I'm headed to work too, but man that noise!! I'd forgotten that the Suites sections at AoA have those indoor hallways- I'm so glad POFQ is opening!! I think for a trip sometime in the future, I'd like to stay there again. Nice and quiet.I had to laugh at this quote, oh my I’m so sorry! I hate noise and doors in the hallway at hotels!
I will be back to quote more, got to head off to work!
Debating on whether or not I want to continue my trip report or just let it go, BUT on my recently aborted trip, we tried to Peanut Butter cold brew, and OMG IT WAS AMAZING!!!D is for: Dinner in DTD
I’m sorry! I know I sort of halfway promised that I wouldn’t post another chapter until sometime later, but I tend to want to make hay while the sun shines and with such an unpredictable schedule with wildly varying hours, best to post when one has the time. @franandaj, will you forgive me?!
We last left off with a snooze and a rinse off which admittedly did in fact revive me a bit. By then it was 3:00 or so, and, knowing how long it took me to get anywhere or do anything, I was grateful that Mary Ellen and Denny offered to take me to Art so I could get settled in before our dinner ADR at 7:45. Our story finds us at Luggage Services where the scooter that I’d rented for the trip was waiting and my bags were on their way ahead of me to the cushy digs of our Nemo Room. Yes, as Kari shared, we’d been upgraded to a suite, which was good… and terrible. I was soooo happy she checked in and right away had a place to rest her own weary head on that early arrival morning!
As planned a happy little scooter was indeed waiting for me ready for a bit of vroom-vroom. Except that in order to vroom-vroom it needs to start.
This one didn’t.
The very nice guy at Luggage Services did all the things he had tried in the past, all to no avail. So, Steppe, our irritated heroine, made a call to Scooterbug asking what the options were. “I kinda need a scooter…” “Try getting under it and flipping the switch.” “Dude!!! I freaking can’t tie my own shoes! Or even take a shower really. I can’t get 'down under there'.” <Luggage Guy goes above and beyond> “I’m so sorry, it must have gotten wet when it rained. We can have one there by tomorrow morning.”
Great. Fantastic.
There may or may not have been a few tears.
But it was the best they could do, and I was happy at least it’d be before our scheduled park time.
Whelp, off to the room to get settled in. I was grateful for the extra space and took the Murphy bed. Kari took the sofa couch, and Marcia would get the bedroom with the separate bath as I’m just not that picky. I did end up using that shower the entire trip, and it all worked out. I also threw my suitcase on the floor in there. That room is big!!
But, back to our story- more on the room in a bit. Where were we? Yes, taking forever to do anything. Stuff dumped and no scooter, it was time to tackle DTD. My appetite was ready; still not really Disney-worthy, but I felt like I could eat something and enjoy it. Let’s go!!!
OH wait! I forgot a big part of the story! When I woke up in MEK’s room, there was a text waiting for me from Marcia! She’d just landed and was headed down to ME. Uffda! I had really wanted to be at the room when she got there to welcome her. At the point when I’d woken up, there was just no way. For the next hour, I got little updates and indeed she did beat me to the room with a little time to spare. She filled me in on her ME adventure which, she said, was very smooth and easy to navigate. I’m really going to miss that. Yes, ridesharing is an (usually) easy alternative, but it can really add up. I’ll be VERY interested to see how the Brightline thing works out in the next few years! Anyway, Marcia did some unpacking and organizing (remember that), and by the time I got there and got my own self organized, it was time to start the trek to Downtown Disney. (For my new Readers: I’m a stubborn holdout and still use DTD. And while I like the concept of The Springs, “DTD” is nostalgic and easier to type. So there.)
(I look so terrible and tired!!!)
NOW, let’s goooooo!!! Easy now, simmer down. This is slow, remember?! From our Nemo Room on the corner, basically the closest room possible to Animation Hall to the bus stop, it took us about 15 minutes. Then we had to wait for a bus. And of course we got a tour bus. No ramp for the wicked. But the driver was nice enough to stash it underneath for me and I managed to make it up the stairs holding up the line for what felt like a year. Seriously, time seems to stand still when you know you are causing a major disruption and it always seems like everyone is staring making it so much worse. I have a far greater understanding of what living with a disability can be like. It dawned on me that I was “that” person. The trip in its entirety was like living in an alternate universe- one in which I had to learn to be even more patient and find workarounds that I hadn’t had to before.
