Trip Report It's Two, Two, TWO Trips in One! *COMPLETED*

Title reference for those of you younger than dirt ~



Got it? Good!

This trip report is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a picture of me and my significant other.

I invite you, if you dare, to follow along on a lengthy adventure that includes three resorts, lots of flowers, exotic food and a Fruber (a what?) Because this report travels directly to.........the Tuvalu Zone.

 

[Courtney6682]

It just boggles my mind that those two adult women would dress up like that. Obviously, they wanted attention, but what kind of attention did they think they'd receive?

My guess would be a make shift photo shoot? Who knows lol....

 

[Longers]

It doesn't work. I have one going like that with several trips one after the other, and people don't generally like it. I have to go back and put in a table of contents in the beginning LOL.

I was only joking as she is there so much and I agree you do need a separate report each time - I got confused by yours so I fully appreciate where you are coming from

 

[bee]

** FYI, "Lunchables" auto-corrected to "Lunch a lesbian".

(But to those parents: )

 

[LeighM]

** FYI, "Lunchables" auto-corrected to "Lunch a lesbian".

Classic auto-correct fail LOL That is almost as bad as the time I sent an email to a rose expert asking about a disease on a cane of my Firefighter rose bush. Auto-correct had an epic fail and pretty much changed it to mean my fireman had an STD. I kid you not!!! The expert wrote back and said I made his day but I was still so embarassed! Now I'm always extremely careful bc my phone's dictionary apparently lives in the gutter. Seriously, every time I use the word "any" it changes to "smut" - and that's a word I've never used in my life LOL!!! And I won't even say what my phone changes "tomorrow" to...

 

[Tuvalu]

Classic auto-correct fail LOL That is almost as bad as the time I sent an email to a rose expert asking about a disease on a cane of my Firefighter rose bush. Auto-correct had an epic fail and pretty much changed it to mean my fireman had an STD. I kid you not!!! The expert wrote back and said I made his day but I was still so embarassed! Now I'm always extremely careful bc my phone's dictionary apparently lives in the gutter. Seriously, every time I use the word "any" it changes to "smut" - and that's a word I've never used in my life LOL!!! And I won't even say what my phone changes "tomorrow" to...

Too funny!! Glad I'm not the only one.

 

[MinnieM123]

Persevere through your last week and have a relaxing summer! Hopefully you and your hubs can take some slow-paced Disney vacays in the future.


Typically the scrims are designed to match the building; I agree that this was an eyesore!

If I'm not mistaken, I think that they finally put up a designed scrim (on the remaining part of the building that they were still working on, late last week). It looked a bit better than the original, drab brown scrim.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con't

Woody and I had some time before our next FP and since we were already in Frontierland, a ride on the MPB (moving park bench) sounded perfect.

No baggage (or freight) for us!

We don't often get to ride on the yellow train

Our plan was to take the "grand circle tour." When the train pulled into the Fantasyland station most people got off. Of course there was a line of people waiting to board, but the train had many rows of open seats ~ which made what happened next awkwardly weird. There was a large man....some might say "fluffy" (a new reference I recently learned from a forum of angry "fluffy" people unable to ride the new Flight of Passage attraction).....who was seated by himself in the row ahead of us. Before new passengers were allowed to board, the man moved from his bench to ours ~ uncomfortably close to Woody. No one sat down in the row he was in, and no one sat on the bench behind us. (Perhaps Woody gives off the same "Welcome stranger, sit next to me!" aura that Em has. )

Thankfully the man disembarked at the Main Street station and Woody and I had the bench to ourselves on the final leg of our tour.

@Longers, we took a wild ride in honor of you!

(@bee, the guy behind us was too busy with his selfie to photobomb us! )

 

[Tuvalu]

After tapping my band at Big Thunder Mountain I was able to score a 4th FP for Pirates immediately ~ one of the benefits of visiting the park when it is less busy.

However, MDE must have been generous with Pirates FPs! Look at the FP queue!

A CM at the entrance called out: "Fill in all the available space. If people ahead of you aren't moving, consider them dead pirates and walk around them."

When we'd finally made it to the loading area, Woody and I were assigned Row 1. This made us nervous, having previously experienced the "Great Wall of Water" after the drop (and leaving us soaked.) I'm happy to report that the malfunction has been fixed and we remained bone dry.

 

[Tuvalu]

@Longers, we've ridden BTMRR ~ what's left?

Oh yeah......

ICE CREAM!!!!!!

