*COMPLETED 9/14* Trip Report - Poly, Free DDP 9/1 - 9/6, lots of pics!!! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

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ShesAPirate

09-10-2007, 09:37 AM

So you're all warned - this is my first attempt at a trip report! I hope I'll be able to capture everything as well as many of you have in your reports.

First, the cast: me, 34; James, 33. This was our 7th trip to WDW together. Here we are in a self-taken shot, both looking a little over-heated (and myself looking a bit insane :lmao: )
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07035.jpg

James works in Atlanta, while I'm in NJ. So on Friday (8/31), I got on my way to ATL straight from work. My flight was scheduled to take off at 4:45, and I was at the airport two hours before. I smoke, so I didn't want to go through security right away and be trapped in the airport. I sat outside for at least 45 minutes. My best friend and I were texting back and forth, which made time pass a little more quickly.
The line for security was quite long, but moved fast, and I got through in about 10 minutes. And then, of course, my flight was delayed (I say "of course" because Newark airport is like the king of delayed flights.) 25 minutes, they say. Not too bad.
Once on the plane, that 25 minutes turned into at least an hour. I really don't know, because I fell asleep while the plane was waiting for take-off clearance. And then when we got to the ATL area, we were stuck in a holding pattern for another hour or so. So a 1hr 45 minute flight turned into a 7 hour experience, counting delays and my time spent at Newark beforehand. :P

Fast forward to the next morning, when James and I get in his car and begin our journey to WDW. We left Atlanta around 7:30am. Normally, we'd be rolling up to our hotel about 6 hours later, but we battled wicked thunder and lightning storms almost the whole way down, so it was slow going most of the time.
The clouds amazingly disappeared as we neared Orlando -- coincidence, or Disney Magic? ;)
Anyway, we were on our way to I-4 when we saw the sign for 429, and decided to give it a shot. Let me just say, this was a great decision! 429 is great - much quicker, more direct, and pretty much empty. I highly recommend taking that route rather than using 4.

As we walked into the Polynesian lobby, that smell that everyone talks about hit me. It was wonderful! They need to bottle that! And it's just the most beautiful lobby... it's like paradise.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07034.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/09-01-07_16041.jpg

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Our check-in went smoothly - we got our leis, and one of the buildings we requested (We had a list of Nuie, Raratonga, and Samoa). We got Raratonga, room 1827. Ground floor, which James wanted. But oh no - it faced the parking lot! Exactly what I didn't want! I didn't say anything to James or to the CM who checked us in. Figured I'd look at it first and see how it was, so we took our KTTW cards and went to our room.
Glad I didn't make a big deal - you couldn't see the parking lot at all! Here's the view from our patio:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07022.jpg

And while I'm at it, here's the pics of our lovely room:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07020.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07018.jpg

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http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07023.jpg

We were all checked in and unpacked by 4:30. What a great feeling!

Coming up in the next part - our trip to Walmart, Magic Kingdom, and dinner at Crystal Palace - and more pics, of course!

kdzbear

09-10-2007, 02:55 PM

Great start to your trip report. I love the pictures of the resort! :wizard:

pezheadmeg

09-10-2007, 05:33 PM

I'm in too.

Awesome pics! :dance3:

ShesAPirate

09-10-2007, 08:16 PM

Thanks for the compliments so far :goodvibes

Okay, a little more background here -- this past Christmas, I got a beautiful little Canon Elph... and 4 months later, I was robbed and that camera went bye-bye. I won't get into the range of emotions I felt about being robbed... that would be a whole other thread entirely. They also robbed my iPod, which was something I couldn't stand to be without. That was immediately replaced, so the camera had to wait.

And it waited until the first day of this trip. We decided we'd head over to WalMart, get me a camera, and pick up a few other essentials we'd need. We went to the front desk to see if they could tell us how to get there, since we'd never been there before. The first CM we spoke to took out a map, and tried to explain the route. She was confused, and that made it seem like the drive to WalMart would be complicated. Luckily, another CM came along, and handed us pre-printed directions to WalMart.

The directions were spot-on, and soon we were at this gigantic WalMart. (It reminded me of one Simpsons episode, where Marge and Apu go to a warehouse supermarket. On the store's sign, under the name of the store, it said, "Where Shopping Is a Baffling Ordeal".) This WalMart was just tremendous. Luckily, we didn't need a lot, so we weren't there long. I was just thrilled to get my new camera - a newer-model Elph. Yay!

We were, of course, running late for our ADR at The Crystal Palace. We jumped on the monorail as soon as we got back to the Poly, and kind of raced down Main Street to get to the restaurant. Our ADR was at 7:15, and I believe it was about 7:30 when we checked in. No problem, though. They didn't turn us away or anything.

