Trip Report Whoa, Wait a Minute......Weren't You JUST There??!! *COMPLETED*

Hi, my name is Tuvalu and I am a Disneyholic.

(Go on, respond "Hi Tuvalu." I'll wait.)

My last trip to WDW was June 4-12, 2016. Before that May 3-8, 2016. Before that April 3-9, 2016. And my first trip of 2016 was February 18-22. If you are curious about those trip reports, they can be found here:

February ~ http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/up-where-they-walk-up-where-they-run-19-3-miles.910930/ (Written by my DDD ~ Darling Disney Daughter )
April ~ http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/go-with-the-flow-its-spring-break-you-know-completed.912354/
May ~ http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/relaxin-on-the-rue-dbaga-completed.913182/

In the interest of full disclosure, I have three more trips planned for 2016 ~ July, October and December.

Can't. Stop. Going.

It is never my intention to be boastful about my vacation frequency. I am very aware of how fortunate I am. If not for the good friends I have made on this site, I would not be posting trip reports at all. So a big thank you to all who have encouraged and supported me. Your kindness means a lot.

Now, on with our most recent adventure!

The deets:
Cast ~ Tuvalu, Woody and Em
Date ~ June 4-12, 2016
Resorts ~ Port Orleans French Quarter & Polynesian Village

Did we have fun? You betcha! Even Tropical Storm Colin couldn't dampen our joy .

Stay tuned....

 

[sheriffwoody]

Not to worry, as your luggage WILL make it...perhaps not as soon as you would like it, though. If there is anything in your luggage you think you might want to have (like a bathing suit), keep it with you. If it hadn't been raining, we may have wanted to go to the pool...and without our bags, that would have been impossible.

Good idea! Am still undecided, but I MIGHT just get an uber to take us over so we can take our bags with us. Another kind of related question: Since Woody has to do business on the trips (I think...I might be mixing up my trip reports), does he bring a laptop or tablet or anything? If so, do you guys feel comfortable letting them transfer your bags with valuable items like that inside? I am inclined to be trusting, but I don't want to be naive.

 

[Woodywrkr]

Good idea! Am still undecided, but I MIGHT just get an uber to take us over so we can take our bags with us. Another kind of related question: Since Woody has to do business on the trips (I think...I might be mixing up my trip reports), does he bring a laptop or tablet or anything? If so, do you guys feel comfortable letting them transfer your bags with valuable items like that inside? I am inclined to be trusting, but I don't want to be naive.

So, if it is a working vacation, I carry my business laptop and my iPad. Those two items travel with me on every business trip. I am a project manager with Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Software Services business unit. I travel frequently and work remotely 100% of the time. (Lot's of connections between HPE and Disney. Fun fact: The first product Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard sold as their newly formed company was to Disney sound engineers for use on the original Fantasia.)

In general, I keep control of my devices at all times while I travel. Never, ever put them in checked baggage on a flight. It's good practice and probably corporate/company policy if the device is issued to an employee. This also includes keeping it locked in a safe (the deluxe resorts have laptop friendly safes) or secured with a cable lock when I leave it behind in a hotel room. Thefts do happen from time to time and the most likely place is actually from your hotel room or the trunk of your car.

But, there are times when you have to trust others, especially hotels where it is common to have to store your luggage temporarily. In those cases, I do let Disney store and transfer my bag when I have no other choice. I am sure that there have been items gone missing under Disney's care, but that would be true of any hotel operation. The risk is not greater and I'd bet a little less than some regular old hotel chain in whatever city I'm visiting.

I don't think carrying it with you to the parks is a real alternative. Another idea would be to take it to the new hotel (if you are transferring) and leave it with bell services directly. That way you'd know it made it to the new hotel and there would be a couple less sets of hands on your device.

I don't think trusting bell services when you don't have an alternative is naive. You're going to trust that Uber driver to get you safely to your destination. In the end, you have to trust that people are generally honest while remaining as vigilant as possible regarding your safety and your possessions. Being naive is pretending that risks don't exist.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday afternoon

While at lunch, I booked Em and myself a 4th FP for The Great Movie Ride ~ proving it is possible to get a second Tier 1 selection . Woody had to return to the Poly for more work (someone has to earn the $$), so after leaving Mama's we bid him goodbye.

