This past week and a half, we've been on a staycation around Florida. We had planned on going to DC for the Embassy Tours. We were going to drive, make a whole week out of it. Hit up NYC and Philly, go to Monticello. But, yet again the tours were cancelled due to covid, and that was the primary reason for the trip.
But Asa had already penciled in those days off, and he was in a use-some or lose-some situation with his vacation days, so we decided to go ahead and take a vacation anyway! He had to take the vacation, we had budgeted in to go to DC anyway, and the weather here is getting so nice, and cases are getting so low. It seemed like the perfect time to take advantage of all of that. We gauged what the boys were interested in doing, but Calib didn't want to ask off any extra days at work, and Peyton mostly had interest in Top Golf and nothing else.
But while looking around for things we could do that was a little special, I came across a reporter tweeting about Hamilton in Jacksonville. Hayden was the only one who had committed to going to DC. Peyton, sadly enough, was supposed to be in the UK, but after his flight got cancelled for the third time in a row, he decided to try again after the holidays. And Calib toyed with the idea of flying up just for the weekend, but not taking part in all the things we had planned to do along the way. So, when I saw the Hamilton thing, and realized it wasn't impossible to get tickets (Just two weeks out!!), I decided that'd be a perfect way to make it up to Hayden that we weren't going to DC/Philly/NYC.
So, I quickly ordered the tickets (after checking the covid sit in Duval county, and checking on the theaters covid protocols, and talking to Hayden to make sure he was down for it). But, mom also decided she would fly down for a couple days to go with us too.
All that wasn't happening until Wednesday though, and Asa had taken off starting the Thursday before. I looked into Disney hotels, but holy geez are they expensive right now. I do have a bit of a bone to pick with Disney. The price increases are crazy lately. There used to almost ALWAYS be a passholder discount on hotels. Sure, not every hotel was offered. But you could find something, between 30 and 40% off. But not lately. The 'summer' discounts expired the end of July. I kept waiting for the 'fall' ones to come up- they always ALWAYS have. But, they never did. And now the next discounts are in December. For just TWO WEEKS, where they advertise "UP to 25% off" (and that 'up to' is not really happening, its more like 10% off). Couple that with the fact that they have banned one night stays until then, and you're looking at $600 at minimum for the cheapest resort for two nights. That's bananas!
I get it, Covid changed EVERYTHING. But like, why are they filling up the parks yet keeping park pass reservations? Why can I still not park hop until 2 pm?! Why did the spring rolls go from $7 to $10? Why do I have to pay for the all stuff that used to be 'free perks?' No more magic bands. No more fastpasses. I love Disney, but man, they're pricing people out.
But you know who isn't pricing people out? Disney Springs hotels! They aren't Disney owned, but they are very close to to all the shops and restaurants and parks. And, they are a fraction of the cost. Like, for real, a fraction. We nabbed a reservation at the B resort for under $100 a night! We got two queens thinking some of the kids might want to join in. But, everyone passed. So, off Asa and I went.
The night before I was also able to grab a dining reservation, for a place I've been wanting to go to since it opened FIVE years ago. It's a little pricey, but people rave about it. Reservations are hard to come by, but I finally had them for dinner on our 10th anniversary (in 2020). Obviously, that didn't work out. Then we had them for my 40th birthday this year. But, we were literally at the height of cases then, so we canceled. When the radnom reservation came up for Thursday's lunch, I knew it was finally my time! We got up early and headed on over to Disney SPrings.
So what is the restaurant? That would be Homecomin!
We did end up sitting outside instead of inside, but Asa and I did the calculations of how long it had been since we ate at a sit down place, with a waitress. The verdict: it had been 586 days. I'm positive I've never gone that long without eating out like that in my entire life.
So, we decided to order all the stuff people rave about and really treat ourselves. But instead of entrees, we just ordered a bunch of appetizers and a dessert. Our eyes may have been bigger than our stomachs. But you guys, it was SO GOOD.
Homecomin is known for their biscuits and fried chicken. You can get those both in the same dish with the thigh high biscuit sliders. I am not usually a fan of chicken thighs, but not only did I not mind these- I loved them. And the biscuits were so fluffy and delicious, it was like red lobster biscuits grew up and got less buttery and more flavorful.
We also got some fried gator. Again, not something I usually love. But, it wasn't chewy at all. And the breading wasn't too thick. It was nice and light, and the dipping sauces were on point.
In the background here you can see the hush puppies. They came with a pimento cheese dip and a red pepper jelly. They were really good. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and the red pepper jelly was just the right amount of spice and sweet, but honestly, the hush puppies were my least favorite thing, and I love hush puppies. Not that they weren't delicious, but everything else was so good.
