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]

Part Tu ~ There Was Room For Us In The Inn

At Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, that is.

Mary and Joseph were turned away from basic shelter in ancient times because there was no room for them in the inn. She was forced to give birth among the barnyard animals, placing her child in a manger.

I wonder what Mary and Joseph would have thought of the inn where my family was blessed to stay last week. I imagine their reaction would be similar to ours.

This must be heaven.

There was something uniquely special about our accommodations. About the level of service we received. About the reason we were there in the first place.

My mother's 85th birthday.

I hope y'all can patiently wait for the reveal of the contents of her birthday surprise. I'd like to fill in the details first.

Who: Tuvalu, Mama Tu (hereafter just "Mom"), my Brothers C (BC) and T (BT), my cousin JB and his wife S
When: January 30 - February 3, 2024
Where: Innkeepers Club at Disney's Boardwalk Resort

 

[Dave B]

No EM?

 

[Tuvalu]

No EM?

She was there in spirit.

 

[Tuvalu]

Background

Over a year ago, Mom asked me if I would take her to WDW for her 85th birthday. Of course I said yes!

She added, “Do you think JB and S would come too?”

“I’m sure they will,” I replied. “I’ll reach out to them and ask.” My calling (rather than Mom calling) would prevent them from feeling obligated.

JB is not only my favorite cousin, but also Mom’s favorite nephew. He has a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh. He is the embodiment of fun - at least to us. (His patient wife of 40 years may not have him on as high a pedestal as we do. )

JB had surprised Mom on her 80th birthday trip with me (link below). At the end of that trip, he promised her he’d return to WDW for her 90th. While that pleased Mom, she was hoping she wouldn’t have to wait 10 years to do Disney with him again….thus her request for 85.

Mom did not want “a big family trip.” We did that for her 70th and it was memorable - but not in a good way. Once I confirmed with JB that he and S were in for birthday #85, we began planning as a party of four.

Trip Report - The GRAND Birthday! *COMPLETED*

“Hey, Ma ~ you’re about to celebrate a BIG birthday. What are you going to do next?” “I’m going to Disney World!” If it were only as simple as it sounds in the commercial. But we all know that real life rarely aligns with what is portrayed on TV....or for that matter (dare I say?) social media...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[Tuvalu]

Mom and I started talking resorts in May. As much as she adored the Grand Floridian on her last birthday, “I want to try someplace different.”

Having stayed at Pop Century and Caribbean Beach with BT’s family, Mom developed a fondness for the Skyliner. She was curious about Riviera. I showed her pictures. We explored the possibility of sharing a two bedroom unit with JB and S.

Then I remembered that the Skyliner typically closes for refurbishment around the dates we were considering. She immediately nixed Riviera.

We moved on to monorail resorts. GF was out and so was Contemporary when she saw pics of the Incredibles-themed rooms. “I guess we could stay at the Polynesian,” Mom offered.

Tuvalu would have been all over that except for one thing.

“Mom, you hate the Poly.” (Did y’all gasp?! Tuvalu’s mama hates the Poly??!!)

“Well, if it’s our best option….” her voice trailed off.

“Let’s consider Epcot resorts,” I suggested. Mom had never stayed at Yacht or Beach. She’d stayed at Boardwalk once - in 2000, when she had surprised JB and his family.

“Oh, I love Boardwalk!” Mom exclaimed.

We had our resort.

We booked with JB and S in September and made our dining ADRs (all Mom-picked) at 60 days.

All we had to do now was wait!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday, January 30

We were up early. Uber driver Woody picked up Mom at 6:30 am. Atlanta traffic was heavy but Woody was able to use the HOV lane because there were three of us in the car. (His commute home from the airport was much longer.)

This was my first time flying post-pandemic. My last flight was in February 2020, just before the world shut down. It felt strange being back in an airport. But muscle memory quickly kicked in - we tagged our luggage, dropped off our bags and joined the lengthy security line. However Atlanta has hi-tech scanners and we were through the process in just 15 minutes. A quick ride on the plane train to our concourse and we were at the gate with plenty of time to spare.

As a “super senior” Mom (and I) was able to pre-board. She did not realize we were in “Comfort +” (despite booking the tickets) in the row directly behind first class. Those waters? Yeah, not for us.

I sent Em the photo above and she asked, “Are the gonna pull the curtain closed?”

No curtain. Partition. So we had a good view of what we were missing!

 

[Tuvalu]

Our plane landed early and we made our way to baggage claim. We were there a long time and watched others from our flight scoop up their suitcases and leave.

It reached the point where Mom and I were the only ones left. Panic began to creep in. I’ve experienced LLS (lost luggage syndrome) and it’s awful!

