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.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Wow! I can't believe that bus ride!! I am not a very patient person, so I would have been dying! Lunch looked super yummy!

 

[Tuvalu]

Wow! I can't believe that bus ride!! I am not a very patient person, so I would have been dying! Lunch looked super yummy!

Be thankful Woody did not take a picture of me on that bus ride. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Lunch was fantastic!

 

[sheriffwoody]

I'm in! Sorry about the bus driver . I guess with all the construction the newbies probably have a lot of issues!

 

[krisri18]

I seem to recall a previous comment where you said you saw me.....

LOL, I thought I did. I'm going to be scouring photos to see if we appear in the background a la your family in a @fractal report!

 

[MinnieM123]

From what you said about the nickel tour on DME, it almost makes you think that this was the driver's first time on the route. What the heck is going on? Don't they take the new drivers on the route at least ONCE prior to them driving guests to WDW? Lost, distracted drivers do not necessarily make the safest drivers.

 

[Courtney6682]

Saturday, August 19
We had an early morning flight which meant breakfast at the airport. I should have taken a picture of the “Piano Bar” dining area on Concourse A. It was an interesting place to eat our Chick-Fil-A biscuits, considering loud rap music was playing rather than soft piano tunes. We couldn’t even carry on a conversation ~ it was THAT loud. At seven o’clock in the morning.

Sounds blissful

 

[Tuvalu]

Saturday, con’t

As Woody and I left Liberty Tree Tavern we could hear that a Muppets Great Moments in History was beginning. And I could tell from the script that it was the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which is my favorite of the two shows. We meandered over to watch.

I wonder if Muppets will still be performed once the Hall of Presidents reopens (assuming it ever does!) I hope so, as the vignettes are a fun way to learn a little history both for the young and the old. And ~ let’s be honest ~ I just love Kermit and the gang!

When the show concluded we walked towards Frontierland for our first (which was supposed to be our second) FP. The park didn’t seem overly crowded for a Saturday, but it was HOT....sweat dripping down your back, need a cold beverage HOT. And it would have been perfect had our FP been for Splash Mountain.

But it wasn’t.

(@Longers, have a ride on BTMRR today for me!)
Gotta love the guy behind us. Yes, sir, Big Thunder Mountain IS a two-thumbs-up ride!!

I switched our next FP from Jungle Cruise to Pooh, as it was the only same-time attraction available with a/c! It meant we had to return back the way we had come. As luck would have it, we caught the Muppets Midnight Ride of Paul Revere show.

We stood in the shade!

 

[Rista1313]

OOO I'm here for almost the beginning... I'll have to go back and find out about the dress and the pirates.

 

[Tuvalu]

Pooh turned out to be more of a “medium” pass than a fast pass.

See, Woody wasn’t just posing in front of the backdrop. He was at the end of the FP line.

I chose Pooh for the indoor a/c. I did not expect to be waiting in the outdoor (sunny!) part of the queue for 20 minutes! The line never moved, which leads me to believe there was a breakdown. It sure would have been nice if someone had informed those of us sweltering in line. Woody and I likely would have opted out of waiting.

In the meantime I kept checking my phone for our “Room Ready” text as it was nearing 3 pm. There wasn’t any notification after we left Pooh, so I went into MDE to see about getting another FP for something.

And there it was....our room number. In MDE. No message that it was ready. No idea how long it had been ready. Had I not logged into MDE, we’d still be waiting for the text notification.

“Looks like we have a room,” I said to Woody. “Let’s go check it out.”

A quick picture.....

....and a purchase of two bottled waters (did I mention it was HOT?) and we caught the monorail to the GF. (No boat....too hot...couldn’t do it...)

Two fun things from our monorail ride ~
A t-shirt which said, Work Out So You Can Pig Out (can anyone relate?)
and
A precious little boy who sat down across from us, looked from side to side and then said, “But where is the seat belt?”

 

[Tuvalu]

Our room was located on the 4th floor of Sago Cay, just a few doors down from the room we’d stayed in last October. I had made no room requests so this was a nice surprise. We liked the convenience of Sago Cay for Gasparilla’s (quick service), the bus stop and the courtyard pool.

And the view’s not too shabby either.

(I see you, Poly! You’re still my first love, but the Grand is pretty nice too!)

Room shots:

Since our last visit the room fan has been removed (big mistake, amiright @BuddyThomas?) and replaced by this ugly overhead fixture.

