticed, it seems like your kids did great with it, overall.

I might not have been able to keep up with it, but I enjoyed reading it!

Full agree about a good grilled cheese. There is a place near us that serves this giant grilled cheese with a few types of cheese in it along with tomato soup - great meal!

Obviously a trade off with if the characters take more time with each guest it makes the line move slowly- but we really enjoyed the meet with Joy and Sadness and was totally worth it for us (it helped that it was the one meet the kids really wanted to do so they were more ok with the wait than they might have been otherwise)

#Dadjokes - and you can bet your bottom dollar that I used that joke about 20 times

We've gotten margaritas to go from LaCava in the past - though it was nice to take a little break and enjoy the AC

Maybe we just did it wrong - and I do think the drink prices was a big contributor - just was one of those where the final bill was a lot more than I was expecting to pay for "just pizza"

Yeah, figured we'd switch it up a bit and make a stop for beer

and I would frequent that brewery

We had never driven through that area of the country so it was definitely nice scenery to take in

Overall the kids did really well with the driving. We tried to keep it to a maximum of 8 hours in any one day - and a few times due to hitting traffic, etc. we pushed that/went over a little bit and I could tell that was when the kids started acting up a bit ... but breaking the trip up definitely helped

Thanks for reading and all your comments!

Too much fun the day before?

Wow, that's a lot of miles put into one trip. Lots traveling for one vacation!

Love all the souvenir cups/mugs from the trip. That's one of my favorite things to bring back home. They serve a purpose plus are a great reminder of a fun vacation.

Yeah, too much fun the day before - and probably the whole trip too!

Definitely quite a bit of miles, but it was spread out a bit (nearly 2 weeks in total) so wasn't too bad.

I agree about the mugs! We use the Disney coffee mugs almost every day - great reminder of the trip!

 

[cindianne320]

Great end to the trip. My DH would love that brewery tour!
Can't wait to hear about your DIS meet-up- it's so soon!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great end to the trip. My DH would love that brewery tour!
Can't wait to hear about your DIS meet-up- it's so soon!

thank you! The brewery tour was really great - so glad we were able to fit it in (they only have it at certain times so we booked the latest one for that day, so glad we made it!0

I know! I leave tomorrow for the trip - just got the notice I can check in for my flight. Super excited, though also nervous about going Solo and meeting so many people!

 

[ashleymrush]

thank you! The brewery tour was really great - so glad we were able to fit it in (they only have it at certain times so we booked the latest one for that day, so glad we made it!0

I know! I leave tomorrow for the trip - just got the notice I can check in for my flight. Super excited, though also nervous about going Solo and meeting so many people!

Have fun on your solo trip! Don't be nervous. You'll be with Disney family and people that are just as crazy about WDW as you are. My mom did her first solo trip last year and raves about how amazing it was. I'm so jealous that you get to attend the anniversary party. I'll get Pandora soon enough (18 days!) but the anniversary event and meet and greets sound incredible! Do you plan on doing any of the meet and greets or just the party?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 96: Recap
Part 1 -Takeaways from the drive there and back

Hi everyone, I hope all is well! Sorry it has taken me a while to get to this but I wanted to share a few takeaways from this trip before my next trip ... which is tomorrow, so nothing like waiting for the last minute!

I am super excited for the trip though - getting to see Pandora, going to the DIS 20th private party at EPCOT, and I have a bunch of DIS meets set up so it should be great! Very thankful that Judi let me take this trip ... now just to get through one more day of work!​

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One of the unique things about this trip for us was that we drove and that we decided to take our time and split it up over a few days each way. This was largely to make it easier on the kids and also to take advantage of seeing some sites on the way (and, you know, the breweries )

Overall the kids really did great on the trip - much better than I feared. Looking back I think 8 hours was about their limit for driving in one day. We always planned for it to be no more than that on any given day but a couple of times we hit some traffic or made more pit stops than expected (or made more pit stops because we hit more traffic) and during those stretches we could tell it was getting to the kids. So if/when we do this again we will try to give us a bit of cushion each day or at least only plan those longer times for more over night when the kids would sleep through it.

Judi also did great in prepping all the snacks and activities for the kids - they did have their kids kindles but also their travel lego kits and other activities.

