Okay, as promised, I'm finishing up this report, and I will post the embarrassing,funny celeb-encounter picture that will forever have me in cyber-space as a complete ditz. (not that I haven't been there that way before anyway
) I will also share my #1 best food deal in Orlando. This deal is not a Disney one, but for those who find themselves looking for a good food-inexpensive break in Orlando, this is the best I've found!
So, here we were in Orlando, having just spent four nights at a Disney Hotel (Coronado Springs)...we've eaten at Disney restaurants, and enjoyed Disney atmosphere, but we have NOT...stepped foot in a Disney park.
This is so wrong on many levels. However, having a husband who had been laid off due to economy for over a year, and having just been told (the day before we left for Orlando) that everyone in my company would be getting a pay cut, we weren't in the market for tickets. However we did get lucky, and we would get one day in a couple parks.
We checked out, and hungry we stopped at a Quizno's for my husband to get a sandwich. There was an outdoor table, where I sat, with my...(you guessed it)...leftover Sticky Wings from Kona Cafe! This is a perfectly respectable and totally delicious breakfast!
My husband said he liked his Quizno's sub, but who really cares, when there are cold sticky wings?
First, we were off to Miami,where an Uncle awaited to show me how he remembered Grandma making her spaghetti sauce, that I had forgotten how to make, and was unable to recreate since her death two years before. After $20 in tolls, we arrived to a great-smelling Italian apartment, and enjoyed a meal that was very good, but unfortunately still not quite the way I remembered her sauce.
We are all forgetting something, and I don't know what exactly, but I'm determined to keep trying to find out!
After spending the night, and fortified by a Publix donut (quite good), we were off to Arcadia/Port Charlotte to meet some business colleagues for lunch at a place called The Navigator. We learned the hard way that we should've gotten gas first...do not attempt a highway called Alligator Alley without filling up first! There are no warning signs, and we barely made it, so be careful! Anyway, we fortunately made it to our lunch meeting. We were disappointed to discover that they didn't use fresh seafood! (despite being on the coast...Gordon Ramsey really needs to have a word with these folks). But the visit was good, which was what was important. Not a place for foodies though, I'm sad to report.
Onward we went after lunch to Tampa where we visited with relatives, taking them out to Mellow Mushroom Pizza for dinner, which we all enjoyed, but was a bit more expensive than other pizza places. Very good pizza though, and made with fresh, organic ingredients. We ate a lot, but also left them with some good leftovers.
After spending the night in our Priceline-great-deal-4-star-Intercontinental for just $67, we got up and drove to Orlando for...FINALLY...a day at the parks!
With my registration to the conference, I was given a one day Park Hopper pass. A colleague that went with me gave me her pass.
Would you believe she has NEVER been to a Disney park (despite being at this conference many years in a row), AND, has NO desire to do so
Honestly, I don't get it. I could've tried to convince her she really should use her pass, and I think I did try a little bit...but she was giving me her pass, and it was worth $130, and...well, I KNEW we would fully appreciate it...so here we were with two FREE Park Hopper passes!
We went to Animal Kingdom first (my husband had never been there). It was packed, so we did what we could. At one point, wanting something to tide us over we went in the shop near Dinosaur and got a Mickey Rice Krispies treat (with chocolate on the ears). I confess, I did feel sorry for the folks working in that shop who had to listen to the same "bones" country song over and over again...but that $2.95 snack that we shared between the two of us was really yummy!
Finally we decided to have a nice lunch at Rainforest Cafe. I'll tell you, getting the Safari card a few years ago was one of the best travel investments I've ever made. It has paid off, many times over. This time, we were hot, tired, and ready to get away from the crazy crowds. I pulled out the card and we were seated pretty quickly. The card also got us a free appetizer. We were given the choice of 4 things. We chose the Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($9.49). Knowing that would be pretty large, we decided to share an entree. We ordered the Pastalaya($20.99). We both got refreshing iced teas, and I had a Yellowtail Chardonnay (the drinking day had only just begun...we still had Epcot to go
)
I will say that service here was sooooooo slooooooooooowwwwwwwwww.
We sat and sat and sat. No dip. No waitress. Starving. Finally, the dip arrived. We had barely dug in, when the entree arrived. Okay, we can handle this, but it would've been nice to have one first. The dip was very tasty, especially for free. I loved the pastalaya. It was quite spicy (which the waitress warned us about). That's what I wanted. Husband was quite cooperative, as no bones were involved
(see earlier report).
We left stuffed, and largely thanks to the Safari Club card, it wasn't too expensive...total before tip was $36.14.
On to Epcot we went!
Everyone else gave me a clue, but you gave me the final clue, that I think, really sunk in! (I will know for sure when I post this). THANK YOU THANK YOU for explaining in explicit terms that even I could comprehend! 
Making slurping sounds worth it. 
