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.

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday, con’t

A ride on the MPB Tu.0 was next.

@Songbird76

Look, Ma - no giant crane!

 

[Tuvalu]

Em’s request.

Scuttle and the crabs have returned!

The posted wait at the entrance said 15 minutes. We were already at 15 minutes when we reached here - the dreaded circular room!

Burned again!!

Our wait upon climbing into our clamshell? 25 minutes.

Why did you lie to us, Ariel?

Proof that Em obeyed Woody’s new (to us anyway!) rule.

 

[Tuvalu]

We saw Wendell, the Haunted Mansion Bear!

I’m kidding of course. Wendell is a Country Bear. But his vest and necktie scream Haunted Mansion!

Em’s second request.

It’s hard to tell in this picture, but this service dog was sporting striped socks and Crocs!

Intro song. I think I finally have it memorized! #lifegoals

Romeo McGrowl was missing his hearts.

How to tell if The Country Bear Musical Jamboree is a hit? This teen boy (red shirt) was having the best time!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuesday, con’t

The humidity had sapped our strength. It was time bid adieu to the park and find someplace cooler.

There wasn’t much of a breeze while riding the small boat to Wilderness Lodge.

I chose to cool off in the pool. Em chose to nap in the room. We were happy with our choices!

We had plans to meet @riverside and R for drinks at Geyser Point early evening, so Em and I decided to get take-out from either Geyser Point or Roaring Fork for supper. However a glance at the online menus for both places proved disappointing - we had recently consumed both turkey and BBQ (Roaring Fork options) and Geyser Point had removed our fave pretzel roll cheesesteak AND Asian Sesame Salad from the menu!

We ended up eating peanut butter sandwiches with chips and fruit and people-watched as light rain blew in.

Fifteen minutes later the rain became a monsoon with loud thunder and lightning bolts shooting out of the sky!

We headed inside, canceled our meet with @riverside (a wise decision since it crazy-stormed the rest of the night!) and spent a cozy evening lounging and watching TV.

 

[Nunu]

and thanks to @Nunu, Imagination.

Aw, you remember!
We need to do this again.

We saw Wendell, the Haunted Mansion Bear!

View attachment 866845

I’m kidding of course. Wendell is a Country Bear. But his vest and necktie scream Haunted Mansion!

Em’s second request.

View attachment 866846

It’s hard to tell in this picture, but this service dog was sporting striped socks and Crocs!

View attachment 866847

Intro song. I think I finally have it memorized! #lifegoals

View attachment 866848

Romeo McGrowl was missing his hearts.

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How to tell if The Country Bear Musical Jamboree is a hit? This teen boy (red shirt) was having the best time!!

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There's my Sammy!

 

[MissingDisney]

Neither Em nor I felt like lunching at a counter service restaurant. I was able to book an 11:20 ADR at The Plaza.

I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t you have an awful experience on your last visit with Woody?

Indeed we did. But I was willing to roll the dice again to avoid having to eat a quick service meal.

Happily, today’s visit was the polar opposite of last month. I checked in online on our way down Main Street and immediately received the “Your table is ready,” notification - and we hadn’t even made it past Starbucks! We were seated immediately and our server was right there waiting for us.

The only downside was we were given a table next to the saloon doors. However Em was not injured and I had an entertaining view of the kitchen.

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We sat at the same table during our last visit. My husband gleefully proclaimed “best seat in the house-dinner and a show!”

 

[radiorae]

Okay, @radiorae it’s time for your help again! What album is this? (It’s color blends right in with the bricks!)

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Oh gosh!! I’m gonna need some binoculars for this one I don’t recognize it off the top of my head, but now I want to figure it out.

 

[Songbird76]

Tuesday, con’t

A ride on the MPB Tu.0 was next.

@Songbird76

View attachment 866834

Look, Ma - no giant crane!

View attachment 866835

Well done!! And an excellent use of your time!! I love people-watching from up there. It's one of my must-dos every trip. E and I often asked to stay on when it wasn't busy and the CMs were always amazing and let us do another round.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

This is a great trip report! I have a feeling by Thursday or Friday it will become even more epic. (Or…go right into the toilet.)

 

[Tuvalu]

Oh gosh!! I’m gonna need some binoculars for this one I don’t recognize it off the top of my head, but now I want to figure it out.

This is a great trip report! I have a feeling by Thursday or Friday it will become even more epic. (Or…go right into the toilet.)

 

[lindawdw]

You had the perfect MK day having lunch at The Plaza, traveling the Main Street Railroad and doing my favorite Tomorrowland PeopleMover ride! It was too bad you couldn't do drinks at Geyser Point with Riverside and R, but it was a wise choice with that rainstorm! I love that you enjoyed your balcony so much on this trip because the view really can make or break your resort experience if you are balcony people!

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, June 11

Sunrise pic for @littleroo.

Bat pic for @MissingDisney. (Yep, they were out pre-dawn.)

Em and I were doing something new this morning - rope dropping breakfast.

