Trip Report Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Back to the World We Go! *COMPLETED*

Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely. I am your host ~ your trip report host. Here in the following pages you'll see how the Tuvalu family survived Spring Break 2017. Kindly sit back and relax please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now......

Well, that's not exactly true. You are free to FIND YOUR WAY OUT at any time. Although I hope you stick around for the tour. There's bound to be drama.

The deets:
Cast: Moi (Tuvalu), Benevolent Husband (Woody), and the only reason we braved Spring Break madness ~ our Teacher Daughter (Em)
Dates: April 1-8, 2017
Resort: Port Orleans French Quarter

Along the way you'll encounter the slowest cast members ever hired by Disney. Farewell performances of Wishes (were there tears?) The awesome Blue Angels flyover. A Magic meet-up with another mother/daughter pair equally obsessed with WDW as Em and me. And the BEST TRANSPORTATION EVER.

You'll also discover the answers to the following questions: Are Spring Break crowds really that bad? (I'll give you a hint......YES.) What the heck happened to the Trolley? And the flagpole? Is the Red Card really gone? Can you get a same-day ADR for Be Our Guest? What about 'Ohana?

And the most-pressing question of all: Will Woody be doomed to sit on a hard chair in our room chained to his PC and phone all week?

Now as they say, "Look alive" and we'll continue our little tour.

 

[dmatt87]

When we were done with dinner we walked the grounds of Coronado Springs. I wanted to see the area where Em and I had stayed in December.

RIP Cabana 9B. We barely knew ya.
View attachment 200669

View attachment 200670

We had stayed in Cabana 9B for our honeymoon in 2011

 

[PrincessL]

Great matching shirts! I also love how you reference The Middle in your trip reports. Sue Heck as a pool CM would be awesome It's the best show on TV

 

[Tuvalu]

We had stayed in Cabana 9B for our honeymoon in 2011

Great matching shirts! I also love how you reference The Middle in your trip reports. Sue Heck as a pool CM would be awesome It's the best show on TV

The CM was certainly channeling her inner Sue Heck. Em and I loved watching her!

 

[pdwab]

Too bad you had such long lines at Sassagoula. My wife and I were there last week and rarely waited more than a couple minutes to get our food. I guess we were just there at off peak hours?

 

[MinnieM123]

@Tuvalu , I'm trying to figure out the number reference on your matching, Minnie t-shirts.

Gorgeous pix of the resort !!

 

[Tuvalu]

Too bad you had such long lines at Sassagoula. My wife and I were there last week and rarely waited more than a couple minutes to get our food. I guess we were just there at off peak hours?

Your experience encourages me, thanks for sharing!

 

[Tuvalu]

@Tuvalu , I'm trying to figure out the number reference on your matching, Minnie t-shirts.

1928 ~ the year Minnie first appeared (Steamboat Willie)

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday, April 4

This morning it was Em who was the early bird ~ she went for a run along the Sassagoula. The path between the two resorts is one of her favorite courses to run. Unfortunately Em would come to regret this decision (but more on that later.)

Breakfast was Entenmann's in the room. Like yesterday, Woody planned to work and meet us for lunch. Since he would need the car, Em and I took the bus to Epcot. We were pleased to discover that the Epcot stop for POFQ is one of the closest to the front gate.

It was a cloudy morning with a small chance of rain later in the day. Neither of us thought to bring our rain gear (another decision we would come to regret.) We got through security just as the park opened for everyone (we skipped EMH) and the lines at the turnstiles were LONG. Thankfully, there was no one in the Passholder line ~ likely due to the CM in the picture below who was only allowing Passholders into the line.

There was no wait for Spaceship Earth. The vehicles were moving slower than usual and the ride stopped several times during our journey allowing for decent photo ops.*

*and by that I mean decent for an iPhone. Had Em used her camera, the following pictures would have been spectacular.

Why is this family so intently gazing at a BLANK television screen?

At least the interactive ending was finally working.

We always try to switch it up each ride to get a different future.

Cause nothing says "party!" like white surgical scrubs and slippers.

Em thinks the coffee tastes bitter.

At least our future selves remembered to take umbrellas!

 

[Tuvalu]

Around the back of SSE we found an old friend!

I sent the next pic to my mom. Figment is her favorite. She'll get to see him for herself next month.

Nemo is my Epcot version of Pooh. I must ride it even though the rest of my family could skip it. I love the queue (walking along the Boardwalk = cool!) and I will never forget how utterly amazed I was the first time to see Nemo, Dory and Marlin in the same tank as the live fish!!!! Lastly, the comments by the Starfish at the end of the ride? Priceless.

Clamshell selfie.

 

[Tuvalu]

@ajrwdwgirl, our first FP for Living with the Land was definitely not a waste! At 9:45 am, standby was 40 minutes (thank you, spring break!)

Em and I were told to wait in Row 4. The party of 2 behind us was told Row 5.

We climbed aboard. Just as the gate was about to close behind Em, the Row 5 party decided to move INTO OUR SEAT!!!!!

What is it about Em that strangers feel compelled to squish in next to her on rides? (It's not just SSE, @Doc Disney!)

Why would this couple give up their OWN seat?!!

Em was trying to make the best of an awkward situation which was about to turn really uncomfortable.....
(Note the cellphone below)

For the duration of the ride (and I mean the entire ride) the man next to Em kept bumping her while doing this:

TAKING PICTURES OVER HER HEAD!!!!!!!

