J squared Labor Day weekend bar opening adventure: trip report

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JoAnn C's picture
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MrHub wrote:
JoAnn C wrote:
It's been a full day so far for the food and wine festival. I met up with Alicemouse and her husband and friend. Hit a few booths and now I am waiting for the rum seminar to start.

RUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was really good. We tried three typed of creme rum - banana, key lime and pineapple. The company, Blue Chair Bay, is owned by Kenny Chesney.

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JoAnn C's picture
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Had another fun filled day. We hit Tune In Lounge (opened it), Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge and Baseline. We spent 10 hours at DHS. I don't think I have ever spent 10 in a park.

We ended the day at Magic Kingdom watching the fireworks with alicemouse, her husband and friend.

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JoAnn C wrote:
Had another fun filled day. We hit Tune In Lounge (opened it), Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge and Baseline. We spent 10 hours at DHS. I don't think I have ever spent 10 in a park.

We ended the day at Magic Kingdom watching the fireworks with alicemouse, her husband and friend.

How fabulous!! I'm not a rum fan but the key lime and pineapple sound really good.

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Staying in the AC doing a monorail crawl

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JMed's picture
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WOAH, what a few days. I am home and exhausted. Maybe still a bit drunk (KIDDING). I am sure we will do a full write up soon but from what I remember off the bat I had 17 cocktails since Friday evening. What a fun time, will do it again but NOT during the summer!

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JoAnn C's picture
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Still working on my way home. When I changed my flight to come home today instead of yesterday, options were limited. I am currently in Chicago with a brief stop in Memphis.

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I suppose we should do some sort of trip report for this huh??? Here is mine.

Checked into CBR
Went to Epcot, had drinks
Sleep
Went to HS, had drinks, MK for fireworks
Sleep
Went to Epcot for breakfast and mimosa
Did a monorail crawl, had drinks
Went to Wine Bar George, had wine
Sleep
Check out of CBR and into BLT
Went to MK, coffee,14 rides, lunch with drinks and cheeseburger springrolls
Went to Top of the World Lounge, had drinks
Sleep
Check out of BLT
Went to breakfast and had drinks
Went to AK
Drove home

LOL but seriously, it was a whirlwind trip and we had so much fun. In all, I had 20 adult beverages. I'm pretty sure that is the right count... I can't remember if I had 2 or 3 Monorail Yellows.... and I counted each margarita in my flight as one drink. They were a decent size! I can't wait to do another trip like this again!

I am sure we will do a full report at some point. Right JoAnn?

And oh my goodness the laughs...

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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You summed it up pretty well. Lol

I will try to start on the trip report this week

So many laughs

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laugh That's fabulous! OMG I totally feel pressure to try to keep up with your drink count in October, but I don't think I would be allowed to drive my scooter! laugh

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Kristen K. wrote:
laugh That's fabulous! OMG I totally feel pressure to try to keep up with your drink count in October, but I don't think I would be allowed to drive my scooter! laugh

Oh no, we don't need you locked up in Disney Jail!!! rolling rolling

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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Trip report time.

My flight landed 20 early (love when that happens) and only waited 10 minutes to leave on the Magical Express. I hadn't received a text yet on our room so I stopped at the front desk to see if anything was available. The room they had assigned to us in Jamaica wasn't ready, so she moved us to one in Aruba which was. Aruba is the last bus at the resort. Our room was right across from the bus stop which was nice. I walked around the resort a little. It's really nice. With the restaurants closed, they converted a couple of the rooms into market places. I checked out the one and got free pastries.

If you remember, I lost my Tables in Wonderland card when I was there in April. I didn't have any luck with lost and found. I called them before this trip to see if they can reactivate my paper card (it was canceled when I got the plastic one). They couldn't do that but they did replace it at no cost. I stopped at Guest Relations to pick it up when I got to Epcot. I hit up a few food and wine festival booths and met up with Holly (alicemouse), her husband and friend.

We walked around a bit and then split up. I had a fast pass for Frozen and then the rum seminar. By the end of the seminar, Jen was close by so I headed back to the resort.

She was there when I arrived. We chatted a bit and went back to Epcot.

Drinks consumed...

Canada booth - ice wine
Mexico booth - mariachi loco margarita
Hawaii booth - sparkling pineapple wine
festival center - rum (banana, key lime and pineapple)

Food consumed....

Canada booth - Cheddar cheese soup
Mexico - Short rib tostada
Morocco - Hummus fries
Islands of the Caribbean - Jerk spiced chicken lollipop
Hawaii - Kaluha pork slider

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I can't even remember what time I arrived at this point but it was a nice easy drive down. Of course traffic on I-4 really messed me up but it is expected.

I got to the room shortly before JoAnn got back from Epcot so I got some quick pics and sat down for a bit. After she arrived we made the short walk to our bus and went to Epcot for a bit.

Drinks Consumed:
Hawaii Pineapple Sparkling Wine
Morocco Kasbah Prestige Red Wine

Food Consumed:
Brazil Pork Belly

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J Squared, let the drinking begin
J Squared, let the drinking begin856.37 KB
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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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JMed wrote:
I think we are going to need celebration buttons

What should be on them

I am celebrating:
Bars
Cocktails
Drinking with friends
Shenannigans
Tomfoolery

I know I want one that says "Wine" when we go to WBG!

