Disney Spring Crawl

We decided to try a Disney Springs crawl: going place to place eating appetizers and having drinks.

 We started at the Hangar Bar where we had whine and Bacon and Parmesan fries.

 The Hangar Bar is oddly decorated with junk you might find in an old barn or attic. I think the theme is supposed to be Indiana Jones related, but I just didn't see it.

 Our next stop was Splitsville.

 We sat at the outside bar and listened to a group of men sing songs from the late 70's and early 80's.

 We drank mudslides and ate a huge plate of nachos.

 Disney springs has a lot of live entertainment and we too some in as we walked to our next stop.

 For example, the guys shown in the picture above were juggling knives!

We were on our way to the Humble Pig for our next stop when the skies opened up and it started to pour! We decided to skip the pig and jump straight to the end: Ghiradelli Icecream shop.

The place was very crowded due to the rain, but somehow we were able to find a table to eat our sundaes.

Our Disney Spring Crawl was cut short, but honestly that giant plate of nachos was a meal - I don't think I could have eaten much more. We had a great time and I would love to do another crawl someday.

Disney Mini Vans

Something new at Disney this year? Mini vans! And we saw these vans at the Boardwalk. These are Chevy Traverse that carry six passengers and come with two child car seats. The cars will take you anywhere on Disney property for $20 and can be ordered using the Lyft App.

We have used Disney Transportation: monoroails, buses, trams, boats, we have used them all! And there are times when I would happily pay $20 to avoid the long lines, the long waits, and the long rides.

I think this service is going to be very popular. Some have said $20 is too expensive, however, I don't believe anyone would use this as common transportation. This is transportation for a special situation: need to hit a reservation, need to be at the park early, or want to avoid the big crowds.

At launch, there are only 20-25 minivans. But I suspect these will be very popular and become a common sight at Disney World.

Manny's Chop House on Rt 192

We found another favorite restaurant on Rt 192 in Kissimmee: Manny's Chop House.

 The restaurant theme is difficult to understand. At first I thought it was a old car garage. But then... there are movie posters and things from the 1950's.... so, I am not sure. But it is interesting!

 There are hubcaps on the outside of the building, a taxi cab in the front, and road signs inside.

 Table service includes roles with cinnamon butter. The rolls are delivered warm and raised, but within minutes they cool and go completely flat. And I mean flat - they look like someone stepped on them.

We started off with chips and salsa. Because so many restaurant's salsa is poor we also ordered a side of ranch. The chips were not restaurant made - they tasted like they came out of a bag. The salsa though tasted very fresh, and was mostly tomato. I liked it.

Next was the French Onion Soup. The soup was good (as French Onion goes). I have had better. I would say this met the minimal qualifications for a crock of French Onion.

Next up was salad. I ordered a Caesar salad that arrived drown in a very strong flavored dressing. Around a quarter of that dressing would have made the salad taste good.

Main course arrived. Pictured above is the 6oz fillet with loaded macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese was creamy and excellent. And did I mention it was loaded? Outstanding!

 Shown above is the 9 oz fillet with a loaded baked potato. Yes, there is a potato under all that cheese! Unfortunately, cold cheese placed on a warm potato did not allow the cheese to melt and I ate most of the cheese cold. Both steaks though were excellent and cooked exactly how we ordered them. The boys had hamburger and fries - a dish that is difficult to screw up. And Manny's did a fine job for them.

Our waiter was excellent and friendly. Sometimes it was difficult to understand is accent, but there are a lot of accents in the area and it is just something to get used to. The downside to the service was the food came out too quickly (can you believe I am complaining the food came out too quickly?). I was still eating my salad when the soup arrived. And before I could get to the soup the entre arrived. And I never got to finish the appetizer.

The restaurant provided a very good experience for me. Next time I'll skip the soup and ask for the dressing on the side. Otherwise, everything was very good and I look forward to returning.

Polynesian Beach

One of my favorite places to visit on Disney property is the beach at the Polynesian resort. 

The beach offers a great view of the Magic Kingdom and Space Mountain. You can also see the train station overtop the trees.

 It is great to get a drink from the bar and a chair on the beach and just hang out. The beach was more fun when the sand went all the way to the water. Unfortunately, there was a terrible accident at a Disney resort involving an alligator attacking a small child. Today, there is a rope fence along the shore and warning signs telling people to stay away from the water.

