A Trip of Firsts: How the Farrell’s do a Disneymoon!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

First let me say this is my first trip report and its starting a little late but it will be worth it!

Introduction: The Who, What, Why, Where and When.

What: Our DISNEYMOON, a Land/Sea adventure

Where: Disney’s AllStar Music resort, Disney’s Polynesian resort, Disney’s The Wonder Ship

When: December 12th 2008- December 21st 2008, December 22nd 2008.

Who:
Me: 22, Newlywed, Bank teller, recent graduate, loves Disney, especially old Disney classics. And Obsessive planner! I love making lists and plans.
Previous trips to Disney- May 2007 with DH and his family.
DH: 21, Newlywed, Computer Programmer, recent graduate, fond of Disney. (I am creating his addiction!) He is the grounded one. He keeps me calm and tries to sway away from too much planning.
Previous trips to Disney- Age 3, Unsure of dates, with his family, and May 2007 with
family and girlfriend at the time (ME)!

Why: Long story short, DH and I started as high school sweethearts, dated five years, then became engaged for Christmas in 2007. We Planned a December wedding, locally and started planning our Honeymoon. Well last time we left Disney we loved it so much, but felt as if we missed so much and wanted to go back. We promised each other that we would return again before we have children so we can explore on our own. Well we were thinking about locations for our honeymoon, I suggested Disney. DH was excited but waited a bit more. Hmmm what would be Disney but some great add-ons???? Well I being the planner I am, started exploring the DIS and the Disney website. After some extensive research I suggest a Land/Sea vacation. With 3 or 4 nights at Disney and 3 or 4 nights on a Disney Cruise. Cruise? That was it DH was set, it was the Land/Sea for us.

How it all started: I wanted the 4 nights on land so we would have more park time and less cruise time, since neither one of us had cruised before. DH agreed. We started looking at dates and our resort options and ship stateroom options. We knew right away that we wanted to spend the money to have a full veranda on the ship. The fresh air, the open sea and the views! Next up, which resort? After making my own comparison chart in Excel we decided that we wanted to do a category 4 room on the ship. The list of resort choices were: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club Resort, Polynesian Resort, Saratoga Springs Resort, Swan or Dolphin Hotel. Each hotel had different positives and negatives about them, but we decided on the Poly. Well we went to book and the Poly was not available for those dates. WHAT!!!! What now? So we emailed different travel sites to see if there was anything available, NOPE! So we decided to wait a week after the wedding to go, best choice we ever made, we were so busy with wedding planning that week gave us some time to rest and pack before the honeymoon.




Here's just a few wedding photos to kick this TR off with.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/resize1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/resize2.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/resize3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/resize4.jpg
This is our Disney moment!

[MaleDisneyBeliever]

Looking forward to this! We too are childhood sweethearts and still together. Maybe we'll finish up like you guys one day! ;)

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Looking forward to this! We too are childhood sweethearts and still together. Maybe we'll finish up like you guys one day! ;)


Welcome!

That's great about you two also being high school sweethearts! We are planning to prove all the skeptics wrong about starting out young and lasting forever! So welcome to the club!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

I should have the first entry up later tonight or early tomorrow morning, but just to give you a little taste for this trip here a few spoiler moments:

1-“OMG it’s the Dream Squad”
2-“Eeyore come back please!!!”
3-I made Minnie jealous and got Mickey in trouble
4-“What the heck is Goofy doing?”
5-“Sure we can take a bus to Epcot then a bus to the Ploy”
6-I almost made out with Donald
7-After 7 calls to the front desk and Mousekeeping we just got rid of
it ourselves.
8-“I think we are being taken over by lizards!”



And here are a few questions we got answered on this trip:

1- Does Dramine really work for Sea sickness????
2- How bad is the mousekeeping at the resorts?
3- Is the Tonga Toast as good as it looks? And how is the Presspot?
4- Just how many parks can we HOP to in a day?
5- How does the whole “Buy now, and ship to your resort” work?
6- Just how good is the resort front desk staff?
7-Just how many times can our flight get delay?
8-How long can a plane stay in a holding pattern before needed to land?

I truly hope this trip report will not only be fun and exciting for you all to enjoy but also offer up some incite on things that many first or second timers may not know about Disney!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

So after all the wedding rushing and craziness, we returned to our apartment and started packing. Between working, getting ready for Christmas, and picking up after the wedding, we were left with hardly any time to pack. The night before we left I was stuck working until 5pm and DH doesn’t get home until 6, well by the time he got home our apartment was trashed; I had suitcases everywhere along with clothes. In my planning I had picked up a few packing tips: 1-pack clothing in sets 2-mix his and her clothing in each checked luggage. This is just in case any of the luggage pieces are lost. So after hours of packing and some pizza we retired for the night. In less than 12 hours we would be on our first flight to Orlando for our Honeymoon! :banana:

[dischic89]

Subscribing! Great teasers and can't wait for more...:thumbsup2

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Subscribing! Great teasers and can't wait for more...:thumbsup2

Welcome! and thank you!

Today started out slow at work so I figured I would get some DISing in! :rotfl:

[dizziedupbaby0127]

December 12th: Our alarms were set for 8:00am we had a 12:30 flight out of Albany. We awoke promptly and I hit the shower with DH to follow. We already had our clothing laid out, we dressed and I rushed to finishing packing. We had planned to leave by 9:30am for the hour drive to the airport. Well the weather did not agree with us. It was snowing pretty bad. Around 9 when DH was dressed he headed down to the car to start shoveling. When DH was finished we began hauling our 6 suitcases and 2 bags down the stairs, out the door, through the snow and into the car. It was a tight fit but by then my parents had arrived to drive with us. We loaded 2 of the suitcases into their car and said we would meet them at Dunkin Donuts to get coffee for the ride. A few minutes later we driving down the road this was how bad it was outside.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/jjnhb.jpg


And this is the time we finally got on the road.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/njbnjh.jpg



So finally we arrive at Dunkin Donuts, grab some coffee and muffins; my parents say they need to stop for some excedrine for the ride down, by this time we were running very late so we headed on without them, planning to meet them at the airport. We hit the northway and find that part of it closed down due to the snow. Luckly DH works right around that area and he knew his was to the highway around the northway. We made it past the closed roads and back to the northway but lost about 15 to 20 minutes of time.

