Trip Report The Tuvalu Chronicles ~ Chapter 25 *COMPLETED*

Welcome, welcome, welcome to my 25th trip report.

Over the past five years, I have loved chronicling my WDW adventures with fellow forum readers who share my Disney passion. Writing keeps the magic alive for me. Discussions that result from your comments are icing on the cake! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my posts. (And for those of you who have been following from the beginning ~ THANK YOU!!)

All my reports have been live, live-ish, or shortly-afterwards.....except one. In 2016 I wrote a retro TR detailing my first visit to the park that forever captivated my heart. You can read about it here. Or you can merely mock the photo below which is proof positive I cannot pull off wearing a hat.

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Similar in style to last summer’s novel, this report will incorporate my June, July and August vacations. The ship has already sailed for a live report for June, but I may attempt some live updates in July/August. Or not. :hilarious:

Trip #1
Who: Tuvalu and Em
When: June 8-13, 2019
Where: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

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Did we meet the Wicked Queen? Who got shoved in the Haunted Mansion? Did the rain rain rain come down down down? Was there an attraction evac? Did one of us really cause a ride to shut down?

Answers to come!

(Special thanks to @krisri18 for another trip report title! 💕)
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Stunning.

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We popped into Panchito’s to look around.

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I have always been intrigued by the Oaxacan Wood Carvings. They are so detailed and colorful! I cannot help but smile when I look at them.

@MinnieM123 here’s something else that brought a smile to my face.

EF5D068F-3644-45AA-864D-67FACB0B6479.jpeg

Dream Friend Minnie is almost as cute as Dream Friend Figment!!

Woody liked these ties, especially the monorail one. Too bad he has no real need for ties anymore.

D46584ED-76A8-4417-9347-D616E5949E3A.jpeg


I also spied a great thank-you gift for Em, who had moved into our house to care for Poly and Kona while we were away. (I would purchase it the next day.)

A stroll through Café Rix was next. Look at all the yumminess!
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Sweet or Healthy? Easy choice. Besides, how healthy is Healthy really? 😜

We refrained from making a purchase due to our early dinner ADR. Didn’t want anything spoiling my appetite for what I had looked forward to all day!

Moving on to Pepper Market....at least what used to be Pepper Market....now El Mercado.

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Blah. The refurb turned something festive and fun into dullsville. The fact that there are no longer caramelitas in the bakery case did not help matters. I’d been looking forward to at least one (possibly two, maybe three) caramelitas during our stay. Sigh.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Still no room text so we headed outside.

The exterior of Gran Destino Tower is really quite.....grand!

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Woody likened the Tower to a Vegas hotel, minus the casino. The similarity is there, but inside it is more sedate and much less active than a Vegas hotel. (That was a concern of yours @monykalyn, wasn’t it?)

I was pleased to see the built-in benches. It’s a long walk around 22 acre Lago Dorado!

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We began that walk.

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The water-facing side of the Tower is even more picturesque than the street side.

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
If not for the breeze our stroll around the grounds would have been quite toasty. But we were both enjoying the leg stretch after the long journey in the car and sights that were not very familiar to us.

F1C06AFB-662C-494B-BC96-F34147DEBBC8.jpeg


Wait a minute. I spy a familiar sight.

C3DA9305-D33F-4EBA-BC1D-8BC2257B9F80.jpeg


Hope the Yeti stays put where he belongs!

6CA178BC-CF70-4BB7-BA16-74C914E243C5.jpeg


Still lovely from the opposite side of Lago Dorado.

A217EF5B-2B0C-4C5D-AAFD-62F4C550B40C.jpeg


There are three bridges that now span Lago Dorado that shorten the walk to food and transportation. Woody and I chose to walk across one of them. We passed this building.....

71CD73D6-82F1-46A5-9115-44EF536A9690.jpeg


.....which contains restrooms and Three Bridges Bar and Grill. (The Villa Del Lago signage is a bit confusing.)

A passerby offered to take a picture of us.

23AD75DF-42EB-4D34-B432-06309CA80133.jpeg


It was now well past 3 pm and still no room text. We decided to return to the lobby.
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
If not for the breeze our stroll around the grounds would have been quite toasty. But we were both enjoying the leg stretch after the long journey in the car and sights that were not very familiar to us.

View attachment 408878

Wait a minute. I spy a familiar sight.

View attachment 408879

Hope the Yeti stays put where he belongs!

View attachment 408880

Still lovely from the opposite side of Lago Dorado.

View attachment 408881

There are three bridges that now span Lago Dorado that shorten the walk to food and transportation. Woody and I chose to walk across one of them. We passed this building.....

View attachment 408882

.....which contains restrooms and Three Bridges Bar and Grill. (The Villa Del Lago signage is a bit confusing.)

A passerby offered to take a picture of us.

View attachment 408889

It was now well past 3 pm and still no room text. We decided to return to the lobby.
Few quick comments- :)
I am so going to miss that Christmas tree in the old Lobby.
I agree that Pepper Market looked better before and love hearing and seeing your take on Coronado.