The views from the beach are spectacular.

Every few minutes a boat comes to the Poly to dock and pick up passengers on their way to the Magic Kingdom or other resorts.

And, of course, this is a perfect location for watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Watching the fireworks from inside the Magic Kingdom is good because you can see the video projection on the castle, but it can be difficult to full appreciate the fireworks. From the Poly's beach, you can see the entire spectacular fireworks.

The next time you visit the Magic Kingdom, take some sun screen and bug spray and spend some time relaxing on the Polynesian beach!

Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show

We did the Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show last night at the Polynesian. This is an all-you-care-to-eat, Hawaiian themed dinner and stage show.

The stage show has changed over the years to include more of the music from Stitch, and less audience coming up on stage. The story, though, is pretty much the same. One of the cousins is leaving to go to the main land, so Aunty is throwing a luau and your invited. Another story line is a tom boy that becomes a blossoming flower. And the third story line is Aunty, teaching everyone about the traditions of Hawaii. Those traditions are demonstrated through song and dance.

The show is not cheap (but what is at Disney?) at around $62 per person for sitting in the back section. Luckily we got a nice discount for being annual pass holders. Unfortunately, that discount was erased when we ordered drinks from the bar.

We arrived and the appetizers were waiting, served family style. That included salad, noodles, rolls and pineapple. The main course included veggies, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and rice. Desert was a coconut and pineapple moose cake. Everything is served with Hawaiian flavors (coconut, pineapple, etc). Most drinks are included, including soda, beer and wine. But if you wants a fancy drink? That's $12 plus $2 gratuity for your drink served in a souvenir class.

We discovered from the staff that they consider the meal to be half the price, and the entertainment to be the other. So, to be fair, this meal was $31. There is plenty of food, all you can eat, and you are sure to find something you'll like.

We arrived starved and started digging into the salad while the show started. It had the initial feel of sitting at home eating dinner in front of the TV while watching a sitcom. But then the actors took a break to let us eat. They came back out before desert, took another break, then returned for the rest of the show.

I'll tell you what I thought of the food (for what it is worth). The salad was incredible - I ordered more of that. The coconut flavoring the in the rolls was nice, got more of that. The noodles were like an odd pasta salad - not a huge fan. And the pineapple was.... pineapple.

The main course: rice was excellent, the pulled pork was salty but good. The ribs were meaty and the chicken (with a sweet BBQ) was good. I ordered more pulled pork and rice.

The desert was different this year. It was... not to my liking. It was a small square of pineapple with coconut chunks in a pudding consistency. You can have as much cake as you want, but, my small piece was plenty.

The entertainment was worth $31, especially if you've never been to a luau, or, haven't been in a very long time. Especially considering the fire dancer - that was very cool.

Was the food worth $31? Taking into consideration that it was all-you-can-eat, and everything at Disney is more expensive? I'd still have to say "no".  I'm sorry if you love this place, many people do. But for $31 I had better eat something that is going to knock my socks off.... and I didn't. Wildside BBQ on Rt.192 has better BBQ for a fraction of the cost. But then again... Wildside BBQ isn't at Disney in front of a stage show.

I'm not in a big hurry to return to this show. I would someday, but, I have to get over the sticker shock versus the food.

Bed Bugs

My Daughter spent a week in Ft Lauderdale before coming to spend a week with us. Unfortunatly, the hotel room she stayed in had bed bugs! And she didnt realize it until the third day of her stay.

Bed bugs can be in dirty hotels and clean. They hide in folds and crevices and come out at night to feed. When they emrge, they can travel 15 feet and move quickly across the floor. They feed by sucking on your blood, and they can live for up to a year without feeding.

To prevent renting an infested room, you must pull back the bedsheets and look at the edge of the bed and matress. Bed bugs will poop out black dots that will be found in these areas. If you find bedbug poop? Move to another room or hotel.

If you do stay in an infested room, the solution can be fairly easy in Florida during tbe summer time. Killing bed bugs and their eggs requires 115 degrees for a minimum 30 minutes. The inside of a car can easily hit 120 degrees during the summer. Just lay all your stuff out on the dash and seats and park your car in the sun.

