Trip Report We Kept Genie in the Lamp *COMPLETED*

50 years later, what goes around comes around.

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 with an admission charge and an attraction ticket system. Admission got you into the park (and onto the free If You Had Wings, sponsored by Eastern Airlines) but every ride required a separate ticket (A,B,C,D,E) which varied in price based on the attraction’s “value.” E-tickets were the most expensive (this is where the expression “it’s an E-ticket ride!” originated) and cost 90 cents apiece. Ticket books bundled A-E together for a reduced cost, but there were never enough E’s (and always leftover A’s and B’s.) Not to worry though ~ each land had its own ticket booth (think tiny kiosk) where individual attraction tickets could be purchased (assuming your parents said yes. 😉)

This was the system for over a decade. The introduction of all-day Passports (and eventual Park Hoppers) was a welcome relief for guests ~ ride what you want as many times as you want for no additional cost. Yes, you had to wait in line. Lines that often were very long. But it was a SIMPLE system.

When Fastpass was introduced at the turn of the century, it required some strategic planning and lots of extra walking to obtain the paper FPs in order to “skip” a line. Fastpass+ exacerbated strategic planning to a whole ‘nother level. But it was a FREE system.

Genie, Genie+, Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane have thrown SIMPLE and FREE out the window. And now in 2021, we’re back to admission and paying for attractions.

But not us.

At least not this trip.

This vacation was a respite for me as I grieve the recent loss of my father. It was a time for memories and nostalgia. A time for keeping things simple.

I’m ready to share if you’re ready to read.

Who: Tuvalu and Woody
When: October 22-29, 2021
Where: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

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If you’d like to read about my very first trip to Walt Disney World:
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I had been in the park just two and a half hours and was about to enter attraction number 8. Sure glad I hadn’t forked over $15 for Genie+!

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Love this small door. The fact that it’s a maintenance closet/dressing room is hilarious.

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Tuvaleen adores Mike Wazowski (or “mikezowski” as she calls him.) She would have loved this attraction. It was closed during her visits last year.

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Below is Buddy Boil. Buddy does a bit with an audience member (always a woman) where he claims to be a mind reader. He asks the woman to think of a number and to speak the number into the microphone being held by a CM.

“Don’t worry!” Buddy says. “I’ll cover my eyes so I can’t hear you.”

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This always elicits laughter from the audience. The woman then says the number, and of course Buddy guesses correctly.

But today the audience member pulled one over on
Buddy. Instead of speaking her number into the microphone, she merely held up her fingers for all to see.

Buddy was befuddled and tried to get the woman to play along the way he asked, but she continued to remain silent.

It was great! :joyfull:
 

amjt660

Well-Known Member
I'm glad I actually posted something that made your day better, rather than my usual posts which make you want to plant me 6 feet under a lettuce patch 😁.
Best tasting lettuce ever !! ( amble amounts of fertilizer really helps)

Will this construction EVER be completed? (It’s like a @wdisney9000 trip report!)
WOW - just WOW - the dude helps you out with the passholder card , you compliment him and then less than 1 page later you lower the boom on him and...

Actually - I giggled my brains out when I read that one!!

How I Met Your Mother Sitcom GIF by Laff


Max
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Thursday, con’t

I power walked out the exit to Laugh Floor because I didn’t want to be late for my lunch ADR. This was another last-minute booking.

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The fall decor really made this quaint restaurant stand out.

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I still can’t get used to seeing wine glasses on the tables of an ice cream/sandwich shop. Why bother? It seems like unnecessary work for the servers: set the table with the glasses, only to remove them shortly afterwards when patrons do not order wine. And if wine is ordered, is it poured at the table? Or are the glasses removed, wine poured in kitchen and full glasses returned? I do not know the answer since I have never seen anyone with wine at The Plaza.

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(And no, the man in the white t-shirt is not @wdisney9000. He wears v-necks. 😉)

Woody was able to take a break over his lunch hour and meet me, thanks to the convenience of staying at a monorail resort. We were seated in my least favorite section of the restaurant, between the swinging kitchen doors. I am never relaxed in that spot, as I have an irrational fear of being hit by a door, a server or a tray full of food.

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Too close for comfort!
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The good news was we had Wei as our server. He’s been there for years and is very good at his job. When I asked for an extra-thick chocolate shake, Wei made it exactly the way I like my shakes. He also made Woody’s perfectly for him.

