Double, Double, Toil & Trouble: a Halloween-inspired trip of “two’s” – an October 2016 TR

[3cmom]

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[juniorbugman]

Hope the weather is great for you and the snow stays away.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Have a great weekend with your family.

 

[I-4Bound]

Prayers for traveling mercies!

 

[Lynne G]

Safe travel Gina. Hope you have wonderful visit

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks everyone!! It was a messy trip home through the heavy rains and weekend traffic, but we arrived at my mom's just after 9 pm last night. Jake came over and we sat up talking for hours. It was SO good to see them both!!!

Today we're all going shopping......we need to pick up some Canadian staples to take home with us, like my Shreddies . Then we are all meeting up with Steve's parents later tonight for dinner at Swiss Chalet (one of the few Canadian restaurants we miss) before heading over to watch the Leafs game at Jake's apartment.

Steve and I have a little surprise for Jake and Brittney that we are excited to give to them while we are hanging out later today at their house: a little early Easter gift, since we won't be home to celebrate that weekend to mark the holiday. They have NO idea it's coming, so it's going to be fun to give to them!!

 

[chicagoshannon]

Have a great weekend! Sounds packed full of nice family time.

 

[Ruthie5671]

As we wearily stretched out our achy legs as we snuggled in under the covers, Steve tentatively inquired…..”You planned tomorrow as a ‘down day’, right?”.


Yes sweetheart, you’ll have plenty of time to recuperate .

Did he really have to ask? You are the uber planner wife super woman!

Hope you're having fun with Jake.

 

[mandas08]

Looks like a fun night at MK. Enjoy your visit, you two sound like amazing parents

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks everyone, we are home safe and sound . We had a wonderful weekend visiting with Jake, Brittney, my mom, and even Steve's parents (the latter of whom we haven't seen at all since the new year), though the two days went by WAY too fast.

The kids were crazy excited when we revealed their Easter gift: we are giving them their round trip flights for their Orlando vacation in September. It's not often we are able to render that crazy, funny, rascally boy of ours speechless, but this did it . I thought poor Britt was going to cry. They were so incredibly appreciative and it was just a lot of fun to surprise them both.

On our long drive there and back, Steve and I managed to iron out our dining wish list for our upcoming trip (I can hardly believe there's less than 4 weeks to go!!). While almost everything can be changed on the fly if need be, we've tentatively planned on NBC Sports Grill & Brew, Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, The Kitchen (at Hard Rock), Trattoria del Porto (at Portofino Bay), Millers Ale House, and Capone's for our dinners, with the Kitchen and the Trattoria both on the nights they are offering character dining. For lunches, we've settled on Finnegan's, Confisco's, Margaritaville, Leaky Cauldron (maybe), Hot Dog Hall of Fame (maybe), and Sweet Tomatoes to start: there are still more days to fill, of course, but none that are 'must do's' beyond what we have listed. We likely will only do two breakfasts out (with the balance at our villa): one at Three Broomsticks (which will be a Dismeet with @JaxDad and his family) and the character buffet at the The Kitchen. A few of those are old favourites, but a good deal of them are new experiences.....so it's a nice mix if all goes as planned.

With a little luck, I should be back at the trip report tomorrow .

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

What a great surprise, I bet it was a hard secret to keep!

Love your dining plans

 

[livingthedream]

That is an awesome gift to give to Jake and Brittany! At that age, every $ counts so I am sure they were very appreciative.

Ron and I spend a lot of time talking about plans whenever we are on a road trip. Sounds like you got most of your dining figured out for your upcoming trip. I envy you your time down there at the end of the month. I was hoping to connect with Ron in Orlando during that time as well, but alas our work project deadlines continue to conflict. I did manage to get out to New Brunswick to see him for an extended long weekend in the middle of March, but now our trip plans are on hold. We will be sure to use SkyAuction when the right time comes, although you have to plan ahead for that (which I am normally used to doing), but our circumstances aren't as able to support that kind of planning strategy right now.

I will have to get my Universal fix from your trip later this month. Will be watching for all the new things. Will you still be adding to your minion collection?

 

[Callie]

Excited for you! This trip is much needed for you guys!

 

[chiamarie]

I need to figure out if/when I can meet up with ya'll! However, life is about to go full-swing crazy over here. (I know I'm about to start getting OT at work...plus I'm starting a second job!! ) But hopefully we can meet up!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

What a great surprise, I bet it was a hard secret to keep!

Love your dining plans

It was a VERY hard secret indeed! Poor Britt thought at first that it was an April fool's joke ... I hadn't even considered that, given the timing .

That is an awesome gift to give to Jake and Brittany! At that age, every $ counts so I am sure they were very appreciative.

