Trip Report A Friend Like Her *COMPLETED*

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
~ Forrest Gump

Ah, February. The month of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. The month of romance and love. The month of someone’s Valentine birthday.

The month of the crappiest weather in 95 percent of the country. Including Florida.

The month in which another mother/daughter jaunt to WDW brought unexpected surprises.....some great, some not-so-great....much like biting into a piece of boxed chocolate.

Much like life itself.

I’d LOVE to have you follow along on our long-weekend adventure.

Who: Tuvalu and Em (with special appearances by a dear friend)
When: January 31 - February 4, 2020
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort

 

[jmunzert]

“Excuse me,” said a sweet Southern voice. “But may I have a card? I just love your trip reports.”

Immediately flattered, I asked for her Magician name. She laughed and said she rarely posts and couldn’t remember her name! When we got off the boat I fished in my pocket for a Tuvalu card and had a delightful conversation with @jumnzert and her travel-buddy cousin.



We said our goodbyes when we reached the pool as they were headed to their room and we were headed for the Great Ceremonial House and the Tambu Lounge.


seriously this was the highlight of my trip!!! thank you again!

 

[k8einwdw]

This talented duo sang songs from High School Musical, Tarzan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Newsies.

Kevin had a core base of “Fansies” (aka Newsies groupies) sitting in the row in front of us. These girls got SO INTO IT ~ singing (knew every word) dancing and generally swooning over Kevin.

Kara Lindsay was also in Newsies!

The cupcake was tasty. The s’mores tart was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

Graham crust, rich chocolatety filling (hazelnut flavor not too strong), topped with gooey toasted marshmallow.

Oh my...YUM!

 

[Sulley_1313]

The cupcake was tasty. The s’mores tart was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

THIS. I had s'mores tart in December and wholeheartedly agree!

 

[TheMouseFan]

That s'mores tart looks delicious! I will have to see if it is still available in June! And now I am drooling over the Island Sunsets, those are my absolute favorite!! And I will be sure to have at least one of those in June!! Can't wait to hear about your bonus time with Kelly!

 

[Tuvalu]

Monday, con’t

Before leaving the Tambu Lounge Em and I were privy to the pitiful “Opening Welcome” for dinner service at ‘Ohana.

Years ago the restaurant opened at 5 pm for dinner. Now “dinner” begins at 3:30 pm. I’m sure it’s due to the popularity of ‘Ohana but I cannot fathom eating all that food in the middle of the afternoon. Of course I cannot fathom eating that much at 9 or 10 pm either (like my brother’s young family has done.) However the decline in food quality and service (with price continuing to skyrocket) has removed ‘Ohana from our regular restaurant rotation.

Anyhoo, ‘Ohana used to have an elaborate opening ceremony, with music and CMs (wait staff and cooks) wearing leis who warmly guests to this unique Island experience. It was special Disney moment for guests with early ADRs and walk-ups. (Yes, there was a time you could walk-up at opening and be seated.)

What occurred today was a (much) “lesser welcome”. No CMs arrived at the entrance to greet guests. Instead a crappy quality pre-recorded opening song played while the speakers crackled as if they had not been replaced since 1971. The song was followed by a recorded announcement: “Please meet under the ‘Ohana sign when your pager goes off.”

Sigh. Doing nothing at all would have been better than this embarrassment.

Shortly thereafter Em and I boarded the monorail bound for the MK. We waited only a few minutes for Kelly in Town Square. Following a round of hugs we were off to another first for Kel ~ Mickey’s Philharmagic.

She, of course, loved it. I’m glad we had the chance to broaden her horizon this trip!

Sounds like you are heading back to the crowds at MK

While the park was still busy, the crowds were less. (Perhaps the SB fans had left after the parade?) We waited about 15 minutes to ride the Peoplemover.

I was able to find us FPs for Pirates which was our next destination.

As we waited to be assigned our row, Kel befriended the solo traveler behind us and chose to sit next to her in the boat.

Everyone in this picture cracks me up.
Em and Kel think they’ve Nailed It.
I’m doing my best Sue Heck “Cheese!” for a school picture.
Solo traveler is wondering why a crazy woman left her friends to sit down next to her.
The gals in row 3 are sleeping (doesn’t look like a planned pose).
Baseball cap man in row 4 is a “look where I’ve been, not where I’m going” kind of guy.
Man in row 5 clearly thinks he’s on a rollercoaster.
Couple in row 6 are invisible....as are all people in a Pirates ride photo who must sit in the last row.