Finally we make it to the parking lot at the airport it was about 11:30. We tear the luggage out of the car and start wheeling it in. We get in the Southwest line, which is HUGE. We keeping checking the boards but no delay. I start in panic mode since my parents aren’t there yet and we have no way to contact them since they left their cell phone at home. The line was moving so slow. After about 20 minutes we see my parents out the window and DH runs to tell them where we are. Mean while the line seems to be moving quicker, except for this one girl trying to move 6 suitcases and a few bags around by herself…Oh yea that was me!

Finally DH comes back and we retrieve the last suitcase from my parents, say goodbye to them, and continue our way through the line. In line we meet quite a few other people on our flight. When we finally reached the luggage counter it was 2 minutes past noon. We placed our luggage on the scale ( I already made DH check the weights of the suitcases before we left on our bathroom scale) and thankfully none were over the 50lbs allotted. But all of a sudden the machine made this awful noise. The lady said it was just telling us our luggage MAY NOT make it on our flight since it was checking less than 30 minutes prior. Needless to say I was a bit annoyed but also knew we were using the Magical Express who would retrieve our bags so we really didn’t have to worry about them.

So we grabbed our carry-on’s two small suitcases and a duffle bag and were on our way. Across the airport, up the escalator, around the barriers and through the line to the security checkpoint we went. We check-in with the first guard who tells us which line to enter and proceed as directed. We start to place all our junk (yes junk, keys, change, jewelry and such) into the bin and “Oh crap” I forgot to wear socks with my shoes. So I had to walk barefoot through the airport! We finished with security and headed to our gate. We relaxed for a few minutes and DH went to get me a bottle or water to take on the plane with me.

This is us waiting for our plane and DH being silly!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/nfjenfj.jpg

CONT...

[dizziedupbaby0127]

CONT...

This is our plane looking out the window of the airport.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/njnjn.jpg


We were lucky enough to get A boarding passes for Southwest. So we had our pick of seats. I took a window seat and DH took the middle. This was our very first flight. I was much more nervous then I needed to be and once we leveled off in the air it was smooth sailing. I loved looking out at the shore line as we flew over head.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/nfvdkjnfje.jpg

We had a peanut allergy so we got ritz chips instead. After about 3 hours we were landing in Orlando. We had survived our first flight.

We hopped off the plane and made our way through the gates onto the shuttle and into the main section of the airport. We were so excited! I remembered reading to cross to side B before going down stairs to get to the Magical Express, so we did just that. When we got to the ME line, the lady said only one of us should check in, so DH took the bags and sat while I went through the line. There actually wasn’t a line, it was quite empty. The guy working was not as friendly as expected. He kept asking me if I had the packet they sent with our info in it and I tried to explain that I did not have it, I only removed the tickets we needed from it. He seemed annoyed at this and smugly took my information as told me we were all set and to get in line 3 (I am guessing because I don’t remember) but it was the line for the AllStar resorts. I grabbed DH and we proceeded straight onto a bus. There wasn’t much of a wait then we departed. We did end up on a Mears cruise line bus, BUT it did have the Disney Video.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/bdfjsdb.jpg

We watch the video and then after about 45 minutes we see this……

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/dfngejnr.jpg

Welcome to WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!! We made it!:yay:





Up next: Our check-in to ASM, what we did first and "man we are hungry" all we had were muffins…..

[dischic89]

CONT...

We watch the video and then after about 45 minutes we see this……

Welcome to WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!! We made it!:yay:





Up next: Our check-in to ASM, what we did first and "man we are hungry" all we had were muffins…..

Don't you just love that sign! :banana: Ready for more!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Day1: cont ...Our check-in at ASMu

After a few short minutes we pass through the security gates and enter the AllStar properties. First up is Sports.
Here’s a few quick glimpses of the resort.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/12231.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/567676.jpg

Next was us! Allstar Music resort.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/78787.jpg


The entrance was all decorated for Christmas.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/2354345324.jpg

We got off the bus, retrieved our carry-on luggage, tipped the driver (yes I know this is a very controversial topic but this is my philosophy on it. I do not believe you HAVE to tip the driver, nor I do I feel it should be done because you “feel sorry for them” but I feel that a nice tip before or after good service is a “thank-you” and if you encounter that driver or person later your stuff is much more likely to be treated with respect) and walked in.
To our right was the Registration line and to the right was the concierge line. We walked to the check-in area and were responded to immediately. The lady (I wish I got her name) was very friendly and welcoming. I told her my name and gave her my driver’s license. She asked if we wanted to place a CC on our account for charging privileges and we said yes and gave her DH’s CC. Then she said “Congratulations on your marriage” and told us to hang on one moment. She walked over and asked another CM for a rose and brought it back and gave it to me. This was our very first Pixie Dust! She then gave us our “Just Married” buttons and handed us our check-in packet. She told us we were in room 3435. It was a first floor room in the 3rd building, Rock Inn. We followed our map to our room and opened the door. This is the first thing DH did…

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/r3432423.jpg

We set down our luggage and I snapped a few photos of the room.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/35432432.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/1387182731.jpg
The carpet in the room.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/231412312.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/454564.jpg
The bathroom

These are of the resort, we took the next day but they flow better here:
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/45654656.jpg
The characters in the pool!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/68766565.jpg
The second smaller (aka quite) pool
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/687665659987.jpg
One of the buildings
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/687676556.jpg
Main walkway
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/76876776667.jpg
DH wishing the car was his!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/987876675.jpg
Our building! I love the bright colors!!!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/983y42.jpg
The resort at night! Beautiful!


