Trip Report One Little Spark *COMPLETED*

One little spark of inspiration
Is at the heart of all creation
A dream can be
A dream come true
With just that spark
In me and you

One little spark ignited a relationship that is currently four decades long.

One little spark inspired a surprise (and very last-minute) birthday trip to WDW.

One little spark made a dream come true.

Who: Tuvalu and Woody
When: February 8-12, 2023
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort

 

[Tuvalu]

“I want to ride Haunted Mansion before the line gets too long,” I told Woody after exiting our clamshell.

We retraced the steps we’d taken earlier through Fantasyland and arrived at HM with a posted 13 minute wait, essentially another walk-on attraction.

Playful spooks must have stolen our ride photo and I know I nailed it!!!

Next we took the scenic path along the river to check out the wait for Big Thunder Mountain. Now I know I could have just looked at the app, but we were more interested in the journey rather than the destination. Who wouldn’t want to take a leisurely stroll in warm February sunshine?

When we got to BTMRR we saw that the line was super long so we nixed it.

Deconstruction of Splash Mountain had commenced.

It was at this moment I had an epiphany when I realized where we were.

My eyes grew wide as I excitedly said to Woody, “We can ride the train!!!”

We bounded up the steps to the Frontierland Station.

Woody was wearing the proper attire for our first WDW Railroad ride in over 4 years.

This favorite shirt has faded over time, but the CM on the platform gave Woody a “Dude, I love your shirt!” compliment.

He didn’t even ask what MPB stood for. (Moving Park Bench)

Here she comes!

 

[RememberWhen]

It’s so good to have the train back after all this time! And even better to see you and woody onboard!

 

[Tuvalu]

Curious if the queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will utilize this exterior courtyard from Splash Mountain.

There is a new narrator and new narration for the Grand Circle Tour. Interestingly, there is a comment about “critters making their new home” inside the former SM. (I suspect we’ll see some familiar critters when Tiana’s opens.)

Scenery along the way.

Thinking this billboard might now be permanent.

It doesn’t do much to hide the show building however.

We’d watched the construction for the train tunnel under TRON. Now we were in it, peeking through the window!

I’ve always loved this view.

Although you can’t beat the people watching from up here!

 

[Tuvalu]

We disembarked once back in Frontierland (but it wouldn’t be our last ride on the MPB.)

We headed for Adventureland opting to stop first at the Restrooms adjacent to Pirates. As I walked into the Ladies Room my phone buzzed with a Push Notification from the MK Vice President, apologizing that POTC was down and that they were working to restore operations.

On the creepy meter, this ranked right up there with the “Your mobile order is ready” from yesterday!

When I reunited with Woody I asked if he had received the same notification.

He had not. “Well we won’t be riding Pirates now,” I said.

We ventured back into Frontierland. We wanted to stay in the vicinity for lunch. We noticed a couple of CBJ escapees waving at guests below.

We opted to visit the others.

Someone with common sense had FINALLY removed the turnstile from the entrance!

It was a full house performance!

Sent this pic to my mom. Big Al is her favorite.

 

[MickeyCB]

It was a full house performance!

But why?!
Sorry @Loco_driver

 

[Loco_driver]

Sent this pic to my mom. Big Al is her favorite

Your mom has good taste!

But why?!
Sorry @Loco_driver

 

[Tuvalu]

But why?!
Sorry Tuvalu.

FTFY.

 

[Darstarr]

But the last week of April may be better.

I don’t know. The 17th, more precisely, the 16th, sounds pretty good to me

 

[LadyBelle]

But why?!
Sorry @Loco_driver

There will be no Country Bear slander here….

 

[pkkurz]

Watching, keeping an eye for Country Bear love.

 

[MickeyCB]

FTFY.

There will be no Country Bear slander here….

Oops, sorry! (not sorry)!

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 3, con’t

Though the exit for Country Bears dumps into one of our usual dining spots, we would not be doing quick service today.

I had found a same-day ADR for one of our usual table service spots.

“Let me know what crappy table you get seated at”, Em had texted me.

Why would she say such a thing?

