It's kind of fun to do the impossible - 32 days of fun and friends - updated December 29

[dizneeat]

Day 8, August 15

Epcot’s Magic in the Moonlight - part 1

We slept in and only got up around 9am.
Tom brewed some coffee and we had some homemade sandwiches for breakfast. After breakfast we sat out on the balcony enjoying the morning sun until it was time to head to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for our FastPasses.
We walked down

and caught one of the FriendShips to travel over to the Studios. Soon we had cleared bag check and were scanning our Magicbands and were on our way to Toy Story Land.
We stopped for a PhotoPass photo and soon had made it to the Alien Swirling Saucers.

There was quite the standby line, but we just scanned our bands and walked the shorter FastPass one. Soon we were assigned a number

and when the doors opened we chose a saucer, buckled up and the ride started.

It was nice, but nothing we would waste another FastPass on, well maybe after we had enjoyed the three pre-booked ones.
Once we had gotten off we checked how long the line for Midway Mania was, but it was too long and so we strolled over to the Tower of Terror for our next FastPass.

We explored some of the shops on our way over as we still had time to spare and when our window opened we walked over and were soon in the library. Pre-show over we were on our way to the elevators and were soon assigned a row and on our way. After the ride we decided to head back to our resort for some lunch, but we could not pass up a Starbuck’s treat. Tom got an

Iced Coffee, while I had chosen a Caramel Frappuccino. It had taken a while until they were prepared and we enjoyed the air conditioning while waiting. Drink in hand we wandered outside and slowly towards the exit, again strolling through some of the shops.
We took our sweet time and when we came towards where the boats dock, we could see a boat approaching, therefore we hurried down and joined the longish line in hopes we would make it onto that boat. We both had finished our drinks and were lucky enough to still get on board, but we were some of the last ones in the line.
It was pretty hot on board and we were happy to leave at the Swan and Dolphin and just walk across the bridge and enter the Boardwalk through a side entrance.
We climbed the stairs up to our room, freshened up a bit and then took the lift back down to go to the Big River Grill & Brewing Works.

Tom had always wanted to try it, but it had never fit our plans up to now. We walked up to the restaurant and asked if they had a table for two and they sure did. Didn’t take long and we were seated inside, menu in hand and asked for our drinks choices. I stuck with the

Diet Coke I always order, but Tom got to try the Midland, English Brown Ale, which turned out to be very tasty, especially since you can see parts of the brewery works from where you sit

and the brew master was walking in and out. Soon our lunch was served, we had both decided on a burger, Tom had the

Kobe Burger with Bacon, an American-Style Kobe Beef Burger with Lettuce, Tomato, and Pickles, and I had ordered the

Big Brew Cheeseburger with Lettuce, Tomato, and Pickles and both were served with Kettle Chips.
They were really good, juicy and flavourful and we both enjoyed them a lot. The server had come to refill my Diet Coke and Tom had decided on trying another beer, the

Paddle Boat, an American Pale Ale.
Once we had finished our lunch we took a stroll along the Boardwalk and then returned to our stateroom as we had gotten a message from our friend Pamela, who was coming to spend the afternoon and evening with us.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 8, August 15

Epcot’s Magic in the Moonlight - part 2

Once we had finished our lunch we took a stroll along the Boardwalk and then returned to our stateroom as we had gotten a message from our friend Pamela, who was coming to spend the afternoon and evening with us.
We watched some TV while waiting for her and it didn’t take long and we got a text that she was at the Security check point. So we walked down to the lobby to greet her and after a lot of hugging we were on our way back to the room to catch up on what had happened since we had last seen her. After a while we decided to have a snack and so Pamela and I popped down to the Boardwalk Bakery to get a snack. Pamela needed a gluten free snack and we were happy to find some

Erin McKenna’s Mini Brownie Cupcakes, which she enjoyed a lot, while I got myself another

