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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Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
@Nunu just got home from her vacation. Did they make you a special Island Sunset @Nunu or is it back on the menu? Inquiring minds want to know! :joyfull:
@Nunu I hope you had a great time!!
And yes, inquiring minds want to know--there might be one in my future next week!!
The Island Sunset wasn't on either paper or virtual menus. Since I wanted it to-go, I approached the bar counter and asked the bartender if he could prepare me one, he kindly obliged.

This was on October 10.

@riverside , I hope you have a great trip! 😀
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Wednesday, August 26

Woody had not yet experienced Rise of the Resistance but he’d heard the accolades from me and Em. I really wanted him to see this amazing attraction....even more than I wanted him to see MMRR....because he is a Star Wars fan and could really appreciate the details and the action.

Though I did not awaken with “Boarding Group Stomach” (@Darstarr), I woke with a sinus headache. However I don’t think there was a correlation. 😉

I’d told Woody I wanted to allow plenty of time for transportation. I knew the DHS buses began operating at 9 am. We arrived at the bus stop 15 minutes prior and there were several families (and two ECVs) already waiting for the Studios bus.

The bus pulled in promptly at 9 and the driver began the process of loading the ECVs first. Though my sinus headache was now gone, I felt the fluttering butterflies of Boarding Group Stomach. It was very unlikely we’d get on this bus. How much longer would we need to wait for another?

Thankfully not long at all! Within a couple minutes two additional DHS buses arrived (props!)

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Woody and I were able to board the second bus.

Everyone was in a hurry to get inside the park. Woody does not like to be in a hurry. Ever.

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Temperature screening was quick and I swiftly proceeded through the scanner....and set off the metal detector. I was motioned to hand over my bag to a security guard.

The agent began to paw through my bag. “It’s probably my metal straws,” I offered.

“It’s not your metal straws, it’s you,” he gruffly replied as he began scanning me with his wand.

He found nothing. “You can go.”

Well thanks for the magical welcome, I wanted to reply. Why did he have to be so rude? I was tempted to give Woody an earful but he already knew how stressed I was so I just shrugged and headed for the tapstiles. When both our Mickey heads turned green, I breathed a sigh of relief.

We were in!

“Is it okay if we find a restroom first?” Woody asked. A pit stop now??!! I want to get in line for something! Be one of the first and beat the crowds!

Fortunately my saner self prevailed. “Sure,” I answered. But not the restrooms by Oscar’s gas station. Those will be jammed!

“Let’s go to the one on Sunset,” I suggested. “It won’t be busy.”

It wasn’t. The whole area of Sunset Blvd. was dead. Here are two pics I took while waiting for Woody.
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It was 9:30. The line for MMRR was lengthy and I didn’t want to risk being trapped indoors during boarding group drop. Something outside would be better.

We made our way to Toy Story Land.

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Yep, this was a good choice.

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
We got in line for Slinky at 9:40 am. I thought we’d be able to get our ride in before BG time. After all, MMRR had opened early ~ why not Slinky Dog?

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Love seeing Andy’s footprint here!

Woody and I walked halfway through the covered part of the queue before coming to a stop. When we did I realized we hadn’t actually seen any trains running. We stayed in “our spot” for over fifteen minutes. During that time, several empty trains cycled through the ride. The number of fluttering butterflies in my stomach had tripled. What if we are on the coaster at 10? My anxiety level was off the charts.

It brought to mind a funny T-shirt I’d seen earlier in the week:
I Came
I Saw
I Had Anxiety
I Left


Only there was no way I was leaving the line. I wouldn’t put Woody through the humiliation of backtracking through all the folks behind us.

At 9:58 guests began to load into the first Slinky. The line moved forward. I opened the app and waited.

“I need you to watch the clock and give me a countdown,” I anxiously said to Woody.

He began with increments. “30 seconds....twenty seconds....fifteen seconds...”

The incremental updates while simultaneously moving up in line were too distracting for me. I cracked under the pressure and bellowed like a Sergeant, “NO! Count down backwards when it hits 10!”

My beloved hubby patiently did as instructed. I did not deserve his kindness.

As soon as I heard “One” I pushed Join and followed the prompts.