Ron and I spend a lot of time talking about plans whenever we are on a road trip. Sounds like you got most of your dining figured out for your upcoming trip. I envy you your time down there at the end of the month. I was hoping to connect with Ron in Orlando during that time as well, but alas our work project deadlines continue to conflict. I did manage to get out to New Brunswick to see him for an extended long weekend in the middle of March, but now our trip plans are on hold. We will be sure to use SkyAuction when the right time comes, although you have to plan ahead for that (which I am normally used to doing), but our circumstances aren't as able to support that kind of planning strategy right now.

I will have to get my Universal fix from your trip later this month. Will be watching for all the new things. Will you still be adding to your minion collection?

Probably no more additions to my minion collection....we donated all but three of them to the Firefighters Toy Drive before we moved so that they could bring some smiles to kids in need at Christmas, and the three that I did keep have still not found a place in our new home here in Michigan. They are safely tucked away in the basement until such time as I decide where I want to display them. I can, however, picture Steve playing the games, just for fun, and bestowing anything he wins on a random child who just happens to be walking by at the time. He's done that several times before . Then he gets the delight of winning a prize AND putting a smile on someone's face, too.

I am so sorry to hear that your trip plans have been shelved, even if just for the time being. That's so disappointing . I will say a prayer that the stars will align just right and you guys can work out a much-needed getaway in the not-so-distant future .

Excited for you! This trip is much needed for you guys!

We are really looking forward to getting away . Steve's been working SUPER hard so he's very much in need of a break. Me....well....I'm not exactly overworked these days (since I'm still in temporary retirement) but a week in the warmth and sunshine is sooooo appealing. I'm going to miss my babies a crazy amount, though.

I need to figure out if/when I can meet up with ya'll! However, life is about to go full-swing crazy over here. (I know I'm about to start getting OT at work...plus I'm starting a second job!! ) But hopefully we can meet up!

We would LOVE the chance to get together with you, if you can make it happen! Even if you wanted to drop by the resort some evening for a drink at the Tiki Bar and to relax with us in the pool and hot tub. Or...if you can join us some night for dinner, we'd love to chat with you over a meal somewhere, too. Just let us know if there is a specific day that might work (are you still off Tuesdays and Wednesdays? And second job?!??! Do tell!!)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, October 24th

We knew that Lisa, Joe and the kids would likely be sleeping late that day (recuperating from their long and active night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party) so once Steve and I had woken and showered, we decided to head up International Drive to Hash House a Go Go for a nice, peaceful breakfast. We were both pretty tired from our late party night (and again, had difficulty sleeping in to any substantial degree) so it was a perfect time to have someone else take care of crafting our morning meal while we relaxed.

The restaurant was surprisingly quiet when we arrived around 9 am or so. Either we had missed the morning rush or Mondays, in general, just aren’t super busy here . It was hard to say. Regardless of the reason, it was wonderfully serene. We were greeted warmly by the staff upon arrival and ushered immediately to a booth.

We had pre-purchased two gift cards for Hash House through Travelzoo before our visit, each a $40 value for just $20 less a $10 welcome discount; that brought our breakfast price down to $10 [assuming we didn’t exceed a $40 total check] . This meal would end up being as cheap as if we had eaten at Burger King or McDonald’s. Crazy .


Our server brought us our beverages (coffee for Steve, milk for me) while we perused the menu options for a bit longer. Once we had made our selections, she returned to collect our entrée orders and promptly whisked them off to the kitchen.


While a few other guests began to straggle in after our arrival, it was still quiet enough that the kitchen could obviously set right to work on preparing our breakfasts, and as a result, our food arrived at the table in a ridiculously fast record time. Steve had chosen the Corned Beef Hash which featured corned beef, red onions and swiss cheese served on crispy potatoes with a side of eggs (over easy), fresh fruit, and one of their signature biscuits. The portion was ENORMOUS . The biscuits, all on their own, are simply massive.

I had learned my lesson on previous visits and now knew that the quantities of food can be stupidly large, so I kept my choice as minimal as possible and went with "The Basic": two eggs any style served with two slices of bacon (I could have also selected ham or sausage), fresh fruit, and a biscuit. This, my friends, is as “small” as their meals get .

A separate plate of fresh whipped butter and house-made strawberry preserves was brought to the table for our freshly baked warm biscuits. The jam was EXCEPTIONAL . As good as my mom makes.

Everything that we ordered was fresh, hot and delicious. The amount of food always feels rather wasteful (there was no way I could finish mine…nor could Steve make it through his skillet in its entirely, which is saying something all on its own) but the food quality is absolutely top notch. Farm-fresh ingredients, amazing taste, and a lovely presentation. Add in the relaxed atmosphere, the excellent service, and the unbelievable Travelzoo discount, and this breakfast was 100% a win .