Carrot Cake. Tom stuck to his Tortilla Chips.
Around 6pm we got in touch with my friend Michelle, who informed us that her son Vito and his fiancé Hannah were running a little late as Vito had just gotten back from work and needed to still get ready and it’s about an hour’s drive from where they live.
So we just went down to the DVC check in point for Moonlight Magic that night to pick up our wristbands. We then spent some time in our room, still chatting and making plans for days and cruise to come until we got another text that Vito and Hannah were close.
A few minutes later we made our way down to the entrance of the Boardwalk to wait for them and within 15 minutes we could see them coming towards us. Everyone got introduced and we all put on our wristbands for the evening’s event. Now, Pamela is a DVC member just as we are, but Michelle and her family live locally and we had invited the young couple to come with us, knowing their love for Disney.
Moonlight Magic is a free event at one of the theme parks only open to DVC members and their guests.
There is special merchandise, a free meal

and free Mickey Bars.
We had been to one the previous year at Animal Kingdom and it was a lot of fun as the wait times for rides were pretty short and there were a lot of characters that you don’t usually see. So, around 8pm we all walked over to the International Gateway, picked up our meal vouchers for the evening and then we let Vito and Hannah do whatever they wanted as they were more interested in the characters than in the rides.
Our little group of three now wandered off to do some rides. Figment is one of Pamela’s favourites, so we went on that first and then it was on to Finding Nemo. By then the crowds had started to subside and most of the guests had gathered around the World Showcase Lagoon for Illuminations. We stopped into Mousegears and wandered around for a bit, and around 10pm we headed to Sunshine Seasons to redeem our meal vouchers. Tom and I decided to share two dishes, the

Mongolian Beef with Vegetable Fried Rice and the

Stir Fried Shrimp with Celery, Peppers, Water Chestnuts, and Cashews and both were very tasty and fresh. We sat for a while, then headed over to Soarin’,

which was a walk on, even with asking for the middle glider. After soaring around the world we walked towards World Showcase again and passed a kiosk where they sold Moonlight Magic Merchandise. Needless to say that we needed to get in line and pick up some items.
Close by they were handing out Mickey Bars and again, we could not decline.

There were also some water dispensers for the thirsty.

There were fireworks at around midnight and we still had some time to kill, so we walked towards Mexico, going past Vito and Hannah who were in line for some more character photos. We were able to just walk onto the ride inside Mexico

and after that leisurely boat ride we went in search of a spot to watch the fireworks.
Pamela suggested to have a look if there were empty tables at the Mexican quick service restaurant and as there was we found a table by the water’s edge and waited for the fireworks.

We had a lot of fun talking about that day and the fun that was still to come and time just flew by and the fireworks started.

They were no Illuminations, but pretty impressive for this “private” event. Once the fireworks were over we made our way back to the International Gateway. It took us quite some time, not because of crowds, but we were all pretty tired and our feet were heavy. Once outside Epcot we were surprised to find the FriendShips still running, so we headed over there,

found a seat and were slowly transported back to the Boardwalk. Once there we said goodbye to our friend Pamela, who still had an hour’s drive ahead of her until she got home. Tom and I slowly walked back to our room, grabbed a drink out of the fridge and then went to bed, leaving the rest of the packing for the next morning.

To be continued .....​

 

[wdwnut61]

Savor, Sip and Sparkle.

This event looks like fun and I love that they have savory dishes as well as sweet. Something new to add to the list.

Great pic love this ride!

one of the new magic bands against the reader and it didn’t work.

This happened to us last November at the WL so frustrating

This room had an awesome view of Cresent Lake, the Yacht and Beach Club and even Epcot in the distance.

Wow what a view!

Highway in the Sky Dine Around.

Did you like this time better than the last one?

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Bisque

Yummy

they only used one side and there were only two elevators working

It's so annoying when they do this.

This is such a fun ride

Agreed love it!

Come 9pm they started and we had an awesome view from our balcony.

Perfect way to end the evening.

It was nice, but nothing we would waste another FastPass on

Agreed it was one and done for us.

Sunshine Seasons

I love this place so much variety and the food is good.

Close by they were handing out Mickey Bars and again, we could not decline.

Lol of course not

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a fun Moonoight Magic night! Low crowds and lots to do. My experience may have been different. Then again, you'll hear about that when you return from your current adventures!

