Trip Report The One Way Ticket

And so it begins.

 

[bee]

So what happens when you finish the drink? Can they cut up the pineapple for you to eat later? It seems like a waste of a pineapple to just throw it away.

There is nothing about the Lapu Lapu that is a waste. Nom Nom Nom The pineapple is hollow That is where the lovely ADULT nectar goes.

Have you ever seen a professional pineapple corer? They leave very little pineapple fruit behind. Our local grocer sells the whole cylinders plucked away from the outer skin. Given the Poly restaurants and lounges I can say with some certainty the pineapple inners have many purposes and likely not wasted.

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I asked the bartender at Tambu about this the last time I had a Lapu Lapu. She said the pineapples come to Disney already like that. That said, I did use my straw to scrape a good bit of what was left of the pineapple flesh and eat it.

I've enjoyed your report, @Gabe1! Sorry you had delays on the way home. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Gabe1]

I asked the bartender at Tambu about this the last time I had a Lapu Lapu. She said the pineapples come to Disney already like that. That said, I did use my straw to scrape a good bit of what was left of the pineapple flesh and eat it.

I've enjoyed your report, @Gabe1! Sorry you had delays on the way home. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you! I'm going to try and continue to post the balance of the photos I took for this report. It was difficult to keep up.

Much better than hiring a crew to core pineapples. I’ve been told similar about veggies and fruit shipments. A young man my son grew up with was a Chef at BOG but they moved him to Cinderella’s a couple years ago. He commented too about most produce comes in prepared from fruits to veggies. Cuts down of staffing and limited kitchen space. Makes sense they'd do that for pineapples too. What a great business someone started.

 

[Gabe1]

Me as well. Who doesn't want to jump out of the boat and run into the house?

No. Tell me about it.

It took me a bit to find it. The story just keeps getting better and better the more you read. It was on Reddit.

 

[Gabe1]

Another place I went was the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The place that houses the two baby Tiger Cubs.

I could have visited once way way back in time. Honestly we never spend much time in AK tops a few hours. Safari, Dinosaur, Everest and maybe Bug (I love Bug) and we'd be out of there. Now we have added Flight. So when the family headed home I spent a morning there and an evening. I had intended on participating in the Celebration Fan Groups events for the Anniversary but the weather was going to be icky so I skipped that.

I took more photos of this area because of its beautiful scenery over the majority of the wildlife on display.

 

[Gabe1]

In all honesty the MJT theming impressed me. The critters not so much. Might be why I stopped walking it but it is by far my favorite theming. Asia is themed so well in AK. But in the end the two tigger cubs came into sight and joined Momma. One followed her around pacing the back portion of the yard while the other was having none of that. Went to the swimming hole and was having the time of its life batting that big ball around. That cub was so enjoyable to watch.

And a freakin bench. Shade. Too hard to remove?

 

[Gabe1]

Speaking of seating I was kinda on the lookout my entire trip for seating and found a few surprises and a few bizarre ones too.

Whoever ordered these benches should be pinched, pinched really hard. So not comfortable, obnoxiously uncomfortable.

These two benches were back to back. Looked very Hodge Podge, not very Disney. The newer bench isn't meant for relaxing. The seat is very familar, like the width of a child's
T-Ball batting bench. Maybe a foot or so wide. This was at the entrance point of the World Showcase, prior to security. Maybe it will change when they are finished with the gondolas???? The other was the standard issue before they started disappearing.

Here I was pleasantly surprised. Backs on the the bleacher style seating unlike Fantasmic at the Studios. And Studios still better than China at Epcot that still has that lean to railing while you stand through the show. It isn't like at China they have that pack'em in volume that space for seating isn't possible right???

Now this was a surprise to me within the new FLE. I never even noticed this little nook. I will get back to the nook at some point. I guess we were always busy getting off Under the Seas or Dwarf and just didn't look at this little Nook or its very appropriate bench.

There are a few more finding them on my half inch by half inch camera roll is a challenge to my aging eyes and broken at WDW eyeglasses.

Now this I do not understand. There are very few QS venues at night even when the parks are open late as was the case this night. Limited Cosmic, Casey's and Peco's. Peco's was packed. I actually only went in to replace my Fuel Rod (I'm a big fan of Fuel Rods as a side bar for the parks) and noticed they had a dozen CMs taking down one of 2 topping bars. The remaining one was slammed packed. Seating was non existent. Appeared that scheduling of CMs outweighed the capacity being served. This was a woman with a young child sitting on a flagstone wall and using a stool as table 'cause it was so over crowded at Peco's. Me, don't close the second topping bar cause it is only going to extend the table-chair time waiting to start to eat folks.

While I ate a meal at Flame Tree it was not crowded by any means. So many covered huts a good place to take a peaceful break from the sun with pretty views or dodge the rain.

 

[Gabe1]

While there was a family dining there and too awkward to take a photo of the tables in one of the vestibules in the kinda fenced off and hidden area with two iron tables with chairs in a shaded area in Liberty Square. It is directly across from the Muppet Puppet show/(Hall of Presidents...which I just couldn't bring myself to view.)

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I fail to understand the Market QS type venue in Liberty Square. It is a Grab type venue but nowhere to go with your food. The place was always beyond mobbed with lines too long to even grab a bottle of water. Yet no place to sit down and swallow your food.

The Boat is currently closed for a very long refurbishment. I have noted people riding the boat while enjoying their Market Foods on the boat ride and there is plentiful seating for just that when the boat is open.

