Carnage, Mayhem & Pixie Dust: a “frightful” & delightful Halloween-Inspired, Offsite TR (Oct. 2015)

[vrajewski10513]

First off, happy belated birthday!!

When we approached the entrance to each house, we literally received immediate admission (past the hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of people in both the standby and Express lines).....a TM would close off the regular line entrances, admit our group of 13 (the guide went through with us, generally first but sometimes last) and then re-open to the standby and Express guests. This was particularly good for me because I didn’t have time to stop and fret before each one, I was tossed in immediately!!

This is awesome! I've heard how long those lines can be, so to even be able to skip the guests with Express Passes must have been great! It's definitely better to just eb thrown into something your scared of rather than get into your own head as your waiting forever in line!

I am happy to report that despite my Halloweenie status, I survived 8 of the 9 houses and quite enjoyed them all.

Yayyyyy!

The only one I didn’t do was the Asylum in Wonderland house, due to the lighting effects employed in the house. My brain tumour of years passed has left me with a sensitivity to strobe lights in particular, and this house was billed as being extremely trippy....and considering this was our very first house of the night, I didn’t want to start off with either a migraine or seizure. Zack, our guide, hung out with me at the exit of the house while we waited for the balance of our group, and we had a great little chat while the others went through. Steve (who had wanted to wait with me outside, but whom I flatly refused to allow to do so....I was not raining on his Horror Parade!) emerged a short while later, and told me I had made a very, VERY good decision to skip it.....the lights would have killed me. So, it was a smart call after all.

Good call! Those strobe lights can get to people even without history of brain tumors. Better to be safe than sorry!

Our two favourite houses: easily Insidious and the Purge.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE both of those movies. I'm really hoping those two houses stick around for next years HHN when we go.

We made regular breaks in various non-public VIP areas for bathroom stops and “refreshments”. One such stop was at Men in Black....the exclusive “Immigration Tour” that had us chilling with the aliens alongside our own private bar:

I've always wanted to know how you get to go down there durign regular park days. I guess I just have been intereste enough to actually read up on it lol

This Halloweenie had survived the carnage. Steve was beyond thrilled that I had not only endured, but enjoyed the event.

I have a rule with things like this.. You should always try it atelast ONCE. If you do it once and dont like it then you never have to do it again. But you'll never know unless you try! I'm happy you enjoyed yourself!!

 

[jump00]

Happy Birthday Gina You and your dh are so brave. I'm such a scaredy cat I wouldn't make it through hhn. Although dh and I are huge Walking Dead fans. Really enjoying your trip report! My parents have a place in Picton - they just sold our cottage - and they now live close to town. We love Sandbanks and all the little shops.

Jump00

 

[ElenaJane]

Happy birthday! What an amazing cake!

I just started reading tour TR yesterday and I am already caught up! It reads like a really fun book! Will and I were there just a few weeks before you, and we had many similar experiences! We loved the Raptor encounter!

We only went to HHN because of the "free" ticket with our annual passes. I thought, why in the world would I want people jumping out at me??! But OMG, we had such a blast!!!

I became a Haunted House addict in short order (I had never stepped foot in one before HHN!), and went to local ones when we came back home several times. Of course the production value at Universal's was amazing! Our favorite house was The Purge.

Thank you so much for your TR. You crack me up with the apologizing for being "late" in posting updates. If you ever hear me complaining, just offer me a "refund". lol

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Happy birthday, Gina!

I did Halloween Horror Nights a few times many many many years ago. It is well done, but definitely not my style. I don't like being scared! (Also, way to many rowdy and drunk guests, and the lines are INSANE.)

Mickey's Not-So-Scary is more my speed.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!!

We didn't see one single rowdy or drunk guest.....I am thinking it might have been yet another perk of the RIP tour. In our small group, we were kept moving from house to house and didn't have to ensure the problematic folks who were passing time (and drinking) in the regular lines. Even afterward, though, when we milled around the park before heading home, everyone we saw was very well behaved. Nothing like some of the reports I had read about!!

