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.

 

[93boomer]

Oh my goodness I am finally here. I honestly forgot you had gone! Sorry @Tuvalu! Your TR is great as usual. I love reading them! You have made me so excited that I can't wait until we get down there in 30 days!! And we have a room at the POFQ too. Keep up the great reporting!

 

[mlegerto]

Oh, how I wanted to love this chicken (sorry, @mlegerto ). I really did. It had a nice crunchy crust and the chicken was fairly moist, but there was absolutely NO flavor. Now there was vinegar to sprinkle on and tartar sauce for dipping, but I am a purist and believe chicken tenders/planks/nuggets should stand on their own. Any sauce should merely accentuate the flavor, not be the flavor. We have a local restaurant that hand-batters fresh chicken tenders when you order and Cookes chicken is not even in the same league. (I'd like to say the chips made up for the chicken, but I can't....)

OH NO that's terrible news. I've always had SUCH good chicken there I hope it was a one off and it isn't going south!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Does the bakery area still have a separate ordering area. I want to stop there for beignets, but don't want to wait 30 minutes for them.

The beignets are no longer in the old bakery area. They are in a food station across from where they used to be. This same station is where the pastry case is now located.This station also makes beignet sundaes. Depending on how busy it is, you may end up waiting awhile.

 

[MinnieM123]

<Gets on soapbox> People, if you are finished swimming and are leaving the pool, PLEASE scoop up your towels from the chairs you are no longer using and deposit them in the towel bin. Not only is this a courtesy to the staff, but it is also a courtesy to new arrivals who are looking for chairs. When each chair has a single white towel on it, we assume it is occupied.....though 9 times out of 10, it's probably not. The number of people in the pool never matches the number of chairs "saved" by white towels. Which brings me to my second point....if everyone in your party does not plan to ever use a chair, please don't take one. Use one chair for everyone's stuff. Thank you. <Steps down>

^^^^ THIS, like a thousand times!! I go mental when I'm at a hotel's pool, and I look around at an abundance of lawn chairs and ALL have towels on them. It only takes a minute to remove your towel(s) and throw them in the bin.

 

[Tiggerish]

back to the resort, changed

That guy creeps me out.

(Couldn't quote the photo, so took some nearby text)

 

[Gabe1]

Why, thank you!

Both my DD and I said that photo looks like a postcard.

Well done!

 

[Missy_May]

Em and I were browsing the shops on Sunset when I received a text from Woody saying he was in the park and would meet us at the restaurant. We were a bit delayed when we got trapped by this (cue music) ~

Apparently Fitz and the Tantrums can make my hands clap and Tuvalu can make me hum the Imperial March.

 

[Gabe1]

Last year, the meats were brought out on a separate platter. Now everything is mashed (no pun intended) together on a round plate. It makes serving difficult.

View attachment 199712

We give Garden Grill a B for food, A for character interaction and D for service. We'll probably go back, but not for awhile.

We ate last year at the Garden Grill too on the evening of our arrival too. While the food was good. The service was horrid as was the ADRs being a full hour behind and we were told so with indigence. Guests sitting outside the Grill on the rugs. Took forever for the server to appear, drinks took forever as did the imposition of asking for refills. I left while the wheel had us at the beginning of the rotation and I left and used the restrooms right by the check in desk. When I returned and walked past I got told off that it wasn't a seat yourself and I must check in and wait...not so politely. He saw me for an hour waiting to be seated, you'd think he'd know me by heart. I handed my DD my wallet and said I needed to go outside...up at 2am, heavy meal that was aggravating though good wasn't a great start to our trip. But they had already changed over to the same everything on a platter by then last year though different serving pieces it appears and we did have sweet potato fries, stuffing and green beans vs corn.

I'd give them an F for service, nothing met Disney standards, they like Via Napoli did needs a staff overhaul, they were all miserable. The food I agree a B and the Furry Friends got an A.

 

[Kiwiduck]

The photo of the TERROR TOWER behind the flowers is particularly beautiful. Well done to the photographer!

 

[mlegerto]

Many of the Mardi Gras float decorations (hence the name Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory) have been removed, which made me a little sad. Em, on the other hand, was thrilled that there are no more "giant creepy heads" staring down at us. The former dining area had a lot going on (and a lot to look at) and now the area seems generic and sterile. I am not a fan of the minimalist look.

