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.

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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.
 
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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I sent another "Where in the world" picture to Em to see if she could guess where we were.

Anyone?
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That rooster looks mighty real! I'm betting the chickens in the crate below flew the coop. :hilarious:

Em guessed correctly.
Did you?

If you said the Frontierland MPB platform, you're right! < High Five!! >

Don't worry @Longers. We'll be riding this another day. :)
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I see you Liberty Belle!
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We disembarked at the Main Street station. The train is a wonderful way to save steps while getting around the park. I find it a bummer when it is closed for refurb and I hope it never closes permanently (I have read rumors and hope rumors are just that ~ RUMORS.)

We returned to Pop Century for some R&R. Mom had hers in the room and I had mine here ~
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I'd like to say that due to my celebrity status I had the Hippy Dippy pool to myself. But I can't.
I can say I discovered a ledge in the pool to sit on and the combination of warm sunshine and cool water simultaneously was delightful!
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Our evening plans brought us to our 4th favorite park. (That sounds so much better than our least favorite park!)

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The Photopass photographer insisted we hold up the zebra frame. Mom didn't want to. She thought it was silly and it was heavy for her to hold. Gotta give give her props for powering through!

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Mom's feelings about AK are similar to those of Haunted Mansion ~ she'd be perfectly fine skipping it. Much like looking at fish, she is quickly bored with looking at animals. A day at the zoo would be a nightmare for her.

Then why are we here?

Fun fact about Tuvalu Prime (;) @MinnieM123) ~ she loves to be one of the first in our family to experience a new attraction. She's a little competitive that way. She and my dad (a vertigo sufferer) rode Expedition Everest right after it opened merely for the bragging rights. (The fact that they both got sick afterwards meant it was also the last time either of them rode it.)

Since Em, Woody and I are the only ones in our extended family who have seen Rivers of Light, Mom getting to experience it tonight puts her ahead of everyone else.

And that's why we're here.

To make it an exceptional treat for Mom, I booked the ROL dining package.

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And she and I are the first family members to dine at Tiffins!

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Our table was in the Grand Gallery. Both of us really liked the ambiance in the room.

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We sat beside these exquisite poles. The carving details are amazing!
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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Our server took our drink order.

I tried the Zingiber Fizzie.
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Sadly, I did not care for this AT ALL. Mom ended up drinking it. She was willing to swap me her iced tea except I am not a tea drinker :banghead:

Neither of us liked the bread. Our Tiffins experience was not starting out well.
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But that would soon change.

The dining package includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. For my appetizer I chose the Heirloom Apple Walnut Salad.
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I set up this shot before trying the salad. After one bite, I decided the salad was worthy of a picture all its own.

THIS WAS AHH MAY ZING!!!!!!
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So light yet the flavors blended so perfectly together. I would return to Tiffins just for this!

Mom got the Charred Delta Asparagus.
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This dish was delicious too!

Beef bolognese was the special of the day. Mom loves pasta so that's what she ordered.
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This picture does not accurately represent the portion size. It was HUGE. Like you cooked up a whole pound of penne pasta huge.

Mom devoured the entire bowl. :jawdrop:

I had the Wagyu Strip Loin and Braised Short Rib.
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The short rib (far right) was to die for. Tender, smokey, yumminess.

I wanted to love the Wagyu beef. I have read so many accolades of Wagyu that I expected to love it. Thought it would be the best steak I'd ever eaten.

It paled in comparison to my Cali Grill filet.
After a few bites I was done.
And now I know not to order Wagyu again.

Though Mom and I were pushing the limits of fullness, we felt an obligation to order the "included" dessert.
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We both went with the Chocolate Ganache.
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It was.....okay. Perhaps if we hadn't been so full we would have enjoyed it more. Neither of us came close to finishing it.

Throughout our dinner, Mom kept remarking about the "odd glowing bucket" she had seen brought to a few tables. "What in the world is it?" she wondered. "It's so strange looking. If one is brought to our table, I'm going to lose it!"

We did not get one.

We got two!
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Mom could barely contain her laughter when our server brought them out. It wasn't until they were on our table that we figured out they were lotus blossom popcorn buckets. Em and I did not receive them with our Tusker House ROL dining package so I was surprised to see them part of our Tiffins package.

(Head's up......these buckets are a PIA to pack in a suitcase!)