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Both of us ordered the club sandwich with fries. Yummy!

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We were pleased with our dining experience and Woody was happy he didn’t have to eat take-out in the room.
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
Monday, con’t

Instead of backtracking to France, we meandered towards Italy. And by meandering I mean a very slow shuffle ~ thanks to the crowded walkway, caused by congestion at the food booths. During Food & Wine Epcot is not a fun park in which to stroll.

Had we not just spent a long time on our behinds, Shirley would have enjoyed sitting on one of these gold plated benches!

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Woody and I stopped to look at the model trains in Germany. I refrained from taking any pictures of what we witnessed. There was a boy, about 7 or 8 years old, who had climbed over the fence and was walking through the layout, bending over to touch things, as if he were in his own backyard.

As usual our first thought was, where are the parents?!!!?

I noticed his two older brothers nearby (the oldest couldn’t have been more than 11) who were laughing.

Then Mom appeared, drink in hand (why were we not surprised), and began to YELL at the boy to get out of there. We knew immediately what part of the U.S. she was from due to her thick accent. (If you think I’m saying where, you can fuhgettaboutit.)

The boy began to YELL back at Mom. A shouting match ensued. Boy taunted Mom by getting closer to the fence but out of her reach. Eventually he got close enough where she could grab him and he climbed over the fence….only to hit Mom with a sucker punch.

Mom did not reprimand him nor his brothers who continued to laugh.

It was clear who held the power in that family.

I opened the app to check on Rat BG progress. Our estimated time had gotten even further out. We contemplated joining the line for Frozen until we saw it was an hour. Not worth it ~ especially since the line was outdoors and it had started raining again.

Woody and I managed to duck into Mexico when the rain got heavier. We did not mind the wait for Three Caballeros since we were dry!

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You know, I'll be honest and say I don't know why kids listen to adults at all, but I'm grateful they do. In a very natural way, they're inclined to listen to and follow adults. Things would have had to go very wrong somewhere along the way for A to act like that. I'm not even saying I'm a good parent, lol. Just that somewhere along the way those boys got the message that listening to adults isn't necessary for their wellbeing or survival. It's always odd seeing kids act like that to their parents.
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
It had been a long day ~ rain, crowds, selfish people, and an excessive delay in experiencing an attraction which made us sick. Once back in our room we thought it would be best to grab dinner at Capt. Cook’s and make it an early night.

The sprinkling on our walk over nixed our plan to dine al fresco.

But the table we got inside was pretty sweet.

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I ordered one of the special 50th offerings, “Walt’s Favorite 1958 Chili” ~ classic chili with beef, chili pepper, pink beans and a hint of Magic served with shredded cheese and crackers.

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Well it must have been that “hint of Magic” because this chili was very, very good. And for $4.99, a very good value.

Woody went with the Pan Asian Noodles and Vegetables, with added chicken. It’s one of his go-to’s.

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Since the rain had stopped we took a walk through the resort grounds before retiring for the evening.

Well, you ARE timeless 🥰🥰

Did you really only have that tiny cup of chili for dinner? It looks delicious, though
 

Swissmiss

Premium Member
You know, I'll be honest and say I don't know why kids listen to adults at all, but I'm grateful they do. In a very natural way, they're inclined to listen to and follow adults. Things would have had to go very wrong somewhere along the way for A to act like that. I'm not even saying I'm a good parent, lol. Just that somewhere along the way those boys got the message that listening to adults isn't necessary for their wellbeing or survival. It's always odd seeing kids act like that to their parents.

I attended a zoom reunion recently of a project I worked on a decade ago. At the time, all our kids were newborn to five-ish. One of my former teammates asked about my daughter, who is now 16. I was honest, saying she is a typical teen girl, is sometimes sweet and other times a real PIA/snarky witch, but that at least when she is that way she knows she is behaving in a way that is unacceptable and she will always apologize later in the day for her attitude. I was really surprised when several of them expressed how I was “lucky” to have a teen that apologizes. Um, luck has nothing to do with it; I worked hard at teaching her right from wrong.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Thursday, con’t

I felt satisfied with what I had accomplished on “bonus day”, especially since I had expected to spend it in the room due to nasty weather. Now looking at the radar, the storm was bearing down on central FL. The smart choice was to accompany Woody back, which is what I did.

Woody had several business calls and I did some packing and reading.

This was going on outside.

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Note the brook that had developed!

