Trip Report No Sounds Like Summer? We'll JOURNEY Anyway! *COMPLETED*

It was this week last summer that @TrolleyFollower91 and I had an epic girls trip to WDW.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...e-july-journey-completed.917246/#post-7369605

On our first day we rocked to the music of DSB ~ the ultimate Journey tribute band ~ at the America Gardens Theater in Epcot. It was an event we'll always remember. DSB was the final band in the annual "Sounds Like Summer" concert series. The lead singer said the band was looking forward to returning next summer.

And here we are.....it's "next summer."

But there has been no "Sounds Like Summer" concert series in 2017.
No DSB.

Don't. Stop. Believin'.

Em and I refuse to go our Separate Ways. We have too much fun together. We have one last chance to do WDW together before school starts and by golly we're gonna do it....even without DSB.

Want to tag along?

Attempting a full-fledged LIVE trip report is daunting and difficult, so I decided to follow @TheMouseFan's lead and be LIVE-ish. Real time pics and updates to be expanded on after my return home.

Oh, and I will finish my currently-in-progress trip report.

Who's ready for Summer #2?

We are!!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

We are there December 6th to 16th. But not in the parks until the 8th.

 

[Courtney6682]

Wow!! How lucky of you girls to stowaway on the pirate cruise. Looks like you really enjoyed yourselves!!!

 

[amjt660]

and I have learned the importance of factoring in shrinkage. (For you Seinfeld fans, I’m talking laundry! )

 

[Tuvalu]

and I have learned the importance of factoring in shrinkage. (For you Seinfeld fans, I’m talking laundry! )
View attachment 240660

I knew I could count on you, Max!

 

[Tuvalu]

@Tuvalu, what a fantastic Magical (Moment? How can a whole cruise be a Moment?) Stowaway Experience. You both obviously had a BLAST, and we vicarious travelers got the benefit of @TrolleyFollower91's gorgeous "fireworks over water" shots. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say, I'm really really glad you both lucked into that cruise! Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! (TTFN)

We feel the same way!

We are there December 6th to 16th. But not in the parks until the 8th.

Woody and I will be around the 14th to 16th.

Wow!! How lucky of you girls to stowaway on the pirate cruise. Looks like you really enjoyed yourselves!!!

Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate’s life for us!

 

[amjt660]

We feel the same way!


Woody and I will be around the 14th to 16th.


Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate’s life for us!

 

[Tuvalu]

View attachment 240713

You’re killing me, Max!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, July 27

I awoke early as usual and went to the bathroom. I turned the handle on the faucet and.......nothing. Tried the other handle.......nada. No water in the sinks. No water in the tub. Only one flush worth of water in the toilet.

NOT GOOD.

I called the front desk. The CM who answered said matter-of-factly: “Yeah, the hotel has no water. We’re working on it.”

WELL THANKS FOR YOUR CONCERN!

As irritated as I was, I could only imagine the frustration of other guests trying to get ready for rope drop. No washing, flushing or tooth brushing ~ yikes! Em and I had no plans other than the pool and for that I was thankful. Em was still sleeping. No sense in waking her yet.

About an hour later I heard the sound of water rushing through pipes so I turned on the spigots and let all the brown water run out. I flushed the toilet a few times. Em woke and I told her to use bottled water to make her coffee. We finished the remaining donuts.

Then we headed for a place where there would be no water shortage.

The tarp was removed from the former Trout Pass bar. (Now it’s a salon.)

Hello old friend!

 

[Tiggerish]

It's kind of incredible that they turned a bar into a salon.

 

[MinnieM123]

I called the front desk. The CM who answered said matter-of-factly: “Yeah, the hotel has no water. We’re working on it.”

Oh c'mon. Looked like there was plenty of water in the swimming pool--sometimes, you just gotta be creative when getting ready in the morning!

 

[Gurt]

What a time to get behind in my TR reading, sounds like you guys were having a great time, as usual, and what a treat to be a stowaway @TrolleyFollower91 the firework pictures over the water are beautiful

 

[Courtney6682]

Thursday, July 27

I awoke early as usual and went to the bathroom. I turned the handle on the faucet and.......nothing. Tried the other handle.......nada. No water in the sinks. No water in the tub. Only one flush worth of water in the toilet.

NOT GOOD.

Atta girl! There's some of that Disney drama we've come to love! Glad it wasn't a long period of time that you had to go without water

 

[PacNWTigger]

Didn't you have a no water issue at WL before? Or maybe that was another trip report...

 

[Tuvalu]

Atta girl! There's some of that Disney drama we've come to love! Glad it wasn't a long period of time that you had to go without water

Just wait......

