Mickeyphile Podcast Episode 180 – Happy Hour at Disney Springs
A favorite restaurant makes a looong-awaited return. New busses are showing up at Walt Disney World, and we know who will be playing, and when, at the Garden Rocks series for the Flower and Garden Festival. Plus, we’ll discuss some favorite Happy Hour spots at Disney Springs. All on episode 180 of the Mickeyphile Podcast.
Highlights include:
House of Blues Inside Bar
Jaleo
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Raglan Road
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/946434275769168/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyphile_podcast/
Music: “Cân thema (Mickeyphile Podcast Theme)” copyright Scott Daves 2023
Mickeyphile Podcast Episode 180 – Happy Hour at Disney Springs
A favorite restaurant makes a looong-awaited return. New busses are showing up at Walt Disney World, and we know who will be playing, and when, at the Garden Rocks series for the Flower and Garden Festival. Plus, we’ll discuss some favorite Happy Hour spots at Disney Springs. All on episode 180 of the Mickeyphile Podcast.
Highlights include:
House of Blues Inside Bar
Jaleo
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Raglan Road
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/946434275769168/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyphile_podcast/
Music: “Cân thema (Mickeyphile Podcast Theme)” copyright Scott Daves 2023
A favorite restaurant makes a long way to return. New buses are showing up at Walt Disney World and we know who will be playing and when at the Garden Rock series for the Flower and Garden Festival. Plus, we'll discuss our favorite happy hour spots at Disney Springs, all on episode 180 of the Mickey Phile.
Speaker 2:Podcast Aloha everyone. Welcome to episode 180 of the Mickey Phile Podcast. I'm Scott, and with me, as always, is my lovely wife Karen.
Speaker 1:Aloha everybody.
Speaker 2:You started it. It would be like Aloha right now. Apparently Moana is like the governing body now at Walt Disney. Apparently the entire company. Yeah, according to the earnings call last week, uh-huh, so Aloha.
Speaker 1:I just played along, you know if you can't have fun. Exactly, I almost have my complete voice back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, almost I know it's pretty close. We went to Disney for the weekend Unplanned. Oh, let's go over for the day Became. Let's go over Friday and come back Sunday, exactly.
Speaker 1:But isn't that how, especially last year, quite a few of our trips happened that way?
Speaker 2:We got to try a couple of off property, but not off property.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Not Disney, but on property Right. And one of them like property adjacent. Kind of weird, but we had to try two new hotels and they were both cool. Yes, one was really cool.
Speaker 1:One was really cool.
Speaker 2:We'll talk about that and we did kind of like our trip. We did happy hour at Disney Springs. That became shutting down Disney Springs.
Speaker 1:But Shh, don't tell people that that actually didn't quite. No, we did leave before the lights came on.
Speaker 2:Right, we left before they said get out.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:But we also went to I don't know four or five places.
Speaker 1:I think so.
Speaker 2:That was cool. Yeah, as well, tried some new not really new food, but new experiences New experience with the food, we'll say, yeah, yeah, had a good time we did. See some friends. Friday night we hung out with John and Jason again and Yep. Saturday and Sunday we got to see Amanda and Garrison and Milo and Lawrence.
Speaker 1:I know we had fun with them. We did. We had some great days. There really was.
Speaker 2:A really good day at Magic Kingdom and a pretty good day at a Hollywood studio.
Speaker 1:As Amanda said, it was her most magical Magic Kingdom day.
Speaker 2:Because it was chill, but we did a lot, I know, so it was cool, yeah, anyway. So that's all the howdy stuff, so let's go ahead and start off with the news.
Speaker 1:Okay, and the big one is 1900 Park Fair is reopening April 10th. It's going to have some new menu items and some new characters. The reservations open on March 5th. The characters are going to be Aladdin in his Prince Ali outfit, Cinderella Maribel and Tiana in her Tiana Bayou adventure outfit.
Speaker 2:Nothing against any of those characters.
Speaker 1:Right, but I want the Wicked Steps, sisters.
Speaker 2:I want the old characters to come back. That was part of the appeal to this restaurant Right and fortunately, the strawberry soup is coming back.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And it'll be a buffet.
Speaker 1:And breakfast and dinner with a buffet that includes the strawberry soup, like you mentioned, and some new menu offerings that pay tribute to the characters appearing in the restaurant.
Speaker 2:So not the Steps Sisters necessarily did either, but I don't see how these characters fit the theme of the resort.
Speaker 1:No, it's based off of kind of Mary Poppins.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so again, nothing against these characters, right.
Speaker 1:No, nothing against them at all. Can't we have the old ones I know?
Speaker 2:Anyway, but it's cool that the restaurant's coming back.
Speaker 1:Right. So we're taking, you know, Glass Half-Full. The restaurant's reopening Yay. Another restaurant Right, which is good, yeah for sure. Well, Disney World Buses debut with the new system for securing mobility devices such as wheelchairs and ECVs.
Speaker 2:So the new system is going to, instead of having to get the wheelchair or the UCV in and turn it sideways and wait for them to strap it all down and all, you just pull onto the bus and this arm comes down and holds you in place, right, right. So that's cool. It's going to actually make this a lot quicker on and off. Yay.
Speaker 1:Right, because the driver doesn't have to do it all Right.
Speaker 2:You just pull in and you're locked in basically Right. Any punches a button.
Speaker 1:Yes, and you don't have to get out of it.
Speaker 2:Right, so that's super cool. There's a set of fold down seats in the bay, which there are currently in the bays, where they put the ECVs and stuff, and the new bus is going to have USB chargers on the sides or bottoms. That's not new.
