Catching the Magic Where I Can- A Kid Free January Trip!

[disneydaydreamer33]

THE HOLLYWOOD BROWN DERBY
After ToT, we decided to hop into the single rider line at Rock N Roller coaster!



I love this ride!

And then at 2:00 we had a reservation at Hollywood Brown Derby- our first time there!


Our server was super friendly. After taking our drinks order, the couple next to us starting talking to us. They apologized for having two rowdy kids, and we explained that since our three were left at home, we didn’t mind the kid chatter at all! It was fun to talk with them and we found out this was their first Disney visit and they were newly minted APs (they live in Tampa). They asked us for some advice on taking kids to Disney and then we started talking about the different places we have all lived. Like I mentioned before, I really love chatting with fellow Disney guests

Bread time- yum!

The chatting didn’t stop there either. There was a really sweet elderly woman who piped up when we were trying to figure out what to order. She was from Virginia and ever since her husband died 10 years before, she has been going to Disney every January. And every trip, she comes to The Hollywood Brown Derby and orders the same thing (the Cobb Salad). So of course, we had to order one too and that strong recommendation


It was great. I was happy to share it with Erik, so we could save room for our main course and dessert.

Erik chose the Pork Three Ways and I chose the Duo of Lamb.

They were both good!

One of the main reasons I wanted to try Hollywood Brown Derby was for the GRAPEFRUIT CAKE! We were both pretty full from our meals, so we got one to split and I enjoyed it quite a bit! The frosting was a little sweeter than I would have liked (I really enjoy the tartness of citrus flavors), but the cake was great.

I was pretty proud of my drawings for my instagram story on this one


Overall, we were really happy with our first HBD experience! I really loved the old Hollywood music that was playing in the background. And we found it pretty entertaining when one of the "characters" that walks around HS, came in to harass the customers.
I also found it pretty hilarious that they gave me my soda refill in a Halloween cup!


The one character Erik was OK to meet was Chewbacca. We only met Kylo Ren last vacation so I was excited to finally meet Chewey!

The only thing I remember saying to him was, “Dang you’re tall!”

It was a fun character experience. We didn't have too much more that we wanted to do in that area, so we moved along pretty quickly after meeting this big guy.
COMING UP: MORE MOVIE FUN​

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

MORE MOVIE FUN
After our Star Wars encounter, we used our FP for THE-most-sought-after-always-in-demand-ride-at-WDW: The Great Movie Ride!

All kidding aside, I actually like this ride quite a bit. I grew up watching black and white movies and other classics, so being reminded of these movies takes me back to my childhood. I do think that with the addition of Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land, the character of Hollywood Studios will change enough that this ride wouldn't fit in very well anymore. I had heard a rumor that a Mickey ride was going to replace The Great Movie Ride . . . anyone know if that is true?

Anyway, I had fun here and I loved seeing things like the dress Barbra Streisand wore in Funny Girl!


Robert Osborne (sorry the pic is so blurry)! My Dad watches TCM pretty much whenever he is watching TV (if there isn't a sport on that he likes), so I sent this to my parents to convince them to come to WDW with us sometime!


One thing Erik really wanted to do at Hollywood Studios was see the Indiana Jones show. I was happy to oblige. I love Indiana Jones. In fact, I requested the DVD box set from my mother-in-law for my bridal shower! Poor lady didn’t know who she was getting for a daughter-in-law

Since this wasn’t officially a day off of work for Erik, he had to do lots of work emails and texts while we were waiting for the show to start. I enjoyed giving him a hard time about it a little too much probably

Next up was our FP for Midway Mania!

Unfortunately we were a bunch of idiots and forgot to pick up the 3D glasses!

I seriously have no idea how we did that! When we were seated in the ride, I realized our mistake and asked the CM if she had any glasses near her, but she didn’t and we were already moving! I was cracking up, and of course the ride was still fun!

We love Pixar!

We had decided already that we would see the Star Wars fireworks and not Fantasmic. Since we are planning a family trip to Disneyland for 2018, anything that is in Disneyland we decided wasn’t a must do.

We found a great spot in front of The Chinese Theater about 40 minutes before the start of the show.

THE FIREWORKS SHOW WAS AMAZING! I’m so happy we saw it. It was especially tender seeing the videos of Carrie Fisher (sidenote: if you get a chance to see the HBO doc about Carrie Fisher and her mom Debbie Reynolds called Bright Lights, see it! We really enjoyed it). Anyway, there are not too many movie scores better than Star Wars, and Disney sure does know how to put on a fireworks show. I just can’t say enough how much I loved it.


After the show, we had to go to the photopass office, because some ride pics weren’t showing up on our app. They must have had a glitch that day because about every person and their mother was in that tiny photopass office. It took forever, but I was happy to have it settled.


All in all, it was a GREAT day! It was so fun spending our first Disney day with just the two of us. I hope there are many more in the future!!

