Trip Report The Tuvalu Chronicles ~ Chapter 25 COMPLETED

oufpat · Jun 20, 2019

Looking forward to your trip report, they always make me smile!

InLovew/disney · Jun 20, 2019

We were fortunate enough to stay at WL this past November at Thanksgiving time. Our second stay there and it won’t be our last. Love the feeling of this resort. Laid back, beautiful, and convenient. A bonus was the Christmas decorations. Beautiful!

Mickey Waffles · Jun 21, 2019

Yay!! Sorry I’m late to the party, but I’ll be here for the duration. I was sooo hoping you’d be chronicling another “summer-long adventure” once again this year. I love nothing more than reading your reports while I’m off for the summer. I too am a teacher and celebrated with your daughter Em in spirit (lol) the morning she posted of her official first day of summer va-Kay!! Nothing beats that feeling!! :happy:

I have learned so much from your various reports which I’ve in turn utilized during my own family vacations. And for that, I must say -thank you!! I most definitely am a long time reader/lurker and haven’t previously commented on anyone’s trip reports. But I hope to change that and think your 25th report deserves it!! Wishing you many, many more wonderful (& magical) trips to come with your family in the bubble!! Hope you have a blast this summer!!

susan lees · Jun 21, 2019

Tuvalu said:
Saturday, June 8

Em and I had decided last night to not hurry this morning, since we had no agenda until evening and we assumed our room would not be ready until 3 pm.

Our beds were quite comfy and both of us slept well. The Holiday Inn had a nice pool area which we had considered trying out but it was raining. We had no complaints at all about the hotel. The only negative for us is it was not “in the bubble.” We are bubble people. Yes there are many wonderful, nicer and cheaper resorts outside Disney property....but they are smack-dab in the middle of the real world. Em and I prefer not to have reality encroach on our fantasy.

We were enjoying our Entenmann’s and watching TV when Em’s phone buzzed with an alert. She squealed with glee, “Our room is ready!”

It was 8:45 am.

But we stuck to our “no rushing” plan and it was a couple hours until we saw this glorious sight.

View attachment 382760
(We may have been chanting, “Bubble! Bubble! Bubble!” at this point.)

Look, another Welcome arch!

View attachment 382762

So happy to see you again, Wilderness Lodge!

View attachment 382761

We parked, grabbed our stuff and headed for the lobby. The majority of our stays at WL have been during the holiday season. We love the decorations and the Christmassy feel of the resort. Our last visit was in December.

“But where is the Christmas tree?” Em sighed as we walked through the lobby.

She sent the following pic to Woody bemoaning its absence.

View attachment 382763

We made our way to the elevator in search of our room.

We're not staying in the bubble this November

and in Feb splitting DS and hopefully WL (depending on cast member discount lol). We've got a West coast trip next summer with Disneyland so had to budget so we can get over a couple of times. 2021 we will be fully bubbled

MissViv · Jun 21, 2019

Following …. a little late but glad to be here! LOVE your trip reports and love your love of Disney.

Hope you get to feeling better soon and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

LeighM · Jun 21, 2019

R and I briefly discussed the option of staying offsite for our next Disney trip but we just can't do it. We're also bubble people. Part of why my husband enjoys Disney so much is never having to drive for the entire week we're there LOL. I know other resorts offer shuttles but it's not the same as Disney's.

DisneyGigi · Jun 21, 2019

Disney Bubble for us too. We stayed at some really nice places offsite back in the day, but to me even a value was better because of the Bubble. I couldn’t go back to a value now either though, I don’t think.

susan lees · Jun 21, 2019

LeighM said:
R and I briefly discussed the option of staying offsite for our next Disney trip but we just can't do it. We're also bubble people. Part of why my husband enjoys Disney so much is never having to drive for the entire week we're there LOL. I know other resorts offer shuttles but it's not the same as Disney's.

We are not driving. Uber is our friend lol

mouse_luv · Jun 21, 2019

The bubble always!

MissViv · Jun 22, 2019

Bubble for us too! Used to stay offsite back in the 70's & 80's but no more. Have to be in the Bubble, it's just NOT Disney without it!!

MeeskaMooska0714 · Jun 22, 2019

We stayed off site for my first two trips (one as a kid and then for our honeymoon). I am 100% a bubble person, however, we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria for our honeymoon so I would stay out of the bubble for that again!

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

I’ve brought out the champagne

for all of us bubble peeps!

bee said:
I'm totally the same way. When we lived in Florida we almost never stayed onsite because we could go anytime. Now we are allllll about the bubble. I don't want the real world ruining my magical vacation!!!

LadyBelle said:
It's all about the bubble. Nothing else will do.

myhappyplace said:
Bubble person here too. My husband would agree, though he would be referring to his frequent comment that I need to be in a bubble, but...