Speaker 1:Some of the buses have had them but now the new, all of these new buses on the fold down one, the fold up seats, they're going to be right underneath the seat on the ones that are don't move. It's like on the side between two seats. Yeah, which is good.
Speaker 2:And the obligatory. If you're going to use them, make sure you have a power only USB cord and yeah, yeah, yeah. You know. So Disney or someone else doesn't steal your data.
Speaker 1:Right, but this should help speed up getting the ECVs and wheelchairs in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, which takes kind of a long time. Yeah, especially if there's more than one, right, so that'll help it's cool.
Speaker 1:I know the bus driver seemed very excited about it.
Speaker 2:Bus driver had told us about it last month when we were there for the cruise. Yeah, so I know they were ready for him to come on.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, Star Wars, the Phantom Menace is returning to theaters for the 25th anniversary. The film was originally released on May 19th 1999, and it's returning to theaters for a limited time, beginning May 3rd. I know we were just talking about it.
Speaker 2:Yes, we were. I was complaining about it all weekend. Yes, because it hadn't been announced Right Now it's yet another not a new movie that Disney's putting into the theater. So that'll be four through the first four months of the year, but this makes sense for this one. It does. You know it's the 25th anniversary. George Lucas did it a couple of times with the original series, but specifically did it for the 20th anniversary. Right, this has a purpose for it being to released.
Speaker 1:It does.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to look at the calendar. I'm sure there is a calendar reason, but how in God's name do you not release it on May 4th? Just how do?
Speaker 1:you miss that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know. I mean as big a deal as you make about 4th day and then you don't open it on 4th day. Yeah, I don't know, like what, what, the what, what, the what. Let's see, may 3rd is a Friday. That's why Get the whole weekend in Still Ugh.
Speaker 1:Oh, and May 4th is on a Saturday. Yeah, I can't remember.
Speaker 2:Just ugh. Anyway, there you go. Come on, disney, like you're right there. You know Clearly that's why you're doing it, so you can make a big deal on Saturday, the 4th. Right and hope for a big weekend, right, but Right, come on Disney. Anyway, it's good it's coming out.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And hopefully that means in two years we get Clone Wars and in two years Return of the Sith Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:So what.
Speaker 2:Can't believe I'm actually excited about the 25th anniversary of Jar Jar Freakin' Binks.
Speaker 1:I know, and we were even talking about it why is everything shiny?
Speaker 2:We weren't talking about that. Well, jason and I were talking about it Because it was new then. Remember, this is 20 years before Star Wars. Okay, okay so, because sometimes I like to go down the quarrel rabbit hole, I actually saw a post on this the other day. Okay so, the Naboo fighters Right Are the Y-wings that the Rebel is using, but they've had to take off armor and mix and match parts to get them, to keep them running for 20 years.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:That's why, okay, plus, there's been battles or you know, and the rebels don't have money and factories and all that, they just kind of keep reusing what they had. If you want to get into the weeds on this, okay, there's a reason.
Speaker 1:Okay, I believe you. Percy Jackson and the Olympians have been renewed for season two on Disney plus.
Speaker 2:So we still haven't watched any of it. No, but I have heard nothing but good things about it.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And yesterday we went and saw the I guess extended trailer special feature, whatever Right.
Speaker 1:Walt Disney presents.
Speaker 2:Yeah, walt Disney presents.
Speaker 1:Right and it looks really cool. Looks really really cool. So we got to start watching that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's the guy's name? It wrote it Richard Rich, whatever Reardon Right.
Speaker 1:I think his name is.
Speaker 2:He was very, he was like he was super excited about it. However, he's also getting super big dollars for this, so he should be excited about it and want everyone to watch it.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to wait for you to get back in town.
Speaker 2:No, it's fine, I'll watch it while I'm gone anyway. Okay so, but it looks. It looks really good, and I know we've talked about it before, so we need to actually watch it.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Um.
Speaker 1:Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is going to be reopening on March 17th.
Speaker 2:Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So I know what's going to happen Blizzard Beach is going to close on March 17.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Because every time Yep Did this happen before COVID, or is it just happening since COVID?
Speaker 1:I wish I could answer that. I thought they were both open simultaneously before COVID. I think they don't have enough staff to run both, so that's why they have to do that. I'm sorry, cast members.
Speaker 2:I am sure that is the case.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Because they're just reopening a restaurant.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So, anyway, we're back to Typhoon Lagoon for the summer, apparently.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Okay, cool, whatever. So Disney had their first quarter 2024 earnings call last week. I don't know what day it was. Wednesday, maybe I think it was Wednesday. I watched it, Okay, and I was in a hotel room. I just can't remember which hotel room I was in.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:But it had to be Tuesday or Wednesday because I was home by Thursday, right, and I think Wednesday you were done pretty early, earlier than Tuesday.
Speaker 1:Yes, I think so.
Speaker 2:But it was like four o'clock so it wasn't Okay. I think it was Wednesday. Okay, but I did watch it and there was a lot of meaningless stuff, unless you're really into the finance part. But there were some big announcements. Okay, taylor Swift's era tour movie is going to be exclusively streamed on the show. Okay, starting whenever it is March. I think they're calling it Taylor's version. Calling it Taylor's version. Yeah, there's like five songs that were not in the movie that has already been released and available through Universal. Okay, that was in theaters and the movie was released on Disney. Okay, that was in theaters. And then Universal has got the distribution and video on demand rights. Yeah, but Disney will have the streaming rights and apparently paid $75 million for that. Jeez Louise. Yeah, that's a lot of money for something they didn't make.
Speaker 2:Yeah or have any kind of part of yeah Right.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I'm trying to comprehend the reason for it, but I tell you the reason for it.
