Today's the day! The real reason I'm here in Florida!

But not so fast, because it was essential to start the day with Tonga Toast at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

It's sublimely delicious... made with a thick piece of Sourdough French Toast which has been filled with sliced bananas then covered in sugar and cinnamon...

Then it was time for a Very Merrytime Cruise aboard the Disney Wish!

Some background...

I have cruised with Disney three times before... twice with my mom because she loved cruises. But they were their original two ships, The Magic and The Wonder, which are much smaller than The Wish. And less crowded. This is my second Christmas cruise, which Disney does very well...

Fast-forwarding to the most exciting thing on this first day, I happened across some paintings which I thought were by one of my favorite contemporary artists, Kehinde Wiley (probably most famous to many as the artist behind President Obama's portrait)...

But they were not. The biggest clue being that they were relatively small, and Wiley paintings are mostly quite large. And the cool patterns that Wiley adds to his works were absent. But even so, it was thrilling for a second to think that I got to see Kehinde Wiley's works by accident instead of flying to an exhibition somewhere!

More excitement was to be had at my first night of rotational dining at the Worlds of Marvel restaurant, featuring Ant-Man and The Wasp...

Like most of the Disney restaurants, there's cool stuff going on while you eat. In this case there's a "demonstration" of the technology playing on the screens which goes very, very wrong... and requires some help of other Marvel heroes to resolve.

Interesting that the "towel sculpture" on Disney cruises is not with towels any more, it's with the cover that goes along the foot of the bed. Tonight it was a turtle...

And tommorrow it's land-ho.

Today was built around going to Magic Kingdom so I could visit the brand new Beak & Barrell Tavern, Disney's newest way to print money.

It's near The Pirates of The Caribbean attraction, and beautifully pirate-themed and jam-packed with cool stuff from top to bottom, and there's hidden surprises throughout...

Before I even made the reservation (which is very difficult for West Coasters since they start taking them at 4am Pacific Time and are gone immediately), I knew I wanted to try the Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes with Roasted Corn and Poblano Peppers. I had heard they were excellent (and they live up to the hype).

But here's the thing... though there is seating available, there's also standing tables. Which makes eating more of a challenge than it should be. Especially when they stand you half-way between the accessible dip in the table and the tall table top, meaning you have to eat on a small corner away from your plate...

Now, I get it... they have to pack in as many people as possible, so they can't have sit-down tables for everybody (and I am very glad that they have an accessible spot for somebody in a wheelchair), but they should really prioritize seating for people who are there to eat. Otherwise, they shouldn't bother serving food at all.

I did get a very cool souvenir mug with my $46 Plunderer’s Punch though (a tempting blend of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Blackberry, Lime, and Vanilla)...

Unfortunately, this was another day of rain. But this time it was a torrential flood, as faithfully indicated by Carrot Weather...

Hopping over to Epcot resulted in canceled Lightning Lanes all over the place due to ride closures, so calling it an early day only made sense.

And there you go. A cool experience with fantastic drinks and very, very good corn cakes. The Beak and Barrel is worth a visit, assuming you can manage to get a reservation.

Another Disney night, another Disney party.

This time the extra hours event called "Jollywood Nights" at Disney Hollywood Studios park. It's the more mature alternative to "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party" that I was at on Thursday. It's more show-oriented than anything else, but there's things for everybody to do. At least I hope so given that the event lasts until 1:30am...

It was cold, rainy, and I left before it shut down at 1:30am, as did most people. But not before wandering around the parking lot near-empty conditions to look around without crowds, especially Star Wars Land...

And thus ends another night at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

I've attempted to "drink around the world" on two occasions.

For those not in the know as to what that means, it's a Disney challenge where you have an alcoholic beverage from every pavillion in Epcot's World Showcase. There's 11 countries represented, which means 11 drinks. This wouldn't be a terrible challenge for me if I started drinking when they start serving alcohol around 11:00am, but I didn't get off work until 3:30 or 4:00 at the earliest, which means I only get around 5-6 hours to do it. Fortunately, the drinks are mostly weak because Disney doesn't want people getting plowed in their park, but it's still a chunk of alcohol in a relatively short time.

The first time I tried I started in Mexico and went clockwise. I stopped at United Kingdom because I couldn't stomach one more drink. The second time I went counter-clockwise thinking it would be easier to finish on a margarita in Mexico, but was again one drink short.

This time I didn't want to fail, so I started early and split some of my drinks. Which I think still counts, doesn't it? Here's how it went...

