The Trip With An Abundance of Steven, A WDW Jan '23 TR ***Completed 8/8***

[ambula603]

I am LOVING your report! I just wish I had more close-up makeup photos. I LOVE the colors you use!

This is such a fun ride, keep going!

 

[StacyStrong]

Oh man. I have so many questions about that Tony’s salad. Is it literally just ice berg lettuce and bacon(?) ?! It doesn’t look like there’s anything on it!

 

[flowergirl45]

I love your style! More, please!

 

[disvisitorkim]

Love reading your report, neighbor from NYC! You two are my kinda people!

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

So the Fountain Lady ran into *you* and then had the nerve to yell at you?? Way to take rudeness to a new level lady

Right! What gets me is that I literally waited for her to wrap it up and head out, I gave her all the space she could ever need so she didn't feel rushed and crowded. And like a human tornado, she whips around and runs straight into me.
I hope her 3D glasses were a little scratched up, so everything was slightly blurry her entire ride. Not enough to ruin the whole ride, but enough to be a slight annoyance.

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I am LOVING your report! I just wish I had more close-up makeup photos. I LOVE the colors you use!

This is such a fun ride, keep going!

Ahhh Thank you!!! I don't know if I've ever said this anywhere before, but I'm actually a really big makeup fan. Makeup is probably my biggest hobby. It's also why I'm always awake a couple of hours before Mel lol.
I wish I had taken close ups of my makeup daily but I didn't think anyone would really be that interested! I'll keep that in mind for future trips and try to remember to get some. I do have a couple of pics where you can see it a little better:













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[DisneyyDaydream]

Oh man. I have so many questions about that Tony’s salad. Is it literally just ice berg lettuce and bacon(?) ?! It doesn’t look like there’s anything on it!

Mel's salad from the Plaza actually DOES look a little sad and basic now that you point it out, lol! The only thing she asked to take out were the tomatoes and she actually really did enjoy it. She said the warm bacon vinegrette is what brings the salad up from being just a basic plate of lettuce. I had the same salad last year and it looks much better and a little bit more interesting:


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I love your style! More, please!

Thank you! I'm in no way a fashionista but I do like my little outfits I put together. Everyone who knows me IRL makes fun of me for always needing to bring 2 full size suitcases no matter where I go on a vacation.

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Love reading your report, neighbor from NYC! You two are my kinda people!

Yay for neighbors! I'm about 30 minutes outside the city!
Us being your kinda people makes you MY kinda people

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[M303871]

Nothing wrong with a basic salad, but if you put enough warm bacon vinaigrette on a park bench I would most likely eat it.

 

[nw6675]

I usually pass by trip reports....but my DH is Steven...so naturally I had to partake!

Literally the best TR I've ever read. I am living vicariously through you and Mel.

My favorite is when Mel tells you the pineapple tastes funny! That cracked me up.

 

[cheryllarsen]

So fun to read!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Thanks for posting!

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Nothing wrong with a basic salad, but if you put enough warm bacon vinaigrette on a park bench I would most likely eat it.

LOL! I feel that way about many things- tajin, crab, medium buffalo sauce. The warm bacon vinaigrette is definitely what makes the salad but I gotta agree, when you're eating your weight in fried grease, sometimes you just need a basic salad to remind yourself what veggies taste like.​

I usually pass by trip reports....but my DH is Steven...so naturally I had to partake!

Literally the best TR I've ever read. I am living vicariously through you and Mel.

My favorite is when Mel tells you the pineapple tastes funny! That cracked me up.

Ah I'm glad you decided to give me TR a chance! And thank you for the compliment! That is way, way too sweet of you!

I died laughing right after I told her it wasn't pineapple at all, but the look on her face was priceless!​

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

So fun to read!

Thanks for posting!

No, no, thank YOU for reading!!

​

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Day 4, Part 4
January 25, 2023
"Here. Put Your Paint On There"





Go on a ride, get a snack, go on a ride, get a snack, go on a ride, get a snack.

We had just gone on a ride, so you know what time it was baby!

I wasn’t completely sure of what I was in the mood for so I flipped through my rusty, dusty, trusty Festival Passport and ultimately settled on the watermelon tataki from the Moderne booth.

Compressed Watermelon Tataki: “With pickled watermelon rind, yuzu pearls, watermelon foam, and wasabi.” $4.75.

