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.....

 

[Tuvalu]

It's always so fun to tag along with you on your adventures! Thanks for the trip and I, like everyone else, will be looking forward to the next one!

Thank you my friend (Sis) as always!! You brighten our day and give us hope with your TRs.

Thanks, Tuvalu! Your report made January, 2021 a little brighter. Hope to see your next TR soon!

Thank you for your trip report and the tiny glimpses of the Tuvatinies! The cutest!

Thanks for the TR---it was epic and very entertaining--as always!

 

[Tuvalu]

The only solution for another "end" to a Tuvalu TR, is for Tuvalu, Em, Woody, Tuvalette and Tuvaleen to take up permanent residence in Cinderella Castle.

There. I just solved this reoccurring problem for everyone!

We were all hoping that 2021 would be more normal but let's hope that by year's end we can all be walking down Main Street USA "mask free" once again!

View attachment 527218

 

[Tuvalu]

Oooh, extra-thick chocolate shakes available at the Plaza, do you say??

Can I assume you made a Plaza ADR for April?

That's cool that you had a Darstarr drive-by meetup!

Although eagle-eyed viewers might notice even one other magician lurking in the background...

View attachment 527355

He didn't lurk long though. Phineas and Ezra were expecting him.

Thanks for the TR---it was epic and very entertaining--as always!

I'll be waiting.....

 

[Tuvalu]

I have trips planned for Oct and Nov, I'm assuming we'll still need facemasks, so your insights are helpful (especially about the bleach pillows!)

Yeah.....

LOVE Your Trip Reports!! I know there's another one or two coming as soon as you can write it!!!
Have the Tuvalu Tiny's dictate to you!!

Thank you so much since I cannot be there you made me feel like I was! The Poly is my favorite resort for relaxing with the Contemporary my second favorite for being on the go!!

I hope you are able to relax again at the Poly very soon!

Enjoyed the "Tufer!" Thanks for sharing with us.

Tu clever!!

Hoping our paths cross again, sooner rather than later

 

[Tuvalu]

Thanks for the report Tu

Glad you finished otherwise I would have to call you @wdisney9000

Be safe

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

Though I am not trip reporting my two recent visits, I did want to make mention of my wonderful encounters with a few fellow Magicians while I was in the World.

I wanted to wait until after they had posted about the meet-ups in their own TRs. I’m still waiting for one more (she knows who she is ) and will include it when the time is right.

I became friends with an amazing mom with a precocious (and precious!) daughter four years ago. She was known here as “DisneyBound2017” because she was planning her two year old tomboy princess’ first visit to WDW. During the course of our conversations, she mentioned her love for cotton candy. I disdain cotton candy and commented, “it looks like dryer lint.” She dared me to sample some on my next visit.

Challenge accepted!

It was awful. But I’d do it again for @dryerlintfan. (C’mon she changed her username!)

We never seemed to be in the World at the same time. I was dying to meet little grownup A, especially since I have little grand girls of my own. When we discovered we had trip overlap on January 31 (a miracle in itself because of now-required park reservations) I was pumped.

We met by the pillory (there’s your word for the day!) which happened to be the end of the line for Haunted Mansion. Woody had remained by the ride entrance and we caught up with him when the line moved forward.

A and I share a birthday month and rather than gift her some dryer lint cotton candy, I opted for a pack of Smarties ~ my favorite candy when I was six years old. (And, I thought, an appropriately-named treat for A!)

The candy wasn’t a bribe for riding Haunted Mansion (A was very wary of going inside). I just reassured her that the spooks were playful, not scary and made sure to point out the silly parts of the attraction.

Our ride photo was an epic fail. But I was having too much fun to care!

We hung out for several minutes afterwards. A is as entertaining in real life as she is in @dryerlintfan ‘s trip reports. It was a pleasure to finally meet them.

Later that week I had my second encounter with the woman who coined the term “Magician” for us forum users. It should have been our THIRD....but she’d missed out on the inaugural gathering of Magicians in August 2019.

