Trip Report The Story Comes ALIVE! *COMPLETED*

Hello again, my friends.

For nearly a decade it has been such a joy for me to write about 50 (yes, 50!) different trips that I have taken to WDW - including one that was virtual. ;)

The reason? You, the reader.

I don’t do trip reports for my own documentation. I have journals for that. I write because I love interacting with y’all. Your encouragement, humor, curiosity and even snark (*ahem* @amjt660) assure me that I am not alone in my crazy affection for Disney parks. A big thanks to each of you!

I am very fortunate to be a frequent visitor to WDW (despite what @Mr Ferret 88 believes, I do not live there!) and am entering a season of monthly visits. Trip reporting is time consuming (as those of you who’ve written can attest) but I’m not ready to completely give it up - yet.

What I’d like to do is keep this as an ongoing TR for the rest of 2023. It will be highlights and moments, with live posting as the goal. My story coming alive, so to speak.

First up is spring break with my favorite girl.

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Followed closely by a getaway with my favorite guy.

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There will be Magician meets. New experiences. And (as always) the unexpected.

I hope you’ll join the fun!
 
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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Then it was time for dinner at La Hacienda. Our last meal here was in last May with @lindawdw and her husband. We had a fantastic and fun server.

Woody and I were happily surprised that he served us again tonight!

We began with drinks. A wonderful mango smoothie for me, Dos Equis for Woody.

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Chips and guacamole (with mango :hungry:)

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Woody had the Chile Relleno.

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I had the Alambre de Res.

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Descriptions here:
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We stuffed ourselves - it was that good.

Our only disappointment was we did not have room for this:

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@Nunu wouldn’t you have helped us to finish a dark chocolate taco, my sweet friend?
 
MinnieM123

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Tuvalu said:
Lobby area.
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Very nice lobby. (Curious about the 1st photo -- what was the purpose of the long tables and stools? No food outlet nearby, etc.)

Tuvalu said:
The hallways are colorful. And long!
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They are colorful, and yet not overdone.

Tuvalu said:
Room pics
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I like the rooms -- spacious and attractive. Overall, I'm impressed with the design of this hotel -- much better than I had assumed.

Tuvalu said:
Chips and guacamole (with mango :hungry:)
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Wow -- never heard of mango on top of guacamole -- that sounds DELISH!!! :hungry:
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Back!Elbow!Shoulders! said:
$35? For a Choco taco on top of some brownies?

Disgusted No Way GIF by Schitt's Creek's Creek
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Our server said the dessert is HUGE and best shared by 4 or more. So while the price is outrageous, it’s less than 4 or more individual desserts (at Disney prices.;) )

sheriffwoody said:
Missing you by just a few weeks! And we'll be at the same resort 🙌 Nice to see your view and room photos to get even more pumped for it! Looks like you two had a great first dinner for the trip.
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I hope you’ll be as pleased as we are. We enjoyed dinner very much!

LeighM said:
Yay! I'm going to be getting to see even more Coronado pictures :) CSR has really tied my beloved Riverside for my #1 moderate.
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And the bus ride to Epcot was less than 10 minutes!
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
MinnieM123 said:
Very nice lobby. (Curious about the 1st photo -- what was the purpose of the long tables and stools? No food outlet nearby, etc.)
I like the rooms -- spacious and attractive. Overall, I'm impressed with the design of this hotel -- much better than I had assumed.


Wow -- never heard of mango on top of guacamole -- that sounds DELISH!!! :hungry:
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The first photo was a secondary check in area. The popularity of online check in has eliminated the need for additional Front Desk staff. Coronado is a business/convention resort so the tables might be used by workers who don’t have a room yet.

La Hacienda’s guac is my favorite guac!
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Monday, con’t

Rain, though not hard, was steady and just enough to be an annoyance. We admired a few topiaries and the beautiful floating planters before deciding to ride SSE….

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….which had just gone down so we exited the park instead. The bus was arriving at the stop the same time we were!

We explored the shops and dining once back at the resort. Unfortunately the food court was overrun with cheerleaders….:cautious:

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93boomer

93boomer

Premium Member
Tuvalu said:
The sky did not look promising. It began to rain before we even made it to Spaceship Earth.

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We popped open our umbrellas and continued to Guardians of the Galaxy. Our BG had been called three hours earlier. As we scanned in, the reader flashed blue but the CM quickly overrode the setting to green.

The virtual queue line was long.

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Woody’s watch kept a running timeline for us. Thirty minutes to the first preshow, 42 minutes to the load zone and 52 minutes until Woody rejoined me at the top of the exit stairs where I was waiting for him.

His song? I Ran.

His ride photo? MIA.

Those of you who have seen the preshow may recall Terry Crews trying to figure out what to call us earth people - “People of Epcot”? “Epcotians”? He becomes frustrated and blurts, “Does anyone know what they call themselves?!”

At this moment a young boy in the room with us innocently shouts, “Humans!”

It was adorable.
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Haha is for the boy’s response not the rain or wait time. 😉
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Tuesday, con’t

It was an ugly morning.

In addition to being “ineligible” to try for a TRON virtual queue, my MK park pass had disappeared. I was also locked out of the Disney website for “incorrect credentials” (despite using my correct username and password). I feared being turned away at the gate for not having a park pass - and then would have to waste precious time getting things sorted at Guest Relations.

So many emotions from 6:59 am to 7:20 am - when Woody was finally able to talk me down from the ledge. (It helped that his MDE account showed 2 park passes for MK.)

It wasn’t until much later in the day that I learned the IT debacle affected many more guests than me.

Anyway, I am living proof that what looked to be a disaster of a day turned out to be pretty great.
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Tuesday, con’t

I did not have any issues entering MK.

Woody on the other hand….

I turned around expecting to see him behind me. Instead he was at the tapstile talking with the CM, making several attempts to get the Mickey head to turn green. It wasn’t his usual lack of a fingerprint issue - his Apple Watch (which he has used for a few years for entry, and used yesterday) was not being recognized by “the system”. He ended up having to put his pass in his phone’s wallet and then use the phone to scan in.

Remarkably we were only 5 minutes late for Early Entry.

Arty Pooh.

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Then a visit with the Pan man.

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