Trip Report Shrouded In A Daft Disguise *COMPLETED*

Two weeks ago today, I returned home from the most surreal Disney vacation I have ever experienced.

During my last visit in February, I couldn’t have imagined having to wear a face mask and have my temperature taken before being allowed into a park. “Social distancing” wasn’t part of my vocabulary. Hand sanitizer was something I carried in a little bottle in my purse, not something in giant containers at the entrance/exit of every attraction.

No park hopping? No Fastpasses? No FIREWORKS :jawdrop: ?!! Not even on my radar screen.

Like a bolt out of the blue, the pandemic struck and life was dramatically altered. For everyone. And there is no Magic Mirror to tell us when it will be over. For me the pandemic has been a reminder to take nothing for granted ~ and that there can still be joy in the darkest days.

My name is Tuvalu and I have been a WDW annual passholder for nearly 25 years. I was raised on Disney and so were my children. The parks have always been my “escape” from real life. Could they still be an “escape” in the midst of a pandemic? After months of quarantine, I was ready to find out.

My daughter Em was my travel buddy. My husband Woody had reservations, but not for our safety. He was concerned we’d struggle with the restrictions and disappointment with all the changes. He wanted us to come back happy and wasn’t sure we would. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure we would either. After much research and due diligence, Em and I felt prepared to embark on a vacation with few expectations.

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Full disclosure ~ I‘ve wrestled with writing a report of our trip. The pandemic and subsequent events have caused much division on this Disney fan forum. I’ve always considered the trip reports section to be a “safe space” and hope it stays that way. My goal is to provide entertainment to the reader, nothing more.

With that in mind.....

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Longers

Well-Known Member
I just recovered - with the help of smelling salts - BTMRR once when the crowds were so light?............. nooooooooooo

Although I forgive you and fully understand having to endure the heat with screens It must be like an oven in there.

at least you got to ride it once. :D

also the ice cream parlour being closed - oh no....... another disappointment.

ditto your comment re @coachwnh, him along with @prfctlyximprct got me started on TR’s. long before I discovered any of yours. (Now I’m hooked on yours too!)

I’m here now and will be following along on your adventures. Looks like a good time so far.....
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Monday, con’t

Remember this earlier post?

Our plan was to have lunch in the MK. After cleaning up (and a couple other tasks) we made our way to the boat dock.

The “other tasks” were packing up and hauling our luggage to stow with Bell Services until our new room was ready.

New room? Was there a problem with your current room?

As nice (and convenient!) as our Boulder Ridge villa was, my preference all along had been a Copper Creek villa. I’d been told there were none available. A week before Em and I were to depart, AP discounts dropped. I was able to score a comparable CC villa for the rest of the week. I then modified our BR reservation to just a one night stay.

When I received our room text after exiting Pirates, Em and I decided we were ready to head back to WL. We had another private bus ride. ❤

Our new room was on the 6th floor.....as far down the halls as possible. 🤣

Ready for room pics?

Copper Creek one bedroom living area

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The TV was ginormous!

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The large booth table with seating for 6-8 baffled us since the villa only slept 4, having just a king bed and queen sleeper sofa. But it was a great place to hold all our stuff!

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Fully equipped kitchen (which of course went unused.;) )

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Cool storage nook in the hall between bedroom and bath.

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The bedroom had a king bed, valet closet, dresser and another large TV (but smaller than TV in living area.)

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The bathroom was split into two sections, sink and soaker tub (with jets on the tub bottom rather than the sides) in one area....

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....expanded countertop sink, large stall shower (with both rainfall and regular showerheads) and toilet in the other.

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We appreciated the newer, more modern look of this villa.
 
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Once I had taken room pics I called Bell Services for our luggage. Then Em and I unpacked, settled in and took a brief rest before driving to the Contemporary for dinner.

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Woody and I had a fabulous meal at The Wave in November (we deemed it our favorite of the trip) and I was hoping Em would love the food as much as we did. My praise had set the bar pretty high and I was a bit nervous that we might have a lesser experience.

We checked in online but the warm waves we received at the podium felt like a genuine “Welcome!” A host led us to our table in the back of the restaurant and we were able to watch the mellow activity around us as we dined.

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Our server Joseph was young and enthusiastic, yet very professional in his duties. We enjoyed interacting with him (and he spoke loudly enough through his mask/face shield combo so communication was easy.)