Me with (L to R) @DisneyGigi, @Tony the Tigger, @bee and @Nunu.

Being the rain goddess, she did send a whopper of a storm on her behalf. ️⛈

@Darstarr and I wouldn’t meet in person for another year. (Pics on page 47 if you missed them.) But we corresponded. And I’m glad our chick chat continues....and that she took my advice to move her trip up from President’s Day weekend so we could meet for a second time.

The plan was to get together for drinks at either Epcot or the Studios.

If you’ve read her TR, you know that plan went down the .

Dar and her friend M canceled their park passes for that day so we needed a Plan B. By mid-afternoon Dar and M felt well enough to venture out of their room and it happened I was back at the GF on a break from the parks.

We met outside near the marina. When it began to rain (like anyone’s surprised ) we moved to a table with an umbrella.

The only beverage consumed was water. Which means there MUST be a next time for proper drinks, although no date is on the horizon.

When I saw the trunks-up elephant socks in a shop near my home I knew Dar should have them (although I wish GIRL BYE (?) was not imprinted on them.) I was humbled by the hat she gave me, especially since she knows I will never wear it!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

 

[DryerLintFan]

Though I am not trip reporting my two recent visits, I did want to make mention of my wonderful encounters with a few fellow Magicians while I was in the World.

I wanted to wait until after they had posted about the meet-ups in their own TRs. I’m still waiting for one more (she knows who she is ) and will include it when the time is right.

I became friends with an amazing mom with a precocious (and precious!) daughter four years ago. She was known here as “DisneyBound2017” because she was planning her two year old tomboy princess’ first visit to WDW. During the course of our conversations, she mentioned her love for cotton candy. I disdain cotton candy and commented, “it looks like dryer lint.” She dared me to sample some on my next visit.

Challenge accepted!

View attachment 536057

It was awful. But I’d do it again for @dryerlintfan. (C’mon she changed her username!)

We never seemed to be in the World at the same time. I was dying to meet little grownup A, especially since I have little grand girls of my own. When we discovered we had trip overlap on January 31 (a miracle in itself because of now-required park reservations) I was pumped.

We met by the pillory (there’s your word for the day!) which happened to be the end of the line for Haunted Mansion. Woody had remained by the ride entrance and we caught up with him when the line moved forward.

View attachment 536047

A and I share a birthday month and rather than gift her some dryer lint cotton candy, I opted for a pack of Smarties ~ my favorite candy when I was six years old. (And, I thought, an appropriately-named treat for A!)

The candy wasn’t a bribe for riding Haunted Mansion (A was very wary of going inside). I just reassured her that the spooks were playful, not scary and made sure to point out the silly parts of the attraction.

Our ride photo was an epic fail. But I was having too much fun to care!

View attachment 536079

We hung out for several minutes afterwards. A is as entertaining in real life as she is in @dryerlintfan ‘s trip reports. It was a pleasure to finally meet them.

Later that week I had my second encounter with the woman who coined the term “Magician” for us forum users. It should have been our THIRD....but she’d missed out on the inaugural gathering of Magicians in August 2019.

View attachment 536071
Me with (L to R) @DisneyGigi, @Tony the Tigger, @bee and @Nunu.

Being the rain goddess, she did send a whopper of a storm on her behalf. ️⛈

@Darstarr and I wouldn’t meet in person for another year. (Pics on page 47 if you missed them.) But we corresponded. And I’m glad our chick chat continues....and that she took my advice to move her trip up from President’s Day weekend so we could meet for a second time.

The plan was to get together for drinks at either Epcot or the Studios.

If you’ve read her TR, you know that plan went down the .

Dar and her friend M canceled their park passes for that day so we needed a Plan B. By mid-afternoon Dar and M felt well enough to venture out of their room and it happened I was back at the GF on a break from the parks.

We met outside near the marina. When it began to rain (like anyone’s surprised ) we moved to a table with an umbrella.