The watermelon took a couple of minutes to come out and I thought it was a little odd when plates of soft-shell crab and scallops were whizzing on by one after the other but a plate of cut up watermelon was taking a bit. That is until I saw the Watermelon chef in action.

This man viewed his job as I imagine a Michelin Star chef would- he placed each slice of watermelon, each small yuzu pearl, and the dollop of wasabi with the utmost care. He even pulled a small whisk out of nearly thin air to create a perfect watermelon foam. This man poured his entire soul into this dish.

And it was pretty decent.

I saw a lot of people sum up the dish as more or less, a plate of watermelon. And it was. At its core, this was a plate of watermelon.

But there was something about the wasabi on the watermelon that tickled all of my tastebuds. I’ve never even thought to try that combo before and I’m really glad I did. The only thing I didn’t really care for was the pickled watermelon rind.

Mel decided to scoot herself over to the Craftsman’s Courtyard booth near the Creation’s Shop to try the beef wellington.


Beef Wellington: “Mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and puff pastry with red wine demi-glace and baby vegetables.” $8.50.

She gave the dish about a 6.5/10. She thought the beef itself was pretty tasty but could do without the puff pastry, which is pretty shocking in and of itself since Mel loves a good crust.

Since we were near Club Cool we decided to pop in. The last couple of times we’ve been to Epcot, either Club Cool had a line out the door (back in October ‘21) or we just completely forgot about it (March ‘22) so we figured we might as well.

This was our first time bellying up to the soda dispensers since their reopen back in the fall of 2021 and we were about to make up for lost time.

Out of the 8 possible options, only 6 were available (shame on you, Madagascar and DR. Shame!) and we sampled all 6.



Mel thought Russia (Cucumber Sprite) was the best.

She was wrong.

The correct answer for best soda is: Philippines (Royal Wattamelon).

We both agreed that besides Beverly, the worst was China (Smart Sour Plum). I thought it tasted like BBQ sauce.

2048343 sips of soda later, Mel and I decided to wrap up our time at Epcot with a grand and miraculous travel through time and space on good ol’ Spaceship Earth.

Mel had booked a DAS reservation a little bit earlier but it wasn’t needed since the line was a walk-on.







We opted for separate rows for optimal stretching room. The best way to ride.




Almost as flattering as a passport photo

Once our time machine was finished rotating backward in preparation for our return to Earth, Mel bid her ECV a bon voyage, returned her useless key, and was given back her kidney she had to leave behind as collateral.

While she was taking care of all of that, Epcot gave me a soft little forehead kiss goodbye and started one of the Spaceship Earth Light Shows to send me off. A true treat.









Mel ordered us a Lyft to whisk us away to our next destination, Disney Springs. The Lyft ride was fairly uneventful- which is, I suppose, what you should want from a Lyft or Uber ride- and we were fluttering away towards the Disney Springs security line about 15 minutes later.

“See you in a few minutes,” Mel bid me adieu as I sauntered through the security line. As per usual, Mel was then pulled aside for her usual water-boarding and interrogation.

Regaining her freedom a few moments later, Mel and I set off to find the Disney Springs ECV rental, which they hide back by the resort buses. Mel and I do not use the resort buses, so we were not aware of this and it took us AGES to find this small shop.

The directions on the My Experience App weren’t super clear. But I’m literally looking at the map on the ME app right now, and it’s pretty obvious where the ECV rental is. So let me rephrase this: The directions on the My Experience App weren’t making sense to Mel and I. We even split up for a little bit to see if one of us could find it and call the other over.

Eventually, Mel did find the rental shack and we were quickly off at top speeds of 3.2 mph.

Our first order of business was similar to most everyone’s first order of business. Get a spot on line for Gideon’s.



We were expecting long, long lines but were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that not only was Gideon’s henchmen not using a virtual line, but they stated the wait would be only about 25 minutes.

Surely, these gremlins were lying.

There was no way there would only be a 25 minute wait on this night. This perfect cookie weather night.

I assume all nights are perfect cookie weather, but I digress.





The gargoyles were slightly off with their timing- Mel and I had to wait a ghastly 28 minutes instead of the aforementioned 25 but soon we found ourselves groveling at the feet of Gideon himself as he allowed his henchmen to open the doors to his cookie dungeon.

We once more kept our whits with us and only ordered a couple of things. A peanut butter cold brew and cookie butter cookie for me, and 2 cookies and cream cookies and a cookie butter cookie for Mel.