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and Kel decided we should have dinner at Columbia Harbor House. It wouldn’t have been my first choice since I don’t eat seafood and I’d already had chicken and fries lunch. But I kept quiet since they were pumped about it.

Em snagged us a window table on the second floor. I was happy that I was able to swap out the fries (that come with the chicken nuggets) for mac and cheese.

We kept the chick chat to a minimum and focused on eating since the park closed at 8 pm and there was more we wanted to do.

Like visiting the Hundred Acre Wood.....

....and taking a dive Unda the Sea...

....using FPs I was able to secure after dinner.

 

[Spash007]

This sounds like it was a truly amazing day! Even magical?

 

[Tuvalu]

The woman with the Seasonal Pass had never seen Happily Ever After.

Em and I had not watched Happily Ever After together since July.

Missing the show tonight was non-negotiable. Once Kel announced that she didn’t need to see the projections on the Castle, we hustled over to Frontierland to view the fireworks over the water. She took a snap of Em and me just a moment before Jordan Fisher began to sing.

And then...

I love how I captured Kel and Em in this pic.

I was overcome with emotion (as I usually am) during the show. What a wonderful three days we’d spent together! Kelly had nothing but superlatives for HEA: “Fantastic!” “Amazing!” “Breathtaking!”

The three of us could not stop smiling, even though it was time to leave.

We made the slow shuffle out of the park. Kel offered to drive us back to Pop, but we declined. We said our goodbyes for realz and went our separate ways.

Anyone reading who has stayed at Pop and left MK at closing knows what a cluster the Pop bus situation is. Tonight was no exception. As we were kept in the “holding pen” (before being allowed to join the actual bus queue) I received a text from Kel saying she was on the ferry crossing the lagoon. Immediately I regretted not taking her up on her offer!

We waited and waited. For some reason the large bendy buses were being used for the All Stars and not Pop. A regular bus arrived and loaded, enabling Em and I to move from the holding pen to the lengthy line in the queue. Another regular bus arrived and loaded and then the CM directing the line told Em and me and a few others to get on board, meaning we had to stand.

This wouldn’t have been so bad except another Pop bus had just pulled in behind us and we would have had seats on that bus. Again, no biggie IF OUR BUS HAD IMMEDIATELY DEPARTED. But no. Our driver had trouble starting the bus. She sat there perplexed for several minutes as we watched the bus behind us pull away. Then she got off the bus. Then a couple of transportation workers got on and began checking gauges and sensors. Then the driver got back on the bus.

It still wouldn’t start.

Rinse and repeat the above paragraph. We quickly grew tired of standing squished against strangers on a non-moving bus. Kel texted again that she was in her car and on her way home. We were so jealous!

Finally one of the workers pushed against the rear door (which probably turned off some sensor) and the driver started the bus. She still sat there for a couple more minutes before pulling away from the curb.

Thus ends the tale of how it took 85 minutes for us to get back to our room after exiting MK. It was a frustrating end to what had been a fantastic day.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Monday, con’t

Before leaving the Tambu Lounge Em and I were privy to the pitiful “Opening Welcome” for dinner service at ‘Ohana.

Years ago the restaurant opened at 5 pm for dinner. Now “dinner” begins at 3:30 pm. I’m sure it’s due to the popularity of ‘Ohana but I cannot fathom eating all that food in the middle of the afternoon. Of course I cannot fathom eating that much at 9 or 10 pm either (like my brother’s young family has done.) However the decline in food quality and service (with price continuing to skyrocket) has removed ‘Ohana from our regular restaurant rotation.

Anyhoo, ‘Ohana used to have an elaborate opening ceremony, with music and CMs (wait staff and cooks) wearing leis who warmly guests to this unique Island experience. It was special Disney moment for guests with early ADRs and walk-ups. (Yes, there was a time you could walk-up at opening and be seated.)

What occurred today was a (much) “lesser welcome”. No CMs arrived at the entrance to greet guests. Instead a crappy quality pre-recorded opening song played while the speakers crackled as if they had not been replaced since 1971. The song was followed by a recorded announcement: “Please meet under the ‘Ohana sign when your pager goes off.”