The only beverage consumed was water. Which means there MUST be a next time for proper drinks, although no date is on the horizon.

View attachment 536046

When I saw the trunks-up elephant socks in a shop near my home I knew Dar should have them (although I wish GIRL BYE (?) was not imprinted on them.) I was humbled by the hat she gave me, especially since she knows I will never wear it!

She's still talking about her best Disney friend who rode with her in the spooky house. She used those stickers you gave her as gold stars for whenever anyone did anything worthy. N got about ten but I only got two hopefully when she's all grown up she'll appreciate me more

I hope our paths cross again

 

[DisneyGigi]

Though I am not trip reporting my two recent visits, I did want to make mention of my wonderful encounters with a few fellow Magicians while I was in the World.

I wanted to wait until after they had posted about the meet-ups in their own TRs. I’m still waiting for one more (she knows who she is ) and will include it when the time is right.

I became friends with an amazing mom with a precocious (and precious!) daughter four years ago. She was known here as “DisneyBound2017” because she was planning her two year old tomboy princess’ first visit to WDW. During the course of our conversations, she mentioned her love for cotton candy. I disdain cotton candy and commented, “it looks like dryer lint.” She dared me to sample some on my next visit.

Challenge accepted!

View attachment 536057

It was awful. But I’d do it again for @dryerlintfan. (C’mon she changed her username!)

We never seemed to be in the World at the same time. I was dying to meet little grownup A, especially since I have little grand girls of my own. When we discovered we had trip overlap on January 31 (a miracle in itself because of now-required park reservations) I was pumped.

We met by the pillory (there’s your word for the day!) which happened to be the end of the line for Haunted Mansion. Woody had remained by the ride entrance and we caught up with him when the line moved forward.

View attachment 536047

A and I share a birthday month and rather than gift her some dryer lint cotton candy, I opted for a pack of Smarties ~ my favorite candy when I was six years old. (And, I thought, an appropriately-named treat for A!)

The candy wasn’t a bribe for riding Haunted Mansion (A was very wary of going inside). I just reassured her that the spooks were playful, not scary and made sure to point out the silly parts of the attraction.

Our ride photo was an epic fail. But I was having too much fun to care!

View attachment 536079

We hung out for several minutes afterwards. A is as entertaining in real life as she is in @dryerlintfan ‘s trip reports. It was a pleasure to finally meet them.

Later that week I had my second encounter with the woman who coined the term “Magician” for us forum users. It should have been our THIRD....but she’d missed out on the inaugural gathering of Magicians in August 2019.

View attachment 536071
Me with (L to R) @DisneyGigi, @Tony the Tigger, @bee and @Nunu.

Being the rain goddess, she did send a whopper of a storm on her behalf. ️⛈

@Darstarr and I wouldn’t meet in person for another year. (Pics on page 47 if you missed them.) But we corresponded. And I’m glad our chick chat continues....and that she took my advice to move her trip up from President’s Day weekend so we could meet for a second time.

The plan was to get together for drinks at either Epcot or the Studios.

If you’ve read her TR, you know that plan went down the .

Dar and her friend M canceled their park passes for that day so we needed a Plan B. By mid-afternoon Dar and M felt well enough to venture out of their room and it happened I was back at the GF on a break from the parks.

We met outside near the marina. When it began to rain (like anyone’s surprised ) we moved to a table with an umbrella.

The only beverage consumed was water. Which means there MUST be a next time for proper drinks, although no date is on the horizon.

View attachment 536046

When I saw the trunks-up elephant socks in a shop near my home I knew Dar should have them (although I wish GIRL BYE (?) was not imprinted on them.) I was humbled by the hat she gave me, especially since she knows I will never wear it!

That was one of the craziest storms I have ever seen at Disney and we were on water! Such fun though, I so wish @Darstarr could have made it though.

 

[Darstarr]

That was one of the craziest storms I have ever seen at Disney and we were on water! Such fun though, I so wish @Darstarr could have made it though.

