Trip Report ‘Tis The Season For More Disney! *COMPLETED*

Fa la la la la
la la la LA

But let’s be honest.
Which season isn’t the season for more Disney?
In 2017 I have been fortunate to experience winter, spring and summer in the world.
And now the holidays!
Since December is such a festive time of year at the parks, I think two trips are in order....don’t you?

Trip #1
Cast: Tuvalu and Em
When: December 1-4, 2017
Where: Port Orleans Riverside
Why: A Jingle BAM Birthday 2.0

Join us as we attend our first MVMCP, wander around World Showcase like a couple of newbies, meet a forum friend and intentionally watch LOTS of fireworks....did we get to Illuminations this year?

You’ll have to wait and see.

 

[Rista1313]

Yes, it was as good as I remembered. But also as sweet and rich as Woody remembered. Did it salvage our meal? Not really. We’re in no hurry to go back to Sci-Fi.

BUmmer about the meal...it's the one ADR I can't seem to talk my hubby out of... he wants to go for the experience. I did talk him out of Coral reef... Because I wanted AYCE crab legs from cape May

 

[Zipadeelady]

Monday, December 18

We left our room at 5:45 am and I waited in the atrium while Woody checked his bag and got our new (again!) boarding passes. He was gone for a long time considering the early hour. Apparently the gate agent was arguing with him, claiming Woody needed to pay the “additional bag fee” because he already had one bag checked.

“But THIS is the bag!” Woody explained. “I have ONE bag, and this is it.”
“It says you checked your bag yesterday.”
“THIS is that bag!”
“Where is the bag you checked yesterday?”
“Right HERE!”

Woody said he felt like he was part of the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First?” comedy routine. Twice he went through the explanation of the cancelled flight, retrieving his bag from baggage claim and the flight rebooking. The agent finally just rolled his eyes and tagged his suitcase.

A gift for the gate agent:
View attachment 266904

Meanwhile, if you are curious as to what MCO looks like at 6 am ~
View attachment 266900

Mickey doesn’t look so welcoming, does he @Doc Disney?
View attachment 266901

Woody and I were not able to sit together on the plane but we were blessed to be on that flight at all. His million mile status with Delta earned us priority on the next flight to Atlanta, and the 7:30 was the first flight out since the grounding was lifted. Other passengers would be placed on later flights as availability allowed.

After touchdown we entered an airport that had been without power for 10 hours the day before. It was chaotic....thousands of exhausted, frustrated people....luggage piled up everywhere....the plane train not operating, forcing everyone to walk from the gates to baggage claim....TV cameras and reporters on the scene....extended roped queues for security....while we felt badly for those who suffered through the outage, we could not wait to leave.

More than two months later, the investigation continues into the electrical fire that caused the power outage.
View attachment 266902

And there you have it, @lostpro9het ~ I have finally finished this never-ending trip report! (Can you say the same? )

Thanks to everyone for following! Loved having y’all along for the ride!!

O.M.G. Can you say that if you're over 40! That is the craziest Disney exit i've heard yet! So glad you didn't have to sleep on the airport floor!

 

[MinnieM123]

“But THIS is the bag!” Woody explained. “I have ONE bag, and this is it.”
“It says you checked your bag yesterday.”
“THIS is that bag!”
“Where is the bag you checked yesterday?”
“Right HERE!”

Funniest repartee I've read all day!!

Feel so bad for Woody, but that was funny!!

 

[LadyBelle]

I have experienced a town car trip home from a cancelled flight. Worth the $$$ I paid to sleep in my own bed - even if it was 8 hours later than originally scheduled.

 

[Doc Disney]

What’s worse is that neither of us knew about the Minnie Rockette ornament!!!
This is a MUST HAVE.

I've had this ornament for like 3 years....I keep forgetting to mention this as everyone is talking about it ahha

Mickey doesn’t look so welcoming, does he @Doc Disney?

HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS IN JAIL!!!!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

Leave it to you to have drama all the way to he last minute!! Another great report, but I really hoped you were going to go back to Disney!

 

[LisaBelle]

I could definitely look at the WL lobby views all day! Spectacular!
Wow! Can’t believe all the drama heading home. Glad you had a cozy place to rest your heads and made it home safely.
Thanks for sharing another Disney adventure with us. As always I am looking forward to the next TR !

 

[Figaro Family]

Exciting finish to the trip report (to read, probably not so much to experience). Was that the hotel inside the airport you stayed in? I've always been fascinated by it for some reason but I guess I wouldn't want to have my flight canceled to spend the night there!
Also, I just got done with tap dance class where we are learning a dance full of the "Shirley Temple" step. I was trying not to laugh because the teacher kept saying "and Shirley, and Shirley, and Shirley..." which made me think of the other famous Shirley.

