Canadian Buffoon's Semi-EPIC Vacation - 10/29 - Link to new TR!

[Tracy161]

<sits back, puts feet up, interlaces fingers behind head>

Well... it was good while it lasted

Lemme know how it works.
It hasn't for me, yet.

Their response: [blank stares]
Success rate for pkondz: 0
Success rate for Tracy: 0
At least we'll keep each other company!

And we just miss each other
by one month this time.

 

[pkondz]

It had several eventful moments. Obviously -- the first being the tropical storm which necessitated I move the dates forward two days (wife couldn't leave early -- so I booked her a last minute flight from Houston). Pretty sure it worked out better for her -- she got 2 days without me or the kids -- and I got to drive two kids halfway across the country.

"Yes dear. You probably should leave early.
And take the kids? Good..... WOOHOOOOO!!!!…
I mean... if you must."

We didn't make too many stops b/c even bathroom breaks seemed to take 30+ minutes since I had to be the one doing everything.

Wait... you can do that for them?
To think of all the time I spent
trying to get them to pee!

Other than the occasional 18 wheeler trying to run me off the road while driving through Louisiana, it was a pretty easy drive.

So, pretty standard.

That was until 13 miles away from Old Key West. The last toll booth I made the mistake of seeing "exact change" lane and thinking, "I have $1.75 exactly! I don't need to make change from the attendant! Yes!"

Only to realize "change" meant literal "change." Not a one dollar bill with 75 cents.

No worries, I'll just back up and switch lanes to an attended lane.

So I look behind me and see nothing but open road. Start backing up and...

CRUNCH.

WHAT???

Look in my mirrors -- still don't see anything.

Look in my back up camera -- see what appears to be a shawdow.

Look more carefully

black sports car!


&$&%$&^%#*%&*$*^%$^#^&%*$@!!!!!

Basically traded a little paint with a black corvette. Felt bad for the guy -- and felt incredibly stupid.

Ended up not going through insurance since it was so minor -- still a $400 goof up though. Definitely kicked myself for the better part of two days...and even dumber now that I realized I could have just blown through the toll plaza and just got a bill in the mail!!! You know -- for $1.75 plus a convenience fee.

Not the best way to start out the Disney vacation -- but still not the worst thing that could happen.

Oh, no!
Oh, man.
Even without not too much
damage, that must've been...

Not exactly the best thing ever.

I'm actually considering doing a short TR for this trip, since it did have some other mishaps along the way. hehehe

If you do, let me know.

Weather was pretty good. First half was pretty heavy traffic -- but the whole drive through Mississippi, AL, and FL was actually not bad at all -- with the exception of the whole fender bender at the end.

yeah... except for that.

Still -- it always seems that 7DMT instantly goes to 60 minutes within 10 or 15 minutes. We got on 7DMT right before rope drop (had a PPO BOG breakfast), and by the time we got out of the ride at like 9:10 -- the line was horrendously long. I'm honestly shocked you were able to go from Space to 7DMT without any issue.

It was Morning EMH.
That helped... a lot.

My guess to re-gild now would be over a million.

According to a website I just checked -- they said that $2.8 million would be about $80 million today (based on inflation) -- but it also said a construction cost of $2.8 million back then would be $4.9 BILLION!!!

https://www.measuringworth.com/dollarvaluetoday/?amount=2800000&frolessm=1886
I'm guessing people in the 1800s didn't have very high...ahem...labor...ahem...costs.

Also didn't have pesky regulations to get in the way either.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure there
was a brochure about it there...
Or a display.
Either way, I don't recall now.

I just realized that our trips might overlap a bit! I'll be coming in on 10/19. I hope you have availability to meet up sometime!!!

Unless you meant September 19...
Then no, they won't.

 

[pkondz]

Well... it was good while it lasted

Their response: [blank stares]
Success rate for pkondz: 0
Success rate for Tracy: 0
At least we'll keep each other company!

We can just look blankly
at each other and go "Huh?"
once in a while.

Some day!

 

[mustinjourney]

"Yes dear. You probably should leave early.
And take the kids? Good..... WOOHOOOOO!!!!…
I mean... if you must."

Yeah -- when I made the suggestion -- my wife sat there for several minutes trying to figure out how I was trying to screw her over. She was so confused that I offered to drive and let her fly.

Then she realized that the only play was that I got to be at Disney 2 days earlier than expected.

The things I do for my disney obsession.

Wait... you can do that for them?
To think of all the time I spent
trying to get them to pee!

If only I could actually pee for them...would've saved a lot of time. With two girls of your own -- I know you feel my pain. Traveling with a 6 and 3 year old.

