Half a Ton of Big Guys Take on the World

[DonaldTDuck]

Our cast of characters:
Robert aka Pluto , the youngest at 46 and the only one married in the group
Tony aka Goofy , our most athletic and the one guy that can, and will, talk to anyone, a natural born social director
Jeff aka Mickey , the most likable guy on the planet, the adorable type
and me, Donald aka well, I think you get it , the one with the attitude.
We're all taller and wider than average, with none of us over 275, but no petites. On the names, amazingly, Mickey was the least thrilled about his. Goofy was fine with his and Pluto was a little excited about his. Go figure. This is how it all started.
Last year I was with a group of friends waiting on line for a show to start when some one asked me about my recent Disney vacation. I told them what all we did and Goofy said he'd never been and didn't think he could afford it. I'd been last year during free dining, and told them I'd managed for under $900. Goofy said we should get a group up.. Well, I'd heard that before, but when it comes time to put money down, people back out. So I just waited and last March, I sent out emails to those who had acted interested. I heard nothing and was going to write it off. Then Pluto calls and says he's in town(we all live in different towns along I-65 in Kentucky) and wanted to eat. I told him more about going and he said he was definitely in. So I called Goofy and he said he'd emailed me back, but somehow it didn't get to me. He said Mickey was in too. So we had our four. The perfect number for a Disney trip, at least that's what I'd always thought. Well, it's 4 times the work of two going, but I think it may be, although maybe it's the more the merrier.
Free dining was offered in April and I made the arrangements. Disney wouldn't let me book 4 unrelated adults in two separate rooms, so I had to reserve a room in my name and one in Pluto's. They linked the reservations, though and we got rooms promised to be near each other. We would leave on September 7, a Friday after I get off work. We checked into renting a car, since none of us had a big enough vehicle for 4 big guys. Then my sister offered her Explorer. Wow . I was blown away. She lives in Nashville, so we'd have to get that far. Then Mickey found out he would be working in Nashville the week we left, so he met us at Sis's house. Everything was falling into place.
Next, the trip south.

 

[Minnie_Moo]

MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!! Let's get this trip report started and moovin' right along!

 

[the4princesses]

YEE HAAA!!
COUNT ME IN!!
Let's get going!!
KD

 

[lexmelinda]

DTD!

Subscribing to hear about your all-guy adventure!

Bring it on.........

 

[ILMICKEY]

Hey!! Sounds fun, I'm in.

 

[TwinkieMama]

Great start DTD!

I love the title and cereal descriptions of your merry band!

 

[NAB]

I'm in

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[babynurse1]

Count me in.

We Midwesterners have to stick together.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I am here, a friend on the boards told me about your report, they pick on me on theres because I am the only active guy posting, so I came over to read yours. Great job so far, cant wait to read more.

 

[luvmyboys]

Bring on the testosterone! I'm in!

 

[Avivasmom]

LOVE it....4 men going together to the HOUSE of MOUSE....I think that is great.

Come on want to read more.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Hey, DTD, checking in too. Great start!

 

[DonaldTDuck]

MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!! Let's get this trip report started and moovin' right along!

And MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!! back for being first. Glad you're along.

I am here, a friend on the boards told me about your report, they pick on me on theres because I am the only active guy posting, so I came over to read yours. Great job so far, cant wait to read more.

I understand toadily. On our thread, there are two guys on regularly and 2 or 3 others that pop in. And the women are ALLL pregnant. Well, several are, and they talk about well you know. I promise lots of manly stuff like beer and checkin' out female cm's.

Bring on the testosterone! I'm in!

LOVE it....4 men going together to the HOUSE of MOUSE....I think that is great.

Come on want to read more.

Sure you can handle the heman stuff? Don't worry, I'll be gentle.
ILMICKEY and the4princesses, glad to have ya along.
Lexi, Twink, Nab, babynurse and Backstage Gal, it's always great to have my moops with me.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I understand toadily. On our thread, there are two guys on regularly and 2 or 3 others that pop in. And the women are ALLL pregnant. Well, several are, and they talk about well you know. I promise lots of manly stuff like beer and checkin' out female cm's.

that is cool, my wife is 3 months pregnant as well.

we did a video message from WDW to tell our familys it is on my report if you wanna check it out. There is a link to the chapters on the 1st page.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

And MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!! back for being first. Glad you're along.


I understand toadily. On our thread, there are two guys on regularly and 2 or 3 others that pop in. And the women are ALLL pregnant. Well, several are, and they talk about well you know. I promise lots of manly stuff like beer and checkin' out female cm's.