I flipped through the packet they had given us we included transportation suggestions, park maps and resort guides, including recreation activities list and guest services information. Then DH decided we were extremely hungry, we had only ate a muffin all day long. So we debated where to go and ended up deciding on the food court. We walked back to Melody Hall, the main building and entered the food court. They have a variety of options, sandwiches, pizza and pasta, salad and so much more. DH and I both ended up getting the Chicken Quesadillas with sour cream and sodas. Yummy!!!! We payed for this meal OOP (out of pocket) it cost $19.01 (13.18 for 2 Quesadillas and $4.58 for 2 soda’s.) We would rate this meal at a 7.5 on a 1-10 scale.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/9898787.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/678766776.jpg
This was the Holiday cups, They were adorible!!!!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/0979876876.jpg
And the napkins!


After dinner, we decided to stop in the store, Maestro Mickeys. All of the Christmas decorations were 50% off. We browsed around but decided to wait to make our purchases. We then decided to hit DTD (Down Town Disney) so we walked outside and hopped on the bus. Now let me say that I LOVE that Disney provides you with transportation but no one ever said its FAST transportation. The ride from the AllStars to DTD was about 45 minutes. Once we arrived at DTD, we decided to walk around a bit. We did some shopping and decided to grab Ghiradelli for dessert. DH and I both ordered the same thing the Brownie Sundae, but mine had Dark Chocolate Hot fudge and his had regular hot fudge. Each sundae was $8.50, so our total OOP cost for this meal was $18.11. This was our second time here and we remembered why last time we said we would not eat there again… Both DH and myself had stomach aches the rest of the night. We decided to return to our room, so we walked back to the bus and rode the 45 minutes to ASMu and when we entered our room we found this…

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/3875438.jpg

It was an autographed photo of Mickey and Minnie in wedding attire, saying Congratulations! And a purple wedding bells balloon! This was our second Pixie Dust moment! We decided to get to bed since we had a full day ahead of us tomorrow…



Next Up: Our trip to Fantasia Gardens, some more DTD, some pool time and Our review of our stay at ASMu. (Note I leave the review for last because I think you need to fully experience the resort before you can pass judgment on it.)

[kimmylaj]

great update
we were there in nov 07 and i dont remember cool napkins.
love the pic of mickey and minnie in wedding attire. very cute

[KittyKat08]

I'm in.

Can't wait to read more, I love hearing about people's Disneymoons.

Great pics by the way.

[dizziedupbaby0127]

I'm in.

Can't wait to read more, I love hearing about people's Disneymoons.

Great pics by the way.

Thanks! I do have alot of pics on the way!

great update
we were there in nov 07 and i dont remember cool napkins.
love the pic of mickey and minnie in wedding attire. very cute

I really do love "into" the holidays or occasions Disney gets, Like I always say "Nobody does it like Disney does"!






I will have another update either tomorrow evening or early sunday! Tomorrow we are going to test drive a car and picking up our new couch we boughht so it will be a busy day, but I hope to have time to do another update, hopefully from our new couch!;)

[katiebelle21]

Congratulations! I can't wait to read more.

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Sorry for the delay but it is going to take a bit longer to post the next section. Our internet is currently down and verizon claims that we need a new router so they are shipping us one, but intil then we wont have internet so hopefully we will be back up and running by wednesday at the latest! But I still plan on gettting the sections done, just not able to post them, But I will do my best!

On a side note, we did get our couch yesterday so I am happy, but the deal on the car fell through. The dealer apparently thought we were stupid and tried to pull a couple things over on us, but we weren't having it, so we walked on the deal!

Be back soon!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Day 2: Saturday December 13th 2008

Today was our first day to sleep in at Disney, but of course we were too excited to sleep too late. We woke at about 9am, which really is sleeping in for DH and I, we get up at 6 every day to go to work. We threw some clothes on and walked to the food court to get breakfast. After looking at all the options we both decided on the Mickey Waffles with bacon and strawberries. The total cost was about $16.77. DH and I would rate this meal about a 9.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/12130810411.jpg

After breakfast we headed back to our room and got ready for our day. Today we had plans to hit Disney’s Fantasia Mini Golf, explore some resorts, check out the pool and maybe more shopping at DTD. So we headed to the bus stop and took the DTD bus, since it was the first to come.

We had to catch a connection at DTD to the Swan/Dolphin hotels. When we arrived at the Swan/Dolphin hotel, we had to walk across the street to get to the Mini-Golf course.

It was pretty busy today. So we read the difference between the courses and I wanted to play the harder course…… We paid (total was 25.03) for two adult players, but they also give you a discount on a second round either there or at Blizzard Beach and you get a free golf ball (per person), ours had Stitch on it. They told us our wait was about 30 minutes, we could also play a second round for ½ price, and that the course we had pick was a bit challenging so if we decided it was too hard to come back and tell them and they would start us on the other course. While we waited we decided to hit the mini arcade and play a few games. Our time was up, our names were called and we started. It was truly like real golf and not what I had expected. So DH and I decided to go back and try the other course. We had to wait about 20 more minutes but they we started. Here are a few pictures from the course,

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2585.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1442.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1501.jpg
The xylophone was my favorite, it actually played notes.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1442.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1444.jpg
This was where my ball got stuck! What luck!

