Trip Report It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas! *COMPLETED*

The soothing croon of Michael Bublé kept reverberating in my mind as I pondered starting yet another trip report. Like summer, the Christmas season makes me happy. Going to WDW during the Christmas season makes me VERY HAPPY. The joy of sharing my trips with my WDWMAGIC friends makes me happier still. Thank you for the encouragement to keep on writing!

Holiday Vacation #1
When: November 16-23, 2019
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Who: Tuvalu and Woody

Looky! I finally got a Magic Shot!

Okay, so it’s a bit creepy. But it leaves no doubt that this was a CHRISTMAS trip.

In mid-November.

But hey, we had Halloween in August!

And yours truly was very excited to experience Christmas decor at the resorts and in 3 of the 4 parks. (Epcot was still in full “Food and Wine” mode.) It wasn’t always this festive in November. We’ve been this same week in the past and outside of MK, there was very little decorating completed. I was so disappointed the year we stayed at WL (very close to turkey day) and missed out on the holiday stuff. I was worried the same thing would happen again. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Woody, on the other hand, is a “Let’s celebrate Thanksgiving before shifting our focus to Christmas” kind of guy. Growing up, his family did not put up their tree until CHRISTMAS EVE. (Can you imagine?!!) Over the years he has mellowed, thanks to my influence, and better tolerates the Christmas creep. Yet I was concerned that his inner Scrooge might reveal itself during this vacation.

I needn’t have worried. But I’m getting ahead of myself again.

Our week consisted of some new experiences and old experiences....some frustrations....some drama (of course!)....and a very magical meet.

Stay tuned.

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, con’t

After licking the cookie crumbs from our fingers, we proceeded towards Future World (“Wall World” would be a more accurate name) to use our FPs.

I forgot to include this photo with the Three Kings. I was taken with the jars of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The following is the only picture I took of the Epcot tree. Em and I ranked the park trees and this is #3.

We used FP #1 to sit in the last two seats on the far left in the glider.
Not by choice.

 

[Tuvalu]

FP #2 was unnecessary. But I had no way of knowing that 60 days in advance. Oftentimes there is a long line in the afternoon to experience The Farm Ride. And I had been looking forward to seeing the holiday additions.

In hindsight a nighttime cruise through the greenhouses would have been better. Oh well.

(Look @bee several strands of lights are unlit!)

The randomly-placed LED bulbs looked.....odd.

Rudolph the gold-nosed Bougainvillea....

Hold the phone! What is this?!?

Santa had time to take the Behind the Seeds tour TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE??!!!

Guess he was trusting the elves to make deadline!

However upon further review, it seemed Santa had made an early drop off.

This looked like the entrance into something fun.....

....but it was just the exit!

 

[Tuvalu]

By the looks of the pavement, we’d missed a downpour while in the Land pavilion. Sadly there would be later which we would not miss. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Pre-destruction of parts of these buildings.

Em and I were on a mission to find the Holiday AP magnets.

Success! We each got our own set.

 

[Zipadeelady]

By the looks of the pavement, we’d missed a downpour while in the Land pavilion. Sadly there would be later which we would not miss. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

View attachment 448266

Pre-destruction of parts of these buildings.

View attachment 448267

Em and I were on a mission to find the Holiday AP magnets.

View attachment 448268

Success! We each got our own set.

View attachment 448269

With all the AP magnets you've collected can you even see your refrigerator?

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody and I had missed out on SSE last month and I wanted to make sure I had a “last ride” before the attraction closes for its lengthy refurbishment.

I’m sure there are others like us who hope this mural is preserved. In case it isn’t, I took a commemorative photo.

Would this be our last SSE ride?

Spoiler Alert ~ it wasn’t. We rode again last week. And we have FPs for another opportunity in April. As much as we hate to see SSE close, it needs to. A bumpy, creaky, painfully S L O W ride....with multiple stoppages...proves the time has come. It is dying a slow death and makes us sad.

Even the “WOW” moment at the top has lost some of its impact.