Oh, no!
Oh, man.
Even without not too much
damage, that must've been...

Not exactly the best thing ever.

Definitely not my most magical moment. I wish I could say I brushed it off quickly -- but it definitely soured my mood for the first night.

Unless you meant September 19...
Then no, they won't.

DAMNIT!!! I can't do math!!!

I got so excited when I saw your signature! I saw what I wanted to see! One of these days you're going to get unlucky and end up there at the same time as me!!! First beer (or whatever drink of choice) will be on me.

 

[pkondz]

Yeah -- when I made the suggestion -- my wife sat there for several minutes trying to figure out how I was trying to screw her over. She was so confused that I offered to drive and let her fly.

"There's a catch... there's always a catch..."

Then she realized that the only play was that I got to be at Disney 2 days earlier than expected.

The things I do for my disney obsession.

Yep.
Two extra days at Disney.
Such a hardship!
Such sacrifice!

If only I could actually pee for them...would've saved a lot of time. With two girls of your own -- I know you feel my pain. Traveling with a 6 and 3 year old.

Oh, yes.
"Does anyone need to pee?"
<In unison> "No!"
"You sure? No one needs to go?"
<In unison> "No!"
"Because once we get goin,
the next stop isn't for a long time."
<In unison> "No!"
"Well, okay... here we go!"
<In unison> "We have to pee!"

Definitely not my most magical moment. I wish I could say I brushed it off quickly -- but it definitely soured my mood for the first night.

Yeah, I can see that!

DAMNIT!!! I can't do math!!!

I got so excited when I saw your signature! I saw what I wanted to see! One of these days you're going to get unlucky and end up there at the same time as me!!! First beer (or whatever drink of choice) will be on me.

Okay! Deal.

 

[pkondz]

Gonna Be Epic - Part II

We last left off with Elle and I
hurrying to our first "official"
DISmeet of the day.

We met Karilynn (@Malia78 )
over by Aloha Isle.

We chatted like long lost friends...
because that's what we are.
We've met a few times before
(in California and Washington.)

Karilynn is wonderful. She regaled us with
tales from her recent trip to Africa.
If you meet/re-meet her,
ask her to tell you the lion story.

As we chatted, I noticed Elle getting
a bit quiet and withdrawn.
We had a PP FP that was expiring
soon and she thought we were
going to miss it.
Elle hadn't been to Disney in
ten years and she really didn't
want to not go on PP.
(And without a FP... you don't
go on PP. At least not without
waiting in line for an hour or so.)
I asked Kari if she wouldn't mind
if we zipped over to PP for a bit
and she (extremely graciously)
agreed to wait for us.


Elle and I raced over to PP,
climbed onto our ship with
minimal wait at 9:55am and
were back with Kari by 10:05am.


By now it was past time for some
refreshments.
Elle was kind enough to stand
in a suddenly long line while
Karilynn and I continued to chat.
Kari had recently had a Dole Whip
so she chose to have a Hei Hei cone
instead. (More on that in a bit.)
But Elle and I had had our hearts
set on Dole Whip floats for months.

Hello, my pretties... Heaven in a cup!

All too soon, the libations were
consumed and it was time for Kari
to go on to other and better pursuits.

It sure was nice seeing you again, Kari!
And we'll be seeing each other again
in the near future!


But our next DISmeet was right
around the corner!

Su-Lynn (@chunkymonkey ) and her DH, Steve
showed up a few minutes later.
Su-Lynn, as many of you already know,
is super-sweet, and Steve is really nice.
Steve agreed to stand in line
while Su-Lynn and I got to know
each other a bit.

Su-Lynn, Steve and I each got
a Hei-Hei cone.
Elle passed on another treat
since she'd just had a Dole Whip float
a few minutes ago.

Pfft. Amateur.
There's always room for ice cream!
(or a close proximity thereof.)

Here's Su-Lynn and I taking
advantage of every opportunity
to eat all the things in Disney.

We spent a wonderful but all-too-brief
twenty minutes chatting and eating
our quickly melting cones.
Soon, though, we had to leave
for our next FP.

Nice meeting you and Steve, Su-Lynn!
Hoping we can do that again
sometime in the future.


It was already 11:05am and our
FP for Buzz was expiring at 11:10am.

We got there five minutes late,
but didn't have any problems.
Like any good DISer, I had done
a bit of research on how to
maximize points.
And like any good father,
I made sure to not tell Elle
what to aim for.

I still haven't really got the hang
of aiming, the darn thing, but...

...I trounced her.
She was in shock.
"How did you get
so many points???"

I told her I was skilled.


A skilled fibber.
But she doesn't need
to know that.