And, I LOVE that shirt you have on!! Great pic of you & Woody.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Woody and I sat down on a comfy loveseat and discussed how long we should wait before one of us (me) would join the line at the Front Desk to inquire about our room.

Then my phone buzzed. :happy:

Off to the elevators we went!

These weren’t just run-of-the-mill elevators. They were 21st century SMART elevators! I call them smart because they sure stumped a bunch of dumb people who could not figure out how to use them.

Not us though. We (and by we I mean Woody) are tech savvy. Just follow the directions.

Step One
F736CD32-2CD4-4AC7-8D6E-6D96A7604E9F.jpeg


Step Two
A3184A10-6A88-440A-8647-4074022153E1.jpeg


Step Three
8F9288F0-3767-42C3-BE74-5FD03750304B.jpeg

And board!

There were six elevators: A, B and C on the right and D, E and F on the left. Once you selected your floor in Step One, Step Two revealed which elevator to board. Then the elevator letter illumined before the door opened for boarding.

Easy peasy!

Plus the trips up or down were super fast because the elevator only stopped at the pre-selected floors.

What was hard to get used to was there were NO FLOOR BUTTONS inside the elevator. Out of habit I always turned to push a button on the (absent) control panel whenever I entered an elevator. :facepalm: But at least I never entered an elevator without selecting the floor first! Several times we had guests walk into our open elevator and become befuddled when there were no buttons to push. Eventually I ended up asking guests who boarded if they had selected their floor outside the elevator.

Our room was on the 9th floor. Three days later I was glad we weren’t any higher. (You’ll find out why.)

Lots of color in the hallway! And hidden Mickeys in the carpet.
4C77975D-1D69-42D1-B7FE-D3407D426744.jpeg


Upon opening our door we were greeted by huge entryway (pic does not do it justice)....

AC8292CB-D624-4520-8C8B-E7D83D08222C.jpeg


......a welcome letter from the CSR General Manager and

A51ECE64-BB0E-49AF-A406-955E40DC4DCB.jpeg


.....a personalized big screen TV!

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But before checking out any of the room amenities, I had to check out the view!

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58A37069-D5E1-4983-AC01-9F31B268551B.jpeg

(You can see the bridges I referenced earlier.)

And what is this?

4A2FBBB5-1A69-407C-A2CD-AC4CCD6453D8.jpeg


Our room has a view of the Contemporary??!! And if we can see the Contemporary, you know what that means!!
🎆

Over the next couple days, I spent a lot of time gazing out at the gorgeous views. The resort felt miles away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks. It was very peaceful and soothing, similar to the sensations I get when staying at the Wilderness Lodge (except with a different theme.)
 

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
Over the next couple days, I spent a lot of time gazing out at the gorgeous views. The resort felt miles away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks. It was very peaceful and soothing, similar to the sensations I get when staying at the Wilderness Lodge (except with a different theme.)

I'm a big fan of Coronado. You mentioned it's size as a downside, but it's something I've always enjoyed about it. I love just walking around the grounds. I think that size and scope contributes to it feeling like it's own little world, as you noted.
 
Last edited:

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Room pics!

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Mounted in the headboard are these useful reading lights!
A22C83EB-7D48-44EF-8DE8-AC7BF4235CDA.jpeg


4B26B58D-1AC0-4A01-BC69-C675B9E5E1A1.jpeg


Desk with coffee stand. Luggage rack. Free-standing closet on the left.
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Inside the closet.
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The orange chair swiveled and was comfortable.
CA119679-FFCC-49A3-91FE-766354769362.jpeg


A large barn door covered the bathroom for privacy. There was a separate area for the toilet with its own pocket door, so we usually kept the barn door open. (That thing was heavy to open and shut!)

A938EB91-30D6-49AC-B9CC-C069BB9FD445.jpeg


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Sadly, all toiletries were mounted to the wall. Only a bar of facial soap at the sinks. No lotion or other goodies (@Matt and Kelly).

7017CD41-6DA9-4E84-A82E-A426E0ECAE82.jpeg


I know there are lovers of rainfall shower heads. I am not one of them. Gently sprinkling water doesn’t do it for me. I was very thankful the shower had two options to choose from.

7287A51D-3848-458A-96CA-F3E06BE980B7.jpeg


The jets on the hand-held were powerful, just the way I like.

This room was much bigger than any other moderate at WDW. It was bigger than some rooms at a deluxe (looking at you, WL and AKL.) Woody and I coined it, “Deluxe Lite”. The beds were very plush and the linens super soft. No noise-bleed from neighboring rooms. Lots of storage space. Plenty of room for a portable crib or rollaway (though not sure rollaways are available). Four adults could easily share the room and not feel cramped.

Color us impressed.
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
Room pics!