MK and CP were packed. There were soooo many people waiting for tables, and it was hot and sticky outside. I heard more than one person complaining about the wait... and of course, one person who just had to speak to the manager, because he couldn't get a table. Nevermind the fact that he didn't have an ADR... he'd just walked up and expected to be seated. On Saturday night. On Labor Day weekend. This guy obviously does not read the Disboards ;) The manager was very polite, and explained repeatedly about ADRs, staying calm the whole time. James and I, meanwhile, were asking each other, "What does this guy expect them to do? Throw somebody out so this guy can have a table?"

Anyway, after maybe 20 minutes, we were seated. Our server, Ana, was wonderfully warm and friendly. We loved her! CP is my favorite character meal, mainly because I so adore Eeyore (and the other Pooh characters - but Eeyore is at the top of my list). We go there every trip. This time, the food was better than ever. Everything was cooked perfectly.

Here's my first plate (came out a little bright, but... it's turkey, mashed potatoes, spoon bread, and some veggies):
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07040.jpg

My second plate consisted of a lot of the same stuff, but with prime rib instead of turkey this time. The prime rib was perfectly medium rare and had a great flavor. James had many of the same things I had, but also some salmon and a pasta dish. He liked it all.

And then there was dessert. Yum! The selections on my plate are a chocolate-peanut butter cake, strawberry cheesecake, carrot cake, and some apple cobbler. Oh, and of course a little bit of ice cream on the side:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07047.jpg

It was all very good - though the chocolate-peanut butter cake wasn't thriling for me. I'm very picky about my peanut butter. James tried the cookies, too, which were very tasty.
(For the record, I didn't eat all of this - more or less just took a bite or two of each. I had to take some of everything for the pictures :))

We got some time with all of the characters (Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore). I get like a little kid around them!

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/DisneySeptember07050.jpg

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James even got caught in the parade of characters and kids when he was coming back from the buffet :)

We waddled out of CP and over to Fantasyland. It was a madhouse. Everything had a lengthy wait. By this time, SpectroMagic was going, so we watched for a few minutes before deciding we'd had enough action for one day.

We went to the monorail station, and on our first attempt, were able to ride in the front car! That was great! First time for both of us! The CM at the station gave us monorail trading cards, and the pilot gave us our Monorail Co-Pilot licenses. We were thrilled!

Back at the Poly, James went to check out the arcade while I, of course, had to check out the stores (and start buying pins!). We then went back to the room for a bit, and came out again around midnight. It's amazing how quiet the resort became in that hour we were in our room. The pool was empty (except for a few ducks), and the whole atmosphere was completely serene. We sat outside for a while before finally going to bed.

Coming up in Part 3 - Chef Mickey's lunch, hanging around the Contemporary, and back to the MK. :)

ShesAPirate

09-10-2007, 10:51 PM

We had a very lazy morning on Day 2. Slept in, then went over to Captain Cook's to grab some breakfast.

Captain Cook's is insanity in the morning. It's just too small, and there's no natural flow for people to walk/pay/get their food/get out. It's just not designed well. When it's empty, no problem. But when there's 30 people crowded around the self-serve kiosks and cash registers, it's maddening.

Oh well - we got our breakfast, anyway. We both had Mickey Waffles with sausage. YUM!

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0040.jpg

And I didn't mention - we bought our refillable mugs the night before, which we put to great use throughout the trip.

After breakfast, we walked around and I took some more pics...

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0035.jpg

One of the many feathered friends we encountered:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0038.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0043.jpg

It just doesn't get much better than this...
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0044.jpg

We decided to head over to MK, since we had a late lunch ADR at Chef Mickey's. This time, we got to enjoy walking down Main Street, and my obsessive castle-picture-taking began.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0047.jpg

Honestly, could the sky have been any more beautiful?!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0052.jpg

It was HOT HOT HOT, and we were both not feeling much like waiting in long lines. We hopped on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and spun around the park. I even got James to go on Carousel of Progress, which he normally finds boring (no line + air conditioning = instant interest). After that, we decided to go to the Contemporary and check in early for Chef Mickey's.

We were seated almost immediately after checking in -- at a table near the window, with a Castle view. That was very nice. The food was just ok, unfortunately. I've had much better meals at Chef Mickey's. The prime rib was overcooked, and there were supposed to be ribs on the buffet - but we didn't see them until we were getting dessert. There were salads and the usual kiddie food bar -- which is what I ate from (chicken fingers, mac and cheese, etc.) The dessert, though, was great. Here's my sampling plate:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0061.jpg
Ice cream (there were a slew of toppings available, but I only took sprinkles, chocolate chips, and a few crushed Oreos), carrot cake (again - this one was actually better than the one at CP), marble cheesecake, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate layer cake, and of course, a Rice Krispies treat.