For those who didn't see our buttons on Facebook.

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a8c2613a-95a6-469a-b009-4f6173332f83.jpeg1.49 MB
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Boy oh boy did those buttons get some attention. We had countless CMs, Security Guards and guests wanting to hang out with us. Even got us a sweet room at Bay Lake Tower!!

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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Love that Pineapple Sparkling.

The winery is in Tampa, Becks and I visited when we were there last year and it was so much fun. They have a little tour and a big temping gift shop, and about 12 different wines you can taste there. Tons of fun and pretty dern delicious.

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Kristen K. wrote:
Love that Pineapple Sparkling.

The winery is in Tampa, Becks and I visited when we were there last year and it was so much fun. They have a little tour and a big temping gift shop, and about 12 different wines you can taste there. Tons of fun and pretty dern delicious.

I love their Key Lime, wish it was still at the festival!!!

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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How was the short rib tostada, Joann? I have it on my list for in a couple of weeks!

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I'll go ahead and start day 2!

Hollywood Studios - what an EPIC HS DAY!

We were up pretty early and ready to start our day. We headed to the bus stop and headed off to HS We got there right around 9 and decided to stop and hang with the Citizens of Hollywood for a bit. Betty Shambles (my personal fav) and Dorma Nesmond (my soulmate) were a riot. JoAnn even got picked to be a part of the show. We laughed and laughed before heading off around the park. We had about 2 hours until the bars opened so we knocked a couple things off the list.

I wish I could remember what we did. I remember meeting Chip and Dale, Star Tours and Muppets 3D. I feel like there could have been a couple other things but maybe JoAnn can help out. I know we ended up at Tune In Lounge right at the perfect time! There was another group sitting at the bar but they were waiting on their table to be ready so I still say we opened this one up because we were served first.

Drinks and Food Consumed:
Jen: Grandma's Picnic Punch and Grandpa's Crabcake
JoAnn: Mowie Wowie and Fried Herb and Garlic Cheese

From there we headed to the Brown Derby Lounge we picked the PERFECT table, it was right beside the door which they kept open and we could feel the sweet sweet a/c escaping the building.

Drinks and Food Consumed:
Jen: Margarita Flight and Braised Beef Arepas (my new fav snack at WDW)
JoAnn: White Sangaria and HBD Cobb Salad

I think from there we went straight to BaseLine Tap House but there could have been a stop between the 2??
Drinks Consumed:
Jen: Ace Space Bloody Orange Hard Cider
JoAnn: California Sunset

I did look at my pics and see that we did Star Tours after this so I got it wrong already LOL We went over to Toy Story Land to have a look around before dinner at Mama Melrose. We had a pretty early ADR for dinner at 4. It's been 4 years and I think about that steak often, it was as good as I remembered. It was a pleasure to sit for a bit! We had been going strong for 7 hours at this point!!

Food and Drink Consumed:
Jen: Charred Strip Steak and a glass of Red Wine and lots of water
JoAnn: Charred Strip Steak (not sure what she had to drink. pretty sure it was non-alcoholic)

Back to TSL for our Slinky Dog FP! I'll say it every time, it is such a fun coaster!

It was about time for us to head out, what an epic day at HS, I don't think I have ever stayed in that park for that long before. And at some point we made it over to the Launch Bay, we sat in the a/c to charge my phone and rest a bit before heading over to MK to meet Alicemouse, hubby and friend for HEA.

This was my first time seeing it. I am still bitter about Wishes and for good reason. I have a bit of anxiety with large crowds, Disney doesn't bother me as much as other situations but HEA, NEVER AGAIN. Since you have to see the projections, CMs kept moving people closer and closer in until I thought about leaving but there was no way out.

I could not focus, I wanted to watch the projections and I wanted to see the fireworks. I wanted to step back and breathe but I couldn't. There was no story, no flow and I just didn't enjoy it at all. Sorry, not my thing at all.

By this time, we were exhausted. 17,741 steps lots of cocktails and countless laughs later our first full day together was over with. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

JoAnn, did I get this right? I know Rock n Roller Coaster was in there somewhere too!

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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You got it right. I think we Star Tours twice - stand by and fast pass.

I had a diet coke at Mama Melrose

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Allie wrote:
How was the short rib tostada, Joann? I have it on my list for in a couple of weeks!

It was good.

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Oh man do I love that Ace Space Cider at BaseLine! And I'm so glad to hear that steak still holds up! We have our first reservation there ever in a couple of weeks!

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Day 3

We started Sunday morning with breakfast at Garden Grill. Our original plan was to spend the day at Epcot. Our plans changed when I made arrangements to go shopping at Cast Connections!! After breakfast, we rode Soarin' and Living with The Land. We left Epcot and met up with my cousin Victoria and CM Rebecca (I work with her dad).

After we finished shopping we decided it was too hot so spend in a park so the monorail crawl plan was formed. We drove back to the resort to leave Jen's car and took the bus to MK.