We headed up Main St
and tried to get a cute
balloon shot with Elle.
But it was windy so the vendor
said she couldn't hold them.
I was a bit surprised, since the
vendor doesn't let go of them
anyways, but...

It made for an adorably awkward shot.


We were due for some grub
by now and our third DISmeet
of the day.

Well, fourth if you count that
we'd already met Ariana (@Pluto0809 )
and Jackie (@missjackiemcg ) already.
Fifth if you count we met them
twice already.

So why not a third time?


Our DISmeet was in BOG.
We had separate ADRs at
separate times...
But they were finishing as we
were getting started.
We said a quick "Hi!" (again.)
and parted ways.

Our official DISmeet lasted much
less time than our un-official ones!

Nice meeting/re-meeting both of you!
Thanks for keeping us company
on Space Mountain!


And now for lunch!
I have no idea what Elle had.
I just know it was vegetarian.

And I guess that's supposed
to be a hidden Mickey, but...
It just looks... vaguely terrifying.

I had a bowl of French onion soup
(Of course! It's sooooo good!)
and decided to try the
Croque Monsieur, which was
disappointing, unfortunately.

We didn't skip dessert of course.
I had a lemon meringue cupcake
and she had the master's cupcake.
She'd been dying to try the "grey stuff"
because as the song says,
"Try the grey stuff, kinda bland
Don't believe me? Anal gland."

Or something like that.

While we ate, I started getting texts
from Doc (@docsoliday1 ).
We were trying to figure out
a meeting place and time for our
last DISmeet of the day.

I also got some texts from
Su-Lynn . She had forgotten
to give me something
and they were just outside.
A few minutes later, I got another
text from her saying that they
wouldn't let her in the restaurant
so she gave it to Doc (who was also
outside) to give to me later.

I'm so pleased that they don't
just let any ol' riff raff in there!




We made arrangements to
meet Doc and his DD, PR
at Splash, and finished our meal.

You can't leave the castle
without a photo of the
Pantsless Prince.

It's just not done.

We had some time to kill
before our Splash FP and
meet with Doc and PR.
So we did what anyone in that
situation would do.

Paid a visit to Belle, of course.

I asked a CM stationed outside
how long until the next show
and he glanced at the time and said,
"You'll be out in 25 minutes. Maybe less."
I replied, "I'll hold you to that."

I kinda wanted Elle to see this.

It's so well done.

If you haven't done the magic mirror
or seen The Wardrobe or Lumiere...
You're missing out.
It's 100% geared to kids, but
the effects are very well done.

Unfortunately, when Belle
showed up, it was clear that
she'd had a bit too much
French wine.

"Well, hello my special guests!"
<No, Belle. We're over here.>

"Oh! Hello my special guests."
<No, Belle. You turned too far.>

She figured it out eventually.

She didn't stay long and
after greeting everyone who
wanted a photo with her,
she quickly left.
Presumably to find someone
to hold her hair while... um...
she was indisposed.

We were done in 25 minutes.
Huh. That CM was right.


Okay! On to our last DISmeet
and Splash, FP!


Which I'll get to...
that and I almost take a life...
in the next update.



In case you didn't see it
in the last (real) chapter:

And...
Did you see it in this chapter?



Coming up... dressed for success.

Chapter 9. Gonna Be Epic - Part III​

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I just found your TR and love your writing style. I appreciate all the OKW photos as we are considering renting points to stay there on our next trip. You would appreciate the Indy cars inside the airport in Birmingham, AL and should definitely check out Barber's Motorsports Park if you are ever in this part of the south.

 

[pkondz]

I just found your TR and love your writing style.

Thanks!

And to the TR, Jamie!

I appreciate all the OKW photos as we are considering renting points to stay there on our next trip.

I'd stay there again.
We really liked it.

Just make sure you don't
get stuck wayyyyy far away.
(Unless you are bringing your car.)

You would appreciate the Indy cars inside the airport in Birmingham, AL

Wait... you have Indycars
inside the airport????

and should definitely check out Barber's Motorsports Park if you are ever in this part of the south.

Yes! It's on my list!
I won't be able to next year
for sure due to other
commitments around that time.

Possibly the next year?
Or the year after that?

Might make a good road trip.
Down to Alabama and then
continue down to NOLA.

hmmmm…

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I'd stay there again.
We really liked it.

Just make sure you don't
get stuck wayyyyy far away.
(Unless you are bringing your car.)

We definitely won't have a car with us. I'm hoping we can request (and actually get) a room that's not too far away from the HH. Your room location looks pretty perfect!

Wait... you have Indycars
inside the airport????

