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.

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.

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

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! )

 

[mouse_luv]

Tevas, the "un"Official Shoe of @Tuvalu 's TR!

Look at these colors, cute!
View attachment 383707
I don't use Tevas at WDW , because of the exposed toes, I'm always the one being stepped on!

These are the Teva I wear

 

[Tuvalu]

There was no line at the Be Our Guest kiosk when I checked in for lunch. We had preordered our food and walked down the left side of the bridge right into the restaurant. The CM asked if there were any changes to our order before I paid. Em and I always share the same thing: carved turkey sandwich with green beans jardinière, a side of fries and Master’s cupcake. Em decided to swap the Master’s cupcake for a strawberry cupcake. I paid and we went to find a table in our usual room.

We passed many available tables in the Ballroom and as you can see there were plenty of open tables in the Rose Gallery.

So we never expected to wait 20 minutes for our food to arrive.

During that time two different CMs came by and looked at our receipt. Before the second CM left I asked if she would take a picture of us.

“Of course!”

She began to back up, moving further and further away from us.

“I’m trying to get all of the portrait,” she announced.

But I don’t care about the portrait. I just want a picture of me and my daughter.

This was the result. And she still didn’t get all of the portrait.

FINALLY our food arrived. The server set down our plates. The green beans jardinière were MIA.

“What’s this?” I inquired, pointing at the dish next to the turkey sandwich. “I ordered green beans.”

“Those are the veggies,” she replied. “We don’t have green beans anymore. There was a menu change.”

AND THE CM WHO REVIEWED MY PREORDER DID NOT MENTION THIS LITTLE DETAIL WHY???!!

I took one taste of the vegetable mush. Em wouldn’t even try it.

I pulled up the menu online. Turns out there were significant changes to the lunch menu. Gone is the braised pork, quinoa salad, and vegetable quiche in addition to the green beans jardinière.

Fortunately the turkey sandwich was as good as always. And Em said the strawberry cupcake was delish....she preferred it over the Master’s cupcake.

But to not inform guests who had preordered about the menu change?




Edit: The vegetable mush is actually a small portion of the Cannellini Bean Cassoulet entreè.

 

[Nunu]

These are the Teva I wear

Nice!

 

[Nunu]

I don't know what it is about AK feeling more hot and humid than the other 3 parks! Maybe it's all the vegetation? I don't know!
We even joke about it when we are at home and it's hot, we use "Harambe" as a code word, as in "OMG it's hot, Harambe!"

I can't believe they took out the braised pork from the BOG menu, noooooo!

You are right, that vegetable concoction looks sad and uninspired!

 

[Loco_driver]

Love your TRs.! We just had a very similar experience at BOG yesterday. Waited 25 minutes for food to arrive, and when it did it was only my wife’s food. I had to wait another 10 minutes for mine to come out!

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

By now we were both sweating profusely. We needed a break from stifling humidity. Something indoors with refreshing a/c.

At first glance I read that first line as swearing profusely. I thought that seemed quite out of character and then re-read a little more carefully.

 

[Darstarr]

I'm with Em. I've recently determined that I don't really care for sweet potato fries. In fact, I might like guacamole more than I like sweet potato fries. Hmmmm... All those mushy vegetables are kinda related, but I think the dip option is better than the mushy stick form.

Me and my texture issues...

Loving tagging along on the 25th! Thanks for taking me...

No!!!
We are not doing the guacamole thing again!!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Tevas, the "un"Official Shoe of @Tuvalu 's TR!

Look at these colors, cute!

Wow -- is that something new this year? I've never seen bright colors like that from Teva before, and they usually have some sort of pattern (in different colors).

I don't know what it is about AK feeling more hot and humid than the other 3 parks! Maybe it's all the vegetation? I don't know!
We even joke about it when we are at home and it's hot, we use "Harambe" as a code word, as in "OMG it's hot, Harambe!"

My own theory about the oppressive humidity in AK, is due to all the vegetation around the park. I'm thinking the plants hold a lot of water which "might" increase the humidity level. Again, it's only a hunch, but if you compare AK to the other parks, none of them have so much dense vegetation along the pathways.

 

[MinnieM123]

Instead we went flying.

Believe it or not, I've never been on the flying carpets. I've been on Dumbo and Triceratop Spin, but for whatever reason, never made it on the carpets.

The mind boggling part was that I agreed to do it. It had been years....likely decades....since I had entered the queue for the treehouse.

I really like the treehouse. To me, it's the nostalgia of one of the original attractions -- and I loved the story as a child. Climbed up it many times.

“Um, you’re right in front of the exit,” I said to her. (There was no way to open the gate.)

“Yeah,” she replied non-chalantly.

WELL COULD YOU MOVE?!!! I wanted to yell at her. Instead I gave her a helpless look, hoping she would get the hint.

