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! )

 

[k8einwdw]

BREAKING NEWS........

Em gets to take a holiday trip to the world this year after all!!
Mother/daughter trip countdown 75 days!

Yayyy! You and Em’s trip reports are what got me hooked on reading the trip reports on here! How special that you’ll get to spend some mother-daughter time together during the most magical time of year at the most magical place on Earth!

 

[DisneyGigi]

It was his suggestion and his gift to us. ❤

Woody is a keeper! He reminds me of how B is with me and Disney. You can tell he would do anything to make you smile. I love that!

 

[Nunu]

So happy for you and Em!

I was (not so) secretly hoping to see you in December, Frank wants to meet you too! Unfortunately for us, our dates won't match.

Mr Woody is a sweetheart!

 

[93boomer]

BREAKING NEWS........

Em gets to take a holiday trip to the world this year after all!!
Mother/daughter trip countdown 75 days!

Doing my second happy dance!!!!!

 

[I'mwatchinguWizowski]

How exciting!! We will be there too!! Can’t wait!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Yayyy! You and Em’s trip reports are what got me hooked on reading the trip reports on here! How special that you’ll get to spend some mother-daughter time together during the most magical time of year at the most magical place on Earth!

Thanks for your kind words.

Woody is a keeper! He reminds me of how B is with me and Disney. You can tell he would do anything to make you smile. I love that!

You and I got a couple of good ones, that’s for sure!

So happy for you and Em!

I was (not so) secretly hoping to see you in December, Frank wants to meet you too! Unfortunately for us, our dates won't match.

Mr Woody is a sweetheart!

Dates don’t match =

Doing my second happy dance!!!!!

How exciting!! We will be there too!! Can’t wait!!

Make sure to say hi if you see us!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday, con’t

Once back in our room after the early-morning “excitement” we took showers, ate donuts and packed up. I received our room ready text from the Grand Floridian and was giddy ~ no need to stow our stuff with Bell Services now!

I made sure to stop at the Front Desk to officially check out since it was well before 11 am. I’ve learned that with a split stay, if you leave resort #1 prior to 11 am (when the system automatically checks you out) and aren’t manually checked out, it can pose issues at resort #2 (MagicBands won’t work to open doors, can’t charge etc.)

There was a long line of course. But none of the guests were complaining about the false fire alarm. In fact, none of the 4 CMs working the Front Desk were even aware that something had happened. When I was asked, “Did you enjoy your stay?” and replied “Yes, except for having to evacuate at 6 am for the fire alarm” she was genuinely surprised, as were the other CMs.

I was genuinely surprised that the cast wasn’t prepped in advance about the event and how to handle guest comments.

Oh well, overall we’d had a really great stay at Gran Destino Tower and would not hesitate to return.

We stopped at the Speedway to fuel up. The gondolas were running and as I sat in the car and watched, they seemed so out of place along a busy road in front of a gas station! And although the vents were open, I couldn’t help but wonder how hot the interior was, considering it was already almost 90 degrees outside.

A few minutes later we were welcomed to our home for the next 4 nights.

We bypassed the Front Desk expecting that our MagicBands should work. (They did.)

This was my 3rd stay at the GF this year and the first that I did not book a lagoon view room (none available.) So I was pleased that we could see part of the lagoon from our patio.

It was our first time in Conch Key.

Woody was not happy with our room location. Our first floor room (seen in pic above) was right next to the main entrance and the elevator inside the building. In front of our patio were two parking spaces for maintenance vehicles and luggage carts. To say the room was noisy and lacked privacy was an understatement. But I was happy we could settle in immediately and figured we could make do. (Sound familiar @MegRuss626?)

Obligatory room pics:

 

[DryerLintFan]

Tuesday, con’t

Once back in our room after the early-morning “excitement” we took showers, ate donuts and packed up. I received our room ready text from the Grand Floridian and was giddy ~ no need to stow our stuff with Bell Services now!

I made sure to stop at the Front Desk to officially check out since it was well before 11 am. I’ve learned that with a split stay, if you leave resort #1 prior to 11 am (when the system automatically checks you out) and aren’t manually checked out, it can pose issues at resort #2 (MagicBands won’t work to open doors, can’t charge etc.)

There was a long line of course. But none of the guests were complaining about the false fire alarm. In fact, none of the 4 CMs working the Front Desk were even aware that something had happened. When I was asked, “Did you enjoy your stay?” and replied “Yes, except for having to evacuate at 6 am for the fire alarm” she was genuinely surprised, as were the other CMs.