 

[Gurt]

Sad to see the end of another great @Tuvalu TR although I am sorry you had such a frustrating experience getting home. I can't wait for you next TR

 

[amjt660]

An interesting end to a wonderful trip
The TR was excellent as always.

Max

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Monday, December 18

After touchdown we entered an airport that had been without power for 10 hours the day before. It was chaotic....thousands of exhausted, frustrated people....luggage piled up everywhere....the plane train not operating, forcing everyone to walk from the gates to baggage claim....TV cameras and reporters on the scene....extended roped queues for security....while we felt badly for those who suffered through the outage, we could not wait to leave.

More than two months later, the investigation continues into the electrical fire that caused the power outage.
View attachment 266902

And there you have it, @lostpro9het ~ I have finally finished this never-ending trip report! (Can you say the same? )

Thanks to everyone for following! Loved having y’all along for the ride!!

Hey @Tuvalu - been a lurker on a number of your many trip reports over the years (always great reads!). Your unfortunate experience dealing with the aftermath of Hartsfield-Jackson's power failure was interesting to read. I passed thru ATL late afternoon on Monday to connect to West Palm Beach and, to my delight, not a hiccup with either of my Delta flights (even got an empty row "upgrade" heading down to PBI). And airport operations looked pretty normal as I wandered the concourses around 6 PM - plane train was functioning, just about every eatery and shop was open, and a lack of visible chaos at the gates or Delta help desks. Maybe I was just lucky or looking in the wrong places...

Still, it was honestly hard for me to spot any sign that the airport had basically ground to a crisis halt 24 hours earlier. A real testament I think to the hard work of everyone at the airport and Georgia Power to get things back online so quickly.

Also, that AJC front page - where/when is that from? Apart from the headlines, most of the other text is gibberish (1 inch, text goes here, xxyyy, etc.)!

 

[bee]

Well THAT was an adventure! So glad you got on the first available flight and were able to stay in the Hyatt in the airport. I avoid the Atlanta airport at all costs when it DOES have power...so I can't imagine trying to navigate that chaos!

Three years ago M and I were stuck in Orlando for an extra three nights due to a storm in the northeast, but at least we got to go back to Disney for the last two nights!

As always thank you for sharing!

 

[AKemily]

Thanks for another great TR (or two)! Had a lot of fun following along! The rest of us:

 

[Tuvalu]

Cancelled flights worry me for some reason. I'm such a planner and a control freak and there isn't a thing I can do about a cancelled flight. When we were there for Hurricane Matthew, that was all I worried about. Not the possible Cat 5 headed towards us. Nope. It was all the JetBlue flight lol.

During times like that it might help for you to channel your inner Elsa and repeat, "Let it go! Let it go!"

Gosh all that excitement to get you home! Thank goodness you found a room for the night and didn’t have to sleep on the floor.

I guess I can’t go to sci fi just for dessert? That looked right up my street.

Great report with a Birthday take over right in the middle. . That was fun.

So any BTMRR rides from now count towards your tally - let’s see how this works out..............

1. I'm too old to sleep on the floor, a room was a must!!
2. You could absolutely just go to Sci-Fi for dessert!
3. Have to agree everything associated with my birthday was fun!
4. You get to be first with the BTMRR tally count.....game on!

THNX for another great TR, so sad it's over but I know another is coming soon

Thanks for reading Figgy and you're probably right!

Just when you think a @Tuvalu trip report can't have any more excitement, she throws a curve ball at you!

Honestly, I never saw it coming either!

For a second I was thinking (and hoping) you were going to go back for another day at WDW!
thanks for another magical adventure @Tuvalu !

We did ponder what we would have done if we knew about the ATL airport closure before we boarded the Tragical.....we likely would have stayed another day, even if it meant changing resorts. But since we were already at MCO, returning to WDW wasn't too appealing (DID I JUST SAY THAT????!!!)

 

[Tuvalu]

BUmmer about the meal...it's the one ADR I can't seem to talk my hubby out of... he wants to go for the experience. I did talk him out of Coral reef... Because I wanted AYCE crab legs from cape May

Sci-Fi has fantastic atmosphere and is very fun if you've never been there....the old movie clips are a hoot....and burgers are a safe choice. Save room for dessert!
I hope your Cape May ADR is for a night when AYCE crab legs are served as it used to be only on designated nights.

O.M.G. Can you say that if you're over 40! That is the craziest Disney exit i've heard yet! So glad you didn't have to sleep on the airport floor!

Yes you can even say OMG if you are over 50!

