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]

I like the globe part. Makes me cry every time

Different opinions make the world go ‘round!

Because of you, I now can't wait to ride the Saucer Riders!

I hope you can soon ~ isn’t the Fractal family due for another Disney visit, maybe next summer?

I LOVE the Happy Haunts shirt!! I can see a purchase in my future...

I expect to see you wearing it in your next TR!

Gotta say, that's one of the BEST things I've ever seen on this forum!!!

SEEING is believing!!!

Just came back from vacation, so I'm sorry for the overload of likes looks like you had great trips so far, except for the rain, b o o b s in strollers and the diamond horseshoe. Glad to see you enjoyed the saucers! I'm happily following along

Thanks for the likes, Vivian. I trust you had a wonderful vacation!

Love your trip report(s)!
I always feel hungry after reading them!!

Appreciate you reading along.....maybe you should keep a snack nearby, just in case?

 

[Tuvalu]

So glad you got on Saucers with a shortish wait! Stinks that it's not air conditioned and there aren't fans or spray mists up yet! I can't wait to try SDD and Saucers! I'm glad it didn't give you Motion Sickness, now I'm not worried anymore!

I love Em's Epcot pics from the English Channel area! Lovely!

YAY!!! You made it to Spice Road!! Impressive! The food looks AMAZING!!! I'm putting it on our list of "must dos!"
YES! I LOVE Em's tank in the last MK day!!! Beautiful!!! LOVE the Casey's pic, though I'm surprised you went to Pirates instead of HM. Is Pirates queue more indoors than HM's? I guess it is when I think about it!

In fairness there are fans in the Saucers queue, but they don’t help much on a humid day.
Definitely give Spice Road Table a try ~ I think it is an under appreciated restaurant. Many folks might be wary of the cuisine but there are a few dishes geared to the American palate (Em’s steak for example.)
We had a FP for Haunted Mansion later which is why we went to Pirates first.

Since you brought up not being dizzy, I’m very concerned that I’m going to get dizzy on it and ruin my day. I went on tea cups (17 years ago) and was throwing up and had to leave the park. I don’t want to miss out on the fun but no ride is worth feeling sick for.

I have never (and will never) ride Tea Cups because they will make me sick. Saucers is different from Tea Cups because your individual vehicle is not spinning. When I watched a ride video of Saucers I was sure I wouldn’t be able to ride it. It wasn’t until I saw the ride in person (and watched it cycle through several rides) that I could tell it wasn’t a true “spinner” but more of a “whip”.

I recommend watching the ride for a short time before making your decision.

 

[bee]

Em and I this......

....but were bummed to discover it was Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion on the canvas and not WDW’s.

Noooo! That's the first thing I noticed!

 

[dizfan917]

It shore did rain while we were there!! I'm reliving all the sogginess through your report.

 

[DisneyGigi]

In fairness there are fans in the Saucers queue, but they don’t help much on a humid day.
Definitely give Spice Road Table a try ~ I think it is an under appreciated restaurant. Many folks might be wary of the cuisine but there are a few dishes geared to the American palate (Em’s steak for example.)
We had a FP for Haunted Mansion later which is why we went to Pirates first.


I have never (and will never) ride Tea Cups because they will make me sick. Saucers is different from Tea Cups because your individual vehicle is not spinning. When I watched a ride video of Saucers I was sure I wouldn’t be able to ride it. It wasn’t until I saw the ride in person (and watched it cycle through several rides) that I could tell it wasn’t a true “spinner” but more of a “whip”.

I recommend watching the ride for a short time before making your decision.

What time was your adr for Spice Road? I had it then canceled and booked Skipper Canteen. I did not however see that it was a MNSSHP night. ( My planning is getting off these days) I would love to be able to watch Illuminations from there if we were lucky enough to get an outdoor table. Btw... when is your August trip? If it runs in to September I would love to have a Tuvalu meet and greet. Lol

 

[Tuvalu]

It shore did rain while we were there!! I'm reliving all the sogginess through your report.

But you still had fun, right?