Yes, we do! Not a great picture, but this is my older daughter right outside the baggage claim area.

Yes! It's on my list!
I won't be able to next year
for sure due to other
commitments around that time.

Possibly the next year?
Or the year after that?

Might make a good road trip.
Down to Alabama and then
continue down to NOLA.

hmmmm…

My husband and I went to an AMA superbike race at Barbers as one of our first dates. I think we could spend days in the museum and still not see everything. We were hoping to visit in October before we fly to Universal, but the heritage festival is that weekend so it may be too crowded. We actually live a few hours away.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Elle hadn't been to Disney in
ten years and she really didn't
want to not go on PP.

Aw valid concern.

(And without a FP... you don't
go on PP. At least not without
waiting in line for an hour or so.)

True.

Elle and I raced over to PP,
climbed onto our ship with
minimal wait at 9:55am and
were back with Kari by 10:05am.

Wow! Very impressive.

Pfft. Amateur.
There's always room for ice cream!
(or a close proximity thereof.)

That's my policy.

Like any good DISer, I had done
a bit of research on how to
maximize points.

I do this research literally before each trip. It never helps me anyway. I can't tell what I'm shooting!

And like any good father,
I made sure to not tell Elle
what to aim for.

Yup. I don't tell Mike either. Still never win.

It just looks... vaguely terrifying.

Maybe you got the Halloween edition?

You can't leave the castle
without a photo of the
Pantsless Prince.

True. If you try, they turn you into a piece of furniture.

Did you see it in this chapter?

Yup no wonder you scored so high.

 

[pkondz]

We definitely won't have a car with us. I'm hoping we can request (and actually get) a room that's not too far away from the HH. Your room location looks pretty perfect!

What we did was when they
told me they had a room ready,
I immediately asked the CM to
show me the location on a map.
When she did (and I stopped gaping
in disbelief), I asked (asked mind you)
if there was anything closer,
and I pointed to the buildings I wanted.
She told me she couldn't do ground
floor (my request) but I really didn't
mind top floor for such a close location!

Yes, we do! Not a great picture, but this is my older daughter right outside the baggage claim area.

It's on its side?!?!??!

My husband and I went to an AMA superbike race at Barbers as one of our first dates. I think we could spend days in the museum and still not see everything.

I really want to see the museum.
It looks amazing!

We were hoping to visit in October before we fly to Universal, but the heritage festival is that weekend so it may be too crowded. We actually live a few hours away.

Oh, me too.
I just live a few hours away.
22.5 hours, in fact.

 

[pkondz]

Aw valid concern.

There was no way I was going to
supplant her PP ride with... anything.

Wow! Very impressive.

Time is money, lady!
Well... Disney gets the money,
but you get my drift!

That's my policy.

I do this research literally before each trip. It never helps me anyway. I can't tell what I'm shooting!

Best piece of advice I heard
was to shoot at the blank wall
before you get into the rooms.
That way you can see where
you're shooting and at least
have a chance of aiming better.

Yup. I don't tell Mike either. Still never win.

Maybe some day.
Try the blank wall trick!

Maybe you got the Halloween edition?

In May????
I should've asked her if
it was stale.

True. If you try, they turn you into a piece of furniture.

Yup no wonder you scored so high.

 

[Steppesister]

We met Karilynn (@Malia78 )
over by Aloha Isle.

Not the first time you've met Kari FOR A DOLE WHIP.

Karilynn is wonderful. She regaled us with
tales from her recent trip to Africa.
If you meet/re-meet her,
ask her to tell you the lion story.

Hey! I know her better than YOU do and don't even know the lion story!!

(And without a FP... you don't
go on PP. At least not without
waiting in line for an hour or so.)

Correct.

Hello, my pretties... Heaven in a cup!

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Awww, cute picture of you 3.

And I guess that's supposed
to be a hidden Mickey, but...
It just looks... vaguely terrifying.

It looks very.... sad to me. Maybe they need to add a dragee tear to it.

We didn't skip dessert of course.
I had a lemon meringue cupcake
and she had the master's cupcake.
She'd been dying to try the "grey stuff"
because as the song says,
"Try the grey stuff, kinda bland
Don't believe me? Anal gland."

You can't leave the castle
without a photo of the
Pantsless Prince.

It's just not done.

This is still so hilarious to me.

If you haven't done the magic mirror
or seen The Wardrobe or Lumiere...
You're missing out.
It's 100% geared to kids, but
the effects are very well done.

Totally agree with this. I've done it twice and would still do it again!

 

[docsoliday1]

Oh, me too.
I just live a few hours away.
22.5 hours, in fact.