 

[jenseib]

You were a busy poster! I was so behind!
Looks like you had a wonderful time.
I am watching all your pictures on Facebook now of your current trip. It's helping with my Disney Blues, but I am gonna need a fix soon!

 

[dizneeat]

And we are back again ........... well have been for nearly three weeks now.

Guess what, we encountered another Hurrican, Dorian by name this time, and even though it didn't look like it, we were stuck at WDW for two extra days.
Oh, how "horrible".

The trip itself was absolutely wonderful, even though there were a few hickups and some things that did not work out as intended, but we had so much fun with all the friends we were lucky to meet up with again. Thank you all for making time for us.

At the moment I am home on sickleave (until tomorrow) because of a bad back and I thought it was time to get back into the swing of things. And while I am finishing up this TR, I am going to start on the new one for our 2019 unexpected and extended TR as well. So stay tuned for the link to be posted here (and on my last TR) as soon as it will be up.

But let's go on with this TR. Where were we? Oh yes, on the way to Key West!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 9, August 16

On the way to Key West … - part 1

Even though we had had such a late night we are up by 8am.
And after taking showers we had

some coffee, some sandwiches to use up our groceries and a

Mickey Brownie from the Boardwalk Bakery that I had bought earlier. Unfortunately the Brownie was not very good and most of it went in the bin.
We packed up the rest of our stuff and around 9.30 we called bell services to help with luggage. And while our luggage was loaded onto the cart Tom went ahead to fetch the car. I walked down with the bell man and we waited for Tom to arrive with the car and everything but the Owner’s Locker Box which went back into storage with all the stuff we didn’t need in Key West, was loaded in. And by 10am we were on our way.

We hit the freeway and kept driving.

Traffic was not bad at all and we made good progress,

but after two hours of this boring drive we needed to stretch our legs and use a restroom. We stopped at one of the rest areas and Tom explained that there was a geocache hidden somewhere and if we had time he would look for the clues.

But before we were hunting for clues we made a restroom stop and then picked up some drinks. We were looking at what was there to have and a

Strawberry Lemonade caught my eye. This was what I picked for my drink and Tom went for some

Minute Maid Pink Lemonade. We tried both and while being nice, they both were very sweet and we would have better just shared one bottle.
So the left over drinks went into the cupholder and the coconut patties we had picked up went into our cooler when we returned from our search for clues for his cache.
Clues noted we got back in the car and off onto the freeway again.
About an hour into that second part of our drive we were now feeling a bit hungry and decided to leave the freeway once we saw a place to eat that we would like. Didn’t take long and we saw that at the next exit there would be a Steak’n’Shake. Perfect! So we left the freeway and parked outside the restaurant, walked inside and it was half empty and we were seated immediately.
We both ordered some

Diet Cokes, which were really nice and cold after our drive so far. We both looked at the menu and ordered and then sat back and waited for our food to arrive. And then it did arrive and it was well received. Tom loved the

Bacon 'n Cheese Double Steakburger 'n Fries, Bacon, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion, mayo, and ketchup and I enjoyed my

Jalapeño Crunch Steakburger 'n Fries, topped with pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayo, fresh salsa, jalapeños, and fried onions. We were very happy with our lunch choice, even more so, when we saw the bill that was quite different to what we had been used to on Disney property.
After our nice late lunch break we headed back to the car, got in and off we went towards Miami.

On the way we passed that Hard Rock Hotel building site.

Traffic got a bit heavier the closer we got to Miami

but we made it through without any traffic jams and soon we arrived at Florida City where we went right past our hotel, the Best Western. We turned around at the next traffic lights, parked at the front desk, checked in and soon had keys in hand for our room.

To be continued .....​

 

[jenseib]

So cool to see the Hard Rock taking shape!

 

[franandaj]

Driving days can be boring, but necessary. Nice for you to break it up with a nice meal and some fun beverages! I find most US beverages too sweet which is why I mostly drink coffee or water. Occasionally an unsweetened iced tea.

I love Steak n Shake, we are just starting to get them out here, but there is no way I could eat a jalapeno burger!

 

[dizneeat]

We have been back for three weeks now and I have already started my NEW trip report. Would love to see you there.