Everything was $6 each for a grand total of $31.95.

I have said cookie so many times just now that it no longer seems like a real word.



Baked treats and coffee in hand, we thanked Master Gideon for his hospitality and high tailed it out of there.

At top speeds of 2.8 mph.

We had an 8:45 reservation at Raglan Road for dinner and decided to see if we could check in a little bit early. They let us but said we probably wouldn’t be seated until closer to our reservation time.

Steven isn’t going to like that, not one bit.

Mel and I walked around the gift shop for a couple of minutes before we spent the rest of our time waiting, sitting outside on a planter ledge. As usual.

Around 8:30, I received our table ready text and we bulldozed our way through the crowd back to Raglan Road.

I had read, literally that morning, that today was Irish Coffee Day and Raglan Road was celebrating by giving out “free” Irish Coffee.

Aka you buy a $5 coffee, and they pour in a shot of Irish Whiskey for free.

Great, we’ll take 2.

Mel opted to pair her Irish Coffee with Shepherd's Pie sans cheese, while I, on the other hand, decided on the Gnocchi Sea Gnocchi Do.


Irish Coffee: I can’t find a basic Irish Coffee on the menu, but I’m guessing it’s just a shot of Jamo in coffee. $5


Shepherd’s to Die for Pie: “Braised and pulled beef and lamb with root vegetables in a rich red wine jus with Irish peat smoked mashed potato.” $27.50


Gnocchi Sea Gnocchi Do: “Handmade potato gnocchi, seared Foley's Georges Bank scallops, crispy pork belly, tomatoes, and kale in a white wine butter sauce.” $33

Oh also, we got some Irish Soda bread and a Guinness/Olive Oil dipping sauce to start. I wasn’t a fan of either.



]

Both Mel and I thought our meals were absolutely fantastic. Mel is a pretty big Shepherd’s Pie fan (see, mashed potatoes), and she said this one ranked pretty high up on her list.

I thought the gnocchi dish was delicious- much better than the poutine I had earlier. The gnocchi were exactly like what I was expecting (lookin’ at you poutine)- soft, chewy, pillowy even. The scallops were buttery and cooked perfectly. Everything worked so incredibly well together. Well, except the tomatoes. I didn’t even touch those.

I did, however, find out that I’m not a fan of Irish Coffee, so there’s that. I took a single sip and instantly slid it across the table to Mel. I also knew it was Irish Coffee day, informed Mel it was Irish Coffee day, but at some point I started telling people back home it was Irish Whiskey day. So that explains the caption in that one photo, lol.

Mel loved hers.

Properly stuffed, we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and began the long trek back to the ECV rental to return Mel’s noble steed.

And guess what happened next?

You’ll never guess.

Mel and I actually waddled on over to the bus stop and decided to give the resort buses another shot.

Who were we and what did we do with our former selves?

We probably left them with the MK ECV.

It took the bus about 10 minutes to finally decide to show up and we were back at the Grandstand 20 minutes later.



We didn’t really have a bad time with the bus. There was plenty of space so we got seats and they kept the A/C to a nearly manageable level. But it didn’t really change our mind about not using them in the future.

We just aren’t “bus” people.

We are “getting serenaded by Orlando locals for $10” people.

Shortly after getting back to the room, I plopped my next bath bomb into the tub and treated myself to my nightly foot soak.


Stress Relief: “Blue freesia, clementine, and violet petals.” $6.99

Mel on the other hand?

A shower and icy hot slathering later, I was hitting the hay by 11:30.



***Coming up: The Jungle Cruise and Safari are not the same thing***

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[erinch]

Great as always!

 

[nw6675]

I just realized that poor Mel never gets any credit for bathing

 

[snikki]

Thank you!
Exactly! If I wanted to get wet, I would stay by the pool! And also, walking around with wet pants all day in the Magic Kingdom sounds like I'm gonna start chafing instantly.

But that's what all the extra underwear you packed are for right?

Loving your report! I know I've read at least 1-2 of your previous reports. They are always enjoyable!

I'm also Jersey girl but a South Jersey girl. I am pretty close to Philadelphia.

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Great as always!

Thank you!!

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I just realized that poor Mel never gets any credit for bathing

LOL!! It's so funny you mentioned this because 2-3 days ago, Mel actually pointed out to me that everyone's going to think she doesn't shower because I never mention it.

I would just like to take this time to say, that Mel showered in the morning. She just takes a LOT less time to get ready than I do.