Didn't you have a no water issue at WL before? Or maybe that was another trip report...

You are remembering the “Live” part of this TR when I first complained about no water.

 

[Tuvalu]

Unlike other mornings, we did not have the pool to ourselves for long. I wonder how much the “no water” fiasco caused people to change their plans from park to pool. The main pool was pretty busy when we walked by and families began arriving at Geyser Point right after I took the “empty” pic seen above.

Em and I were subject to some entertainment during our lounging. A couple trees were being cut down in front of the Boulder Ridge Villa building. Not little trees, mind you....these were giant pines. Tree cutters are fascinating to watch. There is a definite order to branch trimming!

Can you spot the monkey (oops, man!) in this picture?

Then there was a family playing catch in the water. Throwing a ball of any size while in a pool is a pet peeve of mine. It makes me anxious as inevitably someone will get hit. And I cannot relax if there’s the possibility that someone will be me.

Thankfully the dad told the kids to play in the other part of the pool so he could converse with mom. This couple was within earshot of Em and me and though we weren’t exactly eavesdropping, we were privy to their conversation. From what we could gather, dad was involved in a lawsuit. He had just received a call that he was being deposed. He was NOT happy.

However, his frustration was mild compared to another dad we witnessed.

You may remember that the pool has three “free” cabanas, first come-first served.

This morning they were quickly claimed. But there were still cushioned chairs available in the shade, as well as numerous loungers (also in the shade.) An older woman sat in one of the cabanas watching her husband play with a couple grandkids in the shallow end of the water. The other two cabanas were occupied with personal belongings, while the owners of said belongings were in the pool.

Enter angry (or more accurately ****ed off) dad, his soft-spoken wife and three kids.

“No cabana?!!” he bellowed. < “Expletive”>
The wife headed for the shady cushioned chairs. The kids kicked off their flip flops and went in the water.

“How are the cabanas already gone? It’s EARLY!” he continued. < “Expletive”>
The wife motioned him over to the shady spot where she had set out towels and drinks.

He wouldn’t go.

Instead, he began to quickly pace back and forth in front of the cabanas, grumbling unintelligibly, a half-dozen times (I counted). His behavior bordered on maniacal.

For reference:

He kept glancing at the cabanas that were void of people. I half-expected him to go in and remove the stuff that belonged to others.

He became so irritated that he left the pool area. On his way out he angrily gestured to his wife, “The kids wanted to swim in the other pool anyway!”

But his kids were happily playing in the water.

I have no idea where this man went but he was gone for a LONG time. And ironically, he was not there when the older woman kindly offered her cabana to long-suffering mom.

 

[Tuvalu]

At noon we went to Roaring Fork for lunch and sat outside under the new covered patio.

The CM who brought us our food was from the town where my childhood best friend lives. As we chatted, it turns out that not only did she work in the same hospital as my friend but she knows her! (I’d sing It’s a Small World but I’ve already done that in this report. )

I had the Asian Chicken Salad. It was a hearty serving and quite good.

Em had chicken nuggets with “potato barrels” (@meg0039 ). Have you noticed that tater tots are now a “thing”? (Personally I preferred the cupcake fad!)

(@Tony the Tigger ~ this is the adult chicken nugget entree. Ten nuggets at 10 pm? No way!)

Then it was back to the pool for more fun in the sun.

It was HOT.

Time for gelato!

If you like mocha, you’ll love this!

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and I relaxed on the pool shelf until we noticed the sky getting dark to the west of us. We were on Day 5 of our vacation and had not yet experienced any rain. (Unlike @fractal....goes to show how big WDW is and how crazy local FL thunderstorms can be!) This darkness did not seem like it would just pass by, so Em and I decided to pack up and return to the room.

We opened the door to find “Sulley” Pig watching TV.

And we’d made it back in the nick of time!

Em and I sat on the balcony (so as not to disturb Pig) and watched the rain. It lasted less than an hour. We chuckled at the number of people hovering outside the pool gate once the rain had stopped. There was thunder and lightning with the rain so the pools were closed. The lifeguards did not reopen the pool until a good 15-20 minutes later.

We went back inside and Em lay down to nap while I went to shower....

MORE WATER WOES!!!

 

[Kiwiduck]

Is Sulley pig wearing a Duffy costume? He's very cute, I want him!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Is Sulley pig wearing a Duffy costume? He's very cute, I want him!!

He is! Pig also has an Olaf costume and Mickey’s Halloween costume.

 

[12in12]

Lucky Pig!