Me too Gigi!!!
Me too!!!

 

[Darstarr]

Though I am not trip reporting my two recent visits, I did want to make mention of my wonderful encounters with a few fellow Magicians while I was in the World.

I wanted to wait until after they had posted about the meet-ups in their own TRs. I’m still waiting for one more (she knows who she is ) and will include it when the time is right.

I became friends with an amazing mom with a precocious (and precious!) daughter four years ago. She was known here as “DisneyBound2017” because she was planning her two year old tomboy princess’ first visit to WDW. During the course of our conversations, she mentioned her love for cotton candy. I disdain cotton candy and commented, “it looks like dryer lint.” She dared me to sample some on my next visit.

Challenge accepted!

View attachment 536057

It was awful. But I’d do it again for @dryerlintfan. (C’mon she changed her username!)

We never seemed to be in the World at the same time. I was dying to meet little grownup A, especially since I have little grand girls of my own. When we discovered we had trip overlap on January 31 (a miracle in itself because of now-required park reservations) I was pumped.

We met by the pillory (there’s your word for the day!) which happened to be the end of the line for Haunted Mansion. Woody had remained by the ride entrance and we caught up with him when the line moved forward.

View attachment 536047

A and I share a birthday month and rather than gift her some dryer lint cotton candy, I opted for a pack of Smarties ~ my favorite candy when I was six years old. (And, I thought, an appropriately-named treat for A!)

The candy wasn’t a bribe for riding Haunted Mansion (A was very wary of going inside). I just reassured her that the spooks were playful, not scary and made sure to point out the silly parts of the attraction.

Our ride photo was an epic fail. But I was having too much fun to care!

View attachment 536079

We hung out for several minutes afterwards. A is as entertaining in real life as she is in @dryerlintfan ‘s trip reports. It was a pleasure to finally meet them.

Later that week I had my second encounter with the woman who coined the term “Magician” for us forum users. It should have been our THIRD....but she’d missed out on the inaugural gathering of Magicians in August 2019.

View attachment 536071
Me with (L to R) @DisneyGigi, @Tony the Tigger, @bee and @Nunu.

Being the rain goddess, she did send a whopper of a storm on her behalf. ️⛈

@Darstarr and I wouldn’t meet in person for another year. (Pics on page 47 if you missed them.) But we corresponded. And I’m glad our chick chat continues....and that she took my advice to move her trip up from President’s Day weekend so we could meet for a second time.

The plan was to get together for drinks at either Epcot or the Studios.

If you’ve read her TR, you know that plan went down the .

Dar and her friend M canceled their park passes for that day so we needed a Plan B. By mid-afternoon Dar and M felt well enough to venture out of their room and it happened I was back at the GF on a break from the parks.

We met outside near the marina. When it began to rain (like anyone’s surprised ) we moved to a table with an umbrella.

The only beverage consumed was water. Which means there MUST be a next time for proper drinks, although no date is on the horizon.

View attachment 536046

When I saw the trunks-up elephant socks in a shop near my home I knew Dar should have them (although I wish GIRL BYE (?) was not imprinted on them.) I was humbled by the hat she gave me, especially since she knows I will never wear it!

I love my new socks. I just need somewhere fun to wear them. Hmmmm, can anyone think of a fun place to wear fun socks???

Also, I agree, proper beverages must be consumed together. Next time!!!

 

[tommcp516]

I love my new socks. I just need somewhere fun to wear them. Hmmmm, can anyone think of a fun place to wear fun socks???

Also, I agree, proper beverages must be consumed together. Next time!!!

Who knows, maybe if enough beverages are consumed, you might actually pull off getting Tuvalu to model her new hat!

 

[amjt660]

Great that you were able to meet up with fellow Magicians

Someday Tu... someday.


Max

 

[Darstarr]

Who knows, maybe if enough beverages are consumed, you might actually pull off getting Tuvalu to model her new hat!

From your lips...

