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 ?!! 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.

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.....

 

[lindawdw]

I absolutely love that view from your balcony and how wonderful to get such an incredibly beautiful day in the summer at WDW!!! I'm preparing myself for the difficulties of the whole mobile ordering of food at WDW come October. Thank you for all your tips and for allowing us to follow along on your trip!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Lunchtime.

View attachment 497815

Remember these earlier comments from me?



This lunch was the meal I was alluding to....and our initial encounter with Mobile Order Nazis.

Before arriving at PizzeRizzo, I attempted to mobile order. I encountered two issues that raised my blood pressure.

1) Each pizza came with a side Caesar salad (which neither Em nor I eat.)Typically we ask the CM to hold the salad, which not only saves us a couple bucks but prevents food waste (since we don’t pitch uneaten salads in the trash.) There was not an option to “hold” the salad on mobile order. (Fact is you can make very few modifications to a mobile order at any restaurant....picky eaters, beware!)

2) I wanted to use my gift card for payment....and discovered the gift card number had not been stored!

Two CMs blocked the entrance to PizzeRizzo. There were lots of confused guests standing around, some on their phones, others attempting to talk to a CM. At first I thought the restaurant hadn’t begun letting in guests. I peered inside and saw a few guests with trays of food. I attempted to bypass the CMs and enter.

“YOU MUST MOBILE ORDER!” Nazi CM #1 yelled at me.

I was stunned. Immediately I understood the confused looks on the faces of other guests.

“YOU CAN’T GO INSIDE UNTIL YOUR MOBILE ORDER IS READY!” Nazi CM #2 yelled at another guest.
“USE THE APP TO MOBILE ORDER!” Nazi CM #1 yelled to the crowd in general.

Where am I? I thought to myself.

Yet (to Em’s chagrin) I was persistent. A manager had arrived and I approached her. “I can’t mobile order,” I said.
“You don’t have the app?” she asked.
“I don’t want the salad,” were the first words out of my mouth.
“Oh, no salad? I can help you inside!” she sweetly chirped. “Follow me.”

I followed but Em got stopped by Nazi CM #1. Em had to plead her case that she was with me before she was allowed inside.

The manager took me to a register far from the door and took my order. Two Cokes, two pizzas, no salads. I paid with my gift card. I was happy. My blood pressure returned to normal.

View attachment 497817

Em was just happy the ordeal was over!

View attachment 497816

This does not look like pizza to me. It looks like cake. And dry. #needgravy #canyouspareatomato

 

[Tuvalu]

Sending a big, big thank you to Tuvalu for posting your trip report. We always enjoy them so much. This report if particularly impactful, as we were to leave on our fall trip to Florida this morning. I can tell you that sitting in my office right now pales in comparison to the thought of being on our flight from Sacramento right now. Hopefully, by next Spring things will have straightened out enough that we can take that long overdue trip. (Fingers crossed). Thanks again for allowing for us to come along and live vicariously through your TR.

A big, big thank you to Plowboy for making my day with your nice words. I’m sorry you had to postpone your trip. WDW is worth waiting for, however.

Wait....you chose chicken nuggets over Turkey? Who are you, and what did you do with Tuvalu?

The turkey sandwich had yucky stuff on it and there wasn’t a way to customize it the way I would have liked (stupid mobile ordering!) However Em did give me a small piece of the turkey and it was delish!

I absolutely love that view from your balcony and how wonderful to get such an incredibly beautiful day in the summer at WDW!!! I'm preparing myself for the difficulties of the whole mobile ordering of food at WDW come October. Thank you for all your tips and for allowing us to follow along on your trip!

As always, thank you for commenting. I hope you have a great vacation next month!

This does not look like pizza to me. It looks like cake. And dry. #needgravy #canyouspareatomato

It isn’t NY pizza. It isn’t Chicago pizza.
It’s Boboli.
As long as you know that going in, and set your expectations low, it’s not a bad lunch.

 

[myhappyplace]

That WL morning view!

 

[93boomer]

Haha. Today was easier as we mostly “ate” liquid

It is hard! Mobile ordering has gone really good. You ought to order coffee with masks! They apparently can’t understand my Southern accent. Has happened twice so far!

 

[Tuvalu]

A thoughtful tip from a local Magician enabled me to find my fave hard cider again!

Thanks to @k8einwdw, my 2 1/2 year drought is over!

 

[k8einwdw]

A thoughtful tip from a local Magician enabled me to find my fave hard cider again!

View attachment 499359

Thanks to @k8einwdw, my 2 1/2 year drought is over!

Happy to be of service! Now if they’ll only restock my Schofferhofer Pomegranate...

