Trip Report Shrouded In A Daft Disguise *COMPLETED*

Two weeks ago today, I returned home from the most surreal Disney vacation I have ever experienced.

During my last visit in February, I couldn’t have imagined having to wear a face mask and have my temperature taken before being allowed into a park. “Social distancing” wasn’t part of my vocabulary. Hand sanitizer was something I carried in a little bottle in my purse, not something in giant containers at the entrance/exit of every attraction.

No park hopping? No Fastpasses? No FIREWORKS :jawdrop: ?!! Not even on my radar screen.

Like a bolt out of the blue, the pandemic struck and life was dramatically altered. For everyone. And there is no Magic Mirror to tell us when it will be over. For me the pandemic has been a reminder to take nothing for granted ~ and that there can still be joy in the darkest days.

My name is Tuvalu and I have been a WDW annual passholder for nearly 25 years. I was raised on Disney and so were my children. The parks have always been my “escape” from real life. Could they still be an “escape” in the midst of a pandemic? After months of quarantine, I was ready to find out.

My daughter Em was my travel buddy. My husband Woody had reservations, but not for our safety. He was concerned we’d struggle with the restrictions and disappointment with all the changes. He wanted us to come back happy and wasn’t sure we would. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure we would either. After much research and due diligence, Em and I felt prepared to embark on a vacation with few expectations.

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Full disclosure ~ I‘ve wrestled with writing a report of our trip. The pandemic and subsequent events have caused much division on this Disney fan forum. I’ve always considered the trip reports section to be a “safe space” and hope it stays that way. My goal is to provide entertainment to the reader, nothing more.

With that in mind.....

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Where to first?

We picked here...

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....for the covered queue.

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We walked continuously and only stopped here because I wanted a potato pic!

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Plexiglass dividers in the queue.

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Because I am a fair person, I‘ll post my losing score.

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Em did not gloat. She handles a win with grace.

She did not handle my request for a popsicle wall pic gracefully. But she posed anyway, without the eye roll.

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Next up was a fave.

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A. S. Saucers may be a simple carnival ride, but the theming and music make us smile. And even after many rides, we still “whee” and laugh whenever we get whipped around.

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(Note that I kept a tight hold on my purse this time. That baby was going nowhere! )

The rain had finally stopped and Slinky reopened.

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Plexiglass in the queue.

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So the folks directly in front of us had a whole lot going on. There was a service dog (who was the best behaved) and a set of parents and adult children who tried to “skirt” the mask rule by passing a beer(!) back and forth, taking tiny sips with each pass. They were obviously trying to be discreet but never bothered to pull their masks back up during our 20 minute wait. The following pic was taken just before boarding, and “mom” literally chugged the rest of the beer so the CMs wouldn’t notice.

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Doggo didn’t ride Slinky. 😉 Neither did the adult children. Which begs the question, why the wait? Wouldn’t a table at Baseline Tap House be a more relaxing place to share a beer (or two?)

Ready to launch!

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One party per car.

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Had it really rained earlier? Wheezy says otherwise!

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So did the temperature! IT. WAS. HOT. We needed to find a shady space before we melted into the pavement.

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Our goal was to get some water and sit and wait for the 4 pm Boarding Group drop for RotR. Em was interested in riding Rock ‘n Rollercoaster, so we headed down Sunset Blvd. towards the market.

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I just ❤️ Disney balloon bunches!

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With so few people, it was easy for me to spot @fractal ‘s spawn coming our way. Before approaching I made sure @fractal was with them. I didn’t want to get too close and freak them out, so I did the next best thing.

FRACTAL!!” I yelled. (Yeah that wasn’t creepy at all. :hilarious: )

TUVALU!!“ he yelled back. (Well at least we were on the same page!)

Fractal ended the awkwardness by opening his arms and giving me and Em a big hug. We hadn’t seen each other since 2017 (when @Zipitidoda ruined the surprise. 😉) We spent the next 15 minutes or so catching up and Fractal took a selfie of the six of us that was so good even @wdwmagic commented on it!

You’ll have to settle for the pic Em took.

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We would have loved to spend more time together, but BG drop time was approaching and we still needed water!

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How did Em do? She scored us back-up group 52, which was fine by us. Going into this vacation she and I had decided we didn’t need to do RotR, but if we had the opportunity to try for a BG....without extraordinary effort....we would. (At that time BG drops were at 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm. Current drop times are 10 am and 2 pm.)

Back-up groups are not guaranteed to ride but we weren’t stressing over it. If we got called, we’d consider it a bonus.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I was surprised to see such an extended queue for RnRC. Disney was very equipped to social distance “crowds.”

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As I waited for Em, CMs came to remove the temporary poles. When Em sent me pics from inside only a few moments later, it was clear the extra queue space was unnecessary.

No preshow.
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More plexiglass dividers.

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Ride photos are no longer displayed at the exit. There was a sign that said ride photos would automatically appear in MDE.

The sign lied. 🤣
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Fractal ended the awkwardness by opening his arms and giving me and Em a big hug. We hadn’t seen each other since 2017 (when @Zipitidoda ruined the surprise. 😉) We spent the next 15 minutes or so catching up and Fractal took a selfie of the six of us that was so good even @wdwmagic commented on it!

