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.

AA48F088-9593-431D-9863-5A1CC9431BEF.jpeg


Followed closely by a getaway with my favorite guy.

22534EF9-828F-43F6-A922-359B962CEC72.jpeg


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

I hope you’ll join the fun!
 
Click to expand...
93boomer

93boomer

Premium Member
Tuvalu said:
Why did Tuvalu accompany Em into the attraction, since she does not ride in the limo?

To see the preshow, of course!

Tuvalu is a loser.

View attachment 719345

C’mon! This ride just got a refurbishment. How can the preshow be broken?

It likely isn’t. Sometimes at rope drop preshows don’t operate in order to get the first guests of the day onto the ride more quickly.

I’d forgotten this.

But I did get to see the cool load area.

View attachment 719346

The seat next to Em’s was empty. I was with her in spirit.

Another spirit must have stolen her ride photo.

So I took this one instead.

View attachment 719347

RnR was as fun as she remembered!
Click to expand...
I’m a member of the losers club too. I have only ridden it once. 😱
 
93boomer

93boomer

Premium Member
slipperalwaysfits

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
Tuvalu said:
Woody had loaded our “car picnic” trays (which he made during the pandemic) into the car for us
Click to expand...
YAY!! Another Tuvalu and Em adventure!! Congrats on finishing the school year @TrolleyFollower91 !!! Those Car picnic trays look lovely! Nice job, Woody!
Tuvalu said:
We shared the “gourmet” grilled cheese and tomato soup at Gasparilla’s. It hit the spot.
Click to expand...
Putting this on my "must do" list, I love grilled cheese and tomato soup!
Tuvalu said:
Em had a margarita which rivaled her favorite Mama Melrose marg.
Click to expand...
Uh-oh....some heavy competition going on!
Tuvalu said:
We hadn’t tapped into the park in time to secure a group during the 1 pm drop. And here is my rant - if you have a park pass for Epcot, you should be allowed to try for both the 7 am and 1 pm virtual queue drops, regardless of having “tapped in.”

(And park hopping should be allowed at 11 am like it is at Disneyland. Or better yet, have no time restriction!)
Click to expand...
Agree with ALL of this!
Tuvalu said:
C’mon! This ride just got a refurbishment. How can the preshow be broken?

It likely isn’t. Sometimes at rope drop preshows don’t operate in order to get the first guests of the day onto the ride more quickly.
Click to expand...
Ohhhhh cool tip!
Tuvalu said:
I did not take the chicken elevator.
Click to expand...
Good for you!! The thing that terrifies me about heights so much is the fear of falling so this might not be the ride for me...But your pic came out great!


Also, my cat is 100% like Kona and spends her mornings hunting for the hairbands in my backpack/purse. It's so cute to see her stick nearly her whole body in a too-small-space in hot pursuit of a hairband. My cat, Mekong is so funny as she tries to keep "killing" the hairband as she bats it around....and of course, she drowns it in her water dish. Occasionally, it's a food dish, but mostly, she drowns them in her many water dishes. :geek: 😍
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Nothing can stop us now!

IMG_9941.jpeg


In row 1, directly behind Goofy.

IMG_9942.jpeg


I noticed something in the volcano room I never noticed before - poor Pluto gets shot out of a submarine!

Our wacky ride continued into Daisy’s dance studio….

IMG_9948.jpeg


….and then came to a sudden halt.

Daisy froze and an announcement blared.

“Please remain seated, this ride is experiencing technical difficulties.”

When the lights came on, I suspected we might be getting evacuated.

IMG_9945.jpeg


IMG_9947.jpeg


IMG_9949.jpeg


This may have excited me a little too much. 🤣

Another announcement was made to remain seated (we were trapped by a lap bar, where did they expect us to go?) and that cast members would arrive soon to help us out of our vehicle.

They weren’t kidding.

IMG_9951.jpeg


They evacuated us car by car and made us get in a single file line “like you did at school.” They asked us not to take any video or pictures - which made Em happy since I’d have to put my phone away.

The behind-the-scenes stuff of a ride evacuation doesn’t thrill her like it does me.