I was genuinely surprised that the cast wasn’t prepped in advance about the event and how to handle guest comments.

Oh well, overall we’d had a really great stay at Gran Destino Tower and would not hesitate to return.

We stopped at the Speedway to fuel up. The gondolas were running and as I sat in the car and watched, they seemed so out of place along a busy road in front of a gas station! And although the vents were open, I couldn’t help but wonder how hot the interior was, considering it was already almost 90 degrees outside.

View attachment 416674

A few minutes later we were welcomed to our home for the next 4 nights.

View attachment 416675

We bypassed the Front Desk expecting that our MagicBands should work. (They did.)

This was my 3rd stay at the GF this year and the first that I did not book a lagoon view room (none available.) So I was pleased that we could see part of the lagoon from our patio.

View attachment 416678

It was our first time in Conch Key.

View attachment 416679

Woody was not happy with our room location. Our first floor room (seen in pic above) was right next to the main entrance and the elevator inside the building. In front of our patio were two parking spaces for maintenance vehicles and luggage carts. To say the room was noisy and lacked privacy was an understatement. But I was happy we could settle in immediately and figured we could make do. (Sound familiar @MegRuss626?)

Obligatory room pics:

View attachment 416676

View attachment 416677

It's a beautiful room, but this might be one of those times you would have been happier waiting on a better room. Hoping that's not the case, though.

 

[Tuvalu]

It's a beautiful room, but this might be one of those times you would have been happier waiting on a better room. Hoping that's not the case, though.

Patience paid off....eventually.

 

[93boomer]

Tuesday, con’t

Once back in our room after the early-morning “excitement” we took showers, ate donuts and packed up. I received our room ready text from the Grand Floridian and was giddy ~ no need to stow our stuff with Bell Services now!

I made sure to stop at the Front Desk to officially check out since it was well before 11 am. I’ve learned that with a split stay, if you leave resort #1 prior to 11 am (when the system automatically checks you out) and aren’t manually checked out, it can pose issues at resort #2 (MagicBands won’t work to open doors, can’t charge etc.)

There was a long line of course. But none of the guests were complaining about the false fire alarm. In fact, none of the 4 CMs working the Front Desk were even aware that something had happened. When I was asked, “Did you enjoy your stay?” and replied “Yes, except for having to evacuate at 6 am for the fire alarm” she was genuinely surprised, as were the other CMs.

I was genuinely surprised that the cast wasn’t prepped in advance about the event and how to handle guest comments.

Oh well, overall we’d had a really great stay at Gran Destino Tower and would not hesitate to return.

We stopped at the Speedway to fuel up. The gondolas were running and as I sat in the car and watched, they seemed so out of place along a busy road in front of a gas station! And although the vents were open, I couldn’t help but wonder how hot the interior was, considering it was already almost 90 degrees outside.

View attachment 416674

A few minutes later we were welcomed to our home for the next 4 nights.

View attachment 416675

We bypassed the Front Desk expecting that our MagicBands should work. (They did.)

This was my 3rd stay at the GF this year and the first that I did not book a lagoon view room (none available.) So I was pleased that we could see part of the lagoon from our patio.

View attachment 416678

It was our first time in Conch Key.

View attachment 416679

Woody was not happy with our room location. Our first floor room (seen in pic above) was right next to the main entrance and the elevator inside the building. In front of our patio were two parking spaces for maintenance vehicles and luggage carts. To say the room was noisy and lacked privacy was an understatement. But I was happy we could settle in immediately and figured we could make do. (Sound familiar @MegRuss626?)

Obligatory room pics:

View attachment 416676

View attachment 416677

Nice! Sorry about the location though. They should have known you have”Shirley status”!

 

[MegRuss626]

But I was happy we could settle in immediately and figured we could make do. (Sound familiar @MegRuss626?)

The Conch Key building strikes again!!

 

[Rista1313]

I made sure to stop at the Front Desk to officially check out since it was well before 11 am. I’ve learned that with a split stay, if you leave resort #1 prior to 11 am (when the system automatically checks you out) and aren’t manually checked out, it can pose issues at resort #2 (MagicBands won’t work to open doors, can’t charge etc.)

Well I learned that the hard way last trip... and now that I have learned that lesson, I will remember!

 

[Tuvalu]

Two things factored into what happened next ~
1. The stress from the unusual start to our day
2. The prediction of heavy rain from Hurricane Dorian at the end of the week

Woody looked at my indecisive shall I start to unpack or should we head for the bus stop? face and suggested 86ing our original plan. “Why don’t we spend today at the pool and postpone going to the Studios until Friday?”

