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]

Sunday, October 12

Noisy neighbors on both sides of us woke us at 5 am with heavy foot stomping, chatter and exterior doors repeatedly slamming. Ironically there was no baby crying or toddler whining, leading me to believe neither room had requested that mysterious Pack ‘n Play.

Fully awake now, we both read a bit before eating our breakfast. Then we dressed, packed and departed our Toy Story room at 7:30. As we were rolling our luggage to the car we passed a room with a half-full 24 pack of bottled water outside the door. The curtains were open and the room was unmade and unoccupied.

Coincidentally I had just read an article about Disney guests “being green” and leaving behind leftover items (that they could not take with them) for other guests to use. Em confirmed that the unopened bottles were safe for consumption and we grabbed them. It was great to have some extra water!

As we were driving to resort #2 - POFQ - I thanked Em for suggesting that we leave home a day early. She replied, “And now we’ve got all the unpleasant things out of the way….the 8 hour drive, value resort, Animal Kingdom.”

Home for the next 4 days.

I’d received the “Your room is not ready at this time, we will send an update once it becomes available” text the moment we departed the guard shack. However I still wanted to go inside and speak with a Front Desk CM just in case another room was available. I’ve also learned that when checking into a new resort before 11 am, the digital transition from resort #1 to #2 goes more smoothly when a CM is involved.

The lobby refurbishment had been completed a week earlier. We liked it a lot!

The friendly CM helped with my MDE transition from AS Movies to POFQ. Sadly there wasn’t an available room (she said the resort was “fully booked” last night, but Disney’s definition of “fully booked” may differ from the norm ) but she noted on our reservation that we had arrived, pushing the likelihood of a room being ready for us prior to 3 pm.

So Em and I went to the bus stop and boarded a crowded MK bus at 8:25 am.

And I got the room ready text at 9:37 am.

 

[LadyBelle]

A LOT has changed since I last stayed there 21 years ago. I don’t even remember anything being done when we wandered over there after Hurricane Milton.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Sunday, October 12

She replied, “And now we’ve got all the unpleasant things out of the way….the 8 hour drive, value resort, Animal Kingdom.”

 

[Swissmiss]

I’m with you; AK is a must do for me.

 

[Songbird76]

Sunday, October 12

Noisy neighbors on both sides of us woke us at 5 am with heavy foot stomping, chatter and exterior doors repeatedly slamming. Ironically there was no baby crying or toddler whining, leading me to believe neither room had requested that mysterious Pack ‘n Play.

Fully awake now, we both read a bit before eating our breakfast. Then we dressed, packed and departed our Toy Story room at 7:30. As we were rolling our luggage to the car we passed a room with a half-full 24 pack of bottled water outside the door. The curtains were open and the room was unmade and unoccupied.

Coincidentally I had just read an article about Disney guests “being green” and leaving behind leftover items (that they could not take with them) for other guests to use. Em confirmed that the unopened bottles were safe for consumption and we grabbed them. It was great to have some extra water!

As we were driving to resort #2 - POFQ - I thanked Em for suggesting that we leave home a day early. She replied, “And now we’ve got all the unpleasant things out of the way….the 8 hour drive, value resort, Animal Kingdom.”

Home for the next 4 days.

View attachment 889399

I’d received the “Your room is not ready at this time, we will send an update once it becomes available” text the moment we departed the guard shack. However I still wanted to go inside and speak with a Front Desk CM just in case another room was available. I’ve also learned that when checking into a new resort before 11 am, the digital transition from resort #1 to #2 goes more smoothly when a CM is involved.

The lobby refurbishment had been completed a week earlier. We liked it a lot!

View attachment 889400

View attachment 889401

View attachment 889402

View attachment 889404

View attachment 889405

The friendly CM helped with my MDE transition from AS Movies to POFQ. Sadly there wasn’t an available room (she said the resort was “fully booked” last night, but Disney’s definition of “fully booked” may differ from the norm ) but she noted on our reservation that we had arrived, pushing the likelihood of a room being ready for us prior to 3 pm.

So Em and I went to the bus stop and boarded a crowded MK bus at 8:25 am.

View attachment 889407

And I got the room ready text at 9:37 am.

We left all our unopened water bottles, sunscreen, etc on a table in a lobby with a note that said "Help yourself". We don't pack things like toiletries and such because it takes up so much space in our luggage, and coming from overseas, we are usually there for 3 weeks and already have a LOT of luggage. So we buy anything we need at walmart/target when we get there so our luggage can hold more souvenier stuff and food things that I can't get in the netherlands to take back on the way home. So anything we don't need anymore gets left behind with a note that people are free to take whatever they want.

 

[Tuvalu]

A LOT has changed since I last stayed there 21 years ago. I don’t even remember anything being done when we wandered over there after Hurricane Milton.

The year-long room refurbishment began in May 2024, building by building. The buildings exterior did not change, so you wouldn’t necessarily have noticed any work being done.

The lobby refresh began at the end of August this year, well after your visit last fall.

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, con’t

The fall/Halloween decorations in the park felt more appropriate to me today than they did in August!