Finally a few stragglers appeared on the belt. Two of them were ours. Crisis averted.

As we schlepped our bags to ride share pick up, the loss of Disney’s Magical Express - especially luggage delivery - pained me. However when our Uber arrived - a newish Prius in pristine condition, with a safe and courteous driver who took great care of us - the longing faded. I’ll add that a non-stop ride of 25 minutes directly to Boardwalk was pretty great!

Mom oohed and ahhed in the lobby.

Creepy chairs still there!

Does this mailbox ever get used anymore?

A CM at the Front Desk (actually she stood in front of the counter with an IPad) checked to see if our room was ready. It wasn’t so we stowed our bags with Bell Services. Since we were guests of the Innkeepers Club, she directed us to the elevators and said club level was on the 4th floor.

“But not the entire floor, just part of it.”

We were left to fend for ourselves but I figured we could manage.

We found the elevators!

 

[Tuvalu]

When the elevator door opened we began our trek down long hallways. It was very reminiscent of my recent Yacht Club experience.

There was a small sign for the Innkeepers Club so I knew we were headed in the right direction.

At last we rounded a corner and came upon a big desk where the concierge was sitting. She welcome us warmly and offered us seats while she checked us in and explained the services available to us. She noted that our room wasn’t ready but we could relax in the club lounge while we waited.

Entry to the Innkeepers Club and guest rooms was through this magical door.

It opened automagically! (Pay no attention to the button on the concierge desk!)

Boardwalk has completed a recent refresh and everything from lobby to rooms to lounges is stunning. Mom was captivated by the beautiful hydrangea and rose arrangement on the floor below.

The open doors lead into the lounge.

 

[lindawdw]

I'm loving this TR!!!

I've always wanted to see what the Club Level at Boardwalk looked like! The refurbishment when completed on property is going to be so beautiful. Glad your luggage arrived even if you were one of the last although I know that panic feeling at the thought of it being lost! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Tuvalu]

Mom and I entered the lounge during the "Light Snacks" service.

Neither of us had eaten since our pre-6 am breakfasts at home. I grabbed some veggies and a bag of chips while Mom opted for a couple bags of white cheddar popcorn. She grabbed a can of tomato juice from the beverage area and I was over-the moon when I saw the pitcher of POG juice!

Being the mean mother that I am, I immediately sent this snap to Em:

She has just started speaking to me again.

When I scanned the room for a table, I knew instantly which table Mom would want.

I was right.

For the duration of the trip we referred to this as the "Queens Table." Any time it was open, the Queen took her seat (in the same spot) and kept watch over the "doings" in the lounge.

Not much going on at the moment.

The table on the far right is a kids table, kids-size height and kid-sized chairs. The TV was mounted across from it, playing Disney movies.

 

[93boomer]

Mom and I entered the lounge during the "Light Snacks" service.

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Neither of us had eaten since our pre-6 am breakfasts at home. I grabbed some veggies and a bag of chips while Mom opted for a couple bags of white cheddar popcorn. She grabbed a can of tomato juice from the beverage area and I was over-the moon when I saw the pitcher of POG juice!

View attachment 767219

Being the mean mother that I am, I immediately sent this snap to Em:

View attachment 767220

She has just started speaking to me again.

When I scanned the room for a table, I knew instantly which table Mom would want.

View attachment 767222

I was right.

View attachment 767221

For the duration of the trip we referred to this as the "Queens Table." Any time it was open, the Queen took her seat (in the same spot) and kept watch over the "doings" in the lounge.

Not much going on at the moment.

View attachment 767248
The table on the far right is a kids table, kids-size height and kid-sized chairs. The TV was mounted across from it, playing Disney movies.

Oh that’s too funny! Glad she’s speaking to you again.

 

[Tuvalu]

Mom has visited WDW with BT’s family twice over the last couple years, the most recent being Thanksgiving week. She utilized a scooter on those trips and put me in charge of securing the scooter for this one.

I have nothing but highest praise for Buena Vista Rentals. The friendly representative on the phone went over all the details of renting, asked if I had any questions, and when she saw that Mom was a prior client she gave us a generous discount. The only "negative" is that the service has a set drop off/pick up schedule at each resort, so clients need to be flexible with timing.

The drop off time for Boardwalk was 4:45 pm. That wasn't the best time for us since we had an ADR in Epcot. The rep suggested going to Beach Club to get the scooter as drop off time there was 1:30 pm. That's an easy walk from Boardwalk so I readily agreed.