The rain, rain, rain came down, down, down and I was glad we didn’t have to go anywhere. Yet.

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MikeyK72

Well-Known Member
Thursday, con’t

I felt satisfied with what I had accomplished on “bonus day”, especially since I had expected to spend it in the room due to nasty weather. Now looking at the radar, the storm was bearing down on central FL. The smart choice was to accompany Woody back, which is what I did.

Woody had several business calls and I did some packing and reading.

This was going on outside.

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Note the brook that had developed!

The rain, rain, rain came down, down, down and I was glad we didn’t have to go anywhere. Yet.

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DW and I were sitting at Tambu lounge during this downpour and couldn't believe how hard it was raining. We couldn't see out the windows as the rain was so heavy that it blocked the view of the other buildings that clearly aren't too far away from the windows. It was crazy.

The timing was funny because just before it started we decided to pay our check and leave...then it started. We obviously had another round and watched the storm. :)
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
DW and I were sitting at Tambu lounge during this downpour and couldn't believe how hard it was raining. We couldn't see out the windows as the rain was so heavy that it blocked the view of the other buildings that clearly aren't too far away from the windows. It was crazy.

The timing was funny because just before it started we decided to pay our check and leave...then it started. We obviously had another round and watched the storm. :)
Animated GIF
 

lindawdw

Well-Known Member
Yes, the rain surely did come down! Love that you got to see Mickey again at Exposition Hall!!! We never made it there on our recent trip but I plan on making it happen in January!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Thursday, con't

Thankfully the rain had ceased by the time we needed to leave for dinner. You may recall that our last-minute ADR at Trattoria al Forno had thus far been the favorite meal of our vacation. That was about to change.

A bonus day deserved a nice bonus dinner. Someplace special to end this wonderful week on a high note.

I think this fit the bill.

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While we are not enamored with California Grill becoming a prix fixe restaurant, we knew it was coming. We had received some unofficial intel awhile ago. The change wasn’t made solely because “Disney is greedy”. Thanks to social media “hacks”, diners had become table squatters and would only order appetizers and/or dessert in order to watch the fireworks. Reservations became harder to come by and the restaurant (and servers!) lost the revenue of those diners wanting a full meal experience (but couldn’t get an ADR.)

We were able to keep our commemorative menus as souvenirs.

I had requested to sit in the Monterey Room, away from the hustle and bustle of the main dining area.

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This was our view. (It’s always odd to see an unexpected ferry cruising on Bay Lake!)

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Our friend Ryan served us. He only works in the Monterey Room. Win-win for us!

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
What made this evening even more special was that we got to spend it with @lindawdw and her husband. They even canceled an ADR so they could join Woody and me!

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Now let’s talk food.

Gone is the sourdough loaf. Bread service is now focaccia (though not the lavender kind which I adored.) It was accompanied by same the sun-dried tomato dipping sauce that was served with the sourdough. Ryan knows I prefer butter and brought some to the table as well.

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One of the reasons I dislike a prix fixe meal is that three full courses is too much food for me. I prefer sharing an appetizer and/or dessert. If I don’t care for the appetizer choices, I’ll pass. To be honest, none of the appetizer choices tonight appealed to me ~ and the chefs are very strict with NO SUBSTITUTIONS. (This is a change from the way CG formerly operated.) Half of the appetizer options were seafood, which neither Woody or I eat. That left Duck a L’Orange pizza with blue cheese :depressed:, Heirloom Apple Salad (which Ryan did not recommend) and Braised Beef Short Rib Wontons.

I ordered the Wontons, as did Woody.

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These were SPICY HOT! 🌶 I can’t do spicy hot. One bite and I was done. Woody thought the Wontons were excellent, so he ate mine too.

As always, the Oak-Fired Filet of Beef was the star of the show. Three of us chose that (can’t remember what you had, @lindawdw?)

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We were glad to see that the dessert portions had been sized down for one. (Previously desserts were larger and shareable.)

Three of us selected the Valrhona Chocolate Torte. It was rich and satisfying!

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Linda had the Five Magical Bites 50 Years in the Making (now that’s a mouthful!). She got confetti sprinkles because Ryan noticed her birthday button.

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(And apparently she got a bonus bite, because I just noticed six desserts on her plate!)

Great conversation, great food, great service, great wine. When we’d finished, none of us could believe three hours had passed. We made it out to the observation deck just in time to watch the fireworks.

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What a perfect end to a perfect evening. :inlove:
 

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