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.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

The hidden Tink picture is stunning! I bet the next thing you did was BTMRR at night!

 

[RememberWhen]

The pictures and review of the dessert party are an inspiration! I just booked it for our trip. Hopefully it’s still just as good in December!

 

[Tuvalu]

Moving through the castle hub wasn’t quite the nightmare we expected it to be, considering a sea of people was headed for the exit. And once we made it through there it was smooth sailing to our final FP attraction.

A Mickey bar for @slipperalwaysfits for correctly guessing where we were going!

Though it was only our first BTMRR ride of the trip, my cumulative total for 2018 (in my friendly competition with my BTMRR buddy @Longers) was now at ~

Were we in the last car? But of course!

My adrenaline was still pumping and I was willing to stay another hour until park close but Woody and Em were done. Though they never complained, I’m sure they would have preferred to skip BTMRR and head back to the Lodge. But a benefit to not leaving immediately after HEA was a less-congested walk down Main Street!

A bus was waiting for us and in no time Woody was unlocking our room door.

“Oh I forgot about turndown!” said a happy Em as she reached for the Ghirardelli chocolates on her bed.

A spectacular end to our first Disney day.

 

[krause]

We could have remained in the viewing area for the Once Upon A Time projection show (which we’ve also never seen, @krause )

How did you end up feeling about the projections in HEA??

 

[MinnieM123]

What is pog juice? (Also, do they charge extra at the HEA Party if people order liquor, or is it one fixed price, with or without alcohol?)

Those were some really good photos of HEA, by the way!

 

[Tuvalu]

What is pog juice? (Also, do they charge extra at the HEA Party if people order liquor, or is it one fixed price, with or without alcohol?)

Those were some really good photos of HEA, by the way!

POG is short for Pineapple, Orange, Guava juice. It is only served at a few places for breakfast on property (‘Ohana, Tusker House and 1900 Park Fare come to mind) and can be addictive for those who like it. (I believe it is also an important ingredient in @lostpro9het ‘s Castaway Cocktail.)

There is no alcohol available at the HEA dessert party.

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Aaah...we were there at the same time! We arrived at BLT on 6/17, moved to Boardwalk on 6/21 & checked out on 6/27. I had my eyes peeled the entire trip for people I "know". Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[Moons]

A newbie to these forums, yours was the first report I stumbled upon and I'm really glad Really enjoying reading so far and looking forward to more. Wilderness is my home from home so it definitely conjours up more than a few smiles

 

[arielrose]

Saturday, con’t

Our Pirate ships came to a screeching halt over London. (If you’ve ever been on Peter Pan when it stops you know what I’m talking about!) We were idle for several minutes. It was actually a pretty cool place to be stuck, as I have always loved watching the Matchbox-size “cars” drive along along the streets of London at night. Em and I used hand and facial motions to communicate as we could see each other but were too far apart to talk.

I wondered how a ride evacuation would work on Peter Pan. While the possibility was intriguing, tonight was NOT the night to find out. We were already a few minutes late for our next activity.

Before real fretting could take hold (I was already concerned about the possibility of more rain) our ships started moving. Phew!

We walked briskly (as briskly as one can walk through a packed MK) to our destination.

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The HEA dessert party was Em’s gift to Woody for Father’s Day. As much as we gals love the HEA fireworks, we had never seen the “complete” show with the projections coordinated with the music/fireworks. Since Em has anxiety standing in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, we knew we’d never find a “free” spot close enough to see the projections clearly. The dessert party was the perfect solution.

We checked in at the podium pictured above and were directed to a second podium up on the right of the upper part of the terrace. There seemed to be some confusion between the CMs working this station. We were given our wristbands and told to wait for so-and-so to escort us to our table. Then we were told never mind, get desserts first and return to the podium to wait for so-and-so to show us our table.

Em took pics while I scoped out the offerings. Woody hung back by the podium in case the CMs changed their minds about the protocol again.

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I put a few things on a plate and noticed Woody motioning us to return to the podium. Turns out a CM was ready to seat us NOW.

We were led through a maze of occupied tables to one reserved for us. While our name was not on a placecard, it was clear the table was reserved for a party of three.

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I did not have high expectations for the quality of the desserts based on reviews I’d read. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement......this spread was a chocoholics dream! Everything we sampled was fresh, decadent and yummy.

S’mores on a stick
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OOEY GOOEY CAKE! (With “optional” vanilla ice cream....the way Ooey Gooey Cake is meant to be eaten!)
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(The CM serving the Ooey Gooey mentioned how incredulous she was at the number of people who did not want the ice cream.....blasphemy, I tell you, blasphemy!)

Silly me saw the fluted glasses with sparkling liquid and thought it was champagne......
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....nope, sparking cider!

BUT, if you look closely at the glass next to the purple candle, you’ll see the true beverage nectar of the party....
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POG JUICE!!!!

And the best part of the experience was yet to come!

Yay for POG juice!

 

[amjt660]

Upon exiting IASW we were well within our next FP window.

