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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Figgy1

Premium Member
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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All I noticed was the beautiful floral mask. I made a few with that fabric and gave them away
 

dizfan917

Well-Known Member
Kevin and I just lived through Labor Day Weekend in the parks... oy! I swear EPCOT on Sunday and Magic Kingdom on Monday were almost as crowded as the parks were this time last year. It was nuts! I thought there was a pandemic happening... The line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train STARTED across from Under the Sea. I get that the lines are longer with the 6' spacing, but that was crazy.

Today at Animal Kingdom was much more relaxed. I'm jealous seeing your photos of all that people-free space!!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Wednesday, con’t

Hard to believe it even rained. #FLsummer

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Another pavilion that was eerily quiet.

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San Angel Inn wasn’t open and it was very weird to see all the tables empty. There was no one to wave at us as we cruised El Rio del Tiempo. (The restaurant has since reopened.)

The queue for El Rio del Tiempo Gran Fiesta Tour began near the merchandise carts.

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Say it with me: More plexiglass!

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The safety measure made the already-tight queue even more narrow. Claustrophobics, beware!

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As our boat glided towards the stage we saw a horrible sight.

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No way, José! One of the Caballeros missing!

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2020 took out José Carioca! A bouquet of flowers was left in his place.

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
First the demise of José Carioca. Then the return of rain. (#FLsummer)

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(I tried being “artsy” with the above pic by capturing my Minnie umbrella in the frame. My beloved Minnie umbrella. Let’s just say José Carioca wasn’t the only thing to meet its demise in 2020. But that’s a story for Part Tu..... ;) )


Here is Em prior to declaring, “If 2020 were an attraction, it would be Journey Into Imagination!”
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Now what would make her say such a thing about adorable Figment’s ride?

Our story begins when our vehicle stopped here.

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No movement, no audio, no sounds of any kind for over 5 minutes.

Then this happened.

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Still no movement, no audio, no sounds of any kind. Not even an announcement from a CM. It wasn’t until we saw the vehicle behind us begin to enter the room (while we were stationary) that whoever was asleep at the switch recognized the impending collision and powered down the ride.

If you’ve ever been stuck on a ride that has powered down, you know that it takes awhile for it to “power up.”

So we waited.

And waited.

Finally the auxiliary lights went off and our vehicle began to move into the next room. But no soundtrack. The only noise we heard was our car moving along the track.

Moments later our vehicle stopped again and were plunged into complete darkness.

And then....

Let there be light.
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Not much is left to the imagination when the lights are on. The attraction was rebooted for a second time.

So we waited.

And waited.

Eventually we got to moving again but the audio stayed off while the lights stayed on.

✨Enjoy these magical pics! ✨

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I stopped taking pictures at this point. It was just too sad!
 
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MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Now what would make her say such a thing about adorable Figment’s ride?

Well it began when our vehicle stopped here.

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No movement, no audio, no sounds of any kind for over 5 minutes.
There's really only one good thing here, can you imagine if you got stuck in the stinky part of the ride (and that feature was working)?!
You'd really need one of these 😷!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Em and I hoped to have better luck in the Land.

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What do we need?

More plexiglass!

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LWTL was having issues of its own. The audio in the barn did not correctly align with the scenes on the screens.

And there were NO shrimp!

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On a positive note, the cotton was growing....

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....the plants were prolific....

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....the Mickey topiary was nicely trimmed....

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....and Tuvalu nailed a selfie! Almost.

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We were nearing the end of our greenhouse tour when a CM sternly announced over the intercom, “Keep your hands in the boat at all times, Orange Shirt!”

They’re watching. Always watching.

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Spash007

Well-Known Member
Finally caught up!
We had just hung up when I thought I heard a knock on our door. I opened the sliding glass balcony door and completely startled a male janitor. He was very flustered and said, “I’m just here to do a room check. We’re supposed to do it when the room is empty. I’ll come back later.”

“It’s fine,” I replied. “You can do it now.”

