Bobby G at Disney Springs

A Staycation Done Right at Disney Springs

With a tight window between work shifts, a full vacation wasn’t in the cards for me, my wife Tiffany and our son Porter. So we did what you do in Central Florida when time is short: we went straight to Disney Springs and made a day of it. No easing into it. No overthinking. Just straight there.

Tiffany and Porter had a mission from the start: Pokémon Go. Tablets in hand, they were locked in, catching everything in sight. And to be fair, Disney Springs is loaded for that kind of thing. Every few steps, something new pops up. Porter was all in. Tiffany wasn’t far behind. I mostly kept pace and took it all in.

We made a stop at The CrazyShake, and the milkshakes alone are reason enough to go back. These things show up oversized, overbuilt and borderline ridiculous — in the best way. Porter’s chocolate chip shake looked like it needed its own table, stacked high and loaded to the point where you don’t so much drink it as work your way through it. Tiffany and I split an Oreo cookies-and-cream, and both shakes came topped with their own full-on ice cream creations and cookies, like dessert on top of dessert. Somehow, it all worked — rich, cold and exactly as good as it looked. Worth it.

Right on schedule, the weather shifted. Rain came in fast, and we adjusted just as quickly, cutting over to Splitsville Luxury Lanes. The line looked long enough to test patience, but booking the camera package ahead of time paid off — we were in without much delay.

We ended up playing two and a half games, and for that day, I was the big winner. I won’t overanalyze it, but I will acknowledge it. Still, we were all winners, mostly because of how much fun we had. And the photos? Even better than expected. Mid-bowl action shots, questionable form, intense focus for no real reason. Every picture had something going on. It added a whole extra layer to the night.

After that, we headed to check into our hotel, jumped into the jacuzzi for a bit, still cold outside, still worth it, and got cleaned up before dinner at T-Rex Cafe.

That place is an experience. Every 20 minutes, the lights drop, the noise kicks up, and a full meteor shower rolls through the dining room. It’s loud, it’s dark, and it works.

The food was great, but the atmosphere is what sticks with you. Porter spent time digging through the sand, uncovering fossils like he had a real assignment. Tiffany and I just took it all in.

From there, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel. It had been a full day, the kind that feels longer than it is, in a good way.

Then came the final chapter: sleep. Or at least the attempt.

One room. Three people. And Porter, who apparently turns into a full-volume snorer the second his head hits the pillow. It was steady. Consistent. Impressive, honestly. Next time, we plan ahead. Either headphones or Porter gets his own room. Lesson learned.

Still, for a one-day window, we got everything out of it we could. And then some.

And don’t worry, we didn’t leave Bailey out of the fun — she joined a friend in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and saw snow for the first time. Safe to say that one’s checked off her bucket list.

Bobby G...out.