Trip Report Shortest Retirement in History?

Justin Bieber lasted 2 weeks.

Tom Brady lasted 40 days.

I, Tuvalu, outlasted them both. Not by much, mind you. Yet if not for the encouragement of some forum friends - along with some unusual circumstances - you wouldn’t be reading this.

Unusual circumstances, you say?

Around Thanksgiving my beloved Woody learned his presence was required at a work conference. In Orlando. At Universal.
Just down the road from Walt Disney World.

Woody said I could accompany him if he drove (rather than flew) to Florida. And that we could leave a couple days early and have some Disney time together.

Well you don’t have to ask me twice!

I’d be on my own during the conference. Since the majority of Universal’s attractions don’t appeal to me, it didn’t make sense for me to buy Uni tickets when I could visit WDW for free with my AP. Being solo, I thought it might be fun to do a live trip report so y’all could be my virtual companions!

Turns out I won’t be alone while Woody is occupied after all. Some friends that you have seen in my previous TRs (and one you haven’t) have offered to play with me. I can’t wait!

 

[Tuvalu]

However, after spending the day at Islands of Adventure, we went to our multi-night home at Port Orleans Riverside. It honestly felt like coming home and, with no hard evidence to explain why, it was just more enjoyable.

 

[Tuvalu]

Actually the ride wasn’t bad. (No traffic at all in McDonough @k8einwdw & @wdisney9000!!) But the transition back into “real life” is never easy!

 

[pkkurz]

Actually the ride wasn’t bad. (No traffic at all in McDonough @k8einwdw & @wdisney9000!!) But the transition back into “real life” is never easy!

No traffic at McDonough is a huge win!!

 

[joshsprincess921]

I see we have the same opinion on the Mickey pretzel, although I do like the "cheese"! It's ridiculously overpriced and it's always been stale when I've gotten one. The pretzels at Sam's Club are DELICIOUS and like $1 so I just can't stomach those Disney prices for a lesser product.

Sam's club dining is on point!

 

[k8einwdw]

Actually the ride wasn’t bad. (No traffic at all in McDonough @k8einwdw & @wdisney9000!!) But the transition back into “real life” is never easy!

We had the same experience coming home last month. We thought we must have missed the rapture or something.

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, con’t

The sun was out all day, which helped the temperature remain just COLD and not BITTER COLD. And it was the first day in several days without rain.

With the MLK holiday weekend behind us, Patti and I expected a low to moderate crowd in the park. After all it was a Wednesday in the middle of January. There didn’t seem to be any cheer/dance groups, which typically arrive later in the month and remain into February.

We couldn’t have been more wrong.

People. Everywhere.

I borrowed this picture from @sheriffwoody ‘s Instagram later that day.

But you know what?

When you have two friends who haven’t seen each other in ages there’s a lot of Chick Chatting going on.

How long did we wait in each line? Couldn’t tell ya. Instead of time standing still, it flew. (Take that, Genie+ !!)

We did Jungle Cruise first, right at park opening.

This is Skipper Sadie. First name Skipper, last name Sadie. (She told us so twice!) She was so fast with the puns I couldn’t remember what she said.

The one I was able to note was near the end at the elephant bathing pool. Skipper Sadie said that elephants like to throw parties and while some are good, “this one looks like a wash.”

But Tu, where’s the elephant pic?

I didn’t take one. Will you settle for a monkey instead?

Pirates being right next door was our next destination. Photo credit @riverside.

She and I have similar photography skills.

Let’s not forget the awesome ride photo!

She and I also have similar posing skills.

 

[sheriffwoody]

You should have also borrowed the photo where I was scowling at a tour group Overall feeling about that day was that it was very "people-y" but we also had a great day despite that! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip! And look at me not taking 3 weeks to get to it

 

[Tuvalu]

Forgot to mention that at 7 am I had scored this -

Patti also had a fast finger at 7 am….

….just not as fast as mine.

We decided to visit a GET (Guest Experience Team) blue tent kiosk and inquire if our boarding groups could be synched so we could ride TRON together.

The CM couldn’t have been more nice. Of course he could help us! He linked our MDE accounts and then said we were good to go. Patti and I fully expected that our group would be the later one that she got (91). We were pleasantly surprised to see we were both in mine (29).

A real magical moment!

 

[Tuvalu]

Haunted Mansion is Patti’s favorite attraction (notice her sweatshirt.)

She and I are in synch in so many ways!

Including yet another ride photo fail.

“Swing and a miss,” was Em’s snarky text to me when she saw the picture.

Speaking of swinging and missing, the Photopass Photographer at HM was a real doozy.

Patti and I stopped to get our picture taken after exiting the ride. We thought it would be fun to get a magic shot with the ghosts.

