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]

Over half the passengers on the bus got off at the Poly. My suitcase was unloaded first, enabling Woody and me to do a quick drop-off at Bell Services before a line formed. After a brief stop at the lobby Tiki statue we headed for the monorail ~ we had a very important task to take care of!

Though I am not anxious for autumn’s arrival, I adore the fall decor in the MK (even in August!)

We were short on time so we did not pause to admire the scarecrows, bunting or clever jack o’lanterns. That would wait for another day!

We passed a lonely PP photographer on the way to our destination and had to stop.

The next picture did not show up in my account for a couple days. When it appeared, I squealed with joy!

Muppet Love

Did any of you smart folks guess this was where we were going?

You may recall Em’s lost (or stolen) Haunted Mansion journal. Mama needed to replace her baby’s journal! And I also wanted to surprise Em (and her class) with an ingenious book based on the attraction. We had marveled at it last month and I regretted not buying it for her to use with her kids.

Why two journals? Thank Woody ~ he said Em should have a spare!

 

[Rista1313]

Chick-fil-A

I do Chick-fil-A Fridays, on the way to work every week.

 

[Zipadeelady]

YAY! What took you sooooo long.

 

[LadyBelle]

Aw, Woody is awesome. Glad you’ve kept him around all these years.

 

[Tuvalu]

Aw, Woody is awesome. Glad you’ve kept him around all these years.

Me too.

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Me too.

Me three!

 

[myhappyplace]

Love the Muppets frame for your Photopass!!

 

[Tuvalu]

We had one more gift shop to visit. I blame @riverside for this.

She posted a pic of these jammies in her first TR and I knew I HAD to buy them for Tuvalette. (Her Mom is a huge Belle fan.)

(My son just sent me a video of Tuvalette wearing these....she looked absolutely adorable!)

Sadly, Village Gifts had nothing in infant sizes. In fact even the larger gift shops in the parks don’t have much of a selection for infants. I couldn’t return home without something for Tuvaleen. I finally found these jammies for her on our last day.

(Though these may look large for a baby they are only size 6 months.)

@MinnieM123 do you like them?

 

[LisaBelle]

Thanks goodness for the long weekend! I was finally able to catch up on your TR. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your summer adventures. Both sets of jammies are adorable!

 

[Rista1313]

Those jammies are so cuuuute!

 

[Tuvalu]

Gifts purchased, Woody and I headed back to Main Street. As we strolled from the castle hub to Town Square we passed three different guests using selfie sticks....is security becoming lax or are selfie sticks allowed now?

Before exiting MK we had a delightful surprise ~ an impromptu WDWMagic meet up!

@Matt and Kelly and their darling daughters!

The girls have gotten so much bigger in the months since Matt’s December TR and I barely recognized Lennon. (She in those glasses is too cute for words!) I wish we’d had more time to chat but Woody and I needed to leave and they needed to begin their MK touring. But I am so happy we literally ran into each other.

Last month Em and I did not have an opportunity to ride the monorail. Today, in a span of 45 minutes, I rode all three monorail lines (resort, express and Epcot).

When I planned our itinerary months ago, our first park was Epcot. Little did I know we’d have a brief detour to MK beforehand.

Woody at his favorite park.

 

[Rista1313]

That's so cool! I hope @Matt and Kelly do another TR!

 

[MinnieM123]

We had one more gift shop to visit. I blame @riverside for this.

View attachment 309357

She posted a pic of these jammies in her first TR and I knew I HAD to buy them for Tuvalette. (Her Mom is a huge Belle fan.)

View attachment 309355
(My son just sent me a video of Tuvalette wearing these....she looked absolutely adorable!)

Sadly, Village Gifts had nothing in infant sizes. In fact even the larger gift shops in the parks don’t have much of a selection for infants. I couldn’t return home without something for Tuvaleen. I finally found these jammies for her on our last day.

View attachment 309358
(Though these may look large for a baby they are only size 6 months.)

@MinnieM123 do you like them?

All the jammies are so cute!! I particularly approve of the full ensemble for Tuvaleen -- shorts, plus long pants -- ladies need choices!!

 

[Tuvalu]

The reason we were so hurried is that time was closing in to the end of our first FP. It happens to be Woody’s favorite Epcot attraction.

The Farm Ride!