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Who knows, maybe if enough beverages are consumed, you might actually pull off getting Tuvalu to model her new hat!

 

[ShookieJones]

I always take pictures of hotel rooms. It helps me remember the places I’ve stayed. I also enjoy looking at room pictures as it satisfies my curiosity. Thus I always post pics of my resort room in my TRs in case there’s someone else out there like me ~ and I’ve happily discovered @Nunu shares my room pic passion!

For you, @Nunu (and anyone else who cares .)

Boulder Ridge one bedroom living area

View attachment 490247
The sofa opens into a queen bed. There is storage in the coffee table. The round table on the left seats two.

There is more seating at the bar below (chairs not pictured). The fully equipped kitchen has everything you need to prepare meals. (Something I did once, years ago, in a Boardwalk Villa...to this day my children still give me grief about it. “Why do we have to eat home cooked food on vacation??!!“)

View attachment 490253

Coffee pot pic for my friend @riverside.

View attachment 490254

The bedroom has a king bed, dresser and a large flat screen TV. (And my favorite feature ~ a ceiling fan!)

View attachment 490248

From the bedroom you can see into the split bathroom. The shutters close for privacy.

View attachment 490251

Sink and jetted tub on one side....

View attachment 490250

....large stall shower, toilet and another sink on the other.

View attachment 490249

Toiletries were individual size (no large pumps in the shower.)

Not pictured is the placard describing all the “enhanced cleaning” the room received. (I want to know why the rooms aren’t always cleaned that way. ) All literature ~ and pillows that would normally be on the sofa and chairs ~ have been removed. No sofa pillows made it difficult to be comfortable while sitting or reclining, as the sofa is very sturdy and has no “give” in the cushions. I ended up putting extra bed pillows on the sofa for comfort.

The TV remotes were sealed for our protection.

View attachment 490252

And the extra blanket pouch in the closet was sealed with a zip tie, which had to be cut off in order to access the blanket.

It wasn’t until I climbed into bed later that I discovered how heavily bleached the sheets were ~ the pillowcases smelled of Clorox. While not an offensive smell, it doesn’t exactly lull a person to sleep. (“Should have brought your pillow from home,” Em gloated while clutching hers.)

The room had a pretty view. We were mere steps from the quiet pool.

View attachment 490255

Em relaxed on our patio before we headed off to dinner.

View attachment 490256

Super late to the party here, going through the report and vicariously enjoying all the fun you're having. Added plus that we're staying in the Boulder Ridge Villas for the first time this coming May with the Ferro Family 4 pack (plus 2).

 

[ShookieJones]

Once I had taken room pics I called Bell Services for our luggage. Then Em and I unpacked, settled in and took a brief rest before driving to the Contemporary for dinner.

View attachment 491508

Woody and I had a fabulous meal at The Wave in November (we deemed it our favorite of the trip) and I was hoping Em would love the food as much as we did. My praise had set the bar pretty high and I was a bit nervous that we might have a lesser experience.

We checked in online but the warm waves we received at the podium felt like a genuine “Welcome!” A host led us to our table in the back of the restaurant and we were able to watch the mellow activity around us as we dined.

View attachment 491509

Our server Joseph was young and enthusiastic, yet very professional in his duties. We enjoyed interacting with him (and he spoke loudly enough through his mask/face shield combo so communication was easy.)

We began with drinks. Blood Orange Margarita for Em, Piña Colada for me. Both were excellent!

View attachment 491510

The multigrain bread was warm and as yummy as I remembered. We devoured all of it.

View attachment 491511

I knew exactly what I wanted ~ the Herb-roasted Chicken Breast. I’d been dreaming of this chicken for months! I had also been dreaming of the Smoked Cheddar Grits that I’d scarfed down off Woody’s plate. But the grits are served with the Coffee-Barbecue Pork Tenderloin. Potato Confit is the accompaniment for the chicken.

I asked Joseph if I could substitute the grits for the potatoes and he made it happen!

