Trip Report The Never-Ending Summer Of Disney *COMPLETED*

Seriously?!!

Can you believe it??

This is jaw-dropping news!!

If only.

Two things in life give me the blues ~ the end of summer and the end of a Disney vacation. A never-ending summer of Disney would be a dream come true! But I am certainly happy to “settle” for a WDW vacay in June....in July....and in August. And rather than write three separate trip reports (and annoy @amjt660 when my *COMPLETED* report really isn’t ) I decided to take @Rista1313 ’s suggestion and post an ongoing travelogue, à la @blgauger style.

So let’s get started!

Vacation #1
June 16-24, 2018
Tuvalu, Woody and Em get pampered at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Was there rain? Any snarky Cast Members? Ridiculous guest behavior? A Magic meet-up? How many times did we watch Happily Ever After?

You’ll have to follow along to find out.

 

[93boomer]

Well, what do you know! Woody had pictures of our pool food from Geyser Point.

Cheesy Barbecue Brisket with House-made Chips
View attachment 297215
(aka make-your-own nachos)

Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings with Spiced Habanero Sauce and Pickled Vegetables
View attachment 297216

And now I’m hungry!!

Oh wow that does look good!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Saturday, June 23
Lots of #ShirleyStatus, rain and rude guest behavior

Our last park day had arrived and we didn’t want to waste a moment! As usual I was up first and since I was starving, I got some breakfast in the lounge. Woody and Em were saving their appetites for later.

Large crowds must have been expected for MK today, as the opening time had changed yesterday from 9 am to 8 am. This unexpected opening an hour earlier worked in our favor as we got to do a lot before the masses materialized.

When we got to the bus stop we saw that we had just missed the MK bus. (The bus wait time on the app still wasn’t working. )

Much to our surprise another bus arrived momentarily. We and another family were the only ones to board. Instead of playing the automated track, our Grandma bus driver talked non-stop with essentially useless information the entire ride to the park. I think she was still talking as we all disembarked.

Through security, the turnstiles and on Main Street shortly after opening....not too bad.

I noticed this balcony for the first time. What a great parade spot, don’t you think?

In the Emporuim, Mickey and Minnie were decked out for Independence Day!

True confession ~ Em and I have never eaten in Casey’s. We don’t do hot dogs (but no judgement on those who do.) Woody thinks he and our sons ate there years ago. I had never seen the details inside the restaurant and like most things Disney, the details were pretty cool!

 

[Tuvalu]

The double-decker bus was out again.

(Love the family on the left taking a selfie!)

Em notices details that I don’t. A hitching post? Crazy!

“It was all started by a mouse.”

We walked through the castle into Fantasyland. I’ve never paid much attention to the Cinderella fountain.

Stepsisters on the move!

 

[Tuvalu]

Arty Poo.

Remember the breakfast Woody and Em didn’t have? Time to satisfy their hunger.

This roped queue is new.

Woody likes to have a giant cinnamon bun every trip. He reminded me yesterday that we did not go to Gaston’s on our last trip. Whoops!

And no, he did not eat two to make up for it! One belongs to Em.

@krause and @krisri18 you’ll be happy to know Gaston’s chair is in its rightful spot!

 

[Tuvalu]

While we were in Gaston’s I checked wait times on the app. Things appeared slow in Frontierland/Adventureland so we headed that way next.

We stopped here so Em and Woody could take some pics.

 

[Tuvalu]

Our trek ended at @Longers favorite attraction. Ten minute standby? Yes, please!

I could have gotten right back in line but we did have a BTMRR FP for later and I didn’t want to push my luck with my family.

 

[Tuvalu]

#ShirleyStatus on Pirates!

I have found that parties of two are inevitably assigned row 6. I thought we were safe from the row 6 curse since we were three. I was wrong.

Seriously, what is the point of this on-ride photo?

The upside to row 6 is minimal wetness....except when you get hit by a water cannon. Which we did.

 

[Dory71]

Love Woody’s MPB shirt!

 

[Tuvalu]

We walked our soggy selves to our first FP.

Another boat ride, but this time we wouldn’t get wet.

I thought this boat ^^^ would be ours. Again I thought wrong. We ended up with Grandpa Skipper who matter-of-factly delivered the punchlines but without the jokes!

I wondered if he was married to our bus driver.....

You can see the enthusiasm for our skipper on Woody and Em’s faces.

It was such a disappointing cruise.

We wanted to stay in the Adventureland/Frontierland area until we used our next two fastpasses. Since we just missed the start of Tiki Birds, we decided to let the Country Bears entertain us.

Here’s a first for us ~ amateur tap dancers on parade.

Not sure which was odder ~ the show itself, or the moms keeping pace trying to video the entire performance.

 

[krause]

@krause you’ll be happy to know Gaston’s chair is in its rightful spot!

 

[riverside]

I hate the water cannon. I feel like it gets me every time....

 

[Tuvalu]

Waiting on Henry, Gomer and the Five Bear Rugs.

Thankfully #ShirleyStatus didn’t last long. While we would have enjoyed a private performance, the audience we ended up with was so much fun! Folks were laughing and clapping, having a rootin’ tootin’ time. I felt no shame in singing along.