Safely on the bus (Yes, stairs actually did scare me quite a bit. The 2nd day after surgery I had a fall while getting into bed that I’m pretty sure did a bit of damage) we rolled, and the trip didn’t take long at all. The whole getting off was an exact repeat of the getting on in reverse order and pretty soon, Roll-E and I, and Marcia and Kari, were on our way. Our reservation was for 7:45, so we had about an hour to kill. That was perfect! I’d planned for us to stop by Erin McKenna’s for pastries for breakfast and I wanted to try the Wake Up Call at Wine Bar George before dinner, so first stop- The Bakery. I got a savory veggie scone or something, and I think Marcia got some coffee cake or such. Luckily, I paid $6 for a pastry I never ate. I think on Thursday I finally threw it away. It’s almost like I have money to burn.
Now, it was time for that cocktail I’d been dying to try: the Wake Up Call- Espresso-infused Barsol Pisco, Caffe Borghetti Espresso Liqueur $15 that @Jenny Sanders (Joe) had been loving the last few trips of theirs. Some of you know that my favorite spirit is Pisco and my absolute favorite cocktail is a Pisco Sour enjoyed on the outdoor patio at The Nomad. Pisco is extremely difficult to find anywhere on Disney Property, well anywhere for that matter, and when it is available, I’m quick to order! I’ll always ask. Most of you know I also love coffee too, so holy macaroni, this was like my DREAM COCKTAIL!! The two beverages at the very top of my list all in one (hopefully) amazing combination! Let’s see if $15 is worth it!
WBG was full to capacity, so on a hunch, I hobbled up to the window at The Basket just adjacent, and asked the happy helper if I could order a Wake Up Call from there.
She called over another employee and they conferred. The answer was, “YES!” Elated, I paid and then wandered a tiny bit taking random photos here and there while waiting for it to be crafted.
Marcia wanted to explore DTD a bit, so she ordered a Gin and Tonic and took off with the plan to meet back up at The Paddlefish at 7:45. Kari also wandered, and I honestly can’t remember if they were together or not. I just know I savored what is quite possibly the most amazing, delicious cocktail I have EVER encountered. Creamy, sweet, but not overly so, full of espresso flavor, just soooo yummy!! Yes, it's an every-time-can’t-miss-it drink for me now. I found a place to revel in this delicacy and did some people watching.
Sitting itself was absolutely divine and soon enough it was time to meet up at the big, faux paddlewheel “boat”.
I adore the concept, but man it’d sure be super cool if it actually floated like a riverboat and took you on a dinner cruise. I’d totally pay for that. Ah well. All checked in, I asked for a rooftop table, but that was not to be. It wasn’t re-opened yet, which was really too bad. I’d specifically booked it FOR a table with a view up there. Poop. Regardless, we did have to go up a floor for our table and I was grateful for the elevator. And once seated, we did appreciate a really, REALLY lovely view from our window table. See? The evening was perfectly gorgeous, the water provided a lovely, mesmerizing view, and the food would prove to be better than average. (But not amazing.)
Onto the meal! I started with a Captain Handsome- Cathead vodka, fresh raspberries, framboise, thyme- $16.00. It was pretty good and the only change I’d have made was to have had the thyme muddled a bit for more flavor. It goes without saying that it was mostly soda water and not worth $16, but it was refreshing, nonetheless. This is the Disney (cocktail) Way.
And while I was hungry, I was not overly so. In the moment, an order of Fried Green Tomatoes- Elote (**is it me or does this sound like an East African gazelle-like animal?), queso fresco, and remoulade (and does this not sound like an exotic nightclub strip tease?) for $10 sounded like it’d hit the spot. It was meant for all 3 of us and I think Kari tried one or two as well.
Marcia, being gluten and dairy-free declined as memory serves and so begun a bit of dining drama. Let me begin by saying I adore her, and her friendship has been a Godsend to me, but I will not lie… accommodating those particular sensitivities was, at times, extremely frustrating and time consuming. To the point that it split us up many times while she focused on food and finding what she could eat. Again, more on this as time goes on.
Marcia settled on the fish: Mahi- Caponata, salsa verde, herb roasted potatoes- $29.00 She asked for the Caponata on the side, as she wasn’t sure she’d like it. I don’t remember if she ended up eating it or not. LOL!! On 2nd look I think the salsa verde is also missing!