We began with drinks. Blood Orange Margarita for Em, Piña Colada for me. Both were excellent!

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The multigrain bread was warm and as yummy as I remembered. We devoured all of it. :hungry:

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I knew exactly what I wanted ~ the Herb-roasted Chicken Breast. I’d been dreaming of this chicken for months! I had also been dreaming of the Smoked Cheddar Grits that I’d scarfed down off Woody’s plate. But the grits are served with the Coffee-Barbecue Pork Tenderloin. Potato Confit is the accompaniment for the chicken.

I asked Joseph if I could substitute the grits for the potatoes and he made it happen!

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It was at this point I realized that ordering a (filling) frozen creamy drink and eating half a loaf of bread before my entrée arrived was a BIG mistake. Both the chicken and the grits were out-of-this-world delicious and I was unable to finish them. My mouth was willing but my tummy screamed, “No more!”

Meanwhile Em declared that her meal was the tenderest, most-flavorful pork tenderloin she’d ever had. And she agreed with my assessment of the Smoked Cheddar Grits.

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We declined dessert. But not just because we were full.

“You’re going to check out the bakery case at the Contempo Cafe, aren’t you?” teased Joseph.

He was onto us. We laughed.

“I don’t blame you. They have some amazing desserts up there!” he remarked. (Can you say Wookiee Cake, @Loco_driver ?!!) We paid our bill, pleased with the great value we’d received.

Em and I intended to share later whatever treat we found. We anticipated having difficulty deciding and even considered getting two desserts. The Contempo Cafe had never let us down.

Until tonight. The bakery case was extremely limited. Nothing there appealed to us. “Oh well, let’s check out the hand-made candy treats in BVG instead,” I said to Em.

Our luck did not improve.

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Pre-packaged goods?!!! Where are the individual chocolates??!!

Em and I decided it was Mickey’s way of telling us we didn’t need any more calories tonight. Our wonderful dinner had been enough. We returned to our villa looking forward to the fun that awaited us tomorrow!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I just recovered - with the help of smelling salts - BTMRR once when the crowds were so light?............. nooooooooooo

also the ice cream parlour being closed - oh no....... another disappointment.
Riding just wasn’t the same without my BTMRR Bestie. ;)
And ice cream was very difficult to find in the parks.
While I am sad that your holiday is canceled....with POR closed, an ice cream shortage and a miserable BTMRR queue.....perhaps it is for the best. (Bring on 2021!!)

Excellent stuff so far!! Ahhhh..Copper Creek...my DVC home.....(breaks into song)
You picked a great place to own DVC!

Wow that Copper Creek villa is gorgeous!
Highs and lows. Guess it's not my taste -- way too minimalist, bland colors.
That aside, there were two rooms that were very well appointed: kitchen and bathroom. Also, you had a nice view outside.
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
WOW those views 😍
It made up for no fireworks!

I'm very much enjoying this thread. Thank you, Tuvalu!
Thank you for reading, @GoneViral. :bookworm:

Whew! I'm all caught up! I'm not ashamed to say that I had been hoping (and maybe doing a bit of forum stalking) for a @Tuvalu trip report since reopening! I assumed you had multiple trips cancelled and I knew you would be getting back as soon as possible! Thank you for deciding to do the report! :happy:

51 days and counting before we are home!! Woo hoo!
You’re the kind of stalker I like. :cool: Hope you have a great trip!

@Tuvalu photoshopping Pooh into the 80s not cool Mr Toad would like to have a word;)
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Finally all caught up! The room at copper creek looks amazing. Can’t beat the view. I will have to add the Wave to our list of must try’s. We sadly just canceled our September trip but with full credit. So unfortunately our must try list will have to wait a lot longer 😭
Kelly.
I’m sorry you aren’t able to take your vacation but glad you received full credit. Disney is worth the wait. :inlove:

I'm so mad at myself for not booking The Wave for dinner!
Rookie mistake. ;)

That's it!....

The Wave is now on my list.
You won’t regret it!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Your meals look AMAZING but the dessert let down made ME sad just reading it!! Too bad Joseph wasn't aware of the meager offerings, he might've been able to warn you! :cry:

Contempo Cafe out here like:

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I suspect Joseph hadn’t been up to the Contempo Cafe since the reopening.
Love the Moira meme!

No Wookiee cake is sad, but pre-packaged candy in the BVG display is downright depressing!

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