She was standing in the shade underneath the queue canopy. Now bear in mind it was cold outside - most people would choose to stand in the warm sun when there’s a chilly breeze blowing.

Not this PPP. We practically had to beg her to take our picture. Patti decided she was hiding so she wouldn’t have to do her job.

We soon discovered that she was lousy at her job. The photos she took turned out awful. These two were the best of the bunch.

She didn’t ask us to pose with scared faces or hitchhiking thumbs.

Needless to say, we didn’t get a magic shot.

 

[Tuvalu]

Our TRON boarding group had been called while we were inside the Mansion. Neither of us received the notification. I happened to open the app after our PP photo shoot to check on the virtual queue progress and saw that we had about a half hour left to scan in.

We put our rears in gear and booked it to Tomorrowland!

The line for the virtual queue stretched nearly all the way down the ramp. CMs were yelling at everyone to make sure their group had been called. No one got out of line. There were three tap-in points and everyone ahead of us scanned green at the first one.

It was the longest standby virtual queue I’d ever stood in.

The good news was that the preshow “reveal” was working again. That is definitely worth an extra few minutes wait.

So is an extra few minutes wait for the front of the lightcycle train.

Patti wholeheartedly agrees!

 

[rshell68]

Soooo wish I could have said HI to both of you. I kept myself entertained by playing Where's @Tuvalu and @riverside the whole time.

 

[Tuvalu]

Soooo wish I could have said HI to both of you. I kept myself entertained by playing Where's @Tuvalu and @riverside the whole time.

We were both disappointed that you didn’t.

There was a Tuvalu card burning a hole in my pocket!

 

[Tuvalu]

I needed to use the restroom outside TRON. Patti waited for me near the exterior part of the track.

She was startled when her Apple Watch buzzed with this notification. (2 pics to show entire message.)

Patti wanted me to ask if anyone here reading has received this “Loud Environment” warning - not necessarily at TRON, but anywhere?

“Who knew that riding TRON can be hazardous to your health?!!” she laughed.

 

[RememberWhen]

I needed to use the restroom outside TRON. Patti waited for me near the exterior part of the track.

She was startled when her Apple Watch buzzed with this notification. (2 pics to show entire message.)

View attachment 764385

View attachment 764386

Patti wanted me to ask if anyone here reading has received this “Loud Environment” warning - not necessarily at TRON, but anywhere?

“Who knew that riding TRON can be hazardous to your health?!!” she laughed.

My sister got so so so many loud environment warnings this weekend! Almost everywhere.

 

[littleroo]

Do you have any idea how jealous I am right now? Lol!! So happy to see you guys whooping it up together ❤

 

[Tuvalu]

Do you have any idea how jealous I am right now? Lol!! So happy to see you guys whooping it up together ❤

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, con’t

We gals were getting hungry. It was nearly halfway through the noon hour.

We talked about where to eat and settled on a place that required walking back to where we’d been before TRON.

Yep, we were getting our steps in today!

We mobile ordered but did not press I’m Here right away, because a forum friend and her family was headed our way.

Any sleuths following along may have already figured out who it was.

@sheriffwoody and her daughter LP (with hubby R who served as photographer.)

Em and I met @sheriffwoody shortly after she learned she was expecting LP. She was traveling solo and was staying at Beach Club (as were we.) We spent the day together at Stormalong Bay.

Ten months later I was blessed to hold infant LP in Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival, when we unexpectedly ran into each other.

That sweet baby girl is now 5!!

And after chatting for a few minutes, that sweet girl politely whispered, “Can we go now?”

Yes you may, LP. Miss Patti and I need to get some food in our bellies!

Our mobile orders were ready quickly. We’d planned on being members of the Upstairs Crew in Columbia Harbor House today. But we got black balled. Not only were there NO available tables upstairs, there were NO available tables downstairs either!

I had never seen CHH so crowded.

Patti and I carried our trays around the restaurant like hawks, ready to swoop in the moment we spied folks vacating a table. Thankfully it did not take too long. But it was a table for six.

We had no shame commandeering it. We were willing to let others join us. No one did, probably because the previous occupants did not take their refuse to the trash. RUDE.

While dining, I received a photo from @sheriffwoody.

LP doing the Woody wave!

 

[pkkurz]

Soooo wish I could have said HI to both of you. I kept myself entertained by playing Where's @Tuvalu and @riverside the whole time.

I was looking too, but no luck.

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

But we got black balled. Not only were there NO available tables upstairs, there were NO available tables downstairs either!

 

[Tuvalu]

I was looking too, but no luck.

I kept my eyes peeled for a blue scooter but no luck.