We noticed the refurbishment of Pizza Planet and wonder if the second story is being expanded?

Em and I popped in to visit Kermit and the gang next. The theater was full; glad that guests are still giving the Muppets some love.

It had rained intermittently throughout the morning, thankfully not with the intensity I had witnessed at breakfast! As we walked from Muppets to the GMR, we saw a patch of blue sky in the midst of the gray clouds. Bypassing the 40 minute standby wait, we scanned our bands and entered the pre-show. Now I believe this new pre-show movie is almost 45 minutes in length, yet I keep seeing the same part over and over!

Em and I were seated in the last row.

For anyone who is curious what the sets look like from the rear, may we present the backwards GMR tour!

Okay, so maybe not as exciting as the back side of water! So here's a final "forward" pic ~

 

[disneypearl]

I love how you made great use of the back row! Good thinking on that opportunity for photos.

 

[sheriffwoody]

So, if it is a working vacation, I carry my business laptop and my iPad. Those two items travel with me on every business trip. I am a project manager with Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Software Services business unit. I travel frequently and work remotely 100% of the time. (Lot's of connections between HPE and Disney. Fun fact: The first product Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard sold as their newly formed company was to Disney sound engineers for use on the original Fantasia.)

In general, I keep control of my devices at all times while I travel. Never, ever put them in checked baggage on a flight. It's good practice and probably corporate/company policy if the device is issued to an employee. This also includes keeping it locked in a safe (the deluxe resorts have laptop friendly safes) or secured with a cable lock when I leave it behind in a hotel room. Thefts do happen from time to time and the most likely place is actually from your hotel room or the trunk of your car.

But, there are times when you have to trust others, especially hotels where it is common to have to store your luggage temporarily. In those cases, I do let Disney store and transfer my bag when I have no other choice. I am sure that there have been items gone missing under Disney's care, but that would be true of any hotel operation. The risk is not greater and I'd bet a little less than some regular old hotel chain in whatever city I'm visiting.

I don't think carrying it with you to the parks is a real alternative. Another idea would be to take it to the new hotel (if you are transferring) and leave it with bell services directly. That way you'd know it made it to the new hotel and there would be a couple less sets of hands on your device.

I don't think trusting bell services when you don't have an alternative is naive. You're going to trust that Uber driver to get you safely to your destination. In the end, you have to trust that people are generally honest while remaining as vigilant as possible regarding your safety and your possessions. Being naive is pretending that risks don't exist.

Hope that helps!

Very helpful!! Thanks

 

[Woodywrkr]

In the back of my mind, I always worry about the possibility of lost or misrouted/delayed luggage--more so, from the airlines. So I've always made sure that my carry on bag has a bathing suit, and a complete change of clothes for 1 day. That way, if your luggage is located (but not until the next day), at least you have one bathing suit for the pool, and a clean change of clothing. I also keep a toothbrush and toothpaste, a small tube of sunscreen, a baseball cap (to protect from the sun), sunglasses, and a comb in there.

As a frequent traveler, I can highly recommend the above. Also, make sure to keep a few days worth of any prescription or OTC medications or other essentials that can't easily be replaced.

 

[Tuvalu]

Do you mean vertigo from the inversion loops? I have to be careful with inversions--I can only ride RNR once while I'm on my yearly trip to WDW. I also only ride the "green" side of Mission Space, for the same reason--inner ear imbalance that can create havoc.

Cannot do inversion loops or anything that spins (including Dumbo and the carousel.) Some screen-based attractions give me motion sickness as well.

I have the same problem with motion sickness. Some rides give me the worst pressure headaches. It seems the darker rides are worse for me. I can't do Space Mountain so have never tried RNR. I can ride Tower of Terror and love it. I hope to always be able to handle that one as it is one of my very favorites.

If you can't ride Space Mountain, don't attempt RNR!

Lovely trip report, as always! I just got back from my most recent trip 2 days ago and reading yours and lostpro9het's trip reports made me crave the Entenmann's donuts during my trip. I had them for breakfast almost every day! My family asked why and I just told them its a WDW Magic thing You guys should get endorsements!

Thanks for reading! Entenmann's are quite yummy and I'd happily do endorsements if it meant freebies!