We left the a/c comfort of Grizzly Hall and stepped outside into brutal heat. It felt like the temperature had spiked 20 degrees during the 20 minutes we were inside.

It was so hot..... (“How hot was it?”) that Mr. I Hate Water Rides agreed to go on Splash Mountain.

The Fastpass line was miles long and we were dripping with sweat before we even reached the load area.

I have come to the conclusion that people have gotten stupider over the last 20 years. Why the sudden need for instructional signs on how to get into the log?

(Similar animated boarding instructions at 7DMT and Toy Story Mania also come to mind.)

Woody and I were assigned the last row and barely got wet. See the two ladies in front? At the bottom of the big drop they were met by a wall of water.

As much as we wanted to cool off, total immersion was not the way to do it. Besides, it might have guaranteed that Woody would never ride Splash Mountain again.

After a quick stop in the Splash restrooms (I have never ridden Splash and not used those restrooms!) our FP window for BTMRR was open. There was a family of 3 in line ahead of us and as each one scanned their band, Mickey’s head turned blue. The dad had a very perplexed look on his face when the cast member told them, “Come back at 10:50 PM!”

Friendly reminder to always double check the time of your Fastpass!

I did feel badly for them and wondered if they had planned to stay an additional 12 hours in the park. Their child wasn’t any older than 6 or 7.

Mickey’s head turned green for us.

Last ride of this trip!

(Though I was prepared for ride #12, which didn’t happen.)

 

[Tuvalu]

Additional FP availability was very limited at 11:15 am but I managed to snag Small World, which we did merely for the a/c as we killed time before our lunch ressie.

No interactive ending today.

As we walked towards the Be Our Guest check in kiosk we were cut off by a group of frat boys talking about how awesome it’s gonna be to eat with the Beast (“What a dude!”) and Belle (“She’s smokin’!”) and “Do you think it’s only French food?”

Their conversation turned to shock and dismay when the cast member asked for their reservation and then told them there was no walk up availability for their party of 8.

“This blows!”

Do your homework next time, boys.

Funny thing though ~ plenty of empty tables!

Which can only mean one thing ~ they cleared the room for Shirley.

Em and I shared this.

Not the cupcake though....that was all mine. Don’t worry about Em, she was holding out for ice cream later.

Woody had his own turkey sammie and green beans jardiniere. Looked just like the picture above!

I searched for another FP at lunch, again finding not much to choose from. We’d need to find something to do in the interim.

It must have poured during lunch because there were big puddles everywhere and steam was rising off the concrete. 7DMT was operating (wonder what it’s like to ride that in the rain?) so we were surprised when our next plan was foiled.

@Dory71 commented earlier on Woody’s “Official Conductor of the MPB” shirt. Em had gifted him with it last Father’s Day. He wore it on purpose today since we had not yet ridden the Moving Park Bench this trip. It’s not a vacation for Woody without a train ride!

Alas, we were greeted by a closed station. “Lightning in the area,” a gruff CM explained.

Yet it is safe to ride the Mine Train??!

Dejected, we retraced our steps. After a pit stop we arrived for FP #5.

Why is it so hard for people to obey the simple command, “Please keep moving all the way down to the end of the row?” It’s not just a courtesy announcement but also a safety announcement when several hundred people are exiting and entering the theater at the same time. Honestly ~ are 8 seats closer to the middle of a row really going to give a superior view?

Apparently the party of inconsiderate snowflakes thought so. We watched all 8 of them CLIMB OVER a row of seats in order to sit in the middle of the row behind them....all the while the CM is pleading to keep moving down.

RUDE!

There was also the lady next to me who thought it was a good idea to take pictures of the screen images with her iPhone.

@Longers, you’ll be happy to know Em and I remembered to look left, right and NOT YET!

 

[disneypearl]

That photo on pirates really is an interesting one. Not sure if everyone else always sees spots after it’s flash. I really like the Minnie shirts you are wearing! Very cute.

 

[MegRuss626]

Additional FP availability was very limited at 11:15 am but I managed to snag Small World, which we did merely for the a/c as we killed time before our lunch ressie.

View attachment 297337

No interactive ending today.
View attachment 297338

As we walked towards the Be Our Guest check in kiosk we were cut off by a group of frat boys talking about how awesome it’s gonna be to eat with the Beast (“What a dude!”) and Belle (“She’s smokin’!”) and “Do you think it’s only French food?”

Their conversation turned to shock and dismay when the cast member asked for their reservation and then told them there was no walk up availability for their party of 8.

“This blows!”

Do your homework next time, boys.

Funny thing though ~ plenty of empty tables!
View attachment 297339
Which can only mean one thing ~ they cleared the room for Shirley.

Em and I shared this.
View attachment 297340
Not the cupcake though....that was all mine. Don’t worry about Em, she was holding out for ice cream later.

Woody had his own turkey sammie and green beans jardiniere. Looked just like the picture above!

I searched for another FP at lunch, again finding not much to choose from. We’d need to find something to do in the interim.

It must have poured during lunch because there were big puddles everywhere and steam was rising off the concrete. 7DMT was operating (wonder what it’s like to ride that in the rain?) so we were surprised when our next plan was foiled.

@Dory71 commented earlier on Woody’s “Official Conductor of the MPB” shirt. Em had gifted him with it last Father’s Day. He wore it on purpose today since we had not yet ridden the Moving Park Bench this trip. It’s not a vacation for Woody without a train ride!

Alas, we were greeted by a closed station. “Lightning in the area,” a gruff CM explained.

Yet it is safe to ride the Mine Train??!

Dejected, we retraced our steps. After a pit stop we arrived for FP #5.
View attachment 297341

Why is it so hard for people to obey the simple command, “Please keep moving all the way down to the end of the row?” It’s not just a courtesy announcement but also a safety announcement when several hundred people are exiting and entering the theater at the same time. Honestly ~ are 8 seats closer to the middle of a row really going to give a superior view?

Apparently the party of inconsiderate snowflakes thought so. We watched all 8 of them CLIMB OVER a row of seats in order to sit in the middle of the row behind them....all the while the CM is pleading to keep moving down.

RUDE!

There was also the lady next to me who thought it was a good idea to take pictures of the screen images with her iPhone.

@Longers, you’ll be happy to know Em and I remembered to look left, right and NOT YET!

I cannot wait to have that sandwich again in October!!

 

[MinnieM123]

True confession ~ Em and I have never eaten in Casey’s. We don’t do hot dogs (but no judgement on those who do.) Woody thinks he and our sons ate there years ago. I had never seen the details inside the restaurant and like most things Disney, the details were pretty cool!

I recall a few years ago when they refubished Casey's. Really like the new design scheme, and colors in there. By the way, your photos really showed off how nice it looks in there now.

(Only issue I have is that they could still use more space, as that place gets packed. Wished there was a way for them to build an upstairs section, too. But I suppose that would interfere with the integrity of the overall building design, not to mention the extra expense, for a QS hot dog place.)

#ShirleyStatus on Pirates!

Never have I seen Pirates so empty like that! That's double ShirleyStatus!!!

Seriously, what is the point of this on-ride photo?

I literally laughed out loud when I looked at the photo! Cannot believe how they could take the picture with the people in the back, in darkness?!!

I have come to the conclusion that people have gotten stupider over the last 20 years. Why the sudden need for instructional signs on how to get into the log?

Oh, don't even get me started on this one--it's rampant, everywhere. There's a commuter train station near me, and I'm always stunned by a sign on all the platforms that reads, "Step back. Do not stand on the tracks."

(So with the average locomotive, we're talking 300,000 - over 400,00 pounds of rolling power (not counting the cars in tow behind it) coming down the track; and yet, we must inform the brainless to not stand on the tracks??!!! ) It's all for insurance purposes (just like the log instructions), but isn't it sad that it's gotten to this point?

Woody and I were assigned the last row and barely got wet. See the two ladies in front? At the bottom of the big drop they were met by a wall of water.

Yah, they really jack up the water cannons in the hot weather. Seeing as I hate heat/humidity, this would be welcome to me!

 

[fractal]

Wow! you really did have Shirley status, especially the first part of the day. It looked like they closed the park for you!

 

[Tuvalu]

Saturday, con’t

The crowds and humidity were getting to Woody so he went back to the Lodge. Meanwhile Em was ready for her ice cream. She waffled back and forth on what kind she wanted....soft serve? sundae? soft serve sundae?....and ultimately decided on a hard ice cream sundae from the Plaza.

I couldn’t believe it had been a week since we’d watched HEA from this garden. We stood right in front of the speaker.

Em went to in order while I kept watch for a table. One opened up just before Em joined me with her sundae.

The All-American. The girl loves her peanut butter.

It started to rain again as she was eating but we stayed dry thanks to the giant table umbrellas!

I searched for FP #6 and found one for Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. When the rain tapered off we headed towards Tomorrowland.....

.....and the Boomer made the Millennial take a selfie at the Purple Wall!

I’ve always adored Roz.

It was a full house performance.

There was great audience participation (which really makes or breaks this show) and we laughed a lot.

 

[Tuvalu]

Since we were in the vicinity we wanted to ride the PeopleMover.

So did everyone else.

Typically the line moves faster than the line would indicate, but not today. The attraction kept stopping and starting and we waited almost a half hour.

There were funny moments during that time though. For example, this family in matching shirts (there were about 6 other adults with them, not pictured) who were confused as to where they were.

Disneyland Florida

The ride did not break down for us. Still waiting on a PeopleMover evac!

@fractal the day’s Shirley Status was clearly over!

 

[LeighM]

I have found that parties of two are inevitably assigned row 6. I thought we were safe from the row 6 curse since we were three. I was wrong.

My husband and I are normally assigned the first row. One time, I used that slanted front to put my foot on so I could tie my shoe more easiliy and the CM yelled at me to not put my foot there. I was like "I'm just tying my shoe!" She said "I don't care, put your foot down!" So I waited until we got away from her so I could properly tie my shoe. Someone was having a bad day LOL.