We started at The Contemporary's Outer Rim and The Wave Lounge. We went to the Poly for drinks at the Tambu Lounge. Victoria and her boyfriend met us there. Victoria went to Trader's Sam to get us on the waiting list. It was a two hour wait. We had a couple of drinks and something to eat and decided to leave. Victoria and Noah went home. Jen and I went to the Grand Floridian Mizner's Lounge. We had just ordered our drinks when Victoria texted me she got the text that we could get into Trader Sam's. Knowing we wouldn't make it back there in enough time, we stayed put. One of these days I'm going to make it there.

After we finished our drinks, we took the bus to Disney Springs for our reservation at Wine Bar George. We had a little time before our ADR, we walked over to the Edison, Maria & Enzo's and Enzo's Hideaway. Almost forgot, we went into the Hanger Bar too.

It was time for WBG. We sat outside on the upper level. I really liked it there. I can see spending more time there.
We took the Minnie Van back to CBR. The driver talked about Chik-Fil-A the whole ride. It was pretty funny.

Beverages consumed:

POG juice mimosas - Garden Grill (both)
Negroni - Outer Rim (JoAnn)
Blue "Glow-tini" - Outer Rim (Jen)
Sangria - Wave (JoAnn)
Godiva Chocolate Martini - Wave (Jen)
Lapu Lapu - Tambu Lounge (both)
Island Sunset - Tambu Lounge (both)
Ace Pineapple Cider - Mizner's (JoAnn)
White wine - Mizner's (Jen)
Broadbent Rose - WBG (JoAnn)
Some kind of red wine - WBG (Jen)

Food consumed:
Garden Grill breakfast - (both)
Pot stickers and wings - Tambu Lounge (both)
Crispy Mac & Cheese - WBG (JoAnn)
Burrata (?) - WBG (Jen)

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Day 4 - moving day!!

We got up and packed our stuff. We were moving to Bay Lake Towers for the night. As we were leaving, another guest was having car trouble. He stopped us and asked if we could jump start his car. After we saved the day, we took off for BLT. We stopped at the front desk to see if our room was ready. It wasn't ready but the CM liked our buttons so much he said he would get us room near the lounge (and he came through!). We dropped our bags off and walked to MK.

We arrived about 10:15 and stopped at Starbucks for coffee. We rode a few rides before lunch at The Plaza. We got there just in time as it starting pouring. We hit up several more after lunch. The park was only open until 6:00 because of the Halloween Party. We packed in a lot in a short amount of time. Don't discount MK on a party day thinking you won't get a full day. Between 10:15 and 6:00, we rode 15 rides, had a sit down lunch and stopped for an afternoon snack.

We had planned on going back to Epcot. When Jen got the text that our room was ready and on the 16th floor, our plan quickly changed to spending the evening at The Top of The World Lounge.

Beverages consumed:
Sangria - Plaza Restaurant (both)
Bay Lake Sunset - TOTWL (JoAnn)
Yellow Monorail - TOTWL (Jen)

Food consumed:
Honey-Barbecued Beef Brisket Burger - Plaza Restaurant (JoAnn)
Baked Honey-Barbecued Brisket over French fries - Plaza Restaurant (Jen)
Pretzel breadsticks - TOTWL (both)
Tortilla chips - TOTWL (both)
Seven Layer Cake - TOTWL (both)

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One more day to go plus plenty of pictures to share

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JMed's picture
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How do I share a video?? I was going to put our walk to TOTWL in here???

https://photos.app.goo.gl/o9zjX5zrLur5o6Lu9

let me know if this week

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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MK Day We only used 2 of our 3 FPs

Starbucks
The Plaza
Cheeseburger Springrolls

Barnstormer
Dumbo
Mad Tea Party
Monsters Inc
Under the Sea
Big Thunder Mountain
It's A Small World
Magic Carpets
Pirates
Space Mountain
Winnie the Pooh
Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise
Seven Dwarfs

That's only 14... What a I missing?? And I think Starbucks was our longest line of the day.

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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JMed wrote:
That's only 14... What a I missing?? And I think Starbucks was our longest line of the day.

You're right it was only 14. I must have counted one twice. Starbucks was the longest line.

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And now for our last day.... Sad

After getting ready for the day, I walked over to the Contemporary to check by suitcase in at the airline check in desk. We drove over to the Yacht Club for breakfast at Ale & Compass. It was good. I am eating there in a couple of weeks before the cruise.

After breakfast we went to Animal Kingdom. When we arrived, DeVine was out. We watched her for a bit. We rode Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. We said our good byes as Jen needed to get on the road. I stayed at AK a little while longer and went to It's Tough To Be A Bug.

I got the bus back to The Contemporary. I got something to eat at the Contempo Cafe before getting the Tragical Express back to MCO.

It was a great weekend. Looking forward to our next adventure.

Beverages consumed:
Mimosa (JoAnn)
Agua Fresca Libation (Jen)

Food consumed:
Buffet w/ Breakfast Flatbread (JoAnn)
Eggs Benedict (Jen)
Hot Turkey Sandwich (JoAnn)

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Man that was a fantastic trip! And a very responsible one too if I may add!

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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