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.

 

[pkkurz]

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

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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!

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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.

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The cornbread could have fed six people! Served warm, the butter melted right into it.
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The chopped salad came with a delicious warm bacon vinaigrette.

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

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

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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.

Love…Love…Love that you watched the Derby. We live in Louisville and enjoy all of the festivities that lead up to the, “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.”

 

[Tuvalu]

After a tough day at work, this is just the perfect reading to end the night! Excited to be along for part tu!

Wait, WHAT??? That happened really really fast! Congratulations to the TuvaFamily!

 

[Tuvalu]

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.

Humphrey is adorable.
And your hubby missed out on some classic Disney!

Wait, is that Josh D'Amaro?!

You're bad.

Doesn't look like his cup of coffee worked.

You're bad too!

 

[Tuvalu]

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!

or a fifth wheel!!

We had a great lunch because of you. Next time we will convince A to join us!

 

[Tuvalu]

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?

I’m not a camper but the grounds of Ft. Wilderness are so peaceful and pretty.

The only ones watching the race besides us were several servers who crowded around the bar just in time to watch “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.”

Love…Love…Love that you watched the Derby. We live in Louisville and enjoy all of the festivities that lead up to the, “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.”

My brother also lives in Louisville. He and his wife go to Churchill Downs every year for the Oaks and the Derby.

 

[Tuvalu]

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.

The room refurbishment was completed just before Em and I visited last summer. We really like the new look and the practical features. Woody feels the same way after our stay.

Of course I arrived prepared with my travel clock…I don’t leave home without it!

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.

It was a great meet!

I’ve had a few PP photographers recently who need a lesson or two on exposure!

You’re gonna have a whole new experience next trip than what you had in July 2020. Not having to wear masks 24/7 is, shall I say, magical!

 

[Tuvalu]

@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!

We loved the room and couldn’t have had a better location in addition to the view.

I was surprised at receiving cornbread in the cast iron skillet too! Last time we received a few slices of cornbread in a basket.

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

So happy you posted these pics! They bring a smile to my face every time.

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!!!

It was a full day. But a very FUN day which is now in my core memory bank!

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, May 8

Our room faced east and I remembered watching spectacular sunrises during our stay in 2017. I made sure to step out on our deck early.

The progression in these pictures happened fast.

Note that the lights are on along the walkway and in the pool area.

Lights are now off as the sun is beginning to peek through.

As soon as I snapped this, I went inside and closed the drapes. The beauty of dawn had become blinding sunlight!

We didn’t mind an unusable balcony in the morning. We preferred having a shady place to relax and enjoy the view in the afternoon/evening.

But I made sure to catch as many sunrises as I could.

 

[MinnieM123]

Our room faced east and I remembered watching spectacular sunrises during our stay in 2017. I made sure to step out on our deck early.

The progression in these pictures happened fast.

Note that the lights are on along the walkway and in the pool area.

The few times I've stayed at WL, my room was always located up on higher level floors, so I had good views. My favorite time of day down there would be just before the sun came up. Really liked looking at the pool area and beyond when no one was out -- so quiet and peaceful. Your "progression" photos brought back some fond early morning memories.

 

[Tuvalu]

It was Mother’s Day and although I had celebrated a week earlier with my kids and the Tuva-tinys, Woody insisted on picking up breakfast for me from Roaring Fork. He’s a gem.

I knew I’d want to spend the morning in my favorite park, and be there in time for Early Entry. I wasn’t sure if the boat would be running yet so we played it safe and went to the bus stop.

Had the place to ourselves!

In less than two minutes a bus pulled in and we climbed aboard for a private ride to the Magic Kingdom.

#ShirleyStatus

My cousin JB seems to have a sixth sense whenever I am at WDW. (“Geesh, are you there all the time?”) He’ll reach out with an unrelated text and my reply will include a “guess where I am?” Well I had just entered Town Square when I received a Happy Mother’s Day gif from JB.

I sent him this.

“Guess where we are?”

His response?

“In bed faking like you are at Disney by sending an old photo of when you were younger.”

OUCH.

Not really. He has teased me FOREVER about being his “much older cousin.”

Our birthdays are five months apart.

 

[lindawdw]

Your sunrise pictures are breathtaking! That is truly a prime view at WL so I'm glad you took advantage each morning and enjoyed that beautiful sunrise. I knew you would spend Mother's Day at MK!!!

 

[MickeyCB]

“In bed faking like you are at Disney by sending an old photo of when you were younger.”

OUCH.

Seems like a compliment to me?

 

[Tuvalu]

New from last month is using the large digital sign for Early Entry.

A CM scanned us in and we walked straight to Pooh. We had missed having to stand in the masses on the Fantasyland bridge (which wasn’t a bad thing.)

The elephant was not blowing a smoke ring though the mechanism was open. I can’t remember the last time this effect worked.

At 8:45 am we joined the queue for Peter Pan. Wait time was posted at 50 minutes but I knew it couldn’t possibly be that long yet. It was still Early Entry ~ there were no Lightning Lane guests to slow the standby line.