Happy Birthday, Gina! Your cake looked AMAZING. Glad to hear that it tasted as good as it looked.

I'm a big Halloweenie myself. We've been in Orlando many times when HHN was going on but I could never bring myself to go. Maybe when DH and I are able to travel without the kids (or when the kids are old enough to do it themselves) we'll give it a try.

That would be the perfect time to give it a whirl. Those kiddos will be teenagers before you know it, and they'd probably jump at the chance to go to a scary event!

Poor Jake.....he would have LOVED to have come to HHN. He looks at our pictures and he's very sad he missed out on the terror .

Honestly, it was surreal. A+ and I were riding our bikes through the park when the car drove by. We both turned to each other and said in unison - "did you see that ?!?!" Of course we didn't have a camera along, so like the sasquatch sightings it cannot be verified...


And so today is the day! Happy 29th Gina (once again)!

So how old is Jake? Wow! You were really young!

And I've got more than a decade on you, so you're no where near nipping at MY heels!

Thank you bankr63 .

As for the age, its just a number, right? "Young at heart" is now my goal .

My Jake will be 20 in early January......so yeah, I was a child bride .

I saw the minons blow ups and thought of you!

I couldn't pass them up when we saw them!!

First off, happy belated birthday!!

This is awesome! I've heard how long those lines can be, so to even be able to skip the guests with Express Passes must have been great! It's definitely better to just eb thrown into something your scared of rather than get into your own head as your waiting forever in line!

Yayyyyy!

Good call! Those strobe lights can get to people even without history of brain tumors. Better to be safe than sorry!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE both of those movies. I'm really hoping those two houses stick around for next years HHN when we go.

I've always wanted to know how you get to go down there durign regular park days. I guess I just have been intereste enough to actually read up on it lol

I have a rule with things like this.. You should always try it atelast ONCE. If you do it once and dont like it then you never have to do it again. But you'll never know unless you try! I'm happy you enjoyed yourself!!

That's our philosophy too. YOLO!

Happy Birthday Gina You and your dh are so brave. I'm such a scaredy cat I wouldn't make it through hhn. Although dh and I are huge Walking Dead fans. Really enjoying your trip report! My parents have a place in Picton - they just sold our cottage - and they now live close to town. We love Sandbanks and all the little shops.

Jump00

Ah, the Sandbanks...such beautiful beaches!! Picton is a super quaint little town, too. Surprised at how many Disers know my little hometown area!!

Happy birthday! What an amazing cake!

I just started reading tour TR yesterday and I am already caught up! It reads like a really fun book! Will and I were there just a few weeks before you, and we had many similar experiences! We loved the Raptor encounter!

We only went to HHN because of the "free" ticket with our annual passes. I thought, why in the world would I want people jumping out at me??! But OMG, we had such a blast!!!

I became a Haunted House addict in short order (I had never stepped foot in one before HHN!), and went to local ones when we came back home several times. Of course the production value at Universal's was amazing! Our favorite house was The Purge.

Thank you so much for your TR. You crack me up with the apologizing for being "late" in posting updates. If you ever hear me complaining, just offer me a "refund". lol

Great pics ElenaJane!! Love the look on your face on the Raptor one!!

We were so incredibly impressed at how well HHN was carried out. At no point did the scariness border on cheeziness, which I worried about before we went. Even if scares are not your thing, it would be hard not to be impressed with just how well it was all put together. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the event as much as we did!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I also meant to add....a big thanks to everyone for the wonderfully sweet birthday greetings! It was a wonderful day that left me feeling very loved indeed .

Birthday festivities and work commitments kept me away from trip reporting yesterday, but I'm working on an entry as we speak. I hope to have it up later this morning .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thursday, October 15th


Today was built into the schedule as a rest and recharge day. The plans called for sleeping in and allowing our weary bodies to recuperate after back-to-back nighttime events (we’re not 19 anymore, remember….we can’t pull late nights on a regular basis without starting to suffer the effects!!). We were starting to feel like we needed a vacation from our vacation …. so today was the day for that!