We texted Joe and Lisa after breakfast and learned that they had decided to take the kids back to SeaWorld for part of the day to enjoy some time in Shamu’s Happy Harbor and see a few of the shows they had missed on our group visit, so we had at least the next few hours to enjoy at our leisure. With full stomachs in need of some exercise and a beautiful morning gifted by Mother Nature, it seemed a shame to spend any unnecessary time inside, yet we didn’t feel like visiting one of the parks, either. Hopping into the car and heading back toward the Vistana, we opted to stroll around Disney Springs in the less-crowded early part of the day.

Stay tuned....more to come!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Lovely start to your day Gina - so my question is- what is the difference between eggs that are sunny side up or over easy? We just have fried, scrambled or poached!

 

[3cmom]

We've enjoyed a few dinner visits at Hash Hash A Go Go and it's never seemed busy! I wonder if that's because of the size of it??

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, October 24th (continued)

With it being fairly early in the day, finding a parking spot was super easy and we were heading down the stairs from the Lime Garage within a few minutes of arriving. We hadn’t really checked out many of the new shops and stores yet, so for the first hour or so of that visit, we devoted our time to window shopping and perusing the new retail offerings of the Town Center area. While we didn’t buy anything specific, we did find lots of great stuff….however with the crazy exchange rate, a move on the foreseeable horizon, and another trip on deck in six short weeks, nothing felt like it was an absolute “need”. It was just nice to spend some uninterrupted time together and walk off our morning indulgences.

Eventually, we would our way down to the West Side and decided to check out the brand new Coca Cola Store that had opened since our visit in the spring. It was a large, glassy, modern structure that was certainly hard to miss, and with nothing but time at our disposal, we headed inside to explore.

Just inside the ground floor entrance was a large gift shop, the central feature which was a chandelier-type display of Coke bubbles suspended from the ceiling. Super cute and completely unique.

We toured through each of the three floors, most of which were retail-inspired but offered everything imaginable for Coke enthusiasts: clothing, housewares, art, toys, and more.

My favourites were the adorable Coke bears: soft and squishy and available in a variety of sizes and price points (several of which I thought were pretty reasonable: especially for Disney).

On the second floor, we stopped at the Polar Bear experience and had the opportunity for a meet-and-greet with the infamous Coke Bear himself. A Photopass photographer was there to capture family pictures for those with Memory Maker, and individual prints were also available for purchase at their photo kiosk in the adjacent gift shop. There was absolutely no line at all when we arrived, so we literally walked right up for pictures. That doesn’t happen very often at Disney!

While the character meet was an unexpected bonus, the third floor was the one that really impressed us: the rooftop beverage bar was exceptionally done.

The open-air refreshments area offered some spectacular views from the glass balcony. I loved the way they incorporated a beverage ledge into the glass so that you had a place to sit your drink while you soaked up the scenery.

There were various seating areas for those who wished to sit and rest their Disney-weary legs, all of which were empty when we arrived. I’m sure this would be a very busy spot later in the day or during the evening hours, as many families made their way out of the parks and into the Springs for a night of shopping and dining.

There were lots of great options on their menu:

……but after a huge breakfast, we decided just to get one the 16 ounce “Freestyle Experience” cup and experiment with a few of the unique flavours which can be created from their signature machines. The cup, at $3, gave us up to 5 free refills within one hour of purchase: more than enough to allow us to rehydrate and enjoy a range of specialty Coke flavours.

We sat for a while, enjoying the delightful mixture of the warm sun, soft breeze, beautiful view, cold drinks, and each other’s company. This is the way EVERY vacation should be spent.

Eventually, we hopped into the elevator and took it back down to the main level. We both wanted to peruse the Marketplace but were feeling a tad on the lazy side, so our eyes were drawn to the water taxi dock: it was a great day for a cruise!

More to come .

 

[bankr63]

Lovely start to your day Gina - so my question is- what is the difference between eggs that are sunny side up or over easy? We just have fried, scrambled or poached!

That one is easy. Both are fried eggs. Sunny side is only fried on one side just until the whites set. The yolk is runny and sunny (not fried). Over easy is flipped over and quickly fried on the second side. This firms up the yolk a bit more and provides more of a cooked layer on top. Eggs can also be over medium or over hard depending on how long you leave them flipped.

Loving reading along. Good to know that Lime garage is open now; our last visit it was only Orange I think. DS is looking better all the time, looking forward to a revisit. Will have to try Hash House on our next trip too I think.

ETA: Just realized that Disney Springs and Dear Son have the same acronym. How ever will we keep track!