Trip Report C’mon Everybody, Here We Go….*COMPLETED*

Think of all the joy you’ll find
When you leave the world behind
And bid your cares goodbye!


Ahh, a relaxing getaway from reality. No cares or concerns. Just bliss.

Not exactly a perfect picture of vacationing at Walt Disney World during Spring Break, is it?

But we’re going anyway. We’re Spring Break Veterans and it’s time for the annual reunion.

Two years ago we missed out on our usual adventure thanks to Covid. The stay-at-home vacation just wasn’t the same! (Although you can read about it here: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-“no-trip”-trip-report-completed.964173/)

Last year we were able to return, albeit under Covid protocols. We believed that enduring masks 24/7, plexiglass and vinyl dividers on attractions, mobile order Door Nazis and limited shopping/dining/entertainment would be acceptable in exchange for the very low crowds that we’d experienced on earlier pandemic trips. But the parks were packed and we ended up spending a lot of time at the pool (which wasn’t a bad thing. We’re pool people.)

Now that park capacity has increased and nearly all Covid restrictions are gone, we expect to find the shoulder-to-shoulder spring break crowds of yore. And long lines. So we’re packing our patience and “It is what it is” attitudes.

Because in spite of all the negatives WDW is still our happy place.

We can’t wait.

Who: Tuvalu and Em
When: April 3-9, 2022
Where: Our favorite moderate resort

My plan is to go live upon our departure. Fingers crossed that Disney WiFi will be my friend.

Speaking of friends, we hope to meet up with a few. You’ll have to follow along to see if we do.

 

[lindawdw]

I can't believe it took me this long to get in on the conversation!!! We were so thrilled that you and Woody decided to arrive a day early so we could still do our dinner together!!! That was so nice of Chucho to allow us to sit that long and wait for the show to begin. It really was so nice to have that viewpoint to see this show! I love how you walked on so many of the attractions when you arrived at Epcot. We really were so happy with the new Connections Eatery and plan to make that our spot for breakfast whenever we make Epcot our park to visit! Bummer that you had such a tough time finding a parking spot at the hotel and it certainly would have been helpful knowing about the parking garage. That is my only complaint whenever we stay at The Springhill Suites over there too.

 

[Tuvalu]

Saturday, May 7

Homewood Suites offers a self-serve complimentary breakfast, so after Woody and I were dressed and ready we went to partake. There was ample seating and an okay variety of items. But one thing was missing.

Mickey waffles.

It never crossed my mind that a non-bubble resort would have Mickey waffles, so I was not disappointed there weren’t any. However there were several disgruntled guests making their displeasure known to the staff. Apparently, yesterday there WERE Mickey waffles. However, Homewood Suites only offers them every other day. Today was the day that Home2Suites (the sister resort) had the Mickey Waffle iron. (Seriously….there is only ONE Mickey waffle iron??!!)

However that did not prevent one mom from getting Mickey waffles for her large family.

I watched in disbelief as the mother and older daughter entered the seating area from outside, carrying at least a dozen Mickey waffles (on four plates) to her waiting family.

I call this “waffle illogic” ~ why not just schlep the whole family over to Home2Suites and eat there, rather than go through the effort to make and carry a bunch of now-cold waffles back to Homewood Suites? (Of course this assumes the hotels share breakfast privileges, which I’m not sure of, but hey if you’re going to steal Mickey waffles might as well make it easier, am I right?)

Woody and I finished breakfast and went to retrieve our belongings. I waited with the luggage at the front entrance while Woody walked the half-mile to get the car. Our plan was to check in at bubble resort before going to a park. Then a text from @Darstarr set a new plan in motion.

We still went to check in first.

It’s been a few years since Woody has stayed at Wilderness Lodge and this was his request for our vacation. No complaints from me!

Of course our room wasn’t ready. We did a little exploring instead.

Roaring Fork was empty except for CMs. Woody and I went in to check out the bakery case.

The muffins were fresh baked ~ not packaged in cellophane, hooray!

Paging @LisaBelle ~ your dessert is calling!

 

[Tuvalu]

WL had posted the Recreation Activities for the month in a couple locations.

The scavenger hunt caught my eye since we had seen the icons at other resorts but didn’t know what they were for.

Though we did not pick up a map, we were successful at finding several icons.