 

[Tuvalu]

I love how you made great use of the back row! Good thinking on that opportunity for photos.

I have to take credit for the idea...Em gets the credit as the photographer.

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and I perused the gift stores on Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards after our ride through the movies. I don't recall us making any purchases.

We did, however, have a celebrity sighting on Hollywood Boulevard! None other than Gus, the bus driver in the DME video.

He's the one driving (of course!) This was the best shot Em could get since she wasn't prepared with her camera. "Gus" looks a lot older in person....but then again, how old is that DME video?

Note the sunshine! The rain was over and done for the day!

As a matter of fact, the sun was hot and strong as we made our way out of the park to the bus stop. Guests already in the PoFlo line were huddled under the small canopy to be in the shade. Em and I squeezed in as well. I was looking down at my phone when I heard a male voice ask, "Are you working on your trip report?"

It took me a moment to realize he was speaking to me and had recognized me from previous reports. It was @BWK05 and his two teens. We chatted briefly before Em and I were forced to leave the shade due to others joining the line behind us. But I was happy to meet another WDWMagic-er!

Em and I stopped in the lounge for a cookie upon our return. We knew Woody would be on the phone in our room and we did not want to disturb him. There were only 3 others in the lounge besides us ~ two teens and a boy of about 9. The teens were obviously a couple, as they were reclining on top of each other on the couch. Little brother was sitting in a chair next to them. We could not believe the baseball game we observed....not only did the dude reach second, he was given the green light to advance to third . Little brother mumbled, "Maybe I should get you guys a blanket!" Just as I was about to say something, Em shot me the "Don't you dare!" look.

"Let's go," I said to her.

(@wdisney9000, all I could think about was your horse whinny story. Except I had the visual without the audio!)

We ended up relaxing on our balcony until Woody was done with his call.

 

[Tuvalu]

The make-out teens were gone when we went to the lounge for Happy Hour. We only had drinks (the usual Ku U Leis and Kona Longboard) since it was sushi night and we are not seafood eaters. We also had an upcoming ADR at The Plaza!

I booked us a 5th FP for after dinner. Once we got to the MK, it was chow time!

Grilled chicken sandwiches for Em and me

A club for Woody

And this goes without saying

Where did we use our FP?

Here ~

We exited the stretching room into the largest mass of people we have ever encountered! There were guests left in the stretching room because there was no room for them in the hall! If you are claustrophobic, this was your worst nightmare. It was awful attempting to take tiny steps forward while being crushed on all sides. I'm sure the ride had stopped sometime earlier (which caused the back up) but the cast members outside the mansion should have been notified and then not allowed any more guests inside!

We actually breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally onboard our doom buggy. At the end of the ride, we had a fun surprise when a ghost held up a sign that said: Georgia, Here We Come!

 

[Tuvalu]

I did not intentionally set out to see how many fastpasses I could snag in one day, but after HM it became a quest...a quest for fun! (Bonus point time again )

Em caught me!

I found immediate availability right around the corner from HM. We took the Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed.

While onboard, I booked FP #7, which was open for us as soon as we disembarked.

Off to bounce with Tigger!

 

[Tiggerish]

Em and I perused the gift stores on Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards after our ride through the movies. I don't recall us making any purchases.

We did, however, have a celebrity sighting on Hollywood Boulevard! None other than Gus, the bus driver in the DME video.

View attachment 149829
He's the one driving (of course!) This was the best shot Em could get since she wasn't prepared with her camera. "Gus" looks a lot older in person....but then again, how old is that DME video?

Note the sunshine! The rain was over and done for the day!
View attachment 149830


As a matter of fact, the sun was hot and strong as we made our way out of the park to the bus stop. Guests already in the PoFlo line were huddled under the small canopy to be in the shade. Em and I squeezed in as well. I was looking down at my phone when I heard a male voice ask, "Are you working on your trip report?"

It took me a moment to realize he was speaking to me and had recognized me from previous reports. It was @BWK05 and his two teens. We chatted briefly before Em and I were forced to leave the shade due to others joining the line behind us. But I was happy to meet another WDWMagic-er!