Funniest repartee I've read all day!!

Feel so bad for Woody, but that was funny!!

He actually was pretty upbeat about the experience when he relayed the story to me.

I have experienced a town car trip home from a cancelled flight. Worth the $$$ I paid to sleep in my own bed - even if it was 8 hours later than originally scheduled.

I believe our hotel cost was probably less than an 8 hour ride home in a town car. (And with our luck, it would have been in Doooby's Taxiola!)

HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS IN JAIL!!!!

I KNOW!!!!!!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Leave it to you to have drama all the way to he last minute!! Another great report, but I really hoped you were going to go back to Disney!

If I didn't have a few trips to look forward to this year, I would have seriously considered returning to WDW!

I could definitely look at the WL lobby views all day! Spectacular!
Wow! Can’t believe all the drama heading home. Glad you had a cozy place to rest your heads and made it home safely.
Thanks for sharing another Disney adventure with us. As always I am looking forward to the next TR !

When you get your Christmas at WL (and someday you WILL!) I want to see ALL your lobby pictures.

Exciting finish to the trip report (to read, probably not so much to experience). Was that the hotel inside the airport you stayed in? I've always been fascinated by it for some reason but I guess I wouldn't want to have my flight canceled to spend the night there!
Also, I just got done with tap dance class where we are learning a dance full of the "Shirley Temple" step. I was trying not to laugh because the teacher kept saying "and Shirley, and Shirley, and Shirley..." which made me think of the other famous Shirley.

Yes, we stayed at the hotel inside the airport ~ which I too have always been fascinated by! We could have had one of those rooms that overlook the atrium but the gal who checked us in said those rooms tend to be noisy. She recommended a quiet room that overlooked outside.....she neglected to mention the "outside" room overlooked a runway, so quiet was a relative term!

LOVE LOVE LOVE your dance class story!!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Sad to see the end of another great @Tuvalu TR although I am sorry you had such a frustrating experience getting home. I can't wait for you next TR

Thanks for another great TR (or two)! Had a lot of fun following along! The rest of us:

Don't worry, @Gurt and @AKemily ~ it won't be too long!

An interesting end to a wonderful trip
The TR was excellent as always.

View attachment 267070
Max

(Though I think I might p*** off the Soup Nazi because I'm not waiting a year!)

Well THAT was an adventure! So glad you got on the first available flight and were able to stay in the Hyatt in the airport. I avoid the Atlanta airport at all costs when it DOES have power...so I can't imagine trying to navigate that chaos!

Three years ago M and I were stuck in Orlando for an extra three nights due to a storm in the northeast, but at least we got to go back to Disney for the last two nights!

As always thank you for sharing!

After 30 years of ATL being our "home" airport we're very comfortable with the chaos, although that morning was chaos on steroids! Thanks for following and I can't wait to read your gold medal TR!

 

[Tuvalu]

Hey @Tuvalu - been a lurker on a number of your many trip reports over the years (always great reads!). Your unfortunate experience dealing with the aftermath of Hartsfield-Jackson's power failure was interesting to read. I passed thru ATL late afternoon on Monday to connect to West Palm Beach and, to my delight, not a hiccup with either of my Delta flights (even got an empty row "upgrade" heading down to PBI). And airport operations looked pretty normal as I wandered the concourses around 6 PM - plane train was functioning, just about every eatery and shop was open, and a lack of visible chaos at the gates or Delta help desks. Maybe I was just lucky or looking in the wrong places...

Still, it was honestly hard for me to spot any sign that the airport had basically ground to a crisis halt 24 hours earlier. A real testament I think to the hard work of everyone at the airport and Georgia Power to get things back online so quickly.

Also, that AJC front page - where/when is that from? Apart from the headlines, most of the other text is gibberish (1 inch, text goes here, xxyyy, etc.)!

Hello @hpyhnt 1000!
Glad you had a decent experience on the afternoon post-blackout. We heard that the plane train began operating about an hour after we'd left the airport. Baggage claim was probably still a mess that night (I'm sure you didn't venture there) and likely for a few days after. Never saw anything like it! Agree that all the airport workers and Georgia Power did a fab job of returning normalcy ASAP.

I took a screen shot yesterday of the front page of the AJC's 12/18/2017 electronic edition. I see what you mean about the gibberish. Perhaps if I had remembered to screen shot it on the actual day (we're subscribers) there would have been real words instead! Thanks for commenting!

 

[mcstensrud]

Oh that Woody, he’s a keeper for sure

 

[LisaBelle]

When you get your Christmas at WL (and someday you WILL!) I want to see ALL your lobby pictures.

It’s a deal !