LeighM said:
R and I briefly discussed the option of staying offsite for our next Disney trip but we just can't do it. We're also bubble people. Part of why my husband enjoys Disney so much is never having to drive for the entire week we're there LOL. I know other resorts offer shuttles but it's not the same as Disney's.

DisneyGigi said:
Disney Bubble for us too. We stayed at some really nice places offsite back in the day, but to me even a value was better because of the Bubble. I couldn’t go back to a value now either though, I don’t think.

mouse_luv said:
The bubble always!

MissViv said:
Bubble for us too! Used to stay offsite back in the 70's & 80's but no more. Have to be in the Bubble, it's just NOT Disney without it!!

MeeskaMooska0714 said:
We stayed off site for my first two trips (one as a kid and then for our honeymoon). I am 100% a bubble person, however, we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria for our honeymoon so I would stay out of the bubble for that again!

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

gobstoper27 said:
Will we be able to catch a glimpse of the tree during our Nov 12-17 trip this year? Or is that too early for hotel decorations? We're planning to visit some resorts during our downtime and was curious..

I know the resorts have a different timetable for holiday decorations than the parks and that the order of which resort gets done first, second, etc. varies from year to year.

Usually all resorts are decked out by Thanksgiving week, but with Thanksgiving being late this year (11/28) it may push decorating to later in the month. Your dates might be a smidge too early. Our check-out date at WL one year was November 22 (Thanksgiving was 11/27) and the resort still did not have the tree or any decorations up.

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

youngdeb said:
Add me to the list of those looking forward to another WL trip report We just booked our stay for January 2020. Feels like forever to wait but from everything everyone has shared about the resort, it will be worth it!

InLovew/disney said:
We were fortunate enough to stay at WL this past November at Thanksgiving time. Our second stay there and it won’t be our last. Love the feeling of this resort. Laid back, beautiful, and convenient. A bonus was the Christmas decorations. Beautiful!

I love the Lodge! I have had a few not-so-magical experiences there over the years, but none that have prevented me from returning.

Mickey Waffles said:
Yay!! Sorry I’m late to the party, but I’ll be here for the duration. I was sooo hoping you’d be chronicling another “summer-long adventure” once again this year. I love nothing more than reading your reports while I’m off for the summer. I too am a teacher and celebrated with your daughter Em in spirit (lol) the morning she posted of her official first day of summer va-Kay!! Nothing beats that feeling!! I have learned so much from your various reports which I’ve in turn utilized during my own family vacations. And for that, I must say -thank you!! I most definitely am a long time reader/lurker and haven’t previously commented on anyone’s trip reports. But I hope to change that and think your 25th report deserves it!! Wishing you many, many more wonderful (& magical) trips to come with your family in the bubble!! Hope you have a blast this summer!!

Thank you so much for your kind words. I will do my best to keep you in the world vicariously this summer!

oufpat said:
Looking forward to your trip report, they always make me smile!

MissViv said:
Following …. a little late but glad to be here! LOVE your trip reports and love your love of Disney.

Hope you get to feeling better soon and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

Glad to have you both following!

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

amjt660 said:
A little late but I am following

I get the bubble concept and struggled in Cali the times we stayed offsite

But please clarify ..

Do I have to answer Moops or would you give it to me if I answered Moors?

Max

From you, I will accept either answer.

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

Saturday, con’t

This being our third WL stay in the last 12 months, I knew exactly where our room was located when we received our room number text. And that we would have a fully enclosed balcony.

Normally I am not a fan of the enclosed balcony because when you sit on the chairs you have no view of anything but tree tops and sky. But due to the predicted humid/rainy forecast, we likely wouldn’t be doing much balcony sitting anyway.

What mattered more to us was the potential for seeing MK fireworks.

Even though we were only on the 4th floor, the chance looked very promising.

I see you, monorail!

You too, Space Mountain!

I did not take any more room pics because nothing has changed since the pictures I’ve posted in previous reports. Which is kinda sad since we were informed by staff in December 2017 that a total room refurbishment for the non-DVC rooms was beginning in early 2018.

Guess all the money was spent on re-theming (or in Disney-speak “re-imagining”) Artist Point.

For those of you who might remember our deafening hammer drill room experience from six months ago, I sent these next two pics to Woody. I took them through the windows of the Artist Point overlook in our hallway.

Those trees that now make up the “forest” of Storybook Dining at Artist Point are attached by some strong, heavy cables....

....which needed to be installed by obnoxiously loud hammer drills.

Em and I did a quick unpack (although Em might disagree that it was “quick”.....she was hangry) and rode the elevator back down to the lobby to have lunch here ~

We did not have a reservation but figured Whispering Canyon could accommodate us. Though there were very few guests in the restaurant, we still had to wait over 10 minutes before being seated.

Next up: our favorite meal of our trip

Minnesota disney fan · Jun 22, 2019

I'm also very late, but love your trip reports

We are bubble people too. We think about off site but just can't be persuaded from our onsite bubble. Wilderness Lodge looks fantastic......My husband and I were at POFQ in December too, 6th thru the 16th.