Case and point: Church Lady Deviled Eggs. These things take deviled eggs to a whole new level you guys. How they pack so much flavor into that whipped light, creamy filling, I will never know. And that bacon on top just tops it all off with the right amount of crisp.
They have some great desserts at Homecomin, too. Everyone raves about them. We decided to go with the Shine Cake because it was lemon poppy seed and blueberry, and I'm sorry but lemon and blueberry is my FAVORITE dessert combination (and waffle topping combo, fyi). It came with a cute little 50 to celebrate Magic Kingdom's 50th year! Of course, we had to eat this first so the ice cream wouldn't melt. But, I love getting dessert first. And this thing was delicious.
It was all awesome, by the way. We had a bunch of leftovers though. We could do this whole thing again and just do the sandwiches and the deviled eggs and be happy though (and maybe a dessert!)
And then we were off to Epcot with our park pass reservation for the day. They're still doing distanced character photos (I do like that addition from the pandemic! It's way better than waiting in line!)
We didn't make it any further than Spaceship Earth on this visit, though.
Because we were just there to try and get into the virtual queue for the new Ratatouille ride! Since it's so new they're using this for a line instead of everyone waiting hours. But, there are only two times of day you can try and nab them: 7am (before you get to the park for the day- and you have to have an Epcot park pass), or at 1pm (and then you have to be INSIDE Epcot to try it). Since I wasn't up at 7am, this was our best bet. You have to be there right at one, and be real quick about it- because they go FAST. But, Asa was able to get us in the virtual queue- for about 4 and a half hours out.
With our place in "line" we had to make a decision. Try and spent the next 5 hours at Epcot, or see if our room was ready, and come back later in the evening. We decided to gamble on them letting us a check in a couple hours early, and it paid off.
The B resort isn't a Disney resort, that's for sure. But it's fine. The room was clean, it was pretty quiet, and the proximity to Disney is good. Sure, it's just your average hotel room, but you're not paying Disney prices, which (as we discussed) is pretty crazy right now.
We spent the warm afternoon at the pool, and then headed back up to our room to change. Lucky for us we weren't in the tower section, so no elevator rides for us (people did complain about how slow the elevators were on all the reviews).
And then we headed back to Epcot, just about a five minute drive away. This time we went further into the park. In just the last couple of weeks since we had been there, quite a few new additions came to the park. First up, Club Cool was reopened in a new location!
If you don't know, Club Cool is a place where you can try different Coke products from around the world. When they closed it, I was worried it wouldn't come back- or if it did, it wouldn't be free anymore. Luckily, it's back in a new, bright, open, space and it's still free. Most flavors have been replaced. But, no worries, you can still trick your unsuspecting family members and friends into trying Beverly (if you know, you know.)
Yay Club Cool!
Right next door, the new flagship gift shop of Epcot is open. Creations replaced Mouse Gears, and I really appreciate the new design. The glass windows, the high ceilings, it makes it all feel open and airy.
And they have all kinds of cool Remy merch.
Of course I picked up a magnet since I was going on Ratatouille for the first time!
For all the new stuff, there is still the Food and Wine Festival ongoing (and there is still a lot of construction walls up, too).
Each park added some of these special 50th anniversary statues too. There are 50 of them spread out among the four parks, but we spotted all of them in Epcot.
There's Miguel and Dante from Coco.
Groot and Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy (and you guys, the detail on this one is crazy).
Olaf is featured, too. But if you look on his pedestal, you'll also find Bruni the salamander from Frozen 2.
I was a big fan of the HeiHei and Pua statue, myself.
But if you're more of a classic Disney fan, you'll be happy to find Figment in Epcot as well.
We've been to the Food and Wine Festival a couple of times this year, but I still had not had my Fisherman's Pie, so we headed to the Ireland booth for that. Asa was pleased to find meade on the menu!
And then it was almost time! We headed back to France....
..where there isn't just a new ride, there's also a new (sit-down AND quick-service) restaurant. We had to try out some crepes from this new spot, and it did not disappoint. Though, I'm also excited to try some of the most savory options here in the future.
You'll notice, I wore my Ratatouille shirt to ride Ratatouille for the first time!
Despite having the virtual queue, you do still have to wait in the regular queue, which totaled about half an hour for us.
And you scan your magic band, as if it's an old school fastpass.
Most of the waiting you'll do in this queue is outside. There's like five smallish rooms you'll wait in once you get inside. But, the rooms are all fun with a lot to look at.
And then of course, before you board your mouse- you'll get your 3D glasses.
I won't spoil anything but it really is such a fun ride. I loved it. I can't wait for the boys to go on it. It's really fun!