Speaker 2:Okay, because after they announced the price increase last October, they lost 1.3 million subscribers in the US and Canada.
Speaker 1:Oh, so by having Taylor Swift, they're trying to get some of those.
Speaker 2:They hope that they can get a whole bunch of people. All those Swifties, they're predicting 5 million new subscriptions because of this, basically because nothing else good's coming up.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, they lost 1.3 million subscribers and that matters because, even though overall they are like basically even Right, they make like eight bucks a subscriber revenue per subscriber in the US and Canada, okay, like in India, they make 70 cents, right, okay, other places it's a couple of bucks. Us and Canada it's eight bucks per subscriber. So they lost 11 million dollars, right, boom Booyah Like that, okay. So Gotcha. And that yeah, that's a lot. It is, when you're already losing money, like they're really excited because they lost less money this time.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:You know, and part of that is because they just took a bunch of stuff off and wrote it off, so it's tax dollars.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You know, they lost a lot of money on TV this last quarter and apparently it was offset by reduced costs. But the reason they were reduced costs is because the actors and the writers were on strike and so nothing was getting made, so they weren't spending any money on making stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but Disney plus um needs some help and, in a weird turn of events, they announced that there's going to be a Moana to I mean sudden.
Speaker 1:I mean we had heard that they were going to be making a Moana to.
Speaker 2:Okay, but see Moana to is. They are repurposing the Moana series that was supposed to be coming out and decided to make it a movie.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Which is why they think they can have it done in nine months and release it in November.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Um, so far, the only thing that we're pretty sure of is um, the girl that played Moana is coming back, right, but like haven't heard about the rock, or yeah, I mean, you can bet that Alan Tudyk is going to come back to play, hey, hey, because the dude's in everything Disney makes, yes, Right, yes, if it was Pixar, it'd be John Radsenberger. But Right.
Speaker 2:Um, you got to assume he's coming back, but like the only name really kind of attached to it right now is, um I only Cravallo. She's the only one like so far kind of known, because she was going to be in the show.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So presumably she'll be in this. Okay, haven't even heard about, like Jermaine Clement, if he's coming back.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, haven't heard anything about for the show or the movie um Lin-Manuel Miranda. Oh right, who wrote all the songs?
Speaker 1:Correct.
Speaker 2:So a lot of up in the air for a movie that's going to be made apparently in Canada Right and released November. And released in nine months. Yeah, a lot more big news. The only Star Wars news they gave us is that the Mandalorian and Grogu is going to be coming out in 2025 as a movie. Okay, new rumor today and it's only a rumor is that they are going to repurpose either all or part of the Mandalorian season four to create this movie.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:Which means there may not be my Mandalorian season four or it may be shortened. So we've got to keep an eye on that announcement. Yes, the acolyte is also something they were talking about. That's something people have been waiting for.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So series or short series, whatever, it's going to be Okay. Cool, espn Fox and Warner Discovery are joining together to make Sports Hulu, basically. Okay, it's going to be a one-stop streaming service for all sports, and it's apparently going to be expensive.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:For a streaming service?
Speaker 1:Yeah, like 30 bucks a month or something is what I saw that is expensive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know who knows. They're also going to have ESPN as a standalone app or streaming service, which they kind of do. But it's not live, like it's not. You can't put on the streaming and watch Sports Center on ESPN Plus Like you can watch USF play. You know, eastern New Mexico Polytechnic University, like stuff that's not on TV anywhere ends up on a ESPN Plus.
Speaker 1:Gotcha.
Speaker 2:So it's a lot like cricket and that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:Nothing. There's anything wrong? No, I'm just saying Like it's not stuff that's not on mainstream.
Speaker 2:Right now ESPN Plus. I can't watch Sports Center, right, Right, so this is going to be for that, okay, and Bob Lager couldn't stop talking about being able to bet online through the app.
Speaker 1:That isn't that kind of set in some time precedent.
Speaker 2:Here they already have ESPN bet.
Speaker 1:Oh, they do partner. Yeah, oh, I didn't know that.
Speaker 2:Partnered with you know, whatever I was not. I just wonder if you're going to make it that easy that you bet through your streaming app, Like how long until the ship after the Disney Treasure comes with an arc, a casino?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. Like, I just wonder if we're going to put that kind of focus on gambling, how long until there's a casino on a Disney cruise ship?
Speaker 1:True.
Speaker 2:Five years.
Speaker 2:I don't know the last thing, and this was maybe big or maybe nothing, don't really know yet but ESPN, disney, dropped 1.5 billion to buy an equity stake in Epic Games, which is the people that do Fortnite. Okay, so I don't know and nobody really knows what it's going to be. They're going to do a universe and metaverse or whatever. If it's just you know now, we'll have Disney characters in Fortnite. It seems like a weird way to do a license agreement where you pay for the rights to Mickey Mouse. Yeah, to be able to run around with a machine gun and blow people up, I agree, but you know if it's creating a new thing so Disney has like no good games, at least for console play.
Speaker 2:Okay, I mean, there's some fun stuff on your phone, right, they used to have Lucas games and that had all kinds of cool stuff, but they got rid of that like 10 years ago, gotcha. So we'll see. But 1.5 billion to get video games made.
Speaker 1:Interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, ouch.
Speaker 1:So I guess we'll kind of see how that plays out.
Speaker 2:We will see how that plays out.
Speaker 1:Ah see, Did you like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there was some other stuff, but that was. That was the big stuff anyway.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:That's it for regular news. Dvc news the booking window for DVC members, pass holders and then all guests have been announced for the new caverns at Fort Wilderness. So starting March 19th like five weeks, mm hmm. Disney Vacation Club members can begin to make rental reservations online or by contacting member services. March 20th it will open up to pass holders and on March 21st everybody else. So it's pretty quick. We know what the points are. Mm hmm, no idea how much is going to cash is.
