Trip Report The GRAND Birthday! *COMPLETED*

“Hey, Ma ~ you’re about to celebrate a BIG birthday. What are you going to do next?”
“I’m going to Disney World!”

If it were only as simple as it sounds in the commercial. But we all know that real life rarely aligns with what is portrayed on TV....or for that matter (dare I say?) social media. My mother was hitting a milestone on 2/1/2019 and I wanted to take her to her favorite vacation destination to celebrate. (The fact that it also happens to be mine was a bonus!) However when I presented the idea to her back in the fall, she was reluctant to accept my offer.

Ten years ago our extended family went to WDW to celebrate her last big birthday. During that trip, paramedics were called because my infant nephew was experiencing breathing difficulties; my sister-in-law got either food poisoning or a bad case of stomach flu which necessitated a doctor coming to her resort room (and an extended stay); and my dear Woody came down with similar symptoms which resulted in an ambulance ride to the ER on the night we arrived home.

Needless to say that was the end of our extended family vacations.

I had to clarify with Mom that I wasn’t planning a big gathering. Still, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go. My father was recovering from some recent health challenges and she was uncertain she’d feel comfortable leaving him. She asked for some time to think it over.

Meanwhile I jumped on some cheap airfare and booked the hotel, figuring it was worth the risk. Just before Thanksgiving, with my dad’s blessing, Mom decided she would like to go.

“Where will we stay?” she asked.
“It’s a big event. Where do you think we should stay?” I answered.
Mom paused and without waiting for her reply I continued: “It’s going to be a grand celebration, so we must stay at the Grand Floridian!”
Mom choked up and said, “I never thought I’d ever be able to stay there.”

Well now she has! And we had a wonderful time at the resort and in the parks. There was even a surprise or two.

As for this:
MinnieM123 said:
That's the interesting thing -- something new, fun, or outright bizarre happens on all your trips, and that's what keeps us coming back for more. It's kinda like a written version (with photos), of a Tuvalu WDW reality show. :p Looking forward to the next installment in the series.
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Stay tuned for the bizarre!

I wish this trip could have been mother/daughter/granddaughter. Sadly, Em was unable to join us.

Who: Tuvalu and Mom
When: January 29 - February 2, 2019
Where: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa (the “and Spa” gets me every time!)

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ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
MinnieM123 said:
(You may be aware of this aready), but I've read from others on the forum that Sanaa also has excellent bread service. So if someone might not have the time or budget for Jiko, they could certainly dine at Sanaa at AKL Kidani Village instead. :)
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I've done the bread service at Sanaa too and that was great as well. Jiko and Sanaa are on my list as top restaurants at WDW. :hungry::)
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Saturday, February 2

All good things must come to an end.

What a trite and sad saying, especially when it refers to the last day of a Disney vacation! We didn’t want to waste a moment of our final day (which was more like a half-day due to an early Tragical pick-up) so we got up early.

How early? The first number on the clock was a 4.

Mom and I planned to meet JB for breakfast at 7 am. In addition to getting ourselves ready, we needed to pack and hoped to enjoy the sunrise from our patio. I also wanted to stop by the Front Desk to pay off some room charges and inquire about getting a later Tragical pick-up time.

No one was stirring in the Boca Chica lobby. The floral arrangement had been replaced with fresh, new flowers.
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No one was stirring in the Main Building lobby either. It was a great photo opportunity.

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There was one CM working the Front Desk and as my luck would have it, he was busy assisting another guest. I mention this only because I ended up spending more time waiting than I anticipated and missed out on watching the sunrise with Mom.

The CM apologized for my delay. He was a very nice man, but slow as molasses and had to process my folio twice due to a mistake he made (and I caught!) Then I asked about taking a later bus to the airport. I know DME picks up three hours in advance, but Mom and I had been given a time that was almost 4 hours prior to our flight. I also know that DME makes two pick ups each hour; I merely wanted to change to the second pick up, which would give us an additional 30 minutes to spend with JB. (JB had an evening flight and was scheduled on the 5pm Tragical.)

I thought the CM could just print me a new letter with the later pick up time, but no....he had to call DME. And then had to wait on hold. When he finally got through, the rep told him that our time could not be changed because they (DME) had already changed it to a later time....the time reflected on the letter I’d received. (So we had an original scheduled time that was 4.5 hours prior to our flight?? WTH??) And, apparently, DME only allows one time change. 🙄

Now I get that DME does not want to take responsibility for missed flights and that’s the reason for the 3 hours-in-advance pick up. However the GF is the last stop for the Tragical before proceeding to the airport. Mom and I would still have plenty of time to make our flight with a 30 minute later pick up. Frustrated, I thanked the CM for his help and began mulling over the option of taking Uber to MCO.
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Mom was gazing out at our room view when I returned. I took a few moments to capture the sight in my mind’s eye and then we grabbed our belongings and went to meet JB. The three of us checked our luggage before going to Gasparilla’s.