Neither Em nor I were huge fans of the inclusion of “Create your Future” during the descent. (Although you would not know it from all the pictures I tend to include in my TRs! ) Sure, it was novel at first, but after multiple rides we had to get creative with our answers so as not to see the same cartoon video clip again and again.

Here’s hoping the refresh (or re-imagining) does not rely on onboard screens to pass the time to the exit.

Until then I will continue to post lame photos.

What happened to Em’s head?!

 

[Tuvalu]

With all the AP magnets you've collected can you even see your refrigerator?

Barely.

 

[Tuvalu]

Rain had started with a vengeance as we walked to the POFQ bus stop. Em and I were very glad to find the bus waiting for us! During our hour break in the room Em got in a quick nap while I caught up with Woody on life at home.

But had we known the delays ahead of us we would not have lingered that long. The DHS bus took awhile to arrive and then drove through Riverside, making all the stops there. (It was the only time during our stay that POFQ and POR shared a bus.) It was POURING when we arrived at the Studios and since we were bagless, we hoped to zip through security and run-walk to our ADR, which were were now late for.....

.....and then I set off the metal detector.

I had kept my phone above my head (per CM instructions) and there was nothing in my pockets that wasn’t there this morning when I had green-lighted through the detector. The curt security agent insisted on wanding every inch of my body, all the while perplexed that nothing sinister was registering on the wand.

Meanwhile Em was waiting for me in the heavy rain.

Exasperated, the agent declared, “it must be your zippers” and let me go. Why those same jacket zippers didn’t cause an issue this morning remained a mystery.

Em and I burned heel rubber to get to 50s Prime Time Cafe. We were late and prepared to wait.

We were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately. Cousin Julia was a lot of fun and kept our water glasses filled. Our “comfort food” tasted great on a cold, icky-rainy night.

Em had Grandma’s Chicken Pot Pie.

I went with Mom’s Old-fashioned Pot Roast.

Both of us were members of the Clean Plate Club!

Em had to suffer through the only “Yuck” of our dining experience. She tried explaining it to me discreetly, but ended up grabbing my phone to snap a picture of what she had to look at while eating.

Yes, those are ketchup spills from a dropped plastic container.
And yes, that woman had taken off her shoes to eat.
At least she was wearing socks.

 

[93boomer]

Woody and I had missed out on SSE last month and I wanted to make sure I had a “last ride” before the attraction closes for its lengthy refurbishment.

View attachment 448271

I’m sure there are others like us who hope this mural is preserved. In case it isn’t, I took a commemorative photo.

View attachment 448272

Would this be our last SSE ride?

View attachment 448273

Spoiler Alert ~ it wasn’t. We rode again last week. And we have FPs for another opportunity in April. As much as we hate to see SSE close, it needs to. A bumpy, creaky, painfully S L O W ride....with multiple stoppages...proves the time has come. It is dying a slow death and makes us sad.

Even the “WOW” moment at the top has lost some of its impact.

View attachment 448274

Neither Em nor I were huge fans of the inclusion of “Create your Future” during the descent. (Although you would not know it from all the pictures I tend to include in my TRs! ) Sure, it was novel at first, but after multiple rides we had to get creative with our answers so as not to see the same cartoon video clip again and again.

Here’s hoping the refresh (or re-imagining) does not rely on onboard screens to pass the time to the exit.

Until then I will continue to post lame photos.

View attachment 448275

View attachment 448276

What happened to Em’s head?!
View attachment 448277

Hey your pictures look better than ours usually do! My face gets cut in half and DH always tries to make a funny face that just looks ridiculous! I am usually crying from laughing by the time we get off the ride!

 

[93boomer]

Rain had started with a vengeance as we walked to the POFQ bus stop. Em and I were very glad to find the bus waiting for us! During our hour break in the room Em got in a quick nap while I caught up with Woody on life at home.

