Trip Report Everything Is Just So Peachy Keen! *COMPLETED*

It certainly was for us Georgia peaches this last week! For those who may be new here, let us introduce ourselves. We are Tuvalu and Em, a mother-daughter duo who love traveling together to Walt Disney World. We take multiple trips per year (this was our third for 2022) and for us, time spent at our resort is just as important to us as time spent in the parks. Slow-paced relaxation is vital to us!

I’m sure this laid-back vibe is what draws people to cruises: pools, bars, a variety of restaurants and activities from which to choose . I can’t do ships. But I can happily “land cruise” at WDW!

Hope you decide to follow along and learn about the surprises on our most recent voyage.

When: July 20-27, 2022
Where: Disney’s Yacht Club and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resorts

Nothing can stop us now!

 

[Tuvalu]

This lady in front of Woody's hair is cool. It looks Tomorrowland-ish!

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, con’t

There would be no second attraction of the land cruise tonight. And it was not due to long lines (though the park was crowded.)

It was 8 pm (when most expect cooler evening temperatures to kick in) and the dew point was at 75. According to Google, a dew point of less than 50 means the air is dry and comfortable. Anything greater than 65 means there’s lots of moisture in the air, becoming oppressive. Added to that, the real feel air temperature was 97 degrees!

Time for Tuvalu and Woody to say buh-bye.

As we passed through the Great Ceremonial House an illuminated wall sign caught Woody’s eye.

He pulled off his ball cap - that Em had given him - and wanted me to take a picture to send to her.

Y’all seem perplexed! Trust me, this picture has meaning. I zoomed in and circled the emblem for you.

It’s a match!

(We’re old. It’s the little things we find amusing now.)

We enjoyed the rest of the evening in the cool comfort of our room, ignorant of the unbelievable transportation challenges that awaited us in the morning.

 

[93boomer]

Sunday, con’t

There would be no second attraction of the land cruise tonight. And it was not due to long lines (though the park was crowded.)

It was 8 pm (when most expect cooler evening temperatures to kick in) and the dew point was at 75. According to Google, a dew point of less than 50 means the air is dry and comfortable. Anything greater than 65 means there’s lots of moisture in the air, becoming oppressive. Added to that, the real feel air temperature was 97 degrees!

Time for Tuvalu and Woody to say buh-bye.

View attachment 674768

As we passed through the Great Ceremonial House an illuminated wall sign caught Woody’s eye.

He pulled off his ball cap - that Em had given him - and wanted me to take a picture to send to her.

View attachment 674769

Y’all seem perplexed! Trust me, this picture has meaning. I zoomed in and circled the emblem for you.

View attachment 674770

It’s a match!

(We’re old. It’s the little things we find amusing now.)

We enjoyed the rest of the evening in the cool comfort of our room, ignorant of the unbelievable transportation challenges that awaited us in the morning.

Oooo can’t wait to see!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Monday, August 22

While I had not been overly impressed with our room view upon arrival yesterday afternoon, my breath was taken away when I opened the drapes this morning.

I was able to gawk at the lovely sunrise for just a couple minutes before my attention was needed elsewhere.

It was approaching 7 am. We had park passes for Epcot. You know what that means.

Time to play, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue Lottery!

Woody and I each had our devices out ready to go. We watched the atomic clock countdown. Pushed the buttons as fast as possible. And…..

Well, poo! Since we would have another opportunity at 1 pm….and another at 6 pm (deluxe resort extra magic hours)….I didn’t want to shell out money for Individual Lightning Lane.

Our disappointment was very short-lived however. Moments later I received a text from

with simply the words: You’re welcome.

I logged back in to MDE and saw this little beauty —

Group 20?!!!!

I knew from reading @gerarar ‘s posts in the GotG thread that Boarding Groups 1-20 are called as part of the initial wave around 8:10 am. That’s during early entry (8-8:30) for resort guests. Though I’d promised Woody we wouldn’t have to rush out this morning, turns out we did.

We quickly ate some pastries we’d brought from home and Woody gulped down his coffee.