We practically had the place to ourselves.

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Today’s brekkie ~ chocolate hazelnut danish and a banana....two items which tasted delicious on their own (not fused together like the banana chocolate chip muffin!)

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After the transportation/security debacle Mom and I experienced on Thursday morning, we allowed ourselves a lot of time to get to Epcot. We arrived at 8:30 am and this was what security screening looked like:

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What a pleasant surprise!!

(Did you notice JB’s footwear? He took my advice. 😉)

Guests were being allowed through the tapstiles and we were held in front of Spaceship Earth until 9....and not a moment earlier.

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We listened to the Jammitors perform while we waited. Couldn’t see them, only heard them!

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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
As soon as the rope dropped we followed the horde that was headed towards the Land. JB and Mom wanted to soar around the world again. We just made the cut for the first flight of the day.....but when I realized we’d be sitting on the far left again, I asked the CM if we could wait for the next flight. I wanted JB to see the landmarks without unnatural curves!

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The family behind us also opted to wait for the next flight.

Row 1, glider B
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Soarin’-in-the-middle was an even bigger hit than Soarin’-on-the-edge. :happy:


🎶Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination....

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Today the smell-o-vision was working and Figment skunk graced us with the aroma of.......burnt coffee. (Try thinking, burnt coffee before the “blast” and you’ll be surprised at how tolerable the smell becomes!)

The kids insisted on playing in the Imageworks.

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.....Take a look and you’ll see into your imagination.🎶

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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
When I first booked this trip with Mom, I planned this as our Studios day in hopes of getting Slinky Dog FPs at 60+5 days out. None were available, which both saddened and surprised me since I have successfully booked Slinky at 60+3 and 60+5. I grabbed Saucers instead, figuring Mom would love it (which she did) and would be happy with a second ride.

But when Mom decided she did not want to return to the Studios again after our first night, I cancelled our FPs and left today as an “open” day.

“You can decide where you want to go on Saturday at the end of the week,” I had told Mom, knowing that having JB along might factor in her decision. Epcot is Mom’s 2nd favorite park and since JB didn’t get to spend much time here on his arrival day, returning was the choice for both of them.

And this morning I booked us FPs for only one single attraction....which we now were on our way to ride.

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Same day Frozen Ever After? It CAN be done!

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JB remembered Maelstrom but of course had not done FEA. Actually I don’t even know if he has seen Frozen....I never asked him.

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Poncho Peg made a critical mistake today ~ she did not pack her poncho. And she got absolutely soaked at the end of the ride, much to JB’s delight. (Although he himself got pretty wet. I was savvy placing myself between them and did not get wet at all. 😉)

What a photo!
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@amjt660, lots of opportunity for snark here!

I will say I was shocked to see Mom head-down and holding on for dear life. I have other FEA pics of her smiling, head facing forward. The drop here is nothing like the drop on Splash Mountain.

But for Mom, the soakage factor was much worse! 😜
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
It was shaping up to be a pretty day.

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Because it wasn’t 11 am yet.....and the rest of World Showcase wasn’t open....we made our way back to Future World.

We passed the Frida Kahlo photo op in Mexico.

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I should clarify that this was really a child’s photo op. But I made Mom pose anyway. She had to bend down in order to put her face into the frame.

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JB and I exploded in laughter which caused a few people to stop and watch. What was so funny?

This:
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“It’s not a mustache!” laughed JB.
“It’s not?” Mom asked innocently, and then proceeded to bend down even lower, making the infamous unibrow a mustache.

I was laughing so hard I couldn’t take a picture.

“You need to move your head higher!” I instructed.

“Why?”

“It’s supposed to be your eyebrows!”

“Oh.”


Much better....but not nearly as entertaining.
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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
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We stopped to watch a chalk artist begin his incredible masterpiece.

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Yesterday Mom had seen a fellow senior wearing birthday Ears.

“There they are!” she excitedly pointed at a kiosk.

“Tuvalu, take my picture in them.”

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“Shall we get them for you?” I asked.

“No. It’s not my birthday anymore.”

Alrighty then.

However Mom did have two birthday gift cards to spend, one from JB and the other from my brother. She had something in mind and requested a stop in Mouse Gear. This worked for me, as Em wanted her AP Figment magnet. (When I told her I’d given my magnet to Mom, she said “But I wanted one.”)

Mom’s purchase:
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Perfect Minnie placement!

It was the second day that reusable bags were for sale in Mouse Gear. Mom was a bit confused since she’d been given a plastic bag when she’d bought her watch. The CM at the counter said she didn’t have any plastic bags, only reusable. She showed Mom the three sizes and gave the price for each.

Mom purchased the medium bag to hold her Dooney bag.

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12in12

12in12

Well-Known Member

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