• Canada - Ottawa Apple, a delicious blend of Crown Royal, Apple Liqueur, and Cranberry Juice. My first drink which was the best drink of the day.
• United Kingdom - Cider and Fireball with Strongbow Cider, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, and Ginger Ale. Wisely, I split this one because double whiskey so early would have got me off to a poor start. Would have been better with an additional shot of Fireball.
• France - Dom Pérignon. I found Dom to be overrated and absurdly expensive after trying it decades ago. Wanting to know if it was just my tastebuds being immature, I decided to try it again. Nope. I was right. Still tasty for a champagne though.
• BONUS DRINK: The Garden Grill - Citrus Freeze a tasty blend of Orlando Orange Vodka, Peach Schnapps, and Mango Purée. This restaurant for lunch was how to get tickets for the Candlelight Processional.
• BONUS DRINK: Space 220 - Space Age Mule with Wheatley Vodka, Key Lime Pie Liqueur, Lime Juice, and Ginger Beer.
• Norway - Viking Coffee which has Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur and Kamora Coffee Liqueur mixed with Coffee. Since I hate coffee I split this one.
• China - Kung Fu Punch with Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango and Orange Juice. Thanks to the extra drinks I had, it was time to split this one too.
• Italy - Limoncello Mule includes Wild Sardinia vodka, Limoncello, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Peach Purée, Lime Juice and Ginger Beer. I split it... might not have if it didn't have ginger beer in the mix.
• Morocco - Blood Orange Mimosa made with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice. If I wasn't so full from all the drinking, I would have dove into the pastries which were offered to go with it.
• Mexico - Avocado Margarita which has Avocado, Tequila, Melon Liqueur, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice, and Agave. This was drank with dinner, so I had a whole one.
• Japan - Japanese Punch with Shōchū, Plum Wine, White Cranberry Juice, and Lemon Juice. Split because it was getting late.
• Germany - Beer. I split it, but not really. I only had a few swallows because the last thing I wanted was beer mixed with all the cocktails I've been drinking... but the Jäegermeister machine wasn't working so it was the only thing available in all of Germany.
• USA - Bud Light. After the Candlelight Processional with guest narrator Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Asohka in the cartoons!), it was time to tackle the most American drink in existence... Bud Light. Again, I didn't want to have beer, so I only had a few swallows, but it was enough to finish the challenge at long last.

As I mentioned, the first drink of the day, The Ottawa Apple, was a clear winner. Refreshingly delicious...

And here's Ashley at the CandleLight Processional...

The last thing of the evening was to use a Lightning Lane for the Living with the Land holiday overlay called "Glimmering Greenhouses" (there was no way I was standing in line for 90 minutes to do this)...

So... yeah... best to begin the minute they start serving alcohol, get mixed drinks so you're not flooded with beer bloat, pace yourself with food, and drink some water along the way. Probably also best to drink around the world in the winter when you're not having to get toasted while in the middle of heat stroke and humidity.

Thanks to the politics of our 27th state, traveling to Florida is something that gives me pause. The bigotry that's been pressed into policy is pretty disgusting, and has resulted in hate crimes exploding. It's so bad that actual travel advisories have been issued.

Though I'm in Walt Disney World, which is kind of a bubble unto its own, and makes any politics feel a world away.

Hey, weren't you in Disney World just a year ago? you might be asking?

Yes. Which you might remember from the two weeks of blog posts I dumped on Blogography (starting here).

Except I'm not here for Disney World, that's just something to do before the reason I'm here.

Tonight was spent at Magic Kingdom because it's time once again for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. An overtly shameless cash-grab by Disney. It's an after-hours event which has special food, merch, parades, characters, and other stuff... along with free hot cocoa and cookies. And magical projections on the castle as a Christmas stage show plays below...

Plus fireworks, of course...

Disney also advertises that you get to enjoy the attractions with shorter lines, but they oversell the event so badly that it's hardly the case. Lines were actually shorter during the day.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a separately-ticketed event which doesn't require a regular park ticket. If you pay to do it, then you get to enter the park at 4:00 and everybody who doesn't pay to do it has to leave by 6:00. As you might imagine, those two hours of overlap is crowded and crazy. Once the park can be reasonably sure that all the regular ticket riff-raff is gone, they start unleashing all the Christmas specialty stuff around 7:00 and keep it going until midnight.