Where, you ask?

We’d had no wait for a bus this morning and were inside the park at 8:05 am. No need for Em to wear her Sadness tee today, we still had 4 full days of vacation of left!

Our ADR was at 8:30 - the start of early entry. We did not mind sacrificing ride time, because we had another DHS morning planned. I thought the restaurant might open earlier (like Crystal Palace at MK) but it did not. I took pictures as we waited.

 

[littleroo]

Thank you my friend I promise to return the favor! That view is gorgeous

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, con’t

While I was able to check in online at 8:20, the doors to Hollywood and Vine opened exactly at 8:30.

I booked this breakfast only because of the special 40% AP discount, figuring we’d get an ample meal for a decent price. It would also eliminate the need to eat lunch. However Disney raised the buffet price sometime after I’d made the reservation and with tax and tip (calculated before the discount) breakfast was $80 for the two of us. The food was very good (and yes, the price includes a premium for the characters) but we felt it was a lot of money for breakfast food.

We were among the first to be seated and I was able to get pictures before the restaurant got busy. It had been 10 years since I’d last eaten at H&V, and even longer for Em.

The diner atmosphere is fun.

The buffet is quite extensive and there is a cook for custom omelettes.

H&V does not have POG juice but I was happy with pineapple juice. Em had apple juice.

 

[Tuvalu]

The characters came by quickly. I was able to avoid the awkwardness of Em having to pose with Disney Jr. characters (who were not part of her childhood) by asking, “May I take a picture of you by yourself for my grandkids?”

Vampirina

Fancy Nancy

Doc McStuffins ran to Em before I could request a solo pic.

We made an exception for Goofy. He was part of Em’s childhood.

Goofy is also Woody’s favorite. I sent him this to make him jealous!

 

[lindawdw]

Love that sunrise picture with the many bats flying around!!! In all my years of going to WDW, I have never eaten at Hollywood and Vine! I was tempted when they began doing the Mickey & Minnie Christmas characters at the holidays!

 

[Songbird76]

The characters came by quickly. I was able to avoid the awkwardness of Em having to pose with Disney Jr. characters (who were not part of her childhood) by asking, “May I take a picture of you by yourself for my grandkids?”

Vampirina
View attachment 867154

Fancy Nancy
View attachment 867159

Doc McStuffins ran to Em before I could request a solo pic.
View attachment 867158

We made an exception for Goofy. He was part of Em’s childhood.

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Goofy is also Woody’s favorite. I sent him this to make him jealous!

View attachment 867157

I love Goofy... And even as an adult, his interactions are so funny. Chip and dale are usually great, too.

Have you ever done breakfast at Boma? I know they have pog juice there. I don't care for it and I had to cover my glass because they kept pouring me more and I can't stand wasting food, so I forced myself to drink it, then they'd fill it back up while I was getting more food. It's a bit out of the way, but if you have a free morning, I highly recommend it. The sticky buns and the bread pudding with vanilla sauce are soooo good.

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, con’t

As we were leaving Hollywood & Vine, @riverside came up behind us and surprised Em and me! We were so glad to get to spend some time with her after last night’s storm had put a damper on our plans.

We decided waiting in the MMRR queue would be a good place for chick chatting. The line moved quicker than we expected and soon we were aboard Goofy’s MPB.

None of us paid attention to Daisy’s dance instructions!

 

[Tuvalu]

Love that sunrise picture with the many bats flying around!!! In all my years of going to WDW, I have never eaten at Hollywood and Vine! I was tempted when they began doing the Mickey & Minnie Christmas characters at the holidays!

Hollywood & Vine had a bad reputation for many years and I never understood why. The buffet meals I’ve eaten there were on par with other Disney buffets.

I wonder if the restaurant receives holiday decorations when Mickey and Minnie are in their Christmas attire?

I love Goofy... And even as an adult, his interactions are so funny. Chip and dale are usually great, too.

Have you ever done breakfast at Boma? I know they have pog juice there. I don't care for it and I had to cover my glass because they kept pouring me more and I can't stand wasting food, so I forced myself to drink it, then they'd fill it back up while I was getting more food. It's a bit out of the way, but if you have a free morning, I highly recommend it. The sticky buns and the bread pudding with vanilla sauce are soooo good.

We’ve done Boma many times for dinner but never for breakfast. Years ago I read numerous reviews that the breakfast was a must-do and I intended to make reservations but never did - probably because it is a bit out of the way like you said.

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, con’t

We continued chick chatting on our walk down Sunset Blvd.

And while waiting in line to check in to a scary hotel.

There wasn’t much of a demand to check in this morning. Less than 20 minutes in fact.

I left my companions to ride in an elevator that was recently inspected….

….while they had to fend for themselves on an elevator that clearly hadn’t been inspected in a LONG time.

They didn’t seem to mind all the ups and downs. Those smiles were still on their faces when they met me in the lower lobby.

We chick chatted for a bit more, until the guilt of having abandoned her family overcame @riverside and we said our goodbyes.