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.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, May 12

Despite a solid 9 hours of sleep I still awakened fatigued. (Since returning home I’ve read several articles about current non-Covid viruses that are long-lasting and brutal on the body. All I can say is TRUTH!) We took our time getting ready and it was after 9:30am when we headed for the bus stop.

Clearly standing behind the yellow line means nothing to this mom.

Most of the time she stood on the curb! I know bus drivers hate to see guests disregarding safety measures. Drivers won’t pull into their slot when rude people are in the way.

The bus went directly to Epcot. No detour through the campground!

I thought these poles were pretty.

I saw a PPP and thought she could take a picture of us in front of SSE.

Well technically we were in front of it.

“Why are you posing in front of a bunch of mirrors?” Em was quick to text me, before I’d even seen the photo. “What a silly place to stand.”

Turns out it was one of those “Where in the World” video shots. I have no idea how to post the video here, but I took a screenshot of the ending.

Can you spot us tiny humans by the fountain?

 

[Tuvalu]

@Zipitidoda and @Loco_driver know how much I enjoy the floating planters.

Especially when there are actual FLOWERS in them.

I’d wager a bet that this might be the most photographed topiary during the F&G Festival.

Today Woody’s mouth was lizard-free!

 

[Tuvalu]

The wait for Soarin’ was lengthy but The Farm Ride was manageable.

I think I intended to take this picture to show that the plexiglass had been removed from the queue.

Behind us was a lady describing Living With the Land to her travel buddy.

“It’s a safari type ride but in water.”

Woody leaned into me and whispered, “If you describe it as a plant safari.”

I now present my LWTL safari pics for your viewing pleasure.

Wait!

There ARE animals on the safari!

Fish….

….and humans!

 

[Tuvalu]

Epcot was slammed with people. It was the exact opposite of our experience on arrival day.

Woody and I meandered around the former Future World admiring the flowers and topiaries.

Ahh, Mission Space. The original location of Horizons, a family favorite. I’m fortunate to have the soundtrack for that “futuristic” ride.

While we mourned the loss of Horizons, Mission Space did have a positive for our family. Woody worked for the attraction’s sponsor so we had exclusive use of the corporate lounge on the second floor of the building. The lounge overlooked the interior queue and the exit area where the computer games were. The lounge featured comfy couches, complimentary soft drinks, use of a laptop (a huge benefit in pre-smartphone times) and a photo printer. There was also a large screen television and a couple activities for kids. It was a wonderful air-conditioned break during the summer heat when we typically took our family vacations.

As an added bonus, we got free Fastpasses for Mission:Space whenever we finished our visits in the lounge. (I never used mine. )

In time corporate sponsorship ended, Woody changed jobs, and a new addition arrived.

Obtaining an ADR for Space 220 has become the holy grail. I knew Woody would want to experience it but I was unsuccessful at scoring an ADR for our trip last October. I made sure I was prepared before 6am on Day 60 for this trip.

Day 60 + 6 (today) I was able to secure a reservation for the lounge. It was the only option available. I snapped it up as quickly as I could!

Our ADR was for 11:30am. I did not know what time Space 220 opened, but I figured we had an early slot. We began walking towards the entrance. We noticed this cool plaque.

There were a few folks milling around near the entrance but no line. I assumed they had checked in and were waiting to be called inside.

I approached the Cast Member. “I’m here to check in.”

He looked at me like I was an alien and curtly stated: “We open exactly at 11:30. Go do something and come back.”

Go do something? It was 11:18. What exactly were we supposed to do in 12 minutes time?

I shrugged at Woody. We saw a bench that was only partially in the sun and went to sit down. This was our view.

As we sat my phone pinged with a notification. I thought it was a reminder to start online check in, but instead it was this:

I’m not sure if everyone in Epcot received this notification or if I did merely because our bench was in close proximity to Test Track.

Not a problem, Kartika. We weren’t planning to ride Test Track today.

 

[pkkurz]

She also made leis for me and Woody for our 30th anniversary. What a nice surprise to find them in our room after a day in the parks.

View attachment 643341

These were ours. Such a special touch.

 

[Loco_driver]

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody and I waited on the bench until 11:29am. We did not want to get yelled at a second time for being too early.

We arrived to a disorganized, very chaotic scene.

There was now a line. A long line. Directly in the sun.

It was unclear if the people in line had reservations or were walk-ups waiting to join the walk-up list. There was a lot of murmuring and two CMs near the front were waving and pointing. There should have been a CM at the end the of the line to help those of us who had ADRs and were trying to do the right thing.

As sweat began to trickle down my back I told Woody to remain in line while I walked ahead to see if I could find out what was going on. “They figured out how to do this at Be Our Guest ten years ago,” Woody grumbled. “Why is this so disorganized?”