After the mini golf we were pretty hungry, so we decided to head back to DTD and grab a bite to eat. It was about 3:30 so we walked around trying to decide and ended up going into McDonalds. DH had the 2 cheeseburger meal, not to be mistake with the Double Cheeseburger meal! He refuses to eat the double burger, while I had a Fish Filet and a Oreo McFlurry, oh and Dh had a soda. The total cost was $12.09 . After we finished eating, we walked around some more. We had planned to check out Disney Quest, but after seeing the price was $45 a person, we decided not to. Here are a few of our DTD photos:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1503.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1506.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1507.jpg

So after doing some more shopping we ended up back at the hotel, we stopped by the Arcade on the way in and played a few games, grabbed some soda’s in Maestro Mickey’s and decided to hit the pool. When we returned to our room we found this bag on the door.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/8457834758.jpg

It was from Mousekeeping, since we had left the “Privacy Please” sign on the door, the Mousekeeping left us some clean towels and toiletries in this bag. What a magical and great idea! Disney gets an A+ on this service!

It had cooled down this night, but when we reached the pool the water was steaming. We jumped in and enjoyed being the only ones in the pool. DH was playing around and realized if he lifted himself out of the pool then jumped back in the water was so warm it was like a hot tub. By this time it was about midnight, the pool was closing and we had an early morning ahead of us. We returned to our room, and went to bed.



Next Up: Checking out and moving to the Poly, My review of Allstar Music, our day at Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Sorry for the delay, we finally got our internet back up and running so I posted what I had gotten done this week. I am going to try and do another update this weekend, atleast to finish up ASMu. It has just been a crazy week!

[seasideteacher]

You guys are so cute together! Love your posting! Keep it going! :)

[dischic89]

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1444.jpg
This was where my ball got stuck! What luck!



:rotfl2: What are the chances??



http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/8457834758.jpg


I've never seen this before... definitely good to know this service exists!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Here in my review of Disney’s AllStar Music resort.

The resort: The check-in process was simple, easy and the staff was very friendly and magical. The resort was set up very nicely, themed, and had easy access to its different areas. It was about a 2 minute walk from Rock in to Melody Hall. I liked that there were two pools and they were open to midnight. There also seemed to be a lot of activities going on for children. I also enjoyed there being a food court with different quick options for us to choose from. Maestro Mickey’s had many bottled beverages along with sundries and souvenirs to purchase.

The room:The room was what I would expect from Disney for a value resort. It was not large in size but it was comparable to a normal “Quality Inn” size room. The sink being on the outside of the bathroom was helpful in getting ready in the morning. I loved that the shower curtain rod bent out so the curtain was not “attacking you” in the shower. There seemed to be plenty of storage for two people, possibly 3 but it would be cramped for 4 adults. The button to flush the toilet was quite weird and if not done carefully it can hurt your finger, this is not ideal for a younger child trying to flush, or apparently a 22 year old female, haha. The curtains were dark enough to shade out most of the sun, so no complaints there. I am not sure if it was the area we were in or being on the bottom floor but it was a bit noisy. If we had been there more than 2 nights I might have asked to change rooms.

We ended up paying 92.66 for each night, so our total with the dinner, breakfast and snacks ended up being $231.30. So all in all I would stay at this resort again. DH thought it was more of a family style and wasn’t fond of it as much for the two of us, but I enjoyed it.

Here are also a few things I forgot to mention in my earlier posts:

1-We had our luggage delivered via Magical Express, the luggage was in our room when we got back the first night. I have been told it can take up to 3 hours, so we made sure to pack a day bag. I have no complaints about this service, in fact I LOVED IT!

2-When we checked in, I had been asked about express check-out, this is where they take a credit card on hold and charge all room charges to that card, and deliver your invoice to you the morning you check out. Everything is done for you and there is no stopping at the desk to checkout. Another service that I love at Disney and worked well for us.

3-Saturday night we had decided to go to CiCi’s for dinner, totally forgot all about this in my last post. We were not sure of the nearest location, but had been there before and loved it. So we approached the concierge desk and ask this wonderfully friendly older man if he could help us. He told us the closest one was on the main highway (I forget the name) and asked if we needed transportation and I said yes. He called a cab for us and it arrived shortly. While waiting we purchased a few Disney Dollars.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2586.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2587.jpg


When the cab pulled up, it was a large van type, we got in and went on a ride, it was a normal crazy driver cab ride. When we finally got to CiCi’s we paid the driver, a bit more than I thought it would cost, around $25.00 then a tip. And got his number for the ride back. We paid 6.95 for the buffet and added drinks for a bit more. We were not impressed with the food this time, the staff was friendly but a bit odd and the food was just so-so. We won’t be returning to this specific CiCi’s. We paid for the cab again on the way back, then headed to DTD.

4-When we checked into the resort we were given a folder with information guides and maps in it, I just wanted to post a few pictures of it.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2591.jpg
This was the folder cover

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2590.jpg
This was the resort map on the folder

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2589.jpg
This piece gave you facts about the resort, FAQ’s, provided a directory and a partial menu.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2588.jpg
This piece was a schedule for the resort, listing activities and movie times for the week.

[dizziedupbaby0127]

You guys are so cute together! Love your posting! Keep it going! :)

:rotfl2: What are the chances??

I know!!!! It really would only happen to me! :rotfl2:

I've never seen this before... definitely good to know this service exists!

Disney has an amazing amount of little services that most people don't know about, I think because the simple things tend to be over looked! But I am one who loves the simple things like that and you will find more throught this trip report!







I am working on the rest of Sunday's, but thought I would post the review since it was done. Hopefully I will have more soon!!!!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Day 3: Sunday December 14th 2008
We woke around 830am, we wanted to get straight to the Poly get checked in and hit the parks!!!! It was our first day really at Disney! We both showered and packed our luggage. I called bell services to transfer our luggage to the Poly. They took our information, mentioned if we wanted to leave a tip, just to leave it under the suitcases and took down the number of suitcases we needed transported. We needed to have 5 bags transported. I believe we left about $7.00 for a tip.