But had we known the delays ahead of us we would not have lingered that long. The DHS bus took awhile to arrive and then drove through Riverside, making all the stops there. (It was the only time during our stay that POFQ and POR shared a bus.) It was POURING when we arrived at the Studios and since we were bagless, we hoped to zip through security and run-walk to our ADR, which were were now late for.....

.....and then I set off the metal detector.

I had kept my phone above my head (per CM instructions) and there was nothing in my pockets that wasn’t there this morning when I had green-lighted through the detector. The curt security agent insisted on wanding every inch of my body, all the while perplexed that nothing sinister was registering on the wand.

Meanwhile Em was waiting for me in the heavy rain.

Exasperated, the agent declared, “it must be your zippers” and let me go. Why those same jacket zippers didn’t cause an issue this morning remained a mystery.

Em and I burned heel rubber to get to 50s Prime Time Cafe. We were late and prepared to wait.

We were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately. Cousin Julia was a lot of fun and kept our water glasses filled. Our “comfort food” tasted great on a cold, icky-rainy night.

Em had Grandma’s Chicken Pot Pie.

View attachment 448287

I went with Mom’s Old-fashioned Pot Roast.

View attachment 448288
Both of us were members of the Clean Plate Club!

Em had to suffer through the only “Yuck” of our dining experience. She tried explaining it to me discreetly, but ended up grabbing my phone to snap a picture of what she had to look at while eating.

View attachment 448289

Yes, those are ketchup spills from a dropped plastic container.
And yes, that woman had taken off her shoes to eat.
At least she was wearing socks.

DH set it off last trip. Didn’t even have a phone. Nothing in his pockets but wallet and chapstick! The guy finally said it messes up sometimes and let him go.

That chicken pot pie looks yummy! Not so much the ketchup

 

[riverside]

Yes, those are ketchup spills from a dropped plastic container.
And yes, that woman had taken off her shoes to eat.
At least she was wearing socks.

x 1,000,000!!
I just don't have any words.....then you throw the ketchup in the mix. I actually shuddered looking at that.

 

[annienevells]

UGH!! Same experience on the monorail on my trip. I looked sharply at my husband and he just whispered "DON'T" because my voice control is not great in these situations

 

[I'mwatchinguWizowski]

UGH!! Same experience on the monorail on my trip. I looked sharply at my husband and he just whispered "DON'T" because my voice control is not great in these situations
View attachment 448334

I can’t even imagine doing that!!! I cringe every time I have to hold on to the monorail poles when there isn’t a seat. I wish I could walk around with Clorox wipes and clean them before I touch them...at least there is purell!

Loving your trip report!!!

 

[sheriffwoody]

Every time I see a picture of people with their shoes off in public. UGH. Cringing all over.

One of the worst parts of having LP in daycare is that I have to take my shoes off in her room. It's THE WORST.

 

[Tuvalu]

x 1,000,000!!
I just don't have any words.....then you throw the ketchup in the mix. I actually shuddered looking at that.

I was so glad that she was sitting behind me and out of my range of vision.

UGH!! Same experience on the monorail on my trip. I looked sharply at my husband and he just whispered "DON'T" because my voice control is not great in these situations
View attachment 448334

Understand! Woody has done the same to me.

I can’t even imagine doing that!!! I cringe every time I have to hold on to the monorail poles when there isn’t a seat. I wish I could walk around with Clorox wipes and clean them before I touch them...at least there is purell!
Loving your trip report!!!

Thanks for reading!

View attachment 448383
Every time I see a picture of people with their shoes off in public. UGH. Cringing all over.

One of the worst parts of having LP in daycare is that I have to take my shoes off in her room. It's THE WORST.

Your comment made me LOL cause I agree completely!

 

[MissViv]

I rarely get through security now (especially airport) without setting them off. I had a double knee replacement a little over a year ago and I tell them at Disney security. They wand my knees and let me go. LOL!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Woody and I had missed out on SSE last month and I wanted to make sure I had a “last ride” before the attraction closes for its lengthy refurbishment.

View attachment 448271

I’m sure there are others like us who hope this mural is preserved. In case it isn’t, I took a commemorative photo.