She didn’t get the hint.

“We can’t get out,” I finally said. She inched the Harley ECV a few inches forward and sighed.

You meet all kinds in the parks . . .

 

[PacNWTigger]

I almost got that song mixed up with drip drip drop little April showers...

 

[fractal]

Happy to see Shirley status still reigns!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

When the doors to the stretching room opened into the hall of doombuggies, an Asian man literally pushed Em and an older couple out of the way so that he and his two boys could rush toward the doombuggies before anyone else.

Awwwww, that's too bad about those people pushing. I've noticed it's not limited to a subset of people. There are plenty of people at Disney who are on their "once in a lifetime trip" and think it's okay to just run over or into everyone....or stop in the middle of a pathway or at an exit (like the treehouse woman). Sad.

Woody was not with us. Someone had to wave at Ariel and Eric.

This is special. My family now does the wave.

 

[Nunu]

Wow -- is that something new this year? I've never seen bright colors like that from Teva before, and they usually have some sort of pattern (in different colors).



My own theory about the oppressive humidity in AK, is due to all the vegetation around the park. I'm thinking the plants hold a lot of water which "might" increase the humidity level. Again, it's only a hunch, but if you compare AK to the other parks, none of them have so much dense vegetation along the pathways.

It's a collaboration called Outdoor Voices x Teva, you can get them online for $85. The collection is limited edition for Summer '09. I like the fun colors!

 

[DisneyGigi]

The braised pork is gone?????? No!!!!! I loved the green beans too.

 

[LeighM]

I don't know what it is about AK feeling more hot and humid than the other 3 parks! Maybe it's all the vegetation? I don't know!
We even joke about it when we are at home and it's hot, we use "Harambe" as a code word, as in "OMG it's hot, Harambe!"

A CM once told me it felt more humid at AK because of all the tree cover trapping in the heat/humidity.

 

[93boomer]

Wow -- is that something new this year? I've never seen bright colors like that from Teva before, and they usually have some sort of pattern (in different colors).



My own theory about the oppressive humidity in AK, is due to all the vegetation around the park. I'm thinking the plants hold a lot of water which "might" increase the humidity level. Again, it's only a hunch, but if you compare AK to the other parks, none of them have so much dense vegetation along the pathways.

I agree with the humidity level due to the plants.

 

[Tuvalu]

I don't know what it is about AK feeling more hot and humid than the other 3 parks! Maybe it's all the vegetation? I don't know!

My own theory about the oppressive humidity in AK, is due to all the vegetation around the park. I'm thinking the plants hold a lot of water which "might" increase the humidity level. Again, it's only a hunch, but if you compare AK to the other parks, none of them have so much dense vegetation along the pathways.

A CM once told me it felt more humid at AK because of all the tree cover trapping in the heat/humidity.

I agree with the humidity level due to the plants.

"Greenhouse Effect"

 

[Tuvalu]

I love climbing the treehouse during the holidays to see the Castle all lit up
WE got engaged in Cinderella's Castle in 2014! I hope the couple has a long, happy marriage!

This is special. My family now does the wave.

Wow, I bet the view of the illuminated Castle is gorgeous!! And I can see why the Castle holds a special place in your heart.
Your family doing the wave makes me smile.

 

[Tuvalu]

Mind fart, Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge. Not the first time I've mixed up Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness up in my head and everywhere else.
For years I've mentally bucketed both of them into Fort Wilderness - "that's the Campground area of WDW" and never gave it much thought. Then see CCV as a DVC availability and bought some points there, and then toured Wilderness Lodge in January on a 1 day Disney Springs jaunt from Tampa and was just floored that the pics of everything there didn't do reality justice to me and was very happy we have points there.

FTFY

Believe it or not, I've never been on the flying carpets. I've been on Dumbo and Triceratop Spin, but for whatever reason, never made it on the carpets.
I really like the treehouse. To me, it's the nostalgia of one of the original attractions -- and I loved the story as a child. Climbed up it many times.

Well you need to ride the flying carpets on your next trip!
Agree that the treehouse is very nostalgic and TBH I would miss seeing it if it was gone.....just don't like to climb it!

I almost got that song mixed up with drip drip drop little April showers...

I can see the similarity.
Although the rain I seem to encounter at WDW is more Pooh than Bambi!

Happy to see Shirley status still reigns!

More to come....

 

[Tuvalu]

I can't believe they took out the braised pork from the BOG menu, noooooo!

The braised pork is gone?????? No!!!!! I loved the green beans too.

"Braised chicken" is the new braised pork. A woman at the table next to us had it and it looked awful.

We just had a very similar experience at BOG yesterday. Waited 25 minutes for food to arrive, and when it did it was only my wife’s food. I had to wait another 10 minutes for mine to come out!

Well this makes me ! Thanks for sharing.