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!
 

Rista1313

Well-Known Member
AK may be our least favorite park, but it houses our most favorite gift shops! The stores offer more unique items, hard-to-find items and generally more interesting merchandise than in the other parks. Em and I took our time browsing after lunch.

Neither of our cars have antennas.....otherwise this little guy would have come home with us!

View attachment 281860
(I already have an Orange Bird antenna topper which sits on my kitchen counter. It makes me smile when I look at it! Adding the one above would prove too tempting for a certain furry family member who makes cat toys out of just about anything. 😼)

Can anyone else relate?
View attachment 281861
:joyfull:

We did buy matching purple spirit jerseys....which have gotten worn a lot over the past few weeks.
WHERE IS SPRING??!!

Do you remember which giftshop orange bird was in? I need that in my life!
 

Tuvalu

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
For the first time in forever (or more accurately, “ever”) Em and I were truly sad to be leaving AK. The weather had been absolutely perfect for exploring the park, we’d managed to avoid the worst of the crowds, lunch was a yummy new experience and we were able to do the rides we like best. We could have easily stayed longer to see the Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo the Musical (been a long time since we’ve seen that!) It would have been fun to check out the Nomad Lounge, have dinner at Flame Tree BBQ and even catch Rivers of Light.

But we had a Tragical appointment to keep. And after missing our Tragical in December, we wanted to allow a little extra time to get back to POFQ. Of course we encountered no delays, but it did give us the opportunity to indulge in a chocolate lava cake at the food court. :hungry:

I noticed this player piano in the corner.

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What else would it play but jazz tunes? 😉

And that, my friends, is the last picture for this trip report!

I’ll have some final thoughts coming up.
 

Big Hair

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!
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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!” 😉)[/QUOTE
I just don't know what to say. Em rebelled and couldn't make it on time to early magic hours. Shameful, shame on you Em. 😉.
 

Rista1313

Well-Known Member
Saturday, con’t

Being lovers of domesticated felines, Em and I hoped to see the new tiger cubs at play.

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After a thorough search for tigers of any sort, we finally spotted these sleeping beauties.

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But no cubs. ☹️


Those are the cubs with mama I think... they grow so fast!

also, I swear I posted last night asking if you remembered which gift shop you saw the orange bird topper in... because I need that in my life!

But the post is gone..... I blame the bum hand!
 

Tuvalu

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Those are the cubs with mama I think... they grow so fast!

also, I swear I posted last night asking if you remembered which gift shop you saw the orange bird topper in... because I need that in my life!

But the post is gone..... I blame the bum hand!
The cubs were out for viewing (I had seen pics in other TRs) but not for us!

Your post....and my reply....are at the top of this page (page 39) 😉
 

93boomer

Premium Member
Our banshee excursion had worked up our appetites! We were excited for our first Satu’li Canteen meal.

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The order/pay/pick up process went very smoothly. The CMs were very helpful and knowledgeable with answers to questions and allergy requests. I think other QS locations (*cough* Pecos Bills *cough*) can learn a thing or two from Satu’li Canteen.

The seating area is carefully arranged to prevent guests from “saving” tables or occupying tables while eating personal food. Brilliant!

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Em and I both selected beef bowls. She had rice and I had hearty salad. The quinoa was unbelievable! I wish there was more of it and less “salad”. The beef was tender and full of flavor. Lunch was a definite 👍👍!

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I told DH about this meal. We have added to our list!! Thanks girls!! 😁
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Our final attraction was searching for an iguanadon.

This was our “modified Tuvalu” pose....
View attachment 281906
....not even in the same league as @wdisney9000 taking an important call! :joyfull:
I love it! Well done, ladies. Hopefully one day you will get a phone call while on an attraction.

There is usually an added bonus with the phone when security at bag check takes it out and gives you an odd look.
 

Tuvalu

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
View attachment 281912
Yes, that pic resembles the one in my Sept ‘17 TR hmm...
Just means we both have good taste! (Taste, get it???!!!) :joyfull:
I told DH about this meal. We have added to our list!! Thanks girls!! 😁
Our pleasure....hope you enjoy Saut'li Canteen!
Say it ain’t so. You need to go on another trip pronto. My mom and doggie have been ill as of late and I need more Tuvalu trip reports to keep me happy.
I am thisclose to my next trip.....but the next TR won't be until June. Hope your mom and dog get well very soon!
We love the Rose Gallery. Whenever we eat lunch there we try and get a spot at the booth/table hybrids so Gracie can stretch out/lay down while we are eating. Much prefer that to the ballroom or West Wing.
Completely agree!!
I love it! Well done, ladies. Hopefully one day you will get a phone call while on an attraction.
There is usually an added bonus with the phone when security at bag check takes it out and gives you an odd look.
Knowing our luck we'd get nasty nosy security guard and she'd confiscate the phone!
 

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