I've never really found any of the after-hours events to be worth it. But I end up going to many of them anyway for something to do when I was working in Orlando. Plus the specialty foods are interesting. And my mom loved it, so I brought her along when I was there while the Christmas party was going...

If nothing else, you get to see Space Mountain lit up in Christmas colors...

And now I'm cold and dead tired and need to get to bed.

My worry about flying this time of year should be that there will be snow on the mountain passes making travel difficult and potentially causing me to miss my flight.

What actually worries me is that I'm going to catch COVID, the bubonic plague, or some other infectious disease when crammed in a metal tube flying across the country. Because wayyyyy too many people do not give a fuck about preventing diseases or caring for others in society.

I wonder how many people on this flight are going to be infectious with measles, since that's what's going on here now, thanks to the anti-vax movement?

"Surviving vacation" is something which has an entirely new meaning in 2025.

Surprisingly, I'm totally ready for my impending vacation. My suitcase is packed, everything is reserved, and all my various stuff I need is in order. My gas tank is even filled.

What I haven't done is purged my refrigerator and cleaned my home. Two tasks which are kinda important if you don't want to come home to a mess. Not that I have much of a choice, because I have two cats that will be doing their best to trash the place. They always do.

I guess the least I could do is vacuum.

I need a vacation.

Oh, that's right, I'll be on vacation on Wednesday!

But, no worries, I'm sure I'll need a vacation from my vacation when it's over. I always do because I don't know how to relax while on vacation. I'm too busy doing stuff.

Which is fine, because there's nothing I'd rather do in my off-time than doing something I'm not normally doing.

I'm going to be stockpiling my posts for a couple weeks because I've got a trip coming up but, no worries, I'm stockpiling bullets too... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Shoresy! YES! The new season of Shoresy is dropping for Christmas! IT'S THE MIRACLE WE NEED RIGHT NOW! I've grown to love this show almost as much as Ted Lasso...

I seriously hope that they find a way to continue keeping this show alive.

   
• Boosted Again! Because I am totally fucked if I ever get COVID with my screwed up lungs, I got my tenth booster yesterday. It only seems prudent since I'm going to be traveling and hanging out with loads of people in crowded spaces. So... can somebody please remind me when I'm dying again? I was told I'd be dead within three to six months the first time I got vaccinated. Then I was told I was definitely going to die with each new booster I got. But... nothing. Even worse though, I am still not a lizard person or a 5G relay, as promised by all the conspiracy theorists.

   
• Rolled! There's epic. Then there's this...

Rick Astley is still making music, and released a new album two years ago. He's still got it.

   
• Justice? Every fucking day it seems as though Trump is pardoning another criminal who totally deserves to be serving time for their crimes. Why? And, more importantly, why isn't his base calling him on it? I thought this was supposed to be the "tough on crime" movement. But, alas, that's apparently not the case.

   
• More Krypto! I was going to pass on the James Gunn Superman movie art book because it's only 176 pages, and the Marvel books run 350+ pages... so I thought it would be lacking. But I love the film, Geeks of Doom gave it a great review, and it was on sale, so I bought it. A really gorgeous book, and I'm glad to have it...

Needs more Krypto though! Heck, it could have all been Krypto! Where's that book?

   
• Blame Game! This is a terrific video. Why can't we all just be happy for consensual adults finding each other and making each other happy? Why are we always looking for somebody to blame for absolutely everything? And why are our LGBTQ+ brothers, sisters, and others so often where the blame gets placed? I wouldn't trade my LGBTQ+ friends for anything. Any one of them means more to me than any fifty bigots who would try to tear them down. Any hundred. Any thousand.

Just let people play the hand they're dealt the best they can and find their bliss... just as we're all doing.

   
And now to pack my suitcase...

Jake is aging before my eyes, and it's worrying me quite a lot.

He seems to be having a tough time, whether it's due to his weight or his age... or both. Watching him going up and down stairs is where I worry the most, though when he is chasing (or being chased) by his sister, he can all of a sudden blaze up and down them. So I'm not sure what's going on. Maybe he's faking it for sympathy.

One thing that hasn't changed is that he's an adorably handsome bear...

Also, he's still just as clingy as ever, falling asleep on me or against me more and more...

And of course he still keeps me company when I'm on video calls at my desk. The minute he hears me talking on the computer, he heads right in and lays on the stair banister next to me, then proceeds to stare at me the entire time...

For a cat that's quickly approaching 60 human years old, Jake is holding up better than I am.