View attachment 408928

Mounted in the headboard are these useful reading lights!
View attachment 408930

View attachment 408931

Desk with coffee stand. Luggage rack. Free-standing closet on the left.
View attachment 408929

Inside the closet.
View attachment 408932

The orange chair swiveled and was comfortable.
View attachment 408935

A large barn door covered the bathroom for privacy. There was a separate area for the toilet with its own pocket door, so we usually kept the barn door open. (That thing was heavy to open and shut!)

View attachment 408933

View attachment 408934

Sadly, all toiletries were mounted to the wall. Only a bar of facial soap at the sinks. No lotion or other goodies (@Matt and Kelly).

View attachment 408936

I know there are lovers of rainfall shower heads. I am not one of them. Gently sprinkling water doesn’t do it for me. I was very thankful the shower had two options to choose from.

View attachment 408937

The jets on the hand-held were powerful, just the way I like.

This room was much bigger than any other moderate at WDW. It was bigger than some rooms at a deluxe (looking at you, WL and AKL.) Woody and I coined it, “Deluxe Lite”. The beds were very plush and the linens super soft. No noise-bleed from neighboring rooms. Lots of storage space. Plenty of room for a portable crib or rollaway (though not sure rollaways are available). Four adults could easily share the room and not feel cramped.

Color us impressed.
Rainfall shower heads are not my thing either, not nearly enough water pressure to get shampoo or conditioner out of my ridiculously thick hair. Lol
 

93boomer

Premium Member
Room pics!

View attachment 408928

Mounted in the headboard are these useful reading lights!
View attachment 408930

View attachment 408931

Desk with coffee stand. Luggage rack. Free-standing closet on the left.
View attachment 408929

Inside the closet.
View attachment 408932

The orange chair swiveled and was comfortable.
View attachment 408935

A large barn door covered the bathroom for privacy. There was a separate area for the toilet with its own pocket door, so we usually kept the barn door open. (That thing was heavy to open and shut!)

View attachment 408933

View attachment 408934

Sadly, all toiletries were mounted to the wall. Only a bar of facial soap at the sinks. No lotion or other goodies (@Matt and Kelly).

View attachment 408936

I know there are lovers of rainfall shower heads. I am not one of them. Gently sprinkling water doesn’t do it for me. I was very thankful the shower had two options to choose from.

View attachment 408937

The jets on the hand-held were powerful, just the way I like.

This room was much bigger than any other moderate at WDW. It was bigger than some rooms at a deluxe (looking at you, WL and AKL.) Woody and I coined it, “Deluxe Lite”. The beds were very plush and the linens super soft. No noise-bleed from neighboring rooms. Lots of storage space. Plenty of room for a portable crib or rollaway (though not sure rollaways are available). Four adults could easily share the room and not feel cramped.

Color us impressed.
Nice!! I like all that space!
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
Woody and I sat down on a comfy loveseat and discussed how long we should wait before one of us (me) would join the line at the Front Desk to inquire about our room.

Then my phone buzzed. :happy:

Off to the elevators we went!

These weren’t just run-of-the-mill elevators. They were 21st century SMART elevators! I call them smart because they sure stumped a bunch of dumb people who could not figure out how to use them.

Not us though. We (and by we I mean Woody) are tech savvy. Just follow the directions.

Step One
View attachment 408905

Step Two
View attachment 408906

Step Three
View attachment 408907
And board!

There were six elevators: A, B and C on the right and D, E and F on the left. Once you selected your floor in Step One, Step Two revealed which elevator to board. Then the elevator letter illumined before the door opened for boarding.

Easy peasy!

Plus the trips up or down were super fast because the elevator only stopped at the pre-selected floors.

What was hard to get used to was there were NO FLOOR BUTTONS inside the elevator. Out of habit I always turned to push a button on the (absent) control panel whenever I entered an elevator. :facepalm: But at least I never entered an elevator without selecting the floor first! Several times we had guests walk into our open elevator and become befuddled when there were no buttons to push. Eventually I ended up asking guests who boarded if they had selected their floor outside the elevator.

Our room was on the 9th floor. Three days later I was glad we weren’t any higher. (You’ll find out why.)

Lots of color in the hallway! And hidden Mickeys in the carpet.
View attachment 408904

Upon opening our door we were greeted by huge entryway (pic does not do it justice)....

View attachment 408908

......a welcome letter from the CSR General Manager and

View attachment 408909

.....a personalized big screen TV!

View attachment 408910

But before checking out any of the room amenities, I had to check out the view!

View attachment 408912

View attachment 408911
(You can see the bridges I referenced earlier.)

And what is this?

View attachment 408913

Our room has a view of the Contemporary??!! And if we can see the Contemporary, you know what that means!!
🎆

Over the next couple days, I spent a lot of time gazing out at the gorgeous views. The resort felt miles away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks. It was very peaceful and soothing, similar to the sensations I get when staying at the Wilderness Lodge (except with a different theme.)

We have these elevators at work. It's amazing how many people get stumped by them.

The ones at work are designed to be by person not by party. So they want us to go through the floor selection once for each person in our party. We almost never do lol
 

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