That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up; A Feb. '21 birthday TR with a little "extra" thrown in *LINK TO NEW TR! 10/9!*

[Wood Nymph]

I can't believe your granddaughter is almost three years old. Time really flies, doesn't it?

After doing five trips between October and May, we have a long wait until our trip at the end of October. We decided not to go back until things are pretty much back to normal and we have cooler weather.

We started at AK on arrival day and it happened to be the day the electricity died. Or really the day that there was a huge outage and all that was open for a few hours basically was Pandora. And it just so happened that's where we went first so we had no knowledge of the outage until I had 3 co-workers texting going "what's happening in AK? Aren't you there???" because clients were going nuts.

In a way you were lucky to be in Pandora during the power outage. It's interesting that the area was on a separate electrical setup from the rest of AK.

We also did RnRC and MMRR, both were under 40 minutes and honestly I STILL after almost 10 visits with no FP, prefer those lines to FP because they move!

I loved using fp but hated the dirty looks from the people in the standby line. I can't decide if I want fp to return. I almost like it without fp because, like you said, the line moves.

I leave you with a few pictures I took on our walk inside. It's a pretty resort and the rooms look spacious and fresh (fresh??) but honestly the resort does nothing for me; no desire to stay here.

It doesn't appeal to us, either. There isn't enough shade for us. I think we like more vegetation.

 

[WishesQueen]

It doesn't appeal to us, either. There isn't enough shade for us. I think we like more vegetation.

Agreed, went to Toppolino's which was great but the hotel wasn't my style.

 

[CruellaNY]

Very nice! I've never been to the Caribbean. Unless you count Key West... and I don't think you do.

Yeah....not quite

Don't look at me! I can't even get to North Dakota!

But wait, I heard now you CAN! So go ahead and plan that visit to North Dakota my friend

Hmmm... that depends. I didn't know it was "Rosita's"... but I do know the use of birds in mining.

Yes you're right about the use of birds in mining and that does play a SMALL part in it

so it's probably more of a nostalgic thing with a bit of hoping for a good skipper thrown in.

It's nostalgia for me as well when I ride; somewhere my mom has pictures of the ride in the 70's when we started going. I keep saying I'm going to take the time to find those old pictures and I really need to make a point of doing it!

Chris Cross.

Applesauce?

I like the resort, it is fresh and does remind me of when I was in the French Riviera region. Spot on!

I've heard others say it reminds them fairly spot on of the real Riviera; it' pretty for sure I just feel it's not as cozy as other resorts

ahh Steve could have snapped a picture of us, oh well, it was nice visiting with you.

I know! He should have thought of that lol

Im.going to take a guess about Rosita's cage...did they perhaps use Rosita in the mine? When the bird stops singing its time to leave the mine???

That is true that they were used for that reason as @pkondz guessed too! But there's a bit more to it I'll post the full meaning in my next update!

Oh my goodness, when I heard about the power outtages I was so glad to have missed that!

It really worked out fine for us but if we had other plans on what to accomplish- or hadn't put on our lunch mobile order before the system went down for basically every other qs in the park - I would not have been happy!

 

[CruellaNY]

I can't believe your granddaughter is almost three years old. Time really flies, doesn't it?

It goes so fast! Now we can't wait for her sister to arrive in a few months!

After doing five trips between October and May, we have a long wait until our trip at the end of October. We decided not to go back until things are pretty much back to normal and we have cooler weather.

So sorry to hear that but I understand. I definitely prefer the cooler weather and I'm hoping some of the humidity is gone by our late Sept. trip. I'll be there in Nov and Dec as well and hopefully Dec won't be the opposite and be too cold lol

It doesn't appeal to us, either. There isn't enough shade for us. I think we like more vegetation.

Agreed, went to Toppolino's which was great but the hotel wasn't my style.

Yes on the shade that's true! Funny I think the grounds being rather full of vegetation is one thing I LOVE about WL and even GF; both are nice and green but Riviera does lack that. We've done breakfast at Topolino's but not dinner yet!

