Trip Report Tu in ‘25

Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise
Tu in ‘25

These lyrics came to mind when I thought about my trip reporting. (I also thought, Here we go AGAIN but the above sounds much more poignant.) It’s now that time of year when my Disney trips are frequent. And this Disney Senior loves sharing her visits with y’all because your engagement makes it fun!

Yes, there will be stuff that’s the same. Yes, there will be surprises (too soon for the reveals). And yes, there will be sun rises!

Spring break countdown is at 4 days.

Since this intro needs a picture, here are Tu.

 

[luvinthemajik]

Friday, con’t

I saw a dad wearing a t-shirt that made me chuckle as I “sang” the words in my head:
Hakuna Nodolla
It means no money for the rest of your stay!

Considering our stay was just about over it seemed appropriate.

My energy level was beginning to wane but there were a few more things we wanted to do before saying goodbye to the MK. The first perked me up as it always does.

View attachment 902505

View attachment 902506

From musical bears to musical birds (and flowers and tikis…)

View attachment 902507

To a musical family (hey they all sing in the last scene, as did Woody and I!)

View attachment 902510

We’d started our time in the park today with my favorite attraction and ended with my second favorite.

View attachment 902508

An artsy shot for y’all. (You’re welcome.)

View attachment 902509

Of course our day would not be complete without another questionable encounter @luvinthemajik.

A “service dog” that requires a stroller

Friday, con’t

I saw a dad wearing a t-shirt that made me chuckle as I “sang” the words in my head:
Hakuna Nodolla
It means no money for the rest of your stay!

Considering our stay was just about over it seemed appropriate.

My energy level was beginning to wane but there were a few more things we wanted to do before saying goodbye to the MK. The first perked me up as it always does.

View attachment 902505

View attachment 902506

From musical bears to musical birds (and flowers and tikis…)

View attachment 902507

To a musical family (hey they all sing in the last scene, as did Woody and I!)

View attachment 902510

We’d started our time in the park today with my favorite attraction and ended with my second favorite.

View attachment 902508

An artsy shot for y’all. (You’re welcome.)

View attachment 902509

Of course our day would not be complete without another questionable encounter @luvinthemajik.

A “service dog” that requires a stroller.

View attachment 902511

View attachment 902512

View attachment 902513

Yipes! That's the sort of thing @wdisney9000 will soap box on, I'm busy smh, again.People! Never a surprising moment!

 

[Minnie1986]

Friday, November 21

After falling asleep sometime between 8-8:30 pm last night I was glad to be able to sleep until 6 am. However I did have multiple coughing spells that woke me throughout the night.

I enjoyed my last sunrise from the balcony. This was a slow-moving morning and we did not leave the room to go to breakfast until after 8 am. (You know something must be wrong with Tu if she willingly misses early entry at MK on the last day of vacay!)

On our way to the Old Faithful Club we saw a woman with “bed head” wearing flannel Hello Kitty Christmas pajamas getting her breakfast. (Another questionable behavior from a questionable adult, @luvinthemajik!)

As lousy as I was feeling, my spirit was about to get a big boost.

The lobby and other areas of the Lodge had been “magically transformed” to Christmas overnight!!!

View attachment 902091

View attachment 902092

View attachment 902093

View attachment 902094

View attachment 902095

The joy in my heart gave me an adrenaline rush that carried me until afternoon. We lingered over breakfast for the breathtaking view. According to the concierge, the crew of 80 workers did not finish decorating until 7:30 am. The tree is 45 feet tall - it sure would be cool to watch how it is put together. (If I’d only known the transformation was occurring during my middle of the night awakenings! )

What a wonderful surprise and pick me up!

 

[Minnie1986]

Glad tidings continued when we discovered TMAOWTP (wow, that’s a long acronym!) was getting ready to open. The attraction had been down all morning. The CMs out front would not commit to a time but Woody and I opted to hang around for a bit since we could see multiple people hovering around dispatch.

View attachment 902430

Presents where pumpkins used to be.

View attachment 902431

We’d made a good decision to stay nearby as just a couple minutes later the hunny pots began moving and the CMs at the entrance received a thumbs up. Woody and I were some of the first through the queue.

View attachment 902432

We’d been in the park less than an hour and already completed three attractions without rope dropping!

The fourth was also a walk on, we just had to wait outside the theater doors for the next show.

View attachment 902433

I mobile ordered lunch as we left Philharmagic. Prime upstairs seating at Columbia Harbor House was already taken but I could kinda see out the windows facing IASW. The windows on the other side have been papered over to conceal the construction of Piston Peak.

View attachment 902434

Fueled by chicken tenders and fries we set off for our next destination.