For the first time ever, we got to see every character there. I love Pluto almost as much as I love Eeyore, so this was a big deal for me :)

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0065.jpg

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and Minnie suggested this pose:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0067.jpg

Following that huge meal, we found the Contemporary Arcade. James and I are both video game junkies, and we loved the old Contemporary arcade. We were very glad to see that this one was even better. This one is a redemption arcade, unlike the one at the Poly (meaning you could win tickets playing games to cash in for prizes).

After playing games for a while, went back to the Poly to relax for a little bit. We finally got our Magical Moments envelope, which was kind of like a certificate/card, congratulating us on our anniversary. It was really sweet.

Later, it was back out to MK. It was still packed! At least a 30 minute wait for just about everything. Thanks to the SpectroMagic parade, we were able to walk on to Pirates and the Jungle Cruise. Our cruise guide was actually funny for once! Like, genuinely funny. It's all in the delivery :)

We had a late dinner at Casey's Corner. No pics of that, but we both had hot dogs and fries - very good. And they still have the cheese sauce on the fixings bar, which we were both happy about.

Back to the Poly - and we got to sit in the front car of the monorail again, with another couple. The pilot only had 2 co-pilot licenses on him, so we said to give them to the other couple, since we'd gotten them the night before.

We got to watch part of Wishes from the beach at the Poly, and with the music piped in, I actually got a little weepy. It was just so beautiful!

After more lazing around outside and more games in the arcade, it was once again time for bed.

Day 3 - MGM, Mama Melrose's, and Fantasmic...

ShesAPirate

09-12-2007, 03:42 PM

Okay, it's hard to remember exactly what we did every second of the day, but... I believe this was the day we woke up super-early to make our 8:20 Ohana breakfast ADR.

The CM could not find our reservation, but they put us on the waiting list anyway. Because we were so tired, it felt like we waited forever. In reality, it was probably 10 minutes.

The hostess gave us more leis, after seeing our anniversary buttons (which we got from MK, not from the Poly), and took us to our table. Along the way, we picked up a basket of bread. One was like a cinammon raisin, and the other was some kind of pineapple bread - both really good:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0078.jpg

Once again, we were lucky enough to get a table at the window, and could see the castle:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0080.jpg

Our waitress soon appeared and poured us some juice (mango/orange or something). It was good, but too sweet for my taste. James loved it. The food started coming out quickly -- I waited longer for decaf coffee (I cut out caffeine a looooonnng time ago) than we did for breakfast.

First came the fruit:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0079.jpg

...then the mini-Mickey waffles:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0083.jpg

and then the big pan full of eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and potatoes:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0082.jpg

Everything was delicious. This was one of our favorite breakfasts of all our trips to Disney, and easily the best one this trip. We'd never been to Ohana before this. I originally scheduled dinner there, but cancelled it after a particularly scathing review on the Dis Unplugged Podcast. Wanting to meet Stitch made me schedule this breakfast, and I'm soooo glad we did. It was wonderful.

And despite the lack of character interaction (it was much better at CP and CM), I did get to meet Stitch, moments before we left:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0086.jpg

We were both exhausted, having been up late the night before, so back to the room we went. I fell asleep for a while, while James hit the arcade again (he's not a napper).

Later, we had lunch at Captain Cooks. We both ordered the pepperoni flatbread. It was great! I love flatbread pizza, and this was cooked just right. We also got dessert as part of the DDP.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0088.jpg
That's my chocolate cupcake behind the pizza. It was good, but really sweet.

James opted for a giant chocolate chip cookie (which tasted great):
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0089.jpg

In the evening, we headed over to MGM. It was still more crowded than I'd expected it to be, and again it was really hot outside, and raining on and off:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0090.jpg

We went in to see Muppet-Vision 3D after some initial protests from James. A gust of air conditioning blasting out of the theater convinced him we should go in.

Here's what annoys me about the queue -- that unbearably long commercial for Kodak before you get to go watch the movie. It tries so hard to tug at the heartstrings, and maybe it did the first time I saw it, but... now it's just a yawn-fest.