We exited our room at ASMu and headed for the buses. We were trying to decide which way would be the quickest to the Poly. We knew the buses do not run from resort to resort, so we needed to make a connection. DH suggested taking the first bus to arrive and getting the connection, I agreed. Without thinking the Epcot bus arrived and we hopped on. At some point on the bus I realized that Epcot does not run buses to the Magic Kingdom resorts, since they have Monorail access. We arrived at Epcot, double checked the signs to make sure there wasn’t a bus to the Poly and wandered our way through security and onto the monorail.
Here’s a few photos on our way to the monorail…

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1529.jpg

The sign that reminded us that we were wrong!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1527.jpg

YOMD flag

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1532.jpg

DH thrilled I was taking his picture!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1525.jpg

Our view on the mono rail

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1534.jpg

Us on the Monorail, on our way to the TTC


We hopped on the monorail and I exclaimed to DH that I didn’t want to take the monorail to the Poly because I wanted the whole “walking in” experience, so I talked him into taking the walkway :) We got off the monorail and I need a coffee, so we stopped at the little coffee stand just outside the monorail entrance. They do not take DDP only cash I believe, so I just got a reg coffee and added the cream and sugar myself. The cost was $2.00. I would say this coffee was average not great but if you need coffee it’s there.

We proceeded down the walk way to the poly and we saw this…

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1535.jpg

It was gorgeous!!!!! It was lush and tropical! There were tiny lizards EVERYWHERE!!!! We continued our way towards the Great Ceremonial House. We walked up to the entrance way….

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1544.jpg

There were 2 or 3 waterfalls, tons of plants and trees everywhere. We entered the sliding doors and were greeted by this…

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1552.jpg

Gingerbread houses! A tradition at the Poly.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1896.jpg

And there were more upstairs!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1893.jpg

We turned and went straight to the check-in counter. We were greeted by a very friendly cm. We gave her, our information and I mentioned that we would prefer a upper floor room since they are quieter. She said “let me see what I can do.” Now the reason for me requesting an upper level room was mainly because DH and I wanted a balcony, but also the quite. I had hoped to get a room in Tokelau, since it was the perfect location, right in the middle of the resort. The CM replied with “well we do have a 3rd floor room and its ready now.” :thumbsup2 Great!!! She told us our room was “3941". The package we had included a garden view room, a little part of me was hoping for an upgrade, but no such luck.:confused3

Before walking away, I wanted to take some DIS advice. I asked the CM to check our ADR’s. After calling 3 times and changing our ADR’s, I wanted to make sure everything was set. The CM pulled up our ADR’s and printed them off. I quickly reviewed them and noticed that we were booked for Kona twice.:eek: Once for breakfast, which was correct, and again for dinner on Tuesday the 16th, this night was supposed to be at Tony’s Town Square. :scared1: The CM checked the booking but Tony’s was completely booked that night. :mad: The CM told us she would check again in a bit and if not call Tony’s and see if she could get us in, since we were only 2 people. We thanked her and headed to our room. :thumbsup2 But just before we exited the GC we stopped by the DCL desk to check-in. We gave them our names and they requested to view our passports, OOOps!:scared1: They were in the other suitcase that was being delivered. We explained this to the DCL lady and she told us, not very friendly, that we would need to bring them back by 5pm or at 8am in the morning, as soon as the desk opened. We told her we would and headed out to our room.

A few shots from the resort on our way to our room…
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1656.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1659.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1660.jpg

I just thought this garbage can was so cute!





Upnext: Our room at the Poly and what are we going to do with our first day, aka third day at Disney?

[kimmylaj]

the poly looks beautiful and wanting to walk in sounds like something i would insist upon. very funny. although i dont think my hubby would be as cooperative, but maybe that means i have been married too long. lol

[dizziedupbaby0127]

CON’T….

We walked up to the Tokelau building and went in. We got in the elevator and went up to the third floor, and walked down to our room. We opened the door and walked in. It was just as I had seen on the DIS. Here are a few pics of our room:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1559.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1558.jpg

With DH playing with the flat panel TV.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1566.jpg

The view from our balcony. I had heard about some obstructing trees but I really didn’t mind it was still a beautiful view.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1582.jpg

And this was left on our bed for us!

The beds are actually queen beds but the comforter design makes them look very small. We ended up using the second bed as place to lay open our suitcases. The room had a small safe, we used to put our passports and extra money in. There was also a small dorm size fridge we kept some bottled water in. There were two good sized closets and a large bathroom. I took some pictures and I noticed a wash cloth hanging over the rod on the shower. GROSS!!!!!:mad: So I called in DH and I called down to Mousekeeping. I told them we had just checked-in and found a dirty wash cloth left over from the last guest in our room. They assured me that it would be taken care of right away and apologized.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1579.jpg

The dirty towel on the bar…..

We also had a bounce back offer in our room.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1585.jpg

This was for 40% off a deluxe villa room or 30% off other rooms, for a bunch of dates. I had thought about doing this offer, but we weren’t sure where we would be financially, so we passed.

At this point DH and I were excited to hit the parks and we decided to head back to Epcot before heading to DHS for the evening. It was around noon I believe, so we headed back to the TTC via the walk way. On our way we encountered many friends. Lizzards….They were everywhere. We even walked by the cutest little boy who had gotten one in his hands and was playing with it. I was terrified to step on one and squish it….. So after the meet n greet with the lizards we hopped the express monorail to Epcot.



