The morning after we rolled into Daytona Beach we awoke refreshed and ready for a new day.
We had breakfast outside at the hotel’s Ocean Terrace restaurant, with a beautiful view of the ocean.
I had pancakes and bacon for breakfast (excellent). A better value than the “Feast of Gaston” too.
In the previous two blog posts about our Disney trip, I posted a picture of an Otis Elevator repairman. While we were at the Delta Hotels Daytona Beach Oceanfront, one of the elevators was out of service. As a result, the single remaining operating elevator was a popular place.
The repairman was headed into the hotel when we were leaving to return to Orlando. He actually asked us which elevator was having issues as we headed out of the lot.
When we arrived back in Orlando, we went shopping at The Mall at Millenia. It is a pretty upscale mall featuring brands like Apple, Burberry, and Nieman Marcus.
I decided to see if I could get some miles in while we were there (my Apple Watch keeps track of that), so I headed out into the mall.
Out of nowhere my nephew appeared — wanting to hang out with me.
We decided to peruse the mall ourselves.
Blaise requested I take his picture in front of the Under Armour store. He had Under Armour gear on that day.
Then we checked out the Apple Store.
Blaise played a game on a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone XR.
Then Blaise reminded me that we walked by a cookie store in the mall, so we decided to head there and get a couple cookies and a couple bottles of water.
We eventually met up with the others and did a bit more shopping.
On the way out of the mall, we saw a Tesla Model X P90D. I love Teslas, so I had to take a picture.
Our next stop was lunch at “The World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s,” which is in Orlando. It is a two-story complex that offers traditional McDonald’s fare, along with made-to-order meals such as Fettucine Alfredo (which Bridget ordered). She gave it a B-minus. It was lukewarm and the bacon bits offered as an add-on weren’t crispy.
I got the Philly Cheesesteak. It was okay.
For dessert, Bridget got a piece of chocolate cake and I got a piece of cheesecake. (This is no ordinary McDonald’s, as you can tell!) Theresa also gave me a piece of the pepperoni pizza she ordered.
We ate upstairs — close to the arcade and play area (which Blaise and Scotland were very excited about).
Basically, it is like a Chuck E. Cheese and a McDonald’s had a child. Which means — if you have kids — it’ll be the most expensive McDonald’s you’ve visited. ;-)
We parted ways with Neil, Theresa, and the kids after lunch. They were headed back to Disney Springs to do more shopping.
Bridget and I headed back to our hotel at the Art of Animation resort.
I decided to take a long way around the property to see all the different themes — like the "Cars"-themed hotels.
I also walked over to the Pop Century resort and took some pictures there (the yo-yos that surround the staircases are pretty cool).
When I returned from the walk, we headed over to the Landscape of Foods food court/cafeteria and grabbed some dessert.
Bridget had a pineapple smoothie, I had a bottle of water. We shared a delicious Mickey-themed cupcake.
That was it for the night.
But never fear, we’d hit three Disney Parks the next day...as Bridget said, “Finish strong.”
Up next: In part 7 of the "Disney Trip" series, find out why a scuba diver was in this tank at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
We left Orlando and headed east to Daytona Beach to spend the night at Delta Hotels by Marriott Daytona Beach Oceanfront.
We’d never been to Daytona Beach before, but Theresa and Neil had been the previous year (and I know our friends Mike and Lindsay have visited the ocean there on trips to Florida).
On the way into town we drove by Daytona International Speedway, which made me think of the movie “Days of Thunder.” (One of our favorite movies.)
Our first stop was at the hotel to check in.
The Delta Hotel was really lovely. Our room had a (partial) balcony view of the ocean, and the pillow top mattress on the bed was very comfortable.
Our room was terrific...
We headed down the main drag to the Ocean Walk Shoppes Mall and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. I had a cheeseburger.
A cheerleading competition of some sort was going on in town. Sitting at the bar (behind my nephew’s head) were some of the participants from Ohio State.
We got some treats at Rocket Fizz after lunch. (I miss Rocket Fizz. We used to have one in Omaha, but it closed a few years ago. It’s a great place to find the kind of candy you used to eat as a kid.)
It took us an inordinate amount of time to exit the parking garage attached to the mall. They charge per 30 minutes, and part of me wondered if they were milking the clock at the exit booths. Bridget inquired about this, and the employee manning the booth got a bit defensive (which isn’t a denial).
Back at the hotel, we changed into swimming attire and headed out the back to the beach.
The beach was glorious. The day was a bit overcast and there was a nice breeze blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean.
I spent an hour walking up and down the beach. The tide rolled in over my feet, and seagulls dotted the landscape.
The waves were strong. Neil, Theresa, Bridget, and the kids walked out a fair distance.
The Delta Hotel has a pool overlooking the beach and ocean. The entire patio area at the hotel was nice. (The baby pool was cute!)
The whole experience was incredibly relaxing.
After everyone was cleaned and clothed, we headed out for dinner at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. I didn’t get a picture of dinner. I got the Classic Prime Rip Dip (not spectacular).
Neil — who was still on dessert moratorium because of Lent — had been telling us about a cookie-based dessert the restaurant offered, called a “Pizookie.”
