Trip Report I Vowed Never Again ~ Yet Here We Are! *COMPLETED*

Wait, what?

WDW-obsessed Tuvalu actually vowed never again ?!?!

Must. Read. More.


Clickbait! :joyfull:

But there is truth in my statement. I did vow not to visit the world whenever our spring break...always the first week in April....aligns with Easter. The first week of April typically brings heavy crowds since most southern school systems are out. I can handle heavy. But add in additional volume from schools that coordinate their break with Easter and “heavy” becomes INSANE. (Not quite the insanity of Christmas week....I am smart enough to avoid that, thanks to a one-day trip in 1994.)

But I’ve BEEN THERE ~
In 2009 (during the recession) when it took 40 minutes just to get through the Epcot parking booth....and the line for the boat ride in Mexico was out the front door of the pavilion....and Magic Kingdom was closed due to capacity.

In 2010 when the mid-morning standby wait for Test Track was 240 minutes (that’s 4 hours, people!) and the wait time for Nemo (Nemo!) was 150 minutes.

In 2015 when we watched the 6:45 am MK Welcome show in the dark because we wanted to ride a few attractions before the hordes descended.

Long lines to use the restrooms (always filthy because attendants couldn’t keep up); no available tables in quick-service locations, forcing guests to sit on the ground outside the restaurants; and a general atmosphere of cranky/angry guests who didn’t like dealing with the multitude any more than I did.

So I declared, DONE THAT!

Or so I thought.....

My darling daughter Em lives for spring break. As a student she vacationed (Disney or beach) every year but one ~ and there was nearly a mutiny! Now that she’s a teacher, going away for spring break has reached an even higher level of importance. 😉 With this year’s Easter/spring break overlap, we began researching other warm-weather destinations.

Guess what we discovered. Transportation, resort and dining costs were cheaper if we went to WDW! And having APs means our entertainment would be free. Em’s teacher budget would not be strained. The practical side of me could not argue....and the mom side of me could not disappoint my daughter.

We leave on Monday. We’re prepared. And we’re gonna be LIVE!

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A few Magic meet-ups are in the works. Hope to keep them a surprise (as long as @Zipitidoda doesn’t spill the beans! :cautious:)

Despite declining MagicBands for our upcoming stay, these arrived in yesterday’s mail ~

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Yeah, like we’re gonna wear the UGLY gray ones.....🙄

See Ya Real Soon!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Congratulations!!!!!
Those are among the BEST pictures you've shared :) Congratulations 🎈
Awww....Congratulations to you and your whole family!!:)
Congrats to you and your growing family! Beautiful!!! :joyfull:
Awe congrats to the entire Tuvalu Family 🎈🍼💐
Congrats and a welcome to Tuvaleen!:)
Awwwwe! Congratulations to the entire @Tuvalu family!
Congratulations - what a cutie!
Yay! New babies are the best! Many congratulations to your family!
Congratilulations to all. Always the best news in the world!
Aww..congrats!
Awww congrats to all of you!!! So precious!!
Congratulations!!!
Congrats!
Y'all are so sweet! :inlove: Thank you.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Congratulations Tuvalu family!!! Another Disney girl in the making!
Congratulations, another girl to add to the Tuvalu Disney team :D
EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! So exciting to welcome Tuvaleen to the family! I'm sure you and Em are turning her into a Disney gal already!:geek::geek::geek::geek::joyfull::joyfull::joyfull: Enjoy the blessings of a growing family!
Yay for Disney girls!! :happy:

Congrats!! Tuvalette has gotten so big! ❤️
Tuvalette looked like a baby on Wednesday....now that Tuvaleen has arrived, she looks like a full-fledged toddler!!

Wait! What?! I missed something here. :facepalm: When did you have the time to have a baby?! You're the busiest person on the planet with all the WDW trips, and you had another baby too?!
:hilarious:

Congratulations!!! Tuvaleen & Tuvalette make it all worth while. :inlove::inlove:
oooh Grandbabies are the best I hear!
Amen, sisters!

Awwww, congratulations. They are both perfect. And it sure looks good on you!
Complete joy makes everyone look good. :joyfull:

Congratulations on welcoming the newest member of the Tuvalu family!
I just got all caught up on your live report and I can't wait to hear all the details. But I'll be patient, looks like you have your hands full...:geek:
Thanks for reading.....hope to begin the rest soon!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Welcome Tuvaleen! True Magic!

Congrats @Tuvalu and wishing her all the best!
Appreciate the well wishes, Fractal!



Congratulations @Tuvalu!

This is great!!

Get that kid an AP, ASAP! She has the ultimate Fairy Godmother. 🧚‍♀️
Awwww.......

Congrats!! Grandmas are the best :inlove:
I’m going to do my best...😊

Congratulations!!!!!
Thanks, Leo!

No, being a Grandma is the best!!!!
To this I say, AMEN!!!

All caught up and anxiously waiting for the full report!
Congratulations on the new grand baby!! :)
Welcome and thank you!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I needed to change the title of this TR since we are no longer LIVE.

What to call it?

Unabridged? Nah....sounds too much like a dictionary.

Detailed? Implies that no details were included in the live portion and that’s not true.

Complete? Say it with me, @Longers....”NOT YET!”

So I settled on.....wait for it.....Part 2. Exciting, huh? Perhaps Chapter 2 would be better. But then there’d have to be a Chapter 3, then 4, and pretty soon I’d end up with a @Tony the Tigger novella.

Part 2 it is!

****Or WAS!****

Thanks to @Tony the Tigger I have modified the title based on his suggestion. 😍

Monday, April 2
We hoped that by leaving on Monday we’d miss the worst of the mass exodus of Atlanta spring breakers heading for Florida and we were right. While it did take longer to get to the airport than it should have, the slowdown was construction traffic not vacationers.

Woody dropped us off and there was no wait to check our luggage. Both Em and I had TSA precheck and we breezed through security. She requested ChickFilA for lunch (“I never get to have it for lunch!”) and we ate at the gate.

We boarded in group B and got seats together.
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Notice my necklace? The Mickey charm, circa 1980s, belonged to the deceased mother of a good friend of mine. She discovered it while going through her mom’s belongings and thought I would like it. And I do!!

The flight was VERY bumpy before landing (which was odd since the weather was perfectly fine) and I was glad when we touched down. Forty minutes later we were onboard DME and after drop offs at OKW and Saratoga Springs, we arrived at POFQ.

Skipping over the front desk debacle, I was not happy as we trudged toward Building 3 and “the last available room.” I had requested an upper floor of Building 2, knowing that the refurbishment in that building was complete. Also, I prefer not to be on the first floor as I find those rooms noisier.

Our first floor room in Building 3 surprised me. Not only was it refurbished (we may have been the first guests in that room since we could still smell paint) but it afforded us a partial view of Illuminations. And many of you know I like a fireworks view!

The hard-goods in the room were the same but the TV was new as were the mattresses/bedding (very comfy, we slept like babies!) The room had a fan (yay!) and a convenient bathroom hook.
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We are not fans of the wall toiletries. We bring our own hair products and hate body wash. There was only one bar of soap....at the sink....but thankfully our mousekeeper left us another bar the following day. The shower head is one of those “rainfall” types and the pressure was not very strong, resulting in longer showers for us. (@amjt660, do you remember the Seinfeld shower head episode?)

WiFi was AWFUL but when I finally spoke to someone about it the signal improved (apparently the refurb construction caused some issues.)

We didn’t spend much time in the room as we were in a hurry to get here ~
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Time to get this vacay started!!
 
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