Kari ordered a Caprese Salad- Fresh mozzarella, beefsteak tomatoes, olive oil- $10.00 If memory serves, this one was better than the one she got at Enzo’s Hideaway in January. ( @Malia78 )
I also had the Crab Cake- maque choux, fried green tomato, remoulade for $18 brought as my “Main”. Apparently, the fact that it came with ANOTHER Fried Green Tomato was lost on me at the time I ordered, so I was a bit disappointed in that. The crab cake was very good though, and I did finish all of it. Not the best I’ve ever had, but decent and not too terribly filling. Which was good. I didn’t want or need “heavy” at all. In fact, in hindsight, after the tomatoes, I’d have done just as well with a light salad or maybe should have gone with the Caprese too.
Would I give Paddlefish yet another try? Yeah. But only if I could be guaranteed a rooftop seating. For me that’s the entire point. The food just isn’t good enough to go there for that alone. There other FAR better places at DTD for good food: #imlookingatyoujaleo
By the time we finished up, it was dark but we had one more errand to take care of before heading ‘home’. When we entered DTD we skillfully put our names onto the Gideon’s virtual queue so that we could get a trip cookie, and for me to just be able to say I’ve at least tried them. I was not disappointed. I don’t need one every time, but jumping a bit ahead, I can say I did enjoy that bad boy the entirety of the trip. But TBH, the cookie itself was only half the fun. Check this en pointe door greeter out! Tickle me Emo! Sorry, Folks, none of us will ever be this cool. (Zoom IN! You won't be sorry!)
As for the store itself…. I’d taken some storefront photos during the day (which turned out crappy) when we put our names in. I think they are enough to give you the gyst that yeah, everything serves to tell a macabre tale of mystique and dark. I actually really love it. Creepy HM/Potter-esque.
Inside...
I adore the story of the cookie found here if you’re interested and wanna go the extra mile:
https://gideonsbakehouse.com/about/
Our views while waiting in line:
The choices are fun, but after some online review reading, I’m glad I got the one I did- pistachio toffee chocolate chip:
"A long-standing favorite in our community, this flavorful Cookie mixes our favorite chocolate chips with crunchy toffee pieces. Top that off with lightly salted pistachios and perfection is achieved. Sweet and Salty. Soft and Crunchy. Known for being our most sophisticated and addictive flavor, this is the Cookie that the Orlando Weekly suggests you try first."
It was gigantic. And yes, it indeed lasted my entire trip. I nibbled a few bites each evening as I lounged in bed, hoping it’d do the job that Dilaudid should have been doing. But that goes back to my “I’m an idiot” statement earlier. Decadent, fattening, full of tooth-decaying richness. Sigh… this is what vacation dreams are made of. Yes, I realize that I still need to try the Peanut Butter Cold Brew.
Treats in hand, it was time to make our way back to the buses for our trek home. Ask me how many times I had to stop and rest. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Kari and Marcia did. Over and over and over. I found a bench at one point and just rested. Yes, it was late. Yes, we were tired. Yes, we eventually got to bus stop #114 and got on one.
Back at the Ranch I kyped half of Marcia’s pillows from the big bed and made myself a little nest. Comfort may or may not have been found. All I know is that once I got settled there was no way in Purgatory I was getting back out of bed to “go”. I did find a bit of sleep, but far less than I should have….
Up Next: E is for: Every Door, Every Time
Yes. It was the door to the hallway so it was EVERY family/person that came through. Not just one party but ALL of them. It was such a horrible location aside from the proximity to the Skyliner!!!!
I think if you enjoy the writing process and want to have a trip report for reading in the future I’d say definitely finish it! But if you find that it’s a chore and it’s time to take a break.
I probably will, as long as we make it back. We got there on Friday and I had a decent pre-trip report typed up, took food pictures and notes, and ended up having to leave due to a family emergency while at AK on Saturday. Packed up and flew back Sunday. Hopefully we can finish our trip in August, with some changes.
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Then fire away!!
It actually does get a lot better from here on out. I think I was just worn out from the travel and in a really foul mood. But getting to the parks and starting to eat and having that scooter now really lifted my spirits and we started to have a super great time.I agree 100% about just keeping things honest! And I'm enjoying your pics, iPhone or not
You didn't hear any of that?!! You, my little clown fish friend were lucky!! I will never travel without earplugs again.
I agree!! It's such a stunning sight to see. Every Festival has its highlights and this is certainly one of the top ones for F&G.
And with a wave of our MBs we were off and rolling.
Oh, Liesa, I’m so sorry about your struggles. I can relate, though it sounds like you were even worse off than me