Something else you can do is to throw your clothes in a dryer set on high for 30 minutes. Just make sure you don't contanimate anything during the process. Bed bug eggs are the size of a grain of sand. They stick to your clothes and belongings. You dont want to take any home nor infest your villa.

Everything needs the heat treatment: clothes, suitcases, stuffed animals... everything.

We took a different approach for luggage. We went to Lowes and bought a bed bug kit made for king size matresses. We put all the luggage in the huge plastic bag, put bed bug poison in the bag and sealed it for 7 days. We then put the bag in our villa's garage, which gets very hot.

Coming across bed bugs is unfortunate. But it is manageable. I hope I have provided some ideas that will help.

Beef o Brady

Beef o Brady is a restaurant on Rt 27 in Davenport. We have visited this restaurant for three years and my opinion of the place has changed over time. Three years ago, I was blown away by how incredible it was. Then, last year, the place resembled a road side burger dive and I was very disapointed. This year they have remodeled and revamped thw menu and now I am over the moon about how incredible this place is!

Hamburgers, fajitas, tacos, salads, fish fry, and more! Home made potato chips, curley fries, onion rings. A full bar. I could eat here every day for a month and never eat the same thing twice!

With that said, there is a problem. My rule is: you can usually tell everything you want abouy a restaraunt by looking at their testroom. The restroom is painted and decorated well, but the floor is disguistingly dirty, the toilet appears it hasnt been cleaned in a week, the seat is sliding off, and it is gross beyond belief.

Hmmmm. How could such a fabulous restaurant have such a poor restroom? Very concerning. But not concerning enough to scare me away. I will be back!

Coin Laundry on Rt192

We have a washer and dryer in our house, but we had a need to get done an enormous amount of laundry very quickly. We decided to give the Coin Laundry (Laundromart) on Rt 192 (next to Publix, near Rt 27) a try.

It has been a long time since I last went to a laundrymat, and the ones I have went to are not the kind that you every would want to go to. You had to go to it for whatever reason. Laundromart is the kind of place you would want to go to do your laundry.

You can either run the machines yourself, or, pay by the pound for the attendees to do it for you. When we were there it had three attendees who were cleaning the machines and were very helpful. There are several different kinds of washers and dryers to use depending upon how much laundry you need to do. Some of the machines could hold eight loads of laundry!

All of the machines accepted either cash or credit cards. The store has TVs on the walls to give you something to watch while you wait. There is also arcade games and vending machines.

I found the Laundromart to be excellent, and I wouldn't hesitate to return.

Long Wait To Leave Magic Kingdom

From the park exit until I reached my car in the parking lot? One hour.

As I talk with other Disney enthusiast, they know it takes an hour and they have accepted it. I don't accept it. Not at all!

We wait for the crowds to die down (wait until 30 minutes after park closing) and then head out the gates. Everyone I have talked to says it doesn't matter whether you take the ferry, the monorail, or try the buses - the time is the same: an hour.

We took the ferry. Twice it took as an hour to get to our car. Once it took 75 minutes. This last time they had two ferries running, both using the same dock! So one ferry has to sit in the middle of the lake waiting for the other ferry to leave. And if the electric light floats go by? The ferries have to wait for the floats to pass.

We spend the day giving all our vacation money to Disney, and then we are treated like cattle, left to stand at the crowded hot docks with tired grumpy parents and crying children waiting for the slow moving ferry to make its 8 minute journey across the lake, unload the passengers, and then return (20-25 minutes round trip). When we arrived in line there were easily 2400 people waiting for the ferry, a ferry that can only hold around 600 people.

Once the ferry gets you across the lake, you then hike to the tram station so you can wait for a tram to take you out to the parking lot. At this point, most people are tired and pissed and just walk out to their car.

I was given a tip for speeding things up a little, although I haven't tried this. When exiting the park, walk over to the Contemporary Hotel and board the monorail from there. Several people have told me this is much faster.

A few others report that waiting 30 minutes past park close isn't long enough. Wait an hour and the lines will die down.

But most people told me to accept it. It is an hour, so, plan for it and make the best of it.

Have a nice trip, see you next fall

Some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Some people can't walk and talk on a cell phone at the same time.

We were on Tom Sawyer Island heading to the rafts so we could leave the island. I walked over to the raft captain and was having a conversation. Little did I know that my wife who was behind me talking on her cell phone didn't see the stairs leading down to the raft.