View attachment 491513

It was at this point I realized that ordering a (filling) frozen creamy drink and eating half a loaf of bread before my entrée arrived was a BIG mistake. Both the chicken and the grits were out-of-this-world delicious and I was unable to finish them. My mouth was willing but my tummy screamed, “No more!”

Meanwhile Em declared that her meal was the tenderest, most-flavorful pork tenderloin she’d ever had. And she agreed with my assessment of the Smoked Cheddar Grits.

View attachment 491512

We declined dessert. But not just because we were full.

“You’re going to check out the bakery case at the Contempo Cafe, aren’t you?” teased Joseph.

He was onto us. We laughed.

“I don’t blame you. They have some amazing desserts up there!” he remarked. (Can you say Wookiee Cake, @Loco_driver ?!!) We paid our bill, pleased with the great value we’d received.

Em and I intended to share later whatever treat we found. We anticipated having difficulty deciding and even considered getting two desserts. The Contempo Cafe had never let us down.

Until tonight. The bakery case was extremely limited. Nothing there appealed to us. “Oh well, let’s check out the hand-made candy treats in BVG instead,” I said to Em.

Our luck did not improve.

View attachment 491514

Pre-packaged goods?!!! Where are the individual chocolates??!!

Em and I decided it was Mickey’s way of telling us we didn’t need any more calories tonight. Our wonderful dinner had been enough. We returned to our villa looking forward to the fun that awaited us tomorrow!

Our family are big fans of The Wave. It generally gets panned, for some reason, but honestly we've never had a meal here that wasn't awesome. Had a bad server here and there, but the food has always been top notch.

 

[Tuvalu]

Super late to the party here, going through the report and vicariously enjoying all the fun you're having. Added plus that we're staying in the Boulder Ridge Villas for the first time this coming May with the Ferro Family 4 pack (plus 2).

Great to see you again, Enzo! It’s been ferro-evah.
I loved our BRV room and its location, could have been happy there all week. Of course I love just about everything associated with WL! Never have stayed there during the month of May...hmmm.....one for the bucket list!
Hope y’all have a wonderful time!

Our family are big fans of The Wave. It generally gets panned, for some reason, but honestly we've never had a meal here that wasn't awesome. Had a bad server here and there, but the food has always been top notch.

My family ate at The Wave again last month and my brother said it was one of the best steaks he’s ever had (and he knows steak .)

 

[ShookieJones]

Great to see you again, Enzo! It’s been ferro-evah.


My family ate at The Wave again last month and my brother said it was one of the best steaks he’s ever had (and he knows steak .)

LOL! The Ferro family, looooooooove a good pun! My son has become famous around the house for being the pun master.

I am glad your family enjoys the Wave! My wife loves the steak there as well.

I have had a few different entrees there, pork chop, gnocchi, steak and a few of the appetizers and everything was always amazing. Our experiences there (like anywhere else) were only affected by below average service.

We had this waiter one time (Ali, we'll never forget his name) who came to our table once....dropped the bread off and disappeared. After a long period of time passed, we pulled another server over, let her know we had been waiting and she was nice enough to just take our order and said that she would try to find Ali.

We didn't see him ANYWHERE..... Our meal came and we were digging in for a bit when a manager stopped by for just a general "Are you folks enjoying yourself?" check and I swear he wasn't done with his sentence when Ali "appeared" out of nowhere right next to him asking if we needed anything.

I looked him at him and just said "Oh there you are Ali!"

To this day my daughter is convinced that either he was magic and he teleported or he was sleeping under our table the entire time.

If I was anywhere else I would have been fuming over this kind of service, but honestly I've yet to find something that can ruin my day at WDW.

 

[MissViv]

So .... do you have another trip planned? I am looking at WL for this October. Haven't stayed at WL in over 20 yrs.!! YIKES!

I think it might be a great locations for Fall & Halloween decorations. May be going Solo and could save a ton of money and stay at Pop. I always think about Pop & have even had reservations there but always upgraded.

Thoughts from the expert?