A very merry, friend filled, unexpected unbirthday trip (report) August/September 2019

 

[dizneeat]

So cool to see the Hard Rock taking shape!

It was so fun to see it and so impressive. Must be fun to stay there.

Driving days can be boring, but necessary. Nice for you to break it up with a nice meal and some fun beverages!

Unfortunately yes, they are necessary. I just wish there would be a more scenic route to take. This one is so boring until you get out onto the Keys.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 9, August 16

On the way to Key West … - part 2

We turned around at the next traffic lights, parked at the front desk, checked in and soon had keys in hand for our room.
The room was a typical chain hotel room,

but it was clean and had everything we needed, so we hauled up our luggage, rested for a short while and then googled if there was a store nearby where we could buy a card reader as we had forgotten ours and we needed to download our photos onto a hard drive.
There was a Walmart nearby, so we went there, looked around, asked an employee, but they did not have any.
They did however point us towards an electronics store that was close by. So back in the car we got and off we went. And soon we entered the new store and found a friendly employee, who not only was able to find a card reader for us, but also got Tom a cable he had forgotten at home.
We paid for our purchases and went back to the car when the sun started to set.

So we drove back to our hotel and since we were in the car already we decided to drive to the Denny’s across the road from our hotel, as it was easier to turn around at a traffic light than to cross that multi lane road on foot.
And when we drove up to the restaurant it looked a bit odd. Only dim lights from the inside and no cars in the car park. Well, on second look they were closed and someone was working inside, so we went on and drove to the second option we had found when planning the trip, Cracker Barrel. Well, our friends Mary Ellen and Joe from Buffalo, love Cracker Barrel and have often told us to try it, and since there was one close by, why not giving it a try visit it today.
Soon we had made it there and there were way more cars in the parking lot, so we were sure they were open. We walked inside and the restaurant was huge and mostly empty.

But we were quickly taken to a table and handed menus and a server was quickly on hand to ask for our drinks. Tom ordered some

Diet Coke, while I had seen they had Strawberry Lemonade, a refreshing blend of their classic lemonade and a sweet strawberry puree, which I needed to try. And within a minute or two those drinks arrived at our table and this strawberry lemonade was all I had hoped for and it came with refills. It took us some time to go through the menu and make up our mind, as there were an aweful lot of choices. But in the end Tom had decided on the

Cracker Barrel Sampler, a hearty sampling of their Chicken n’ Dumplins, Meatloaf and Country Ham. It came with three country sides and made-from-scratch

Buttermilk Biscuits or Corn Muffins. Tom chose Mashed Potatoes, Country Green Beans and

Breaded Fried Okra as his sides. I had had my heart set on the

Roasted Turkey n’ Dressing plus the choice of one Country Side which was Whole Kernal Corn and it was served with choice of Buttermilk Biscuits or Corn Muffins and real butter.

Since we didn’t know what to order the server suggested that we would just order both to be able to sample them.
They were both truly huge portions and neither of us was able to finish the portion.
Before we had seen our dinner plates we had thought about ordering dessert as well, but we were both way too full to order some, not even for take away.
Once we had paid our bill we had a look around the store and then got into the car and back to our hotel. But before we returned we had one more little side trip to make, to Krispy Kreme.
We picked up a dozen doughnuts

so we could have one lateron and we would have some for breakfast as well and then we finally made our way back to the Best Western. We made ourselves comfortable on the beds

and watched some TV, but all too soon the full bellies and the late night the day before let us fall asleep.

To be continued .....​

 

[sheri18]

Joining in...great read....what a wonderfully long vacation... that is great...we could learn to do that

 

[dizneeat]

Joining in...great read....what a wonderfully long vacation... that is great...we could learn to do that

Thank you for joining us here!
Yes, long vacations are great, especially once you factor in airfare from Europe it does not make sense to stay for just a few days. And it is the perfect excuse to draw out the vacation as long as possible.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 10, August 17

Key West is calling our name … - part 1

And again, we were up around 8am and took showers and got ready to head out again.
The hotel offered a free breakfast, but we had seen the tiny spot the day before and did not want to fight for a table so we just made some coffee and had some of the Krispy Kreme for breakfast.
And it was good, as we had wanted to have some lunch along the way and we wanted to be hungry for it.
By 9.30 we were checked out and back in the car, ready to travel on.