Oh man! I haven't seen this food court yet since their renovation. I do agree with Em that the "heads" were a bit creepy, but it reminds me of my childhood - we always made a pit stop here for a meal during our family trips. It now kind of looks incomplete from your photo. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it just doesn't seem like the same place!

I hope this touch of Disney magic sticks around.

Some of the best entertainment Disney has to offer - and I love that it's always slightly different. I would be gutted if they got rid of these guys!

 

[Tuvalu]

^^^^ THIS, like a thousand times!! I go mental when I'm at a hotel's pool, and I look around at an abundance of lawn chairs and ALL have towels on them. It only takes a minute to remove your towel(s) and throw them in the bin.

Preach it, sista!!!!!

That guy creeps me out.

I also find him disturbing. If I were a child, I might not want to venture into the pool area.

Apparently Fitz and the Tantrums can make my hands clap and Tuvalu can make me hum the Imperial March.

The Imperial March was running through my mind as I posted those pictures!

 

[Tuvalu]

We ate last year at the Garden Grill too on the evening of our arrival too. While the food was good. The service was horrid as was the ADRs being a full hour behind and we were told so with indigence. Guests sitting outside the Grill on the rugs. Took forever for the server to appear, drinks took forever as did the imposition of asking for refills. I left while the wheel had us at the beginning of the rotation and I left and used the restrooms right by the check in desk. When I returned and walked past I got told off that it wasn't a seat yourself and I must check in and wait...not so politely. He saw me for an hour waiting to be seated, you'd think he'd know me by heart. I handed my DD my wallet and said I needed to go outside...up at 2am, heavy meal that was aggravating though good wasn't a great start to our trip. But they had already changed over to the same everything on a platter by then last year though different serving pieces it appears and we did have sweet potato fries, stuffing and green beans vs corn.

I'd give them an F for service, nothing met Disney standards, they like Via Napoli did needs a staff overhaul, they were all miserable. The food I agree a B and the Furry Friends got an A.

Wow. GG would be crossed off the list forever had we experienced that!

The photo of the TERROR TOWER behind the flowers is particularly beautiful. Well done to the photographer!

That's why I love when Em comes along.....her great photos.

Oh man! I haven't seen this food court yet since their renovation. I do agree with Em that the "heads" were a bit creepy, but it reminds me of my childhood - we always made a pit stop here for a meal during our family trips. It now kind of looks incomplete from your photo. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it just doesn't seem like the same place!

It will take some getting used to.

 

[Courtney6682]

The beignets are no longer in the old bakery area.

Have they been moved to the trash? Hehehe...evil laugh...not a fan of them obv!

 

[Tuvalu]

Have they been moved to the trash? Hehehe...evil laugh...not a fan of them obv!

You're so bad!!

 

[bee]

Tuvalu can make me hum the Imperial March.

I did too!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Monday, con't

After a couple hours Em and I returned to the room to find Woody still on the phone. (When asked as a child what her daddy did for a job Em would answer, "He talks on the phone.")

By the time our showers were completed so was Woody's work day. What to do for dinner? I confessed to having a hankering for a delectable dish I'd discovered in December, and since we had our car getting there would be a breeze.

My traveling companions were willing to indulge me.

(Are you jelly, @bee?)

And this would be the reason for the special trip:

Pork carnitas.

Prepare to salivate, @bee:

Cheese empanadas for Em.

She hated them.

Woody had a Mexican rice bowl with chicken. For some reason I don't have a picture.

Dessert was a hard struggle for me. I knew Cafe Rix held the yummy coconut and triple chocolate gelatos, a combination I adored. But the Caramelita dessert bar is a piece of heaven on a plate. For a brief moment I pondered the possibility of both, until the reality of upset-stomach backlash came to mind.

There was no wrong choice. Either way I win.

I bought two Caramelitas for the three of us to share. And still brought home a piece to savor later.

 

[Tuvalu]

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.

 

[bee]

(Are you jelly, @bee?)

 

[Tuvalu]

The quiet evening beauty of CSR, brought to you by @TrolleyFollower91 ~

Hey, who are these two spoilers of the picturesque landscape shots?!!?

We spent a lazy night in the room watching Netflix. (Except from between 9-9:15 pm, when I climbed to the third story of our building to get a better view of Illuminations. A fireworks junkie has to get her fix!)

 

[Tuvalu]

THIS. IS. AWESOME.