Back outside, the sun was going down leading to cooler weather (which of course we love!) We didn't stay around long enough for the night time show, which is also new. But, the giant screens in the lagoon were sporting a new 50th screensaver. It made them look a little bit less of an eyesore. (I still don't love those barges out there, though).
We hung out at the hotel and watched some Thursday night football, which was fun- and eventually we went to go nab some late night snacks of White Castle. The only one in Florida opened here a few months ago. I'd never had it before, so I didn't get the hype. It still was just ok, but Asa has nostalgia for it, so he was happy with his.
We're not usually at Disney very early in the day, but when we got up at the next morning we were already at Disney- so it was easy to finally try out Gideon's Bakehouse. Gideon's opened maybe a year ago? And I've been dying to try it, but the wait time can be HOURS. In fact, they also have a virtual queue you can put your name in for. But, if you get there early enough you can get in a tradition line.
We got there a little before 11, and had to wait about 45 minutes.
But we did get in! And once inside it's quite the place.
There's so much to look at. It kind of reminded us of what a bakery in Knockturn Alley would look like.
But of course, we were there for the treats.
They have cookies...
Ang giant cake slices, along with coffee and teas.
No magnets, but they did have some mugs, and stickers if your into some merch.
We decided to try one cookie, one slice of cake, and one coffee.
We grabbed our food, and headed on over to quiet place to chow down. Yes, I was eating dessert at 11:30 am, but it's vacation people.
We went with the pumpkin iced coffee for Asa (but he gave me a few sips) and a coffee cake cookie. Both were delicious. Of course, this cookie is the size of your head, so you're not going to finish it in one sitting. It might actually take you a few days to finish it all. But, it is delicious.
Still, I'm not sure the cookie is the best item on the menu. I'd personally give that to the giant cake slices. I got the salter caramel slice, and it was SO good. I quickly realized why they were selling tubs of frosting at the check out. The frosting is where it's at, man. So good.
Asa and I only shared a few bites of each though, and then packed the rest away to bring home to share with everyone else. We spent some time walking about Disney Springs, nosed around some stores and then headed over to the Yacht Club where we had ordered table-service-to-go from Ale & Compass.
After a parking issue (the guy at the yacht club was kind of a jerk, but the guy at the Beach club let us right in), we made our way to get our brunch, Disney table service, take out style. And then we found a quiet spot on the covered porch by the pool to dig in.
Asa got this shrimp and grits combo that was amazing. Everything in it- from the shrimp to the sauasge to the corn salsa- was delicious. I'm not usually a grits fan, but I loved this.
Meanwhile, I got the blueberry pancakes- but the kids portion, which was just the right amount. I got two pancakes, sausage, a couple of sweet potato fries and a drink with it, all for $7. The pancakes weren't particularly special, but they were pretty tasty. The blueberries with just the right amount of tart, too.
We had picked to have brunch back there because we'd be real close to France in the back of Epcot. I had managed to nab us another place in the virtual queue at 7am that morning (I never sleep well in hotels).
Though, the ride went down for awhile and our time just kept getting pushed out further and further. Still, we found a quiet spot to wait it out.
Once the line was back up and running, we headed into Epcot and did a little nosing through the Japan store..
...until our time finally came up.
Heads up people, starting today, much of this is all changed now: Genie Plus with the paid 'Lightning Lane' has come out. I think you can still do the virtual queue for now, but you can also pay to skip the line entirely.
Anyway, we actually lucked out the ride had gone down about 15 groups before ours was called. Instead of flooding with a bunch of groups at once, they released the groups very strategically.
Which meant virtually nobody in the queue! Look at all that emptiness behind Asa. The day before we had to wait through all of that.
Another spin on the mouse, and we loved it just as much the second time.
Decisions had to be made after that. Rain was coming. Not like spotty afternoon hit or miss showers, either. Like once that blob of green gets to you, it's going to last for hours. So we walked around a bit before deciding we'd make one more stop and then head home.
That stop? The Beaches and Cream To-Go window. Do you know how long it's been since I've had a real, actual, No Way Jose?! YEARS!
It too, did not disappoint. I forgot that chocolate ice cream even came with it.
And that was it for our two days at Disney!
The drive home took forever, thanks to -stop me if you've heard this before- an accident on I-4. We don't even take i-4 the whole way home anymore. We're on it for like 5 miles, yet those 5 miles can still take half an hour.
That evening we stopped down at the lodge since it was a food truck night to get some take out pizzas for dinner. Our lodge has been having food trucks more and more, and you can even order online making it a super easy.
And the woodfired pizzas were pretty tasty.
Next Up: A trip to the farm!
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