You’ll have to settle for the pic Em took.

View attachment 494749



You are never going to let me live that one down!.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I believe Tower of Terror was down so instead we headed for an attraction which we’d been waiting a long time to experience.

Fifteen COVID months.

Ok, more like 5 months but it felt much longer. Especially since I had stressfully scored Fastpasses for our (canceled) trips in April, May and June.

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Em, Woody and I were big fans of The Great Movie Ride. It was nostalgic, had great sets and props and was a must-do for us every vacation. We were sad when its closure was announced and wished it could have been updated rather than gutted.

We purposefully avoided any pictures or videos of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (which, like Mickey’s Philharmagic, is a misnomer.) We wanted to be surprised. This post has only a couple pics which aren’t spoilers.

The wait was posted at 30 minutes when we got in line. However our wait was longer since the vehicles needed to be sanitized ~ which meant we were stuck in the same spot (in the outdoor heat!) for awhile. Not fun!

We were so relieved to reach air-conditioned comfort....and happy to see some of the original features intact.

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It was disappointing that the preshow was unavailable since the preshow sets up the storyline. The one sentence “wrap up” given by a CM (through a mask and a shield) was a poor substitute. Em and I had no idea what had transpired. (Later we watched a POV of the preshow to see what we’d missed.)

We also decided in advance not to compare MMRR with The GMR. MMRR would be judged on its own merit. No sense comparing it to an attraction that no longer exists.

Our verdict? To quote Siskel and Ebert:

👍👍
 

93boomer

Premium Member
Next up was a fave.

View attachment 494720

View attachment 494721

A. S. Saucers may be a simple carnival ride, but the theming and music make us smile. And even after many rides, we still “whee” and laugh whenever we get whipped around.

View attachment 494722
(Note that I kept a tight hold on my purse this time. That baby was going nowhere! )

The rain had finally stopped and Slinky reopened.

View attachment 494723

Plexiglass in the queue.

View attachment 494725

So the folks directly in front of us had a whole lot going on. There was a service dog (who was the best behaved) and a set of parents and adult children who tried to “skirt” the mask rule by passing a beer(!) back and forth, taking tiny sips with each pass. They were obviously trying to be discreet but never bothered to pull their masks back up during our 20 minute wait. The following pic was taken just before boarding, and “mom” literally chugged the rest of the beer so the CMs wouldn’t notice.

View attachment 494724

Doggo didn’t ride Slinky. 😉 Neither did the adult children. Which begs the question, why the wait? Wouldn’t a table at Baseline Tap House be a more relaxing place to share a beer (or two?)

Ready to launch!

View attachment 494726

One party per car.

View attachment 494727

Had it really rained earlier? Wheezy says otherwise!

View attachment 494728

So did the temperature! IT. WAS. HOT. We needed to find a shady space before we melted into the pavement.

View attachment 494729
I forgot about the flying 👜!! 🤣
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Em and I made it just in the nick of time for our dinner ADR.

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I had to check in online and we had to wait outside until I received the text to enter. The CM at the door wasn’t particularly pleasant, but the host who led us to our table was hospitable.

As we were seated I noticed perennial Mama Melrose CM Jean.

Em shot me her “Mom, don’t!” face as I snapped this picture.

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I knew Em would lighten up once she had her margarita in hand. 😉

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Our server Kyle was professional, not chummy. It made our meal so much more enjoyable. He brought our warm, doughy rolls promptly. Dipped in the flavored olive oil, we devoured them.

There was only one choice for dinner. Amiright, @LisaBelle?

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Em and I both ordered the NY strip with the four cheese mac. Perfection!

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We did not order dessert.

Our Boarding Group had been called during dinner and we had 15 minutes left of the hour window to get to RotR.
 
Last edited:

fractal

Well-Known Member
Our goal was to get some water and sit and wait for the 4 pm Boarding Group drop for RotR. Em was interested in riding Rock ‘n Rollercoaster, so we headed down Sunset Blvd. towards the market.

View attachment 494747

I just ❤ Disney balloon bunches!

View attachment 494748

With so few people, it was easy for me to spot @fractal ‘s spawn coming our way. Before approaching I made sure @fractal was with them. I didn’t want to get too close and freak them out, so I did the next best thing.

FRACTAL!!” I yelled. (Yeah that wasn’t creepy at all. :hilarious: )

TUVALU!!“ he yelled back. (Well at least we were on the same page!)

Fractal ended the awkwardness by opening his arms and giving me and Em a big hug. We hadn’t seen each other since 2017 (when @Zipitidoda ruined the surprise. 😉) We spent the next 15 minutes or so catching up and Fractal took a selfie of the six of us that was so good even @wdwmagic commented on it!

You’ll have to settle for the pic Em took.

View attachment 494749

We would have loved to spend more time together, but BG drop time was approaching and we still needed water!