“Umm, I guess I’m already inside....” He did a quick look around the kitchen/living area and left. The room security check is supposed to include emptying the trash cans, but I could tell he wanted to get out of our villa ASAP. It was just as well, since Em was behind the closed bathroom door.

Here’s how room cleaning is handled now for cash stays. Someone will enter your room daily for a security check, even if you opt-out of housekeeping. (You receive nada for opting out.) Every other day you receive “light cleaning” which amounts to emptying trash and replacing towels. No bed making, no vacuuming, no wiping of counters, no replaced amenities. “Your room received enhanced cleaning before your arrival,” was the answer I was given when I challenged Disney’s definition of “light cleaning.”

The more you know. 🙄

Thank you for solving our mystery! We had declined room service at Poly, but one day me and C were at the pool, and K had returned with L to put him for a nap. As he was sleeping in the 2nd bathroom, she got in the shower and heard a soft knock. Thinking it was me and my magic band wasn't working, she quickly got dressed, opened the door and found a housekeeper in our room emptying the garbage. Needless to say the combination of a stranger being in the room with a baby sleeping and being in the shower did not sit well.

Here is Em prior to declaring, “If 2020 were an attraction, it would be Journey Into Imagination!”
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Now what would make her say such a thing about adorable Figment’s ride?

Our story begins when our vehicle stopped here.

View attachment 496306

No movement, no audio, no sounds of any kind for over 5 minutes.

Then this happened.

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Still no movement, no audio, no sounds of any kind. Not even an announcement from a CM. It wasn’t until we saw the vehicle behind us begin to enter the room (while we were stationary) that whoever was asleep at the switch recognized the impending collision and powered down the ride.

If you’ve ever been stuck on a ride that has powered down, you know that it takes awhile for it to “power up.”

So we waited.

And waited.

Finally the auxiliary lights went off and our vehicle began to move into the next room. But no soundtrack. The only noise we heard was our car moving along the track.

Moments later our vehicle stopped again and were plunged into complete darkness.

And then....

Let there be light.
View attachment 496308

Not much is left to the imagination when the lights are on. The attraction was rebooted for a second time.

So we waited.

And waited.

Eventually we got to moving again but the audio stayed off while the lights stayed on.

✨Enjoy these magical pics! ✨

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I stopped taking pictures at this point. It was just too sad!

A few years back (ok more than a few, I was on a school trip), we got stuck in Imagination. But the sounds and music did not stop. We were in the room with the song playing over and over again for about 30 minutes. That was just pure torture. And we missed our check in with our teacher who did not pity us in the least 🤣
 

dave&di

Well-Known Member
Despite it being the end of July in Central Florida, Em thought Beer Cheddar Cheese soup was a good idea.

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She was right. There’s never a bad time for this Canadian delicacy. Especially when paired with pretzel bread.

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(Note to @riverside ~ Joey would like the pretzel bread, no salt!)

Still have an uneasy feeling about those clouds....

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Em’s next must-try was in France, so we hurried our way through the U.K. (Sorry @Longers and other Magicians from across the pond!)

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Little ‘J’ has a name! 😂 Such a cutie!
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Finally caught up!


Thank you for solving our mystery! We had declined room service at Poly, but one day me and C were at the pool, and K had returned with L to put him for a nap. As he was sleeping in the 2nd bathroom, she got in the shower and heard a soft knock. Thinking it was me and my magic band wasn't working, she quickly got dressed, opened the door and found a housekeeper in our room emptying the garbage. Needless to say the combination of a stranger being in the room with a baby sleeping and being in the shower did not sit well.
Wait...did she hear a knock on the bathroom door, or the door into the room? Do you usually knock before entering your own room? And if the CM discovered someone was in the shower, why didn't they just back right out of there?? That would be creepy, in my opinion, to be in someone's room while they are in the shower!! I don't take my clothes into the bathroom with me....I wait to get dressed until I'm out and not in the misty bathroom. It would horrify me to step out and find a stranger in my room! And if I were the CM, it would horrify me to be caught in the room while someone was showering!
 

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