The fixture in the foyer is a bit more upscale (or pretentious if your decorating tastes lean towards casual simplicity.)

 

[Ag11gani]

Looks like you had a nice time at Magic Kingdom, I've never been to Liberty Tree Tavern but I think I'll give it a shot next trip. I'd assume the Muppets would continue after Hall of Presidents re-opens since it ran before it closed.

I noticed that they got rid of the runners on the beds which is a shame because I personally really liked them (at all resorts). Apparently people were stealing them which I just can't believe, you wouldn't steal a whole bed from a hotel but a runner that is ok to them? They should just do what DCL does with their fancy pillow, charge $200 if it disappears and leave a note in the room to deter people. It's always the honest guests that have to suffer with these types of things.

 

[Tuvalu]

We unpacked and then Woody needed to return a call from his sister. I knew he’d be awhile (while he’s not a big talker, she is) so I changed and went to the courtyard pool. The water was calling my name!

Cool and refreshing, just the way I like it. Woody joined me later and we floated around for an hour or so.

We had no evening plans and decided that a visit to Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace would be fun. Since the sun was setting and a breeze was blowing we opted to take the boat over to the Poly.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones who wanted a boat ride. This boat ended up full before we could board so we had to wait for another one.

Home at last! (That would be Tuvalu behind me. )

There were tables available on the Terrace (#ShirleyStatus) so we didn’t have to wait.

We had a prompt, friendly server who brought me a Spikey Pineapple ~ basically a Pina Colada made with Dole Whip ~ which is only served on the Terrace and not inside Trader Sam’s. She brought a glass of Pinot Gris for Woody.

Another fun straw for ya, @MinnieM123!

Since we were hungry we checked out the Appetizer menu.

We ordered the Chicken Lettuce Cups

Pan Fried Dumplings

and Kahlua Pork Tacos

While all our choices were good, the pork tacos were AMAZING! We split the tacos 67/33 (for you math majors!) Woody knew I’d slap his hand if he went for a second taco. Smart man. Wonderful hubby.

 

[Tuvalu]

We took a romantic twilight stroll back to the GF.

Look at that sky! Stunning.

We found a bench outside Sago Cay and sat there until we heard the music for Happily Ever After. Then we moved closer to the water to enjoy the show.

I just love the color reflections in the water!

The mousekeeper arrived to do turn-down as soon as we got back to the room. We let her in as I wanted the chocolates!

Disney Ghirardelli? Oh my, YES!!

And with that our first day was over.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Our room was located on the 4th floor of Sago Cay, just a few doors down from the room we’d stayed in last October. I had made no room requests so this was a nice surprise. We liked the convenience of Sago Cay for Gasparilla’s (quick service), the bus stop and the courtyard pool.

And the view’s not too shabby either.
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(I see you, Poly! You’re still my first love, but the Grand is pretty nice too!)

Room shots:
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Since our last visit the room fan has been removed (big mistake, amiright @BuddyThomas?) and replaced by this ugly overhead fixture.
View attachment 244305

The fixture in the foyer is a bit more upscale (or pretentious if your decorating tastes lean towards casual simplicity.)
View attachment 244306

No ceiling fan?? Why would they remove those? They are life savers when those energy efficient air conditioners shut off in the middle of the night when they think no one is in the room!

PS - great photos! I've been so busy posting my own report I've forgotten to read others. I'll catch up with this soon.

 

[krisri18]

Spikey Pineapples are my favorite! Excellent choice!

 

[LadyBelle]

How did I miss this? I'm here now!

No ceiling and exposed ductwork creates such a welcoming atmosphere

Heh, story of my summer at work.

 

[Stacey LeDuc]

Love your room. Yea I’d have to say if I boarded DME and the GPS was on I’d be slightly concerned.

 

[Pirate Magic]

I am here hanging on to every word and picture!!! As far as that bus driver, one time we had a bus driver that drove so slow I could run faster than the bus was going!! Guess what I can't run that fast. Since it is four of us we do car service.

 

[DisneyJeff]

We took a romantic twilight stroll back to the GF.

My 2nd favorite walk in WDW (only behind the walkway between Epcot and Hollywood Studios)!!!

Come to think of it, what other walking paths are there?

• MK to Contemporary.
• MK to half-way to GF, that dead-ends.
• POR to POFQ.
• I've also heard that there is a path from OKW to Disney Springs.

Any others???

 

[Gurt]

Yey the August report, I have been waiting but casually late as per usual