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!
 

Nala06

Well-Known Member
Thursday, con’t

Our next F&G sample came from China....the fried chicken dumplings.

View attachment 280746

These were fine, nothing special. We did like the peanut sauce which was drizzled over the dumplings.

Right next to our table was a display of Chinese hats.
View attachment 280745

You know how the Purple Wall is a “thing”? And Rose Gold Minnie Ears are a thing?
Well I bet you didn’t know Chinese hats are a thing.
I didn’t.....until this week.
And not with the demographic you might expect.

I noticed a few Chinese hat wearers at POFQ. Then some at MK. Yesterday there were more than a few in Epcot and I couldn’t help but comment to Em.

“Did you notice that they are all teenage BOYS?” Em asked me.

To be honest I wasn’t looking at faces, because most of the time I saw the hats from behind. From that moment on, whenever I spotted a Chinese hat, I intentionally noticed the wearer.

ALWAYS a teenage boy.

View attachment 280750
At epcot last year I witnessed a teenage boy wearing one, making a racial gesture with his eyes, while his FATHER TOOK A PICTURE OF HIM LAUGHING! My jaw practically dropped to the floor.
 

becca_

Well-Known Member
I swear its ALWAYS a teenage boy!! So many of my college cohorts will post on Instagram pictures of them in that hat. I don't get the obsession, but maybe people don't understand the "things" I am obsessed with (rose gold... purple wall.... millennial pink...)
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
At epcot last year I witnessed a teenage boy wearing one, making a racial gesture with his eyes, while his FATHER TOOK A PICTURE OF HIM LAUGHING! My jaw practically dropped to the floor.
Yup, way back, when my son was a teenager...Chinese hat in WS...still hangs in his now abandoned room.
Who can figure ?
I swear its ALWAYS a teenage boy!! So many of my college cohorts will post on Instagram pictures of them in that hat. I don't get the obsession, but maybe people don't understand the "things" I am obsessed with (rose gold... purple wall.... millennial pink...)
Yup, definitely a teenage boy thing then!! 😂

My first ‘Shirley status’ experience... :cool:
Go RyPat! Go RyPat! 🙌
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
There was one last item Em wanted to try and it came from here ~

View attachment 280751

The Ham and Gouda pretzel.
View attachment 280752

I wish I could say this was Gouda. :hilarious: But it was awful! Stale and chewy, like it had been left under a heat lamp far too long. The trash can enjoyed it more than we did.

I suggested dessert....something from the bakery in France - OR - Ample Hills on the Boardwalk.....but both required additional walking that Em wasn’t up for. We wanted to stop in Mouse Gear and that was in the opposite direction. So we retraced our steps (rather than make a full circuit around the lagoon) and headed into Future World.

Gorgeous sunset
View attachment 280753

We figured we could grab dessert back at POFQ (which ended up a $$ letdown) and catch Illuminations fireworks from our room. We knew we needed to be in bed earlier if we wanted to make MK’s 7am EMH (which didn’t happen...but that’s tomorrow’s post!)

7 am EMH is rewarding in that nobody else makes EMH and the park is basically empty, but it's certainly a challenge to make. I think I "slept in" until 5:30 the day we made 7 am EMH and that's not a time most people can or want to get up on vacation.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Friday, April 6

Well @dryerlintfan, I may have been up at zero-dark-thirty but my traveling companion rebelled. We did manage to make it to the bus stop by 7:15 am. A 7 am EMH is just hard!

I love the curvature of the stairwells in this building!
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We did not wait long for a bus and security at this early hour wasn’t too bad.....though Em got chosen to walk through the metal detector.
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(Shirley managed to skip the scanner!)

If only every morning could be a Magic Kingdom morning!
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I spy with my little eye....

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(No need for an “I told you so!” 😉)
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
Friday, April 6

Well @dryerlintfan, I may have been up at zero-dark-thirty but my traveling companion rebelled. We did manage to make it to the bus stop by 7:15 am. A 7 am EMH is just hard!