 

[pkondz]

But wait, I heard now you CAN! So go ahead and plan that visit to North Dakota my friend

Technically, sorta true.
While I can go right now, I'd have to quarantine for 2 weeks. After July 4, I just have to provide a negative covid test. But! My work hasn't updated their policy yet. So I'd not be able to return to work for 2 weeks. Pretty sure that will change when the other one does too, though.

Yes you're right about the use of birds in mining and that does play a SMALL part in it

It's nostalgia for me as well when I ride; somewhere my mom has pictures of the ride in the 70's when we started going. I keep saying I'm going to take the time to find those old pictures and I really need to make a point of doing it!

You really need to!

Applesauce?

 

[WishesQueen]

Yes on the shade that's true! Funny I think the grounds being rather full of vegetation is one thing I LOVE about WL and even GF; both are nice and green but Riviera does lack that. We've done breakfast at Topolino's but not dinner yet!

Agreed, and my DH and I both said the something "we don't feel like we're in Disney World"

 

[vamassey1]

OH man. I hope they are gearing up. But, I do think they'll open the EPCOT mono by then, so that should help at least a tiny bit.

I'm going to pipe in here. DD's roommate is going to be working the monorail. She was doing the Epcot line when Covid shut DW down. I know she's hoping to do the same route again. If I get some insider info I'll pass it along.

Thanks for the recap of you recently finished trip. It's always interesting to read about all the changes happening so fast. I can't believe you won't have another trip to write about until after September. I've really been enjoying your reports so much.

 

[CruellaNY]

Thanks for the recap of you recently finished trip. It's always interesting to read about all the changes happening so fast. I can't believe you won't have another trip to write about until after September. I've really been enjoying your reports so much.

I love writing these TR's and am thankful for all of you who read them ❤ Yup as often as we normally visit it's so weird that we aren't going back for.....95 days but at least we have Punta Cana to look forward to in less than a month!

 

[vamassey1]

Yup as often as we normally visit it's so weird that we aren't going back for.....95 days but at least we have Punta Cana to look forward to in less than a month!

And that is the silver lining.

 

[buzzrelly]

And next Sunday we'll be celebrating this cutie's 3rd birthday!

How did that even happen so fast??

We started at AK on arrival day and it happened to be the day the electricity died. Or really the day that there was a huge outage and all that was open for a few hours basically was Pandora.

That must've been so odd and super frustrating!

Our skipper did as good a job she could with what she had; three areas covered with green tarps and chains including our friend Sam and in all 3 spots she was like "hey what the heck is that? I've never seen that in the jungle!" which was lame

The next morning before a park we tried breakfast at Cape May. We'd done it once before with the buffet and characters and found it to be one of like 3 buffets we liked in Disney; no longer a buffet and no characters we found the food fine enough to start the day; nothing special although the did have custom omelets- and MINNIE waffles

Looks yummy. I thought about booking this but without characters, I have no desire to eat a big breakfast like that. I can barely justify it when there are characters, but I booked CM and TH for August. I also have Topolino's but I think we're going to cancel it and then I'll make Mike go with me in October since Allie doesn't like the menu and has been dying to go back to CMs.

Steve got his shrimp a couple times though!

Of course!

Yup and getting there early worked because not only were we on and off Slinky before official opening but I got to ride TOT 3x with no wait longer than 20 minutes!

Nice!

It's a pretty resort and the rooms look spacious and fresh (fresh??) but honestly the resort does nothing for me; no desire to stay here.

Totally agree with you here. It's very nice but I don't care to stay here.

 

[kclark9830]

I want to hear how Punta Cana goes too .

 

[CruellaNY]

Hello all! Before I finish up just a little more of our trip earlier this month let me go back to the "Rosita" in BTMRR!

Disney likes to tie its different attractions together, and one decoration links Big Thunder Mountain with the Enchanted Tiki Room, of all places. One of the key acts at the Tiki Room involves a chorus of girl cockatoos. To start out the song, “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing”, show host José wonders whatever happened to a singer named Rosita. When you travel through Magic Kingdom’s interactive line queue, you might notice several bird cages, traditionally meant for canaries and other birds to serve as early warnings for gas leaks. One of the cages is titled “Rosita”, suggesting that she received the dubious honor of working on the railroad.

