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! )

 

[Darstarr]

I bought some foldable silicone straws for this next trip... but they stink to high heaven.... I washed them, and now I'm going to let them sit out and see if the stench will go away, otherwise I"m going to need a plan b.

Tips for lids?

Do what I do,
drink it down in one gulp

 

[amjt660]

Thanks for helping me SEE clearly, Max!

Oh, is the rain gone?

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

I bought some foldable silicone straws for this next trip... but they stink to high heaven.... I washed them, and now I'm going to let them sit out and see if the stench will go away, otherwise I"m going to need a plan b.

Tips for lids?

We plan to bring a few CFA straws with us next trip.
Lid Tip: Walk SLOWLY and CAREFULLY

Do what I do,
drink it down in one gulp

Two words: COLD HEADACHE!!

Oh, is the rain gone?

Max

I can see all obstacles in my way.

 

[Tuvalu]

Can’t blame this late addition on Callan.

My fault for forgetting to include these pictures earlier.

Before leaving MK, I made us stop for PP pics. I planned to group them with the PP pics from Epcot.....but you know how that turned out!

 

[Mamaof5]

We plan to bring a few CFA straws with us next trip.
Lid Tip: Walk SLOWLY and CAREFULLY


Two words: COLD HEADACHE!!


I can see all obstacles in my way.

I always have at least 5 CFA straws in my purse. My kids make fun of me, but you never know when one of those straws is going to come in handy!

 

[12in12]

I bought some foldable silicone straws for this next trip... but they stink to high heaven.... I washed them, and now I'm going to let them sit out and see if the stench will go away, otherwise I"m going to need a plan b.

Tips for lids?

Bamboo straws are a good options.

 

[Tuvalu]

sorry if i missed it but what is a CFA straw?

Chick-Fil-A

 

[Songbird76]

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.

View attachment 383844

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.

View attachment 383845

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

View attachment 383846

“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.

View attachment 383848

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.

wait...what?? When did they get rid of the braised beef or pork or whatever is was? I had seen on DFB that they had changed the menu, but I don't think there was a mention of that dish being gone! I guess I will have to rethink what I want to get there!

 

[Rista1313]

wait...what?? When did they get rid of the braised beef or pork or whatever is was? I had seen on DFB that they had changed the menu, but I don't think there was a mention of that dish being gone! I guess I will have to rethink what I want to get there!

It was pork, now they changed it to braised chicken, just a few weeks ago.

 

[Songbird76]

Paper straws and frozen drinks do not mix! I ended up having to drink my Island Sunset strawless.

But I thought you weren't supposed to drink frozen drinks with a straw at all. Isn't that what your mom said?

(We already got some of the re-usable straws for our trip to avoid the paper ones.)

 

[Rista1313]

Lid Tip: Walk SLOWLY and CAREFULLY

Well that's not gonna happen, what else ya got?

 

[susan lees]

I bought some foldable silicone straws for this next trip... but they stink to high heaven.... I washed them, and now I'm going to let them sit out and see if the stench will go away, otherwise I"m going to need a plan b.

Tips for lids?

I bought some hard reusable plastic straws which can go in dishwasher. Bought them at the party section of one of our large supermarkets in UK so Wal-Mart or target might stock them. I take a few with me wherever I go now.

 

[mlegerto]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 CONGRATULATIONS ON BEAUTIFUL OLLIE!!!!!!!!!! I hope parenting brings you lots of joy and you and DH remember you are a team!

Easy to forget sometimes, but you are 100% correct. Thank you!

 

[myhappyplace]

Bamboo straws are a good options.

I use metal straws with a silicone top, and carry them with me everywhere. I didn't take them to Disney, however...I just drank everything without a straw.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I use metal straws with a silicone top, and carry them with me everywhere. I didn't take them to Disney, however...I just drank everything without a straw.

Yeah, I'm too disorganized and lazy to carry straws with me. I just drink without, too.

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, June 12

Today was our last full day and we were determined not to waste a minute of it!

Em and I were up early, had a quick breakfast in the room and were out the door shortly before 8 am.

I did stop to capture the quiet beauty of the Lodge with a few snapshots.

The outdoor patio accessible from the 4th floor.

Nope, not headed to MK! (Yet....)

Gotta say the new DHS bus depot still impresses us. Even when getting dropped off at the far end.

Moving gondolas and peppy music add vibrancy to what could be a ho-hum area.

The expanded security screening station had recently opened and we made it through in a jiffy.

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and I ended up in the crowd on Hollywood Blvd. waiting for rope drop.

I had to take a pic of this guest’s tattoo. Isn’t it impressive?!

We overheard the chatter around us.

“I thought Toy Story Land was in the Magic Kingdom,” a befuddled woman said to her companion.

No, honey. Just stay put and in a few moments you’ll be swept away with the rest of us who are hurrying to get here:

 

[Tuvalu]

While most of the TSL crowd was hustling to join the Slinky Dog queue, Em and I bypassed it.

The back of the land was practically empty. Em and I wanted to ride Alien Swirling Saucers before the line got long. Waiting in that uncovered queue in summer is brutal!

We walked without stopping until the place where the CM assigns you a number to stand on. We just had to wait until the current cycle was completed. Then we boarded our saucer.

We love this simple ride. Whenever the saucer whips around, we giggle uncontrollably.

Pro Tip: Always hold on to your belongings securely. Bad things can happen if you don’t.

I speak from experience. I foolishly had left my purse in my lap, forgetting to put my arm through the strap. As our saucer went into its second “whip” my purse flew off my lap and landed on the turntable across from us.

Immediately the ride slowed and came to a complete stop. I was trying not to laugh at my stupidity, but Em’s embarrassment was palpable. The CM handled the situation with grace. Saying nothing about the purse that had shut down one side of the attraction, she apologized for our “short ride” and instructed us to leave our Saucers and line up on the same number on the other side.

“We want you to have the full experience!” she said cheerfully.

As riders began to leave she walked over and picked up my purse. I quickly made my way over to her and before I was able to say, “I’m sorry” she smiled and said, “I didn’t want your belongings to get crushed.”

How sweet!

Thanks to her discretion, most of those riding with us likely had no idea why the attraction shut down.

And we all got a second ride!

My arm was through my purse strap. That puppy was going nowhere!

 

[Darstarr]

im not sure but i think i saw the eyes open

@StarBurst I dont want to derail @Tuvalu ’s TR but please tell me how when you repost a picture you get the entire picture? I hit reply and only get a little peak of the top. As demonstrated in this post.

 

[MinnieM123]

I foolishly had left my purse in my lap, forgetting to put my arm through the strap. As our saucer went into its second “whip” my purse flew off my lap and landed on the turntable across from us.

Atta girl !!