Mom did not want to remain in the lounge while I got the scooter. She wanted to come with me. So we took the elevator down to the first floor to exit out onto the boardwalk.

My last stay at Boardwalk was in 2007 and I'd forgotten one of its idiosyncrasies. You cannot get to the boardwalk from the main elevators. You can get to all the first floor rooms (and I mean all) and you can exit out into the back courtyard and the quiet pool. Sadly, we did not realize this until we'd walked the entire first floor, looking for a way out.

Stumped, we got back into the elevator and went up to lobby level. It was then I remembered a different elevator off the lobby that only serviced two floors - lobby (2nd floor) and boardwalk (1st floor). It's located across from the staircase. (And apparently there's a big sign for it that I just now noticed in this picture! )

At last we had escaped the labyrinth! But we had lost a bit of time and would need to pick up our pace to make it to Beach Club on time.

It was a gorgeous day and I suggested to Mom to relax on a boardwalk bench and enjoy the sunshine while awaiting my return. She insisted on accompanying me. By the time we reached the Seabreeze Point gazebo, I knew she had run out of gas.

She did not argue with me when I told her to sit here and wait.

I was then able to power walk to Beach Club. I made it to the porte cochere with five minutes to spare.

The delivery man from Buena Vista Rentals arrived with a big smile and joyful spirit. (He would be the same man who picked up the scooter on departure day.) He patiently explained how to operate and charge the scooter and gave me a few tips. Asked if I had any questions. Wished me a happy vacation and was on his way.

As was I!

There's a little bit of a learning curve with a scooter but I was proud of myself for catching on quickly. Speeds range from turtle to rabbit. (I am not kidding - there is a on the left side of the control and a on the right.) Once I was away from people and on the wide promenade, I 'ed back to the gazebo and zoomed up the ramp.

No Mom.

Where did she go?

After a little moment of panic I left the gazebo. Finally found her on another bench under a tree. She had gotten hot in the sun and moved to a shady spot.

Relief then turned to hunger (or the more accurate hanger!) We both needed some protein asap. A chicken salad wrap from the Boardwalk Deli hit the spot. It was HUGE and we shared it. Very yummy!

This was my half.

In perfect timing, my phone buzzed with the room text as were finishing up.

 

[lindawdw]

You had quite a nice selection of light snacks at the Club Lounge! The elevator situation is quite odd at the Boardwalk so I'm glad you were able to finally figure it out! Good job on getting over to the Beach Club in time to meet the scooter guy!

 

[Tuvalu]

I had a surprise up my sleeve.

Mom knew we’d be staying club level, but she did not know what our view would be. Neither did I, but we both hoped for a boardwalk view. When I booked our rooms, the CM mentioned that there was one deluxe room and one regular room available for our dates.

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

“The deluxe has a little extra room,” was all she said.

Well it was more than “a little extra room.” It was actually an extra room!

Displayed on the TV -

Sleeping area

Bathrobes - and slippers! - were in the closet. Mom got a lot of use out of the bathrobe.

Bathroom

Perhaps the most important feature in the room -

A phone with both Housekeeping and Concierge buttons! (I kid, I kid )

Mom loved everything about the room - the extra space, the color palette, the Disney art on the walls, the big closet, two dressers - but most of all, THE VIEW.

Pics in next post.

 

[Tuvalu]

Mom was speechless. She stood quietly for a few moments, taking in the “spectacular” view.

The construction didn’t even bother her.

I left her on the balcony while I called Bell Services for our suitcases and Housekeeping for an additional luggage rack.

The items were delivered while she was still outside. I set our bags atop the luggage racks and did some unpacking.

Eventually she came inside and noticed that our bags had arrived. She pointed at them and said, “How did these get here?”

I smiled and said, “Disney magic.”

 

[Tuvalu]

Mom then began unpacking. She pulled out a small Mickey plush and set him on the dresser.

She also pulled out an item to show me.

“This was your father’s favorite Disney hat. I carry it with me on my Disney trips now,” she said softly, as she turned to put it back into her suitcase.

My eyes filled with tears.

“NO!” I said. “The hat needs to stay out. Dad needs to be part of this celebration.”

I took the hat from her hand and stuffed it with a washcloth so it could remain upright.

And in that moment, we were together again.

 

[sheriffwoody]

You've got me crying too What a sweet way to remember your dad on the trip!

 

[Nunu]

Mom then began unpacking. She pulled out a small Mickey plush and set him on the dresser.

She also pulled out an item to show me.

“This was your father’s favorite Disney hat. I carry it with me on my Disney trips now,” she said softly, as she turned to put it back into her suitcase.

My eyes filled with tears.