What time was your adr for Spice Road? I had it then canceled and booked Skipper Canteen. I did not however see that it was a MNSSHP night. ( My planning is getting off these days) I would love to be able to watch Illuminations from there if we were lucky enough to get an outdoor table. Btw... when is your August trip? If it runs in to September I would love to have a Tuvalu meet and greet. Lol

Our ADR was at 7:40 pm.....and I won’t be there in September .

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

After saying goodbye to the Happy Haunts we returned to Fantasyland. No rain yet, but the crowds sure had grown.

We stopped for a few pics before checking in for lunch.

Lumière invited Em to be his guest!

The CMs were turning walk-ups away but Em and I were surprised at the number of vacant tables in the Ballroom and in the Rose Gallery.

Good news for us as we had plenty of options for seats!

We shared our usual turkey Sammie (with an extra side of fries) but each had our own Master’s cupcake (which Em swears has gotten smaller though the price is still the same! ) But other than a “shrinking” cupcake, we had no complaints with the food!

BOG remains my favorite MK quick service.

 

[Tuvalu]

If the clouds by Haunted Mansion made me nervous, you can imagine how I felt when we left BOG and saw this:

Em and I had planned to leave MK after lunch anyway.....we just hoped we could make it to the bus depot before the bottom dropped out of the sky.

Unfortunately I had to make a restroom stop first. The bathrooms inside BOG are small and always super crowded so we never use them. We went into the facilities next to the Cheshire Cafe and then it happened.

Em and I were standing (under cover) on dry ground just outside the restroom door. In less than two minutes, the ground looked like this:

It was a flash flood! I don’t know if it was water from the downspouts or over-saturation from the ground, but there was a lot of water and it happened fast!!!

We were trapped for quite awhile. The rain was coming down in buckets. Lots of loud thunder and lightning. While we waited for the storm to pass, Em Snapped this to her friends:

We left our shelter when the rain slowed to a light sprinkle.

The walkways were flooded with ankle-deep puddles.

We made it only as far as Main Street before the heavens opened again for another violent storm. There were so many people crowding around the entrances to all the shops that it would have been impossible for Em and me to head inside for cover. Instead we trudged on. Our umbrellas provided little protection from the elements and we got soaked!

We had a long wait for the bus.....again.....and then had a cold, wet ride back to Beach Club. We changed into dry clothes the moment we got back to our (UNCLEANED) room. We sat on our balcony and watched the rain. Thunder continued, but we saw no lightning.

It stopped raining around 3 o’clock. Em and I had talked about wanting a final swim in Stormalong Bay, whether the sun was out or not. I needed to go to the front desk to pay down our room charges (with gift cards) and I told Em I would check to see if the pool was open.

IT WAS!!!

We suited up, threw our towels on a lounger and jumped straight into the relaxation grotto. It was bliss.....for a full 15 minutes. Then a loud thunderclap and the pool closed.

We sat on a bench outside Beaches and Cream waiting to see if the pool would reopen.

Naturally that’s when the monsoon started.....and we headed inside.

At least our room had (finally) been serviced!

 

[dizfan917]

Oy! MORE rain!!

We had a BLAST (of course)! It almost seems like you had more rain than we did... I need to look and see where we were on Thursday...

 

[NRL2003]

What a great summer you are having. Spice Road Table wasn't on my radar but might be now. Is Diamond Horseshoe Review only opened seasonally? I can't believe what horrible service you got. I have to admit though the white sangria on the menu sounds refreshing on a hot day.

 

[Figment Forever]

Our ADR was at 7:40 pm.....and I won’t be there in September .[/QUOTE]

I don't know @Tuvalu ... I'm starting to take these "No" September visits personally... lol

 

[Laurensl]

In fairness there are fans in the Saucers queue, but they don’t help much on a humid day.
Definitely give Spice Road Table a try ~ I think it is an under appreciated restaurant. Many folks might be wary of the cuisine but there are a few dishes geared to the American palate (Em’s steak for example.)
We had a FP for Haunted Mansion later which is why we went to Pirates first.


I have never (and will never) ride Tea Cups because they will make me sick. Saucers is different from Tea Cups because your individual vehicle is not spinning. When I watched a ride video of Saucers I was sure I wouldn’t be able to ride it. It wasn’t until I saw the ride in person (and watched it cycle through several rides) that I could tell it wasn’t a true “spinner” but more of a “whip”.

