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.

 

[Tiggerish]

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:
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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

That's a great story (except for the snarky bus driver). I didn't get to DHS to see Star Wars fireworks while I was down Apr 14-18. I hear they're even better than the Frozen fireworks, which I did see last summer.

 

[Tiggerish]

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!
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We waited 35 minutes and it was worth every second.

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I have to agree, the Joy and Sadness M&G is worth the wait. Lovely to see Em's experience of it.

I was at WDW the week after y'all (I did the Star Wars 5K) and it rained my first two days.

And, like Woody, I love me some Flower & Garden Fest. Been attending since 1998.

 

[Tuvalu]

After we found Nemo, we returned to the front of the park to admire the topiaries we had rushed by on our way to meet Sadness.

After this shot, we went inside Spaceship Earth. We have ridden it so many times that we "fudge" the answers on the screen just so we can see a different video of "Our Future".

Then it was time for more topiaries:

 

[Tiggerish]

Totally make up different response every time I ride SSE. What would be the fun in seeing exactly the same future every time?

 

[Tuvalu]

I hear they're even better than the Frozen fireworks, which I did see last summer.

They aren't...or at least the current show is not. The Frozen fireworks were much better, IMO, due to the uniqueness of some of the shells used.

I was at WDW the week after y'all (I did the Star Wars 5K) and it rained my first two days.
And, like Woody, I love me some Flower & Garden Fest. Been attending since 1998.

Bummer you had rain . And we've been attending F&G just as long as you .

 

[bee]

Your F&G topiary pics are getting me SO EXCITED for my trip. I wish the weather would be as pleasant for us in late May-early June but I'm not getting my hopes up.

 

[Tuvalu]

Your F&G topiary pics are getting me SO EXCITED for my trip. I wish the weather would be as pleasant for us in late May-early June but I'm not getting my hopes up.

You never know! We had very pleasant weather the first week of June in 2014 .

 

[Tuvalu]

We made our way towards World Showcase.

Victoria Gardens in Canada is gorgeous. I made this picture the home screen on my phone.

Em ordered a cider flight from a kiosk in the U.K. It contained a lager and pear, blueberry and black cherry hard ciders. She and I adored the black cherry (McKenzie's...highly recommend!) and I have been on a hunt for it since we returned home.

Walking across the bridge...

...to our lunch destination.

We had a noon ADR (opening time) at Chefs de France and I checked in at the podium a few minutes early to request a table by a window. Chefs is another one of our regular haunts (crepes, quiche, burger with Bernaise on a Brioche bun ~ all excellent). We were disappointed when Remy left, but we were about to be even more disappointed.

Em had wandered over to peruse the posted menu. While I didn't hear the gasp, I could tell by her face something was wrong.

NO MORE LUNCH MENU!!!!!

Chefs now proudly displayed an all-day menu and every one of our favorites...GONE! Not only that, but each entree ranged between $35-45, more than double what we usually paid for a lunch entree. "I don't want to eat here," Em murmured and I had to agree. I returned to the podium and told the hostess I wanted to cancel our reservation since we had booked it based on the lunch menu they no longer offered. She was understanding and said we would not be charged the $10 per person fee.

Well, now what? To quote Fraulein Maria from The Sound of Music, "When God closes a door, He opens a window." We ended up having a spectacular lunch at a fraction of the price, and sat al fresco happily watching the people go by.

Thanks, Tangierine Cafe!!

This was some good eats!

 

[MinnieM123]

No more lunch menu at Chefs?? Good lord. What next??!!! I ate there a few times, years ago. And I agree with you, that a number of people look for luncheon prices and a slightly different menu for lunch. Well there's another budget cut this year that's not customer oriented.

Now, as for Tangierine Cafe, that place has awesome food--I go there for a meal every visit to EPCOT!!

P.S.: Outstanding topiary picture of Minnie!!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

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".

I think kindred spirits is saying it mildly! Car name, cell phone case, tsum tsums, funko, itty bitty, and pins say otherwise! @Tuvalu immediately shot down my suggestion for the new kitten's name!

And those light sabers in the fireworks photos were ridiculous.

Mm...even though it's 6:30am I could go for some black cherry cider!

 

[lostpro9het]

Thanks, Tangierine Cafe!!

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This was some good eats!

YESSSSSSS!!!! Best QS there is!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Loving this report! I did like the Star Wars fireworks, but I don't think they were extraordinary or anything!

That is such a bummer about France, but I'm glad you found a great meal elsewhere! I still need to check out that place!

