Just the two of us...no dining plan, no discounts, no allergies...lots of pics! COMPLETE

[tweetylori]

So Magical Express gets us to the airport (MCO) in plenty of time for our flight. So early, in fact, that when we first looked, it was too early for our flight to even be shown on the departure list. We took a little time to hit up a couple stores, purchased a few things, then happily headed for our favorite place at this airport. As a matter of fact, it's our favorite place in ANY airport that we've ever been in. Folks, if you have time at MCO and you want a drink or something good to eat, then head upstairs to McCoy's in the Hyatt!

The Hyatt is such a wonderful haven in this airport! The lobby has comfy couches everywhere, the bathrooms are super nice, but what makes it a MUST is their food! Most specifically for me over the years has always been and will continue to be their infamous Crawfish Chowder. It is seriously AMAZING.

In the past we have gone into the restaurant itself and either dined in the regular dining room or hung out at the bar, but this time they had an "outdoor" (outside of the main restaurant, in the lobby) bar set up. So we headed there. Got a high top, and ordered drinks. Our usuals. Bourbon for Husband. Glass of wine for me...this time just a house chardonnay.

 

[tweetylori]

McCoy's menu is fantastic! They have an incredible variety. For the apps, they have the MCO TRAVELER’S TRIO 3 FOR 19.95 | 1 FOR 7.95.

 

[tweetylori]

In addition, they have burgers, pizza, and a great variety of sushi. Truly something for everyone. But there was no way I couldn't get a cup of that Crawfish Soup. Neither of us was starving after the Maria & Enzo's lunch, so Husband ordered the Chicken Quesadilla.

 

[tweetylori]

I'm telling you, if you love seafood and like a bit of spice in life, you will LOVE this crawfish chowder. It is sooo worth $5.95 for this cup of greatness. Even the crunchy bread accompaniment is sheer perfection. However, everything was not perfect this visit. Husband was brought his chicken quesadilla and immediately spotted a giant hair that had him sending it right back with an apology. This was hard for him because he NEVER sends anything back. After a short wait he was brought a non-hairy version which he liked just fine.

After enjoying every drop of crawfish chowder perfection, I had to try one more thing, so I ordered: BAYOU BBQ SHRIMP LOUISIANA-STYLE BBQ BAKED SHRIMP, BÂTARD TOAST.
This was another small plate for $7.95. (same price as the quesadilla). Out came this flavor-packed bayou baby:

 

[tweetylori]

Seriously, look at it close up

 

[tweetylori]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

This was so good! So rich and spicy that I was glad it was a small plate. About this time a Manager came out to check on us. I'm guessing it was to make sure Husband wasn't traumatized from the unfortunate hair incident, but he was not. Maybe if he had expressed such they would have offered it to be comped, but they did not. We certainly weren't looking for compensation, as everything was otherwise awesome.

Happily, we paid the very reasonable bill and headed for our flight. We had a good hour and a half left before our flight, which was on time. At this point we were ready for that easy hour and twenty minute direct flight home. All we had to do was pick up the dog, have a good night's sleep and enjoy a Sunday to relax before work Monday.

We headed for security and this is when our day took an UH OH turn. Unlike when we had originally arrived at the airport, the security line looked like the non-fast-pass line for Avatar. We got in line. It wasn't moving. Seriously NOT moving. Meanwhile we're watching the sign above that is changing wait time to get through security from 40 minutes, to 50, to 60, etc. They actually STOPPED even checking id's and boarding passes. We just stood there and stood there. Even the TSA pre line wasn't moving. Everyone was looking around like ***? In all our years travelling we have never seen anything like it. And it was a Saturday! Normally one of the less-traveled days. Even an hour before there was only a small line. It made zero sense.

But we were stuck. There was nothing we could do except wait. Finally they started checking id's and boarding passes. Yay! But...WHOA...the queue past that point was WORSE than Avatar. Winding back and forth, with people barely moving. It took us an hour and a half to get through it all!!!!!!! We ran to the tram. Ran off the tram. Ran to the gate.

There was no way. We totally missed our flight! The kind Southwest gate agent said she looked for "runners". She was so nice. Worked really hard to find our options. We already knew there was no other flight to Raleigh that night. (we had looked while waiting in that long line...others around us were doing the same thing with their flight options). She finally got us confirmed seats on a direct flight at 5pm the next day. She also gave us a phone number to call to try and get a "discount" hotel room for the night.

 

[tweetylori]

I have been stuck in airports before, but never for missing a flight due to not being able to get through security in time. I called the number for the discount hotel. Was told "give us 15 minutes to call around and see what we can negotiate". Uh...in other words they were probably so busy dealing with a plethora of folks who had missed their flights. About this time we ran into another couple who had been in line with us. They got lucky and were re-booked on another flight to Baltimore that night.

So I stuck with a tried and true method and hit up the bidding website that has almost always done us right. Took an express deal for a 3 1/2 star airport hotel with a free shuttle for $91. $114 with taxes and fees. Turned out it was the Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport. Ironically I had stayed there a few years ago on another bidding deal when I needed to be near the airport for a night, so I knew it was a decent hotel.

Feeling resigned to our fate we headed out to find where we might find the shuttle. Note: when we went back by security there was NO line. Seriously it was totally GONE. We must have gotten caught up in some kind of bizarre bottleneck!