Then I, in my “wisdom”, set us on a course that would have eliminated us from The Amazing Race.

 

[gerarar]

Monday, August 22

While I had not been overly impressed with our room view upon arrival yesterday afternoon, my breath was taken away when I opened the drapes this morning.

View attachment 674827

I was able to gawk at the lovely sunrise for just a couple minutes before my attention was needed elsewhere.

It was approaching 7 am. We had park passes for Epcot. You know what that means.

Time to play, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue Lottery!

Woody and I each had our devices out ready to go. We watched the atomic clock countdown. Pushed the buttons as fast as possible. And…..

Well, poo! Since we would have another opportunity at 1 pm….and another at 6 pm (deluxe resort extra magic hours)….I didn’t want to shell out money for Individual Lightning Lane.

Our disappointment was very short-lived however. Moments later I received a text from

with simply the words: You’re welcome.

I logged back in to MDE and saw this little beauty —

View attachment 674820
Group 20?!!!!

I knew from reading @gerarar ‘s posts in the GotG thread that Boarding Groups 1-20 are called as part of the initial wave around 8:10 am. That’s during early entry (8-8:30) for resort guests. Though I’d promised Woody we wouldn’t have to rush out this morning, turns out we did.

We quickly ate some pastries we’d brought from home and Woody gulped down his coffee.

Then I, in my “wisdom”, set us on a course that would have eliminated us from The Amazing Race.

Haha, thanks for the mention. When I saw the notification, I was like what thread is that!!

You didn't really have to rush. The CMs are very lenient and don't care when you come after your BG is called, whether that be 1 hour later or 8 hours later.

 

[MickeyCB]

Our disappointment was very short-lived however. Moments later I received a text from

with simply the words: You’re welcome.

I logged back in to MDE and saw this little beauty —

Group 20?!!!!

Now that's a magical moment!!
The amazing Em I presume?

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

I see Orange Cone beat us here.

The PEOPLEMOVER is his favorite ride!!!

I was able to gawk at the lovely sunrise for just a couple minutes before my attention was needed elsewhere.

Stunning!!

And YAY for your Galactic hero (I’m also guessing Em!)

The Amazing Race is one of my favorite shows but it drives me crazy when people can’t read the maps——don’t they practice with WDW maps like we do?

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Our disappointment was very short-lived however. Moments later I received a text from

 

[Swissmiss]

The Amazing Race is one of my favorite shows but it drives me crazy when people can’t read the maps——don’t they practice with WDW maps like we do?

And why do they not think of learning how to drive a stick shift car?!

 

[LadyBelle]

And why do they not think of learning how to drive a stick shift car?!

It's not taught in Driver's Ed, nor do a lot of parents even know. I never learned it and I was taught over 30 years ago. Stick shift cars aren't as prevalent any longer.

 

[Tuvalu]

And why do they not think of learning how to drive a stick shift car?!

We say this. Every. Season.

 

[sheriffwoody]

Maybe you should start offering this as a service

 

[BwlrBry212]

We say this. Every. Season.

I had this same conversation with my mom the other week. Also, why don't people learn how to make fire before going on Survivor?

 

[Tuvalu]

Monday, con’t

The TTC is walkable from the Poly with the DVC longhouses being in closest proximity. We always walk to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail.

But not today.

In my desire to get to Epcot in time for 8 am early entry, I wrongly assumed we’d get stuck in security screening congestion at the TTC. Most guests arriving at the TTC are headed for MK (which didn’t open until 9.) I also wasn’t sure if security would be open yet. I didn’t want to risk it if it wasn’t.

Instead we breezed through security at the Poly station and boarded a waiting monorail. The train sat there for a good 5 minutes without moving, causing me *slight* panic as I kept looking at my watch. We still had three stations to pass through (GF, MK and CR) before transferring to the Epcot monorail.

Once we began to move the train seemed to be slower than usual, but I chalked that up to my paranoia. We picked up passengers at the GF and began a very slow ascent out of the station. The highest monorail beam lay just ahead and our train began to sputter back and forth, reminding me of The Little Engine That Could: “I think I can, I think I can…”

Only we couldn’t. Our monorail had died.