And then the Muppet movie itself... I'm hoping with this Mobile Muppet Lab thing, and with the Muppet Show coming back on TV, Disney will decide to update the 3D movie. The effects really pale in comparrison to It's a Bug's Life and Philharmagic. And even Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I love the Muppets, and I have since I was a little kid... but this movie is really dated and needs to be replaced. Oh well - at least we got someone to take this picture of us and Kermit:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0092.jpg

I know we went on The Great Movie Ride - which had actually been changed since the last time we were there. Instead of the 1930s era gangster causing trouble, it was a cowboy in the next scene. That was a nice change of pace, but the tour guide on this one was a bore. James asked, "Is it a requirement to be monotone or nasally to be a guide on this ride?", because that's all we ever get. I love this ride because of the movie sets, though.

It was getting close to time for our Mama Melrose's ADR, so we found it and checked in. We'd never eaten there before, and decided to give it a shot since we had the free DDP.

The lobby was crowded, and we waited a good amount of time before getting seated. The atmosphere was pretty good - nice lighting, but a little noisy.

Our waitress, Lisa, was decent - but looked like she had a few too many tables. She got our drinks, and we were ready to order.

James got the Crispy Calamari appetizer, while I ordered the Artisan Breads and Spreads:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0115.jpg
I don't eat seafood, but James said the calamari itself was good, but the sauce was bland.

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This was a good app, though way too much for one person (even when that person is carb-addicted me ;)). The garlic spread was out of this world.

For entrees, I got the Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan over spaghetti:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0117.jpg
This was disappointing. When I think of chicken parm, I think of the chicken being pounded thin and the cheese being all gooey and melty. This was a thick chicken breast, the cheese was barely melted, and the sauce, again, was bland. Not a salt shaker in sight, either.

James had the Spaghetti Fra Diavalo:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0118.jpg
Since this was loaded with seafood, I didn't taste it. He said the sauce wasn't spicy at all, but the seafood itself was good.

Then came desserts. I went with the Tiramisu:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0121.jpg
Very pretty, and the cream or marscapone cheese inside was delicious. The ladyfingers, though, were saturated and soggy, which I didn't enjoy.

James' dessert was much better - Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0119.jpg
Absolutely delicious. Still, we each only took a bite or two, having planned to head to The Writer's Stop so I could try the Carrot Cake Cookie.

That was another disappointment, I'm afraid. The creamy filling was awesome, but the cookies were crumbly. I was so looking forward to that one, since I love carrot cake, and the pictures I'd seen of this cookie looked great.

We headed over for the 10PM showing of Fantasmic. The queue was long, and we all walked in slowly. I was looking for these light-up cups I'd seen them selling in January. One CM told me I could get them inside, but once we were in there, I didn't see anyone selling them. We got our seats (very close to the front, which was great), then I got up to get us a couple of bottles of water. Made it back to our row right after the lights went down.

Fantasmic is just amazing, every time you see it. I was marveling at the people in front of us who had clearly never seen it before, watching them flinch when some unexpected fireworks went off - it was great. I never get tired of this show.

I can't really recall what we did after this, exactly. It was pretty late, so I assume we just went back to the Poly. The bus ride, I recall, was about 20 minutes.

In the next part -- My experience with Tonga Toast, Downtown Disney, and Raglan Road. Thanks for reading! :)

ShesAPirate

09-12-2007, 09:51 PM

James and I overslept, and had to run out to Captain Cook's to grab breakfast.

James got the Breakfast Platter (eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and a biscuit), while I excitedly ordered the Tonga Toast.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0130.jpg

Tonga Toast, inside and out:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0129.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0131.jpg

This was the most disappointing of all the food I had on this trip - or any other. I was so psyched to try it, because it sounded fantastic. What could be bad about french toast stuffed with bananas, fried and rolled in cinnammon-sugar?

Well, the bananas tasted sour. The bread was too crispy on the ends, and the middles were soggy. Like, really soggy with grease. I tried so hard to like it, but it just wasn't happening. James gave me some of his breakfast platter, because it was really enough for two people, and I drank my OJ and ate the sausage from my own plate.

We went back to the room for to get ready. While James was in the shower, I walked over to the front desk to find out how much we'd charged to our room - only about $180 at that point, which was great. While I was there, I figured I'd ask what it would cost to add an extra night.

We went over to Captain Cook's a little later to refill our mugs, and that was when I broached the subject with James. "We've only spent 180 bucks so far, and we still have lots of meal credits left, and an extra night would cost us 329 plus tax," I said, giving him my best big-eyed pouty face.
He thought for about 20 seconds before saying, "Let's do it."

From there we went straight to the front desk, added that extra night, and got new KTTW cards. YAY! I was thrilled! :banana:

Our original plan was to try and squeeze Animal Kingdom and Epcot into the same day, but now that we had the extra night, we decided to head to Downtown Disney instead of either of those.