Speaker 1:Yes, no idea.
Speaker 2:Bet there's no 35% discount on those? Probably not. And they open in July, July 1st. Yeah, They've got a new pin for Disney Vacation Club members that you can get at any of the like um DVC kiosks around the parks or hotels. Right, and it's cute. I mean it's the membership magic like logo from all the banners around, like moonlight magic and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's kind of like a shield shape, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:Scroll shape, kind of whatever says membership magic on it. But it's cool. I mean, it's a nice quality pin and if you go up there they'll give you one for everybody in your party.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There's going to be a ton of people with those.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, generally, when there's something collectible like that, it's one per household.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this was one per person in your party, so they get a lot of pins. Yes, so, and they're pretty cool. Yeah, it looks good on your DVC backpack Exactly.
Speaker 1:Or on kids lanyards. It does All right.
Speaker 2:The last kind of newsy thing we got yeah, epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, which is February 28th or almost there through May 27th, so three months. Yes, they have announced the acts for the Garden Rocks shows at the American Gardens Theater at 53645 at 8 pm nightly.
Speaker 1:Yes, they made some updates recently, like this weekend to some of the acts.
Speaker 2:So you've got the vibe, who I've never heard of, jason Chef, who I've never heard of. Those are February 28th, 29th and March 1st and 2nd, richard Marks.
Speaker 1:It's always a good one, yeah, Evolution Motown.
Speaker 2:That sounds like a you know greatest hits kind of band.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Berlin, March 8th, 9. So I haven't heard of them since Last Garden Rocks.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:Speaking of Rick Springfield. The 10th and 11th. That one will be busy there will be a lot of 60 year old women in that theater.
Speaker 1:Yes, there will.
Speaker 2:Dion Diane, I don't know Diaz, don't know who this person is either. Modern English they had that one song. I know New act, though I'd go see them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, actually we're there that weekend.
Speaker 2:I love Melt with you and I'm sure they had one other song I heard back in 1985.
Speaker 1:We are actually there that weekend.
Speaker 2:So you'd be Commodore's Foreigner's Journey. Without looking it up, I'm going to say that is a foreigner and journey cover band. Yes, the Orchestra which I think is part of what used to be ELO, I'm pretty sure. Okay, like the Electric Light Orchestra.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Funkified Mike Dell Judas I'm sure I'm saying that wrong the guy that plays with Billy Joel, who's there every year, right, so he's good though.
Speaker 1:He's very good, yes.
Speaker 2:The Pointer Sisters.
Speaker 1:You went down a rabbit hole on that.
Speaker 2:I shouldn't laugh because it's sad that two of them have passed away.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:It's not the Pointer Sisters. It's a Pointer Sister and her daughter and granddaughter Right.
Speaker 1:So it's the Pointers.
Speaker 2:Right Like, come on yeah, the Female Collective no idea. Yeah, blue October, I still love those guys.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:We'd get to meet with them and I know they were very cool. Yeah, they were super cool, like they were guys that were just happy to be there. Yep, crowder I don't know who that is either. Yep, okay, so this is funny On the 18th or, I'm sorry, on April 9th through 11th, are the Hooligans? Yes?
Speaker 1:Which we know them.
Speaker 2:Who I believe are currently playing in the UK Pavilion. I believe so as the Hooligans, I think, skipping ahead a week later, april 16th to 18th, the M80s, who are actually the same band, will be playing different songs. Yes, they're awesome, and it sucks that those are Tuesday to Thursday.
Speaker 1:I know I'm telling you I think we need to just take a.
Speaker 2:They're a really good band yes, no matter who is playing with them that day, because they do rotate people in and out. Right, but they're a very good band.
Speaker 1:They're very good.
Speaker 2:In between you'll have Jody Messina and the flock of seagulls April 14th through 15th yes, they're playing white teas, then the champagne orchestra. So I looked them up. They are basically like a like postmodern jukebox.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But not that.
Speaker 1:But not postmodern jukebox.
Speaker 2:Yeah, top 40, but played in like big band era ways, right, but sounded pretty good. On the videos we just watched, yes, they did Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, so lots of. We built this city on rock and roll and that one, april 28th and 29th, hermann's Hermits starring Peter Dune, which is always a good one. Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's really good, yes.
Speaker 2:Then Southbound, montserr Perrine, may 4th, raul Acosta and Oro Solido with Magic Wand. On the May 5th, raul Acosta, oro Solido and Luisito Ayala at the Puerto Rican Power Band, and May 6th, Fonseca.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's kind of the Cinco de Mayo.
Speaker 2:That's Cinco de Mayo weekend, I guess. Yeah, well, it is. That's Saturday, sunday, monday, right Gilly and the Girl Band, that is a husband and wife acoustic band from the Orlando area. Then Simple Plan, yup Element. Don't know who, they are Not sure. Still don't know who Simple Plan was, and we were there for it last year.
Speaker 1:I know and I believe Sam was very excited about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, the Spinners. So here's one I'm very excited about is Sister Hazel. I love those guys.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Florida Band had a couple of big hits Yup, sound a little bit like Counting Crows but better. So from the University of Florida went to school with a friend of ours Epic Live on May 21st through the 23rd. This one surprises me so much Lit, yes, like that is not a Disney-ish band to me.
Speaker 1:I think we need to go over for that one.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I'm just saying it's not like a Disney band.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There may be some self-censoring in some of those songs, maybe. And then the last group is gonna be Casting Crows May 26th and 27th. So a lot of good ones, yes, there are. I think I need to take February through May off and we'll just go. There are a lot of concerts.