Naturally (since it was her and not me)I found the situation extremely amusing and it was so hard not to laugh....especially with the facial expressions Em was making.

She couldn't wait to get off the boat.

 

[amjt660]

@ajrwdwgirl, our first FP for Living with the Land was definitely not a waste! At 9:45 am, standby was 40 minutes (thank you, spring break!)

Em and I were told to wait in Row 4. The party of 2 behind us was told Row 5.
View attachment 200965

We climbed aboard. Just as the gate was about to close behind Em, the Row 5 party decided to move INTO OUR SEAT!!!!!

What is it about Em that strangers feel compelled to squish in next to her on rides? (It's not just SSE, @Doc Disney!)

View attachment 200961

Why would this couple give up their OWN seat?!!

View attachment 200962

Em was trying to make the best of an awkward situation which was about to turn really uncomfortable.....
(Note the cellphone below)

View attachment 200963

For the duration of the ride (and I mean the entire ride) the man next to Em kept bumping her while doing this:

View attachment 200964
TAKING PICTURES OVER HER HEAD!!!!!!!

Naturally (since it was her and not me)I found the situation extremely amusing and it was so hard not to laugh....especially with the facial expressions Em was making.

She couldn't wait to get off the boat.

Sorry Em but.... too funny!!

Max

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

@ajrwdwgirl, our first FP for Living with the Land was definitely not a waste! At 9:45 am, standby was 40 minutes (thank you, spring break!)

Em and I were told to wait in Row 4. The party of 2 behind us was told Row 5.
View attachment 200965

We climbed aboard. Just as the gate was about to close behind Em, the Row 5 party decided to move INTO OUR SEAT!!!!!

What is it about Em that strangers feel compelled to squish in next to her on rides? (It's not just SSE, @Doc Disney!)

View attachment 200961

Why would this couple give up their OWN seat?!!

View attachment 200962

Em was trying to make the best of an awkward situation which was about to turn really uncomfortable.....
(Note the cellphone below)

View attachment 200963

For the duration of the ride (and I mean the entire ride) the man next to Em kept bumping her while doing this:

View attachment 200964
TAKING PICTURES OVER HER HEAD!!!!!!!

Naturally (since it was her and not me)I found the situation extremely amusing and it was so hard not to laugh....especially with the facial expressions Em was making.

She couldn't wait to get off the boat.

Sounds like a terrible ride for Em. Love the pictures of the Figment topiary, it was one of my favorites of the festival.

 

[LadyBelle]

Someone needs to start a Theme Park Etiquette Guide and give it to those people.

 

[Tuvalu]

Was this family so concerned about becoming separated that it was necessary to wear construction vests??!!

 

[Tuvalu]

We wandered around Future World admiring the topiaries and the gorgeous floral displays. For those of you who have never been to the Flower and Garden Festival, pictures don't do it justice. It is even more beautiful in person.

Stopping in the Butterfly House was a MUST.

This was a fun new addition. The flat painting on the ground magically becomes 3D in a photograph.

 

[MinnieM123]

Naturally (since it was her and not me)I found the situation extremely amusing and it was so hard not to laugh....especially with the facial expressions Em was making.

She couldn't wait to get off the boat.

LMAO!! However, I do empathize with Em. It's happened to me before, too--and there would be an OPEN bench, seats, etc., that others could have used--and those would remain EMPTY for the duration of the ride??!!

Same lunacy happens to me sometimes at the cafeteria at work. There might be a few empty tables or counter seats that people can use. So I'll be sitting at a small table by myself, wolfing down my food (I love lunch at work . . . ) and enjoying the solitude -- and out of the blue -- some stranger will want to eat at MY table!! I just want to tell them to go get your own stinking table!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Was this family so concerned about becoming separated that it was necessary to wear construction vests??!!

View attachment 200971

Oh my! That's a new one.

 

[LisaBelle]

We wandered around Future World admiring the topiaries and the gorgeous floral displays. For those of you who have never been to the Flower and Garden Festival, pictures don't do it justice. It is even more beautiful in person.

View attachment 200976

View attachment 200977

Stopping in the Butterfly House was a MUST.

View attachment 200978

View attachment 200979

View attachment 200980

This was a fun new addition. The flat painting on the ground magically becomes 3D in a photograph.

View attachment 200981

View attachment 200982

Poor Em on Living with the Land! Why don't people pay attention to the CMs or better yet, THINK and take a row to themselves?!
Great idea @LadyBelle had for a book on theme park etiquette!
LOVE the flat paintings that become 3D in photos!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Someone needs to start a Theme Park Etiquette Guide and give it to those people.

Assuming they would actually READ it.......

 

[Tuvalu]

LMAO!! However, I do empathize with Em. It's happened to me before, too--and there would be an OPEN bench, seats, etc., that others could have used--and those would remain EMPTY for the duration of the ride??!!

Same lunacy happens to me sometimes at the cafeteria at work. There might be a few empty tables or counter seats that people can use. So I'll be sitting at a small table by myself, wolfing down my food (I love lunch at work . . . ) and enjoying the solitude -- and out of the blue -- some stranger will want to eat at MY table!! I just want to tell them to go get your own stinking table!!

Two words......personal space. Sadly seems to be a foreign concept to some people!

Oh my! That's a new one.

Precisely why I had to take a picture!

Poor Em on Living with the Land! Why don't people pay attention to the CMs or better yet, THINK and take a row to themselves?!

Now @LisaBelle, you're trying to apply logic.......