April 19th DVC Update: Refurbish News, Moana’s Return, New Cruise Option and More

Hello, fellow DVC members! I’ve got a few quick updates for you that may help you with your upcoming travel plans.

DVC Resort Updates

A couple of Disney resort play areas are in the news this week.

Vero Beach Resort’s Pirate Ship

Please plan accordingly: Disney’s Vero Beach Resort plans to refurbish its water play area this fall.  The current timeline suggests that the Tiger Lily Wet Play Area, aka the pirate ship, will close on September 7^th. The expectation is that it’ll reopen on November 15^th, which means about ten weeks of downtime.

Polynesian’s Kiki’s Tikis Splash Play Area

That timeline mirrors what we’ve noticed with Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. Kiki’s Tikis Splash Play Area closed in February and remained offline in March. The kiddie activity center just reopened the other day after roughly ten weeks. So, that’s apparently how long it takes to fix DVC wet play areas in 2021.

Moana Returns to Aulani & More

At Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, your favorite character has returned. Yes, Moana is meeting and greeting again. In fact, the official website has updated to reflect her presence. If you pay attention to Disney+, you may know that Moana is the dominant movie on the streaming service, even over Frozen or Avengers: Endgame. Kids adore the character, and Moana’s return shows that Aulani is ready to put all the recent unpleasantness behind us. The Moana character greeting comes weeks before the Mickey Mouse meal returns at Aulani. You can eat with Mickey and friends at Makahiki Restaurant. The Parks Blog indicates that breakfast reservations will open on April 26^th. You can book yours by calling (808) 674-6200.

DVC Travel News

Okay, would-be international travelers, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

Status of Disney Cruising

As expected, Disney has canceled some of its cruises through the fall. Specifically, the Disney Magic has canned everything through October 9^th. I mentioned the DVC Member Cruise receiving the axe last week. Since the cruise industry remains landlocked for now, it’s not a surprise.

Photo Courtesy of DisneyTouristBlog.com

Cruise fans in the United Kingdom do have a new option, though. The Disney cruise blog has scheduled itineraries for Disney Magic at Sea staycations. These cruises are only available to English citizens, but they do take you on a two- to four-day trip around the country. Any travel is welcome these days, right?

The blog also updated with information regarding Florida’s lawsuit to reopen the cruise industry. You can read the details here. It’s literally called the CRUISE Act.

Internationally, Disney is ready to commit to a full 2022 campaign. It has released a full set of Adventures by Disney itineraries for next year.

Suffice to say that you’ll have scores of options if you want to roam the world a bit after the pandemic.

The most enticing and expensive proposition involves a trip to Patagonia and Antarctica. Pack a parka for that one.

A Quick Disneyland Paris Update

In international park news, we still don’t have a reopening date for Disneyland Paris. The park had scheduled its return for April 2^nd. An outbreak in France prevented that from happening. In fact, President Emmanuel Macron extended the lockdown through at least May 1^st.

Currently, Disneyland Paris is the only Disney park that remains closed due to the pandemic. Despite the setback, the park is moving forward with new plans. The most exciting involves the replacement for Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic.

Cars Road Trip will open when Disneyland Paris comes back. Disney posted a 70-minute video about what’s in store for returning park guests.

One of the highlights of Cars Road Trip is – I kid you not – a Giant Lug Nut. See for yourself:

Voici à quoi devrait ressembler la scène de l'écrou géant, avec Flash McQueen, à Cars Road Trip. Cette photo a été trouvée sur le site d'un prestataire, Studio Boccuni ! Pour rappel, l'attraction sera accessible dès la réouverture des parcs. pic.twitter.com/illhyRo8Qi

— OutsidEars (@OutsidEarsDLP) April 13, 2021