Trip Report Go With The Flow...It's Spring Break, You Know! *COMPLETED*

Attention all planners (you know who you are!) ~ it is actually possible to have an excellent WDW vacation without following a pre-determined day-by-day (or minute-by-minute for you micro-planners) schedule. Even when it means missing the MK Welcome Show three times (*sigh*) or Wishes (gasp!) Even when you get stuck on a monorail for an hour and fifteen minutes. Or have to wait 40 minutes in the Main Street Starbucks and you aren't getting coffee (or even a snack).

Did you know it is possible to score a same-day ADR for dinner at Garden Grill (at a decent dinner hour)? Or snag a pre-park opening breakfast at Crystal Palace the night before? I wouldn't either, had we stuck to my plan.

Now some advance planning is always necessary, especially during the busy Spring Break period. And we are spring break veterans (having survived Easter week a few times!) so we know what to expect. That's why it was especially hard for me, the planner, to give up/adjust some of our plans and Go With The Flow! (channeling my inner Crush, can you tell?)

Now the details:
April 3-9, 2016
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Cast:
Tuvalu and @TrolleyFollower91 (known as Em)

and our beloved Woody! He makes it possible for our Disney dreams to come true .

Goofy is his favorite!

Join us on a fun-filled week of surprises. Did we get to stay in a bungalow? Stay tuned.

 

[Woodywrkr]

Woody had the six-cheese grilled cheese and tomato bisque...

Definitely a grownup grilled cheese...

 

[Woodywrkr]

Tuesday, April 5
Day #3 of sun, a cool breeze and no humidity

We are going to start this morning with a quiz. When I awakened, this is what I saw. Any guesses?

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Anyone?

Trapped between the mattress and the floor was:
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A pig in an Olaf costume! Betcha didn't guess that!

Pig has been Em's traveling companion since she made him at Build-A-Bear when she was in grade school. (You can tell by his appearance he is well-loved.) Pig has taken a Disney cruise to Alaska and flown to Budapest, Hungary. He never misses a trip to WDW. Pig is able to wear all Duffy (the Disney Bear) costumes ~ he has been an aviator, Halloween Mickey, and Sulley. Sulley was our favorite until I found Olaf last year.

Evidently it was a violent night for poor Pig.

I was the first one ready, so I decided to check the lounge and see if the "promised" oatmeal was available...nope, just more instant oatmeal packets (and still no microwave!) However, there were mini chocolate chip muffins, and who doesn't like those?!

Now it is time for me to vent about a personal pet peeve of the Tuvalu family ~ double-wide jogging strollers. These monstrosities have overtaken the theme parks, buses, monorails and boats. They are a major inconvenience to the poor dads who have to break them down and hold them on buses and boats. They are a major inconvenience to guests who have to wait on the dads to close them or try to get around them on congested walkways. We understand some double strollers (front to back, not side by side) are a necessity for children 4 years and younger. But most of the kids you see in these double-wides are 6, 8 and even 10 years old!

And I can't believe this is not a fire hazard:
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4 double-wides in our hallway!

And these weren't even the ones clogging up the bus stop as we waited to go to DHS. Two got on the first DHS bus that arrived...the other 5 (that's right 5!) boarded the second bus that we were able to get on, 20 minutes later. Another morning that we missed rope drop .

Well, the "brief" unobstructed view of the Chinese Theater is gone...thanks to Star Wars.
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The Great Movie Ride already had a 25 minute wait, but standby was our only option since we didn't have a FP. At least we got to see a part of the new pre show movie we hadn't seen. And we had a decent Mugsy.

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We had to rush to our first fastpasses, since our hour window was almost over. Woody and Em went to visit Aerosmith, while I had a date with another Woody.
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YAY for my FP!!!!! (Although I still waited 20 minutes.)