It was another sweltering day, and my stomach was a mess from that Tonga Toast -- felt like it was full of grease.

Regardless of that, our first stop at DTD was Goofy's Candy Shop. We'd never been there before. It was like walking into Willy Wonka's factory

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0133.jpg

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James loves those marshmallows on a straw, and when we saw that you could create own, his eyes went wide. So did mine, really. So we went about filling out these little forms, choosing our base (I believe the choices were 4 marshmallows, or 3 pretzels, or a caramel apple, or one of a few varieties of cookies), then the dip (milk, white, or dark chocolate), and then the toppings (there were so many, I really don't remember them all). We both chose the marshmallow base. James continued with milk chocolate, and crushed Reese's Peanut Butter Cup topping. I chose dark chocolate, and crushed Oreos. All I can say is Oh My Gawd, these things were completely delicious! James's had what felt like a pound of peanut butter cups on it, and mine had so many Oreos that I looked like I'd been rubbing dirt all over my face after one bite. Not a pretty sight, maybe, but so worth it! And they were cheap. It was around 5 or 6 bucks for both of them.

Here they are:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0136.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0135.jpg

We each took a couple of bites, then put our marshmallows back in their boxes and continued to walk around DTD.

We spent a ridiculous amount of time in the pin store, even more time (and more money!) in Team Mickey. We walked around slowly, since it was so hot, and we were getting hungry for real food.

I figured we wouldn't get to go to any of the sit-downs there without ADRs, but we actually walked right in to Raglan Road and were seated immediately.

James was very happy to get a Black and Tan...
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0140.jpg
...and I was just happy being somewhere air-conditioned ;)

Raglan Road is a beautiful pub. Great atmosphere. I wish we'd gone when there was live music and entertainment (at night), but it was still very nice to look at the old bars (I think there were 4 of them), the rich wood architecture, and even the silverware. It totally reminded me of the nicer pubs in New York.

We both ordered the Fada Burger, which has Dubliner cheese, bacon, and tomato chutney on it, all on a nicely-baked bun, and served with chips (or big fries) in a little metal pail. I got mine without the chutney, and ended up taking off the bacon (it was really salty), but James ate his as-is.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0143.jpg

Both of us were very impressed with the food, and the service was good, too. I highly recommend Raglan Road. I'm sure we'll be going there again on our next trip.

My stomach was feeling more and more grease-filled as the hours went by. I couldn't stop tasting that awful Tonga Toast. :P Still, we walked on, visiting shops along the way, with Disney Quest as our goal.

Along the way, we spent some time in Starobilia's, where they sell all those autographed movie posters and props. Fun stuff to look at, but way out of our budget. We got a good laugh, though, from this guy's parents buying him an autographed "Rush Hour" movie poster for more than 700 dollars. We couldn't comprehend anyone liking that movie, or Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker that much...

When we finally got to DQ, and saw that it was almost 40 bucks a person to get in, we decided we didn't want to go that badly. On previous trips, we had the Water Park & more option on our tickets, so never really thought about the admission price of Quest. It just didn't seem worth it, so we decided to head back to the Poly - especially since my stomach was suffering.

While waiting for the bus, James said, "Instead of closing DQ down, why don't they just lower the price? That might bring more people in." I totally agree.

We waited FOREVER for a Poly bus that never came. So we decided to get on the Grand Floridian bus, then hop on the monorail from there.

This was my first time seeing the GF lobby. Wow. It was gorgeous. Still don't think it's my style, but undeniably impressive.

Back at the Poly, I bought some Tums at the store, then we headed for the beach. We were amazed and disgusted at the number of people swimming and playing in the lagoon. We couldn't believe it. That water doesn't look like anything I'd want on my skin, that's for sure! And none of the CMs told anyone to get out... oh well, to each his own, I suppose.
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http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0152.jpg

James got a drink from the pool bar, and I got a (non-alcoholic) Sour Apple Freeze (in a Captain Hook cup, with a color-changing straw, and a little light-up Tinkerbell clipped onto the straw -- I'm such a little kid!).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0153.jpg

We laid on the beach for quite a while before deciding we'd go back to the Contemporary and hit the arcade again.

We also had a late dinner there, at their food court. I had a hot dog and fries, and chose chocolate cake for my dessert option. James had a chili-cheese dog, and got a chocolate cupcake with white icing for his dessert. (We put our desserts in a bag to take back to the Poly, neither of us wanting to eat them at that point.) The hot dogs were very good, and we liked the choices better than what was available at Poly.

