Trip Report A New Hope, A New Day COMPLETED

Tuvalu · Oct 10, 2021

August 21-28, 2021 ~ Highlights

For the past few years Woody and I have taken a late August getaway to the World. It’s our “last hurrah” to summer and always seems to occur during or after a period of high stress, which makes the vacation sweeter.

We stayed at one of his favorite resorts.

Our room was on the 3rd floor of the building on the far right (Sago Cay.) In the photo above, a palm tree

(@Darstarr ) blocks our balcony. In real life, there was nothing blocking our fabulous view!

It was a surprise upgrade and my first comment to Woody was, “I am never leaving this room!” The interior of our room was also a bit different from other GF rooms we have stayed in.

The ceiling fixture was a crystal chandelier. The room colors, wall art, carpet and drapes were not the same.

There was a fancy oversized mirror in the sink area.

(Hello, castle!)

I did not recall reading about a room refresh. It wasn’t until I noticed the connecting door to the suite next door that I surmised our room could be used to expand the suite, and thus was similarly decorated.

Sago Cay has several suites. Our room was directly above the Coral Suite where @Matt and Kelly spent a night. I know this from the lanai.

One night Woody and I were on our balcony waiting for Happily Ever After to begin. As the fireworks started, a commotion began below us. A group of non-English speaking Asians appeared on the lanai, a few holding balloons and flowers. Suddenly a young couple stepped out onto the patio and the man dropped to one knee and proposed. Cheers erupted from others out on their balconies. A couple pictures were taken and the entire group disappeared….RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HEA!!

It was the oddest thing. Why not stay until after the finale? Had they only rented the Coral Suite lanai for 15 minutes?

The world will never know.

Tuvalu · Oct 10, 2021

Back in June I had experienced my first-ever ride stop above the ballroom in Haunted Mansion. I was ecstatic since my doombuggy typically stops in a place with no view.

I was complaining about this again to Woody when he and I were stuck for ten minutes (yes, I timed it

) here in front of the wandering-eyes owl wallpaper.

I consoled myself with the thought that we might get evacuated, which would be even cooler than stopping above the ballroom (amiright, @tonystark?!!)

Well an evac didn’t happen and we started moving again.

BUT…..

Our doombuggy came to a halt for the second time, right above the ballroom! For three whole minutes!

In case you’re wondering how many different ghosts come out of the hearse in this scene, I can confirm the number is SIX. :happy:

But wait, there’s more….

Five days later, on my gazillionth trip through the Mansion, my doombuggy stopped AGAIN above the ballroom.

For nearly 50 years, my doombuggy never stopped above the ballroom. This summer I got to experience it 3 times!!!

Tuvalu · Oct 10, 2021

Did it rain that week?

Dear reader, this is a Tuvalu trip report.

OF COURSE THERE WAS RAIN!!!

This ^^ was the drowned-rat selfie I sent to Em. It was our arrival night. Woody and I had exited Haunted Mansion into a thunderstorm. (There was no chance of rain and Woody and I had left our umbrellas in the room.) CMs won’t let guests linger under cover so we ran to Small World, splashing in deep puddles along the way.

Both of us were wearing athletic shoes with memory foam.

Walking on wet memory foam is like walking on a wet sponge. With both feet soaked, TWO wet sponges! :in pain:

We rode IASW hoping the rain would end by the time we disembarked. It didn’t. It was still pouring.

Fortunately IASW CMs were allowing guests to remain under cover at the exit. Woody and I waited there a LONG time….until we realized the rain would not be stopping any time soon. We trudged in the elements to the monorail station.

Back in our room we changed into dry clothes and sat on the balcony to watch HEA. Due to the rain we were unable to hear the soundtrack coming from the MK.

It would not rain again until two nights later, when a violent storm raged for several hours. Thankfully Woody and I did not get caught in it. We had dinner in our room while watching huge lightning bolts dart across the sky. It rained so hard that the Contemporary disappeared from view!

There was no HEA that night.

I kept thinking about the poor folks who had paid to attend that night’s Boo Bash ~ a co-worker of Woody’s and our own @Weather_Lady. (You can read about her family’s “unique” experience in her TR.)

tonystark · Oct 10, 2021

Tuvalu said:
I consoled myself with the thought that we might get evacuated, which would be even cooler than stopping above the ballroom (amiright, @tonystark?!!)

this is honestly my dream... quick, someone sabotage HM next time I am on it!!!

Tuvalu · Oct 10, 2021

There was more rain later in the week which caused us to adjust our plans. But Woody and I were happy just to be on vacation and we took the changes in stride.

While I didn’t get as much pool time as when I was with Em, there were a couple opportunities for extended relaxation.

One of many noticeable cost-cutting measures was the lack of fresh flowers in the lobby of each building.

The least they should have done was remove the vase!

Tuvalu · Oct 10, 2021

Boma was the first buffet to reopen in the pandemic, a few days before our arrival. I secured a dinner ADR before we left home, but the restaurant was only 1/3 full when we dined there. Our server gave us a lot of attention and even created a special (non-alcoholic) beverage for me. The chicken corn chowder….always a favorite….was superb and the bbq ribs were fantastic. Those were the stand-outs for me, but everything we had was very good and there were plenty of options.

I did not take any pictures. Bad Tuvalu!

Columbia Harbor House had also recently reopened. We grabbed our chicken tenders and fries and plopped ourselves down at a table with a primo view.

HIGHLY recommend the dessert we shared. A Minnie lava cookie. :hungry:

But I think Woody preferred his No Way José (back in a goblet!) at Beaches and Cream.