Because Em and I have the worst luck with two-tops at Liberty Tree Tavern. We’ve been seated next to a pole; seated in the middle of the main thoroughfare; and…most frequently…seated in the corner next to the kitchen with a perfect view of the supply hutch (dishes, cups, flatware, etc.)

This has aggravated her so much that she doesn’t care to dine here anymore. Instead we’ve booked The Diamond Horseshoe (same menu) though she prefers the ambiance of LTT.

Woody and I seem to fare better with tables at LTT.

I sent Em the following pic with the caption, “Not Crappy.”

In fact, that window provided us with a view of the noon Festival of Fantasy parade.

The rest of the view wasn’t bad either.

I had a good people-watching seat.

Service was excellent. While the food here sometimes feels rushed to the table, today our courses were properly spaced out. We had plenty of time to eat the salad and rolls before the mains arrived.

Speaking of the salad, it now contains cheese and cranberries. I love LTT’s salad dressing, but the cheese overpowers the light taste of the dressing. Woody doesn’t care for cranberries and had to pick around them. We were surprised that we each received our own bowl of salad rather than a communal bowl.

Another change was the addition of a garlic butter spread to the yeast rolls. There wasn’t a noticeable change in taste so unsure of the reason for it.

The turkey and pot roast were spectacular today! Everything else was yummy too. This place does comfort food well!

Of course we saved room for Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. I always get annoyed when a party of 2 has to share one dessert (larger parties get more) but then my stomach thanks me later!

 

[Songbird76]

Day 3, con’t

Though the exit for Country Bears dumps into one of our usual dining spots, we would not be doing quick service today.

I had found a same-day ADR for one of our usual table service spots.

View attachment 702351

“Let me know what crappy table you get seated at”, Em had texted me.

Why would she say such a thing?

Because Em and I have the worst luck with two-tops at Liberty Tree Tavern. We’ve been seated next to a pole; seated in the middle of the main thoroughfare; and…most frequently…seated in the corner next to the kitchen with a perfect view of the supply hutch (dishes, cups, flatware, etc.)

This has aggravated her so much that she doesn’t care to dine here anymore. Instead we’ve booked The Diamond Horseshoe (same menu) though she prefers the ambiance of LTT.

Woody and I seem to fare better with tables at LTT.

I sent Em the following pic with the caption, “Not Crappy.”

View attachment 702352

In fact, that window provided us with a view of the noon Festival of Fantasy parade.

The rest of the view wasn’t bad either.

View attachment 702354

I had a good people-watching seat.

View attachment 702353

Service was excellent. While the food here sometimes feels rushed to the table, today our courses were properly spaced out. We had plenty of time to eat the salad and rolls before the mains arrived.

Speaking of the salad, it now contains cheese and cranberries. I love LTT’s salad dressing, but the cheese overpowers the light taste of the dressing. Woody doesn’t care for cranberries and had to pick around them. We were surprised that we each received our own bowl of salad rather than a communal bowl.

View attachment 702355

Another change was the addition of a garlic butter spread to the yeast rolls. There wasn’t a noticeable change in taste so unsure of the reason for it.

View attachment 702356

The turkey and pot roast were spectacular today! Everything else was yummy too. This place does comfort food well!

View attachment 702357

Of course we saved room for Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. I always get annoyed when a party of 2 has to share one dessert (larger parties get more) but then my stomach thanks me later!

View attachment 702358

My daughter is trying to eat the rolls through the computer screen. That was one of her favorite things there. We had been to splash mountain earlier, and they gave us a plastic baggie for our cell phones. We used that baggie for the rest of our rolls so we could eat them later. So good.

 

[LadyBelle]

The rest of the view wasn’t bad either.

My family sat at that table to the right in that picture back in 2019. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Time to go sweet talk some people into going....

 

[Tuvalu]

After lunch we cut across the hub into Tomorrowland.

This guy so resembled my brother that I did a double-take. I thought his shirt was funny.

A spin on the Peoplemover? Yes, please.

(The woman behind us doesn’t look very happy with her son! )

I was jealous of all the CMs getting preview rides on TRON. Hope Em’s VQ fast finger works in our favor on our next trip!