She didnt miss one stair. She didnt miss two stairs. She missed all three, dropping over the staira ans landing on her knees.

Her first thought was "there are children near me... don't swear. Don't swear!"

One of my sons says "Uhm, Dad. Mom just fell.

I turned and found her kneeling as if she were praying. At first she didnt want to get up because she was in too much pain. But before long, we got her to her feel.

Her knees are bruzed a d ahe is sore, but thankfully she is OK.

Keys to the Kingdom Tour

We did the Kings to the Kingdom Tour, which was outstanding! I wish I could tell you everything about it, but, I'm going to honor my pledge to not ruin the magic. Instead, I'll just tell you about some of the logistics of this incredible tour.

To participate, everyone has to be 16 years or older, you must have park admission, and the cost is in the $100 per person ball park. We received a nice discount due to our annual pass.

The tour lasts 5 hours and includes 2 or 3 park rides and lunch. We received behind the scenes information about various rides, history of the parks, went back stage, and even went through the utilidoors (tunnels under the Magic Kingdom). Our tour started at 8:30, but I understand there are 8am and 9am tours too.

We were told to plan leaving for the park 90 minutes before the tour started - and that was really good advice. If you miss the tour you don't get a refund. Between traffic and crowds, you don't want to take a chance so we left the house at 7am. They also want you to arrive 15 minutes before the tour starts so you can get checked in. Once concern we had was: the park doesn't open until 9am, how do we get into the park at 8:15am? Actually, Main Street opens way before the park open, so, getting in wasn't a problem at all.

Everyone on the tour wears an ear piece so we can all hear our tour guide wherever she is. She could be far ahead or in a noisy area and we could still hear her.

Our group had 18 people in it, which seemed like a perfect size. Our three rides were: Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion. The tour guide walked us up to the attraction and we got on immediately - no waiting. Before the ride and during the ride, our guide was telling us secrets to look for. We had many restroom breaks where the guide told us "Go when you can, not when you have to". Lunch was at a reserved area of Tomorrow Land's Terrace restaurant, and there was a large menu to order from.

The Utilidoors are tunnels under the Magic Kingdom. Well... that description isn't accurate. You can not dig underground in Florida because it is all sand with a high water table - it would flood. Instead, the utilidoors are on ground level. The magic kingdom is actually on the second floor (or, the roof of the utilidoor building).  That's right! There is a huge building sitting under the Magic Kingdom! Tunnels gives the impression that the utilidoors are small - they are huge! Wide and tall with vehicles driving around inside of them.  If you are claustrophobic - you have nothing to worry about (ie - this is an opinion, not a medical diagnosis). The utilidoors are how employees get from one place to another, how supplies are delivered throughout the park, how emergency medical crews can be quickly dispatched, how garbage is disposed of, and much more.

We had such an incredible time! I would love to do this again perhaps in two years or so. I would like to try a different tour next year.

Disney's Animal Kingdom's Nomad Lounge

After a long hot and tiring trek through the jungles of Animal Kingdom, as evening settles across the land, the the throngs head toward the glowing land of Pandora, you'll notice an oasis. As you approach the bridge to Pandora, an oasis exists to the right that would call any exhausted traveler. Large comfy chairs on a cooled covered deck overlooking the river.

It called to me and I responded, dropping my heavy pack and collapsing on the couch.

But then a lady appeared and said "Can I take your order?" Oh. It is that kind of a lounge.

"What do you have for frozen drinks?" I asked. The evening was very warm and a frozen drink would hit the spot.

"I'm sorry, we don't do frozen drinks". She then produced a giant book... a menu of sorts... that had all kinds of drinks in it I have never heard of before. "We do have a Watermelon margarita on the rocks."

I was parched. I was tired. I didn't care. "Yes, that's fine."

She tried to upsell "How about some sliders?"

I just wanted to be left alone to slowly die in this paradise. "Yes, fine. Sliders"

I knew I was in trouble when she returned and had to explain what I was about to eat "glazed blah blah blah seasoned blah blah crushed blah blah". If it isn't obvious to me what I am about to eat? There is something wrong. No one should have to explain what you are about to consume - it should go without explanation.

