Trip Report A Total Eclipse of the Park *COMPLETED*

Not quite.

And apologies to Bonnie Tyler for parodying her hit song title from 1983 (although that was a very good year .)

So if you want to turn around and not read further I’ll understand. After 17 trip reports in less than four years you are probably sick of me. Heck, I am sick of me! But after a few requests from you kind people for another report I decided to forge ahead.

Unlike my last epistle, this will not take me four months to complete. First, this trip was shorter. Second, there is no live section which needs to be expanded later. Third, I’m heading back to the World in 2.5 weeks and then into the holiday season ~ so I’m giving myself a “Do or Die” deadline.

Let’s get started.

Who? Tuvalu and Woody
What? End of summer getaway
Where? Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
When? August 19-22, 2017
Why? There has to be a why?

It certainly wasn’t to witness the eclipse. In fact when I booked I didn’t even realize our dates coincided with the eclipse. We live within two hours of the path of totality and missed a viewing party with friends who delighted in watching the total phenomenon. Instead Woody and I got to experience.....

Well, you’ll have to wait to find out.

Here we are on arrival day. Can you tell the photographer was earning his ears?

I’m proudly wearing the dress that was instrumental in our free Pirate Cruise. (For context please see my July TR.)

Stay tuned for this trip’s shenanigans.

 

[Tuvalu]

Next we leisurely walked through Frontierland and Liberty Square. Crowds weren’t too bad.

We had a few minutes until our FP window for Haunted Mansion opened so we amused ourselves in Memento Mori. Look at all the cool stuff we saw!

I was following @ajrwdwgirl ‘s philosophy ~ save $$ by taking a picture instead of making a purchase!

 

[Tuvalu]

Awesome dapper dan pumpkins. I tried to do the Tuvalu on space mountain a couple weeks ago but I rarely ride the attraction so I really have no idea where the camera is! I do know where the camera is on the disneyland one though. Maybe I will share my space mountain wdw picture in my report then you can really see clueless!

Yes, please share!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I was so excited to see that @fractal had returned the hearse to its rightful spot.

But I was even more excited to find ALL the special effects inside working again!

While we waited here to enter the Mansion I snagged a 4th FP....

....which we were able to use immediately.

 

[Tuvalu]

As we scurried out the exit on our way to lunch we literally ran into @gwhb75 and his family. Another reason I’m glad we went to MK!

Get ready to read his awesome TR from his November trip! (Have I guilted you into writing one, Graham? ) It was so nice to meet these folks.

Thanks to pre-ordering lunch we skipped the long line on the bridge to BOG. The restaurant was packed ~ we could not find a table in our favorite Rose Gallery and had to walk around the Ballroom twice before grabbing a table that a family was leaving.

Woody and I both had the turkey sandwich. I’ll let you decide who had the green beans and who had the fries.

Trick question! We shared both sides!
Fear not ~ we each had our own Master’s cupcake. That is NEVER to be shared!

 

[Tuvalu]

At lunch I booked a 5th FP which we were able to use straight away.

We went under da sea.

We couldn’t possibly leave MK without a ride on the MPB.

 

[Tuvalu]

We disembarked at Main Street to peruse the Halloween displays in the Emporium.

Then it was time to make the sad walk out of the park.

(Only 8 more days!)

 

[Tuvalu]

I had a window seat on the monorail and used the opportunity to take a few pictures.

Two boats and a monorail!

I spy the Contemporary!

Remember this picture?

Now we were the ones on the train!

Pulling into the GF station.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Next we leisurely walked through Frontierland and Liberty Square. Crowds weren’t too bad.

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We had a few minutes until our FP window for Haunted Mansion opened so we amused ourselves in Memento Mori. Look at all the cool stuff we saw!

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I was following @ajrwdwgirl ‘s philosophy ~ save $$ by taking a picture instead of making a purchase!

I buy my fair share. I ran into some other people that take pictures of merch too. It was at Epcot and they were taking pictures of a figment shirt and I waited patiently to do the same. I chatted with them for a bit and we laughed at ourselves for taking pictures of shirts, but really if I bought everything I wanted that would be impossible!

 

[Tuvalu]

A look at the lobby from the second floor.

We grabbed a beverage from Gasparilla’s before retrieving our carry-ons from Bell Services. Just a few moments later the Tragical arrived.

To add insult to injury, it was a very FULL bus. Woody and I couldn’t even sit together!

Fortunately we did not experience the same TSA pre-check debacle that Em and I had the previous month. Woody and I breezed through pre-check without any issues.

Our take off was delayed a half hour though.

It had been a terrific 4 days....just the respite we needed before a busy, stressful but happy September.

 

[Tuvalu]

@amjt660 ~ I did it! With a week to spare!

 

[amjt660]

@amjt660 ~ I did it! With a week to spare!

Job well done

I am in Japan- visited Shanghai- still need to finish HKDL report

If only this work thing would stop getting in the way

Max

 

[amjt660]

And......

Another great report

Thanks for sharing

Max

 

[Longers]

I realize that fall has now come and gone at the MK (and Christmas is upon us) but I am still going to post these Main Street pictures, as they are a reminder of just how happy I was taking them. Woody and I moved at a snail’s pace towards the hub absorbing every detail.

Love the wraparound leaf garland!
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Peek-a-Boo Pumpkins!
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Not sure if the center pumpkin is a ghost, scary clown or snowman?
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@ajrwdwgirl I hope you saw these Dapper Dan Jack ‘o Lanterns!!
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More Peek-a-Boo Pumpkins
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Even the side alley sported autumn bunting. It’s the little things.
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A dropped ice cream cone is funny on a pumpkin! (But not so much in real life, right @Longers?)
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Certainly not - and we’ll spotted - it’s the little details!

 

[MinnieM123]

Tuvalu, sorry your trip has come to an end. As usual, I enjoyed your TR, and know that another one will be coming up soon (again)!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

 

[Songbird76]

I buy my fair share. I ran into some other people that take pictures of merch too. It was at Epcot and they were taking pictures of a figment shirt and I waited patiently to do the same. I chatted with them for a bit and we laughed at ourselves for taking pictures of shirts, but really if I bought everything I wanted that would be impossible!

I used your technique in DLP, too...there was a hoodie in the Carrots giftshop that said "What AAAAARRRRE you looking at?" and I wanted it, but they didn't have my size and I already have a Ravenclaw hoodie that I wear nearly everywhere, and I have a Pink Ribbon one that I wear a lot...DD and I got matching ones when we were back "home" for my dad's funeral in March and DD likes to match, so we wear them a lot. So I didn't NEED another hoodie...so I took a pic a la @ajrwdwgirl .

 

[Songbird76]

Happy Thanksgiving! It's a happy one, indeed when you get to finish reading a @Tuvalu trip report!! So, if I am ever at the parks at the same time as you are, and I see you, am I supposed to shout "Tuvalu!!" or "Shirley!"?

 

[riverside]

Great trip report!! Thanks for sharing & Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

[mcstensrud]

No Shirley status on the tragical!
Awesome TR as usual, you make 4 Days seem like a week!
Glad to hear Kona and Poly had a great caretaker in EM.
Happy Thanksgiving Tuvalu Family.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Job well done

I am in Japan- visited Shanghai- still need to finish HKDL report

If only this work thing would stop getting in the way

Max

I'll take over your work if it lets me go on these trips! We can switch, you can teach middle/high school science and I'll take lose business trips to Asia!

 

[disneypearl]

Thanks for sharing another fun adventure! Am I reading correctly that there is another trip coming up? I hope so! I love following along.
Happy Thanksgiving!