As for the places we stopped, some of the highlights were:

*Activities*

National Air and Space Museum - Chantilly, Virginia​

The kids really enjoyed this, the workers there were super friendly, just a lot of neat things to see and fun displays explaining how things worked for the kids. Plus free admission so you can't beat that! I do wish we had a little more time there rather than feel rushed, but it was a last minute add on so can't complain too much

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Museum of Life & Science - Durham, NC​

What a fun place - really just a great place for kids to run and play (and adults too!) and to learn by discovering. If we lived in the area I could definitely see getting memberships there as there was a lot to do! Plus the train for Peter with the art exhibits to see while riding.

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Carriage ride with Historic Savannah Tours - Savannah, GA ​

This was a fun activity and I think allowed us to see a good amount of the city in a fun way that was a little different and just at a slower pace which was nice. The kids did seem really enamored with the trolleys we saw so if we go back I think we might do one of the trolley tours instead. But all-in-all this was a great choice for us and would recommend this - the company we picked seemed good as well and I thought it was a reasonable price.

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Deerfield Beach - Deerfield, FL​

Ok, so not really part of the travels, but this is always a fun time for us and the kids had fun playing with the cousins and enjoying the Ocean

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The Playground - Athens, GA​

One thing I would recommend to people attempting something like this is that google is your friend and just searching for playgrounds near where you are can lead to some gems and just a chance for the kids to stretch their legs

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*Restaurants*

A big part of vacation for us is the food - and eating out and trying new things. Below are a few of our favorites that we stopped at

The Pit - Durham, NC​

Just a really solid barbecue place - definitely a bit more refined than other options which would be more casual - not that this wasn't kid friendly or anything but not something I think you would see on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives

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Monuts - Durham, NC​

This is a local place with really fun donut options and good breakfast food as well. Definitely popular and the locals know the proper way to line-up, etc. - but we liked everything we got and was a great start to the morning while on vacation!

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Vic's on the River - Savannah, GA​

This one was a recommendation from a fellow DISer that suggested it and it was a great choice. It *looks* a bit fancy but was super kid friendly and we had one of the best servers that I can ever recall - just very helpful and helped to put us at ease. The food was excellent as well and compared to other options I didn't think the pricing was too bad. Highly recommend!

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The Whale's Rib - Deerfield Beach, FL​

This is one of our standbys as we try to get here every trip. This place actually was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Lot's of good options, but one of the highlights is definitely the Whale Chips with Whale Sauce. Definitely can crowded so need to pack a little patience - but friendly place!

Trapeze Pub - Asheville, NC​

This was one of the restaurants I was most looking forward to and it did not disappoint - lot's of great options and lots of great beer on tap. Definitely would stop here again if we are in the area - but perhaps on a day we hadn't been to two breweries earlier in the day!

Cootie Brown's - Johnson City, TN​

This is another case of google being our friend as we had no specific plans but wanted something a little different and not just a chain place we could go to around our house. We loved this place - really good food, super friendly, and good pricing. So if you are every near there and looking for a place to stop, we definitely recomment it!

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*Breweries*

Ok, now for what everyone came for - my take on the breweries we stopped at. Overall, I think we did well with the breweries we picked, but there definitely some standouts

Fullsteam Brewery - Durham, NC​

I really liked this place and could see us hanging out there often if we were in the area. They had lots of games for the kids to play - and we saw a lot of families there (lot's of baby wearing). Rather good beer and a nice variety in their offerings which I think is great. Of the places we stopped in Durham, this was my favorite, though Ponysaurus was good as well (just not the variety there)

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Funky Buddha - Ft. Lauderdale, FL​

This was one place that I wasn't sure if we would be able to fit it in, but was really glad it worked out. They do some really cool things here and while some things seem to be a bit gimicky, they all generally work and are really solid beers. Side note, that I had a work trip to this area a few weeks ago and a client I was meeting with suggested we meet at the Funky Buddha Lounge so I got to check that location out as well. It was definitely more casualty (it's also a hookah lounge) where as the full brewery was a bit more corporate. Both were fun though, but I really liked the Ft. Lauderdale location. Had some of the best beers of the trip here too

Terrapin Brewing - Athens, GA​

This was probably the place that the experience exceeded my expectations the most. Just a really cool place to hang out - the kids had fun playing, and the beer was really solid. Definitely another place I could see us frequenting if we were in the area. Also had some of our favorite beers and turned out to be the place we bought the most beer from.