 

[MinnieM123]

I liked your bench "gallery". I'm just always amazed when I see ANY bench at all in the parks.

Muppets picture was really cute.

As for the article about the farmhouse, not sure I'm really believing it, but it was an interesting article, none the less!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

It took me a bit to find it. The story just keeps getting better and better the more you read. It was on Reddit.

Sounds like someone trying to make their own Keepers of the Kingdom book.

 

[MouseDreaming]

Much more to write even though I am back in Illinois. Almost a month. Still didn't want to come home, really no desire to leave my Happy Place. After a week of commando with the kids I took the parks with an approach I never did before and did many things I never did before.
Unique touring.

Getting back home was a challenge over multiple days. Lost items, delayed, cancelled flights adding 3 more days than I should have been there. Bonus. The upside I came home to Spring, the trees are budding so no stick trees, the Swans came home and it was 80 today. A better place than what I had left.

Welcome back!

 

[KBLovedDisney]

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The building in the back right looks like it is questioning your drink choice.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Will the rain stop by the time I’m off the boat 30 minutes from now?

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Omg! That is a beautiful shot! You got a rainbow on the right and a star up in between the clouds.

 

[Figgy1]

So sorry you had to leave, I'm going to miss the daily updates

 

[Gabe1]

I liked your bench "gallery". I'm just always amazed when I see ANY bench at all in the parks.

Muppets picture was really cute.

As for the article about the farmhouse, not sure I'm really believing it, but it was an interesting article, none the less!

Thanks. I have to find the 'rest' of the seating photos. I have a real soft spot for the Muppets but to my disappoint it was originally a rotating show with multiple puppet skits. The entire time I was down there it was always the same skit.

I don't believe the story either about the Farm House either but it was such a great short story. Whoever wrote it was very good with details and suspense.

 

[Gabe1]

The building in the back right looks like it is questioning your drink choice.

Ha! It does! Or it was questioning the $15 margarita price tag from LaCava. Dang they make awesome ones.

 

[Figgy1]

Ha! It does! Or it was questioning the $15 margarita price tag from LaCava. Dang they make awesome ones.

I have a love hate relationship with La Cava vs.

 

[Gabe1]

Tom Sawyer Island

After a discussion of the Island I made a point of visiting the island. The only wait was for the raft to return to load us and the same going back. Maybe a dozen people. A family was exploring the Fort and seemed to be enjoying it. Sprinkled around the island were some people sitting in the shade relaxing at the scattered picnic tables. @MySmallWorldof4 this might also be a place for your gang to have a lunch. The island was only open for 6 hours when I was there from 10am until 4pm.

 

[Gabe1]

While on the island I was paying close attention to the amount of land this attraction occupies. Depth from the Front walkway of Frontierland to the furthest point back to the end of the Kingdom where the railroad tracks are. Likewise from Splash & Thunder Mts all the way over to the Haunted Mansion. That is a great deal of real estate for an attraction that is visited by around 100-200 visitors per hour and only operational for generally 6 hours a day. As I rode Thunder frequently I was paying attention to the rafts, few people in the morning, few later in the afternoon, seemed to fill a raft midday. I never saw any guest left in the que having to wait for the next raft.

My son also had wanted to see the Hall of Presidents so we went into the lobby. Maybe a couple dozen guests waiting for the next show, much different than the large group in the lobby of the American Pavilion at Epcot. ManChild changed his mind and we left as my DD and I had zero desire to view. Liberty Square is very quaint, my favorite part is the Tree, so symbolic. Sawyer is tranquil and has beautiful views. Still if I think like Disney would think I can see this entire area someday being redeveloped. 3 attractions, the river boat, the raft to Sawyer Island and the Hall of Presidents. All three being on the lower end of attendance and the square footage is great. But I am guessing that every blogger and a chunk of locals will be aboard the River Boat when she comes back from her very long refurbishment at the end of July.

But look at these photos with a different eye...just how vast this area is and then in addition Liberty Square.

I had to hunt these down, they are old Disney photos. It gives an idea of how wide it is and also how almost ground level.

 

[Gabe1]

@MinnieM123 benches continue.....

Back to to the side of China.

Grand Floridian had both upscale garbage cans and benches

A once fountain (notice how many fountains don't work at Disney?) makes for a nice place to sip your LaCava margarita and rest your feet in A/C

Look carefully. This is the spot I was talking about yesterday in Liberty Square. Grab
your stuff from the Market and head over, only 2 tables if I remember correctly and
very small wrought iron ones.

Now this puzzled me. We are in Italy. One of the big grips about all the food festivals at Epcot is tall tables without seating. How the heck did Italy get stools????

and up here in Canada under my food is a traditional sized table 4 chair, 3 sets in Canada. Also note a couple of very basic benches tucked up against the Canadian building too.

But here ya go... and go figure. As much as I have never cared for AK I've spent more time there the last 2 years over DHS due to the lack of ride/attractions. But in the spirit of these bench posts the Studios has seemed to escape the WDW protocol of removing benches from the parks. From Echo to Sunset there are benches everywhere. Even outside the touch points there are benches that line the paths to Friendship Boats and the buses. More surprising is they are large benches with deep seats, meant to sit, relax and take it all in.

A dang plethora of tables and benches everywhere. How did the studios escape the benchless, tableless mandate of the other 3 Disney Parks?

 

[Gabe1]

Admittedly I’ve bored with this attraction quickly. No I don’t hate it but there lacks any draw or pull for me. The same lights, colors and florals throughout. If I have a FP I will ride but standby not going to happen.