It was not the first impression I wanted Woody to have.

When I got to the front (shade!) I learned that yes, the long line in the sun was for guests WITH reservations. Swell. In hindsight Woody and I should have stood off to the side of the entrance….in the shade….during those 12 minutes we were supposed to “go do something.” At least we would have been near the front when it was officially time to line up.

Ten excruciating minutes later we were finally nearing what I can only call the “pre-check in desk.”

There was a CM checking names off a written list. Once ours was crossed off, we got to go in a secret tunnel….

….which led backstage to another entrance.

This must be Epcot’s 21st Century version of a “Roaring 20s” speakeasy.

We finally made it to air-conditioning!!

The CM at the desk told us to “wait over there.”

Over there.

We were soon joined by other parties in the riff raff area as we waited to be summoned for further instructions.

 

[Tuvalu]

We were 20 minutes past our ADR time when we were called to get our space elevator boarding pass.

A brief wait for the elevator and we were finally allowed to board.

I’m not putting any of my pictures behind a spoiler so scroll quickly if you don’t want to see them. I was fascinated by the ascent. Woody not so much. He said it was very reminiscent of the old Mission to Mars attraction….only updated.

Then the door opened to reveal that we had, in fact, made it into space.

 

[Tuvalu]

My first impression when we walked through the door?

“Wow, the dining room is a lot smaller than I expected.” (Explains why reservations are so hard to come by.) But the windows overlooking space/planet Earth are really cool!

Woody said the interior reminded him of Coral Reef Restaurant — rounded shape, different levels (for viewing ease) and giant picture windows — only for space, rather than the sea.

Since ours was a lounge reservation we were seated on the upper level near the bar.

Lounge guests may order the prix fixe menu if they wish. But $55 per person for lunch is a bit steep for me, especially when there was nothing on the menu that wowed me. My intention was to order off the lounge “Flight Bites” menu (though there were no “must haves” for me on it) until I read @Sbk1234 ’s trip report. He and his daughter went to the lounge and only had drinks, no food. And there was no mention of them being ostracized for doing so.

When our server came by and poured our space water () we told her we were just here for drinks and she replied, “No problem at all! Enjoy the atmosphere!”

We did enjoy watching things float through space.

We perused the drink menu. Woody doesn’t do fancy drinks. He’s a beer or wine guy.

His choice.

I’m not really adventurous but the Planetary Punch had coconut and rum (ingredients in the Piña Colada I wanted the night before).

Bonus — it was my favorite shade of blue!

Bear in mind I’m not much of a drinker. And I was taking cold medicine. And my stomach had been empty for nearly 5 hours.

Only a few sips in and I was giggling like a drunken teenager.

I became overly fascinated with the objects floating past the space windows.

I couldn’t stop smiling. And I sent several hilarious (or so I thought) texts to Em.

I did not however, embarrass Woody. He would have stopped me long before I said or did anything foolish. I only finished half of my Planetary Punch, but drank a glass and a half of space water.

We were in and out of Space 220 in less than an hour. Both of us agreed we were glad to have done it but don’t feel the need to return.

We’ll let others have a chance at those hard to get ADRs.

 

[93boomer]

My first impression when we walked through the door?

“Wow, the dining room is a lot smaller than I expected.” (Explains why reservations are so hard to come by.) But the windows overlooking space/planet Earth are really cool!

View attachment 643468

Woody said the interior reminded him of Coral Reef Restaurant — rounded shape, different levels (for viewing ease) and giant picture windows — only for space, rather than the sea.

Since ours was a lounge reservation we were seated on the upper level near the bar.

View attachment 643467

View attachment 643469

Lounge guests may order the prix fixe menu if they wish. But $55 per person for lunch is a bit steep for me, especially when there was nothing on the menu that wowed me. My intention was to order off the lounge “Flight Bites” menu (though there were no “must haves” for me on it) until I read @Sbk1234 ’s trip report. He and his daughter went to the lounge and only had drinks, no food. And there was no mention of them being ostracized for doing so.

When our server came by and poured our space water () we told her we were just here for drinks and she replied, “No problem at all! Enjoy the atmosphere!”

We did enjoy watching things float through space.

View attachment 643470

View attachment 643471

We perused the drink menu. Woody doesn’t do fancy drinks. He’s a beer or wine guy.

View attachment 643477

His choice.

View attachment 643473

I’m not really adventurous but the Planetary Punch had coconut and rum (ingredients in the Piña Colada I wanted the night before).

View attachment 643478

Bonus — it was my favorite shade of blue!

View attachment 643475

Bear in mind I’m not much of a drinker. And I was taking cold medicine. And my stomach had been empty for nearly 5 hours.

Only a few sips in and I was giggling like a drunken teenager.

I became overly fascinated with the objects floating past the space windows.