Burnt out on videogames and just tired from the whole day, we headed back to our room a little before midnight.

Up next - day 5... Epcot, MK, and amazing fireworks.

Shell0616

09-12-2007, 10:21 PM

You guys are such a cute couple! Congrats on your anniversary. Thanks for sharing your trip. I am really enjoying your report so far!

ShesAPirate

09-12-2007, 10:25 PM

You guys are such a cute couple! Congrats on your anniversary. Thanks for sharing your trip. I am really enjoying your report so far!

Aww, thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it :goodvibes

ckret01

09-12-2007, 11:24 PM

Awesome pics...... I am going to Disney in Dec and I am hoping to hit thatcandy store at DTD when I am there. I have never been there out of all the times I have been to disney and after seeing your pics of the candy.....all I can say is WOW.......:love:

marivaid

09-13-2007, 12:32 PM

Lovin' your report so far !! Couldn't agree more about Muppets Vision.
I'm kind of jealous of anyone who can just "add an extra night" since they don't have a flight to catch :sad:

You guys are such a cute couple!!

HappyTrouble

09-13-2007, 12:56 PM

I have to admit I was looking forward to having The Wonderful Tonga Toast also when I was at the Poly last month so I convinced my Mom to split it w/ me and we also got sausage and eggs to split. Well, thank goodness we had that breakfast platter because neither one of us could even eat 1/2 of the Tonga Toast :( Major Disappointment.............but everything else about the Poly was wonderful!!!!!!!!! You 2 make an adorable couple and I am enjoying your report:banana:

ShesAPirate

09-14-2007, 09:04 PM

I'm kind of jealous of anyone who can just "add an extra night" since they don't have a flight to catch :sad:

That's really the only good thing about James working/living in Atlanta -- that way, I was able to book my flights to and from NJ to Atlanta instead... with that "extra night" always in the back of my mind ;)

ShesAPirate

09-14-2007, 09:06 PM

ShesAPirate

09-14-2007, 10:59 PM

I didn't write it down, but I believe we had breakfast at Captain Cook's again... no pics of that, since it was the same food we'd eaten there before.

Our day began at Epcot. We tried to get in the first car on the Monorail, but no such luck this time. Oh well - we will definitely try again next trip, because that's apparently the best ride to sit in the first car.

As the monorail was going through Epcot en route to the station, we noticed that it looked like a ghost town. It was just empty.

On the station platform, we saw this:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0162.jpg

And then we laughed as the people behind us were insisting it was a locust. :confused3

Here it is, sans arm/wand/stars/letters:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0185.jpg

It was another hot day. Our first stop was Ice Station Cool (is that what it's called, with all the free sodas?). So we were tasting everything, and I saw James go for the Beverly soda - the Italian one. The bitter one. I guess he forgot about it, and I wasn't about to stop him. I watched him drink it, then saw this look of horror come over his face, followed by "Oh my God, that's awful!". I just laughed and laughed :) An older couple was nearby, and the man said, "What did you try, the Italian one?" We chit-chatted for a couple minutes, and then they gave us these:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0186.jpg

They had just gotten them, but were on there way out of Epcot. We thanked them over and over again. It's so nice to run into people like this.

The downside (if there is one) is that no one would've needed Dream Fastpasses at Epcot that day -- that's how empty it was. I think Soarin' still had a 70 minute wait, but even Test Track was under 20 minutes, and everything else was walk on. Still, it was so nice of them! :goodvibes

We went on The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and the Figment ride (what is it called? Imagination?) We're not big Future World people... we're really more into World Showcase, which is where we headed next.

But before that - I just thought this picture was really cool. I love the way the sky looks right above Spaceship Earth!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0171.jpg

Our first stop in WS was Great Britain (our favorite!). James got a Black and Tan at the Rose and Crown, and we went into the courtyard to wait for the British Invasion to come.

It started raining lightly as we sat there waiting. They were about 10 minutes late. As soon as they came on, though, I saw Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore going in to the back door of one of the shops. I was torn... what to do, what to do?

The British Invasion opened with "I'll Follow the Sun", perfect for the weather (and one of my favorite Beatles songs).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0178.jpg

I took some pics and some video, but the draw to Eeyore was too strong to resist! So into the shop I went. They were minutes away from leaving, so I was just in time!

I rejoined James in the courtyard and listened to a few more Beatles songs. This is one of our favorite things to do at WDW. In fact, on trip in March '04, we went there, got our beers, and sat down to listen to the afternoon show. We met these British people around our age who worked for a travel agency or something. We got to talking, and ended up spending - no exaggeration - 3 or 4 hours there, drinking, talking, and listening to the British Invasion. It was awesome! But that's another trip entirely...