I recommend watching the ride for a short time before making your decision.

Thanks for the good advice. I should have started out by saying I love reading your trip reports.

 

[Tuvalu]

Oy! MORE rain!!
We had a BLAST (of course)! It almost seems like you had more rain than we did... I need to look and see where we were on Thursday...

Who knows....with localized showers, we may have had more rain than you did! ️🌫

What a great summer you are having. Spice Road Table wasn't on my radar but might be now. Is Diamond Horseshoe Review only opened seasonally? I can't believe what horrible service you got. I have to admit though the white sangria on the menu sounds refreshing on a hot day.

I believe Diamond Horseshoe is only open seasonally.

Our ADR was at 7:40 pm.....and I won’t be there in September
I don't know @Tuvalu ... I'm starting to take these "No" September visits personally... lol

But....But....I was there at the same time as you in 2016! Doesn’t that count?

Thanks for the good advice. I should have started out by saying I love reading your trip reports.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

Our stay at Beach Club had debunked the “Buses every 20 minutes” mantra again and again, and tonight would be no exception.

Proof:

Em and I were walking towards the bus stop as the MK bus was pulling away. We’d allowed ourselves an hour to get to our dinner ADR. I know Disney’s advice is to allow “up to 90 minutes” but we had a straight shot to the MK.

20 minute wait for bus + 20 minute load/travel time + 15 minute security/enter park = 5 minute leeway to check in for ADR. That would be the “worst case” scenario.

Or so I thought. The next bus did not arrive in 20 minutes. In fact, we kept watching as the arrival time got later and later. (See above.)

“Why didn’t she check the app before they left their room?” you may be thinking. Oh I did.....and had gotten the ever-so-helpful “Every 20 Minutes” message.

As I continued to fret about being late for our ADR, Em had been quietly setting up a Lyft account and had ordered us a Minnie Van.

What a wonderful daughter!

The Beach Club valet opened the door for us.

Yes, Minnie Van rides are pricey (a flat $25 fee) but they can drop off/pick up at the MK bus depot, while Uber and non-Minnie Lyft cannot. This can save precious time!

Minnie Van Drivers are Disney Cast Members with a minimum of 3-4 years experience at the parks. They must have extensive knowledge of the parks, resorts and grounds. Competition to be a Minnie Van Driver is fierce, so you are getting the best-of-the-best. Each driver is trained to let the guest guide the interaction ~ if a guest is chatty or asks a lot of questions, the driver happily engages. If the guest is quiet or requests quiet, the driver responds in kind.

The vans are equipped with car seats (helpful for families with little ones) and music loops from the resorts and parks. When we entered the van our driver was playing the Beach Club background music and said she would switch to MK background music once we got closer to the park.

“But I’ll be happy to play any music you want,” she said.

Well in that case.......

Tuvalu enjoyed the Polynesian background music all the way to MK!

We arrived at our destination 10 minutes prior to our ADR.

But we had a 15 minute post-ADR wait for a table.

 

[LMSB]

Thursday, July 26

We awoke to sunny skies, hopeful that soggy days were behind us.

Little did we know we were in for the most powerful thunderstorms of our vacation.

Em was getting dressed as I was ready to leave for my usual Marketplace to-go breakfast run. I asked her what kind of muffin she wanted this morning. Though the Marketplace does have limited offerings, it is unique in offering two different types of chocolate chip muffins ~ regular and double chocolate.

“Oooooh, I don’t know!” Em replied. After all, is there such a thing as a bad chocolate chip muffin?

Fortunately, Moms are clever.....creative.....and problem solvers.

I bought one of each and did this:
View attachment 304478

The best of both! For the record, I did the same thing the next morning.

We got to the bus stop just as the MK bus was pulling up. For once we didn’t have a long wait for a bus!
View attachment 304473

Em and I ended up being one of the last to board, which meant we had to stand....or at least Em did. A nice gentleman immediately stood up and offered me his seat. I did not refuse and ended up having a delightful conversation with his wife for the duration of our journey. Their family was visiting from across the pond, where proper manners are still important virtues (less so here in the States.)