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Look again at the picture above.
Are they seriously suggesting that 5 or 6 guests can fit in one pirate ship??!! (I don’t care if some of them are littles....it’s a tight squeeze for 3 adults, let alone 3 adults holding children!)

We always split up.
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#ShirleyRidesAlone

Some Peter Pan Ships can fit 6!!

Max

 

[amjt660]

We watched in stunned silence. Okay, okay.....Woody and Em watched in stunned silence. Yours truly was loudly singing along (yes I know all the words....don’t judge ) through Weepy Wanda tears. The show was BREATHTAKING (and not in a Seinfeld way, @amjt660 ).

We got an up-close sighting of TINK!
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And I love how Em captured a “hidden Tink” in this picture.
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I am SO GRATEFUL to Em for taking a few pictures. She didn’t want to take any....she just wanted to be in the moment....but she caved to my pleading. Thanks @TrolleyFollower91 .

Woody said it was the best Father’s Day present ever. He is still talking about it. Em and I both were a Hot Mess at the finale.

We could have remained in the viewing area for the Once Upon A Time projection show (which we’ve also never seen, @krause ) but we had one more important thing to take care of......and a limited time to do it.

I am glad you clarified that comment
We would not want others thinking that HEA is the ugly baby of Wishes!!

Max

 

[Rista1313]

I'm so glad you did the HEA party... I really enjoyed it and the Garden viewing was so nice... I don't like crowds, and neither does hubby, so this was worth the $$. It looks like some of the food has changed.. there was no smores on a stick or ooey gooey when I was last there!

 

[MinnieM123]

Some Peter Pan Ships can fit 6!!


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Max

Now that's interesting -- never knew there were "double" ships together like that. How could I have gone to WDW for years and years, and never noticed that?!

 

[Tuvalu]

Now that's interesting -- never knew there were "double" ships together like that. How could I have gone to WDW for years and years, and never noticed that?!

Because they are in Asia.

 

[MinnieM123]

Because they are in Asia.

Ha ha ha!!! No wonder I never saw them before!!!!

 

[amjt660]

Because they are in Asia.

Shanghai to be exact!!


Max

 

[amjt660]

Ha ha ha!!! No wonder I never saw them before!!!!

Did not mean to trick anyone
Sorry if I did
( there I go apologizing again)

On a totally related subject

Happy Canada Day!!

Sorry for highjacking the thread

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm in as well! Can't wait for the trio of trips

Finally! I’ve been checking everyday for a new trip report. Now summer is complete Joining in your family fun adventure.

Thanks @StefDisney and @HappyDisFam for tagging along!

I love the idea that the pet cemetery is overrun but there's a tricky balance because we need to be able to see the headstones, too!

You're right in that the cemetery shouldn't be well-manicured, but we should be able to see the tombstones!

I feel so happy for you that they had Ooey Gooey cake at the dessert party! It almost makes up for the sadness I feel that you’ve never seen the projections before They’re the best part!

I was happy for the Ooey Gooey too! The projections were great ~ I think I liked the Hunchback segment the best ~ but I am still a fireworks gal at heart and will choose them every time over projections.

The pictures and review of the dessert party are an inspiration! I just booked it for our trip. Hopefully it’s still just as good in December!

I hope you and your party enjoy it just as much as we did! I wouldn't hesitate to book it again.

Aaah...we were there at the same time! We arrived at BLT on 6/17, moved to Boardwalk on 6/21 & checked out on 6/27. I had my eyes peeled the entire trip for people I "know". Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Awww, sorry our paths didn't cross.

A newbie to these forums, yours was the first report I stumbled upon and I'm really glad Really enjoying reading so far and looking forward to more. Wilderness is my home from home so it definitely conjours up more than a few smiles

Welcome fellow WL lover to WDWMagic! There are some great folks here, especially in the Trip Reports section, where there is no controversy.

Yay for POG juice!

Right??!!!

I'm so glad you did the HEA party... I really enjoyed it and the Garden viewing was so nice... I don't like crowds, and neither does hubby, so this was worth the $$. It looks like some of the food has changed.. there was no smores on a stick or ooey gooey when I was last there!

Definitely agree! Too bad you missed out on the Ooey Gooey and S'mores.

 

[Ayden]

Woohoo I'm in! Wow that door situation was weird! At first I thought how convenient, but unfortunately it wasn't
Loved the tinkphoto and the desserts looked Jimmy!

 

[Tuvalu]

Some Peter Pan Ships can fit 6!!


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Shanghai to be exact!!

#BlameShanghai continues.......they even get larger Pan Pirate ships so the wait time isn't as long as WDW's!!

I am glad you clarified that comment.
We would not want others thinking that HEA is the ugly baby of Wishes!!

This made me LAUGH OUT LOUD!!!!!!

Happy Canada Day!!
Sorry for highjacking the thread
Max

Happy Canada Day to you, Max! (and @Matt and Kelly and @mlegerto and all other Canadians who may be reading along. )