I liked what I heard. In a matter of minutes I modified our Mama’s ADR and cancelled and rebooked FPs. Then we leisurely unpacked and suited up for the pool.

It ended up being the BEST decision.

Not only did the water look refreshing, it was refreshing!

And there wasn’t a single lovebug, @Doc Disney. When we were here in May lovebugs were swarming the pool deck and landing in the water.

While I sunned and swam, Woody relaxed in a shady lounger.

Our Nirvana was spoiled for a brief time by the LOUD landscaping blowers. Every time we’ve visited the Courtyard Pool, some gardener is walking around with a blower. I guess GF management wants all the walkways pristine.....ALL the time!

When our tummies began to rumble I offered to be the food runner. Surprisingly there was no pool server today. I slipped on my coverup and set off for Beaches pool bar.

The Courtyard pool bar does not have food. Beaches has a limited selection. Our other option was Gasparilla’s, but after checking menus online we declared Beaches the winner.

Food is prepared to order, so I sat at an umbrella table and waited. It seemed to take an extraordinarily long time....I think it was because grandpa delivery man couldn’t find my table marker!

Everything we needed for our yummy lunch was boxed and bagged. I made the trek back to the Courtyard Pool and we were finally able to eat!

Angus cheeseburger and homemade chips for me.

I’m usually not much of a burger gal, but this juicy patty on a fresh brioche bun hit the spot! The chips were good though I only ate a few since the burger had all my attention.

Chili cheese dog with homemade chips for Woody.

This was messy....Woody ended up using a knife and fork to consume it....but he really enjoyed it. And unlike me, he finished his chips.

 

[Tuvalu]

While we were waiting out the “30 minutes after eating before swimming” protocol, we witnessed a fun encounter of the character kind.

Tigger jumped through the hula hoops....

....then insisted on hula hooping Pooh!

Afterwards Pooh began a game of Connect Four with a pint-sized Buzz Lightyear.

All too soon our friends left for the Hundred Acre Wood.

But it was time for us to get in the water! Woody and I floated and swam until the sky looked like this ~

We returned to an unserviced room (Grrrr....) so we sat out on our patio expecting to watch it rain.

Only it never did. Housekeeping finally showed up at 4 pm. Let’s just say Woody’s opinion of our room location did not improve.

 

[Tuvalu]

Similar to Sunday, today became a no-parks, resort-only day. I booked a last minute dinner ADR (which wasn’t really necessary) and Woody & I went for a stroll around the grounds before checking in.

Hello, Contemporary!

Conch Key is the closest building to the boat dock.

Can somebody trim those trees? We wanna see Cindy’s Castle!

We’d had an excellent dining experience at Narcoossee’s in May. In hindsight we should have eaten here again. But we’ve always had good luck at another GF restaurant and expected the same tonight.

Sadly we couldn’t rate this meal at the Grand Floridian Cafe any higher than “OK.”

The location of our table? Just ok. We prefer sitting in the back room, or next to a window. (Or the ultimate~ a window table in the back room!)

We also had families seated on either side of us which was awkward only because there were plenty of available tables throughout the restaurant.

To put it politely, our server was a dud. She didn’t even reach “OK” status. Her speech was difficult to understand, she rushed us to order and then ignored us for most of the meal. I desperately needed a refill of water and she was nowhere to be found.

Now the food.

The bread service had changed from warm sourdough rolls to room temperature brown wheat rolls. Meh.

I was intrigued by the Heirloom Apple Salad on the appetizer menu. I’d had an amazing Heirloom Apple Salad at Tiffins once, so I thought I’d give this one a try.

This salad was HUGE. Like entrée size HUGE. Had the server mentioned the size, I wouldn’t have ordered a main course. It wasn’t nearly as good as Tiffins salad, but it was tasty and I could have finished it.....but did not because there was more food coming.

Buttermilk fried chicken with loaded smashed potatoes and warmed bacon vinaigrette

The smashed potatoes were (say it) OK. The chicken was also OK, once I scraped the sauce off. I adore bacon, but this sauce was awful. It wasn’t warmed. It tasted like vinegar, not rendered bacon fat.

I wished I’d eaten all the salad and skipped the chicken dish.

Woody fared better with his Turkey Meatloaf which also came with smashed potatoes....except they weren’t “loaded”?

He said it was fine, which we all know equates to “OK”.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Similar to Sunday, today became a no-parks, resort-only day. I booked a last minute dinner ADR (which wasn’t really necessary) and Woody & I went for a stroll around the grounds before checking in.