I will say that the Salted Caramel Pizookie was good.
(We had “less-than-stellar” service while we were at the restaurant. It was frustrating because Neil and Theresa — and our friends Mike and Lindsay — had good experiences in the past. We’ll figure this dinner trip was a fluke and hope for better things next time.)
When we got back to the hotel, parking spaces were at a premium (it was after 11 p.m. at that point). We had kind of a funny moment where Neil was backing in the rental car for Bridget (in one of the narrow stalls) and we were both giving him directions from the front and rear of the vehicle.
My nephew Blaise watched from a distance and said, “I could watch this all day, Jonny Boy.”
We had terrific day at Daytona Beach.
One note: I inadvertently used the photo below as a “teaser” for this post in the fourth part of the “Disney Trip” series. Well, you're not going to learn about that guy until the “next” post in the series. Stay tuned.
Welcome back to the fourth part of my blog series on my first-ever visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando.
For those who have been following along, I covered our “rest day” in the third part of the series. It was definitely good to take a break, but I was excited to get back to Disney World.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was next on the agenda.
I was particularly interested in this park because it houses “Toy Story Land” and a number of “Star Wars” attractions.
The day got off to a bit of a rocky start. Bridget and I inadvertently slept longer than our schedule dictated.
Theresa had mentioned to me the day before it would be an early start due to the fact that there isn’t a lot of shade at Hollywood Studios.
I didn’t communicate that fact to Bridget (I assumed she knew). When we were up and ready, the rest of our family had already left for the park to get a start on the day.
(This is the point where I worried our companions were getting tired of us, and wanted a break. So I knew I had better be on best behavior at the park.)
As it turned out, we weren’t far behind.
The first attraction we visited was Toy Story Land. It is as cute as you might imagine.
The whole section of the park is decorated with giant Tinker Toys, wood blocks, and other large-format toys featured in the movies.
Toy Story Land is lit by large-size Christmas lights.
First on the agenda was a ride on Slinky Dog Dash — a fun and fast roller coaster centered in the section. The line to get on the ride moved surprisingly fast, although it was about a 20-minute wait. (We didn't have a FastPass+ for this ride; we stood in the standby line.) Theresa and Scotland had already taken a spin and decided to go again with us.
Bridget said it was her favorite of the rides she tried at Disney World. I enjoyed it, too. Neil got this picture of us on the ride. (I’m in the front row, wearing a white t-shirt.)
Below is the photo we received of our trip on Slinky Dog Dash from Disney... Theresa, Scotland, and Bridget all look great in the photo. I look like my accountant just told me I owe the IRS $10,000:
Before I get into the ride itself, the holding line was decorated with more fun toy decorations throughout — including a talking Mr. Potato Head, UNO cards (you know we had to get a photo with that!), Scrabble, and Monopoly.
In Toy Story Mania!, you shoot virtual balls by pulling a string on the gun in your car to try and hit targets on a digital screen.
I went with Theresa on this ride (Bridge and Scotland were in the adjacent car). She pretty much smoked my score on the game.
After the ride, we had to dash (no pun intended) to the Magic Kingdom because we had lunch scheduled at The Plaza Restaurant. We took a shuttle bus from Hollywood Studios to Magic Kingdom.
We also had park tickets that allowed us to “park hop” during our stay. Some types of tickets don’t let you switch between parks during a single day. (We found it worth the extra money. We switched parks on two of our three days at Disney.)
Neil (who had given up sweets for Lent) suggested that Bridget and I get the “All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Milk Shake” ($9).
So we did. The shakes are excellent (I got strawberry). Bridget had two shakes (she shared the first one with Anson). She started with vanilla and switched to mint chocolate chip. I only opted to get one.
Neil — who was enduring a dessert-free trip — tried to convince me to get another.
As it happened, Neil just had cheese fries (it was a Friday in Lent and there weren’t many meatless choices on the menu) — but you’ll notice he’s wearing a Marvel superhero shirt, so he was definitely “on brand” for a Disney visit.
As I write this, I am kicking myself for not getting another shake. I just figured I’d need a nap if I did.
(Neil, Theresa, Bridget and I all think Disney World needs to create “Dreamland” at WDW so attendees can take naps and get massages during park visits.)
I had the Angus Chuck Cheeseburger with another round of Disney’s Homemade Chips for lunch ($20). It was very tasty. While we were there, a Disney representative came in (I think he said he was a member of the City Council) and proclaimed a young boy “Mayor of the Day,” awarding him and his family a “golden ticket” which Theresa said is an unlimited FastPass+ for the rest of the day. This apparently happens every day around lunchtime. That would have been nice to have.
After lunch, it was back to Hollywood Studios. We took the shuttle bus back. It was definitely more crowded the second time around.
The day was beautiful, but hot. So, we opted to visit “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” — a 30-minute musical production in an air-conditioned theater.
We waited outside to get in. Anson was watching Bridget's iPhone.
It was a pretty fun show. The onstage talent was funny and kept things moving (real life cast members were interspersed with song clips from the movie).