View attachment 448272

Would this be our last SSE ride?

View attachment 448273

Spoiler Alert ~ it wasn’t. We rode again last week. And we have FPs for another opportunity in April. As much as we hate to see SSE close, it needs to. A bumpy, creaky, painfully S L O W ride....with multiple stoppages...proves the time has come. It is dying a slow death and makes us sad.

Even the “WOW” moment at the top has lost some of its impact.

View attachment 448274

Neither Em nor I were huge fans of the inclusion of “Create your Future” during the descent. (Although you would not know it from all the pictures I tend to include in my TRs! ) Sure, it was novel at first, but after multiple rides we had to get creative with our answers so as not to see the same cartoon video clip again and again.

Here’s hoping the refresh (or re-imagining) does not rely on onboard screens to pass the time to the exit.

Until then I will continue to post lame photos.

View attachment 448275

View attachment 448276

What happened to Em’s head?!
View attachment 448277

I love that mural. I think I take a picture every time. Also for the choose your own ending, the last few times I rode I closed my eyes and randomly pressed at the screen so I would have a surprise ending.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Ok, now you did it!!! I am craving one of those chocolate crinkle cookies - one of my favorites!!
Only 2 more weeks from today, yea! Your picture on SSE actually looks good? Mine always looks weird, but it is kind of fun. We got a fp for SSE too. I was so glad because I thought it would be closed for sure. Your visit to Epcot reminds me of our last one. It rained buckets! Everyone was drenched. And we dumbly (a word?) stayed and got wetter? Awaiting more TR.

 

[MickeyCB]

Yes, those are ketchup spills from a dropped plastic container.
And yes, that woman had taken off her shoes to eat.
At least she was wearing socks.

Yuck Yuck Yuck!

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, con’t

We left 50s Prime Time the same way we’d arrived ~ in the pouring rain. Though it might have been tempting to head back to POFQ, we had another ADR to keep! We dodged the big puddles (there’s nothing worse than wet shoes and socks!) as we trekked to Batuu to check out Oga’s Cantina.

To our dismay we found ourselves at the end of a long line. The small umbrellas used to keep the sun off guests while waiting to enter Oga’s provided no protection from rain. Eventually the CM with an iPad made her way down the line and checked us in. But we still had to stand in the elements another ten minutes before being called inside.

We were told we’d be standing at a table with other guests and were allowed to remain in the Cantina 45 minutes max. I understand why ~ the place is tiny with a very fun vibe ~ and it would be appealing to linger over several drinks. A time restriction allows more guests to partake in the Cantina experience.

And what an experience it was! Dancing DJ Rex played tunes that screamed, “Par-Tay!” Lots of themed details were a visual feast for the eyes. The bartenders and servers were all smiles, having a grand time while doing their jobs.

We studied the menu to find the perfect libations.

The Yub Nub sounded right up my alley but not for $45. Our server assured me that included the souvenir mug and as long as I did not take it with me, the drink would be $17 (I think? Can’t remember how much it was exactly.)

You can take the paper coaster for free.

Em enjoyed her Outer Rim.

My Yub Nub was HUGE! I really liked it but had difficulty finishing all of it before our time was up. Of course I’m not much of a drinker so that may have contributed.

Before our bill came I inquired if there were any discounts, like AP or Tables in Wonderland. Staying in character, our server replied that there are no “credits” available yet but that might change “in the future.”

Em and I gave Oga’s two thumbs up and went to check the line for Falcon.

The queue was still out in the rain so we passed. I checked the app for other attractions and managed to score a FP for a Toy Story Land favorite.

Until next trip, Batuu!

 

[Tuvalu]

Also for the choose your own ending, the last few times I rode I closed my eyes and randomly pressed at the screen so I would have a surprise ending.

Making a mental note for my next ride.....

Ok, now you did it!!! I am craving one of those chocolate crinkle cookies - one of my favorites!!

If you find them, let me know! They may have been there only for the holiday cookies stroll.