Upnext: Our afternoon at Epcot

[dizziedupbaby0127]

the poly looks beautiful and wanting to walk in sounds like something i would insist upon. very funny. although i dont think my hubby would be as cooperative, but maybe that means i have been married too long. lol


I will say that it seems like its one of those times where once he sees how wonderful walking in the door is, he would have regreted it if I didn't make him! :)

[Brocoloco]

Congrats on the new life together. What a fun way to kick things off. BTW, I love the food picture, review and rating system. I think I'm turning into a Disney foodie! Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Congrats on the new life together. What a fun way to kick things off. BTW, I love the food picture, review and rating system. I think I'm turning into a Disney foodie! Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

Thankyou!:love: I was always a huge fan of the food porn threads! It one of the best things about Disney!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Hey guys I wanna appoligize for slacking on my TR, DH and I have had alot of things going on lately and I haven't had much time to work on it. We bought a car, but are having trouble with the bank we got the loan through, they don't want to meet with us to sign the papers, so we are financing through the dealership but they have been taking their sweet time on the whole thing, the good news is that they are letting us drive the car in the meantime :cool1: and on top of all that I have had some bad stuff going on at work :mad:

But on a brightner note, we got to do something amazing tonight......We Booked Free Dining for September!!!!!!!!:banana::yay::cloud9:

We will be there for DH's birthday!!! I am so excited to start planning again!!!:woohoo: We will be there for 7 nights at Allstar Movies September 26th-Oct 3rd! I can't wait for the trip!!!


I will be posting the next update very very soon! So stay tuned!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

December 14th Con’t…..

We walked through the security and went through the ticket booth and walked in. I immediately grabbed DH and made him take a photopass pic;

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image001.jpg

I had warned him this would be a habit throughout our trip since we pre-purchased the DVD and spent $100 on it. After some pictures we decided to check the wait times for Test Track and Mission Space. I believe when we checked TT it said the ride was temporarily shut down. So we decided to try the Cool Club since we missed it last time. DH was very willing to try all of the sodas and even got me to try the Beverly. Here’s some pics of DH when he tried the Beverly…

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1618.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1619.jpg

After our trip to the Cool Club we figured we should stop by the Disney Visa Photopass Meet N Greet. We weren’t sure where it was, so we followed the rush of people who I thought were headed there also. As we got in line the CM asked us a question (I don’t remember now what it was) but we got around to saying the Disney Visa and he told us that was across the street and not to wait in that line. So we headed into Innovations and found the correct line this time and waited. They told us to have our Disney Visas ready and a CM came around and took down our number and gave us a slip to hand to the photographer. When it was our turn we went in and found……Mickey and Goofy! Mickey and Goofy immediately noticed our “Just Married” buttons and my rings, so they had us do a cute hand photo. They were great and took four or five different photos with us, even in such a short period of time.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image012.jpg

Once we were done with the Meet N Greet, we headed over to Test Track. After riding Test Track, we headed to Nemo, this was such a cute ride. After Nemo we walked around for a bit then decided to head back to the resort to get our DCL information taken care of before heading to DHS.

We boarded the Express Monorail and walked back from the TTC. When we got to our room, our luggage was not there. But what was still there????? THE DIRTY TOWEL!!!!!!! I called bell services as asked about our bags, they said they had not been delivered yet, I explained our problem and the CM noted to get our bags to us ASAP. After hanging up I called Mousekeeping again. I repeated our request, mentioned I had called earlier and it was not taken care of, and asked if we could receive turndown service for that night also. The CM assured us it would be done, and I hung up.

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Con’t Day 3:Hollywood Studios

After a few minutes, I was walking around on our balcony and saw the Cm pull up with our luggage. I told DH and asked him to grab the tip money out of the safe. We waited till our door was knocked on and we answered and was greeted by a nice older CM with our luggage. He brought our luggage into our room and while DH tipped him I torn into the pockets to get our Passports. We scurried out the door and down the walkway to the GCH. We got to the DCL desk and finished checking in with the CM. We were told our two options. We could catch the DCL bus at 11:15am on Thursday to the port from the Poly Lobby or we could spend the morning in AK, get a fastpass to either the Lion King Show or the Flights of Wonder show and get the DCL bus from there at 12:30pm. All we needed to do was call a number and state our choice the night before. We thanked the CM and headed back to the room to drop off our passports. Once we were done with that we hit the buses for DHS.

We arrived at DHS and took a few photopass pictures:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image016.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image025.jpg


Then we headed over to the RnR. They were out of FPs and the stand-by line was about 45 minutes, “No Way!!!!” We decided to hit the ToT. DH was finally going to get me on it. We walked up and were taken inside. We walked through the service hall way and into the back room, where you first get into the elevator. As we were standing there, we noticed a young male CM who was in costume walked to the middle elevator, which the staff uses, not part of the attraction. He walked up and pushed the button. The doors opened and he turned around to face us and hit a button and the doors closed, then popped open almost instantly and he was gone!!!! Now I know this was some kind of illusion, there must have been a trap door or something, but other CM’s definitely used this as a regular elevator and were gone a normal amount of time. It was just amazing how in costume and perfectly this disappearing act was performed. I noticed a few other couples caught this performance and were talking about it also. I am curious if this is a regular thing or not?

So after the disappearing act, we took our places in our elevator, back left if you’re facing it. I was between DH and another guy with his female friend. We went through and got to about the end and I ask DH when we are going to drop and he said very very soon. I begin to prepare myself and the doors open and boom….. drop….up….drop…up…drop , ok 3 drops I asked DH are we done yet (slightly terrified) he replies “yes its only 33333333” We dropped again. This time I wasn’t ready and the G force lifted me up and my foot went out and smashed the poor guy next me, it must have hurt, good thing I was wearing flipflops! I yelled at DH for lying to me, he swore he only remembered 3 drops! Needless to say I will not be riding this again for a very very very long time!