I couldn’t stop smiling. And I sent several hilarious (or so I thought) texts to Em.

I did not however, embarrass Woody. He would have stopped me long before I said or did anything foolish. I only finished half of my Planetary Punch, but drank a glass and a half of space water.

We were in and out of Space 220 in less than an hour. Both of us agreed we were glad to have done it but don’t feel the need to return.

We’ll let others have a chance at those hard to get ADRs.

You being “giggly” made me laugh! That would have been cute to see.

 

[MinnieM123]

Only a few sips in and I was giggling like a drunken teenager.

I became overly fascinated with the objects floating past the space windows.

I couldn’t stop smiling. And I sent several hilarious (or so I thought) texts to Em.

I did not however, embarrass Woody. He would have stopped me long before I said or did anything foolish. I only finished half of my Planetary Punch, but drank a glass and a half of space water.

Glad you had fun, despite the (ridiculous) check-in process!

 

[RememberWhen]

We’re hoping to score a Space 220 drinks reservation for our August trip! Glad to know they didn’t give you a hard time. Nothing on the menu appeals to us and I’m not paying adult prices for my 10yo to poke at food on a plate while watching a space screen. Pop rocks drinks though.

 

[MickeyCB]

There were a few folks milling around near the entrance but no line. I assumed they had checked in and were waiting to be called inside.

I approached the Cast Member. “I’m here to check in.”

He looked at me like I was an alien and curtly stated: “We open exactly at 11:30. Go do something and come back.”

That's bizarre and not magical wherever you might be, never mind Disney!

We were in and out of Space 220 in less than an hour. Both of us agreed we were glad to have done it but don’t feel the need to return.

I agree, I kind of viewed it as a one and done unless someone we are traveling with in the future wants to give it a try.

 

[Sbk1234]

Glad I had a positive impact on your trip! Although I agree that I’m not in a rush to do Space 220 again, it was one of the highlights of our trip and I’m happy to have that memory.
Also, you went on May 12, which was my father’s birthday. So, cool.

 

[Disney Loving Swede]

Woody said the interior reminded him of Coral Reef Restaurant — rounded shape, different levels (for viewing ease) and giant picture windows — only for space, rather than the sea.

That is exactly what my husband said when he saw pictures...Coral Reef in space. That check-in process does not make me want to go.. good thing I didnt even attempt reservations for our trip. I love that you were giggly though!

 

[Tuvalu]

You being “giggly” made me laugh! That would have been cute to see.

I love that you were giggly though!

We’re hoping to score a Space 220 drinks reservation for our August trip! Glad to know they didn’t give you a hard time. Nothing on the menu appeals to us and I’m not paying adult prices for my 10yo to poke at food on a plate while watching a space screen. Pop rocks drinks though.

Yes, drinks are the way to go. Can't blame you for not wanting to pay for food that no one will eat.

 

[Tuvalu]

Glad you had fun, despite the (ridiculous) check-in process!

That's bizarre and not magical wherever you might be, never mind Disney!

I agree, I kind of viewed it as a one and done unless someone we are traveling with in the future wants to give it a try.

Although I agree that I’m not in a rush to do Space 220 again, it was one of the highlights of our trip and I’m happy to have that memory.

Although it did make for a fun memory!

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

Tuvalu needed food. She wasn’t gonna make it to a quick serve in World Showcase, despite discussing the options with Woody earlier in the day.

Fast and easy — Connections Eatery checked both boxes.

We ordered on the app and bypassed the lengthy lines at the registers. We had our food in 5 minutes. Not kidding.

I had the Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich. The meat was very moist. The coating was very peppery, which I did not mind. The signature sauce was withheld at my request. The shoestring fries were hot, a pleasant surprise.

Woody had the Southwestern Burger — Gourmet Beef blend, Roasted Corn-Chipotle Salsa, Oaxaca Cheese Crema, Guacamole Spread. He really liked it.

The high ceiling and background music made for a pleasing dining experience. It wasn’t loud.

We sat next to a window again….

….but the real show was inside the restaurant. So much *interesting* (ahem) attire and behavior. Freaky. Were we really at Epcot?

 

[Tuvalu]

When a young couple began spraying themselves with sunscreen a table away from ours it was time to leave.

It was another gorgeous day. We’d really hit the weather jackpot this week.

Which direction to explore World Showcase? Clockwise or counterclockwise?

O Canada

Entertainment? Yes, please!

 

[Tuvalu]

The promenade was as busy as it was pre-pandemic.

One fellow’s shirt summed it up perfectly: Journey Into Intoxication.

Tipsy Tuvalu would have fit right in. But the buzz was long gone. Rather, Woody and I focused on the flowers and the rich details found in every country around the lagoon. I didn’t take many pictures as I wanted to be in the moment.

Chicken wine?