First up, the sliders. They were... like... wow. (And for $15 they had better be!). Don't let the tiny potatoes in the picture fool you - these were small sliders. But they weren't hamburgers. They were heaven. Seasoned. Crushed tomato. I could have put away 5 or 6 of those things, no problem. The vinegar potatoes were outstanding - and I'm not a big vinegar fan. There was just enough vinegar to give it flavor mixed with the other seasonings. Now for $15 you'd think you might get a fork for those potatoes. Nope! This is high class finger food.

Next up... the $14 margarita. Who would have thought to make a water melon rita? It just sounds absurd (and a little gross, honestly).  But the watermelon flavor was not overpowering. It was just the right amount to make it refreshing on a hot summer night. 

Was the food worth the expense? Of course not - are you nuts? I wasn't paying for the food. I was paying for the escape! The escape from the mad crowds and the incredible heat. The escape from everyone trying to step on you and over you. Escape from following the family in endless circles around the Animal Kingdom. I kicked back and relaxed while the rest of the family did... whatever, I honestly didn't care what they were doing. And the longer they were doing it, the longer I got to enjoy the Nomad Lounge.

See the video here.

Disney's Animal Kingdom: Pandora

You remember that movie called Avatar? Not the air bender (bald guy with an arrow on his for head). Avatar. Blue naked people running around in a jungle on some other planet, ring any bells? It was really popular, like, 8 or 9 years ago. I can't blame you for not remembering it.

Well... Disney remembered it. And they spent $400M and over three years to build the Pandora land that resembles the movie. The original plan was to time the opening of the park with the release of a second Avatar movie. But the Avatar movie is at least a year behind schedule, so, Disney opened the park under the threat no one would remember the movie.

I have to admit that I didn't remember the movie very well. We rented the movie the night before going so we could figure out what this land might be all about! In the movie, Humans found a planet six years away from earth that contains a valuable mineral. But the planet's inhabitants aren't cooperating, so, humans do what humans do and go kick some but! Until it back fires on them and the planet itself fights back.

First, the Navi River ride (see the video above). You board a boat that takes you down a river through the caves of Pandora. In the caves you'll get to see many of the Pandora elements that were in the movie... except the elements are all around you. Just when the ride gets really good? It ends! The ride is a little short, so, if you don't have a fast pass? I don't think it would be worth a long wait.

 Next, the drum show. Entertainers take to the drum stage in the middle of Pandora and put on a high energy fifteen minute show with crowd participation.

Third, the Banshee ride. If you want to ride a Banshee, you have to go up into the floating mountains where the Banshee live. And so up the winding path you go, high above the jungle floor. I didn't ride it, but my kids say you get splashed by the water and you can smell everything you fly past. See their comments in this video made at the ride's exit.

Fourth, the dinning area. The Pandora land mixes in the Pandora jungle along with the buildings and equipment left when the humans were kicked off the planet. Which is really good - have you every tried to use a Pandorian bathroom? You'll be thankful the human bathrooms were left intact! And lucky the food center is human too. You might get a little Pandora twist to the food (odd glowing drinks), but you'll be happy to find all your human favorite meals.

Finally, Pandora itself. I heard that you have to see Pandora during the day and then return at night because the land looks completely different in the night time. And it does. Daytime. Night time. It is incredible. It is amazing to see waterfalls coming from the floating mountains and to be able to actually walk right under those mountains. The plants and decorations are great. I would have thought the land would have been larger with more things in it, but Pandora is just part of the larger Animal Kingdom experience.

Was it worth the three year wait to see this land? Honestly, Disney fans love and appreciate anything new Disney does, and this is certainly new.  It is an experience worth checking out the next time you visit the Animal Kingdom.

Epcot: Changes to Japan's Gift Shop

We were surprised to see some changes that had been made to the very popular gift shop in Epcot's Japan area.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Oyster Bar had moved. At the Oyster Bar, you purchase and Oyster, they open it for you, and you get to keep the pearl that is inside. Most pearls are small, but some are silver colored and some can be very large. By moving it, they opened up a large area in the gift shop.

Don't worry, it isn't gone. It is just moved off to the side. 

The second thing we noticed was a large room had been opened up behind the display case. 

Finally, the cash registers have been moved so they are closer to the main exit.

The products in the Japan gift shop are very popular, especially to the kids who watch Japanese cartoons (anime). The store was always packed. These changes open up the store and provide the room necessary for shopping.