We made it to the freeway and soon we hit the highway that leads along the Florida Keys.

The first part takes you through some marsh lands and it is a rather boring drive.
But soon we made it to the first Keys

and bridges and our drive started to become really scenic.

A little over an hour into our drive, Tom pointed out that there was a bird sanctuary close by and that there was a geochache to be found. Needless to say we interrupted our drive and turned right into the road to the sanctuary.
We found a space to park the car and he took his GPS to go find the cache.
When we got close to the actual bird sanctuary there were lots of signs and information and we started reading.

And while we did, we were approached by one of the keepers of the sanctuary and we struck up a conversation which ended in him taking us around the sanctuary.

I wish I had taken more photos as there were so many different species and they were all well kept.
When we had finished our round we put a good contribution into the box as the keeper would not take any money. We were allowed to look around on our own then and so we did for quite a while until we returned to our original thought of stopping, finding Tom’s cache.
It took just a short while and then it was found. Tom signed his name on the little logbook

that was inside and we were good to go again.
By now we were getting hungry and thankfully we didn’t have to drive far.
We soon had made it to Marker 88, a restaurant we had found on one of our trips to Key West and ever since we make it a point to stop there for lunch or dinner. Today was not different. We left the road and drove the few meters down to the water’s edge and the restaurant. There were quite a few tables in the shade already taken, but they did have one for us, near the water and

in the shade.

We were thirsty, so we didn’t say no when they offered us some ice-water to start us off and then ordered some Diet Cokes as well.
We sat and admired the view and enjoyed the day.

It did not take long and our lunch was served.
Tom had ordered the

Grilled Mahi Caesar, grilled Mahi over a Caesar Salad with Haiku Tomatoes, roasted Red Peppers and Reggiano croutons, one of our Marker 88 favourites. I wanted to try something new and had ordered the

Shrimp Zoodles, large shrimp sautéed in olive oil and roasted garlic, fresh herbs, Local tomatoes and capers, over zucchini noodles.
This was light and delicious and I really enjoyed it.
And there was something else I always need to get when we dine there, their

Key Lime Pie, tart and topped with heaps of meringue. It is quite the helping, but oh sooo good!
After lunch we walked out onto the pier and enjoyed the view from there

before we had to get back into the car to move on.
A little further down the road Tom was looking for another geocache and while he was searching I was watching the Iguana who seemed to live there.

When we moved on we didn’t get too much further as there was another viewing area along a bridge, where we stopped and wandered along the bridge for a bit to admire the view.

To be continued .....​

 

[jenseib]

I am now hungry after reading about all your yummy meals!

 

[dizneeat]

I am now hungry after reading about all your yummy meals!

And I promise, there is a lot more yumminess to come.

 

[jedijill]

Caught back up !

Sorry to hear about your back...hope you are feeling better! So fun to relieve our trip even though I was still slaving away at work while you were in Key West!

Jill in CO

 

[mesgram]

Boy I got behind on this trip report but I'm all caught up now. I'm really enjoying reading about your trip. You fit alot into the first part of your trip, I'm looking forward to the rest!!

 

[dizneeat]

Caught back up !

You were busy travelling, Jill, so no problem here.

Sorry to hear about your back...hope you are feeling better! So fun to relieve our trip even though I was still slaving away at work while you were in Key West!

Jill in CO

Thanks for your concern. I am much better.
And we were so looking forward to our friend filled cruise. Oh, what fun it was.

Boy I got behind on this trip report but I'm all caught up now. I'm really enjoying reading about your trip.

I am happy, you are still reading along. I haven't posted that much here, as I was finishing up our 2017 trip. But I am working on this one now (and the 2019 one. )

You fit alot into the first part of your trip, I'm looking forward to the rest!!

We did. It was such a fun trip and since we thought we would not return in 2019 (which we were wrong about ) we wanted to do it "all". And the visit to Key West was no exception and it was a lot of fun.