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.

 

[MissingDisney]

Thursday, April 10

(BTW @MissingDisney for the 4th morning in a row I did not see any pre-dawn bats! )

Thank goodness! Checking in tomorrow and I’m only interested seeing mice, ducks, dogs… . I wonder if all the work they did by the Yosemite Suite cleared them out of the area and sent them packing back to the intended boxes in the area.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thank goodness! Checking in tomorrow and I’m only interested seeing mice, ducks, dogs… . I wonder if all the work they did by the Yosemite Suite cleared them out of the area and sent them packing back to the intended boxes in the area.

I sure hope so!

Have a great stay!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

Upon returning from Neverland we needed to visit Rapunzel.

We didn’t see her, so she must have been in her tower.

Em and I were stunned to discover that Haunted Mansion was a literal walk-on. We did not stop walking until we entered the stretching room!

(Perhaps a ghost noticed Em’s proper attire and cleared the way for us?)

NAILED IT x2!

We hoped our good fortune would continue in Adventureland.

We did catch a glimpse of Aladdin and Jasmine.

Sign said 40 minutes. Would it be accurate?

 

[lindawdw]

I love Em's Haunted Mansion shirt! That rarely happens where you can just walk onto the Haunted Mansion. We hardly ever get to ride JC these days because the wait times are just so dang long.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

I thought a 40 minute standby was overinflated and I was right.

But only by 5 minutes. The queue was more full than I expected when we entered. We inched along, which enabled me to notice more fun props as we waited.

Like a smaller version of the plant from Little Shop of Horrors.

And this ragged tee.

There’s also a small framed picture of supposedly the first Jungle Cruise Skipper joke:
Here is the giraffe - the only animal in the jungle which LOOKS DOWN upon the others.


Completely unexpected was some in-line entertainment.

CM Fred (notice Hei Hei in his pocket) was doing sleight of hand with younger guests.

“See the card with Mickey on it? You need to pick the right card,” he says to a boy about 9 years old.

CM Fred begins to shuffle the cards. “Tell me when to stop.”

The boy says stop and CM Fred asks him to pick the card with Mickey on it. The boy points to the card in the middle.

“You picked the WRONG card!” CM Fred announces as he flips the empty card over. “I told you to pick the RIGHT card!”

CM Fred then reveals that he has been holding the Mickey card in his RIGHT HAND the whole time. He was able to perform this trick several times as we were waiting because guests could not see (though they could hear) what was going on until they were directly in front of him.

Thirty five minutes later we were onboard.

In the very back of the boat. By the engine.

Loud motor + poor sound system = can’t hear the commentary.

The only quip I actually heard was “don’t get wrapped up in this constricting relationship” as we passed by here.

So while I could not hear the jokes, I was happy to see Mother-in-Law elephant back in her rightful abode.

She’s been MIA for quite awhile.

 

[Tuvalu]

While in line for Jungle Cruise, Em had switched our dinner ADR to lunch. “To free up our evening,” she said.

While I was fine with the change, we really didn’t have enough time for another attraction. So we made our way out of the park to the bus depot.

You know how Disney recommends allowing 90 minutes to get to an ADR using Disney transportation? I’ve always found this on the excessive side, finding 60-75 minutes to be more than enough time.

Today we were 90 minutes out. And of course the bus was waiting in the gate when we got there. A private #ShirleyStatus ride that took just 12 minutes!

But we were greeted with another Easter Egg surprise!

Then we walked down to peruse the gift store.

It helped kill some time.

 

[Tuvalu]

Then we went outside. Stormalong Bay is in the midst of a lengthy refurbishment and it was jarring to see all the scaffolding, exposed pipes, dirt holes, empty concrete pools and tons of bagged sand stored around the area.

Our fave “Relaxation Grotto” was a torn-up mess!

Apparently the planned 6 month refurbishment is running behind schedule and won’t be completed by the start of summer. No wonder I’ve seen some decently discounted rooms for both Yacht and Beach Club!

 

[Tuvalu]

Guess where we ate lunch.

I’m sure the photo clue gave it away. It’s not like we eat at Beaches and Cream all the time.

The host at the stand immediately checked us in although we were 15 minutes early. It was especially surprising because the restaurant was fairly busy with only a few tables open.

I will say our experience was more “miss” than “hit” due to our scattered server. She was delayed in welcoming us, taking our order, checking on us and bringing the check. She also made mistakes when delivering our order to the cooks.

Em ordered a cheeseburger and did not receive lettuce, tomato or pickle. I ordered my usual grilled chicken “cheeseburger” and it arrived like this:

Cheese-less with a cherry tomato and pickle on top of the bun, stabbed by a skewer?

And what happened to plates? Both our entrées arrived on metal trays (at least the paper was themed!)

