Venue: Disney World – Orlando, FL
Dates: Feb 9th-20th, 2021 (12 Days)
One afternoon my lovely companion (whom wishes to remain anonymous) and I were watching NFL playoff football on the flat screen. A commercial came on advertising 35% off Disney World Resorts. I immediately saw her eyes light up in excitement followed by a hopeful glance in my direction. Ya-see, living in California during this pandemic has been stifling to put it mildly. We have both been to the now closed Disneyland here in So-Cal many times, but had never been to Disney World. I did some research, crunched some numbers and booked the “magical” trip to Orlando, FL.
Before arriving at Disney, you must set up an account on the “My Disney Experience” website. This is where you book everything for your trip: hotel reservations, dining reservations, park reservations, link with others in your travel group, etc. While on Disney property, you can use this phone app to check wait times for rides, see where you are located, confirm or change reservations and order “contact-less” food to-go. Pretty good system actually, there is no waiting in food lines and you receive reminders of up-coming reservations throughout the day.
Once you book your resort, be sure to figure out what days you want to visit which parks and reserve ASAP. Due to Covid, they are only allowing 35% capacity per park. Less people is definitely a plus right now but reservations can go quickly. Once you’ve chosen your park days, immediately begin to book your sit-down dining reservations. The more popular restaurants are harder to book. Hint: If your eatery of choice is not available, keep checking back. People change plans and cancel all the time. As a back-up, make another reservation elsewhere and cancel if you get the booking you really wanted. You must cancel within 24 hours not to be charged a cancellation fee.
*I highly suggest reserving a sit-down restaurant at some point at each park you visit. Walking and standing in lines in hot or rainy weather with the dreaded mask on gets tiring. A good seated meal in an air-conditioned cafe is a great way to reboot for the rest of the day.
Day 1: We flew into Orlando International Airport and landed in the late evening sometime. After grabbing our bags, we rode the “Magical Express” bus for about 30 minutes to the Yacht Club Resort in the Epcot area. The driver was friendly and they show Disney cartoons throughout the ride which nudges you into the “Disney” frame of mind. (The Magical Express is free if you are staying at a Disney Resort). Once arriving at the hotel, they hand you your “Magic Bands” which are pre-ordered before the trip (starting at $5 each for basic design). The Magic Band is a device that is worn on your wrist much like a watch. The band opens your hotel room, allows entry into the parks and has all your credit card info stored inside for reservations and purchases. It is convenient but what I figured out quickly is this magical device “magically” sucks the money from your account right into Mickey’s…. Pooooffff!
The lobby of the Yacht Club resort was spacious and beautiful. The décor consisted of old world aeronautic themed artifacts featuring hand crafted wooden ships and a giant globe. More importantly, I saw a bar in the corner named the Ale & Compass. I made a note to myself to visit this fine drinking establishment in the very near future. We took the elevator to the 4th floor to our room. Very nice suite, again decorated ala the nautical theme. The large flat screen television colorfully displayed park opening times for the next day, the weather and other relevant info as famous Disney melodies filled the room. I have to admit, the atmosphere did make me feel like a kid again, it was Pretty Friggin’ Magical.
It being around 9pm now, we went on a search for a drink and some grub. We also wanted to check out the Boardwalk located directly across the lake from our hotel. This is a 5-minute walk around the basin in either direction or you can take the “Friendship Boat” (free of charge) straight across the waterway which arrives approximately every 15 mins. With no time to waste, we decided to walk and arrived at a tavern called “AbracadaBar” on the Boardwalk. This ol’ skool magic themed pub features many of Harry Houdini’s pics, tricks and tools of the trade. I ordered a much-needed beer while my partner in crime ordered a cocktail that changed colors while stirring the drink…. Very Cool.
We were told it was too late to order food here at AbracadaBar but could use the phone app to order to-go pizza at a place located just 2 doors down. I found the “Pizza Window” on the app and we chose a large sausage & mushroom pizza for a reasonable $23. To my surprise, 10 mins later my phone lit up like a Christmas tree informing me to get the goods. I walked about 30 yards, snatched my pre-paid pizza and took it back to our table. The pizza was awesome, hit the spot. We drank a couple more libations and they threw us out via bright interior lights at around 10pm. BTW: The latest bar open anywhere in Disney is 11pm.
Now with a full belly and a good lit’ buzz, we roamed the Boardwalk which themes itself ala 1920s Coney Island and Atlantic City. There are tables and chairs placed all along the edges of the lake. During this time of night, finding open seats was easy. The cool night air felt great and the lighting off the water was a sight to see. Soon we retreated back to the resort. We chose to go to the “Magic Kingdom” the next day and wanted to arrive early to avoid long lines for the more popular rides. I’ll get into all that in the next segment. For now, all I can say it was an alluring first few hours since arriving…. To be continued….
ARTIST VIDEO SHOWCASE
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KRASHKARMA / Girl With A Hammer
KRASHKARMA: If you lust for Bad Ass guitar riffs and Heavy Smashing beats, you will Luv this Hard Rockin’ Duo. It’s refreshing to see a band putting on an actual energetic show again.
The “Girl With The Hammer” video was shot at TK Rehearsal Studios / North Hollywood, I recognize the practice space decor. I get pumped when I see quality work being produced within our walls. I wish this group an awesome future, they definitely have the talent to pull it off.
If interested in learning more about KRASHKARMA including band descriptions, pics & videos, check out their website at: KrashKarma.com
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