We managed to sleep in fairly late, and weren’t really up and mobile until well after 10 am. By the time we showered and dressed, we didn’t even bother to eat breakfast as lunchtime was already on the horizon. Instead of a morning meal, we enjoyed a hot cup of Tim Hortons coffee on the balcony while soaking up the wonderful, sunshiny-warm weather . Fully caffeinated and finally ready to greet the day with the gusto only good coffee can produce, we headed out to make a quick shopping stop before having an early lunch.


Jake had texted us earlier in the week with a photo of an item that he wanted us to pick up for him at Bass Pro Shops, so we decided this was a good time to cross that purchase off the list. Rather than taking the I-4 this morning, we wound our way leisurely up International Drive since we had nowhere we needed to be at any particular time. Arriving at the Artegon Marketplace, we easily found a parking spot and headed into the store. While searching for Jake’s specific hat, Steve found a few items he wanted there, too, so it ended up being a very worthy stop all around.





By the time we left Bass Pro (which I hope to return to on our December trip….I hear we can get family photos with Santa there!) we were having a hard time hearing each other over our rumbling stomachs. Since we were in the right vicinity (and hungry enough to do it justice), *and* we had both $45 in gift certificates from our August 2014 trip which were still waiting to be used plus a voucher for a free dessert, we chose TGI Friday’s as our lunch destination of choice.








We made it in before the lunch rush, so the restaurant was really quite empty…..lots of places to sit, very quiet and relaxing, super nice all around. Comfy and casual, just as we like it .


We ordered our beverages (lemonade for both of us) and Steve also opted for an appetizer…some sort of spinach dippy thing (a yuck for me ….not my taste, but he adores it so he ate it all himself….raved about it too ).





As Steve munched away on his appetizer, we checked in with Jake via text and watched the sports updates on the big TV’s. Jose Bautista of our beloved Blue Jays had tossed a bat in celebration of a home run the day or two prior, and his gesture was causing quite the stir in the sports world….even on American TV. While we were vacationing, we hadn’t been able to keep up on the games like we normally would at home (and let’s just say that when we planned this trip we sure didn’t expect our Jays to be still playing baseball in mid-October!!) so Steve enjoyed the chance to enjoy a little ESPN with his spinach dip.


Our mains arrived just as he polished off the last of his appetizer…perfect timing. For his entrée, Steve went with the All American Burger minus the pickles (as per usual) with a side of French fries:





Since I was starving, I ordered the parmesan crusted chicken breast with baked macaroni and cheese and French fries:





We have always had consistently great food at TGI Fridays, and this visit was no exception. Everything was hot, fresh, flavourful, and delicious. Portion sizes were very generous and service was excellent throughout the meal. No complaints whatsoever!


It came time for dessert, and I was super excited to indulge in a slice of my favourite Friday’s menu item….one of my favourite restaurant desserts of all time……their delectable Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie .




(from the Bo-Bina photo vault, circa 2013)


This is a must-have on each of our trips across the border, and I literally had been looking forward to it before we even left home. Yep, it’s that good .


I couldn’t seem to spot my dream pie on the dessert menu, so I asked the server about it. She looked apologetic, and said that item had been discontinued for the last little while. What??? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I was totally gutted. Pass the tissues, this almost made me cry. I thought about skipping dessert entirely…..no pie, why bother? ....but made a split second decision to console myself with something chocolately (it can’t hurt to try, right?). I texted the news to Jake (he adored that pie, too), and we had a little pity session together while Steve gave his selection to the server. A short time later, our desserts appeared from the kitchen.


Steve, as always, had the vanilla bean cheesecake (though he forgot to ask for the caramel sauce …..you can tell how upset we were about the discontinuation of Reese’s pie… we could hardly think straight!!):





My consolation option was the Brownie Obsession:





Oh. My. Lord . May I be forgiven for the dietary sins I was about to commit .