That's a day trip for YOU

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Well... Disney gets the money,
but you get my drift!

Best piece of advice I heard
was to shoot at the blank wall
before you get into the rooms.
That way you can see where
you're shooting and at least
have a chance of aiming better.

Oo thank you! I'll try it. Anything has to be better than my current strategy which, if you were wondering, is to randomly press the button while spinning the ride vehicle as fast as possible hoping to make DBF too nauseous and dizzy to win. It hasn't worked so far.

In May????
I should've asked her if
it was stale.

They do keep starting Halloween earlier and earlier lol!

 

[MinnieWebster]

I still haven't really got the hang
of aiming, the darn thing, but...

I can never tell where I'm aiming on that ride, either. I have managed to hit high score targets a couple times to get high scores, though.

had a bowl of French onion soup
(Of course! It's sooooo good!)

Love that soup!!

"Try the grey stuff, kinda bland
Don't believe me? Anal gland."

Or something like that.

It's 100% geared to kids, but
the effects are very well done.

Such a cute show!

Did you see it in this chapter?

Yep!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We chatted like long lost friends...
because that's what we are.
We've met a few times before
(in California and Washington.)

What a fun first "official" DISmeet of the trip! It must be fun to see someone again that you've met before.

But Elle and I had had our hearts
set on Dole Whip floats for months.

I'm thrilled you got something you were looking forward to! I tried one a few years ago and wasn't a big fan - yes, I don't know why either as I'm a HUGE fan of pineapple! I did really enjoy the Citrus Swirl, though, so at least I have an ice cream treat to enjoy in the area!

Pfft. Amateur.
There's always room for ice cream!

True.

Or a pastry, or chocolate, or more cheese...

Here's Su-Lynn and I taking
advantage of every opportunity
to eat all the things in Disney.

You can always count on Su-Lynn to try all the food (and report back!). I'm glad you were able to try more than one thing!

I told her I was skilled.

A skilled fibber.
But she doesn't need
to know that.

On my last trip I went on Buzz about five times in a row one morning and FINALLY got a great score! As per my research, the trick is finding your laser dot first and then pointing it at the high score targets. I did not achieve Galactic Hero status, but I came as close as I ever have!

We said a quick "Hi!" (again.)
and parted ways.

How nice to see them so many times that day!

I had a bowl of French onion soup
(Of course! It's sooooo good!)

It absolutely is! I tried it on my first visit to BOG and now I get it every trip!

It's a same they no longer have the roast beef sandwich on their lunch menu - it was so good!

"Try the grey stuff, kinda bland
Don't believe me? Anal gland."

You're terrible!

(And the grey stuff really is delicious, you know! As much as I LOVE lemon I think Elle made the right choice!)

You can't leave the castle
without a photo of the
Pantsless Prince.

So true. They really made an unfortunate choice when choosing the color of the prince's pants, but I bet it's photographed a heck of a lot more often!

It's 100% geared to kids, but
the effects are very well done.

I completely agree! Anika and I tended to do Enchanted Tales with Belle during evening EMH as we can walk right in. It's a one-time-per-trip attraction for us, but it is really neat!

 

[KathyM2]

Elle hadn't been to Disney in
ten years and she really didn't
want to not go on PP.
(And without a FP... you don't
go on PP. At least not without
waiting in line for an hour or so.)
I asked Kari if she wouldn't mind
if we zipped over to PP for a bit
and she (extremely graciously)
agreed to wait for us.

I'm with her!! That's one of my faves and I would have been disappointed if you didn't get to ride!! Glad it worked out so well!!

You had a lot of DISmeets in one day!!! That's impressive and I'm sure took a lot of coordinating!! Also, lots of ice cream which I like! Sorry some of the BOG food wasn't all that, I guess there it can be more about the atmosphere...at least the soup was good.

 

[Malia78]

We chatted like long lost friends...
because that's what we are.
We've met a few times before
(in California and Washington.

And always a pleasure

Elle was kind enough to stand
in a suddenly long line while
Karilynn and I continued to chat.

Elle was very gracious sharing her dad with all of us crazy disney strangers...

It sure was nice seeing you again, Kari!
And we'll be seeing each other again
in the near future!

Very very soon now...

Hey! I know her better than YOU do and don't even know the lion story!!

Well I owe you a story...needless to say, it doesn't end well for Pumbaa

 

[vamassey1]

It's only 12 hours, one way.
So for me... small road trip.

That's a long trip for me.

I was pleased, but...
I'd like to see one in a
more remote (i.e. pretty)
setting.

With fall leaves.

I can see that.
It's not great...
But it's good.
And above par for
fast food.

And the employees are so nice!