 

[Tuvalu]

Friday, con’t

Em and I went to MK for a bit before dinner. We entered Town Square just as the Royal Cavalcade was arriving.

Merida was not on her horse. Several days earlier the horse had been spooked by a balloon. What could have ended badly was handled with grace and expertise by Merida and her handlers.

Princesses aplenty!

4:10 pm on a Friday. Only in 2020!

 

[Tuvalu]

I promised @tonystark mucho Mansion so we headed to Liberty Square. As you can see, we didn’t have to fight any crowds to get there.

Thus it was very easy to spot a couple of familiar faces despite being masked. I called out “Brittany!” twice before @blreinsel looked our way.

She was with @wishes2013 and another teacher friend. (I wish @wishes2013 had been in the picture with us!) The 4 teachers swapped stories and the challenges that the pandemic has wrought. It was a fun, unexpected meet-up!

Then it was Mansion time.

Nailed it, Em!

 

[93boomer]

A thoughtful tip from a local Magician enabled me to find my fave hard cider again!

View attachment 499359

Thanks to @k8einwdw, my 2 1/2 year drought is over!

I am truly jealous now!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Peter Pan used to pose in this spot. Now it’s Em’s turn.

What to do after returning from Never Land?

Visit the Hundred Acre Wood.

It’s a very protected place.

Shield-wearing humans sanitize honey pots.

Fear not ~ you need not sit in a wet honey pot! (Look at that spray! )

The sprayed vehicles cycle through the Hundred Acre Wood. When the first “tagged” honey pot arrives back, those that follow are safe and dry for boarding.

 

[93boomer]

Peter Pan used to pose in this spot. Now it’s Em’s turn.

View attachment 499395

What to do after returning from Never Land?

Visit the Hundred Acre Wood.

View attachment 499396

It’s a very protected place.

View attachment 499397

Shield-wearing humans sanitize honey pots.

View attachment 499398

View attachment 499399

Fear not ~ you need not sit in a wet honey pot! (Look at that spray! )

The sprayed vehicles cycle through the Hundred Acre Wood. When the first “tagged” honey pot arrives back, those that follow are safe and dry for boarding.

View attachment 499400

Have to give ! Glad they are keeping those honey pots sanitized!

 

[Tuvalu]

While on our way to our last attraction we noticed that Maurice’s Popping Machine had been moved from it usual location next to Village Gifts (near Gaston’s.)

Doom buggy, pirate ship, honey pot ~ and now clam shell.

And yes, we waved.

We also waved to our friends atop the train station as we headed out for dinner....

....where we would have another surprise Magic meet!

 

[Darstarr]

and there wasn’t a way to customize it the way I would have liked (stupid mobile ordering!)

Do I need to say it?.........

 

[lindawdw]

Love all the Cavalcades around the MK! It's good to see that they are cleaning the ride vehicles often. How fun that you got to have a photo op with another magician! Good job nailing the HM photo!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tonight’s dinner was on Em ~ it was her birthday present to me pre-pandemic. Neither of us imagined the dinner wouldn’t be until July. But third time’s a charm after two cancellations, right?

Transport was via monorail.

I suppose we could have walked, but who wants to arrive hot and sweaty to a signature restaurant? Not us.

(Did you notice the plexiglass? )

We rode the escalators down to the second floor check in desk for California Grill. We were a few minutes early. The CM at the desk said we’d need to take ourselves up in the elevator once we received notification that the restaurant was ready for our arrival.

Em and I sat on a nearby sofa until her phone buzzed. We boarded the express elevator and were warmly welcomed by a host when the elevator door opened. She led us to a booth across from the open kitchen. Naturally we would have preferred a window table, but with reduced seating capacity there were none available. Our view would consist of watching the organized chaos of meal preparation, which was actually kind of fun. As a bonus we were able to chat with our fave server Ryan whenever he swung by the kitchen.

Mark was our server and he took excellent care of us. He was also very personable which was a challenge considering both the face mask and the face shield! He brought us our wine and bread (we did not order an appetizer) and said he would return shortly to take our order.

I knew there was a *slight* chance of another Magic meet. @coachwnh and his family had a CG ADR later in the evening. But Em and I would have dine s l o w l y for that to happen.

Therefore we were unprepared to be greeted by a fellow Magician once Mark stepped away. The delightful Tracey (her username escapes me) had seen us walk in and (to the embarrassment of her sons) came over to say hello. Meeting her was an unexpected treat!