“NO!” I said. “The hat needs to stay out. Dad needs to be part of this celebration.”

I took the hat from her hand and stuffed it with a washcloth so it could remain upright.

View attachment 767336

And in that moment, we were together again.

I'm lost for words, all I can say is, this post is beautiful.

 

[Spash007]

Saturday, con’t

Test Track
Tower of Terror
Big Thunder Mountain
Toy Story Mania
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Haunted Mansion
It’s a Small World *new

What do these attractions have in common?

I have experienced an evacuation from each of them!

Remember me bragging on our short 15 minute wait to ride IASW? That was just the beginning. Little did I know it would be a 40 minute wait (not including ride time) to get off the ride!

Our boat began to slow to a creep once we entered the blue unity room. (That’s not its name but that’s the spirit of the final room.) However that’s not unusual, as that’s where the boats begin to get backed up in preparation for the load zone.

Our boat came to a complete stop for a couple minutes. We were here -

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- again, nothing out of the ordinary. Even folks behind us were unconcerned.

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I am now going to dispel the myth that the IASW song plays continuously 24/7.

Because the music STOPPED. The dolls, however, continued to move and clack (the clacking being very loud cuz no music) while all of us in boats began to look around.

Then came an announcement over the intercom apologizing for the delay and announcing that the ride would be powering down. And that a cast member would be by shortly to help us.

Oh….kay.

I texted Em and she replied, “Too bad you’re so close to the end. I’ve always wanted to know how evacs work from a water ride.”

We were about to find out.

A few minutes later a CM appeared out of a nearby door to ask if anyone had a medical emergency.

View attachment 765360

Apparently IASW has a triage system.

No one in our vicinity was in urgent need. The CM was very vague about the evacuation procedure. She warned us to put our phones away.

She disappeared and we sat there for awhile. Eventually several CMs holding very long poles appeared. I was hiding my phone in my hands - I wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass without photographic evidence!

“Careful, or they’ll poke you with a pole!” Woody teased.

The pole-toting CMs did seem at first to serve as a guest distraction. But I turned away and noticed the arrival of a CM in waders. This was about to get interesting.

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There was another warning to put phones away. (Curiously, nothing was said about cameras. ) I knew I had to act quickly and discreetly in order to solve the water evac mystery for Em.

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You can see the pole CMs and the wader CM (in the water) above. The wader CM began with the boat at the end. She got on the left side of the boat and began to push it backwards into the previous room. A pole CM helped guide the boat (via pole hook on the back of the boat) while remaining on dry ground.

This same process occurred four times until it was our turn. Keep in mind the poor wader CM had a lot further to push boats backwards the closer she got to ours. (And there were two boats ahead of us!) She was panting when she reached us and cracked a joke about not needing to go to the gym later because she’s already had a workout!

She pushed our boat into the previous (Polynesian) room. Ironically I had taken picture in there when we floated by the first time.

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Even weirder was that I had a noticed a dimly-lit exit door in this room down-aways from the boy and kiwis pictured above. Painted on it was “Door D” or something similar. I had turned to Woody and said, “Ooh a secret club! I want to go through Door D!”

Turns out I got my wish.

Our boat was navigated to a spot in that room where we docked against the set floor. A pole CM carefully evacuated our boat by row, keeping the weight balanced.

(We learned that each room is evacuated in a similar manner by other CMs and there are additional emergency exit doors.)

Once out of the boat Woody and I made our way to the secret Platinum door (Frasier fans will get the reference ) pushed it open and found ourselves outside!

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(No garbage or bees to contend with, thankfully!)

There was a CM scanning bands/cards to give us a LL for our inconvenience.

We exited the backstage area into the Tangled restroom area.

Which we promptly took advantage of

I’ve been slowly catching up after a bit of time away myself, but wanted to comment that IASW did not used to turn the music off. She wasnt lucky enough to get evac’d, but my wife got stuck on IASW for a long time back when she was on her HS band trip. This is why she cannot stand going on it, even though I make her every time

 

[MinnieM123]

“NO!” I said. “The hat needs to stay out. Dad needs to be part of this celebration.”

I took the hat from her hand and stuffed it with a washcloth so it could remain upright.

What a beautiful gesture.

I'm really loving the descriptions and photos of your stay at the Boardwalk. (I tend to either miss, or just not notice, forum member reviews for the Boardwalk, versus the other EPCOT hotels.) It's beautiful inside -- understated elegance. A perfect location for the birthday girl to celebrate her big day! I couldn't get over the size of the guestroom (realizing it was in the club level, which would probably be larger than other guestrooms). Talk about impressive!

Oh -- and the phone!