Hot fudge sundae in a waffle bowl for me; the All American peanut butter sundae for Woody.

We did a bit of people-watching as we savored our treats. A woman exited the Plaza restaurant holding a tiny "service dog" (it said so on the doggy vest) and then walked over to where her ECV was parked. She physically pushed the scooter into a position where she could climb onto the seat. Then the "service dog" jumped onto the scooter near the woman's feet and she drove away.

What "service" exactly was this dog performing?

We popped into the Emporium on our way out to buy a Wishes Farewell ball cap for Em. Both of us broke a sweat on the monorail....the a/c wasn't working....so the first thing we did upon arriving at our room was change into our swimsuits and head for the pool.

We spent a blissful hour soaking in the cool water. Followed by some balcony sitting.

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody and I missed the start of Happy Hour by a few minutes. Once again there weren't many folks in lounge. We went light on the appetizers tonight since we had a 7 pm ADR and didn't want to ruin our appetites. (As if that is even possible while on vacation!)

Fewer people in the lounge meant we were able to have a delightful conversation with our favorite Poly CM, Irv.
Irv is friendly, kind-hearted and always goes above and beyond looking for ways to serve guests. And he works HARD!

Woody tweeted praise of Irv and he received this picture in return.

Irv is the best!!

 

[LadyBelle]

What "service" exactly was this dog performing?

That's become a issue on my college campus. You can buy those types of vests anywhere and use it on a "service" dog, but they are not officially trained or licensed as such.

 

[myhappyplace]

A CM at the entrance called out: "Fill in all the available space. If people ahead of you aren't moving, consider them dead pirates and walk around them."

We did a bit of people-watching as we savored our treats. A woman exited the Plaza restaurant holding a tiny "service dog" (it said so on the doggy vest) and then walked over to where her ECV was parked. She physically pushed the scooter into a position where she could climb onto the seat. Then the "service dog" jumped onto the scooter near the woman's feet and she drove away.

What "service" exactly was this dog performing?

This drives me crazy...I see so many that are designated as service dogs and I wonder the same. I am sure they are designated for "emotional support" which on the whole, I'm not buying.

 

[Tuvalu]

It was another laid-back no-parks night for us. Dinner was just a quick monorail ride away.

The menu had some changes since Em and I dined here in February.

7 o'clock and we had the place to ourselves!

Note the height of the window shades behind Woody. The sky was overcast and no need for the shades to be drawn....


.....except that a couple minutes later the sun decided to make an appearance. I was blinded!

Very glad my blindness was temporary as a server quickly noticed and closed the shades.

I did not take a picture of the bread basket because I was too busy inhaling the lavender focaccia . "Gorging" was definitely the theme of the evening.

We shared the Smokey Tomato Soup. If you could grill soup, this is what it would taste like. A subtle char enhanced the flavor. The breadstick had a sweet crunchiness. I could have made a meal from the soup itself....it was that good.

But I had to save room for the amazing filet, which I had been anxiously awaiting since my last visit. The tender filet was atop Black Truffle risotto with asparagus on the side. There are not enough superlatives to describe this meal. So, so good.

What did Woody order? ^^^^ The same.

Our server was impeccable and he did not rush us. He encouraged us to take our time. And as full as we were, Woody and I could not resist sharing the Chocolate Nutella Flourless Cake. (Nutella + Cake = no brainer)

At 9 pm I went out on the observation deck to watch Wishes. Woody moved into my seat and watched from our table.

The view is pretty from up high.

But the fireworks are more over Space Mountain than Cinderella Castle.

My last viewing of Wishes from California Grill. Next time it'll be Happily Ever After.

Back in the lounge, Woody and I perused the dessert selection but couldn't have sampled any if we tried. But one dessert looked especially yummy so I plated it for tomorrow. Don't judge.....the desserts change daily and I wanted to try it.

More good eats to come in the morning......

 

[amjt660]

And "Belle" was old...really old...(she could have been in that Certs commercial!) She looked absolutely ridiculous.

Tough call - may have to go to tiebreaker question on this one.....

Grandma Belle???

Or middle age Snow White????

Max

 

[MinnieM123]

And "Belle" was old...really old...(she could have been in that Certs commercial!) She looked absolutely ridiculous.

Tough call - may have to go to tiebreaker question on this one.....

Grandma Belle???
View attachment 206558

Or middle age Snow White????
View attachment 206557

Max

At least Snow White was downplayed with just a top only. I have no problem with shirts that have references to characters. Tuvalu also has some cute tops with Disney character references. Those shirts are appropriate for all ages.

