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! )

 

[Tuvalu]

Once inside, we encountered some Citizens of Main Street.

We stopped to chat with the Assistant to the Mayor. I wasn’t bold enough to ask if there is a new mayor. Christopher George Weaver can never really be replaced.

The Assistant sang ALL the stanzas of Minnie’s Yoo Hoo to us. (I have an instrumental recording of the song ~ didn’t know it had lyrics!) He wished us a magical day and we moved closer to the hub to watch the Welcome Show.

We miss you, Woody!

(Yes I am fully aware this is GOOFY. But Goofy is Woody’s favorite character.)

MK is officially open!

 

[dizfan917]

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...

 

[mlegerto]

I'm late and have been MIA - we welcomed our baby boy in December and everything has just zipped by since then, but I'm back and excited for another Tuvalu adventure!

 

[WDisneyW]

I'm in

 

[LeighM]

Are your sandals teva or chacos? I had a pair of chacos and ended up giving them to my daughter because I didn't like the toe piece but want to order another pair without the toe piece, like yours, and am torn between the two.

Another vote for Tevas! They are the only sandal that I'll wear at WDW. They have really good traction in wet weather, good arch support but still comfortable for the sole of my feet. Plus, they don't make Tevas as small as I need but I got the smallest women's size and I can adjust the straps so they fit comfortably and I don't get blisters.

 

[gobstoper27]

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. ☹

Ahhhh Bummer!!! Guess I'll have to go crush my father-in-laws dreams now . Thanks for dropping knowledge like always though!!

 

[Janir]

Enjoy the cruise, sounds like you have a great evening planned! you will have to get in line to gatecrash my work friends keep saying they are going to surprise me

Well since I will be on a fireworks cruise that night, gate crashing from the water side of the Poly is possible. All I need to do it get my Pirates on and take over the boat! >

 

[Janir]

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.)

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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.

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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.

I'm looking forward to our Fort Wilderness stay next year and getting that chocolate dessert... <drooling on keyboard>
Also looking forward to suggesting to my wife to ask for a diet coke refill at Whispering Canyon.

 

[Nunu]

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

Look at these colors, cute!

I don't use Tevas at WDW , because of the exposed toes, I'm always the one being stepped on!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Lennon’s jazz dance this year was to Minnie’s yoo hoo, I wonder if it was the same song your thinking of. Her tap sing was called Mickey motion, I guess two very fitting songs for a family who loves Disney!

 

[Tuvalu]

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...

Wait until you see my vegetable mush coming up.....

I'm late and have been MIA - we welcomed our baby boy in December and everything has just zipped by since then, but I'm back and excited for another Tuvalu adventure!

Congrats on your baby son! I bet you and your DH are loving this new adventure of parenthood. Glad to have you back on the forums.

I'm in

Great!

Ahhhh Bummer!!! Guess I'll have to go crush my father-in-laws dreams now . Thanks for dropping knowledge like always though!!

Sorry I couldn't bring you better news. But who knows, decorations might go up early!

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm looking forward to our Fort Wilderness stay next year and getting that chocolate dessert... <drooling on keyboard>
Also looking forward to suggesting to my wife to ask for a diet coke refill at Whispering Canyon.

Ok @Janir, a short primer.....
Fort Wilderness is the campground. You can tent camp, RV camp or stay in a cabin in the woods. Hoop Dee Do, Trail's End and Crockett's Tavern are located here.
Wilderness Lodge is the resort. It has two buildings: Boulder Ridge Villas (DVC) and the main Lodge. The main Lodge is half Copper Creek Villas (DVC) and half regular rooms. There are also DVC cabins on the lake. Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artist Point and Roaring Fork are in the main Lodge. Geyser Point Bar and Grill is on the grounds outside.

So where are you staying?

Lennon’s jazz dance this year was to Minnie’s yoo hop, I wonder if it was the same song your thinking of. Her tap sing was called Mickey motion, I guess two very fitting songs for a family who loves Disney!

I bet it is the same song! And how fun that her tap song was a Disney song too.
I miss Em's dance days. < sigh >

 

[Janir]

Ok @Janir, a short primer.....
Fort Wilderness is the campground. You can tent camp, RV camp or stay in a cabin in the woods. Hoop Dee Do, Trail's End and Crockett's Tavern are located here.
Wilderness Lodge is the resort. It has two buildings: Boulder Ridge Villas (DVC) and the main Lodge. The main Lodge is half Copper Creek Villas (DVC) and half regular rooms. There are also DVC cabins on the lake. Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artist Point and Roaring Fork are in the main Lodge. Geyser Point Bar and Grill is on the grounds outside.

So where are you staying?



I bet it is the same song! And how fun that her tap song was a Disney song too.
I miss Em's dance days. < sigh >

Mind fart, Wilderness Lodge at Copper Creek. 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 Fort Wilderness 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.

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, con’t

There was no question where we would go first. We’d gotten robbed of our Big Thunder Mountain ride last night and we wanted it back!

On the way we caught a glimpse of the Liberty Belle traveling in the opposite direction of its usual course.

There was a HUGE crowd at the entrance to BTMRR but once the CMs allowed guests into the queue the line moved fast.

No one waiting to enter now!

Though we weren’t at the end, we were assigned Row 13 which is still the last car.