As our line shuffled along through different areas (which were now all illuminated) we realized just how cheaply constructed the set pieces are. Perhaps Em is right after all. :cautious:

Though I am known for being a rule follower, I do have a little rebellious streak….

IMG_9952.jpeg


….once safely out of the CMs vision.

As we exited, our bands were scanned to give us a “recovery pass” - aka a free Lightning Lane. With attraction stipulations, of course.

Turns out something could stop us after all!
 
lindawdw

lindawdw

Well-Known Member
Tuvalu said:
Our early wake-up had us running low on fumes. As we headed out of Epcot we noticed there was no line for Spaceship Earth. Em suggested a pop in.

View attachment 719260

A blurry “Boots” for @tonystark.

View attachment 719261

Once again I am a zombie in the future. This did not sit well with Em, as you can tell by the befuddled expression on her face. 🤣

View attachment 719262

View attachment 719263

View attachment 719264

She did not get to ride Guardians today. My app glitched at 7am and thought we had MK park passes. The same thing happened to @Darstarr and @Loco_driver! @Darstarr successfully obtained a boarding group at the 1 pm drop. I don’t know whether @Loco_driver did or not.

We hadn’t tapped into the park in time to secure a group during the 1 pm drop. And here is my rant - if you have a park pass for Epcot, you should be allowed to try for both the 7 am and 1 pm virtual queue drops, regardless of having “tapped in.”

(And park hopping should be allowed at 11 am like it is at Disneyland. Or better yet, have no time restriction!)
Click to expand...
I agree with you wholeheartedly Tuvalu on the VQ process!!! You know how much I enjoy La Hacienda de San Angel, so I was very excited to receive your text! I love getting behind Goofy in M&MRR! How are the crowds in the parks on this Memorial Day?
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Monday, con’t

MMRR was not the only attraction down. Slinky had been down all morning.

As we entered Toy Story Land (intending to ride those Swirling Saucers), an empty Slinky Dog coaster careened along the track.

“I bet it’s testing to open,” I said to Em. We quickly changed our plans and meandered towards the SDD entrance. We stood off to the side (there was no line) and watched at least a dozen “test runs.”

Then the magic happened. A cast member waved us and about a dozen others milling around to the entrance.

Slinky was officially open!

IMG_9953.jpeg


IMG_9954.jpeg


And less than two minutes later -

IMG_9956.jpeg


IMG_9986.jpeg


IMG_9957.jpeg


Shortest Slinky Dog wait EVER.
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Now we hate Genie+ and the Individual Lightning Lane upcharges.

But there is one attraction we feel is worth shelling out $$ for. Especially when the standby wait is 95 minutes.

A simple tap of our band allowed us to bypass the huge queue and enter the first preshow in about three minutes.

BB-8 waiting for Rey.

IMG_9959.jpeg


She’s here!

IMG_9961.jpeg


IMG_9962.jpeg


We received our instructions and boarded the transport vehicle. We had a perfect view of Lt. Bek.

IMG_9963.jpeg

Green is good!

Uh-oh. Red is bad.
IMG_9965.jpeg


I wasn’t kidding.

IMG_9966.jpeg


After a few skirmishes along the way, we watched Kylo Ren get his in the end.

IMG_9969.jpeg


IMG_9970.jpeg

Red is bad, Kylo. I warned you.
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
In case y’all forgot what day it is, the Muppets are eager to remind you.

IMG_9972.jpeg


IMG_9971.jpeg


It’s Sam Eagle’s second-favorite holiday! (You can guess his first.)

Our family has quoted this line for years -
IMG_9974.jpeg


Proof found in a recent text from my son:

IMG_9988.jpeg


IMG_9976.jpeg


Ready for the show!

IMG_9979.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Less than 3 hours after arriving at DHS we’d accomplished:

Rock ‘N Rollercoaster
Tower of Terror
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (with an evac!)
Slinky Dog Dash
Rise of the Resistance
Muppetvision 3D

And now it was time to leave.

It’s a pleasant day with a nice breeze so we opt to walk to our next destination.

IMG_9980.jpeg


IMG_9981.jpeg


Any guesses?
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom