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.

 

[Tuvalu]

Saturday, con’t

Just as we drove under that magical arch, droplets began to fall from the sky. By the time we reached the entrance to the Wilderness Lodge, it was a full-fledged shower.

(Answer to first question revealed!)

Woody dropped me, Em and our luggage off under the port cochère so we could stay dry. He parked and grabbed an umbrella from the car and met us in the lobby.

A cast member with an iPad approached us and asked for our name. She escorted us to the elevator where we would complete the check in process on the 7th floor.

I must admit Woody and I were pretty excited to be back here.

 

[Tuvalu]

Concierge Christopher welcomed us and apologized for not meeting us in the lobby when we arrived. It wasn’t a big deal to us, although it may be for other club guests. Throughout our stay the club level staff could not have been more helpful, friendly and genuinely concerned for our well-being. It was very reminiscent of the way staff used to be at all levels of resorts.

Even though the lounge was missing the festive holiday decor that beautified the area during our December stay, it still felt warm and tranquil.

Lobby overlook

Serving area

After reactivating some of our MagicBands that had mysteriously been deactivated (not sure what’s been going on with Disney’s tech) Christopher walked us to our room and said he would contact Bell Services to bring up our baggage.

 

[melmel89]

I'm in! reading all about your exploits will keep me sane until I return to the house of mouse in August

 

[Tiggertoo56]

I'm here reading this one too, something to look forward to during the summer whilst over here in the UK and patiently waiting until we get there in October. How's the BTMMR challenge going this trip?

 

[Tuvalu]

The first thing Em noticed upon entering our room was the open closet door.

“Oh I forgot about the robes!” she said gleefully.

(The robes remained on their hangers as they appear above our entire stay. )

The next thing to catch her eye was the mass of paperwork and chocolate totem pole from the Ganachery.

Various papers included:
A welcome letter from the WL General Manager

The hours for club lounge amenities

An offer from Artist Point

(Went unused)

And the current Bounce Back promotion

(Also went unused)

There was also a printout of our daily Fastpasses and Dining ADRs ~ not just for our current stay, but also for the upcoming trips we’ve planned. (“That must have taken awhile to print!” Em joked.)

 

[Tuvalu]

The “lodge” side of the resort (not to be confused with the “Copper Creek” DVC side) is slated to undergo room refurbishments starting in the fall. I imagine most of the “wilderness” theme will be stripped out and replaced with the sterile, uniform “no one can guess which resort they’re in” look Disney has now adopted.

Thus we really appreciated our room decor even though the furnishings were a little worn.

(Yes, there was a fan!!)

(But no clock. Wait a minute, I can fix that!)

Voilà!

(I carry it along every trip, @MinnieM123!)

(I spy some of the softening mint foot rub (not scrub ) @Matt and Kelly!)

Please don’t take away our forest friends in the refurb!!

 

[Tuvalu]

This view looks awfully familiar.....

Turns out we were next door to the room Woody and I stayed in last December!

And for all those naysayers who complained that the felling of trees to build the cabins had ruined the “wilderness” of the resort.....I present evidence that new trees are growing in nicely, thank you very much!

December 2017

June 2018

 

[melmel89]

I'm here reading this one too, something to look forward to during the summer whilst over here in the UK and patiently waiting until we get there in October. How's the BTMMR challenge going this trip?

At least we have a heatwave to keep us occupied at the moment

 

[Tuvalu]

While we were waiting for our luggage to be delivered (which was taking an abnormally looong time), Woody discovered the ability to unlock our room door using the MDE app.

Magical, right?! Well we discovered a couple flaws in the system. In order to unlock the door with a phone (there’s a statement my 1978-self would never understand!) a user must have their own MDE account. So Woody and I were able to unlock the door without issue.....but Em, not so much. I manage her in my MDE account, and even though she is able to hack into my account and make FPs and ADRs on her phone, it would not allow her to unlock the door. (Wish I would have taken a picture of the sad screen message on her phone when her attempts failed!)

But MagicBands unlock the door, correct? Apparently not after using a phone to unlock the door, as I soon discovered. I left the room (wearing my band but without my phone) to find Christopher and inquire about our luggage delivery, since 45 minutes had now elapsed. As I approached his desk his face fell in horror as he realized he had forgotten to contact Bell Services.

He apologized profusely.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll be in the room until our bags arrive,” I reassured him.

That assumed I could actually ENTER our room. Instead of the lock turning green when I lifted my band it turned red. Not once, not twice, but every time. And unbeknownst to me, Woody and Em had gone outside on our balcony and couldn’t hear my futile attempts.....or my knocking.

Back to Christopher I went.

He couldn’t believe my band didn’t work so he accompanied me down the hall to our door.

Red once. Red twice. Fortunately Woody heard us and opened the door.

Christopher told me to give him all the bands he had activated earlier and he would activate them again. It was a tedious process but he finally got them working. Bell Services delivered our luggage and it was now time for us to take advantage of one of the perks of staying club level.

HAPPY HOUR!!

 

[Songbird76]

While we were waiting for our luggage to be delivered (which was taking an abnormally looong time), Woody discovered the ability to unlock our room door using the MDE app.

View attachment 293007

View attachment 293008

View attachment 293009

Magical, right?! Well we discovered a couple flaws in the system. In order to unlock the door with a phone (there’s a statement my 1978-self would never understand!) a user must have their own MDE account. So Woody and I were able to unlock the door without issue.....but Em, not so much. I manage her in my MDE account, and even though she is able to hack into my account and make FPs and ADRs on her phone, it would not allow her to unlock the door. (Wish I would have taken a picture of the sad screen message on her phone when her attempts failed!)

But MagicBands unlock the door, correct? Apparently not after using a phone to unlock the door, as I soon discovered. I left the room (wearing my band but without my phone) to find Christopher and inquire about our luggage delivery, since 45 minutes had now elapsed. As I approached his desk his face fell in horror as he realized he had forgotten to contact Bell Services.

He apologized profusely.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll be in the room until our bags arrive,” I reassured him.

That assumed I could actually ENTER our room. Instead of the lock turning green when I lifted my band it turned red. Not once, not twice, but every time. And unbeknownst to me, Woody and Em had gone outside on our balcony and couldn’t hear my futile attempts.....or my knocking.

Back to Christopher I went.

He couldn’t believe my band didn’t work so he accompanied me down the hall to our door.

Red once. Red twice. Fortunately Woody heard us and opened the door.

Christopher told me to give him all the bands he had activated earlier and he would activate them again. It was a tedious process but he finally got them working. Bell Services delivered our luggage and it was now time for us to take advantage of one of the perks of staying club level.

HAPPY HOUR!!

Well isn't it lucky for Christopher that it was YOU and not some entitled moron who would not be at all patient? Not an ideal beginning, but it could be worse!!

 

[DisneyJeff]

(Yes, there was a fan!!)

Wait a minute... Are you saying that there is a fan in your room or that @TrolleyFollower91 is fan of you??? (or both??)

 

[Tiggertoo56]

At least we have a heatwave to keep us occupied at the moment

True - it's a shock for it to be this warm! But loving it - getting in practice for the Florida warmth.

 

[Tuvalu]

Outside the entrance to the food area was the menu for tonight’s offerings.

(Note the “Lavosh” and “Grisinni”.....fancy names for crisp bread wafers & breadsticks....that Woody ended up calling “Laverne” and “Shirley” for the duration of our stay. )

(I thought these were clever!)

(Bottled beer in fridge; a few selections of red and white wines to choose from)

Non-alcoholic beverages in addition to Coke products

Geyser Grog!

(Sadly, it was no Ku U Lei!)

“Laverne” is on the far left. Shepherd’s pie is in the dish. This was AMAZING!! I believe it contained bison rather than ground beef. The Soup of the Day was Broccoli Cheese and when Em learned that she scooped herself a hearty bowl. The chef stopped by our table and we raved about the food. She encouraged us to take as much as we wanted so we did!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Count me in, too. Can't wait for your reports, and we will get three!!!! this time.

 

[Tuvalu]

I’m in

YAAAAAYYYYY!!! I'm in

I'm in! reading all about your exploits will keep me sane until I return to the house of mouse in August

Count me in, too. Can't wait for your reports, and we will get three!!!! this time.

Nice to have y’all “in”!

I'm here reading this one too, something to look forward to during the summer whilst over here in the UK and patiently waiting until we get there in October. How's the BTMMR challenge going this trip?

It’s “moving” along!

Wait a minute... Are you saying that there is a fan in your room or that @TrolleyFollower91 is fan of you??? (or both??)

Now that you mention it......BOTH!

 

[danyoung56]

(But no clock. Wait a minute, I can fix that!)

I've run into that problem too. No I have a software "big red numbers" clock on my cell phone, that works just like a hotel clock. Problem solved!

 

[susan lees]

Brilliant. Living vicariously through all the summer reports to keep me going until our trip in November

 

[wdwfamilynh]

I will wish upon a star every night from now on that I can stay Club Level someday! Between the extra toiletries (haven't seen them in a DVC villa!) and the lounge, I'd be in HEAVEN

 

[dizfan917]

I'm in!

Being DVC members, I fear I'll never experience the glory of eating all day in a lounge. That is a sad thing. It looks like lots of (delicious) fun!

I'll be visiting July 21 - 29. Perhaps I'll see you on the MPB or the Peoplemover and say hello!

 

[DisSplash]

Oh wow, are you all living the LIFE!! I am living vicariously through you until we will be drive down in August!! It’s been a little while since we were at the Wilderness Lodge - it was where we stayed in our first-ever trip to Disney, so I get very nostalgic for that place.

The club level looks amazing!!! Those snacks remind me of some of the things they would set out on their cruises! I cannot wait to read more about your Summer of Disney!!!