I love the curvature of the stairwells in this building!
View attachment 280916

We did not wait long for a bus and security at this early hour wasn’t too bad.....though Em got chosen to walk through the metal detector.
View attachment 280917
(Shirley managed to skip the scanner!)

If only every morning could be a Magic Kingdom morning!
View attachment 280918

I spy with my little eye....

View attachment 280919
(No need for an “I told you so!” 😉)
Just have to say, I counted 14 (that's right, 14!!!!) teenagers wearing those today!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I insisted we go to Pooh as our first attraction figuring the line would still be short (it was). As much as I enjoy Pooh, I had an ulterior motive. When we’d ridden Pooh on Tuesday one of my favorite effects was broken ~ the one where Pooh is falling asleep and his dream sequence begins. There was a bright light behind Pooh (where it is normally dark) and we witnessed how the effect is achieved. I thought if the effect was still broken I could get a picture (because inquiring minds would want to know!)

Alas.....
AAF87370-2C78-47FB-88EE-4B2B3419DEB0.jpeg

....floating Pooh effect working as it should.

Em got to pick the next ride. It was one we hadn’t visited yet.
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The entire queue smelled like stinky feet. :hungover: Not sure what was going on with that!

We had not had breakfast yet and it was time to satisfy our empty stomachs. Em was hankering for a cinnamon roll from Gaston’s.

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(Crowds were still light at this point!)

Em is a coffee drinker. I am not. I usually just have water when we go to Gaston’s but I was really in the mood for hot chocolate. I remembered the AMAZING hot chocolate I had in December during MVMCP and although that was from Pinocchio’s Village Haus, I figured hot chocolate should be the same at all locations, right?

Not so.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the World’s Worst Cup Of Hot Chocolate ~
07DA339C-A6A1-4929-AE8F-4DFE6BECFC78.jpeg

Light brown scalding-hot water with foam. Not even a hint of chocolate flavor. I burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth with the first awful sip. Like the Ham and Gouda pretzel from last night, this cup of mystery liquid went right into the trash.

All was not lost though.....Gaston’s chair was back in its rightful location.
8598832B-914E-43A6-A9DD-A51EE2619F3B.jpeg
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
I insisted we go to Pooh as our first attraction figuring the line would still be short (it was). As much as I enjoy Pooh, I had an ulterior motive. When we’d ridden Pooh on Tuesday one of my favorite effects was broken ~ the one where Pooh is falling asleep and his dream sequence begins. There was a bright light behind Pooh (where it is normally dark) and we witnessed how the effect is achieved. I thought if the effect was still broken I could get a picture (because inquiring minds would want to know!)

Alas.....
View attachment 281058
....floating Pooh effect working as it should.

Em got to pick the next ride. It was one we hadn’t visited yet.
View attachment 281065
The entire queue smelled like stinky feet. :hungover: Not sure what was going on with that!

We had not had breakfast yet and it was time to satisfy our empty stomachs. Em was hankering for a cinnamon roll from Gaston’s.

View attachment 281059
(Crowds were still light at this point!)

Em is a coffee drinker. I am not. I usually just have water when we go to Gaston’s but I was really in the mood for hot chocolate. I remembered the AMAZING hot chocolate I had in December during MVMCP and although that was from Pinocchio’s Village Haus, I figured hot chocolate should be the same at all locations, right?

Not so.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the World’s Worst Cup Of Hot Chocolate ~
View attachment 281060
Light brown scalding-hot water with foam. Not even a hint of chocolate flavor. I burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth with the first awful sip. Like the Ham and Gouda pretzel from last night, this cup of mystery liquid went right into the trash.

All was not lost though.....Gaston’s chair was back in its rightful location.
View attachment 281061

Nothing like the smell of stinky feet to make you hungry :hilarious::hilarious:
 

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