Mark reappeared to take our order. Em and I frequent CG for one reason~ the Oak-fired Filet of Beef. It’s always sooo good. Tonight it was paired with Brussels Sprouts and Aged Gouda Macaroni and Cheese. Neither of us were feelin’ mac and cheese, so we asked if we could substitute different sides.

“Of course,” Mark replied.

Em requested the Goat Cheese Polenta (which was paired with the pork tenderloin.) She loves goat cheese but declared this to be “nothing spectacular.”

I asked Mark for a potato side. I fully expected mashed potatoes but received absolutely tasteless “Potato Dumplings” (which were served with the chicken). The Brussels Sprouts were charred and just okay.

Though the sides were a bust, the filets were A-1.

Em urged me to get dessert. We shared the yummy lava cake.

We didn’t linger long enough to see @coachwnh. We took the monorail to MK. The WL bus literally pulled away when we got to the gate! Disconcerting thoughts of last night’s debacle flashed through my mind.

Thankfully the bus was back to pick us up less than 15 minutes later.

We ended our day watching TV, wishing we’d been able to watch Happily Ever After instead.

 

[coachwnh]

Had we been seated on time we may have crossed paths. Sadly, we waited a long time

 

[fractal]

Tonight’s dinner was on Em ~ it was her birthday present to me pre-pandemic. Neither of us imagined the dinner wouldn’t be until July. But third time’s a charm after two cancellations, right?

Transport was via monorail.

View attachment 499571

I suppose we could have walked, but who wants to arrive hot and sweaty to a signature restaurant? Not us.

View attachment 499572
(Did you notice the plexiglass? )

We rode the escalators down to the second floor check in desk for California Grill. We were a few minutes early. The CM at the desk said we’d need to take ourselves up in the elevator once we received notification that the restaurant was ready for our arrival.

Em and I sat on a nearby sofa until her phone buzzed. We boarded the express elevator and were warmly welcomed by a host when the elevator door opened. She led us to a booth across from the open kitchen. Naturally we would have preferred a window table, but with reduced seating capacity there were none available. Our view would consist of watching the organized chaos of meal preparation, which was actually kind of fun. As a bonus we were able to chat with our fave server Ryan whenever he swung by the kitchen.


View attachment 499574

Mark was our server and he took excellent care of us. He was also very personable which was a challenge considering both the face mask and the face shield! He brought us our wine and bread (we did not order an appetizer) and said he would return shortly to take our order.

View attachment 499570

View attachment 499573

I knew there was a *slight* chance of another Magic meet. @coachwnh and his family had a CG ADR later in the evening. But Em and I would have dine s l o w l y for that to happen.

Therefore we were unprepared to be greeted by a fellow Magician once Mark stepped away. The delightful Tracey (her username escapes me) had seen us walk in and (to the embarrassment of her sons) came over to say hello. Meeting her was an unexpected treat!

View attachment 499575

Mark reappeared to take our order. Em and I frequent CG for one reason~ the Oak-fired Filet of Beef. It’s always sooo good. Tonight it was paired with Brussels Sprouts and Aged Gouda Macaroni and Cheese. Neither of us were feelin’ mac and cheese, so we asked if we could substitute different sides.

“Of course,” Mark replied.

Em requested the Goat Cheese Polenta (which was paired with the pork tenderloin.) She loves goat cheese but declared this to be “nothing spectacular.”

View attachment 499576

I asked Mark for a potato side. I fully expected mashed potatoes but received absolutely tasteless “Potato Dumplings” (which were served with the chicken). The Brussels Sprouts were charred and just okay.

View attachment 499577

Though the sides were a bust, the filets were A-1.

Em urged me to get dessert. We shared the yummy lava cake.

View attachment 499578

We didn’t linger long enough to see @coachwnh. We took the monorail to MK. The WL bus literally pulled away when we got to the gate! Disconcerting thoughts of last night’s debacle flashed through my mind.

Thankfully the bus was back to pick us up less than 15 minutes later.

We ended our day watching TV, wishing we’d been able to watch Happily Ever After instead.

great pics of you and Em at the table!

 

[newhorizons1]

A thoughtful tip from a local Magician enabled me to find my fave hard cider again!

View attachment 499359

Thanks to @k8einwdw, my 2 1/2 year drought is over!

That is my favorite! I get a cup each time I pass the booth at Flower & Garden that has it because I can never find it anywhere else!

 

[lindawdw]

You both look so happy in your pictures that were taken at CG! Glad you enjoyed your filets so much even if if the sides were just OK. I love the atmosphere at CG although a window view makes it even more magical. We have a reservation for there at the end of October and are keeping our fingers crossed for a table overlooking the MK. Glad you didn't have a long wait for the WL bus.