 

[Tiggerish]

McKenzie's makes some great cider. My hubby loves the black cherry, and we both love their green apple (more tart than the regular apple). I am able to get it locally, as they are a New York brewery (cidery?). According to their website, their cider is available in Georgia, so hopefully you can find it close to you.

I am shocked to hear that the lunch menu is gone at Chefs de France. That was often our last stop before leaving the parks to head to the airport. If enough people do the same as you and cancel your reservation because of the change, maybe it will be short-lived.

 

[Tuvalu]

McKenzie's makes some great cider. My hubby loves the black cherry, and we both love their green apple (more tart than the regular apple). I am able to get it locally, as they are a New York brewery (cidery?). According to their website, their cider is available in Georgia, so hopefully you can find it close to you.

I am shocked to hear that the lunch menu is gone at Chefs de France. That was often our last stop before leaving the parks to head to the airport. If enough people do the same as you and cancel your reservation because of the change, maybe it will be short-lived.

I did find one package store online that claims to carry McKenzie's black cherry. It's not too far away; just haven't had time to check it out.

I do hope the menu change at Chefs de France is short-lived; but then I also had hoped the same for Le Cellier, which used to have some inexpensive lunch choices (steak salad and the grilled chicken sandwich on an English muffin were two of my favorites.)

 

[dupac]

I'm loving the go with the flow trip report! I'm a relatively easy going person, but I'm also a planner, and when I make a plan I have a hard time when things start to go off track. I can totally relate.

And the pictures are fabulous.

 

[epcotisbest]

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:
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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

Spectacular!

 

[Tuvalu]

Rewind time...

Forgot to share two things in an earlier post. We used a fastpass for Living With the Land (which, believe it or not, was necessary) and when Woody scanned his band, the CM wished him a Happy Anniversary (huh???) Woody was able to quickly glance at the monitor and sure enough, he was listed as celebrating an anniversary. (Must be with his other wife, since our anniversary is in June ).

We sat in the first row of the boat and a family with a little boy about 5 sat directly behind us. As our boat entered the "These storms may seem violent and destructive" scene, he said loudly: "This is scary, I hope there are no ghosts!" (How cute is that??!!)

Present time...

After our yummy Tangierine Cafe lunch, we leisurely strolled around World Showcase. Lady and the Tramp is always our #1 topiary.

Em tried a peach Bellini from the Italy kiosk. She deemed it "just okay."

Woody was having fun. Honest.

We stopped to shop in Norway. My dad's side of the family were Scandanavians, and he likes the gifts I find for him in The Puffin's Roost. We also went inside Mexico and visited The Three Caballeros...the wait was much shorter than it was in December.

It was imperative that we stop in Innoventions once we were back in Future World. We needed to pick up our free Passholder Flower & Garden print. We each got one...no way was Woody sharing his Goofy .

As we rode the monorail back to the TTC, I pondered dinner options. I had recently read some very positive reviews about Garden Grill, so for kicks I searched for an ADR. Up popped a 7:40 pm...score! Same day ressies ARE possible!

We had a little over an hour to kill before evening apps. Woody worked, Em napped and I relaxed on our balcony, taking in the pretty view and listening to the music of Polynesia. (But I was not counting the minutes until my next Ku U Lei. Did the thought of that delicious libation cross my mind? Maybe once or twice .)

At last it was 5 pm. In addition to my Ku U Lei, I sampled a yummy chicken quesadilla and a spring roll (talk about a cross section of International hors d'oeuvres.) Woody had a KONA Longboard (I like saying that name now !) We lingered in the lounge until it was time to catch the Epcot monorail.

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm loving the go with the flow trip report! I'm a relatively easy going person, but I'm also a planner, and when I make a plan I have a hard time when things start to go off track. I can totally relate.

And the pictures are fabulous.

Spectacular!

Thank you both! Em (the photog) thanks you too!

 

[epcotisbest]

"Em suggested we walk over to the longhouse that bears my name:"

I think it is nice you let them use your name. Is it a long term agreement or renewable annually?
Loving this TR. Looks like great fun.

 

[Tuvalu]

We checked in a few minutes early at Garden Grill and prepared to wait, especially since I requested a table on the lower level. I handed the pager to Em and went to use the restroom. As I exited, I saw Woody and Em standing and waving the buzzing pager at me.

Pluto immediately stopped by, even before our server!

Janice took our drink order and returned with our salad and bread. Exactly how many rolls did they expect us to eat??!!