It wouldn’t have been a crisis had we missed our window (as much as Woody enjoys the ride, nothing in the parks is “mandatory” for him) but it did save us a thirty minute wait in the standby line.

When I scanned my MagicBand at the Mickey touchpoint, I was shocked to discover it was not my anniversary anymore. Maybe the system finally realized I am not a polygamist?

I am happy to report there was no hair grooming during our voyage.

The sunflowers reminded me of Em and I was sad she wasn’t with us.

What I wouldn’t give to have these hearty red bell pepper plants in our yard....and the tomatoes. Thanks to our rainy summer, our tomato crop was not as prolific as in previous years. But the ones we harvested were mighty tasty!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

Hooray for another meet up! I also have the same garden wishes as you...this was a sorry year in Michigan

 

[Tuvalu]

Seeing those yummy veggies made me hungrier than I already was! My CFA breakfast biscuit was no longer tiding me over as it was approaching 2 pm ~ which for me is even later than what I would consider a “late lunch.”

Time to refuel.

I don’t have the “love”for Sunshine Seasons that many folks do. While our family ate here frequently in the late 90s (gosh I miss the picnic-style tables with umbrellas!), once it was refurbed to the generic, cafeteria-style chaos it is today our visits dropped. And when we did dine here, we never found the food particularly good.

So eating at Sunshine Seasons today was definitely more out of convenience than choice.

Only a few balloons remain in homage to the original interior.

Woody and I began by scouting out our options. I did a double-take when I saw the bakery case....someone stole my half-and-half chocolate chip muffin idea!

(Now I’m gonna have to go back for breakfast sometime!)

After perusing all the menu boards we landed here:

Two #2s please.

Dessert? But of course. Woody and I had a late-evening sweet craving on our May vacay and discovered a delectable chocolate mousse cake in the bakery after our ride on Soarin’. The cake was gone, replaced by chocolate mousse in a cup. (Similar to the strawberry shortcake change, @Gabe1?) I picked one up anyway.

The portion size of the turkey club was very generous and the potato salad was delish....light on mayo and just enough seasoning to make the flavors of the veggies stand out. The potatoes were not mushy. I deconstructed my sandwich as two slices of ciabatta were too much for me, but everything inside was fresh and tasty.

The mousse was atop Oreo cookie crumbles which lined the bottom of the cup. When mixed together the dessert was rich and decadent, perfect for sharing.

Verdict for this lunch? I think my face says it all.

 

[riverside]

I am fairly certain we had the same “knowledgeable” driver.

That was sheer torture.....

We had one more gift shop to visit. I blame @riverside for this.

Sorry...I was excited to see those. Something new & different!!

generic, cafeteria-style chaos

Exactly why I don't care for it there!!

 

[Trust2deal]

love the stories and pics - thanks - tagging along again

 

[93boomer]

We had one more gift shop to visit. I blame @riverside for this.

View attachment 309357

She posted a pic of these jammies in her first TR and I knew I HAD to buy them for Tuvalette. (Her Mom is a huge Belle fan.)

View attachment 309355
(My son just sent me a video of Tuvalette wearing these....she looked absolutely adorable!)

Sadly, Village Gifts had nothing in infant sizes. In fact even the larger gift shops in the parks don’t have much of a selection for infants. I couldn’t return home without something for Tuvaleen. I finally found these jammies for her on our last day.

View attachment 309358
(Though these may look large for a baby they are only size 6 months.)

@MinnieM123 do you like them?

Adorable!!

 

[93boomer]

The reason we were so hurried is that time was closing in to the end of our first FP. It happens to be Woody’s favorite Epcot attraction.

The Farm Ride!
View attachment 309586

It wouldn’t have been a crisis had we missed our window (as much as Woody enjoys the ride, nothing in the parks is “mandatory” for him) but it did save us a thirty minute wait in the standby line.

When I scanned my MagicBand at the Mickey touchpoint, I was shocked to discover it was not my anniversary anymore. Maybe the system finally realized I am not a polygamist?

View attachment 309587

I am happy to report there was no hair grooming during our voyage.

The sunflowers reminded me of Em and I was sad she wasn’t with us.
View attachment 309588

What I wouldn’t give to have these hearty red bell pepper plants in our yard....and the tomatoes. Thanks to our rainy summer, our tomato crop was not as prolific as in previous years. But the ones we harvested were mighty tasty!
View attachment 309589

My favorite too with Soarin’ a close second!