So after the ToT, almost peeing my pants, kicking the poor guy next to me and being stumped by the disappearing CM, we headed over check the lines for Fantasmic. At this time it was about 7:00pm and we wanted to catch the 8pm . We walked over and noticed a line forming. A cm walked out and started yelling not to line up yet that no one was getting in till 10 of 8 and that we should return then. DH and I decided as long as other people stayed in line so were we. But by this time I was hungry. I asked DH but he said he wasn’t yet, so I decided to run over to Eddie’s and grab a pizza. I waited in line for about 5 minutes, placed my order with a very cute and friendly CM. I made my way to the pick up line and wait and waited and waiting. Apparently they had run out of Cheese only pizzas and only had pepperoni. I noticed a few other people yelling rudely at the counter girl about how they had waited and others received their pizza first. Now to me it was very clear that the only pizzas going out were pepperoni, but some people lack that common sense. I shook my head and just waited my turn. I received my Cheese-Only pizza, toss salad, chocolate cake and orange soda. The total cost was around $13.77.

I started to walk back to DH and noticed the line was wrapping down the road. I slightly pushed my way in line with a few others, trying to balance a huge, very heavy tray, and walk with the crowd. Let me say, people were just as rude to me, a single girl, carrying a tray of food, as they were to the counter girl. I was very disappointed that I was actually being elbowed and shoved, just to get into a show. I called DH from the main entrance to the show, he was navigating me to him, I slowly made my way, behind everyone, as I could not or would not push others out of my way. When I finally made it to DH inside the stadium, I thought my arms were going to fall off from trying to hold the tray. DH has made his way down to the front row. I remembered someone telling me about getting wet so we moved to the second row. I placed my tray in front of me and started eating. Shortly before the show started a couple with a few kids sat in-front of us, however I was pleasantly surprised in the kids behavior. They were quite and minded themselves. We loved the show! And DH said it really brought him back to his childhood. We slowly exited the show and DH was starving so we grabbed him the same, but he wanted pepperoni. Here are his pics:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1671.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1672.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1673.jpg


We would definitely rate this meal an 8. Mostly because it was a counter service, but it was deffinitetly one of our top CS choices. The cost for DH’s meal was a bit more since he got pepperoni on his pizza totaling about $14.07. I am not sure if I mentioned this before but we were on the dining plan, hence the full meals, other wise we never would have ordered so much food.

DH finished eating and we headed over to the Osborne Lights.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1680.jpg

They were amazing! The time and talent put into the choreography of those lights was SPECTACULAR! Just one of the many things done the Disney way that no one else could do. We did a few photopasses:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image036.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image027.jpg

After view the lights for a bit we decided to head back to the Poly for a good night sleep. The next morning we planned on EMH for AK so we were getting up early. We took a bus back and went straight to bed.



Next Up: Our day at AK, another trip to DHS, Dinner at Chef Mickeys, and Illuminations at Epcot…

[dischic89]

Love Love Love the Poly! Seems so romantic for a honeymoon!

Where is the Visa meet and greet area? I didn't realize it wasn't with in the building with all the other characters?? :confused3 Also, can you add all the pics from there onto your photopass account? I wanna go there my next trip!

I've never been on Tot! You're very brave... I do kind of want to walk through the line area so I can see all the theming and then just take the chicken exit though... Did you guys get your ride pic? Bet that would of been a keeper, haha :lmao:!

And yay on the free dining!!! :cool1::cool1:

Alex

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Love Love Love the Poly! Seems so romantic for a honeymoon!

Where is the Visa meet and greet area? I didn't realize it wasn't with in the building with all the other characters?? :confused3 Also, can you add all the pics from there onto your photopass account? I wanna go there my next trip!


The Disney Visa spot is not where the normal character meet n greet is, it is however still in the innovations plaza. i can't remember which one tho. It is either the first one on the right or the left after the ball. Its not the one with the cool club in it. I remember it had the fire truck and stop drop and roll program for the kids to do with the house, if that helps. And yes they add your photos onto the photo pass, later that day you can go to the Kodak center near the ball and pick out which photo you want as your freebe. They will also be on your normal photopass, so if you purchase the CD they will be on it!

I've never been on Tot! You're very brave... I do kind of want to walk through the line area so I can see all the theming and then just take the chicken exit though... Did you guys get your ride pic? Bet that would of been a keeper, haha :lmao:!

It was scary, I kept asking DH where the "chicken out door" was but He never told me! We did not purchase the ride pic. when we first went I was under the impression they could be added to the photopass, but I was wrong. And they are expensive, I didn't think of just taking a photo of our photo while we were there. On that note, we did find 2 rides you can add the photos to your photopass, 1-Test track and 2-Dinosaur!:yay:

And yay on the free dining!!! :cool1::cool1:


I do appoligize if I was misleading here, this trip we were on the dining plan, but not free dining, we had purchased it as part of our package. Our upcomming trip in September/October will be the free dining. Not sure which you were refering to! :)
Alex






I am still working on our AK day, but I promise it won't take as long as this last one!!!!

[mickey2minnie1]

Best Wishes!! The TR is so enjoyable. Great job!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

A few notes I missed in the last update.

When we returned to our room the dirty towel was still in place, I called mousekeeping one more time, asked for the manager, but he was unavailable. The lady asked if I wanted him to call me back, of course I said yes. When the manager called back about 45 minutes later around 11:30pm I told him what had happened. He was very nice, and promised us it would be taken care of, however I told him it was too late and we wanted to go to bed, so we would take care of the issue ourselves, however we did expect turn-down service the next night. He assured us we would have it and said he put a note in the computer. At this point we returned to bed.