Speaker 1:Okay, sure, yeah.
Speaker 2:A lot of good concerts coming. Yeah there really are.
Speaker 1:So I think it's a festival, Because it's nice, because you don't necessarily especially if it's when you're like I like to listen to home I really don't wanna sit in the fight to sit, you know, stand in line to sit in the crowd and then you couldn't.
Speaker 2:Well, that's the thing about the eat to the beat, or whatever they call it for this one. Right, there's a lot of local bands Right.
Speaker 1:And they're good bands.
Speaker 2:They are, but I'm not sure, right. So, like Herman, herman's Herbents, right, people are gonna plan their trip to go over there, at least people from like around Florida. Right To go see him them, right Him, it's Peter Noon with a band, right, you know, sister Hazel. I know people that will go over for that concert, right, no offense. But like Gilly and the girl I don't know, right, you know, right, right, so anyway, yeah, but there's some of them.
Speaker 1:I'm very excited about.
Speaker 2:Okay, so on to our main subject. Yes, so we went over on Friday. It was not the plan. No, like the plan was, we were going over Saturday just to see Amanda. Yes, and then we were like, well, you know, it'd be easier if we go over Friday night and then we can go Saturday, you know be there Saturday. And then it was well, we should just stay Saturday.
Speaker 1:Well, cause I was thinking we already over there.
Speaker 2:cause it's such, it's an effort to yeah, yeah, yeah, we got to drop the dogs off and pick the dogs up.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:Right. So so Thursday we began scrambling. You know, we probably should find somewhere to stay then.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And for Friday night, the best thing we came up with because we had points.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Was to stay at the Wyndham Garden, in which we have stayed at a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we hadn't stayed there in a while.
Speaker 2:We have not, I'll bet you. It's been a year since we stayed there, probably at least Because Wyndham ticked me off. They locked me out of the account. They had stupid answers for my security questions, like I still don't know what they were Right, they weren't even yours. My mother's maiden name has not changed, right.
Speaker 1:So I think it's been well over a year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, probably. So anyway, they may be bad, so I hadn't been staying with them.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:But I got it unlocked and maybe some more now.
Speaker 1:Right, so we tried to book Friday and Saturday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, but we only had one night on points.
Speaker 1:Right, but you could still do that where you book one and then book the other, right, yeah, I get it.
Speaker 2:But so we tried to do Friday night and we got Friday night, yeah. So we had a cash room for Saturday and there weren't any available.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And then for some reason I put in I don't know why I thought this would matter, but I put in Friday and Saturday night paying cash and they had rooms for Friday and Saturday night, right. So if I went back and put in, like cash on Friday night and points on Saturday night, nope, no rooms on Saturday, right. So it was really weird.
Speaker 2:Like they didn't want somebody just spending Saturday night there, apparently. So that was a bit annoying, but we made it work, right. So we, uh, we got our Friday night room and then we went to hot wire and we found a uh, we were pretty sure we knew what hotel it was, based on the resort fee and hitting refresh a couple of times, yeah, and it looked like it was going to be a Marriott resort and I have to be honest with you, I've never stayed. There were some chains like not to call people out, but you can go to a comfort in and it's like really nice hotel for a hundred bucks, right, and then you can go to a comfort in that is a not very nice hotel for 150.
Speaker 1:Right. So you have no idea what you're getting, because most of those are very independently owned, right.
Speaker 2:Wyndham has a tendency to do that with some of their labels and choice has a tendency of that with some of their labels, right? Um, marriott not so much. No, I mean there are. There are some, I'm sure, some cheap Marriott's that you know probably aren't great, but overall Marriott's usually pretty pretty standard, pretty standardly a little more expensive and nice, right.
Speaker 1:And there, but it's a consistency too.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, so yeah, so we ended up getting the Marriott World Center, marriott Orlando World Center right, which is on World Center Drive. You take Epcot, you can take World Drive, epcot, world Drive. I think you thought it was straight out in Epcot, but whatever. Anyway, you're on property, you start driving off property and there it is. Like maybe it is maybe it changes from World Drive to World Center Drive when you get off property and um, and there's the Marriott World Center, and it is it world to itself is enormous.
Speaker 1:Massive Because we were coming in. There are four towers, yeah.
Speaker 2:North, Southeast West.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:I'm not even sure how many floors. There were A lot. We were on the seventh floor of the West Tower.
Speaker 1:Right and there was towers above us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just don't remember how many.
Speaker 1:There were. There were eight on ours, so I think there were eight on each.
Speaker 2:So there were eight floors at each tower. Man from the lobby it was like we were staying at Beach Club or Animal Kingdom. It was a long way to our room.
Speaker 1:Very long way. Now, when we left the next morning, it actually wasn't as bad going back. I think it was just we had no idea where we were going.
Speaker 2:Well, partially. They have 10 restaurants.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:At this world center. Right, they had a 200 foot water slide. Yes, they have.
Speaker 1:I mean a lazy river.
Speaker 2:A lazy river.
Speaker 1:Then they have a regular gigantic pool, a game room that's like half the floor.
Speaker 2:Yes, on one floor.
Speaker 1:Yes, and then next to it was there was this central pantry, which was basically, it was probably.
Speaker 2:The convenience store.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it was probably as big as the confectionary. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So you know, you need drinks, snack food yeah. Toiletries whatever.
Speaker 1:That was just food.
Speaker 2:Oh, that was just food.
Speaker 1:Just food and alcohol.