Sure you can handle the heman stuff? Don't worry, I'll be gentle.
ILMICKEY and the4princesses, glad to have ya along.
Lexi, Twink, Nab, babynurse and Backstage Gal, it's always great to have my moops with me.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

Mickey, as mentioned, is already in NashVegas waiting for the rest of us. I am gettimg off work at 4:30(instead of 1:30 as originally planned) so Goofy and Pluto are meeting me in the parking lot where I work. It's easier to find than my trailer. They are driving down together in Goofy's car from Radcliff, the Fort Knox base town. The plan is they'll eat after they get to Bowling Green, where I live, and I'll eat at work(I'm a cook). Then we can wait till late to eat(yeah, right). I have filled a cooler with ice at work and loaded it with Diet COKES. At 4:30, we leave the lot. They follow me home, where we park the car and hit the road. By 5 we are in Tennessee(yee-hah). At 5:30 we call Mickey to give him directions to my sister's house, but he had found it just by the cross streets I had given him. Said we'd be there in 10 minutes. What was I thinking. We were almost to LP Stadium where the Titans play, and that stretch of Interstate has never been kind to me. About ten years ago I totaled a car there when a woman came to a dead stop to exit. The delivery truck behind her got stopped. But I was behind him, and didn't get stopped. Almost, but no. I hit him at <5 mph, but he had no bumper and my lil Honda went under him, doing at least $3500 worth of damage to a car with 229,000 miles. A few years before, a semi threw a wheel and axle across 5 lanes of traffic to hit the center wall and explode less than 100 feet in front of me. It made me late to a basketball game, the worst thing that could happen. Just as I see the exit the lady missed, I notice that traffic ahead is stopped. Dead. And there's no other way across the river without driving 30 miles in interstate traffic. So we sit. For about 20 minutes. Then, it was as if nothing had happened. Within 2 minutes we were doing 50. Wierd. So the ten minutes turned into half an hour, but we got there, made the car exchange, hugged all over Sis and hopped in. Sis said, not so fast. She'd just made a trip to LA (no, not Lower Antioch[inside Nashville joke]) and had visited the Mother Church. She'd brought me back a Grumpy hat with Disneyland on the back. So cool. She also reported that although Mr. Toad still lives there, there is not one piece of merchandise to be had with any reference to him. Or that would have been my present.
We finally get started, and it's not quite 7. The plan is to stop for the night on I-475 that loops Macon, GA. We hit a Wendy's drive thru and keep on keepin on. We hit Macon and decide we could go farther. Then, just as we reenter I-75, I get something in my contact and decide it's time. We exit immediately and find 2 hotels. One looks nice and one looks cheap. We picked cheap. It wasn't unanamous. See, Mickey travels for Kroger a lot and stays at Hiltons and slums at Fairfield. This was something like Interstate Inns and was $35 bucks a night. BTW, it was clean, cool, and had a goog shower and tv, and we were only there 7 hours. Just sayin'. We wanted to be fresh for our first day at a park. So we got up at 7 and were on the road in 30 minutes. It's goog to be all guys. Food, always a priority was discussed. At our exit there was a Waffle House with a thirty minute wait. We hit the interstate. Discussion continued. Like in I need it NOW. Not me, Goofy, I think. We see signs and get off hoping for a buffet. There's something called The Green Derby at the Holiday Inn. We go in. If you're ever just south of Macon and need breakfast, this is the place. Massive amounts of eggs, meats, breads, and cereal plus doughnuts, fruit and MILK on the buffet. All of it goog. But eggspecially the pancakes. And with juice or coffee, less than 10 bucks. On a weekend. Course, if we'd spent $30 more to stay there, it would have been free(help me out math freaks, a goog deal?). Next stop? Every rest area in Georgia. Almost. Dang peanut bladder. Always gets me in Georgia. Real next stop, the Florida Welcome Center, and free oj(not advise for the courts) . Except Goofy, who had to have grapefruit. But Goof, orange juice is a rite of passage. Oh well, that Goofy just has to be different.
Now we drove, but started in my PTCruiser, so we didn't pack much to drink or snack on, so I suggest at Gainesville we get off for (well I wanted 100% approval) BEER. We got off and found a Publix. They went nuts. Like taking 3 7 year old boys with their own money to a store. And one is a Kroger professional. We left with 2 and a half cases of beer, 10 bags of chips, 5 8-packs of nabs, fruit cups, 2 cases of water, and a little Gatorade. I kept saying, we're on the dining plan, and it's a lot of food, but they were possessed. We'll be hungry at night, in the morning, yada yada yada. I brought most of it home with me. Pluto, a mild diabetic, did use his snack food well.
The whole time, the plan was to use the Western Way to come in the back door at WDW, and we did. But we darn near missed it. We saw one sign that said which exit to use off the Toll Road about 10 miles before we got there. When we got there, I had to slam on the brakes to check the number, because no more info was posted. Pluto suddenly says there's a sign ON THE EXIT pointing to WDW. So we swerve over the little area just past the exit and climbed. off. Now Pluto has always been accused of being 'out there' mostly cause he is. But he just sniffed that sign out for us, a sign of things to come. The trip in is easy after that and we arrive at ASMusic at about 1:30. About an hour later than if we'd skipped Publix. But we're home.
Next, our half day at MGM and HDDR.

 

[NAB]

Who better to judge a good breakfast then a cook , right. And it is a must to stop at the welcome center for free juice. My mom did that last year too we all got orange and she was the only one that wanted grapefruit.

Did you have to leave your luggage at the Publix....

 

[UtahMama]

OOooooOOh, testosterone reporting! I'm soooo IN!

You had me at "cooler filled with ice" and lost me abruptly at COKE, which you capitalized for SOME reason

And, I think you need to describe the food better, I'm dieting.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

LOL, DTD, love the shopping spree! Great update.

 

[UtahMama]

mercy bump