Whatever was the C ticket icon, we never did find.

We had some more time to kill so we took a leisurely boat ride to the MK and back.

 

[rshell68]

View attachment 639757

The scavenger hunt caught my eye since we had seen the icons at other resorts but didn’t know what they were for.

Though we did not pick up a map, we were successful at finding several icons.

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I have that Humphrey mug!!! He is my FAV non-Fab Five character!! And thank you for posting what those signs were for. We saw those at ASM as well and wondered what they were for. I did however have to explain to Hubs the actual letter meaning. His first trip was 2000 so he never got the joy of the tickets.

 

[Tuvalu]

More texts had been exchanged and a Magic meet was in motion. Woody and I found a table in the shade and waited for Magicians to appear.

We didn’t wait long!

Myself, @lindawdw, @Loco_driver, @Darstarr

There were no tables available inside Geyser Point Bar and Grill, so we made ourselves as comfortable as possible (in the scorching heat) waterside.

That’s @Darstarr ‘s son Vinnie Barbarino () with Woody below. He was so patient and kind to a bunch of strangers. Props to him for going way out of his comfort zone! (His Glamour shot photos will be in Dar’s TR….if she posts them! )

Woody invited P to become a member of the WDWMagic Spousal Support Group ~ partners of Magicians who get dragged to meetups with trip report fanatics. (@Loco_driver ‘s wife A would have been included had she been there. )

 

[Tuvalu]

We were trying to figure out how to do a group photo when out of nowhere….I kid you not….a Photopass photographer appeared!

“Your name isn’t Callan, is it?” @Darstarr asked.

(For those unfamiliar with Callan, he was a terrible PPP who took terrible photos.)

“Uh, no. I’m Chris.” He looked perplexed.

This was the first picture he took.

A Callan photo if I ever did see one!!!!

Honestly, I about wet myself when I saw the picture. Fortunately Callan Chris did a better job with the rest of them.

After Vinnie’s cover shoot for Teen magazine, @Darstarr and son had to be on their way.

@Loco_driver did an excellent job of securing a table for the rest of us inside Geyser Point.

It was nearly 2 pm and we were starving!

Food and fellowship ~ a great way to spend an afternoon!

Eventually @Loco_driver had to leave us to reunite with his lovely wife. L&P wanted to get a ride or two in at the MK before heading for the airport. (Where they would suffer a major flight delay and not get home until the wee hours of the next day!) Woody and I wanted to get into our room before going anywhere else.

Until next time, friends!

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody and I went to the lobby to wait for our room ready text. It was after 3 pm and I still hadn’t received it.

We weren’t the only ones waiting on a room.

A CM noticed us and walked over to inquire if we were waiting for our room. He had an iPad and offered to see if he could get us into a room. However we had booked a specific category (King bed, courtyard view) with low inventory, so we would have to wait a little while longer. The housekeeper was just finishing up.

The frustration melted away once we got into our room. View from our 5th floor balcony.

Geode light to land a plane!

(Em, I remembered how to dim it! )

Love that the King rooms have a walk-in shower.

The room’s location seemed oddly familiar, especially when I saw the roofline to the right.

Flashback to July 2017.

Yep, Em and I had stayed in this room before!

Only it wasn’t a King room back then.

 

[Nunu]

We weren’t the only ones waiting on a room.

Wait, is that Josh D'Amaro?!

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody and I began to unpack. He realized that he had left his iPad back at the Homewood Suites.

He felt awful as he usually checks a room thoroughly before leaving. I encouraged him to call the hotel. A housekeeper had found it and it was in the hotel safe. The manager offered to ship the iPad home, but Woody said he was still in the area and would come pick it up.

“I’ll ride along,” I said.

I waited in the car while Woody went inside. He was gone a good 15 minutes (long line of people at the Front Desk.) I passed the time browsing MDE, looking for dinner availability. When I found something that would work I booked it, knowing Woody would be fine with whatever.

iPad in hand, we returned to WL. We finished unpacking and went down to the bus stop.

Were we going to a park?

Nope.

Disney Springs?

On a Saturday night? Are you crazy?

Though we would have rather taken a boat there, a bus to the campground was our only option.

Then something exciting happened.

For the first time in almost two years, we rode in a Disney bus without wearing a mask!

It felt strange. Surreal. And yet so NORMAL.