We also did something we had never done before.

We ate dinner in the same table service restaurant TWICE ~ first on arrival night and then on our last night.

Although technically it wasn’t the same restaurant though the meal was exactly the same.

#1 was at Liberty Tree Tavern. #2 was at Diamond Horseshoe.

Our server at dinner #2 told us that many guests were unhappy being seated in The Diamond Horseshoe when they had booked Liberty Tree Tavern. (We didn’t mind and liked the change.) He said that DH would soon be a bookable restaurant on its own though the LTT food would remain.

So if you want LTT’s Patriot’s Platter but cannot get an ADR, you might have success booking DH!

Tuvalu · Oct 10, 2021

The meal we enjoyed the most was breakfast from The Wave…..served at the California Grill!

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as the experience was only available for a few weeks. We couldn’t resist prime daytime views at a signature restaurant for less than $20/person, tax and tip included!

Our table was next to a window.

The food was delish, and I was able to have the yummy cheddar bacon grits that I’d previously had with a dinner entrée at The Wave.

Woody and I went out on the observation deck after dining.

Hello, Wilderness Lodge! (I zoomed in to try to locate the room Em and I had in July.)

93boomer · Oct 11, 2021

Tuvalu said:
The meal we enjoyed the most was breakfast from The Wave…..served at the California Grill!

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as the experience was only available for a few weeks. We couldn’t resist prime daytime views at a signature restaurant for less than $20/person, tax and tip included!

Our table was next to a window.

View attachment 592545

View attachment 592546

The food was delish, and I was able to have the yummy cheddar bacon grits that I’d previously had with a dinner entrée at The Wave.

View attachment 592547

Woody and I went out on the observation deck after dining.

Hello, Wilderness Lodge! (I zoomed in to try to locate the room Em and I had in July.)

View attachment 592548

Those views are incredible!!

Zipadeelady · Oct 11, 2021

Your breakfast view is fantastic! I love the photo.

Tuvalu · Oct 11, 2021

93boomer said:
Those views are incredible!!

Zipitidoda said:
Your breakfast view is fantastic! I love the photo.

Time of day really made a difference. With the morning sun rising in the east (behind the Contemporary) colors in the MK and Seven Seas Lagoon became brilliant, truly beautiful. I remarked about this several times to Woody over breakfast.

The sun sets behind the GF, which can be lovely when having dinner at California Grill if timed right. However for seatings between 5-7 pm in summer, the window coverings are usually drawn because the sun rays are blinding!

cgersic · Oct 11, 2021

I just watched the Muppets Haunted Mansion last night and thought of all of you on here! Mostly you @Tuvalu and @tonystark with your recent shenanigans of your own.

Tuvalu · Oct 11, 2021

cgersic said:
I just watched the Muppets Haunted Mansion last night and thought of all of you on here! Mostly you @Tuvalu and @tonystark with your recent shenanigans of your own.

MinnieM123 · Oct 11, 2021

Tuvalu said:
Our doombuggy came to a halt for the second time, right above the ballroom! For three whole minutes!

Tuvalu said:
In case you’re wondering how many different ghosts come out of the hearse in this scene, I can confirm the number is SIX.

But wait, there’s more….

Five days later, on my gazillionth trip through the Mansion, my doombuggy stopped AGAIN above the ballroom.

Zowee!! Even when you get stuck a few times on an attraction, you still manage to get Shirley status!!! :joyfull:

LadyBelle · Oct 11, 2021

The ONLY time I’ve been stuck on HM, was just as the doom buggies turn and you go backwards. It was for less than 5 minutes.

Tuvalu · Oct 12, 2021

LadyBelle said:
The ONLY time I’ve been stuck on HM, was just as the doom buggies turn and you go backwards. It was for less than 5 minutes.

The most uncomfortable place to be stuck!

Me:

Em:

Tuvalu · Oct 12, 2021

We joined the Resistance.

Take that, First Order!

Tuvalu · Oct 13, 2021

We saw fireworks every night except the Boo Bash night of storms, when HEA was canceled. Epcot Forever turned out to be a pleasant surprise ~ with the removal of the flying kites and addition of more pyro, it was a fireworks extravaganza for this gal! We caught HEA from the TTC after leaving Epcot on another night (we waited to board the resort monorail) ~ it’s still the best castle-centric viewing location outside the park.

Still nothing could beat the four nights sitting on our balcony witnessing my favorite fireworks show.

sheriffwoody · Oct 13, 2021

The view from that room WOWEEEE!!!

Tuvalu · Oct 15, 2021

A real treat during our August vacation wasn’t seeing the train station illumined for Halloween (though it was kinda cool).

Rather it was getting to see a few Magical friends!

It was great to catch up with @bee and M. Can anyone tell where we are?

I can never spend enough time with one of my dearest Magicians, @Tony the Tigger (and B). He’s the recipient of the first Tuvalu card. Our initial hello was back in 2016, though I’m not sure how much he remembers about it.

Lastly I was fortunate to spend another chick-chatty day with my bestie Kel.

However if I could have only one person with which to spend the week it would be this guy.

We’ve been doing Disney together for 40 years.

amjt660 · Oct 15, 2021

Tuvalu said:
It was great to catch up with @bee and M. Can anyone tell where we are?

Spaceship Earth?

Tuvalu said:
However if I could have only one person with which to spend the week it would be this guy.

so sweet
but I assume @TrolleyFollower91 would be a very close second?

Max

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