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!
 

newhorizons1

Well-Known Member
Enjoyed your live report. Looking forward to the detailed one! Also, impressive morning haul at the Magic Kingdom! And I'm seriously contemplating trying the lavendar lemonade in two weeks. It just never appealed to me before, but I keep hearing how great it is.
 

MegRuss626

Well-Known Member

Jedi Stitch

Well-Known Member
Another Awesome Adventure. I can't believe you went in the middle of ordered Caos days. I do find it hard to enjoy the parks when you can only do your FP, and even then wait long times. These are the days the $25K princess was even questioning the mouse. Shelling that out I would spend more time at the Resort than the parks. Those long waits are how I remember my times at DLR.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Hope the delay wasn't too long. Thanks for taking the time to write this. I'm looking forward to the full report.
:( Sorry to hear that the planes were grounded at MCO! Glad you made it home safely! I will be looking forward to reading your detailed report!
Glad you made it home safely! Now we can all eagerly await the detailed report of your travels!
Finally caught up! You know I'll be back for the full TR! :D
Thanks for letting us follow along Tuvalu! Looking forward to the full TR. Hope you've had a good night's sleep.
Thanks for the daily updates!
Waiting patiently for the full report 😉
Sorry to hear of the delay but happy to hear that you arrived at the other end safely. Looking forward to the full TR.
I can't wait for the detailed report, glad you finally made it home.
Looking forward to the detailed report - glad you made it home safely.

Thanks, everybody! Em has started editing her pictures and I hope to start "filling in the details" later this week.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Hoping you make it home safe and quickly (so you can get on that detailed report)!
Can’t wait for your next trip! Please don’t ever stop going and writing trip reports.
I have no plans to stop going (at least not yet!) Look for the next TR at the end of June....hopefully!

I don't comment much on these boards but have to say-I love your TR's. Love the relationship and love of Disney you have with your daughter.
My oldest DD did the DCP last fall-program ended Jan 4. She lasted 55 days until I got the "I miss Disney text". Her and I did a quick trip a couple weeks ago-seems we hit a soft spot in the crowds as we didn't encounter near the crowds you guys did!
Hope you got home safely!
Aren't we blessed to have daughters who love Disney?!!! Appreciate your kind words, @monykalyn :happy:.

I had that same view and feeling of the bus arriving in very early March. It is a sad feeling. I kept trying to figure out if I could somehow add on more days but the DW was against it. Sadly, I had to accept my fate and board the bus. Then, we had really bad traffic and the trip to MCO took about an hour. So, more time spent sulking. And maybe napping.
Our trip to MCO also took an hour and Em sulked the whole way (when she wasn't napping!)
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I'm so sad your trip is over!! I love living vicariously through your trips as I aspire to have some amazing mother/daughter trips when my daughter is older. I can't wait for the ful report! So much intrigue!
I hope you get to experience the joys of mother/daughter vacations....not just at Disney, but anywhere. Girls trips are the best!!!

My goodness, you are quite the celebrity, Shirley. That guy waited for the most important moment of his life (to propose to this girlfriend), until you arrived! :jawdrop::joyfull:
What can I say? :D (And this emoji does not have the same impact as the green grinning guy!!)

And @Tuvalu you sure do enjoy that Shirley Status. Word got out that you and @TrolleyFollower91 had left WDW. By the time you guys were almost back to Georgia the other guests said Shirley has left so we're going home too....look what you did to the wait times at the MK last evening after you left. :jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop:

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Well that figures! :joyfull:

Thanks again for braving those crowds! I've learned my lesson. :geek: Our next trip is booked for the last week of July... I'm hoping that school starts early this year and we won't see nearly the crowds you did.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for you when I travel to Atlanta around Memorial Day for work. Do you ever shop at the Trader Joe's in Sandy Springs?
The last week of July wasn't bad in 2016 or 2017.....can't predict this year though. Heard the tour groups may be back in full force. But let's face it....a vacation is only as good as you make it!
I've been in other Trader Joe's that are closer to home than Sandy Springs. Enjoy your trip to the ATL.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Thanks for a great TR and for sharing all your memor.....

Wait - this isn't the end
And you did not share everything
You left has hanging on quite a few things.

OK - I take it back until you do the full detailed report..

JK

Max
"You just keep me hangin' on....." :hilarious:

Enjoyed your live report. Looking forward to the detailed one! Also, impressive morning haul at the Magic Kingdom! And I'm seriously contemplating trying the lavendar lemonade in two weeks. It just never appealed to me before, but I keep hearing how great it is.
A tip if you decide to try the violet lemonade: use a spoon. Sipping through a straw leads to the inevitable "cold" headache....fast!!!

Another Awesome Adventure. I can't believe you went in the middle of ordered Caos days. I do find it hard to enjoy the parks when you can only do your FP, and even then wait long times. These are the days the $25K princess was even questioning the mouse. Shelling that out I would spend more time at the Resort than the parks. Those long waits are how I remember my times at DLR.
If we were only going once this year, the crowd chaos would have worn me down quickly. Can't be a park commando when dealing with that many people.....way too frustrating. We're fortunate that we can vacation at other times too.
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
Thank you for another great TR, Tuvala! My husband and I stayed at POFQ, bldg. 2, right before you guys. Well, the first week of March:)
First time at POFQ and loved it. We got a newly refurbished room and loved it too.
Hope you had an uneventful trip home to the frozen north!
 

Big Hair

Well-Known Member
It was an honor and a pleasure to meet the both of you and share the magic. Now if someone could school me on taking better photographs, especially selfies, my pictures would turn out better than this.

And a little help on how to post the pic's on this forum.
 

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Jamie77

Active Member
We had a golden ticket (cause isn’t a FoP FP the equivalent?)
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It is a golden ticket! I remember walking in the FoP FP line last July when people were waiting over 4 hours in line. I walked right in to the loading area. It felt like the walk of shame (I had to avert my eyes due to the stares) because no one could get FPs for this ride that week!
 

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