Trip Report Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Back to the World We Go! *COMPLETED*

Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely. I am your host ~ your trip report host. Here in the following pages you'll see how the Tuvalu family survived Spring Break 2017. Kindly sit back and relax please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now......

Well, that's not exactly true. You are free to FIND YOUR WAY OUT at any time. Although I hope you stick around for the tour. There's bound to be drama.

The deets:
Cast: Moi (Tuvalu), Benevolent Husband (Woody), and the only reason we braved Spring Break madness ~ our Teacher Daughter (Em)
Dates: April 1-8, 2017
Resort: Port Orleans French Quarter

Along the way you'll encounter the slowest cast members ever hired by Disney. Farewell performances of Wishes (were there tears?) The awesome Blue Angels flyover. A Magic meet-up with another mother/daughter pair equally obsessed with WDW as Em and me. And the BEST TRANSPORTATION EVER.

You'll also discover the answers to the following questions: Are Spring Break crowds really that bad? (I'll give you a hint......YES.) What the heck happened to the Trolley? And the flagpole? Is the Red Card really gone? Can you get a same-day ADR for Be Our Guest? What about 'Ohana?

And the most-pressing question of all: Will Woody be doomed to sit on a hard chair in our room chained to his PC and phone all week?

Now as they say, "Look alive" and we'll continue our little tour.

 

[LadyBelle]

Oh, poor Em! Hope she's feeling better.

 

[LeighM]

Wednesday, April 5

She awakened sobbing, "My toe has a heartbeat!"

Em lost the nail on her big toe in an accident several months ago. The new nail was growing back incorrectly which required a trip to the podiatrist. Unfortunately that trim was not successful ~ evidenced now by her red, swollen and very infected toe.

She has my complete sympathy!!!! Funny timing - I cut through my fingernail and got the bed of my nail with my shaving razor earlier today and now have that heartbeat feeling in my finger. How painful to have to walk around WDW with a damaged toe!

As safaris go, we were fortunate to see a LOT of animals. However, many were blink-and-you-miss-them. Why? Our jeep driver was a NASCAR wannabe. Seriously. She put the pedal to the medal and barely slowed down long enough to take a picture of whatever animals were in view. This was especially annoying at Pride Rock.

You must have had the same driver we had one trip. All of our pictures were a blur because she didn't stop long enough. It was really annoying.

 

[Tuvalu]

Forgot to mention that the special effects on the "broken" bridge were finally working again! That added a little excitement to our safari ride.

Though there were CMs beckoning us to the Gorilla Trail, Em and I couldn't spare any time. Our next FP window was open.

Do you know where we are?

Yes, yes, we're in a theater. But which one? Finding Nemo or Festival of the Lion King?





FOLK

Em can relate to burning toes!

When the show was over Em turned to me and said: "I'd forgotten just how good this show is. I really liked it!"
So did I.

 

[Big Hair]

Em's a trooper with some real Disney legs. The Magic gives you the eXtra ability to play thru pain.

 

[Tuvalu]

Oh, poor Em! Hope she's feeling better.

She has my complete sympathy!!!! Funny timing - I cut through my fingernail and got the bed of my nail with my shaving razor earlier today and now have that heartbeat feeling in my finger. How painful to have to walk around WDW with a damaged toe!.

Em's a trooper with some real Disney legs. The Magic gives you the eXtra ability to play thru pain.

Another trip to the podiatrist after we got home. To say the treatment was unpleasant is probably an understatement, as this is the text I received from Em:
Ever light your toe on fire?
Cause I'm pretty sure I know what that feels like.



Toe is still healing. Antibiotics for the infection. No running for awhile. Countdown to Disney: 52 days.

 

[MegRuss626]

Wednesday, April 5

Our day started really early. As in 3:30 am. The moment Em regretted going for a morning run along the Sassagoula followed by a long day of walking around Epcot and DHS.

She awakened sobbing, "My toe has a heartbeat!"