 

[Tuvalu]

I told Woody I was in the mood to browse the shops on Main Street. Early afternoon (post 12 pm FoF and before 3 pm parade) is a good time to peruse, as there are less people to contend with inside.

We explored both sides of the street. In Uptown Jewelers, we saw this necklace and tried to figure out why Mickey is bounding as a bee. Any ideas? (And how many of these have actually been sold?)

In the Emporium I hoped to find the item I’d seen earlier in Hundred Acre Goods but did not feel like schlepping around the park. IS SHIP TO RESORT SERVICE EVER COMING BACK??!!?? Because Disney would be getting a whole lot more of my dollars if it did!

I struck out with finding the item but hit a home run on catching a Dapper Dans performance.

These guys were great as always! Songs and jokes. At one point they mimicked being audio-animatronic dolls while singing “It’s a Small World.”

The jokes were fast and funny but I was able to note a few….

What award did Gaston win at the end of Beauty and the Beast?
The No Belle prize!

Why doesn’t Cinderella play soccer?
Because she is always running away from the ball!

How many tickles does it take to make Ursula laugh?
Ten Tickles!

I then asked Woody if he minded returning to Fantasyland so I could make my Hundred Acre Goods purchase.

Of course he didn’t mind.

He also volunteered to schlepp the pillow around for me.

I rewarded him with another ride on the MPB.

 

[93boomer]

I told Woody I was in the mood to browse the shops on Main Street. Early afternoon (post 12 pm FoF and before 3 pm parade) is a good time to peruse, as there are less people to contend with inside.

We explored both sides of the street. In Uptown Jewelers, we saw this necklace and tried to figure out why Mickey is bounding as a bee. Any ideas? (And how many of these have actually been sold?)

View attachment 702602

In the Emporium I hoped to find the item I’d seen earlier in Hundred Acre Goods but did not feel like schlepping around the park. IS SHIP TO RESORT SERVICE EVER COMING BACK??!!?? Because Disney would be getting a whole lot more of my dollars if it did!

I struck out with finding the item but hit a home run on catching a Dapper Dans performance.

View attachment 702603

These guys were great as always! Songs and jokes. At one point they mimicked being audio-animatronic dolls while singing “It’s a Small World.”

View attachment 702605

The jokes were fast and funny but I was able to note a few….

What award did Gaston win at the end of Beauty and the Beast?
The No Belle prize!

Why doesn’t Cinderella play soccer?
Because she is always running away from the ball!

How many tickles does it take to make Ursula laugh?
Ten Tickles!

I then asked Woody if he minded returning to Fantasyland so I could make my Hundred Acre Goods purchase.

Of course he didn’t mind.

He also volunteered to schlepp the pillow around for me.

View attachment 702614

I rewarded him with another ride on the MPB.

View attachment 702607

View attachment 702608

I am not really liking the Mickey bee.

 

[k8einwdw]

We explored both sides of the street. In Uptown Jewelers, we saw this necklace and tried to figure out why Mickey is bounding as a bee. Any ideas? (And how many of these have actually been sold?

Looks like the Baublebar brand. They make “bag charms” (keychains) with Mickey and Minnie in cute seasonal outfits. This almost looks like they stuck a keychain on a necklace. Cute as a keychain, but I personally think it’s a bit much as a necklace. Looks like it’d be heavy around your neck too.

 

[myhappyplace]

I, too, feel like I would buy more if package pickup would return. That's the one change I really need! I mean, my wallet thanks me.

 

[Tuvalu]

Looks like the Baublebar brand. They make “bag charms” (keychains) with Mickey and Minnie in cute seasonal outfits. This almost looks like they stuck a keychain on a necklace. Cute as a keychain, but I personally think it’s a bit much as a necklace. Looks like it’d be heavy around your neck too.

Appreciate your insight. I, too, can see it as a keychain but it’s much too cumbersome as a necklace.

I, too, feel like I would buy more if package pickup would return. That's the one change I really need! I mean, my wallet thanks me.