Sigh. Doing nothing at all would have been better than this embarrassment.

Shortly thereafter Em and I boarded the monorail bound for the MK. We waited only a few minutes for Kelly in Town Square. Following a round of hugs we were off to another first for Kel ~ Mickey’s Philharmagic.

View attachment 454257
She, of course, loved it. I’m glad we had the chance to broaden her horizon this trip!



While the park was still busy, the crowds were less. (Perhaps the SB fans had left after the parade?) We waited about 15 minutes to ride the Peoplemover.

View attachment 454258

I was able to find us FPs for Pirates which was our next destination.

View attachment 454259

As we waited to be assigned our row, Kel befriended the solo traveler behind us and chose to sit next to her in the boat.

View attachment 454260
Everyone in this picture cracks me up.
Em and Kel think they’ve Nailed It.
I’m doing my best Sue Heck “Cheese!” for a school picture.
Solo traveler is wondering why a crazy woman left her friends to sit down next to her.
The gals in row 3 are sleeping (doesn’t look like a planned pose).
Baseball cap man in row 4 is a “look where I’ve been, not where I’m going” kind of guy.
Man in row 5 clearly thinks he’s on a rollercoaster.
Couple in row 6 are invisible....as are all people in a Pirates ride photo who must sit in the last row.

That pirate photo cracked me up

 

[RememberWhen]

Those fireworks pictures over the water! What a beautiful view. Does it get crowded over there? The projections have never been my thing, but I do like the fireworks. Looks like a lovey spot.

 

[Tuvalu]

seriously this was the highlight of my trip!!! thank you again!

Kara Lindsay was also in Newsies!

Indeed!

THIS. I had s'mores tart in December and wholeheartedly agree!

 

[Tuvalu]

Those fireworks pictures over the water! What a beautiful view. Does it get crowded over there? The projections have never been my thing, but I do like the fireworks. Looks like a lovey spot.

Frontierland and Fantasyland are both great small-crowd viewing locations for the fireworks.

This sounds like it was a truly amazing day! Even magical?

 

[Songbird76]

Monday, con’t

Before leaving the Tambu Lounge Em and I were privy to the pitiful “Opening Welcome” for dinner service at ‘Ohana.

Years ago the restaurant opened at 5 pm for dinner. Now “dinner” begins at 3:30 pm. I’m sure it’s due to the popularity of ‘Ohana but I cannot fathom eating all that food in the middle of the afternoon. Of course I cannot fathom eating that much at 9 or 10 pm either (like my brother’s young family has done.) However the decline in food quality and service (with price continuing to skyrocket) has removed ‘Ohana from our regular restaurant rotation.

Anyhoo, ‘Ohana used to have an elaborate opening ceremony, with music and CMs (wait staff and cooks) wearing leis who warmly guests to this unique Island experience. It was special Disney moment for guests with early ADRs and walk-ups. (Yes, there was a time you could walk-up at opening and be seated.)

What occurred today was a (much) “lesser welcome”. No CMs arrived at the entrance to greet guests. Instead a crappy quality pre-recorded opening song played while the speakers crackled as if they had not been replaced since 1971. The song was followed by a recorded announcement: “Please meet under the ‘Ohana sign when your pager goes off.”

Sigh. Doing nothing at all would have been better than this embarrassment.

Shortly thereafter Em and I boarded the monorail bound for the MK. We waited only a few minutes for Kelly in Town Square. Following a round of hugs we were off to another first for Kel ~ Mickey’s Philharmagic.

View attachment 454257
She, of course, loved it. I’m glad we had the chance to broaden her horizon this trip!



While the park was still busy, the crowds were less. (Perhaps the SB fans had left after the parade?) We waited about 15 minutes to ride the Peoplemover.

View attachment 454258

I was able to find us FPs for Pirates which was our next destination.

View attachment 454259

As we waited to be assigned our row, Kel befriended the solo traveler behind us and chose to sit next to her in the boat.

View attachment 454260
Everyone in this picture cracks me up.
Em and Kel think they’ve Nailed It.
I’m doing my best Sue Heck “Cheese!” for a school picture.
Solo traveler is wondering why a crazy woman left her friends to sit down next to her.
The gals in row 3 are sleeping (doesn’t look like a planned pose).
Baseball cap man in row 4 is a “look where I’ve been, not where I’m going” kind of guy.
Man in row 5 clearly thinks he’s on a rollercoaster.
Couple in row 6 are invisible....as are all people in a Pirates ride photo who must sit in the last row.