Oscar Blues - Brevard, NC​

This one was definitely a "bonus" stop as it was on the way to Asheville. I have had their beer in the past and really liked it so thought it would be a good bonus stop. Definitely enjoyed it - though was a little awkward with the outdoor bar not open so we had to split up and have one of Judi and I watch the kids playing while the other went up to the bar. The beers were really good and was another place we bought quite a bit to bring home

Wicked Weed Funkatorium - Asheville, NC​

As mentioned, this was the brewery stop I was most looking forward to - and it definitely didn't disappoint. The bar area was great with nice options on the menu and the tour was really fun! Just some amazing beers there and cool stuff they are doing - I really felt like anyone could find something there they would like. We'll see how the acquisition by InBev impacts them going forward, but for now it was a highlight of the trip for me

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So that is it - the highlights from around 6 days worth of travel. I will next work on a post highlighting our time actually at Walt Disney World!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 97: Recap
Part 2 - Takeaways from our time at Walt Disney World​

Obviously a lot of ground to cover from a week at Walt Disney World - so won't get into a ton of detail but thought I would hit on some of the things that stood out to me

*Lodging*

We stayed at Bonnet Creek which is a place I was very excited to stay at. Having now stayed there I have mixed feelings. Overall it was a very nice resort - very large with lots of things to do - especially pools and lazy rivers and stuff. For the most part the workers we encountered were either very nice or just stayed in the background. The room was very large, and well appointed - though could use a bit of updating (just as far as outlets and USB ports, etc. - nothing huge but compared to hotels that have had a recent renovation you do notice the difference). The location is obviously great as well being so close to the parks. I think the downfall to me was that it had a lot going on at the property and big family parties and stuff like that - and I will add seeing a family smoking from a hookah in one of the cabanas poolside threw me off a bit. It just had it's own vibe and wasn't just a hotel/resort you stay at while visiting Walt Disney World and I guess I thought being on property and so close to parks most people would be like me and just using this as their base of operations for their Disney vacation - but this felt more like people that were on vacation to this resort itself, not on a Disney vacation. We've stayed off site at several other resorts and while they perhaps did not add to the Disney *feel* they didn't detract from it - this felt like, to me, it detracted from it.

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*Food & drinks*

So we tried a lot of new places on this trip - or at least new to us. Below are a few of the highlights

Jock Lindsey's Hangar bar

First off, the place is just cool and so many neat things to look at in the place - and I love that there are connections to the Adventurer's Club and chatting with a bar tender who had worked at the Adventurer's Club was definitely a neat experience. A lot of good drinks - with probably the Cool Headed Monkey being our favorite (the Scottish professor was also rather good). I also really liked the fried calamari that I got there.

Morimoto Asia​

This was one meal I was really looking forward to and it did not disappoint! I mentioned it in my full review but we had a great server who just has a really great attitude that just added to the experience. We also found the kids meals to be great here and loved that they came with fun chopstick type tools and origami paper to keep the kids busy. Everything we had here was so good - but standouts were the rock shrimp appetizer, the peeking duck entree and the fondue churros

The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge ​

This one wasn't a main priority heading into the trip but turned out to be one of our favorites and is now one of our go-to's in Hollywood Studios (though, to be fair, not a ton of competition). But the drinks were all good, it was fun to be able to watch the Star Wars show from our seats and that Kobe Beef Slider is now at the top of my list of best burgers on property - one of the best things I had all trip!

Hoop Dee Doo Review​

I had wanted to do this show for a while, but was never sure if/when the kids would be old enough to be into it. I am so glad we did try it and kicking myself for not trying it earlier - I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. The food was really solid too - especially the chicken. For the fun show, that chicken, and all you can drink sangria this is a great option for us and something we will definitely do again in the future! I also really appreciated that they made up extra food for Judi - and she really liked her salmon and the other things they brought her

Nomad Lounge​

While we weren't able to fit in a meal at Tiffins I did want to check the space out and to try out the Nomad Lounge - the concept of a place like this - tapas type food and fun drinks and good bear and a cool setting - is totally up our alley. We did really like the place (though especially with it being rather empty and it being a "nicer" place it was one place I felt a bit awkward with the kids - just the noise they were making and moving around a bit. They weren't being bad or anything there just wasn't a lot else going on so I at least felt like I noticed every thing they did more. Oh well. The Kungaloosh beer was amazing and Judi really liked the Annapurna Zing. The food we tried was all rather good - though nothing stood out as OMG amazing. Still, a very cool place to hang out and I would definitely try it again (heck, if there is time I might stop there tomorrow evening!)