First, Steve’s cheesecake review: it was as awesome for him as always. He loves Friday’s vanilla bean cheesecake, and compares many others against it. Even without the caramel sauce, he adored it…..though after polishing off his burger and fries, as well as a tidy portion of my meal, he was starting to feel like he may blow up and bust.


Have you ever heard the saying “Chocolate is the answer. Who cares what the question is”? The Brownie Obsession should have that as their product motto. Served in a skillet hot out of the oven, there was a moist and chewy fudge brownie that was warm right through, smothered in both chocolate and caramel sauces, topped with ice cream and candied nuts, and then finished off with more sauce .


If heaven truly exists, I am sure this is what they serve there every day .


The only problem was, I was getting full…..REALLY full . Steve had to help with this one, too.


This lunch had turned out to be our longest, most leisurely meal of the entire trip (probably the most fattening, too!!). By the time the bill came, we could have rolled ourselves out the door.


We had signed up for the TGI Friday’s email club before our trip, so we had a voucher for a free dessert to apply to the meal charges (saving us $6.50). We also had the $45 in gift certificates. With both of those taken off the total tab, our out of pocket cost after tax was $5.99 plus tip (with the tip being issued on the full non-discounted amount of the meal, of course).


After an indulgence like that, a little walking was warranted. Some much-needed laps around the outlet mall was definitely in order .

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I could eat your chicken and mac meal ( and perhaps give the brownie a try ) right now. It looked delicious!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I could eat your chicken and mac meal ( and perhaps give the brownie a try ) right now. It looked delicious!

It was superb! I ended up with the fries because that meal normally came with some sort of tomato mozzarella salad, which is definitely not my thing....so they subbed it out for fries instead. But the chicken was really, really tasty and the mac and cheese was delicious. It was a lot of food for lunch, though, even without having eaten breakfast that morning!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Perhaps it’s because we had less going on and more time to let our minds wander, but it started to sink in on the Thursday that our time in Orlando was flying by. We would be returning home in just two short days …..and tomorrow would be another whirlwind with our second MNSSHP. We had wanted to do some shopping while we were in town, so unless we left it until Saturday (when our luggage had to pretty much be packed and ready to go), we pretty much had to take care of our retail obligations (aspirations?) on this otherwise empty Thursday. It seemed like the perfect way to fill the otherwise empty afternoon .


We had already stopped at the Orlando Premium Outlets on Vineland earlier in the week (one day on our way back to the villa from Universal), though I think I failed to mention it in my report (whoops! ). We did, apparently, get a couple of photos of that stop as well. Don’t know how I missed ‘em.





Since we had crossed that mall off the list already (and didn't really come up with any reason for a repeat visit), we opted this time to head to the Lake Buena Vista Outlets instead. We always find that bargains can be found in both locations, though sometimes more in one than the other. On this stop, we made some purchases at Adidas, Under Armor, and Old Navy….so it was definitely worth the time. Shopping here is always a little less stressful than the Premium Outlet locations, as parking is always easy and the crowds are much, MUCH thinner.





Right about now, I should have been worried about our luggage space, but I put it out of my mind for the time being. Sometimes it’s nice to just live in my bubble .


After the LBV Outlet Mall (with our stomachs feeling MUCH better thanks to a lengthy walk around and around and around the stores), Steve inquired as to whether I was in a hurry to return to the resort or if I was interested in “a drive”. He obviously had a destination in mind, but with no other plans vying for our time (and it being such a GORGEOUS day), I had no reason to object. Take it away, Jeeves .


We meandered through Kissimmee, and as we drove, I eventually figured out where we were going .





I had forgotten that there were a few specific items from the country store that Steve had been chatting about with his dad prior to our departure, and had promised to bring him back if we happened to be near the orange grove on a future trip. While we had taken the monster truck ride through the property on previous vacations, this stop was purely for retail purposes: homemade sauces, orange grove honey, deep fried peanuts, a couple of Florida melted snowmen, and some grill rubs all ended up in the bag that we toted back to the car. Did I mention that we might have a bit of a luggage space issue at this point?