Did you teach Kel to Look Left and Look Right at Philharmagic?

 

[Tuvalu]

That s'mores tart looks delicious! I will have to see if it is still available in June! And now I am drooling over the Island Sunsets, those are my absolute favorite!! And I will be sure to have at least one of those in June!!

Have I missed something? You are going in June?!!

That pirate photo cracked me up

Why Disney thought Pirates needed a ride photo continues to baffle me!

Did you teach Kel to Look Left and Look Right at Philharmagic?

What do you think?

 

[Swissmiss]

Why Disney thought Pirates needed a ride photo continues to baffle me!

Although it is a pain in DLP to have to go “collect“ your ride photo, at least you can get the photo recentered a bit to focus on your riding party.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Have I missed something? You are going in June?!!

Well, kind of! The kids wanted to do Universal again , so we are going down and spending a day at Seaworld, then a few days at CBR and going to the Villains After Hours party, and then going to Universal. I am hoping they will extend the AK After Hours to June and we can fit one of those in too!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

It was FP day for our spring break trip so I made sure to shower, dress, finish packing and eat my muffin (purchased in the food court last night) before 7 am. The website and app were both acting wonky so booking took longer than I expected but overall I was pleased with the results.

Meanwhile Em was getting herself ready and finished packing up. She had her coffee and muffin and was ready to vacate our room when I was done. It didn’t seem possible that our 4 night stay was over already.

We dropped off our bags at Bell Services and walked to the Skyliner. It was the first morning that we didn’t need our jackets! It was also the first morning that DHS opened at 8 am (rather than 7 am) since the debut of RotR in December. We had no need to try for a Boarding Group so being at DHS in time for park opening wasn’t a concern for us.

The Skyliner had previously begun operating at 7:30 am, so we were a bit surprised to encounter this long line at 7:45. Turns out the opening had been moved to 8 am.

I cannot understand why the Skyliner isn’t available to transport guests to DHS in time for park opening. Makes no sense at all. Why force guests to use buses when bus service then drops to once per hour after the park opens? I felt sorry for those in line who assumed (as we did) the Skyliner started at 7:30 and would get them to DHS in time to try for a Boarding Group.

The line began to move shortly before 8. Em and I were in the park at 8:09.

 

[Tuvalu]

Oh. My. Gosh.

So. Many. People.

Moving the opening of DHS from 7 am to 8 am had resulted in a sea of humanity inside the gate. Em and I wanted to go to Toy Story Land and CMs were screaming that all guests headed to TSL had to get in line under the archway.

After squeezing through the arch we joined the line here.

The line bordered the entire Launch Bay courtyard!

When we reached the exit for the VotLM Theater, there was a CM holding an “End of Line” sign for Slinky Dog Dash (135 minutes). She informed us that the line we were in now had transitioned to the standby line for Slinky, and anyone not wanting to ride Slinky was free to leave the line.

We got out of line and shuffled our way to TSL and into the standby queue for Toy Story Mania.

Hard to believe we’d only been in the park for 12 minutes. The stress and anxiety of navigating the crowds to get here made it seem a lot longer! While the wait was posted at 40 minutes our actual wait was 30.

Teacher Em’s favorite brand of pencil is Ticonderoga.

Mr. Potato Head is blushing.

Or sleeping.

Or dead.

You be the judge.

I think these shooter markings are new.

Who’s ready to lose? (Raise your hand, Em.)

Not my finest work.

Or was it?

 

[Tuvalu]

I adore this colorful “Lego brick” trash can at the TSM exit.

I informed Em I wanted a selfie of us in front of one of the Insta walls. I let her pick.

Checkerboard for the win!

During our trip all the Toy Story Land attractions were still Tier 1. That meant another standby queue for us at our fave Alien Swirling Saucers. Ordinarily we’d bypass a 40 minute wait to ride it, but there was literally nothing else to do....at 9 am! ....that didn’t have a super long wait.

 

[MinnieM123]

I informed Em I wanted a selfie of us in front of one of the Insta walls. I let her pick.

Checkerboard for the win!

By the way, I like how you two were dressed in the same shirts -- just like twin sisters!