Speaker 2:Okay, they had another place where you could get, like you know, deodorant razors Right, and then there was like three other shops next to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was just on the first floor. Then there was like four other shops on the main floor.
Speaker 2:It was a mile and 0.9 miles actually from our room to Disney Springs. We could see Disney and we had a view of the parking lot, but we actually had a view of Disney Springs and we could see the Epcot ball.
Speaker 1:for our balcony.
Speaker 2:Yes and not like oh. If I lean over this way, I can almost see it it was like we had a view of Epcot and Disney Springs from our balcony? Yes, so that was super cool too.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:It was under $200 on hot wire.
Speaker 1:Right and I looked on the Bon Voy app while we were there and with AAA it was like $253 for that night.
Speaker 2:Right and that was that night Right Getting it, so I was super happy with that. If we can get it for that price, because that it actually ended up being on hot wire cheaper than the Fairfield or the residents that we like so much over in Flamingo Crossing.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:It had a resort fee of $47. Yeah, right, but that $47 resort fee still made it less than $200. Right, so it was awesome and the room was really nice.
Speaker 1:It was very nice, the one. I know it's crazy, but the one thing I really liked is because it was, all you know, like wood flooring, wood like flooring, but it had carpet.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the tile that looks like wood.
Speaker 1:Right, but then it had carpet at the floor level underneath the bed, so when you get yeah, like an area around the bed. Right, but it was built into the floor so when you get in and out of bed you can put your feet on carpet kind of wipe them off and then get into bed.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Which was super cold and it had good pillows, which is. My one problem with the residents in the Fairfield is their pillows are like air Right, so we always have to ask for extra pillows, yeah. We didn't have to there.
Speaker 1:Yes, so it had a very small refrigerator that actually had a temperature control on it. Yeah, it didn't have a microwave. It had a little tiny little self coffee maker, had a nice desk.
Speaker 2:It had drawers yeah, it would have been a nice place to stay for several days, but it was a great place to stay overnight.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And, like I said, it was 0.9 miles, because I put it in when we were in the room we were 0.9 miles from Disney Springs.
Speaker 1:Right, and, like I said, I had the laser, I had a ginormous pool and three giant screens showing movies that I'm sure was going to show the game, things like that, and apparently they have a laser show at the pool at night, right?
Speaker 2:So one of the options for a room or pool slash a laser show view.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So I don't know that I had to pay it extra for it.
Speaker 1:No, but if you're going downstairs for kids.
Speaker 2:I like to being able to see the balloon going up and down and the lights changing on the up cut ball.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So that was cool. Yes, so it was a lot more TV channels than the residents in the Fairfield.
Speaker 1:Yes, and the internet was stable, so we didn't. It didn't break up. Yeah, that's one of the things we have with the res that residents because it's internet.
Speaker 2:It's like streaming TV.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There and sometimes it like pauses, yeah, and for some reason that that residents in and I'm not complaining about the hotel. I love the hotel and we'll continue to stay there.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:But it's just. But if you're getting ready for bed at like, you know nine o'clock right, and you throw on Nickelodeon Nick at night.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's friends, right, but the whole thing is being played on like one and a quarter speed. Yeah, only that station. But it annoys me to death because everybody's voice is just a little bit too high and a little bit too fast.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it's weird because it was the first time it came on. I came out of the bathroom going what's wrong with Monica's voice? Cause we were watching friends, I go. What's wrong with the voice?
Speaker 2:And I was like I don't know cause, I'm almost asleep.
Speaker 1:But this, this Marriott, was just amazing.
Speaker 2:It was maybe not quite as nice, but it was like day Lord palms.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Omni down the road, kind of. You know convention center huge. Yeah, we valed the car that took that was a little. That took longer than it does at Disney, Um, because there's just so many people Right.
Speaker 2:So, um, and I mean, in fairness, we got there like eight o'clock Saturday night and we were leaving at like 10 o'clock on Sunday morning with everybody else in the hotel right 1030, whatever it was. So you know, in fairness, we got there kind of peak times, but the valley did take a little longer, and especially on Saturday morning. I had um Sunday Sunday morning sorry, I had called down to request the car and it was still like 15, 20 minutes.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:But they were just packed and I get it, they were. They were packed Right. So but it was a really nice hotel, yeah. So Friday we got there, we uh, first thing we did was we went to Epcot.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Because I needed to get my magnet and you needed to cash in your cookie stroll thing.
Speaker 1:Yes, my color, wonderful color thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, whatever it's called.
Speaker 1:It's a really cool um artist palette cookie which I did have last night. It was actually very tasty.
Speaker 2:And like a blackberry smoothie.
Speaker 1:Yes, or berry or Right. Usually it's like ice cream.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this was like a smoothie, this was an actual smoothie and it was delicious.
Speaker 1:Probably had more sugar in it than the ice cream, but Well, but that's okay. I can't eat the ice cream, so I was happy I could have the smoothie.
Speaker 2:Right, we went to check in. Our room was not ready yet, but we at least got the check in part done and just had to go pick up keys later. Right, and we went to Disney Springs. We started off. We got there a little bit before four, yes, and the outside bar at City Works and the outside bar at House of Blues were both not open yet Correct, so we went inside at House of Blues.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we were gonna go to City Works, but it was cheerleading again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there were like 80 cheerleaders lined up at the counter. The bar was empty and they were not gonna go sit at the bar. We could have just walked in inside of the bar, but it just looked like something miserable was about to happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah that we were gonna hear all sorts of girls going. Hey, yeah, so we went to House of Blues.
Speaker 2:Like God bless them all for having fun. But I heard some like horror stories on Facebook about like haunted mansion rides with groups of cheerleaders and stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh, that would have been.