Check out these little cuties......they were only $5 at the Showcase of Citrus store, so I *had* to have one:

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Florida-Melted-Snowman-snowglobe/dp/B000YBHHQK


It really is a neat little country shop, and its fun just to poke around when you’ve got time to spare. They have some rather unique items, if you’re brave enough to try them:





Steve did, indeed, sample the gator chili. I most certainly did not . He said he liked it, but then again, Mikey will often eat almost anything!!


We got a good laugh out of some of the soda flavours for sale, and wished we could have brought Jake back a bottle of Kitty Piddle:





It was really quite hot outside, so rather than grabbing a bottle of water for the road, we opted for one of their World Famous Slushies instead.





On this particular day, they were offering both orange and tangerine varieties (tangerines must have been in season lately?) so since we have had the orange on both previous trips, we thought we’d give the tangerine one a try this time around.





It was very, VERY tasty….but wow, was it tangerine-y. Like make your cheeks implode tangerine-y . We sipped it very slowly that afternoon, in little tiny mouthfuls, because it was potent enough to curl one’s hair . The most intense slushy we’ve ever slurped!!!





On our way back to the villa, we made one last pit stop at Orange World for a souvenir or two:





…..and then we returned to the resort. We dropped our purchases in a pile on the counter, threw on our swimsuits, and promptly hit the Fountains pool. It was much, much too nice of a day not to spend a few hours soaking up that spectacular Florida sun …..and this would probably be our last opportunity of the trip to do so in any great amount.


We swam. We hot tubbed. We tried not to think about the fact that time was passing much, much too quickly.


The end of our Thursday is up next.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Oh man I don't know how many times we must have drove by Orange World, but we have never stopped there! The Orange slushies are tasty, we had some after visiting Lake Louisa park which isn't far from there

 

[ArwenMarie]

I admire how you guys take days off from the parks to rest. I cannot do that when I am there!

I love that vanilla cheesecake at Fridays.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Side note...Gina, what do you think of Marriott buying Starwood...Will that affect the Vistana and your points there?

 

[pepperandchips]

deep fried peanuts

WHAAAAT?! I am from Georgia, land of peanuts, and have never heard of this. Excuse me while I scuttle off to google.

It was very, VERY tasty….but wow, was it tangerine-y. Like make your cheeks implode tangerine-y . We sipped it very slowly that afternoon, in little tiny mouthfuls, because it was potent enough to curl one’s hair . The most intense slushy we’ve ever slurped!!!

hahaha! this reminds me of the time we had the tangerine daiquiri at the Tangierine Cafe in Epcot. MISTAKE!

We swam. We hot tubbed. We tried not to think about the fact that time was passing much, much too quickly.

NOOOOooooooooooooooooooo! I am enjoying this TR way too much for it to end! I guess you will just have to write another one for your December trip....

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh man I don't know how many times we must have drove by Orange World, but we have never stopped there! The Orange slushies are tasty, we had some after visiting Lake Louisa park which isn't far from there

While the tangerine one was good, I definitely prefer the orange slushies. I think I will be sticking with those from now on.

I am a sucker for big, gaudy, photo-worthy landmarks so Orange World was a must-stop several trips ago . Its a bit ... ahem ... rustic inside (I don't think its changed in there since the 70's) but they have good orange juice and always a unique souvenir item or two.

I admire how you guys take days off from the parks to rest. I cannot do that when I am there!
I love that vanilla cheesecake at Fridays.

Ah yes, we have learned from experience that we not only *should* have a day of rest on our vacation, but we need it. We crashed and burned on each of our first two Florida trips....usually mid to late in the week.....after packing every single moment with park time or some sort of "scheduled" event. One of us (or all three ) ended up in meltdown status. We enjoy our vacation more (and are much nicer people ) when we have a recharge/down day on the latter part of our trip. Plus, the more vacations we enjoy in Orlando the less we feel the need to pack every week 100% full....one of the happy bonuses of being able to go fairly often. When we felt that there might not be a "next time", it was a whole different ball game, though. It's a very fine line between not wanting to waste a moment of precious trip time and giving our bodies a chance to recover from vacationitis.