So, no competition on this one--the booby prize goes to the Certs twins in their "princess" gowns. (Now, don't get me wrong--I'm all for living in a second childhood. Frankly, I never left my first one. But, I chose not to dress the part!! )

 

[MinnieM123]

We did a bit of people-watching as we savored our treats. A woman exited the Plaza restaurant holding a tiny "service dog" (it said so on the doggy vest) and then walked over to where her ECV was parked. She physically pushed the scooter into a position where she could climb onto the seat. Then the "service dog" jumped onto the scooter near the woman's feet and she drove away.

What "service" exactly was this dog performing?

I also saw a few "service" dogs, and my reaction was the same; I had questions . . . They came in all sizes, too. (This is not to say that there aren't professionally "trained" service dogs that perform valuable services. A colleague of mine is wheelchair bound, and he has a service dog that helps him out.)

But my main concern was the HEAT of the pavement down there. I've had my own pets--(not service) dogs down through the years, I know that their paws are not immune to extremes in temperature (either very hot or very cold).

One day I was (briefly) in Disney Springs and it was over 90 degrees. I had on thick-soled sneakers and socks, and I could feel the heat coming up through the soles from the hot pavement. I couldn't help but cringe when I saw people walking these dogs along the hot pavement, whether there or in the parks during the daytime..

 

[fractal]

What a gang of derelicts you came across on your MK day! Not the first time I heard of folks free loading the Peco Bill's fixin's bar.

The quiet pool at Poly looks so serene.

Great update!

 

[DryerLintFan]

All this food looks delicious!!

 

[PrincessL]

We decided on Pecos Bills for lunch. I really like their chicken nachos and the 20% AP discount makes it even more attractive to dine there.

Woody ordered a burger, a decision he ended up regretting (over-cooked patty and stale bun). When I offered him the remaining half of my nachos he really regretted his burger decision....he discovered just how yummy the chicken nachos are!

View attachment 206351

As we ate, we watched a robbery occur before our very eyes. Not a gun-toting one like you'd find in the Wild West but a robbery just the same. And the thieves did not wear black hats or bandanna face masks. Mom and Dad wore Mickey shirts and ears.

A family of seven ~ Dad, Mom, 4 kids and a baby ~ plopped themselves down at two tables beside us, kids at one table, parents at another and baby in a stroller. Dad left while Mom reached into the giant stroller bag and handed out Lunchables** to the 4 kids. Dad returned with 6 small "free" cups of water that Disney provides on request. Mom pulled out two containers of what looked to be salad, one for her and one for Dad. Then Mom and Dad each took a turn at the toppings bar, filling up three containers of fixins which they dumped on their salads.

Yes, Disney allows food to be brought into the park. But that food should not be consumed at tables designed for paying customers ~ just as the food at the toppings bar is for paying customers. Pecos Bills is a business, not a free-for-all. This family stole two tables and food. And their behavior taught their children that this is okay.

** FYI, "Lunchables" auto-corrected to "Lunch a lesbian".

Grrr...what is most upsetting is the example set forth for their kids. Sadly, the cycle of freeloading will continue. Because someones paying for it... the paying patrons when the prices have to go up

After tapping my band at Big Thunder Mountain I was able to score a 4th FP for Pirates immediately ~ one of the benefits of visiting the park when it is less busy.

However, MDE must have been generous with Pirates FPs! Look at the FP queue!
View attachment 206509

A CM at the entrance called out: "Fill in all the available space. If people ahead of you aren't moving, consider them dead pirates and walk around them."

When we'd finally made it to the loading area, Woody and I were assigned Row 1. This made us nervous, having previously experienced the "Great Wall of Water" after the drop (and leaving us soaked.) I'm happy to report that the malfunction has been fixed and we remained bone dry.

View attachment 206510

View attachment 206511

View attachment 206512

"Consider them dead pirates" Now that's funny!

 

[LeighM]

This drives me crazy...I see so many that are designated as service dogs and I wonder the same. I am sure they are designated for "emotional support" which on the whole, I'm not buying.

I can suffer from really bad anxiety but I would be a nervous wreck if I had my little Pomeranian there with me. I would constantly be worrying about his paws getting burned, getting dehydrated, lost, stepped on, or run over by a scooter LOL. My dog can stay safely at home with a good pet sitter for my own sanity