Everyone in our car looked around. Someone broke the silence with, “This can’t be good.”

A couple minutes passed before the pilot spoke over the intercom. He said our train was suffering from “low propulsion” and we needed to ride backwards into the GF station so the system could be reset.

My *slight* panic had now become full blown. It was very apparent on my face without my saying a word. Woody squeezed my hand and whispered, “Relax. If we’re late and can’t ride Guardians, it’ll be okay.”

But Em got us a Boarding Group! She is excited for you to ride it! She wants to know the song that played, where you sat and what you thought of the experience! my inner self was screaming, as I nodded back at Woody.

Our train slowly glided backwards and stopped in the station. The doors did not open and no passengers were allowed to board. It felt like an eternity for the system to reboot. When it finally did, our train did a slow “chug chug” to the MK station.

I did not want to remain on a potentially broken monorail so I told Woody we were getting off.

Here’s where things get even more interesting. The fastest way to the TTC from the MK station would be the Express Monorail….except....

Guests are not allowed to board the Express line that early! The ramp was closed. Express drop-offs only.

There was no sign of a Poly boat on the lagoon (to ride back and walk to TTC).

Our last option was the ferry. We hurried toward the dock as one had just pulled in and lots of guests were disembarking.

But we couldn’t locate the entrance. Seems it was closed too! Thankfully a CM working the ferry exit noticed us and asked if we needed help. I shared the story of the broken monorail and our need to get to Epcot ASAP for our BG.

“Let me talk with the Captain,” he said, telling us to stay put.

We watched him speak with two other CMs on the dock. He gave us a thumbs up and returned to let us aboard via the exit. “You have special permission to ride,” he smiled.

And now, for the Ultimate in Shirley Status….

….A PRIVATE FERRYBOAT RIDE!!!

My phone buzzed with the notification that our BG had been called. The CMs on the ferry with us were jealous, as none had ridden Guardians yet.

In just a few minutes we were at our port of call. Hundreds of people lined up for the ferry watched Woody and me disembark by ourselves.

I tried not to let my celebrity status get into my head.

But seriously I was freaking out. What would have been a five minute walk from our room to the TTC had taken 50 minutes. Fifty minutes to wind up in the same location!

We made a quick pit stop before climbing the ramp to the Epcot monorail.

Boy was I happy to see this!

You know when I wasn’t happy? The two times the Epcot monorail briefly stopped along its route!

At last we tapped into the park.

Would we make it to Guardians before our BG window closed?

 

[Zipadeelady]

But Em got us a Boarding Group! She is excited for you to ride it! She wants to know the song that played, where you sat and what you thought of the experience! my inner self was screaming, as I nodded back at Woody.

I really do dislike it when my inner self screams at me. I used to be such a "go with the flow, not worry about it, what ever happens will happen girl". I miss her.

 

[Songbird76]

It's not taught in Driver's Ed, nor do a lot of parents even know. I never learned it and I was taught over 30 years ago. Stick shift cars aren't as prevalent any longer.

If you can't drive stick in Europe, you probably aren't going to be driving many places. Automatics are all but non-existent here. I just got my license here last November....I still find it difficult to drive stick.

 

[MickeyCB]

Monday, con’t

View attachment 674990

The TTC is walkable from the Poly with the DVC longhouses being in closest proximity. We always walk to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail.

But not today.

In my desire to get to Epcot in time for 8 am early entry, I wrongly assumed we’d get stuck in security screening congestion at the TTC. Most guests arriving at the TTC are headed for MK (which didn’t open until 9.) I also wasn’t sure if security would be open yet. I didn’t want to risk it if it wasn’t.

Instead we breezed through security at the Poly station and boarded a waiting monorail. The train sat there for a good 5 minutes without moving, causing me *slight* panic as I kept looking at my watch. We still had three stations to pass through (GF, MK and CR) before transferring to the Epcot monorail.