I told her about your message- she said you are her white knight and she'll send you your check in the mail. You just gotta wait 5-7 business months so it doesn't bounce.

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[DisneyyDaydream]

But that's what all the extra underwear you packed are for right?

Loving your report! I know I've read at least 1-2 of your previous reports. They are always enjoyable!

I'm also Jersey girl but a South Jersey girl. I am pretty close to Philadelphia.

Those are my safety undies! Not my "Lemme sit in the this puddle of leftover Splash Mountain bath water" undies! I left those at home.

Thank you!! I feel like I get a little more comfortable with each report, so you guys get to experience my true personality and flawless sense of humor a little more each time.

That means you're pretty close to Mel!

​

 

[nw6675]

Tell Mel I totally have her back from here on out

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Day 5
January 26, 2023
"You Give Bulldog Energy"



The time?

6:15.

The location?

Saratoga Springs.

I was already up and at ‘em, having gotten up a solid 15 minutes before my alarm. Like I didn’t need the rest of anything.



Mel on the other hand?

Our plan was to leave by 8:15, which obviously meant that we didn’t make it out of the door until around 8:30.

Don't worry guys, Mel showered before we left. It's probably why we were about 15 minutes late!

But at least this time, there were no rogue turkey goblins patrolling the area right outside of our building.

Our Lyft ride to Animal Kingdom was nice and uneventful. We normally don’t luck out with 2 uneventful Lyft rides in a row, but I suppose since we threatened Lyft with the Disney resort buses the night before, Lyft decided to behave. For now.

We were tossed out of the Lyft like a couple of stowaways about 25 minutes later and I was strolling through security only a few moments later.



Mel, as per usual, was given her normal fingerprinting, dental exam, and IQ test before security deemed her able to proceed.

By 9:05, we were tapping into DAK and released into the park. We were a couple of minutes past rope drop and had to make up for lost time.

Where were we headed?

To pick up Mel’s ECV.

While Mel was read her constitutional ECV rights, I snapped a couple of pictures and stumbled upon DiVine.

For years, DiVine was something like a myth to me. Mel had always mentioned wanting to see her but we never found her. She was like a unicorn- only something we’ve heard of in tales passed down from one WDW fan to the next. Did she actually exist? Who knew.

Last year, Mel and I had seen DiVine slithering along near the entrance to Animal Kingdom and that settled that for me. She was terrifying. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that she makes absolutely no noise, just creeping along menacingly, that makes me wish to never stumble on her again or what. But spotting DiVine was what I considered a “Never have to do that again” moment.



But here I was, standing in a small group, snapping pictures of DiVine for a second time. Only this time, a man to my right began cat-calling DiVine.

Of all disrespectful things.

I’m not one to let things like that slide, so I turned to him, “You don’t need to be doing all that.”

He looked at me, put his phone away, and walked away.

So now I am president and treasurer of the “Protect DiVine At All Costs” fan club.



Mel scooted on up shortly after and we made our way towards our first LL of the day, the Safari. As we waddled on towards the Tree of Life, a showing of Winged Encounters was about to begin.





Not only am I not a fan of Disney Entertainment (DEntertainment, if you shall), I am absolutely not a fan of bird shows since I am afraid of birds.

I’m not as tough as I like to pretend I am.

But Mel is a fan of DEntertainment. And a fan of bird shows.

So we stuck around the Tree of Life to watch.









It was pretty cool, I will admit.

And I found out there is a kangaroo that lives at the base of the Tree, so I spent a solid amount of time trying to get his picture. Offer me breathtaking views of parrots in flight, and I opt for the kangaroo instead.









I almost got hit in the head. Figures.







Parrots thoroughly parroted, Mel and I continued on our journey towards the safari.



The standby was posted at 25 minutes, but with LL we only waited about 15.

And that included waiting for the 1st row.





Our Safari guide was Justin and this man was all business. Business in the front, business in the back. Not a single joke was escaping this man’s lips.

But I am me.



“And to our right, is the greater kudu.”

“And here are the lesser kudu. Don’t worry Justin, I got this. You just drive.”

Mel thought it was funny, Justin did not.

Skipper Shawn would’ve chuckled.




They're a bloat, and I am bloated










I've never seen these out and about before. I'm not sure if they're hyena or African wild dogs but I absolutely love them. They were my faves of the safari.









***Continued in next post***​