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

While we did not receive Shirley Status in being seated immediately, the Shirley Status of being seated in a private area was apparent.

But the folks behind Em had exclusive Shirley Status.....a table by the window!

Perhaps because we’d made a last minute decision to dine here and had no expectations....or we were just so happy and relaxed....but lunch blew us away.

We had a hard time deciding what to order.

We started with the Burnt Ends Nachos. The Lodge has a smokehouse (one of the reasons for our enclosed balcony ~ the smokehouse was beneath it) and the resulting fork-tender meats have an amazing smoky flavor, no sauce required.

Crispy, hearty, so so good! We devoured them.

We also ordered sandwiches, under the pretext “we don’t have to finish them.”

Bison burger with Tillamook white cheddar for Em. She subbed regular fries for the suggested sweet potato fries.

Grilled chicken sandwich with roasted red pepper aioli for me. (And before you say, “you didn’t have the turkey?!” @Songbird76 ~ roasted red pepper anything > turkey. Every time.)

The fries were hot and perfectly seasoned. The burger was melt-in-your-mouth juicy. The chicken was yum-o.

We didn’t have to finish our sandwiches. But we did.

Our server was fun and participated in some of the shenanigans that go on in Whispering Canyon. She asked Em, “Would you like a refill of your Coke?” Em nodded.

This showed up.

(For size reference, Em’s original glass is on the left.)

Though the atmosphere is less rowdy during lunch (due to fewer diners) we laughed as others received excessive ketchup, were put in “jail” and hobbled around the dining room on a toy pony.

With amount of food Em and I consumed, we couldn’t possibly have room for dessert, right?

Wrong.

The warm chocolate ganache lava cake....a WC specialty....is a MUST.

We shared it. Em ate off one side and I ate off the other to avoid giving her my germs. We couldn’t finish it (though our mouths really wanted to!)

Stuffed, I suggested we go for a walk.

Tuvalu · Jun 22, 2019

The earlier rain had stopped and there was a *little* break in the cloud cover.

Geyser!

I spy the MK boat!

Duck for you, @DisneyGigi.

We strolled past the Boulder Ridge pool. It’s no secret we love this pool.

“I need to change into my swimsuit,” I announced to Em.

Fifteen minutes later we claimed our loungers and spent a blissful hour in the cool water.

Then: “The rain rain rain came down down down”

Nunu · Jun 22, 2019

Tuvalu said:
While we did not receive Shirley Status in being seated immediately, the Shirley Status of being seated in a private area was apparent.

View attachment 383161

But the folks behind Em had exclusive Shirley Status.....a table by the window!

View attachment 383159

Perhaps because we’d made a last minute decision to dine here and had no expectations....or we were just so happy and relaxed....but lunch blew us away.

We had a hard time deciding what to order.

View attachment 383160

We started with the Burnt Ends Nachos. The Lodge has a smokehouse (one of the reasons for our enclosed balcony ~ the smokehouse was beneath it) and the resulting fork-tender meats have an amazing smoky flavor, no sauce required.

View attachment 383163

Crispy, hearty, so so good! We devoured them.

We also ordered sandwiches, under the pretext “we don’t have to finish them.”

Bison burger with Tillamook white cheddar for Em. She subbed regular fries for the suggested sweet potato fries.

View attachment 383164

Grilled chicken sandwich with roasted red pepper aioli for me. (And before you say, “you didn’t have the turkey?!” @Songbird76 ~ roasted red pepper anything > turkey. Every time.)

View attachment 383165

The fries were hot and perfectly seasoned. The burger was melt-in-your-mouth juicy. The chicken was yum-o.

We didn’t have to finish our sandwiches. But we did.

Our server was fun and participated in some of the shenanigans that go on in Whispering Canyon. She asked Em, “Would you like a refill of your Coke?” Em nodded.

This showed up.

View attachment 383166
(For size reference, Em’s original glass is on the left.)

Though the atmosphere is less rowdy during lunch (due to fewer diners) we laughed as others received excessive ketchup, were put in “jail” and hobbled around the dining room on a toy pony.

With amount of food Em and I consumed, we couldn’t possibly have room for dessert, right?

Wrong.

View attachment 383167

The warm chocolate ganache lava cake....a WC specialty....is a MUST.

View attachment 383168

We shared it. Em ate off one side and I ate off the other to avoid giving her my germs. We couldn’t finish it (though our mouths really wanted to!)

Stuffed, I suggested we go for a walk.

Another delicious chocolate dessert for @Tuvalu ?!

I haven't forgotten this one:

Hahaha!

Trip Report The Tuvalu Chronicles ~ Chapter 25 COMPLETED

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Trip Report The Tuvalu Chronicles ~ Chapter 25 *COMPLETED*

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Trip Report The Tuvalu Chronicles ~ Chapter 25 COMPLETED