We passed quickly through security and had the AP line to ourselves.
View attachment 304474

We made it to Casey’s and I decided a restroom stop would be prudent. But first, a picture of a rare sight ~

View attachment 304475
This seating area is adorable! I’d never paid attention to it before as it is always crammed with people.

Turns out daughters can be clever and creative too! This was Em’s idea for an unusual selfie:

View attachment 304476
That’s the mirror on the piano, in case you couldn’t tell.

A not-so-unusual castle selfie to send to a friend who requested it.

View attachment 304477

I have the same UP phone case as Em

 

[Tuvalu]

I have the same UP phone case as Em

Actually that is my phone.

 

[Rista1313]

Thursday, con’t

Our stay at Beach Club had debunked the “Buses every 20 minutes” mantra again and again, and tonight would be no exception.

Proof:
View attachment 304870

Em and I were walking towards the bus stop as the MK bus was pulling away. We’d allowed ourselves an hour to get to our dinner ADR. I know Disney’s advice is to allow “up to 90 minutes” but we had a straight shot to the MK.

20 minute wait for bus + 20 minute load/travel time + 15 minute security/enter park = 5 minute leeway to check in for ADR. That would be the “worst case” scenario.

Or so I thought. The next bus did not arrive in 20 minutes. In fact, we kept watching as the arrival time got later and later. (See above.)

“Why didn’t she check the app before they left their room?” you may be thinking. Oh I did.....and had gotten the ever-so-helpful “Every 20 Minutes” message.

As I continued to fret about being late for our ADR, Em had been quietly setting up a Lyft account and had ordered us a Minnie Van.

What a wonderful daughter!
View attachment 304871

The Beach Club valet opened the door for us.
View attachment 304872

Yes, Minnie Van rides are pricey (a flat $25 fee) but they can drop off/pick up at the MK bus depot, while Uber and non-Minnie Lyft cannot. This can save precious time!

Minnie Van Drivers are Disney Cast Members with a minimum of 3-4 years experience at the parks. They must have extensive knowledge of the parks, resorts and grounds. Competition to be a Minnie Van Driver is fierce, so you are getting the best-of-the-best. Each driver is trained to let the guest guide the interaction ~ if a guest is chatty or asks a lot of questions, the driver happily engages. If the guest is quiet or requests quiet, the driver responds in kind.

The vans are equipped with car seats (helpful for families with little ones) and music loops from the resorts and parks. When we entered the van our driver was playing the Beach Club background music and said she would switch to MK background music once we got closer to the park.

“But I’ll be happy to play any music you want,” she said.

Well in that case.......

Tuvalu enjoyed the Polynesian background music all the way to MK!

We arrived at our destination 10 minutes prior to our ADR.
View attachment 304873

But we had a 15 minute post-ADR wait for a table.
View attachment 304874

I enjoyed the minnie van rides we took. I felt comfortable and well cared for. With Uber or Lyft.. (which is usually ok too) you never know what kind of person you are going to get.

 

[Tuvalu]

It was worth the wait when we were seated in the little Turret room with the windows.

The main dining room:

Em’s go-to at The Plaza is the club sandwich. Tonight she was in burger mode. Cheddar cheese burger mode, to be exact.

Someone had to have the club!

(Although you can hardly see the sandwich pieces under the gargantuan mound of potato chips. Between the two of us we had enough chips to fill a “Party Size” bag of Lay’s!)

Without much snacking on chips we still couldn’t finish our meals. That did not, however, prevent us from ordering Hot Fudge Sundaes.

Which we DID finish!

 

[Tuvalu]

The sun actually came out while Em and I were eating dinner, and there was no more rain for the rest of the night!

MK was as crazy busy as ever though. MK guests have become like mail deliverers: neither wind nor rain nor violent thunderstorms.....

Nothing’s gonna stop the crowds. Especially in the evening.

So we opted for an attraction with a tolerable wait.

Em took some tranquil photos.

 

[Longers]

Need a hot fudge sundae right now! That looks yum!