View attachment 494750

How did Em do? She scored us back-up group 52, which was fine by us. Going into this vacation she and I had decided we didn’t need to do RotR, but if we had the opportunity to try for a BG....without extraordinary effort....we would. (At that time BG drops were at 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm. Current drop times are 10 am and 2 pm.)

Back-up groups are not guaranteed to ride but we weren’t stressing over it. If we got called, we’d consider it a bonus.

Always great meeting up with you and Em!

I believe Tower of Terror was down so instead we headed for an attraction which we’d been waiting a long time to experience.

Fifteen COVID months.

Ok, more like 5 months but it felt much longer. Especially since I had stressfully scored Fastpasses for our (canceled) trips in April, May and June.

View attachment 494776

Em, Woody and I were big fans of The Great Movie Ride. It was nostalgic, had great sets and props and was a must-do for us every vacation. We were sad when its closure was announced and wished it could have been updated rather than gutted.

We purposefully avoided any pictures or videos of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (which, like Mickey’s Philharmagic, is a misnomer.) We wanted to be surprised. This post has only a couple pics which aren’t spoilers.

The wait was posted at 30 minutes when we got in line. However our wait was longer since the vehicles needed to be sanitized ~ which meant we were stuck in the same spot (in the outdoor heat!) for awhile. Not fun!

We were so relieved to reach air-conditioned comfort....and happy to see some of the original features intact.

View attachment 494785

View attachment 494777

View attachment 494778

It was disappointing that the preshow was unavailable since the preshow sets up the storyline. The one sentence “wrap up” given by a CM (through a mask and a shield) was a poor substitute. Em and I had no idea what had transpired. (Later we watched a POV of the preshow to see what we’d missed.)

We also decided in advance not to compare MMRR with The GMR. MMRR would be judged on its own merit. No sense comparing it to an attraction that no longer exists.

Our verdict? To quote Siskel and Ebert:

👍👍

You guys must have been just ahead of us. Our spot in line was outside when they stopped for "cleaning".
 

RememberWhen

Well-Known Member
Em and I made it just in the nick of time for our dinner ADR.

View attachment 494798

I had to check in online and we had to wait outside until I received the text to enter. The CM at the door wasn’t particularly pleasant, but the host who led us to our table was hospitable.

As we were seated I noticed perennial Mama Melrose CM Jean.

Em shot me her “Mom, don’t!” face as I snapped this picture.

View attachment 494799

I knew Em would lighten up once she had her margarita in hand. 😉

View attachment 494800

Our server Kyle was professional, not chummy. It made our meal so much more enjoyable. He brought our warm, doughy rolls promptly. Dipped in the flavored olive oil,

There was only one choice for dinner. Amiright, @LisaBelle?

View attachment 494802

Em and I both ordered the NY strip with the four cheese mac. Perfection!

View attachment 494801

We did not order dessert.

Our Boarding Group had been called during dinner and we had 15 minutes left of the hour window to get to RotR.
Those steaks look so good... we haven’t done restaurant food (or even take out) in so so long...
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Since the trek from Mama Melrose to the entrance of RotR is a short one, we didn’t need to worry about a window closure.

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There was plenty of space in the queue to spread out the physical distancing markers. But there was no one ahead of us and we just kept walking until we reached the first preshow.

Say hey to BB8 and Rey!

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I’m embarrassed to admit I hadn’t noticed these stormtroopers or R5 until today. On my two previous visits, I had been so taken with the rows of stormtroopers facing me that I never looked to the side.

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Case in point. :joyfull:

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We were instructed to hurry through this room, likely because of the few number of people allowed in there now.

Each party had their own ride vehicle.

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(Confidential to @ajrwdwgirl ~ I struggle with proper selfie eye contact too!)

Em and I agreed that we appreciate RotR even more now that we have a better understanding of what is going on around us! 🤣
 

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
I was very happy with the kid’s Finger Foods meal which I have enjoyed on previous visits.

Somehow, I forgot adults can order kids meals! Yay, but sorry yours was not so delightful!

I sent the following picture to Woody with the caption, I think we missed the rapture!

WOW! That's crazy to walk down that street COMPLETELY empty! Great shot of the rain, though!

popsicle wall pic

This is now a thing, thanks to you and @TrolleyFollower91 ! Can't wait until I can take my Popsicle Wall pic at Thanksgiving!


FRACTAL!!” I yelled. (Yeah that wasn’t creepy at all. :hilarious: )

TUVALU!!“ he yelled back. (Well at least we were on the same page!)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww, so glad you two found each other, and I hope his kids weren't spooked, lol :jawdrop: :jawdrop: :geek: :geek: Sometimes, excitement gets the better of you!

Em, Woody and I were big fans of The Great Movie Ride. It was nostalgic, had great sets and props and was a must-do for us every vacation. We were sad when its closure was announced and wished it could have been updated rather than gutted.

YES! So nice to see another loyal GMR fan! I loved it and it would have been fantastic had it been updated, but I see why they felt like they had to add a "kids ride." After your review, I'm looking forward to the ride!


The steak was amazing, as was the pasta.


I order the steak every time we go and I love it but Mama Melrose isn't on our list for this fall, sadly...although we may put it on the list...
 

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