Speaker 2:That I've heard a million times before about how they go through haunted mansion doing cheers the whole time, and you know, yeah, so that can't be? Show a little respect.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we went to inside bar at House of Blues, yeah which we have never, ever sat at before. Right, it was really funny. He goes, let's go to the inside bar. I'm like, for a split second I went. There's an inside bar, yeah, I mean it was just that split second. I'm like, well, where do they get drinks? Of course there's an inside bar, right, and I knew it, but it was that split second because we've never been to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Carrie was our bartender. She was great she was amazing. She was from somewhere in the UK. Yes, and John met up with us there. Jason met up with us there, mm-hmm. So we hung out there for a little bit. Yeah, had like two drinks and and she made good drinks. She did, yeah, yes, and then we went to homecoming yes, to the outside there.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I took off.
Speaker 2:Yeah and again just kind of basically filled up our squeeze bottles.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:At homecoming, Homecoming's good. They don't have, like you know, House of Blues. We were there early so the band wasn't playing, but we know they have typically live music inside and outside. About dark is when it really starts on weeknights, including Friday night, Homecoming. Doesn't they have piped in music? But you know just through speakers, right, but it was still good and when you have that squeeze bottle it's pretty affordable.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:So we hung out there. I don't think anybody had anything to eat there either.
Speaker 1:John had John ate it. I'm sorry, jason ate at House of Blues.
Speaker 2:Jason did.
Speaker 1:Jason had the brisket slider or whatever it was Right Sandwich.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. Right, Okay, After homecoming we went to. We go to Haleo first.
Speaker 1:Oh, we did go to Haleo first, sorry, Before homecoming we went to.
Speaker 2:I forgot about this. We got out of order.
Speaker 1:Yes, we went to Haleo, correct?
Speaker 2:For happy hour, mm-hmm. We were able to sit at the inside bar. There were maybe 10 seats at the bar About there and we had four of them.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:We got the cod fritters.
Speaker 1:Okay, we got the croquettes right, the ham, the ham, the chicken croquettes. Oh the chicken croquettes right.
Speaker 2:And we got the pan con tomate, yes, which that's just bread with like tomato puree on them. But it is so much better than it should be and that was the opinion of all of us like such a simple dish, right, it was so much better than it should be, right. That pan con tomate was six bucks for the happy hour serving.
Speaker 1:And it's six pieces. You know it, it was six pieces.
Speaker 2:It was the same serving as what we had on the dinner menu with Michelle Right At dinner. It's six pieces, it's $14. Right, so we could have gotten two At happy hour. It was the same serving, maybe not presented quite as well. Like it wasn't as pretty on the plate. Right, it was $6. I don't really care how it's presented, so much for how the bread is presented, right, but it was six bucks and it's just delicious, like it's not heavy, it tastes really good, like, just, it was good. We got the chicken croquettes, mm-hmm. Okay, at dinner the chicken. So the chicken fritters, right, right, they came with five for $14.
Speaker 1:For dinner, for dinner, and we got four.
Speaker 2:For the sangria hour Right, we got four, six bucks Right. The cod fritters there was four of them. There were four of them. Happy hour price $6.50. Mm-hmm, at dinner they were $15. I do not know how many of them come at dinner. Right, how many of them were there?
Speaker 1:Four, four, I'm gonna guess five or six, I'm gonna guess five. Right based on the other stuff Based on the fact of the other croquettes 15 bucks Right At dinner, Right and again sangria hour $6.50. $6.50. And that's from four to six. Right Was this sangria hour. It has it up at the time. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, four to six, yeah four to six.
Speaker 2:No discounts, even on food during sangria hour. Now you see why it's half price.
Speaker 1:Right. At worst it's half price.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then Jason and I both had sangria, you guys had the sangria roja laswetka, which was delicious, brutie, spiced macerated wine on tap for seven bucks a glass.
Speaker 1:And that was well worth it. It was delicious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was in a highball glass, it wasn't like a huge and it wasn't in a wine glass, right?
Speaker 1:And it wasn't a huge wine glass.
Speaker 2:Right, but it was a pretty darn good drink for seven bucks. Yes, I got a Diet Coke and it came in a bottle Mm-hmm With a glass and ice, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It came in a glass bottle. Yes, and I made the offhand comment about it. I bet if I'd ordered a regular Coke, it was Mexican Coke.
Speaker 2:Right, it was like a thing, it even says it on the label, right Like, or on menus. Usually it's like Mexican Coke, mm-hmm, you know, and I don't know. Maybe I had seen it on their menu or something before. But anyway, I asked her. I said, where is this bottle? And she goes in Mexico. I was like I knew it, because that's the only people that still use glass, right, that was kind of cool to see a glass Coke bottle Again for the first time in a long, long time.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Long, long, long time. It's the kid's meal. I forgot he said that. So the tomato bread is six bucks, the chicken croquettes though 11.
Speaker 2:So I guess not, but yeah, it was full-size serving so maybe it went in the kid's meal. Alejo was awesome and our server, slash bartender, was great. She was very cool. She was. Yeah, she was fun. Yeah, you know they weren't busy enough at the bar there directly that she couldn't spend some time and you know, talk to us and tell us about things, right. So it was good, it was a good time and we were able to sit close enough together that we could. It was quiet enough we could talk, right. So very much enjoyed it. Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, bottled Coke.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it says. It does say right on the menu bottled soda $5, mexican Coke, mexican Sprite Diet Coke or Fever Tree Ginger Bear.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:But it is. See, it's funny that that's a thing. Mexican Coke, mexican Sprite, yeah, yeah, oh, there you go. So the same Korea you guys had outside of mark of saying Korea hour Would have been 12 bucks down. I don't know if it's a bigger glass. I.