So @Tony the Tigger and @Zipitidoda, how would I rate Tiffins?
Atmosphere A
Service B
Appetizers A+
Entree A+ for short rib/C for Strip loin = B+ overall for mine
A for Mom's Beef Bolognese (her rating)
Dessert C (and none of the other choices sounded good to us)

I would like to go back to Tiffins for lunch. I could still have the Heirloom Apple Walnut Salad and the short rib is a "pick two" option (think I'd be allowed to pick it twice? :cautious:) The cost would be less and I would be assured of receiving only foods I like. My palate tends to be a picky one!
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
As we left Tiffins, we got to witness some CHOSEN ONES enter the magical land of Pandora.
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Alas, my celebrity status meant nothing to the CMs guarding the entrance. :oops:

Instead Mom and I explored a few gift stores.
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Speaks for itself, doesn't it?

We made our way to the Dinoland entrance for ROL. Mom preferred not to climb down to the first few rows so we sat in the middle. It was a little surreal for me, thinking that exactly a week earlier I was sitting on the Asia side of the theater with Woody.

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For the record (and this is strictly my opinion) sight lines on the Dinoland side are much better than the Asia side ~ as they should be for dining package purchasers. Dinoland is also the standby side, though I am not sure if the view from the standby section is as good as the DP section.

I enjoyed ROL the third time every bit as much as my first two times. And coming from a fireworks lover, that's pretty good praise for a non-fireworks show.

Mom was impressed by ROL too. She was in awe that both fire and water elements were mixed together.

Leaving AK when ROL ends is wearisome. It is a long, crowded trek to the exit. We also had to wait for a second Pop bus as the first one filled up before the queue emptied. (Pop did not have dual buses side-by-side like All Star Music did last week.)

We were back in our room by 10:30 pm, exhausted from a great Disney day!
 
MinnieM123

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Tuvalu said:
We emerged dry!
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I rod on Splash in mid-May, on a very hot, early morning. Because of the heat, I wanted to get drenched and cool down, but guess what? I got no more than a light spray of water!! What the heck?! :cautious:

(I recall a few years ago, that I rode it at night, and it was slightly chilly out. Don't you know that I got completely soaked that night, and walked around wet and cold for about an hour, after I got off that thing?! :mad: )
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
MinnieM123 said:
I rod on Splash in mid-May, on a very hot, early morning. Because of the heat, I wanted to get drenched and cool down, but guess what? I got no more than a light spray of water!! What the heck?! :cautious:

(I recall a few years ago, that I rode it at night, and it was slightly chilly out. Don't you know that I got completely soaked that night, and walked around wet and cold for about an hour, after I got off that thing?! :mad: )
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Yeah, Splash can be funny like that. I have found that when riding in the last row, I rarely get "splashed".
 
dmatt87

dmatt87

Well-Known Member
Tuvalu said:
We left Hawaii and took a walk through the Great Ceremonial House, out to the front of the resort. We sat on a bench and watched a load of happy people disembark an arriving Magical Express bus. Sometimes there are CMs there to welcome guests with leis. These folks would need to get their leis inside.

Inevitably, a Tragical Express always comes shortly after a Magical drop-off. It's a slap in the face to those returning to the airport. Such was the case today.

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Wait.....what the.....is that WOODY standing by the Tragical?????


It IS Woody!!!!!!!!!

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< GASP > WOODY'S LEAVING?????

Sadly, Woody's vacation is over. :cry:

But mine isn't. :D

May I remind you of the title of this report?

It's Two, Two, TWO Trips in One.

Get ready for part TWO.
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I so wasn't expecting Woody to be leaving :jawdrop:
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
littleroo said:
I wish the kids were not acting up at the end of the meal. I would have really liked to look around in the other 2 rooms.
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We peeked in them and came to the conclusion we liked the Grand Gallery best. :)

fractal said:
Thanks for the review of Tiffins - it's on our itinerary.
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I'm sure your family will enjoy Tiffins. The couple things I didn't care for was due to personal taste, certainly not the restaurant's fault. Everything was beautifully presented and very high quality.

*Flynnderella* said:
I certainly agree that the popcorn buckets are a nightmare to pack though!! My niece now uses it as her "handbag" :rolleyes:
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Too funny!!

Doc Disney said:
We didn't get those :jawdrop:
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Maybe the bucket inclusion began in May?

dmatt87 said:
I so wasn't expecting Woody to be leaving :jawdrop:
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You aren't the only trip reporter with surprises. :D
 

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