Chicken tenders and fries are Disney penicillin, and I will die on that hill

 

[Tuvalu]

Yipes! That's the sort of thing @wdisney9000 will soap box on, I'm busy smh, again.People! Never a surprising moment!

“Yes, we train them to totally ignore their human .” - @wdisney9000

 

[Tuvalu]

Friday, con’t

I’d forgotten that Woody and I spent time on Main Street before leaving. It was lovely to see the Emporium decked out.

We picked up a couple take-home treats from the Confectionery. The store was very busy and I did not take any pictures.

Was it decorated?

We opted to take the bus (rather than boat) back to the Lodge so we could enter via the lobby and see the decor from the ground floor.

 

[Tuvalu]

The lobby was already overrun with looky-loos. There was a treat table and the line to make a purchase was insane!

There was also a cute - but small - gingerbread “lodge.”

We didn’t linger long. I’m hoping the madness was due to opening day. The expected Christmas crowds shouldn’t have been due for another month!

Our room had not yet been serviced so Woody and I hung out in the Old Faithful Club for about an hour. We returned only to discover the room still hadn’t been done and the housekeeping carts were gone. We did have extra towels so we opted to put the privacy sign on the door and not call housekeeping.

I had really wanted a nap but now it was too late. Instead I sat on the balcony pondering dinner options while Woody showered.

 

[littleroo]

One of the best Wilderness Lodge Christmas tree pictures I have seen!! Tu-ly magnificent!!

 

[dizfan917]

what the heck is Cheddar Gougere? do you know?! I wish we would have stopped by there to find out...

 

[Tiggerish]

what the heck is Cheddar Gougere? do you know?! I wish we would have stopped by there to find out...

Gougeres are cheese puffs. Traditionally made with gruyere cheese, but safe to say those are made with cheddar.

 

[Tuvalu]

what the heck is Cheddar Gougere? do you know?! I wish we would have stopped by there to find out...

Gougeres are cheese puffs. Traditionally made with gruyere cheese, but safe to say those are made with cheddar.

Me, upon first glance at these two posts -

Thankfully I am now on a PC with a large screen and could scroll back to my lobby photos. (I had pulled the pics and posted from my phone this morning.) The cheese question threw me for a loop. I realized I had never looked at the treat table menu - I just assumed it was all sweets! Thanks @Tiggerish for coming to the rescue!

 

[Wicked Sisters]

@Tuvalu do they put the decorations up at WL the same time every year or can it be before this time. As it will be our last time in November we really hope to see them in person.

 

[Tuvalu]

@Tuvalu do they put the decorations up at WL the same time every year or can it be before this time. As it will be our last time in November we really hope to see them in person.

A Front Desk CM told me this on our check in day, November 17.

There is one holiday decorating crew with a specific work order - MK and DHS get decorated first (due to the parties) followed by AK then Epcot. Monorail resorts get their decor next (after the parks are done) and then the rest of the resorts are decorated in a random order that changes each year. The goal is to have all resorts done by Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving will be November 26, 2026. I don't know the end date of your vacation but if you are still there a few days before the 26th you probably will see them. One year the lobby wasn't done until the day before Thanksgiving (and we just missed it. )

 

[Wicked Sisters]

A Front Desk CM told me this on our check in day, November 17.

There is one holiday decorating crew with a specific work order - MK and DHS get decorated first (due to the parties) followed by AK then Epcot. Monorail resorts get their decor next (after the parks are done) and then the rest of the resorts are decorated in a random order that changes each year. The goal is to have all resorts done by Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving will be November 26, 2026. I don't know the end date of your vacation but if you are still there a few days before the 26th you probably will see them. One year the lobby wasn't done until the day before Thanksgiving (and we just missed it. )

Thanks for replying. We go home on the 23rd so we are lucky this year.

 

[Baron Von Capybara]

This thread is so last year

 

[Tiggerish]

Thanks for replying. We go home on the 23rd so we are lucky this year.

I will cross my fingers for you, too. I really hope you get to see the lobby decorations.

As you may already know, Thanksgiving is 26 November this year.

 

[radiorae]

what the heck is Cheddar Gougere? do you know?! I wish we would have stopped by there to find out...

I’m glad you asked, ‘cause I also was wondering

Gougeres are cheese puffs. Traditionally made with gruyere cheese, but safe to say those are made with cheddar.

Ooooh that doesn’t sound bad at all.

 

[mpaulam]

Oh…that tree!!

 

[lindawdw]

The WL lobby is just so beautiful at Christmas time! The crowds at certain Disney resorts clamoring to partake in the festivities can feel overwhelming at times. We stay at the Grand Floridian Villas most Christmas vacations and it can be insane when the gingerbread house is up! Wonder why you never got your housekeeping this day???