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[ZellyB]

Awesome day at HS!! We ate at Brown Derby for the first time when we were there for Wine & Dine in 2015. I also really enjoyed it. We split the cobb salad too and thought it was great. I don't remember what I had for an entree, but it was good!!

I've heard the same rumor about Great Movie Ride but no idea if it's true.

I haven't been back to the Indy show since our first trip with our kids when I got selected to be one of the audience participants. That was pretty fun (although apparently my then 4-year old daughters were sort of scared for me the whole time), so I should really go back where I can actually watch the show from the stands.

We didn't get a chance to see the Star Wars Fireworks on our trip, so hoping we might get the opportunity on our next trip out. The little I could see from the Beach Club looked pretty awesome.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Awesome day at HS!! We ate at Brown Derby for the first time when we were there for Wine & Dine in 2015. I also really enjoyed it. We split the cobb salad too and thought it was great. I don't remember what I had for an entree, but it was good!!

I've heard the same rumor about Great Movie Ride but no idea if it's true.

I haven't been back to the Indy show since our first trip with our kids when I got selected to be one of the audience participants. That was pretty fun (although apparently my then 4-year old daughters were sort of scared for me the whole time), so I should really go back where I can actually watch the show from the stands.

We didn't get a chance to see the Star Wars Fireworks on our trip, so hoping we might get the opportunity on our next trip out. The little I could see from the Beach Club looked pretty awesome.

haha I could see little kids being scared for their parents that are up on the stage during the Indy show-- it is pretty intense! I soooo wanted to be picked, but wasn't . . . maybe next time!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

CHECKING OUT SOME RESORTS
Hollywood Studios was our last park day, but I tried to squeeze in some more Disney fun where I could. We had a brunch reservation at Captain’s Grille for the two of us on Wednesday. I also thought it would be fun to walk around the Epcot resorts and maybe try out the running trail.


This was my first time visiting any Epcot resort, and I loved the area! The running path was great. I just did a quick 2 miles, because I did feel like a bit of a poser using the path without staying at a resort. It was definitely good research for me though. I am going to push hard to stay at either Yacht Club, Beach Club, or Boardwalk next visit!!


Pretty cool to have ToT in the background on your run!

Erik took that morning to sleep in a bit (he woke up very early for work stuff on two of our days). He met me at Captain’s Grille and we had a nice, relaxing meal together.

He chose the buffet option, and I ordered the . . . lump crab omelet or the lobster omelet?? I actually can’t remember and I didn’t take notes that day! Anyway, whatever it was, I do remember enjoying it. I asked if I could add one Mickey waffle to my order and our server was like, “Umm . . . you can just have Erik grab you one from the buffet- also have him grab you some bread pudding. You will definitely want to try that!”

The bread pudding was good too!

After that, it was work stuff all day. Erik showed me around the NAHB Builder’s Show. It was pretty extraordinary! There were booths and exhibits covering 569,000 net square feet at the Orlando Convention Center, with more than 1,500 manufacturers and suppliers. It’s amazing some of the super luxurious features that people put in their homes! We also went out to dinner with several of Erik’s customers and their spouses. It was fun to hear about the WDW and Universal park time that they all squeezed in during the week.

Erik had a super early flight out of Orlando on Thursday, but my flight wasn’t until 1:30 so what did I do?

. . . Breakfast at Boma!

This was my first time checking out Animal Kingdom Lodge and I really loved what I saw. The resort is gorgeous!


Trying to catch a glimpse of the animals . . . they were not that easy to spot though!


The food was yummy, I wasn’t super hungry just because I had been eating so much rich vacation food for too many days. In fact on my last day of vacation I inevitably feel like Jabba the Hutt!

However, I was able to try a few bites of several different items, and I liked the food a lot!


It was hard to imagine that while I was spending my morning in this gorgeous sunshine, I would soon be in Siberia- I mean Salt Lake City- by that evening! I think staying at AKL would be great fun, but the Epcot resorts still made the best impression on me, and that will be what I campaign for next time

My flight home was fine. I had about a million connections which is very annoying, but the flights went pretty smooth with no cancellations and only one delay.

Final thoughts:

This was a great vacation that showed me you can be fairly spur of the moment and still plan a great trip. I wasn’t able to make dining or fast passes at the normal time I would for a vacation, but it all still worked out. I also LOVED experiencing Disney both with friends and just as a couple. I also experienced my coldest Disney day ever, and while I was a bit disappointed in that (I've made it pretty clear that I am not a fan of winter ) if properly layered you can still have a great time! Our next Disney vacation will be Disneyland for Tinkerbell 2018, but I sure wouldn’t mind if another spontaneous trip opportunity presents itself!
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[stackyallred]

I loved your report! My husband and I go once a year for an adults only trip and once a year as a whole family. It's fun to read about what other couples enjoy when they are off parent duty!