When I saw the next screen the first thing I did was hug Woody and apologize for my behavior.

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The estimated return of 60 minutes was way off the mark. Just as we got here.....

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....our Boarding Group was called!

It was the most thrilling Slinky Dog ride of my life. Not only was I high with Boarding Group excitement, I was straight up “high” during the second lift hill since we were in the first car. I felt like an astronaut during take off ~ all I could see was the sky above me. The front is my new favorite spot on Slinky!

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If only I could remember where the ride camera is....

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pkkurz

Well-Known Member
We got in line for Slinky at 9:40 am. I thought we’d be able to get our ride in before BG time. After all, MMRR had opened early ~ why not Slinky Dog?

View attachment 508147
Love seeing Andy’s footprint here!

Woody and I walked halfway through the covered part of the queue before coming to a stop. When we did I realized we hadn’t actually seen any trains running. We stayed in “our spot” for over fifteen minutes. During that time, several empty trains cycled through the ride. The number of fluttering butterflies in my stomach had tripled. What if we are on the coaster at 10? My anxiety level was off the charts.

It brought to mind a funny T-shirt I’d seen earlier in the week:
I Came
I Saw
I Had Anxiety
I Left


Only there was no way I was leaving the line. I wouldn’t put Woody through the humiliation of backtracking through all the folks behind us.

At 9:58 guests began to load into the first Slinky. The line moved forward. I opened the app and waited.

“I need you to watch the clock and give me a countdown,” I anxiously said to Woody.

He began with increments. “30 seconds....twenty seconds....fifteen seconds...”

The incremental updates while simultaneously moving up in line were too distracting for me. I cracked under the pressure and bellowed like a Sergeant, “NO! Count down backwards when it hits 10!”

My beloved hubby patiently did as instructed. I did not deserve his kindness.

As soon as I heard “One” I pushed Join and followed the prompts.

When I saw the next screen the first thing I did was hug Woody and apologize for my behavior.

View attachment 508160

The estimated return of 60 minutes was way off the mark. Just as we got here.....

View attachment 508149

....our Boarding Group was called!

It was the most thrilling Slinky Dog ride of my life. Not only was I high with Boarding Group excitement, I was straight up “high” during the second lift hill since we were in the first car. I felt like an astronaut during take off ~ all I could see was the sky above me. The front is my new favorite spot on Slinky!

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If only I could remember where the ride camera is....

View attachment 508152
Our daughter actually get our RotR boarding group while we were on Slinky I was having anxiety big time as we got on the ride, because it wasn’t time to pull the trigger yet. She said, just give me your phone Dad. How she managed to refresh both phones and ride is beyond me. She screamed and it wasn’t a roller coaster scream so I knew it was a scream of sweet success. We got off the ride and it was all hugs and high fives. she had managed to get boarding group 34.
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
We kept our dinner expectations in check. Tony’s had never been a stand-out but we wanted table service for our last meal and our options were very limited. (Not gonna make you say it again @Darstarr. 😉)

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It is a pretty restaurant though.

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Wait a minute ~ Is that woman preparing to shoot a spitball?? Perhaps she’s trying to get even with whoever shot a spitball at her husband?

Our waiter had zero personality. He took our order and brought our food and that was the extent of his “service.”

The bread service paled in comparison to what is served at Mama Melrose. Didn’t prevent us from eating it all, however.

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Our entrées were standard Italian fare. Spaghetti and meatballs for Em, Chicken Parm for me. Definitely overpriced for the quality.

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She's blowing the paper off her straw!! A and I do this to each other every time we have packaged straws. Apparently hitting mom in the face with her paper is her favorite thing about dining out 😂😂
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
Dinner time!

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Woody and I first dined at La Hacienda at 8 pm on 10/1/12. Now that date might not mean anything to you, but it was Epcot’s 30th anniversary. When I booked the reservation I was hoping there might be special celebratory fireworks that we could watch from this waterside restaurant. As the date drew near it was confirmed that Illuminations would indeed have a “anniversary ending.”