Em lost the nail on her big toe in an accident several months ago. The new nail was growing back incorrectly which required a trip to the podiatrist. Unfortunately that trim was not successful ~ evidenced now by her red, swollen and very infected toe.

She soaked her foot, swallowed a mega dose of ibuprofen and tried to go back to sleep. As soon as the gift store opened, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide was purchased. I picked up coffee and muffins for breakfast and brought them to our room.

Em wanted to stick with our day's plans so she put her carefully bandaged toe into her running shoes (no sandals today!) and we headed for the car. Woody would not be joining us (not even for lunch ) as he had a series of meetings.

Soon we were here:
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We entered the turnstiles and it wasn't long before we spotted our first creature. Talk about camouflage!

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But we were most excited to notice these creatures ~
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Are kangaroos new to AK? We don't remember seeing them before. I wish Kanga had gotten closer so we could look for a Roo!

These creatures were in front of the Tree of Life.
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It was the perfect day for Em to wear her Sadness shirt. Her smile betrays her throbbing toe.

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Love her sadness tee...she's my favorite from that movie! I made Joy mad when I told Sadness that in September! lol

 

[bee]

 

[becca_]

Another trip to the podiatrist after we got home. To say the treatment was unpleasant is probably an understatement, as this is the text I received from Em:
Ever light your toe on fire?
Cause I'm pretty sure I know what that feels like.



Toe is still healing. Antibiotics for the infection. No running for awhile. Countdown to Disney: 52 days.

I feel for you, Em! I had to get mine removed and it never grew back properly... needless to say it was a lot of trips to the podiatrist and lots of pain meds and antibiotics. Hope it ends up being okay!

 

[Gabe1]

Since all guests are now allowed onto Main Street before the park officially opens, those with early breakfast ADRs have a new place to check in.

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We wanted to walk through the castle but as we approached it we encountered this heading our way:
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WTH??!! First the flagpole is MIA, and now our beloved trolley is too?!?!

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Woody said it reminded him of the Budweiser beer wagon....which seems appropriate now that beer is served in the MK.

Of course @TrolleyFollower91 had to get some shots of the performance. (Will she need to change her name to BeerWagonFollower91??)

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Okay I've got to ask. What is @TrolleyFollower91 deep fondness for this attraction? It rears its pretty head on every trip report

 

[Gabe1]

I have shared before that Em is the best photographer in the family, followed closely by Woody. But every now and then I surprise myself with my photographic ability. I mean, look at this artsy shot when I wasn't even trying to take a picture:

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(Note to self: remember to turn phone OFF when walking around.)

We had a little time before we could check in for lunch. Enough time to take a trip Under the Sea.
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Look closely at this next picture. Scuttle is talking to and pointing at a blank screen. You'd think there would be a CM warning guests to watch out, or they might get crabs.
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comment about turning camera off. My DD same exact age as Em with a few days. I got my first iPhone a week after graduation. Yay no more tuition for the kids. She and I took a Disney long trip as she doubled majored and minored in 3.5 years. Woot. Me camera on iPhone. My battery kept dying. Aggravated disappointing. I waited so long for an iPhone. Blah DD notices I don't turn off iPhone after taking a photo a known no no to my kids who had iPhones unlike their Mom. Oy

 

[Gabe1]

Holy Smokes! Your trip reports are becoming as regular as Disney price hikes (but much more palatable).


Looks like I'm crossed Garden Grill off my list.

Was there a tap at the back of the "beer wagon?"

Love the pics of the Main Street performers! @TrolleyFollower91

Do I have a trip report from you to look forward to?

 

[Gabe1]

I found the same stream in Magic Kingdom during our trip March 2014. It was so pretty. It would've been nice if they had a park bench there View attachment 200065

What is this park bench thing you speak of? Mystery

 

[MinnieM123]

Do I have a trip report from you to look forward to?

Gabe, @fractal has a pre-trip report, so far -- All-aboard! Yacht Club in July '17. If you go to page 4 in this forum, you'll find it.

