diff --git a/tests/e2e/disaster-recovery.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/disaster-recovery.spec.ts
index 154928dad..86edd6817 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/disaster-recovery.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/disaster-recovery.spec.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,12 @@ test('can recover uninstalled station', async ({ page }) => {
   );
 
   await page.goto(walletUrl);
-  await page.getByText(/disaster recovery/i).click();
+
+  // The entry point only appears once the wallet has noticed the station is uninstalled, so it is
+  // waited for rather than clicked straight away.
+  const disasterRecoveryLink = page.getByText(/disaster recovery/i).first();
+  await disasterRecoveryLink.waitFor({ state: 'visible', timeout: 60_000 });
+  await disasterRecoveryLink.click();
 
   const disasterRecoveryPage = new DisasterRecoveryPage(page);
   await disasterRecoveryPage.assertIsOn();
@@ -64,17 +69,20 @@ test('can recover uninstalled station', async ({ page }) => {
   await accountsPage.openByName('Main');
 
   await accountPage.pickByAsset('ICP');
-  await accountAssetPage.getBalance();
-
-  while (true) {
-    // refresh the page
-    await page.reload();
-    const balance = await accountAssetPage.getBalance();
-
-    if (balance!.includes('5.0')) {
-      break;
-    }
 
-    await page.waitForTimeout(5000);
-  }
+  // Bounded so that a balance that never returns fails here reporting what it actually read,
+  // instead of spinning until the shared test budget runs out somewhere unrelated.
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      async () => {
+        await page.reload();
+        return (await accountAssetPage.getBalance()) ?? '';
+      },
+      {
+        message: 'the ICP balance should be restored after disaster recovery',
+        timeout: 180_000,
+        intervals: [5_000],
+      },
+    )
+    .toContain('5.0');
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/page-objects/settings.page.ts b/tests/e2e/page-objects/settings.page.ts
index 13cc0d96a..00b46d5af 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/page-objects/settings.page.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/page-objects/settings.page.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Page } from '@playwright/test';
+import { expect, Page } from '@playwright/test';
 import { getWalletPath } from '../config';
 import { getCanisterInfo } from '../utils/dfx.utils';
 
@@ -25,12 +25,16 @@ export class SettingsPage {
     await this.page.getByTestId('continue-action-btn').click();
     await this.page.getByTestId('submit-action-btn').click();
 
-    while (checkForNewModuleHash) {
-      const newModuleHash = getCanisterInfo(stationId).moduleHash;
-      if (newModuleHash !== originalModuleHash) {
-        break;
-      }
-      await this.page.waitForTimeout(1000);
+    if (checkForNewModuleHash) {
+      // Bounded so a wasm that never installs fails here rather than consuming the whole test
+      // budget and surfacing as a timeout in a later, unrelated step.
+      await expect
+        .poll(() => getCanisterInfo(stationId).moduleHash, {
+          message: 'the station module hash should change after installing the custom wasm',
+          timeout: 120_000,
+          intervals: [2_000],
+        })
+        .not.toBe(originalModuleHash);
     }
 
     // wait till the canister starts again