So both @pkondz and @EvilVillainess were mostly correct in that she does have to do with birds warning miners it was time to leave but there's also the tie to the Tiki Room I find it interesting and quite surprising that I never ever noticed it until 2021 lol.

Our last full day we went back to Epcot after our Primo Piatto lunch and someone started with the drinking right away



It was this afternoon that we got to see Caroline and enjoyed the a/c and some snacks in the Festival Center. Then we had our Biergarten dinner later that I wrote about earlier in the report; besides really good food we had some entertainment too!



I find these guys upbeat and fun to watch and they also do a really touching rendition of Edelweiss on the bells.
Later we walked around a bit before leaving and a took a picture of a phenomenon that had been going on all week! These guys were hanging out in large numbers every single time we crossed the bridge by China:



No idea what type of bird they were and there was about 4x as many as you see in this shot; tons of guests were always standing around staring. In all our visits I'd never seen them there before! I guess after staying away during COVID our feathered friends are also returning......


Fast forward to the next morning, June 9th, which was our last Back to MK but not as productive a morning as a couple days before. We did do Peoplemover again and as we were exiting I saw this furry friend prancing around the Tomorrowland stage:




We got a ride over Neverland in and another visit with 999 Happy Haunts; Big Thunder was down for refurb and Splash/7 dwarfs were just too long for us to wait so we basically did those rides and called it a park day. I did spend time in Liberty Square taking some photos of a few specific details:






These are both a bit more widely known about than Rosita; without googling do you know the significance of either?

After that it was back to Disney Springs for our awesome House of Blues lunch. We did a tiny bit of shopping first and since we finished that with time to spare before our reservation we stopped in to Jock Lindsay's for a drink:



Steve had his mule and I tried something different! Since I'm all into cucumber and mint and lime in my adult beverages now I tried the

Hovito Mojito
Barson Quebranta Pisco, fresh Lime Juice, Mint, and Simple Syrup topped with Soda Water

And it was good! Not sure if I'll go to that on our next visit or back to my Anything Goes:

Anything Goes
byejoe dragon fire spirit, fresh Lime Juice, Passion Fruit, and Pineapple Juice



But we do plan on going there in Sept. Maybe I'll just get both...........and after lunch that was it! We were at SSR for this last night so walked back over and grabbed a Lyft to the airport for our as usual delayed flight home. We really prefer taking later flights - this one left at 5:30- but they ALWAYS seem to get delayed which is annoying. We have an early afternoon flight for our next trip so we'll see if that's any better.

And that's a wrap! Thanks as always for sticking with me on this roller coaster Feb 2021/Nov. 2020/June 2021 TR, I think I'll wrap up Thanksgiving too since I kind of left that hanging before I sign off for good

 

[CruellaNY]

How did that even happen so fast??

Ugh she's like a little PERSON now lol. But it's more fun interacting with her the older she gets, the more she understands and the more she can do But boy is she stubborn lol

That must've been so odd and super frustrating!

Luckily for us it wasn't as bad as for others who had this as their only AK day. It was our only scheduled time there too but being there so often it didn't matter as much, mainly since we'd been able to order and get our food! If I'd ordered somewhere that then went down and had to get on what became a ridiculous wait for Satuli mobil order I would have hurt someone. Unfortunately that someone probably would have been Steve

Totally agree with you here. It's very nice but I don't care to stay here.

Yeah I think I'd only try it for a night or two if a got a good rate and nothing better was available.

I want to hear how Punta Cana goes too .

Aw thanks! I may figure out how to stick that in here!

 

[Wood Nymph]

These are both a bit more widely known about than Rosita; without googling do you know the significance of either?

Without Googling - the second picture with two lanterns in the window is probably the lanterns used to signal when and where the British are coming - from the land or the sea.

 

[vamassey1]

Disney likes to tie its different attractions together, and one decoration links Big Thunder Mountain with the Enchanted Tiki Room, of all places. One of the key acts at the Tiki Room involves a chorus of girl cockatoos. To start out the song, “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing”, show host José wonders whatever happened to a singer named Rosita. When you travel through Magic Kingdom’s interactive line queue, you might notice several bird cages, traditionally meant for canaries and other birds to serve as early warnings for gas leaks. One of the cages is titled “Rosita”, suggesting that she received the dubious honor of working on the railroad.