Just missed Tink in the treasure chest!

Woody and I were aboard our pirate ship in 25 minutes. We didn’t even make it out of the nursery before the ride stopped.

It was a flight of numerous stops and starts. Our longest wait was here.

I was hoping we might experience an evac, but it was not to be.

 

[Tuvalu]

Haunted Mansion posted a 25 minute wait.

To quote @BwlrBry212, “The wait times are made up.”

We were in the stretching room 8 minutes later. (Woody timed all our waits this morning.)

Madame Leota was not levitating in the seance room. (Three attractions thus far and all had issues!)

However, you now get not one, but two, terrible ride photos.

The “classic” in black and white.

And, “The Wonderful World of Color.”

 

[donaldtoo]

Haunted Mansion posted a 25 minute wait.

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To quote @BwlrBry212, “The wait times are made up.”

We were in the stretching room 8 minutes later. (Woody timed all our waits this morning.)

Madame Leota was not levitating in the seance room. (Three attractions thus far and all had issues!)

However, you now get not one, but two, terrible ride photos.

The “classic” in black and white.

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And, “The Wonderful World of Color.”

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[Tuvalu]

Attraction #4 was a walk on.

And the attraction in the worst shape yet.

Things were so bad, Scuttle had flown the coop.

Though the soundtrack was playing, very few of the AAs were operating properly.

Ariel was singing Part of Your World but none of her facial features were moving.

“Botox,” Woody whispered matter-of-factly.

Dancing Ariel was not bustin’ any moves. She was playing statue instead.

Flotsam and Jetsam were not on a roll.

Eric was unable to “Kiss de Girl” in the boat, as neither he nor Ariel could move. (The ducks were keeping rhythm on the turtle bellies though.)

Ariel’s “voice” did not become a .

All in all, a very lackluster journey Unda the Sea.

Except for one thing.

A constant I can always count on.

The Woody Wave.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Attraction #4 was a walk on.

And the attraction in the worst shape yet.

Things were so bad, Scuttle had flown the coop.

View attachment 640412

Though the soundtrack was playing, very few of the AAs were operating properly.

Ariel was singing Part of Your World but none of her facial features were moving.

“Botox,” Woody whispered matter-of-factly.

Dancing Ariel was not bustin’ any moves. She was playing statue instead.

View attachment 640413

Flotsam and Jetsam were not on a roll.

View attachment 640414

Eric was unable to “Kiss de Girl” in the boat, as neither he nor Ariel could move. (The ducks were keeping rhythm on the turtle bellies though.)

Ariel’s “voice” did not become a .

View attachment 640415

All in all, a very lackluster journey Unda the Sea.

Except for one thing.

A constant I can always count on.

The Woody Wave.

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Who cares about the animatronics when you can count on Woody

 

[Tuvalu]

As we exited Little Mermaid, Woody came to a full stop.

“I can’t believe it!” he proclaimed.

He saw something so rare that I had to capture it for y’all.

Spoiler

 

[DryerLintFan]

As we exited Little Mermaid, Woody came to a full stop.

“I can’t believe it!” he proclaimed.

He saw something so rare that I had to capture it for y’all.

Spoiler

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That’s our favorite bench, lol. I’m always feeding A goldfish crackers and water in that bench. For whatever reason, by the time we get to Ariel she needs a snack break. Great people watching back there!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

OH, I'm so happy I'm here---a bit behind but I'm catching up quickly!

Guess we’ll be playing the BG lottery on future visits

With so many other friends. I'm looking forward to seeing/riding it EVENTUALLY, whenever that eventual is...lol.

I took the next one for my mom. For years she painted gourds, turning them into turkeys, snowmen, Santas, ghosts and other creative seasonal decorations. She would study the shape of each gourd before determining what it would become. I bet she would make swans out of these two.

What a cool, fun hobby! Her gourds sound legendary! I'm so glad she loved the shirt and you were able to get the right size

Big day for Tuvalette. Preschool graduation

WOW!! Congrats to her! I hope she loves kindergarten and Tuvaleen is enjoying preschool!! Also, very cute pic of EM as a little.

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

What a fun meet up and what a good sport your son was, @Darstarr

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

CRAZY coincidence! So cool you can find the pics from other trips as "evidence."

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

NICE timing! What a crazy upset!

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!!!

Great pics, @Darstarr Thanks for sharing!! And lucky him for his own photo-shoot! I'm sure future partners of his will adore the pin-up photos.

A CM scanned us in and we walked straight to Pooh. We had missed having to stand in the masses on the Fantasyland bridge (which wasn’t a bad thing.)

YES. Arty-Pooh--the tradition continues!

I was hoping we might experience an evac, but it was not to be.

Bummer. An evac from this ride would be very interesting!

All in all, a very lackluster journey Unda the Sea.

Except for one thing.

A constant I can always count on.

The Woody Wave.

Sounds like a bummer-ish journey but ...Woody. Yes. You can always count on Woody. You picked a good one,@Tuvalu