Anyway, once the British Invasion was done, the rain was coming down a bit harder. We started walking. We had to stop in the tea and candy shop to get a Flake and a CurlyWurly, though (such yummy English chocolate!).

We meandered around WS, stopping in some shops, taking pictures, etc.
And in the America section, I got to meet this little guy again!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0184.jpg

There were a few other characters there, but I don't really remember who.

We walked on to France on a mission. This was another one of those, "I saw ______ on the Disboards and I have to try it" missions. The item in question this time was a cream puff from the bakery in France.

There were many, many delicious-looking items in the display cases:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0181.jpg
...but I came to get the cream puff, and I didn't waiver.

[photo not found due to photographer eating the subject in about 2 seconds flat] ;)

Honestly, this thing was SO GOOD! OMG, if you like pastries, make sure you get a cream puff from this bakery on your next trip. Mmmmmmmm!

Moving on... we walked around a bit more, then headed out. We discussed what to do, and decided that we'd skip Animal Kingdom this trip. There were a few reasons behind this. We love AK, but first of all, it was so hot the whole week, and AK is always hotter than every place else. We had the time, really, over the course of the week, but we really didn't want to be commandos this trip. We wanted to enjoy the Poly... so no regrets. We were going back to MK.

Lunch was at Pecos Bill's. This is a must every trip, and didn't disappoint. I didn't take any pics because everyone knows what a cheeseburger looks like. I did, however, take a pic of the dessert (again - not something we'd normally get, but since we had the DDP, we did).

This is the peanut butter mousse brownie:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0188.jpg

I tasted it - it was pretty good. But we were both too full to eat it, and had thoughts of getting something better later on.

Anyway... here's the Haunted Mansion, all locked up for the refurb... I was really sad to miss this one :(
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0191.jpg

We waited 20 minutes for Peter Pan (my favorite ride EVER). After that, we were able to walk on Snow White's Scary Adventures, as well as Winnie the Pooh. That made us very very happy.

Next, it was off to Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. Neither of us had been on this one in 20 years. The line is always so long. But on this day, the wait was only 15 minutes.

Here we are being morons on the line:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0198.jpg

The Speedway was soooo much fun! It will become a staple for us now - a must ride on all trips. I was laughing the whole time, as I was constantly bumping the track the entire time.

The only other thing we wanted to do that we hadn't done yet was Buzz Lightyear. We walked right on -- and for the first time ever, my score was higher than James's! I tried to take a picture of it, but the flash made all the numbers look like zeros. Oh well - he still knows I beat him! :cool1:

It was getting late, and we wanted to be back at the Poly in time for the Electric Water Parade, so we headed out. On our way out, we grabbed some chocolate-covered strawberries from the confectionary. The best! And I snapped this picture - just gorgeous...
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0204.jpg

Back at the Poly, we staked out a good spot on the beach. James got us drinks from the bar, and we just laid there, watching the sunset, waiting for the parade. We still had a decent amount of time, so I figured I'd go for a swim. James wasn't into that idea, so he stayed on the beach.

My swim lasted about 3 minutes. The pool water was a lot colder than I thought it would be. Next time, I'll swim during the day. I'm sure it's warmer when the sun is out.

The Electric Water Parade was very cute. James had never seen it before, and I hadn't seen it since '93. I don't know if it's changed at all since then, but we enjoyed it.

Wishes started about 45 minutes later. This was such magical experience for us, watching Wishes from beginning to end, laying on the beach, on the last night of our trip. It was just perfect!

We were hungry after that, so headed to Captain Cooks.

James got the Grown-Up Grilled Cheese with Polynesian chips:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0219.jpg
James really enjoyed this. The poly chips (which I tasted, too) were really good - very flavorful.

I got another flatbread pizza - this time, just cheese:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0220.jpg
The pepperoni flatbread was better than the plain cheese. The plain cheese was a little bland.

But here was the highlight of the meal -- my first ever Dole Whip:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb30/glms27/IMG_0222.jpg
This is self-serve at the Poly, by the way. I saw a few people pump them out to ridiculous heights. I stayed reasonable because I was already kinda full. But let me tell you, this treat did not disappoint! I loved it - very refreshing and creamy at the same time.

We went back to our room and started packing, preparing to leave in the morning.

Day 6 - Mickey Waffles for breakfast for both of us. We called the front desk to get a late check-out, since we hadn't finished packing. They gave us until noon.