Side note...Gina, what do you think of Marriott buying Starwood...Will that affect the Vistana and your points there?

As far as I can speculate (and for what its worth, my knowledge of the systems is poor at best!!) it shouldn't affect us for a while at least. Our timeshare usage is based on float weeks versus points, and we don't plan on trading for any other resorts anytime soon, so I am guessing (hoping?) that we should be able to continue on with our float weeks at SVR without any change or interruption.

On the whole, I am not sure if its a positive move or a negative one.....I haven't read up on the potential benefits/issues just yet....but they are certainly spinning it as being a win-win all around. I will be checking out the comments on TUG to see what the experts have to say .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

WHAAAAT?! I am from Georgia, land of peanuts, and have never heard of this. Excuse me while I scuttle off to google.

hahaha! this reminds me of the time we had the tangerine daiquiri at the Tangierine Cafe in Epcot. MISTAKE!

NOOOOooooooooooooooooooo! I am enjoying this TR way too much for it to end! I guess you will just have to write another one for your December trip....

The peanuts are deep fried in the shell, and apparently you are supposed to eat them shell and all. Steve's parents were over this past weekend to celebrate my birthday with us, but I forgot to ask if his dad if he liked them or not. They certainly didn't look appetizing to me but as a finicky eater, many things don't .


Fear not, I still have lots more coming up before this report is concluded . A little more Universal, another MNSSHP, The World of Chocolate Museum and Cafe, Congo River mini golf (with my beloved gators ), and a few brand-new offsite dining locations are all on deck before the last entry is complete .


I hope to do a Christmas report as well ... TR's are a good way for me to combat the post-vacation blues. It's kind of become a "thing" for me, so it would sure seem odd not to return to the boards to chat about our adventures. I have grown to look forward to all the chatter on these threads....its a very enjoyable part of my day .

 

[jennasmommyinMS]

Your description of the tangerine slushy was so good that it made my jaw actually ache! Such a great trip report!

 

[bankr63]

Side note...Gina, what do you think of Marriott buying Starwood...Will that affect the Vistana and your points there?

As far as I can speculate (and for what its worth, my knowledge of the systems is poor at best!!) it shouldn't affect us for a while at least. Our timeshare usage is based on float weeks versus points, and we don't plan on trading for any other resorts anytime soon, so I am guessing (hoping?) that we should be able to continue on with our float weeks at SVR without any change or interruption.

On the whole, I am not sure if its a positive move or a negative one.....I haven't read up on the potential benefits/issues just yet....but they are certainly spinning it as being a win-win all around. I will be checking out the comments on TUG to see what the experts have to say .

Actually, the Sheraton Marriott announcement should have very little to do with Vistana. As you will recall, Sheraton spun off their Timeshare business a few months ago, branding it as Vistana across the line. A few days prior to this announcement it was announced that Vistana was merging with the holding company for Interval International that IIRC is actually a division of Wyndham.

So it appears that Sheraton was positioning for a full business takeover all along and Marriott probably didn't want the timeshare part of the company. What the new masters decide to do in terms of branding and merging of lines will be open to much speculation over the coming weeks. I expect eventually that Wyndham will take on the Vistana part for operating efficiency, and that some consolidation and rebranding will happen to position the merged Marriott and Sheraton hotel property lines. IMO the SPG program won't be much longer at Vistana though.

Should probably post these thoughts over on the Vistana thread too!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Your description of the tangerine slushy was so good that it made my jaw actually ache! Such a great trip report!

Thank you!!

Actually, the Sheraton Marriott announcement should have very little to do with Vistana. As you will recall, Sheraton spun off their Timeshare business a few months ago, branding it as Vistana across the line. A few days prior to this announcement it was announced that Vistana was merging with the holding company for Interval International that IIRC is actually a division of Wyndham.