Tink sprinkled major pixie dust on us as we were given a window table that night. The up-close-and-personal view of World Showcase Lagoon was spectacular. Not only did we feel like we were right in the middle of Illuminations, but the pyro that followed was unbelievable. It was a sight this fireworks lover will NEVER forget.

Eight years later we were seated in a booth in the center of the room.

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The shades were drawn and the view wasn’t as picturesque.

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Our server Paola was fantastic! As soon as we sat down she came over to greet us and take our drink order. She asked if we could access the menu via the QR paper or if we needed actual menus.

The QR code worked just fine.

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The food is pricey by Mexican restaurant standards (at least the ones we frequent.) Our starter of Mango Guacamole was $13....and did not include chips and salsa. ($5).

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But the guac was delicious and even won over Woody (Typically he’s a straight salsa guy.)

And as we were enjoying our app, the window coverings were lifted! (Our 2012 table was next to the window on the right.)

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Paola kept our drinks refreshed and was a fun conversationalist. “Please ask for me next time! I look forward to seeing you again!” :happy:

For our mains Woody and I shared the pineapple salsa chicken and cheesy flank steak (with tortillas.) Both were very good (for nearly $30 each they ought to be!)

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We left stuffed....and a little melancholic that there was no nighttime show.

Holy moly.... This looks delicious but I would cringe for sure paying $80 plus tax and tips for it (hopefully the water is free 😂😂)
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Temperature screening was quick and I swiftly proceeded through the scanner....and set off the metal detector. I was motioned to hand over my bag to a security guard.

The agent began to paw through my bag. “It’s probably my metal straws,” I offered.

“It’s not your metal straws, it’s you,” he gruffly replied as he began scanning me with his wand.

He found nothing. “You can go.”

OMG! :jawdrop: Nearly fell off my chair here, when I read his response! :banghead: Good grief, why on earth he said that is just beyond my comprehension. (Trying to remember -- are the agents Disney employees, or is Disney still using an outside security service fo this?)

Well, it was his loss -- no Shirley business card for that loser! 😛
 

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
It was the most thrilling Slinky Dog ride of my life. Not only was I high with Boarding Group excitement, I was straight up “high” during the second lift hill since we were in the first car.

OH I am so happy for you! You were really nice to be so determined to get a ROTR boarding group for Woody! I hope we have your great luck in a few weeks!
Thanks to your stellar reviews of the food, we have reservations at the Wave!! The steak looks soooo good! :geek:
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Our daughter actually get our RotR boarding group while we were on Slinky I was having anxiety big time as we got on the ride, because it wasn’t time to pull the trigger yet. She said, just give me your phone Dad. How she managed to refresh both phones and ride is beyond me. She screamed and it wasn’t a roller coaster scream so I knew it was a scream of sweet success. We got off the ride and it was all hugs and high fives. she had managed to get boarding group 34.
This generation has talent we can only dream of....
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Holy moly.... This looks delicious but I would cringe for sure paying $80 plus tax and tips for it (hopefully the water is free 😂😂)
The water was free. Woody's Dos Equis not so much. :joyfull:
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
It’s real. I am searching for someone to co-write the paper to be published in Mickey’s Medical journal.
in love oops GIF by theAwkwardYeti
artists on tumblr GIF

I sat in the front of SDD in August 2019 and I agree it’s the best place to sit on that ride! (Normally it’s the back of most rides but I do think it’s the front on that one) I loved it....
Yet another thing we have in common! :inlove:
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
OMG! :jawdrop: Nearly fell off my chair here, when I read his response! :banghead: Good grief, why on earth he said that is just beyond my comprehension. (Trying to remember -- are the agents Disney employees, or is Disney still using an outside security service fo this?)

Well, it was his loss -- no Shirley business card for that loser! 😛
Since I kept my cool around the agent....

I Deserve This Shirley Maclaine GIF by The Academy Awards

I'm not sure if security is outsourced or employed by Disney.

OH I am so happy for you! You were really nice to be so determined to get a ROTR boarding group for Woody! I hope we have your great luck in a few weeks!
Thanks to your stellar reviews of the food, we have reservations at the Wave!! The steak looks soooo good! :geek:
I hope you have BGS (Boarding Group Success....not stomach!) and enjoy your dinner at The Wave.
 

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