Fun fact about Row 13 ~ it is a handicap accessible car, meaning it has a large door and less protective padding.

You don’t want to sit on the right side like Em did.

Because of the way the track turns, riders sitting on the left side of the train frequently slide/ bump into the riders on the right, causing those riders to slam into the side of the cars.

But regular cars have padding to absorb the hit. Em slammed so hard into the unpadded large door a few times that she got bruised.

She still managed a smile at the end of the ride.

It was a humid, sticky morning and a ride on Splash Mountain would have been perfect (especially since we had also been robbed of that experience last night) but Em was wearing jean shorts and nixed that. (Can’t blame her though ~ is there anything worse than wearing wet denim? )

Instead we went flying.

 

[DisneyGigi]

Sunday, con’t

There was no question where we would go first. We’d gotten robbed of our Big Thunder Mountain ride last night and we wanted it back!

On the way we caught a glimpse of the Liberty Belle traveling in the opposite direction of its usual course.

View attachment 383723

There was a HUGE crowd at the entrance to BTMRR but once the CMs allowed guests into the queue the line moved fast.

No one waiting to enter now!
View attachment 383724

Though we weren’t at the end, we were assigned Row 13 which is still the last car.

View attachment 383725

Fun fact about Row 13 ~ it is a handicap accessible car, meaning it has a large door and less protective padding.

You don’t want to sit on the right side like Em did.

Because of the way the track turns, riders sitting on the left side of the train frequently slide/ bump into the riders on the right, causing those riders to slam into the side of the cars.

But regular cars have padding to absorb the hit. Em slammed so hard into the unpadded large door a few times that she got bruised.

She still managed a smile at the end of the ride.

View attachment 383726

It was a humid, sticky morning and a ride on Splash Mountain would have been perfect (especially since we had also been robbed of that experience last night) but Em was wearing jean shorts and nixed that. (Can’t blame her though ~ is there anything worse than wearing wet denim? )

Instead we went flying.

View attachment 383727

View attachment 383728

View attachment 383729

View attachment 383730

This made me chuckle so hard. I used to always ride BTMRR with my son, it was our thing, from trip one- Until he grew to a 6’5 230 pound teen. (Around 18 was the last time I rode with him) I am not quite 5’4 and as you know the lap bar stops at his long as can be, big knees, thighs, not mine. Scariest ride in the Wilderness as well as wild. I did not put my hands up and I know that slap bar side cushion well, I was squished against it the whole time my hiney wasn’t coming off the seat!

 

[Tuvalu]

What happened next still boggles my mind.

“Let’s climb the treehouse!” Em suggested.

I looked at her like she had two heads.

“To get our steps in,” she added, hoisting up her Apple watch.

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.

But I put on a happy face as I crossed the bridge.

Fascinating, isn’t it?

There are some good views from the top, however.

We were up and back down in a jiffy. You have to walk through a large wooden gate in order to exit the attraction. Just as I reached the gate, a senior lady driving a large ECV.....tricked out to look like a Harley-Davidson....pulled right in front of it and PARKED.

“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.

But at least we were free!

 

[Tuvalu]

As we approached the Jungle Cruise, we caught sight of a man proposing to his girlfriend in front of the exit.

Not the most romantic location, so I’m going to assume the JC has a special significance for the couple. (Especially since she said yes!)

We scanned our bands and boarded the next boat.

Our skipper was awful. We could hardly hear him and he showed no enthusiasm at all. Let’s face it ~ the skipper makes or breaks the Jungle Cruise!

Perhaps that’s why the gentleman on my left fell asleep? (I kid you not. He jolted awake when we reached the dock.)

Lame photos for your enjoyment. Because it would have been rude to photograph sleeping man.

I spy Disney ducks @DisneyGigi!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

YAY for BTMRR being the first ride! I love climbing the treehouse during the holidays to see the Castle all lit up and @TrolleyFollower91 is right. You Do Get Your Steps IN! I was going to complain about the people at WDW who are just mindless and selfish (I see some of them in the stores at home) but then I saw your next post:

As we approached the Jungle Cruise, we caught sight of a man proposing to his girlfriend in front of the exit.

Not the most romantic location, so I’m going to assume the JC has a special significance for the couple. (Especially since she said yes!)

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE got engaged in Cinderella's Castle in 2014! I hope the couple has a long, happy marriage!

 

[Tuvalu]

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

Standby time for Haunted Mansion was short so we joined the queue.

The Liberty Belle was presently traveling in the correct direction!

I admit to being very excited about the next picture.

Bubbles!!!

But my excitement was tame compared to Em’s excitement with our on-ride photo.

She nailed the camera!

We were happy to see that the duelers have resumed their firing in the ballroom scene, but were sad that the cats were missing from atop the tombstone in the graveyard scene.

And remember the shoving I teased about at the beginning of this report?

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.

I’ve read that behavior is typical at the Asian Disney parks.

Perhaps he’d forgotten they were in America.

 

[Tuvalu]

Had a FP for the rain rain rain came down down down attraction.

We sat in the back of a honeypot. In front of us was a gay couple who had never been on Pooh and was having the BEST time. It made the ride even more fun for us!

On her birthday trip back in February, my mom insisted I take her picture with King Triton. Today I made Em stand beside him.

It just made sense to go here next.

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