Poor Rosita.

I did not know that. Thanks for a little bit learning.

I find these guys upbeat and fun to watch and they also do a really touching rendition of Edelweiss on the bells.
Later we walked around a bit before leaving and a took a picture of a phenomenon that had been going on all week! These guys were hanging out in large numbers every single time we crossed the bridge by China:

We saw this is May too. I don't know if it's the same birds you see in AK late in the afternoon from the bridge after the Tree of Life when you're leaving.

These are both a bit more widely known about than Rosita; without googling do you know the significance of either?

I was thinking the same thing as @woodnypmph.

Without Googling - the second picture with two lanterns in the window is probably the lanterns used to signal when and where the British are coming - from the land or the sea.

This.

 

[suse66]

And caught BTMRR before it went down for a short refurb. Also got a good shot of Rosita's birdcage in the queue; anyone know the significance of this?

Isn't it that the canary served as a warning for the miners?

It was such a great day in the MK and the most we got done in any park this trip! We left to get lunch at Geyser Point and then came back and then had dinner at the Wave and later is when we met up with Renee and family in Epcot.

Sounds like a perfect day! We will be logging serious Geyser Point time this August!

We didn't try many festival booths this trip mainly because it was HOT and we did have lots of meals planned. Steve got his shrimp a couple times though! And I got my cider flight while chatting with Caroline @disneyAndi14. I got pictures with nobody I met for some reason! Anyway we didn't even ride anything there other than the 3 Caballeros and Soarin'; we mainly roamed and shopped and saw some entertainment. Hollywood Studios was a different story though! Other than our one MK morning we got the most done there and had a really good morning minus a 3o minute line for Starbucks

I am looking forward to trying out the booths at F&W but am worried about the heat making it uncomfortable to eat outside.

We left around 12:30ish I believe and skyliner'ed it over to the Riviera for our lunch at Primo Piatto and those yummy sandwiches I showed you before. I leave you with a few pictures I took on our walk inside. It's a pretty resort and the rooms look spacious and fresh (fresh??) but honestly the resort does nothing for me; no desire to stay here. I'm sure I will at some point just to say I have even for a night or two and I know people who love it, which is the beauty of so many resorts to choose from.

I am looking forward to going over to check it out but I have to say it doesn't hold a huge appeal for me either.

 

[pkondz]

Disney likes to tie its different attractions together, and one decoration links Big Thunder Mountain with the Enchanted Tiki Room, of all places. One of the key acts at the Tiki Room involves a chorus of girl cockatoos. To start out the song, “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing”, show host José wonders whatever happened to a singer named Rosita. When you travel through Magic Kingdom’s interactive line queue, you might notice several bird cages, traditionally meant for canaries and other birds to serve as early warnings for gas leaks. One of the cages is titled “Rosita”, suggesting that she received the dubious honor of working on the railroad.

Okay, that's really cool! I never heard that before. Me like.

someone started with the drinking right away

Well, ya gotta start some time!

Betcha the bubbles they blow are really big!

These guys were hanging out in large numbers every single time we crossed the bridge by China:

No idea what type of bird they were and there was about 4x as many as you see in this shot

Those are "Florida chickens". Actually white Ibises.

Fast forward to the next morning, June 9th, which was our last

Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to fast forward to the last day!

These are both a bit more widely known about than Rosita; without googling do you know the significance of either?

Nope!

We really prefer taking later flights - this one left at 5:30- but they ALWAYS seem to get delayed which is annoying.

Wonder why that is? Maybe... just a general backing up of flights throughout the day due to weather or other delays?

 

[Steppesister]

I went over the food already so I'll just do a recap of our days. We started at AK on arrival day and it happened to be the day the electricity died. Or really the day that there was a huge outage and all that was open for a few hours basically was Pandora.

I remember that day! Yikes!!

and all dining in those areas was unavailable so people who had placed mobile orders were then unable to claim them once the outage hit

I'd have been so upset. Were they compensated in some way? Refunded?