Em and I stopped in the lounge for a cookie upon our return. We knew Woody would be on the phone in our room and we did not want to disturb him. There were only 3 others in the lounge besides us ~ two teens and a boy of about 9. The teens were obviously a couple, as they were reclining on top of each other on the couch. Little brother was sitting in a chair next to them. We could not believe the baseball game we observed....not only did the dude reach second, he was given the green light to advance to third . Little brother mumbled, "Maybe I should get you guys a blanket!" Just as I was about to say something, Em shot me the "Don't you dare!" look.

"Let's go," I said to her.

(@wdisney9000, all I could think about was your horse whinny story. Except I had the visual without the audio!)

We ended up relaxing on our balcony until Woody was done with his call.

I think the video with Gus is only 3 years old. the first time I ever took MDE was 2012, and I got the "old" video then.

Wow, you met the elusive @BWK05 in the wild!!

Probably should have got a fire hose for the lounge display.

I did not intentionally set out to see how many fastpasses I could snag in one day, but after HM it became a quest...a quest for fun! (Bonus point time again )

View attachment 149844
Em caught me!

I found immediate availability right around the corner from HM. We took the Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed.

View attachment 149845

View attachment 149846

View attachment 149847

While onboard, I booked FP #7, which was open for us as soon as we disembarked.

View attachment 149848
Off to bounce with Tigger!

But what else did she catch? That's an interesting looking rectus abdominus just past your phone. I hope it was covered by a flesh-toned t-shirt.

 

[Tuvalu]

Em did not want to stick around for FP #8 ~

She was tired and wanted to go back to the resort. I could tell Woody was tired too, but he was kindly indulging me in my quest. After we scanned our bands at Buzz, I scored FP #9 for Peter Pan ~ but we'd have about an hour to wait. Buzz stopped briefly while we were on it, enabling Woody to score a perfect 999,999. Try as I might, I only finished with 650,000.

I requested a ride on TTA Peoplemover next. We had the good fortune to see this ~

Space Mountain with the lights on!

Now I had a decision to make...hang around for our Peter Pan FP and try to find a good spot to watch Wishes (which I had not seen this trip yet), and then exit the park with 50,000 of my closest friends...or leave now and take a relaxing boat ride back to the Poly and watch Wishes from the beach.

We left . And we met Em on the beach two minutes before Wishes started.

It was a great way to end the day!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Gosh, I forgot to include these pics in my Small World post!

 

[Tuvalu]

But what else did she catch? That's an interesting looking rectus abdominus just past your phone. I hope it was covered by a flesh-toned t-shirt.

LOL that's Woody!! And he's wearing a white t-shirt.

 

[Tiggerish]

LOL that's Woody!! And he's wearing a white t-shirt.

Oh, dear.

On my phone, it looks like a bare belly instead of white t-shirt!!

 

[jrogue]

"Hey, all you followers of Tuvalu's trip report!"

View attachment 149507

"Want to know why it is taking so long for her to post? It's not my fault. There's this.....thing. It's jumpy and excitable. It eats my food. It pounces on me. It chases me! It is wreaking havoc in my house!"

View attachment 149508
"Who, me??"

KITTEN??????? AWWWWW!!!!!

If you ever try Sprinkles again I highly suggest getting their red velvet and their pumpkin cupcakes. Those are the only two I ever really get from there and they are excellent!

None other than Gus, the bus driver in the DME video.

Haha my sister and I saw and recognized him too!! He's definitely going to become a Disney celebrity.

not only did the dude reach second, he was given the green light to advance to third

in PUBLIC? Jeez!! I was so surprised I had to read that aloud to Vinny!


WOW!! Space Mountain with the lights on!! I can only dream to one day be that lucky, but thank you for taking some super cool pictures of it!!

 

[MinnieM123]

I've also seen Space Mountain a few times over the years when the ride went 101, and they put on the interior lights. It's a maze of metal. Seeing the "guts" of the ride is just such a different "experience" from being on the actual ride in the dark!!

 

[Figgy1]

Hi Tuvalu! Bring on the trip reports, helps me live vicariously .

What she said X2

 

[lostpro9het]

I did not intentionally set out to see how many fastpasses I could snag in one day, but after HM it became a quest...a quest for fun! (Bonus point time again )
!

*****WARNING NSFW****