We realized we better call for the shuttle as they might not have a shuttle driving around regularly. They did not, so it was good that we called. Waited ten minutes or so and were brought to our home away from home for the night. We were given a handicapped room on the first floor, even though we didn't need it. But after ASM, let me tell you, this was paradise!

 

[tweetylori]

Now remember the Magical Express. Which means we had almost nothing with us. No change of clothes. No toiletries. We did have meds, as we know to never pack them. Thankfully the front desk had toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, and a razor and shaving cream for Husband.

By now we were good and ready for a drink and a nosh, so we headed to the bar. The last time I had been there, they had a deal where there was happy hour pricing as long as football was on tv. I asked about it and was told that didn't exist anymore. Oh well. We ordered our usual drinks. Wine for me. Bourbon for Husband. There were a few other guys at the bar that were having a really good time. They even took some shots that involved mayonnaise. (then ubered to Waffle House).

Anyway, we ordered sliders to share. Plus Husband wanted fries. They took FOREVER. But at this point we had nothing but time. Lots of time. Finally these appeared:

 

[cruisin5]

WOW, you handled it well. I *may* have gone nuts after missing the flight because of the security delays.

 

[tweetylori]

I don't remember what these cost but I know it was way less than the crappy sliders at Nomad's. The fries were actually quite good. Sliders not bad.
It was quite late by the time we finished up, settled up, and took to our room to rest on the very comfortable king size bed.

 

[tweetylori]

WOW, you handled it well. I *may* have gone nuts after missing the flight because of the security delays.

Oh I was freaking out inside, but knew that freaking out outside would only make things worse.

 

[tweetylori]

Fortunately check-out wasn't until noon. We used every minute of that time, resting, reading, etc. Very relaxing. Of course we had to put our same clothes back on after showering. Oh well. We were hopeful that our Magical Express luggage service had gotten our luggage to Raleigh just fine since it didn't have to stand in that ridiculous security line. And hopefully would be waiting for us when we got home.

So at noon we checked out, caught the shuttle back to the airport. Again, we were there way too early for our flight to even be on the board.

Not having eaten anything yet, we were glad to head back to our fave McCoy's. But this time there were young dancers and their adult companions everywhere. And all were apparently trying to order lunch at the same time, so we waited and waited to just be seated in the empty restaurant. Not having eaten anything yet on this Sunday, we were both starving. And getting hangry.

Hostess finally finished dealing with all the computer issues she was dealing with, apologized profusely for the wait and led us to a booth for two. She was so apologetic that she offered to buy us each a drink to make it up to us. Well, OKAY. That sounds delightful and wonderful, especially after our last 12 hours or so. Manhattan for Husband, Chardonnay for me. Let's get this brunch/lunch...last Orlando hurrah started.

 

[tweetylori]

We had a delightful Server who took our order and brought us some fantastic complimentary bread:

 

[tweetylori]

Not only do they know how to cook at this place, believe me, they know how to bake. These were so delicious! But we didn't want to eat too much of them because we both had heavy duty stuff coming.

Husband got their incredible Cuban sandwich which he has had in the past:

 

[tweetylori]

After much indecisiveness over whether to try a pizza or go with a burger, when I saw the crawfish soup was an option as a side for the burger, I decided to try their signature burger:

BURGERS MCCOY’S SIGNATURE BLU E BUR GER * 6 O Z . G R I L L E D S T R A U S S B U R G E R , H O U S E M A D E B L U E B E R R Y C H I P O T L E S A U C E , B L U E C H E E S E , P E P P E R E D B A C O N , S E R V E D W I T H F R I E S | 1 5 . 9 5

I am not a blue cheese gal though, so I asked for it to be left off. Server asked if I wanted a different cheese instead, so I opted for the Pepper Jack. Great choice.

 

[tweetylori]

Close-up of that burger beauty: note the amazing peppered bacon which really made this:

 

[tweetylori]

While the burger was definitely well-done versus medium as requested, it was still an amazing burger, largely because of that excellent peppered bacon,
And as always, the Crawfish Chowder was heaven.
Husband couldn't have been happier with his Cuban.

We LOVE this place. Can you tell?

We paid our very reasonable bill, very much thankful for the free drinks, and headed to security for another try at this catching-our-flight thing.

Here it was at prime time on a Sunday and we sailed through security in 40 minutes. Normal. Expected. I guess we will never know what caused the situation the night before, but all I have to say is be aware of it as a possibility!!!!

I am happy to say that we then killed a lot of boring time past security. Caught our flight. Our luggage was waiting for us. (Thank you Magical Express. Thank you Southwest Airlines.) Got our dog. Got home, And went to work the next day.

60th birthday party was finally officially over.

Thank you to all of you who have come to my birthday party and shared our Disney adventures!

 

[tweetylori]

Final awards:

Best Overall Disney Dining Experience: Grand Floridian Cafe.

Always a favorite: Via Napoli

Best STEAL: Bluezoo Happy Hour

Best Discount & Great Dining Experience: Yak & Yeti

Never-Agains: Nomad's Sliders, Steak Sandwich at Sci-Fi, and Jack Lindsey's Queso

 

[DKNHM]

Oh my goodness, what an adventure! Happy Belated Birthday! I loved reading your report.

 

[Mom2m&k]

Loved your report! Thank you for sharing!