Once we began to move the train seemed to be slower than usual, but I chalked that up to my paranoia. We picked up passengers at the GF and began a very slow ascent out of the station. The highest monorail beam lay just ahead and our train began to sputter back and forth, reminding me of The Little Engine That Could: “I think I can, I think I can…”

Only we couldn’t. Our monorail had died.

Everyone in our car looked around. Someone broke the silence with, “This can’t be good.”

A couple minutes passed before the pilot spoke over the intercom. He said our train was suffering from “low propulsion” and we needed to ride backwards into the GF station so the system could be reset.

My *slight* panic had now become full blown. It was very apparent on my face without my saying a word. Woody squeezed my hand and whispered, “Relax. If we’re late and can’t ride Guardians, it’ll be okay.”

But Em got us a Boarding Group! She is excited for you to ride it! She wants to know the song that played, where you sat and what you thought of the experience! my inner self was screaming, as I nodded back at Woody.

Our train slowly glided backwards and stopped in the station. The doors did not open and no passengers were allowed to board. It felt like an eternity for the system to reboot. When it finally did, our train did a slow “chug chug” to the MK station.

I did not want to remain on a potentially broken monorail so I told Woody we were getting off.

Here’s where things get even more interesting. The fastest way to the TTC from the MK station would be the Express Monorail….except....

Guests are not allowed to board the Express line that early! The ramp was closed. Express drop-offs only.

There was no sign of a Poly boat on the lagoon (to ride back and walk to TTC).

Our last option was the ferry. We hurried toward the dock as one had just pulled in and lots of guests were disembarking.

But we couldn’t locate the entrance. Seems it was closed too! Thankfully a CM working the ferry exit noticed us and asked if we needed help. I shared the story of the broken monorail and our need to get to Epcot ASAP for our BG.

“Let me talk with the Captain,” he said, telling us to stay put.

We watched him speak with two other CMs on the dock. He gave us a thumbs up and returned to let us aboard via the exit. “You have special permission to ride,” he smiled.

And now, for the Ultimate in Shirley Status….

View attachment 674991

….A PRIVATE FERRYBOAT RIDE!!!

View attachment 674992

View attachment 674993

My phone buzzed with the notification that our BG had been called. The CMs on the ferry with us were jealous, as none had ridden Guardians yet.

In just a few minutes we were at our port of call. Hundreds of people lined up for the ferry watched Woody and me disembark by ourselves.

I tried not to let my celebrity status get into my head.

But seriously I was freaking out. What would have been a five minute walk from our room to the TTC had taken 50 minutes. Fifty minutes to wind up in the same location!

We made a quick pit stop before climbing the ramp to the Epcot monorail.

Boy was I happy to see this!

View attachment 674994

View attachment 674995

You know when I wasn’t happy? The two times the Epcot monorail briefly stopped along its route!

At last we tapped into the park.

View attachment 674996

Would we make it to Guardians before our BG window closed?

This is literally my favorite post I have ever read that you've put on here!!!

 

[plaz10]

You can be late for your boarding group and they will let you ride with no problem. We once got boarding group 3…while still snuggled in bed in Pittsburgh awaiting a 1:00 flight to Orlando. No issues at all.

 

[Tiggerish]

You can be late for your boarding group and they will let you ride with no problem. We once got boarding group 3…while still snuggled in bed in Pittsburgh awaiting a 1:00 flight to Orlando. No issues at all.

Couldn’t help thinking of our monorail adventure while reading about Tuvalu’s

 

[dizfan917]

First attraction of our land cruise.

View attachment 674627

I see Orange Cone beat us here.

View attachment 674628

View attachment 674629

We stopped just before the City of Tomorrow diorama.

View attachment 674630

I wasn’t surprised when the inevitable happened.

View attachment 674631

Did we get evacuated?

No.

Peoplemover evac remains on my bucket list.

Kevin and I were just in the World last week and I got evacuated from the Peoplemover while he was on Space Mountain! We got stuck right above Carousel of Progress and the staircase we came down was over by the Noodle Station. It was a fun way to pass the time while I waited for him.