We scanned in for early entry just a few minutes prior to regular opening. Em wanted to see the decor in Fantasyland before the crowds descended.

I had not noticed these Pooh & friends carved pumpkins in August!

 

[Tuvalu]

We planned to rope drop Haunted Mansion and hurried in that direction when we heard the firework blast indicating the park was now open to all guests.

However once we saw CMs blocking the entrance we knew the ride was down and opted for the nearest walk-on attraction.

RD Small World? Woody texted after I sent him this photo.

Ahhhh….IASW as it should be….scenes on BOTH sides of the boat!

As we waited in the unload zone to disembark, we overheard the mom behind us say: “Ariel has a short wait. Let’s get it out of the way.”

Em and I “getting it out of the way.”

For the first time in awhile, Ariel was dancing again!

Waiting for the right moment….

….and there it is.

 

[Tuvalu]

I’d checked the app as we were leaving Little Mermaid and saw that Haunted Mansion had opened and was a 13 minute wait.

We power walked as quickly as our feet allowed but by the time we got there the wait had ballooned to 45 minutes.

Both of us really wanted to visit the 999 Happy Haunts so we stayed put.

Just 25 minutes later I snapped this pic in case our ride photo disappeared.

But it did appear and we both it!

 

[93boomer]

I’d checked the app as we were leaving Little Mermaid and saw that Haunted Mansion had opened and was a 13 minute wait.

We power walked as quickly as our feet allowed but by the time we got there the wait had ballooned to 45 minutes.

View attachment 889635

Both of us really wanted to visit the 999 Happy Haunts so we stayed put.

Just 25 minutes later I snapped this pic in case our ride photo disappeared.

View attachment 889636

But it did appear and we both it!

View attachment 889634

 

[amjt660]

Here are some Toy Story hotel pics for you to make up for the lack of the theming at ASM

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

Here are some Toy Story hotel pics for you to make up for the lack of the ring at ASM
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Max

The wallpaper and bed runner are the best! Thanks, Max!

 

[cgersic]

The year-long room refurbishment began in May 2024, building by building. The buildings exterior did not change, so you wouldn’t necessarily have noticed any work being done.

The lobby refresh began at the end of August this year, well after your visit last fall.

Wasn't there a fountain on the way to the lobby at French Quarter? It's been a long time since I've stayed there.

 

[Tuvalu]

Wasn't there a fountain on the way to the lobby at French Quarter? It's been a long time since I've stayed there.

Yep, fountain is still there. The check in area is to the right.

 

[cgersic]

Yep, fountain is still there. The check in area is to the right.

View attachment 889735

Whew!! I'm doing some resort hopping tomorrow and am taking the boat from here to Disney Springs

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, con’t

There wasn’t a MNSSHP tonight and the crowds had arrived early. Em and I decided to grab lunch before quick service locations became chaotic. We scanned mobile order menus to see what we felt like eating. We ended up at the home of this guy.

He was oddly silent and not moving. I went to pick up our food while Em searched for a table away from the static figure. I tried Cosmic Ray’s version of the Chick-Fil-A sandwich (new) which was decent and Em was pleased with her grilled chicken sandwich.

Em had picked the perfect table. Our view was amazing.

Watching the people on the bridge pose for pictures was entertaining as well.

At lunch we formulated a plan for the afternoon. It included saying goodbye to the Magic Kingdom….for now.

We had great luck with transportation this trip. A bus was either arriving or waiting at the gate when we were ready to board. The POFQ bus was waiting and departed just after we took our seats. First on our agenda was unloading the car and settling into our room.

A little foreshadowing about what was second.

 

[Tuvalu]

Our room was on the 3rd floor of Building 7. It’s the one with the yellow door.

The room was very close to the stairs and elevator, and the lot where we parked the car. But it was a longer walk to the main building/food court and buses which quickly grew tiresome.

Our “garden view”.

To be fair, any “view” at a value or moderate resort is irrelevant to us as we keep the drapes closed. Location to amenities is paramount and this room wasn’t the best.

We do love the new interior and all buildings have been completed!

Typically a Mickey head of Mardi Gras beads is on the table. Ours did not have the necklaces.

But I’ll gladly sacrifice the beads for a nice stall shower.

What really separates a moderate from a value is dual sinks and lots of vanity space.

Sharing a single sink with three or four others does not scream vacation to me. Even when it’s just two of us, claiming a sink for ourselves is a necessary indulgence.

 

[k8einwdw]

I’m guessing the Pack-n-Play was left behind from the last party. When L was small enough to fit in one, we would request one on our reservation, but it was never there when we checked in. We always had to call down to the front desk to have one brought up.

 

[Tuvalu]

I’m guessing the Pack-n-Play was left behind from the last party. When L was small enough to fit in one, we would request one on our reservation, but it was never there when we checked in. We always had to call down to the front desk to have one brought up.

Except we had already been in our room and unloaded our stuff before going off to AK. That’s what made it so weird when we returned several hours later to a Pack ‘n Play in the room!

 

[k8einwdw]

Except we had already been in our room and unloaded our stuff before going off to AK. That’s what made it so weird when we returned several hours later to a Pack ‘n Play in the room!