When I finally managed to flag down our server and informed her of the omissions, she did bring me a slice of COLD cheese. (Not the same, honey!!) Em had to eat her burger sans lettuce and tomato.

(This would have never happened with Herlina, @Loco_driver!)

Em debated ordering her “mock” No Way José but I convinced her to order the regular one and only eat half of it, so our server wouldn’t screw it up.

My marshmallow sundae came out correctly. Thankfully.

Inflation has certainly arrived at Beaches & Cream. Our lunch was $70 (before tip) and we only drank water.

Based on today’s experience, I am reconsidering my ADR with Woody next month.

 

[lindawdw]

Thanks for sharing all the fun props in the standby line at JC! Sorry you got stuck near the engine after waiting that long. Wow, the BC pool area is really a mess, and they were originally saying it would be closed until the end of May and then extended it until June. We have a Beaches and Cream reservation next week that I'm considering cancelling because of your experience.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thanks for sharing all the fun props in the standby line at JC! Sorry you got stuck near the engine after waiting that long. Wow, the BC pool area is really a mess, and they were originally saying it would be closed until the end of May and then extended it until June. We have a Beaches and Cream reservation next week that I'm considering cancelling because of your experience.

I’ve read Stormalong might be closed until July!

I’m still on the fence about B&C. Woody does like the No Way José but I might be able to sway him to the All American Sundae at the ice cream shop on Main Street.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

It was such a pretty day that we decided to walk over to Epcot.

But DID NOT expect to encounter this….

Following a cement mixer to the International Gateway was definitely not on my BINGO card for today!

 

[Tuvalu]

“Look, there’s a Mickey on the hill!” Em said.

Neither of us recall seeing this display at previous F&G Festivals.

We popped into World Traveler where Em found a hat she liked.

And we saw what I assume are plastic watering cans - prizes for Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Scavenger Hunt (that’s a mouthful!) Just $9.99 plus tax.

We admired more F&G beauty on our way to Mexico.

 

[Tuvalu]

Gran Fiesta Tour had recently opened from its refurbishment and it looks great!

Apparently a large crowd was expected as we had to wander through all these stanchions.

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

I convinced Em to do another attraction.

“It’s just a 15 minute wait,” I said.

Only it wasn’t.

More like 25 minutes. I typically would not wait that long for Figment. But when we got in line there was no way of knowing that the line would not move!!

Happy smiles hiding frustration.

The pool was calling and we had just wasted a chunk of time. Our moods didn’t improve when we just missed the bus!

Then there was a driver change. And having to travel through Ft. Wilderness as the bus was shared (which I’d forgotten, otherwise I would not have suggested stopping to ride that purple dragon!)

FINALLY.

 

[lindawdw]

I’ve read Stormalong might be closed until July!

I’m still on the fence about B&C. Woody does like the No Way José but I might be able to sway him to the All American Sundae at the ice cream shop on Main Street.

I cancelled my B&C reservation. I figured since we're staying at The Boardwalk, we could always walk into Epcot and get an ice cream at the France Ice Cream shop! Bummer that the Figment line was so long and then the whole bus thing but at least you got some time at our favorite pool to relax after all that!!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Thursday, con’t

We thoroughly enjoyed our pool time and cleaned up once we were back in our room. As Em was reclining on the bed, I noticed something brownish crawling on her shoulder.

Even from a few feet away I knew immediately what it was. A stink bug.

If you are unfamiliar with the stink bug, the most important thing to know is DO NOT squish or crush it. Doing so releases a pungent, foul odor. It’s best to gently pick it up with a tissue and set it free outside.

“Em,” I said in the calmest voice I could muster, “stay still and don’t freak out. There is a stink bug on you and I am going to remove it.”

Her eyes had a look of panic but to her credit she did not move. I quickly grabbed a Kleenex, picked up the bug, ran to the toilet and flushed it away.

(It would have taken much too long to unlock the double deadbolts on the sliding glass door. Sorry, Mr. Bug.)

Just when I thought the event was over there was a shriek from Em.

“It pooped on me!” she cried. She pulled off her shirt in a flash and ran to the sink to begin the stain removal process.

It was not the best start to our evening.

Remember this?

 

[RememberWhen]

Poor Em!

Also, the TuvaCrew definitely need tiny adorable watering cans!!

 

[Loco_driver]

This would have never happened with Herlina, @Loco_driver!)

I miss Herlina so much! Our last few visits have had rather poor service much like you had. Honestly it just hasn’t been the same since they expanded the restaurant.

 

[Tuvalu]

I cancelled my B&C reservation.

Honestly it just hasn’t been the same since they expanded the restaurant.

I did it.

 

[lindawdw]

Oh poor Em! Hope the stain came out of her shirt!