I got this picture of the “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” as we left. I had hoped to see the show at some point, but it didn’t happen.
Our next stop was the “Disney Junior Dance Party” — another indoor, air-conditioned attraction. The name is pretty self-explanatory. There was dancing as Disney characters performed on stage. Scotland had a terrific time.
Once the party concluded, we headed over to the town square to see the “March of the First Order.” It was toasty in the sea of concrete.
When Captain Phasma and the J.J. Abrams-era Stormtroopers marched out, I couldn’t help but wonder how hot it was in those costumes. I managed to get my selfie with one.
It’s at this point that my iPhone decided to overheat (I got a warning on my screen). I’ve had this happen once before (at a College World Series game a couple years ago). As a result, I couldn’t use my flash at the “Star Wars Launch Bay.”
But I did manage to get some pictures of the merchandise in the store.
Bridget got some pictures of Scotland with some of the characters there. I was happy she captured some, because the attraction allows fans to see characters (Kylo Ren makes appearances) and props from the movies.
Then Darth Vader showed up...
We had a FastPass+ for “Star Tours.” It is a 3D space flight simulator where you ride a Starspeeder 1000 — hoping to escape Imperial Forces looking for a Rebel spy (ours was Scotland).
I thought it was a lot of fun, but wish the ride had been longer. Bridget got kind of nauseous during it.
Outside of Star Tours is “Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple” — a chance for kids to don Jedi robes and try out their lightsaber skills.
There is also an Ewok Village set outside of Star Tours (I wonder if any of the Disney cast members show up dressed as Wicket and Logray?):
A giant AT-AT anchors the whole attraction together:
Disney is currently working on its new “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” (set to open August 29, 2019). I took a picture of the entrance to the attraction:
It sounds like it will be a lot of fun. They talked about “Galaxy’s Edge” at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration in Chicago (which took place during the week we were in Florida):
I’ll have to make a return trip to experience it.
After visiting “a galaxy far, far away,” we had another photo op moment with Mickey Mouse at “Mickey and Minnie Starring in Red Carpet Dreams” (it was right around the corner from Star Tours).
After photos with the mice, we sat in the shade and tried to figure out our next move. It was about 6:30 p.m. at this point. Everyone was famished.
We decided on dinner at Catalina Eddie’s (since they offered mobile ordering on the Disney Experience app). Bridget and I both got Caesar Salads (mine had chicken and cost $9.99) and an order of breadsticks ($4.99).
I also decided to try the Strawberry Lemonade Slushy ($5.99).
This is where things got weird.
You’d think the slushy would be pretty straightforward, but it had a unique bite to it. At first I thought it had alcohol in it. (I don’t drink alcohol, but it had a fermented essence.) The rim of the cup was ringed with a large-grain sugar. It was peculiar.
I ambled over to the Once Upon a Time gift shop to see if I could find one of the Toy Story Land t-shirts I’d seen people wearing at the park. They had them in stock, and they had one in XL:
Then I was off to my doom.
One of the most popular rides at Hollywood Studios is “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.”
Neil had been talking about it all day. The ride is ensconced in an old-timey looking hotel, and involves a haunted elevator-style lift that drops you several floors. (Rod Serling provides narration.)
I went on the ride with Neil, Theresa, and Scotland. I wasn’t excited about it, but for the sake of this blog, I tried it out.
It was scary, but entertaining. When we were first belted into the elevator chairs, one girl opted to leave the ride and take the exit.
The picture Disney got of us was fun. Neil, Theresa, and Scotand looked great. I looked Iike I just had a sip of the Strawberry Lemonade Slushy from Catalina Eddie's:
Bridget waited outside with Anson and Blaise. We were able to convince Blaise to try the ride when we went again. (He wasn’t amused afterward... I can’t say I blame him. I am proud of him for trying it, though.)
Bridget and I had this pic taken of Anson and Scotland by the PhotoPass photographer while we waited for the others (The Tower of Terror is in the background):
We also got this group shot (our "Easter" photo) taken before going on the “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” ride:
Once we were all done scaring ourselves, we made our way to the town square for “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.”
It’s a “Star Wars” fireworks show with clips and audio from the movie (as well as laser lights and very large, very warm bursts of flame).
Before the “Star Wars” show ensued, they projected clips from various Disney movies over the years onto the building.
The “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” show was pretty neat — especially if you’re a “Star Wars” fan like I am.
However, the show isn’t nearly as good as the closing show at Magic Kingdom.
As I’m writing this blog post, I learned that they also offer a “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party” — which gives attendees SW-themed desserts and drinks (plus a souvenir stein) and then a chance to watch the show from a reserved area.
I didn’t see any evidence of this when we were there, but maybe I’ll investigate for the next time we go.
With the summation of the “Star Wars” show, another long day at Disney World came to a conclusion.
I enjoyed Hollywood Studios. It isn’t quite as compelling as the Magic Kingdom, but the addition of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” later this year should add a bit more depth to the experience. I also hope they are able to develop more rides for “Toy Story Land” in the future (because it’s really cool).
Next up: Learn how this man saves the day in Daytona Beach...