Speaker 1:Don't think so but 12 bucks, Uh-huh yeah cuz saying regular sangria would have been in a wine glass. Yeah, so I, based on the pricing of everything else, I pretty sure it's the same glass.
Speaker 2:Yeah, probably so. Happy hours when to go? Yeah, you know. But again, we said before, Haleo was not as expensive as even what the menu says, when you look at how many dollar signs it shows right, we were very surprised when we went with as long as you stay away from the paella right, we went with Michelle.
Speaker 1:We were very surprised how affordable it was. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So Haleo was great, mm-hmm. Then we went to homecoming right and we were walking out there and we were just trying to, we were trying to do different stuff, and we were walking out and saw Raglan Road and I went. You know, we haven't seen our friend Michael lately, so we went in and we were probably there 15 minutes before we were able to find seats at the bar. Yeah, so I was great. We spent the rest of the night Hanging out with our friend Michael and James James who's? You may question this, but like the lead male dancer, I think he is. I think so.
Speaker 1:Kick his note. You can kick himself in the nose at the top of the head.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, but he came up and talked to us a couple of times because he saw us there and yeah, yeah, so it was super cool. Like you know, people thought we were somebody.
Speaker 1:I know and we just met nice people around there.
Speaker 2:They were being very nice, Mm-hmm yeah we met some yeah, just people sitting at the bar that were cool to hang out with. It's so cool if you can get to the bar, right. Is it loud? Yes, because there's tap dancers making noise, there's a band playing, there's a million people in Raglan Road all the time. Right, but three of us were still able to be at the bar. Talk Mm-hmm, have a good time. Yep, didn't spend a million dollars. Got onion rings. My god, their onion rings were good.
Speaker 1:Yes, and they're massive and crispy. Uh-huh, I mean, they were probably what this is, but what? Four inches diameter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they weren't a cone, they came in a cone.
Speaker 1:They came in a cone right.
Speaker 2:Like you know, usually you get one that's four inches and they get smaller up to the top. But this wasn't like that.
Speaker 1:They were all like big right, and their cone ones are big, so that way you can put the bigger ones in it too.
Speaker 2:Right, so it was good. You know, we just ate a lot of finger food.
Speaker 1:Yes, which was fine.
Speaker 2:It was great, yeah, we had a good time and, like I said, didn't spend a fortune. Raglan Road is like my favorite place bar none, yeah, well.
Speaker 1:I tend to get.
Speaker 2:I love House of Blues. I love you know, but I tend to.
Speaker 1:For me, I tend to get a price of your drink there only because they make it so well. Yeah, the Expression espresso. Yeah, yeah, it's just, it's so good and I know it.
Speaker 2:I know it's a little pricey here because it's 50.
Speaker 1:It's what, at least 15 bucks, but I'm like you know what, I don't care. Yeah, no, it's delicious, they make it and it's consistently made the same between bartenders, and it's also made with Jameson, not vodka and right, you know.
Speaker 2:so I mean it's a little more serious, yeah, and it's just outstanding, yeah and. You know we've gone there enough that we've met a couple people.
Speaker 1:I think I'm gonna go back to the.
Speaker 2:You know we've gone there enough that we've met a couple people. Yeah, Makes it cool to hang out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah so and it's just the entertainment, the dancers just amazed you. Every time the, the band is always good. I mean, there is no doubt that Raglan Road gets their pick of musical acts. Oh yeah, and we know, like for the Hooli back in September, that they flew a band in from Ireland. Yes, you know for that weekend, like they do get their pick of bands right. So it was very fun and in an enjoyable time. Mm-hmm and we're and none of the places individually broke the bank.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:But Haleo from four to six is like the place on the must-do list, oh yeah so very much. You know we talked about SDK or Haleo, and SDK's Happy hour menu is just weak.
Speaker 1:Yeah like.
Speaker 2:The food Was not impressive, portion-wise or taste-wise, mm-hmm, and they had just a handful of drinks that were on the discount menu right where you know, like everything was on the same gray hour menu.
Speaker 1:Well.
Speaker 2:The same grias were, but all the food right that they had and they had a pretty good menu for for Singria hour right.
Speaker 1:It's a happy hour and member house of blues.
Speaker 2:Their drinks were very Affordable house of blues, where, yeah, for homecoming they were, they were pretty cheap. Yeah we got there. Um, Carrie knew how to pour a drink.
Speaker 1:Yes, she did, and they were good priced.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it was good. Stops some like I said, some places we go a lot Haleo it's only a second time we've been to Haleo and first time we've been there for something like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it wasn't. Let's just go eat. Yeah, and I'm more than happy to go back there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah so. So that was Friday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was Friday, so that's it. We recommend them all, but I mean, if you're gonna hang out for a while, mm-hmm, and not eat, like you just want to hang out, chill, maybe have an appetizer or two, right, haleo, house of blues, raglan Road. Yes, hello, you got to get there the right time, though. Yes, I don't think the vibe would be the same at eight o'clock. No, where at Raglan Road and house of blues that it is?
Speaker 2:Yes, you know, yes, very much so so but Haleo, from four to six, go there go there yes. Okay, so that is gonna wrap up another episode of the podcast. As always, thanks everyone for listening to us. Yeah, the easiest way to support the show is just tell somebody Like, follow, subscribe all of that. If you like us enough, give us a five-star review.
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Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Tell them, give us a, give us a listen, see if they like it. If you want to follow us on Instagram, it's mickey file underscore podcast. Facebook group is the mickey file improvement district and our email address is mickey file podcast at gmailcom. Aloha, good night everybody, thank you.