So it appears that Sheraton was positioning for a full business takeover all along and Marriott probably didn't want the timeshare part of the company. What the new masters decide to do in terms of branding and merging of lines will be open to much speculation over the coming weeks. I expect eventually that Wyndham will take on the Vistana part for operating efficiency, and that some consolidation and rebranding will happen to position the merged Marriott and Sheraton hotel property lines. IMO the SPG program won't be much longer at Vistana though.

Should probably post these thoughts over on the Vistana thread too!

And there you have it . I will start worrying when YOU start worrying .

I'm with you on the SPG points being a non-issue. At my current rate of accumulation, it will take me until I'm 85 to have enough to actually be useful.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We spent several glorious hours lounging in the pools and hot tubs, from the mid to late afternoon through to the early evening. Eventually, we dragged our waterlogged bodies out of the water and returned to the villa to shower and change….we had a couple of tasks to attend to before heading out for dinner later that night.


Much as we hated to do so, we needed to take some time and start the initial packing process on that night since our final night at the resort would be fully taken up by our second MNSSHP. We would be darned if we would return early from that event to pack, so tonight was the night: and boy, was it going to be a challenge . 3 large minions, two pair of athletic footwear, two hats, 9? t-shirts, several hoodies, snow globes, treats, pins, candles and more all needed to be stuffed safely into the luggage within the airline weight limits. No easy feat, when we still had our costumes and normal clothing to accommodate too.


I washed and dried a couple of loads of laundry while we organized and sorted.....I refuse to return home with scads of dirty clothes.


No matter how hard we tried, we had at least one minion who didn’t want to fit in the suitcases, regardless of how we positioned and allocated the other items. We worked at it for an hour or so, making some decent progress (minus the minions!!) and decided to go for dinner and give our brains a break for a while….perhaps the minion solution would miraculously come to us over a bowl of pasta.


We had originally planned on Millers Ale House for this particular night, but for some odd reason, Steve wasn’t feelin’ prime rib (it was the end of the world, I was sure of it!! ). Apparently he had a hankering for Olive Garden, so that’s where we headed .





We put our name on the waiting list for a table upon arrival, and surprisingly we were seated within about 10 to 15 minutes. We had anticipated waiting at least twice that long, so the swift admittance was a nice little surprise.


Our most excellent server (a very hardworking, and genuinely sweet young fellow) took great care of us throughout the meal. As far as the food went, there were no surprises here: we always order the same things from the menu, and today was no exception. Creatures of habit we surely are .


Steve had some sort of peach tea as a beverage, while I had water to drink. We both started with the Zuppa Toscana (our favourite of all their soups):





….and of course, the basket of warm breadsticks (which were camera shy, for some reason. My bad! ).


Steve chose his beloved Steak Gorgonzola:





And it was chicken alfredo for moi:





It was, without question, an excellent meal . Steve’s steak was cooked exactly as he requested. The service was beyond fabulous. The pasta was hot and flavourful and the portions enormous. The soup and the bread were so good, we could have made a meal on those two items alone. As is customary for us when we dine at Olive Garden, we took a pass on dessert….we were much, MUCH too full for anything sweet. The spirits were willing but our stomachs most definitely were not.


The total bill came to $37.25 with tax, excluding tip. So ridiculously cheap, it almost seems criminal. Don’t even get me started on what a lesser quality meal at an Italian restaurant would cost us back home .


We headed back to the resort, enjoyed another soak in the hot tubs under the stars (and some fun conversation with other owners from around the USA) and we hit the sack at a reasonable time. Our restful day was over, and tomorrow we would be covering a ton of ground on yet another long, late day.


Our Friday adventures are up next. It would end up starting with a little peace, love and "mayhem" .

 

[dixonsontour]

Good day, still lots of fun despite it being a rest day.
We did the monster truck tour a few years ago at showcase, nice place to visit and not too far. Tried olive garden this year and all enjoyed it.