 

[MinnieM123]

Em wanted to stick with our day's plans so she put her carefully bandaged toe into her running shoes (no sandals today!) and we headed for the car.

Talk about bad timing for Em's toe injury. I can't believe what a sport she was to bandage it up and head for the parks! Em took one for the team!!

We entered the turnstiles and it wasn't long before we spotted our first creature. Talk about camouflage!

I think DiVine is amazing!!! I always try to find her when I enter AK. Don't you just love the look of surprise on people's faces when she comes out of the foliage and starts to move?!!!

As safaris go, we were fortunate to see a LOT of animals. However, many were blink-and-you-miss-them. Why? Our jeep driver was a NASCAR wannabe. Seriously. She put the pedal to the medal and barely slowed down long enough to take a picture of whatever animals were in view. This was especially annoying at Pride Rock

The cornerstone attraction in AK is the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride. For the CM to drive so quickly through it, is unacceptable.

 

[Tuvalu]

Talk about bad timing for Em's toe injury. I can't believe what a sport she was to bandage it up and head for the parks! Em took one for the team!!

I think DiVine is amazing!!! I always try to find her when I enter AK. Don't you just love the look of surprise on people's faces when she comes out of the foliage and starts to move?!!!

The cornerstone attraction in AK is the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride. For the CM to drive so quickly through it, is unacceptable.

Yes, Yes and definitely Yes!

 

[Tuvalu]

We had time to sneak in some lunch before FP #3. It was still early and we hoped to beat the crowds.

"Beat the crowds" being a relative term of course.

The line moved surprisingly quickly and we had our food in no time. (Pecos Bills could learn a thing or two from Flame Tree!) We selected a table with this as our view:

Not too shabby, eh?

Em and I shared the ribs, chicken and pulled pork combo meal and a side of fries. It was A LOT of deliciousness that we couldn't finish. After the AP discount our lunch was only $20 ~ the best Disney bargain of our vacation!

 

[mlegerto]

The line moved surprisingly quickly and we had our food in no time. (Pecos Bills could learn a thing or two from Flame Tree!) We selected a table with this as our view:

Gosh, WHAT.A.VIEW.
It would be amazing to be there, right now instead of here at work BOOOO. I guess I've got to have a way to pay for my Disney addition!

I'm ashamed to admit that I have NEVER eaten at Flame Tree BBQ, but I promise it is on my list for our December trip! It looks so good!

 

[Tuvalu]

So Tuvalu and Trolley Follower, you have bellies full of food ~ what do you ride next?

(Because there's nothing like a good bouncing and jerking around to settle BBQ in the stomach.)

Em sat next to a little girl who barely looked tall enough to ride Dinosaur. Em and I glanced at each other having the same thought, "Why is Mom subjecting this sweet little girl to this scary attraction?" The picture below sums up the child's reaction.

But there's more to the story. Look again at the row behind us. Turns out that is Dad and two older sisters.
When the ride was over, older sisters taunted: "So Kimmy, did you like that?"
To which the little girl retorted: "I HATED IT!!!!!"

Score one for peer pressure.

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm ashamed to admit that I have NEVER eaten at Flame Tree BBQ, but I promise it is on my list for our December trip! It looks so good!

It is! Much better than Cooke's of Dublin. (Sorry.....couldn't resist )

 

[Tuvalu]

Before I forget ~

I have previously mentioned my habit of reading other guests' tee shirts. I figure that isn't creepy.....after all, why wear a "punny" shirt if you don't want others to read it?

My favorites from this trip:
Statistically 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
My Favorite Disney Villain is My Wife (Glad I'm not married to that guy!)
I Talk to Myself because I need expert advice
I'm Not Just ANY Grandma ~ I'm a DISNEY Grandma (I might need this one!)

After capturing the iguanadon, Em and I went shopping. The gift stores at AK are our favorites, though sadly we made no purchases today. The crowds at AK were gaining capacity and the sun was hot ~ time for us to go!