And caught BTMRR before it went down for a short refurb. Also got a good shot of Rosita's birdcage in the queue; anyone know the significance of this?

I had no idea about it until our February trip; no googling! I'll answer next time if nobody knows!

I didn't know!! It's been so long since I"ve been in the Tiki Room. Such a cool detail.

However at that time we could still see Trader Sam

Sigh....

(and by older I mean older than me which at this stage in life does NOT really mean old)

Oh man... I hear ya!!

When we got to the new totem pole she started explaining who everyone was; ok, but I never really needed their names before:

Steve got his shrimp a couple times though!

Of course he did!

we were on line at 8:15 and within a few minutes this was behind us to the right:

YIKES!!

Yup and getting there early worked because not only were we on and off Slinky before official opening but I got to ride TOT 3x with no wait longer than 20 minutes!

Love this! Not sure we'll ever see this mojo again now that Covid is "over" (in terms of Disney)... back to regular planning.

Disney likes to tie its different attractions together, and one decoration links Big Thunder Mountain with the Enchanted Tiki Room, of all places. One of the key acts at the Tiki Room involves a chorus of girl cockatoos. To start out the song, “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing”, show host José wonders whatever happened to a singer named Rosita. When you travel through Magic Kingdom’s interactive line queue, you might notice several bird cages, traditionally meant for canaries and other birds to serve as early warnings for gas leaks. One of the cages is titled “Rosita”, suggesting that she received the dubious honor of working on the railroad.

I had NO idea!! I posted about the cages on my TR recently, but didn't know there was a specific cage for Rosita!! Cool!

These guys were hanging out in large numbers every single time we crossed the bridge by China:

White Ibis! Love this rookery!

These are both a bit more widely known about than Rosita; without googling do you know the significance of either?

Yep, "one of by day, two if by night..." and the sign of the Minuteman.

Hovito Mojito
Barson Quebranta Pisco, fresh Lime Juice, Mint, and Simple Syrup topped with Soda Water

Needing to replace my cracked glass this next trip. One of my more favorite cups.

 

[CruellaNY]

Without Googling - the second picture with two lanterns in the window is probably the lanterns used to signal when and where the British are coming - from the land or the sea.

You got it!

I did not know that. Thanks for a little bit learning.

Always a pleasure!

I was thinking the same thing as @woodnypmph.

And you're right!

Isn't it that the canary served as a warning for the miners?

Well yes- but there's more to it

am looking forward to trying out the booths at F&W but am worried about the heat making it uncomfortable to eat outside.

That was really a downer because I wanted so many other dishes but UGH the heat earlier this month! I've been in all summer months and I swear this was worse than July and August. Hopefully the humidity isn't quite as high when you go!

Okay, that's really cool! I never heard that before. Me like.

You are

Betcha the bubbles they blow are really big!

And they have little strudels in them!

Those are "Florida chickens".

Ah the elusive Florida chicken, now with a Disney entertainment contract so coming out of hiding

Wonder why that is? Maybe... just a general backing up of flights throughout the day due to weather or other delays?

I think that's exactly it

I'd have been so upset. Were they compensated in some way? Refunded?

You know I don't know and don't think so. We had some agency clients there and they did go to GS but I never asked those agents what the outcome was. I'm sure they at least were reimbursed for any $$ they paid on food they couldn't get!

I didn't know!! It's been so long since I"ve been in the Tiki Room. Such a cool detail.

had NO idea!! I posted about the cages on my TR recently, but didn't know there was a specific cage for Rosita!! Cool!

It was so funny- in Sept I happened to look up at the right time and noticed the cages and happened to look at the names. Rosita stuck out to me and Tiki Room came to mind but I did need to look up the connection. Love it!

Yep, "one of by day, two if by night..." and the sign of the Minuteman.

Don't you love all the details in Liberty Square? I truly do!

 

[disneyAndi14]

We saw the birds in China, very cool, a first for us as well. I wonder if it is a June thing. This was our first June trip.
I can’t quite remember but I think the windows have some significant meaning for that time period in Liberty Square.
Andi had the Anything goes and she really liked it.