It's always so sad to leave... especially this trip, because we loved the Poly so much. But after a quick trip back to Captain Cook's to refill our mugs, we were on our way back to Atlanta :(

It was a much less eventful drive back - no storms or anything. I slept most of the way.

So, what did we learn this trip? A few things...
-The DDP is really too much food. If we don't get it for free, we won't be using it again. We found that way too much of our trip revolved around where and when we were going to eat. We even cancelled 2 ADRs because they didn't fit in with our plans. Sure, it was a great value, when you consider that it was free. I added up our receipts (I was sure to note the amount of the bills everywhere we used the plan), and it came out to about $350.
-We LOVE the Polynesian, and both agree that we don't need to stay anywhere else.
-Disney in September is HOT. Maybe too hot. We will stick with the cooler months from now on.

I loved writing this report, and taking all the pictures for it. James wasn't crazy about the looks I got when taking pictures of my food, but he got used to it eventually, presenting me his plates before taking a bite.

Thank you all for reading! If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask :goodvibes

tinknme

09-15-2007, 12:19 AM

Thank you for sharing your trip & pictures with us. I really enjoyed reading it & I can't wait for our 1st stay at the Poly in Dec.! Love the pictures of the room, I know my family will love it here.

kdzbear

09-15-2007, 05:03 PM

I loved your report and all of the pictures of the food. I can not wait to get there next Saturday! :wizard:

Shell0616

09-15-2007, 07:38 PM

Thanks again for your report. I really enjoyed it a lot. I do have one question. Can you get Dole Whip Floats as well as Dole Whips at the Poly?

I'm glad you guys had such a great trip!

Shellie

ShesAPirate

09-16-2007, 04:08 PM

Thanks again for your report. I really enjoyed it a lot. I do have one question. Can you get Dole Whip Floats as well as Dole Whips at the Poly?

I'm glad you guys had such a great trip!

Shellie

Hi Shellie - No, it's just regular Dole Whips at the Poly. No floats. I don't recall seeing any pinapple juice there at all, now that I think about it.

And thank you -- I'm really glad you enjoyed my report! :goodvibes

ShesAPirate

09-16-2007, 04:08 PM

I loved your report and all of the pictures of the food. I can not wait to get there next Saturday! :wizard:

Have a GREAT time! Thanks for reading!!!

ShesAPirate

09-16-2007, 04:11 PM

Thank you for sharing your trip & pictures with us. I really enjoyed reading it & I can't wait for our 1st stay at the Poly in Dec.! Love the pictures of the room, I know my family will love it here.

I hope your Poly experience is as great as ours was! Just so you know (and I forgot to mention this in my report), we didn't get any towel animals from mousekeeping. Oh, and the toiletries they provide (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion) smell sooooo good! I'm not usually a shower gel person, but I just ordered some full size bottles from the company that makes what Disney provides (h2oplus.com). It's wonderful!

Have a fantastic trip! Thanks for reading my report!

Laren

09-16-2007, 04:17 PM

Aww you two are adorable, I'm so glad about the dream fp's someone gave you, how cool is that!!!

We were at Poly the 4th-12th so we might even have crossed paths! Thanks for all the great pics as I didn't take any at the resort and it is cool to remember right down to the breakfast platter my husband loved so much LOL

Laren

ShesAPirate

09-17-2007, 04:45 PM

ShesAPirate

09-19-2007, 10:23 AM

Just a few things I forgot to mention...

Firstly, a kind of funny one... About 2 or 3 days in, we were sitting on a bench in one of the parks, and I crossed my legs. As I was crossing, I happened to catch a glimpse of the bottom of my Croc (Cleo sandal). I saw the size on the bottom -- 11! I immediately looked at the bottom of my other Croc, and the size there was 10. I apparently bought 2 different sized shoes. :rotfl: I'm such a moron sometimes... I don't know how in the world I didn't notice the difference. But it didn't stop me from wearing them!

Did I mention that I only had 1 blister the entire trip? That's by far the best my feet have faired on any Disney trip - and it was my first trip with Crocs.

I didn't encounter any large tour groups, anyone annoying outside of the person I mentioned in part 1, or anything gross. I saw only 1 love bug -- on James's shirt. I noticed it when we were on a ride (can't recall which one) and he quickly brushed it away.

I know there's more, so I'll update as I remember. I am SO ready to go back!

dseth

09-19-2007, 12:21 PM

Great trip report - thanks so much for posting. we just came back this past Sunday. Glad you were able to stay at the Poly, it's a goal of ours. We had a date night and ate at Kona and I just couldn't get over how romantic the surroundings of that beach area were!:goodvibes