Spice Road Table​

I must admit this was probably the meal I was most concerned with - just hadn't read a ton of reviews of it and also afraid that the view of Illuminations wouldn't be that great. I am happy to report back that we loved this pace - really liked all the food we tried and the view of Illuminations was very good. really nice to be able to sit down, have a glass of wine, eat your dessert, etc. while watching the show - really made for a nice end to the day. I thought the kids meals were really nice too as they were a little unique but I don't think so "out there" that most kids wouldn't try it. Food wise, the lamb sliders were definitely the winner but nothing was bad at all!

Skippers Canteen​

This was another meal I was really looking forward to - but also with some trepidation as I had read some mixed reviews. Turned out to be another of our favorite meals and I think will be the place within Magic Kingdom we always go to when we want a nicer meal (one down side is that it isn't cheap, so hard to do all the time). Had plenty of entertainment from the servers - particularly with the fellow patron who had a watering hole set up at his table, and the food was really good - especially a number of the appetizers. Can't wait to do this one again!

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*DIS Event Activities*

I probably should talk some about he DIS podcast and related events as it was the driver behind planning this trip for when we did. It was very cool to be there at the time and to involved with the taping and just meet other DISers and some of the team.

Scavenger Hunt: One of the highlights of the trip was the scavenger hunt we did as a family on that Sunday. It was very cool to get to explore some of the monorail resorts in more detail and just hang out with other people that love Disney as much as we do. It was also great to get to chat with Kevin from the DIS Podcast team a bit at the bar after the event

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Podcast Taping: This was the main event and it was very cool to be in the Cirque theater with a bunch of other peopel that also love the DIS Unplugged. Fun to hear all the stories about how the show started and what meant the most to them, etc. and then great to meet some DISers, especially @WebmasterJackie (who I hope to get to see this week as well!)

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Overall, I definitely wish we had been able to do some of the mini-meets - but we enjoyed what we were able to do, and was great to be able to combine it in with our family vacation for the year

Coming up - a parade of gifs!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 98: Recap
Part 3 - A Parade of Gifs​

One thing I love to include in my trip reports are some animated gifs from our trip. I think it helps bring the experience to life a bit and, to be honest, is just something unique to my reports vs others. So here come a bunch of my favorites from this trip:

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I want to extend a giant THANK YOU to everyone that read this report and to those that commented - it really makes this a lot of fun!

I do hope to do at least a mini-trip report from the next trip (which I leave tomorrow for!) but we shall see. If I do, I will post the link here.

Thank you again - and See Ya Real Soon!

TTFN

 

[cindianne320]

What a great wrap up! Thanks for all the details and I can't wait to hear about your thoughts on Pandora!

 

[missangelalexis]

Great recap!! I especially love the gif post as that is something about your TRs that I definitely enjoy!

Have a fabulous trip! I know you have been pretty active on the Pandora thread so I hope your time there works out well! I hope you do a TR, would love to hear how your trip goes!

 

[buddha112]

What a great trip. Hope you are having fun today at Pandora. Enjoy the party tomorrow.

 

[afwdwfan]

Well done!

I hope you're having a great time with the Dis community!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Just an FYI for those interested I have started the trip report from my latest trip: A Bash, a Benson, and a Banshee: a DIS 20th Solo Trip
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...20th-event-solo-trip-new-june-5-2017.3609313/

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[FantasiaMagic]

Hi Phil, I really enjoyed reading this TR! Sounded like a great time. I enjoyed reading your review about Bonnet Creek, as I always hear people talking about it on here, but never get a full detailed review. Loved all your dining reviews and how nice you guys were able to eat at some new places - I know I love doing that every time I go to WDW!