Noticed these new instruction monitors while waiting in line:
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Apparently, single riders (or the odd # member of a party) are now paired up with another guest...AWKWARD!!! And the woman I was paired with kept yelling at me which targets to hit because she'd watched YouTube videos and "knew all the secrets." I should have ignored her (which would have been difficult due to her loud running commentary) and done my own thing, because it was one of my lowest TSMM scores ever. It was especially humiliating because I usually get Best in Vehicle.

Defeated, I walked over to see the walled-off area by the Backlot Tour.
View attachment 139494

You were still the best in the vehicle in my book.

 

[WDWDarling]

You were still the best in the vehicle in my book.

That is the cutest thing I have read on this whole site.

 

[Woodywrkr]

That is the cutest thing I have read on this whole site.

I will have to be careful or I may ruin my reputation as a stoic old man.

 

[MinnieM123]

I will have to be careful or I may ruin my reputation as a stoic old man.

Not to worry--your secret is safe with us!

 

[MinnieM123]

@Tuvalu , I got such a kick out of your transportation issues that morning you were trying to get over to MK. Every time I thought something would go right for you guys, something else would go wrong--it was like dominoes. It was so bad, I just had to laugh out loud. That was insane how long it took the guests from the Poly to get over to the MK! Yah, the resort monorail isn't nearly as reliable as it was years ago. Pathetic!!

Oh by the way, congrats on your high game score!! I never do well at those types of games. I need more practice!

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and I had to go to the Lava pool again, as there were no available chairs at the Oasis pool. One of us <not me> *may* have napped. We had no plans for the evening, so I kept tossing around ideas in my head. Eating a quick service dinner in a park didn't hold great appeal as we didn't feel like fighting the crowds. Em wanted to photograph the Star Wars fireworks, so I took that into consideration as I formulated a plan.

Naturally, libations and appetizers in the lounge was the first part of the plan. Then we set off for our evening adventure.

Guess where you find this:

Need help? How about now:

We ate at Coronado Springs Pepper Market many years ago and remember liking the unique set-up, with different cooking stations you could peruse and then get your food card "stamped" after you made your selections. Many guests found the process cumbersome and these days Pepper Market looks like any other resort food court.

But the seating area still retains the original charm:

The food choices skew mostly Mexican and our entrees were quite good.

I bought us a dessert bar to share, but Em did not photograph it because it was not much to look at. BUT it might have been my favorite dessert of the trip! Oatmeal, caramel and chocolate chips melded into chewy goodness .
We all agreed dinner at Pepper Market was a hit!

Stay tuned for the next part of our adventure.

 

[bee]

The food choices skew mostly Mexican and our entrees were quite good.

I recognize those empanadas!

 

[MinnieM123]

Those food pictures look delicious! I've never ventured over to that resort before, and I like the design of the Pepper Market--very cheerful.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Yes, that part of The Little Mermaid queue does get used! We stood in it on our 1 day MK trip back in October 2014. I am loving hearing about all of your adventures. It sounds like you were doing a fantastic job going with the flow!!

 

[joshsprincess921]

LOL..I'm from Louisiana and I love Grits! I add salt, pepper, shredded cheese and bacon bits! But I HAVE eaten them since I was a little tot!
Loving your TR!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

The food for CSR looks so tasty!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I recognize those empanadas!

Em really enjoyed them. My lettuce wraps were excellent, keep them in mind!

The food for CSR looks so tasty!!

It was!

Those food pictures look delicious! I've never ventured over to that resort before, and I like the design of the Pepper Market--very cheerful.

Coronado is a beautiful resort, especially at night.

Yes, that part of The Little Mermaid queue does get used! We stood in it on our 1 day MK trip back in October 2014. I am loving hearing about all of your adventures. It sounds like you were doing a fantastic job going with the flow!!

Wow...glad we've never had to use that part of the queue. Thanks for following and I look forward to reading about your family's adventures this summer!

LOL..I'm from Louisiana and I love Grits! I add salt, pepper, shredded cheese and bacon bits! But I HAVE eaten them since I was a little tot!
Loving your TR!

