Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
- Messages
- 13,825
Waterlogged and refreshed, we eventually dragged ourselves out of the pool and back to the villa for showers before getting dressed and ready to return to Universal. We were inside the park gates at about 6:40 pm, with lots of time to enjoy Diagon Alley in the dark (we had never experienced that area after the sun had gone down) before hopefully tracking down the other Disers for our dinner date.
Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…..
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It turned out that Universal didn’t close at 8…..it closed at 7
. As we approached the bridge to London, we were informed by TM's that the park was closing…..whaaa???? 
As we eventually exited the park, it seemed the entire world had descended into CityWalk. Thousands upon thousands of people 
. We hung out for a bit around Margaritaville, trying to reach fellow Dis-er Lynne G by text to no avail. Adding insult to injury is that I had no idea what anyone looked like…..so one of the Dismeet crew could have been standing right next to us and I would have had no idea. Eventually we gave up hope on the meet-up….it was evident that finding anybody would be like a needle in a haystack. CityWalk was still mobbed (and seemingly growing busier by the minute) so getting a table for 2 anywhere was an impossibility without a lengthy wait.
We made the difficult decision to abandon ship. I felt awful, especially since I was one of the people spearheading the meet up. I was so disappointed!
Since Steve and I still needed dinner, we tried Olive Garden, TGI Fridays and Bahama Breeze on I-Drive but the lines were out the door at all of those places as well. Tired, hungry and running out patience, we eventually settled on Golden Corral …. though for some reason, I didn’t even take out my camera. Not one pic!!
As is normal in GC, it was pandemonium to an exponential degree, so that was probably one of the biggest reasons the camera stayed under wraps….but the food itself was plentiful and good quality and that offset the chaotic atmosphere. It was also freakishly under budget, in comparison to what we had set aside for Margaritaville: two adult buffets, two unlimited soft drinks totalled $31.02 with tax, excluding tip (we had a 10% off coupon which saved us $3.24). Steve was able to enjoy an abundance of steak (which returned him to a euphoric state of good humour), and we had really great service from a very hardworking young fellow….so despite the less-than-quiet dining conditions, it still turned out to be a good meal.
We returned to the villa, touched base with both my mom and Jake by phone, and spent a half hour in the Fountains hot tub before calling it a night. We were dead tired and slept like rocks
. It was a good thing, too, because we needed our beauty sleep: tomorrow was our very first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and we were poised to be rockin’ the Magic Kingdom until the late hours of the night! 
Postscript for this entry: it turns out the reason I couldn’t reach Lynne G by text is that something wonky occurred with the switchover of our cell service in Canada (Telus) with the American provider (T-Mobile). As soon as we crossed back over the border on the 17th of October, phone notifications started pouring in. Lynne G’s messages were among them. Isn’t technology grand?
Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…..
.It turned out that Universal didn’t close at 8…..it closed at 7
. As we approached the bridge to London, we were informed by TM's that the park was closing…..whaaa???? As we eventually exited the park, it seemed the entire world had descended into CityWalk. Thousands upon thousands of people . We hung out for a bit around Margaritaville, trying to reach fellow Dis-er Lynne G by text to no avail. Adding insult to injury is that I had no idea what anyone looked like…..so one of the Dismeet crew could have been standing right next to us and I would have had no idea. Eventually we gave up hope on the meet-up….it was evident that finding anybody would be like a needle in a haystack. CityWalk was still mobbed (and seemingly growing busier by the minute) so getting a table for 2 anywhere was an impossibility without a lengthy wait.We made the difficult decision to abandon ship. I felt awful, especially since I was one of the people spearheading the meet up. I was so disappointed!
Since Steve and I still needed dinner, we tried Olive Garden, TGI Fridays and Bahama Breeze on I-Drive but the lines were out the door at all of those places as well. Tired, hungry and running out patience, we eventually settled on Golden Corral …. though for some reason, I didn’t even take out my camera. Not one pic!!
As is normal in GC, it was pandemonium to an exponential degree, so that was probably one of the biggest reasons the camera stayed under wraps….but the food itself was plentiful and good quality and that offset the chaotic atmosphere. It was also freakishly under budget, in comparison to what we had set aside for Margaritaville: two adult buffets, two unlimited soft drinks totalled $31.02 with tax, excluding tip (we had a 10% off coupon which saved us $3.24). Steve was able to enjoy an abundance of steak (which returned him to a euphoric state of good humour), and we had really great service from a very hardworking young fellow….so despite the less-than-quiet dining conditions, it still turned out to be a good meal.We returned to the villa, touched base with both my mom and Jake by phone, and spent a half hour in the Fountains hot tub before calling it a night. We were dead tired and slept like rocks
. It was a good thing, too, because we needed our beauty sleep: tomorrow was our very first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and we were poised to be rockin’ the Magic Kingdom until the late hours of the night! 
Postscript for this entry: it turns out the reason I couldn’t reach Lynne G by text is that something wonky occurred with the switchover of our cell service in Canada (Telus) with the American provider (T-Mobile). As soon as we crossed back over the border on the 17th of October, phone notifications started pouring in. Lynne G’s messages were among them. Isn’t technology grand?
I guess with such a large crowd, it was just too hard.
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. He twisted my rubber arm, and once we were showered and dressed, we headed out to IHOP.
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....I opted for the cinnamon apple compote, but on the side rather than on the pancakes. I am one of those weirdos who generally prefers a little separation of those textures.
. November in Canada is the pits. We've been having some unseasonably warm days here in south eastern Ontario, but the dullness and drear that comes along with many of those more moderate days is a real buzz kill.
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. I love my boy (and can't wait for him to come along with us next month) but couples trips are really special in their own right.
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. Ah, the things I learn here from my Dis friends.