View attachment 416826

Hello, Contemporary!

View attachment 416824

Conch Key is the closest building to the boat dock.

View attachment 416825
Can somebody trim those trees? We wanna see Cindy’s Castle!

We’d had an excellent dining experience at Narcoossee’s in May. In hindsight we should have eaten here again. But we’ve always had good luck at another GF restaurant and expected the same tonight.

View attachment 416827

Sadly we couldn’t rate this meal at the Grand Floridian Cafe any higher than “OK.”

The location of our table? Just ok. We prefer sitting in the back room, or next to a window. (Or the ultimate~ a window table in the back room!)

View attachment 416828

We also had families seated on either side of us which was awkward only because there were plenty of available tables throughout the restaurant.

To put it politely, our server was a dud. She didn’t even reach “OK” status. Her speech was difficult to understand, she rushed us to order and then ignored us for most of the meal. I desperately needed a refill of water and she was nowhere to be found.

Now the food.

The bread service had changed from warm sourdough rolls to room temperature brown wheat rolls. Meh.

View attachment 416829

I was intrigued by the Heirloom Apple Salad on the appetizer menu. I’d had an amazing Heirloom Apple Salad at Tiffins once, so I thought I’d give this one a try.

View attachment 416830

This salad was HUGE. Like entrée size HUGE. Had the server mentioned the size, I wouldn’t have ordered a main course. It wasn’t nearly as good as Tiffins salad, but it was tasty and I could have finished it.....but did not because there was more food coming.

View attachment 416832

Buttermilk fried chicken with loaded smashed potatoes and warmed bacon vinaigrette

View attachment 416833

The smashed potatoes were (say it) OK. The chicken was also OK, once I scraped the sauce off. I adore bacon, but this sauce was awful. It wasn’t warmed. It tasted like vinegar, not rendered bacon fat.

I wished I’d eaten all the salad and skipped the chicken dish.

Woody fared better with his Turkey Meatloaf which also came with smashed potatoes....except they weren’t “loaded”?

View attachment 416831

He said it was fine, which we all know equates to “OK”.

You're looking pretty red in that pic! Got some good sun by the pool.

Woody photobombed the pic via mirror!

I've always felt the GF Cafe was "meh." ("always" meaning both times lol.)

 

[MinnieM123]

You're looking pretty red in that pic! Got some good sun by the pool.

Woody photobombed the pic via mirror!

I've always felt the GF Cafe was "meh." ("always" meaning both times lol.)

For such a lovely location in a 'deluxe" resort, you'd expect both the food and the service to be tops.

 

[Tuvalu]

I have attended MNSSHP three times ~ one where I got wet, and two that were complete wash-outs.

Figuring my luck was bound to improve, I bought tickets for a MNSSHP last August. The night of the party it was raining so heavily that Woody and I exchanged our tickets for a MVMCP in December (where we stayed dry!)

This year, still wanting to experience a full MNSSHP, I decided we would check the forecast day-of and buy tickets at the gate if no rain was predicted. As Woody and I sat on our patio earlier we discussed going to tonight’s party, but being in the sun all day doing nothing had wiped us out.

However we were still able to partake of the new fireworks show ~ Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular (which does not roll as easily off the tongue as “Hallowishes.”) Woody and I merely exited Conch Key on the marina side and had a great view of the fire in the sky. We could also hear the soundtrack.

Later I heard from @DisneyGigi that it was the most crowded MNSSHP she’d ever attended. Made me glad we didn’t go. Of course if I had, it would have rained (since I have @Darstarr ‘s “Powers of Precipitation” when it comes to MNSSHP) and then @DisneyGigi would have had even less fun.

Resort Day #2 was in the books and it was a grand one!

 

[k8einwdw]

Sorry you had a less-than-stellar meal at Grand Flo Cafe - my husband and I had breakfast there in May and LOVED it! You missed out on a really fab fireworks show! The fireworks themselves weren’t *that* impressive, but the projections on the castle were awesome!! MNSSHP has become more and more crowded over the years - it’s definitely no longer an opportunity to breeze through short wait times on the rides like it used to be.

 

[Tuvalu]

You missed out on a really fab fireworks show! The fireworks themselves weren’t *that* impressive, but the projections on the castle were awesome!! MNSSHP has become more and more crowded over the years - it’s definitely no longer an opportunity to breeze through short wait times on the rides like it used to be.

Aww gee.....now you have me thinking ahead to MNSSHP 2020!