That's the thing ~ grits are supposed to be savory, with the additions you mentioned. But in front of the crock-pot was a dish of brown sugar and a dish of cinnamon I really believe the cook did not know the difference between oatmeal and grits!

 

[Tiggerish]

I've gotta love a trip report that gets interrupted for pictures of cats.

Ooey Gooey and No Way Jose? I must hang out with you people someday. I think I found out about the OGTC in one of @TrolleyFollower91's trip reports and have been in love since I tried one.

I visited a Poly bungalow last year, they are amazing. The kitchen was so gorgeous, it made me want to cook even though on vacation. Did you get to ring the doorbell?

My husband wears the same "I'm relaxing in my easy chair" expression as Woody while riding roller coasters.

Enjoying your adventures!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Did you get to ring the doorbell?

There's a doorbell??!!!?!
You are welcome to join us for yummy desserts anytime . Thanks for following along!

 

[Tuvalu]

We checked out the gift store before leaving the main building. It was close to 8:30 pm when we arrived at the bus stop and were the only ones there. A couple of minutes later an empty DHS bus pulled up. As we boarded, the bus driver snarkily commented: "You know the park is only open for one more hour, right?"

Ummm yeah, we just want to see the fireworks (not that it's any of your business!)

Thankfully he did not make any more snide comments during the ride. And ironically, we weren't going through the turnstiles anyway. We planned to watch the fireworks outside the park (you know where, @TheMouseFan ). Em set up her tripod and we had about a half hour to wait ~ I kept looking over towards Epcot to catch some Illuminations fireworks, but for some odd reason the show was delayed. When the Star Wars fireworks started, so did Illuminations ~ and I got "fireworks whiplash" trying to watch both shows simultaneously!

Enjoy these shots Em captured:

And since we watched from outside the park, we got a head start on getting in line for the Poly bus. We even got a bonus treat...we got back to the Poly just in time to walk to the beach to watch Wishes .

Fireworks count: 3 shows in one night makes up for the two nights we missed! Total: 5 shows, 4 nights

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, April 7
It rained hard overnight and we awakened to cloudy skies with more rain predicted. Had our perfect weather streak ended?

Grits was in the crock-pot again, but chocolate chip mini muffins were on the tray so I didn't have to grumble . This was the morning we discovered our POG juice had frozen into slushies, so drinking the POG was a bit of a challenge. But Em declared we'd created a new tasty treat!

This was our planned Epcot day, the one Woody had looked forward to most. As a gardener, he especially enjoys the Flower and Garden Festival each year. My original schedule did not have us waiting 4 days before our first Epcot visit...I had penciled in Monday night...but as you know, I had to Go with the flow!

Due to the possibility of rain, we grabbed our Totes umbrellas (we don't like ponchos) and walked to the TTC. I joked that the umbrellas would ensure that there would be no rain...and they did! By 9:30 am the sun was out, the cool breeze was blowing, the humidity was gone and it stayed that way for the rest of the day! (Day #5 )

The Epcot monorail was just pulling into the station when we got to the top of the ramp. We made it to the park in time for rope drop and hurriedly walked toward something Em has looked forward to for months...the Inside Out Meet and Greet. From the first time she saw the movie, she and Sadness have been kindred spirits. In fact, she even named her new blue CR-V "Sadness".

Her excitement is palpable!

We waited 35 minutes and it was worth every second.

 

[coachwnh]

Great fireworks pictures from HS!!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Our next destination:

Like the rest of you, we are looking forward to the new Soarin'. But Living With The Land is also a favorite.

The monorail was passing by as we made our way to the Seas.

 

[Woodywrkr]

Great fireworks pictures from HS!!!!

What Tuvalu didn't mention was the hundreds of high school band members waving their light sabers right in front of Em. Turns out the flag poles are a popular spot for high school tour groups to gather before boarding their bus. Em did a fantastic job of capturing the fireworks without the glowing sabers!