The ride between the Lodge and the Settlement Depot is less than five minutes. We were a little early to check in so we took a short stroll around the grounds.

Only one food truck. Cuz Saturday.

 

[Tuvalu]

After our less-than-stellar experience last October, you may be surprised we returned to Trail’s End.

It was a convenient option. A reasonably-priced option. And the food has always been good. It was the service last visit that was awful.

I must admit to being a tad nervous when we were seated in the bar area again but our former server was nowhere to be seen. We had a fantastic server tonight. And we had the bonus of watching the Kentucky Derby from our table, witnessing the second-biggest upset in Derby history ~ Rich Strike won with 80-1 odds!

Watching the Kentucky Derby is a family tradition and it was so fun that we unexpectedly got to watch it!

The food began to arrive. Here’s what’s on the menu.

The cornbread could have fed six people! Served warm, the butter melted right into it.

The chopped salad came with a delicious warm bacon vinaigrette.

The meats ~ smoked chicken, brisket and pulled pork ~ were moist, flavorful and YUM.

And just when I thought I could eat no more out came dessert.

The candied apple pie (red parfait) was . Woody said the banana pudding was good. I wouldn’t know. I was too busy devouring the S’mores parfait. I was so full but I couldn’t stop spooning the chocolate pudding and marshmallow/graham combo into my mouth. I did let Woody have a taste.

We waddled to the bus stop. We had gone the whole day without setting foot in a park.

It wouldn’t be the only day.

 

[MickeyCB]

We weren’t the only ones waiting on a room.

Doesn't look like his cup of coffee worked.

 

[Loco_driver]

It was so great to see you again and to meet Woody! Thanks to you and @lindawdw for letting me stick around to be the 5th wheel for lunch!

 

[RememberWhen]

Love all the fort wilderness pictures! I’m so glad your dinner was better. And the derby was pretty entertaining this year. Were other people in the restaurant watching?

 

[MinnieM123]

The frustration melted away once we got into our room

Wow, redecorated room -- I feel like the last time I stayed at WL was ages ago. Everything looks different -- wall coverings, platform-style bed, (backboard is nice), lamps, mirror, overhead light covers, carpets gone, etc. (Hey, where's "our" clock radio, Tuvalu? ) I know that WL has had a number of renovations for years now, but I wouldn't even recognize it, from when I stayed there a long time ago. Do you like the updates?

I really like the bathroom design, by the way.

 

[fractal]

What a great magician meetup with @Darstarr and @Loco_driver ! Chris the Photopass photographer definitely needs a lesson on exposure.

Love that King room - Love no masks on the bus!

Smart idea to escape to trails end.

 

[93boomer]

Awww @Darstarr your son is gorgeous. Had to just comment.

@Tuvalu I that room. And that view is amazing.
Wow we haven’t had the pleasure of no mask transport yet.
Yummy food. I can’t believe they brought a whole cast iron pan of cornbread!

 

[Darstarr]

(His Glamour shot photos will be in Dar’s TR….if she posts them! )

He would kill me! But, he would never look here for them…

Chris was telling him “look away. Now look at me like you are surprised to see me etc”.
It was very odd. Then, a woman was loitering nearby and when Chris was done, she grabbed him. I thought she was going to get some family shots. Nope, she wanted what my son had

Awww @Darstarr your son is gorgeous. Had to just comment.

Thanks!!!

 

[lindawdw]

It was so great to see you again and to meet Woody! Thanks to you and @lindawdw for letting me stick around to be the 5th wheel for lunch!

We so enjoyed you joining us for lunch!!!

 

[lindawdw]

He would kill me! But, he would never look here for them…
View attachment 640041
View attachment 640042
Chris was telling him “look away. Now look at me like you are surprised to see me etc”.
It was very odd. Then, a woman was loitering nearby and when Chris was done, she grabbed him. I thought she was going to get some family shots. Nope, she wanted what my son had

Thanks!!!

That was so hysterical!!! Your son should be a model!

 

[lindawdw]

That was a full first day you and Woody had Tuvalu!!! We had the best time meeting up with you all at WL and look forward to doing it again one day! Glad Woody was able to get his laptop back and what a great room/view you scored at WL! Your dinner looked fabulous and how fun that you got to watch the Kentucky Derby!!!