We woke the next morning around 7am, we wanted to make EMH at Animal Kingdom for 8am. We showered, got dressed and headed for bus stop. We waited for a little bit before a bus pulled up doing to AK, we hopped on. When we got to AK it was actually quite busy, but most of the people were in line for the Donald Safari breakfast (I know this because the breakfast group had a special entrance line). We waited for the rope drop and headed straight for the Safari. I think we had gotten the 3rd or 4th truck to go out, not bad. We had been wearing our “Just Married” pins, so we got lots of reactions from the CM’s. On the Safari we were seating in the very first row, and the CM kept talking to us Newlyweds. I would recommend riding the safari first thing in the morning, as the animals are much more active at this time. We saw a ton more on this ride then the one we took later in the week. After the safari, we got Fastpasses for Everest, walked around a bit and hit a few stores, then we ventured over to Dinosaur. This was a cute ride.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1779.jpg

After Dinosaur we decided to head over to Everest to check the line, since we still had over an hour left on our Fastpasses and we were getting bored. When we walked up the stand-by line was at about 45 minutes. We started to get in line and an older CM, grabbed me by the arm, I kind of jumped, unsure of why this guy was grabbing me, and he stuck two rider switch Fastpasses for Everest in my hand and then grabbed DH and pulled him over too. It was very quick and I luckily happened to squeeze out a “Thank you” to him as DH and walked literally on to the ride. It was another “Magical Disney Moment”.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1786.jpg

After Everest, we decided to head over to Pizzafari and wait for lunch to start being served. Last trip we eat here and love love loved the breadsticks. We sat in the back and just relaxed while we waited…As soon as we saw someone with a pizza walk out we ran to the counter. We probably waited about 30 minutes. Lunch is supposed to start around 11, but I believe it was about 20 minutes of 11 when they started serving. I ordered the cheese pizza, with a orange soda, and the minute maid frozen lemonade for dessert, another one of my Disney favorite treats. DH ordered the pepperoni pizza, orange soda and a strawberry frozen lemonade, and we paid OOP for the breadsticks to split. We sat down and starting digging in. I’ll be honest I had forgotten to take food pics here, as we were starving. Almost to the end of the meal DH reminded me about the pics (this will become a habit throughout the trip) and I snapped a few shots. The pizza, as I am lacking a shot of them, was the same as Catalina Eddy’s.

The breadsticks

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1795.jpg

The frozen lemonade

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1796.jpg

The total bill would have been about $28.00, since we added the breadsticks. We enjoyed the pizza, again the same as before, I liked the breadsticks, although they were not as great as I remembered, but DH was not thrilled at all with them and let me have most of them. The Lemonade was good as normal. We ended up rating this a 6.5, nothing unique, and appears to be going slightly downhill in quality. But still very edible.

After eating lunch we started heading out, but I spotted Stitch and wanted a photo, so DH waited in line with me.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image064.jpg

After our photo we headed back to the Poly, to drop off our hoodies, then hit the buses to DHS.

When we returned to the POLY I wanted to stop by the front desk and speak with a manager about the Mousekeeping problem. I was called up by a male CM who asked my name, room number, and why I wanted to speak with the manager. I told him it was a housekeeping issue. He went through a door and returned shortly with a manager. The lady was very pleasant and listened to my story. She apologized for the inconvenience and told me she personally would speak with the housekeeping manager and see what had went wrong. I thanked her and we went on our way to the room.



Next Up: DHS, Dinner with the Chef...Mickey that is, and onto Epcot for Illuminations

[mousetravel]

Subbing! Can't wait to hear about the cruise!

[lillylynnb]

Cant wait to hear more about the towel !! Bring on the cruise let hear about it!!

[Backstage_Gal]

Great report, thanks!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Another quick note I forgot before, the night we checked in and the CM was trying to make Tonys ADR’s for us since ours got messed up, when we returned to the resort after Epcot, we stopped by the front desk to check, but the CM was not there. The current CM pulled up our adr’s again and we noticed we had adr’s for Tonys on Tuesday at 4, just what we wanted! We thanked the CM and headed to the room. Once in the room we noticed the light was blinking on the phone, indicating a voicemail, we played it and it was the orginal CM saying she got us in for dinner! This was just one more magical moment from Disney.

Ok onto the next chapter:

We stopped at the room and headed straight back out for the buses. It wasn’t long before we were arriving at DHS. When we got there, we were stopped on our way by this young couple who had four FPs for RNR and were leaving the park, so they gave them to us. Of course we said yes and thankyou. However we were heading straight for the backlot tour. The wait was about 5 minutes, so we got in line. We both enjoyed seeing the props, I especially loved the waverunner from the Vin Diesel Movie The Pacifier. We both loved the special effects part. After this we decided to hop on Star Tours, I must say as a Star Wars fan this ride is neat, but very very outdated. When we finished Star Tours we noticed people were lining up for Lights, Motor Cars, Action, so we followed. We waited a while, but once we got in we went straight to the middle and got very good seats, just above the boxes where the specially picked people sit. Behind us was a dad with his two very cute daughters. I knew DH and I wanted to tape the show, but I wanted to be mindful that the girls behind us were short and it would be hard to see with my arm up, so I tried to keep the camera in front of me. We both loved this show and can’t wait to do it again!

After the show we excited and it was about 4pm, we knew we wouldn’t have time to ride Toy Story, or RNR so we decided it while have to wait for another trip. We looked around for a family of four to give the FPs too. It seemed that at this very time everyone was either 2’s or more. We slowly walked out of the park and saw 2 youngs boys and their mom and I stopped her and asked if they would like them. The boys were so excited to get them and said thankyou, and we were on our way back to the Poly to change for CM and hit illuminations.

We got back shortly and changed. Then we decided to take the Monorail all the way around to the Contempory. Our ADR was for 5:20.

We arrived as planned about 5pm. We decided to check out the stores right in the area, while we waited. At about 5:15 we headed over to check-in. We were given a light up thingy (I forget what they are called) and shortly after we buzzed, saying our table was ready. We walked up and they took our photo in front of the plate, and we were shown to our seats. We were directly to the right the last table near the door way, where the photo people are. We sat down and waited a few minutes before our waiter came over. He was a middle age gentleman, and not very friendly. We order some drinks, “adult” drinks, and he said we could go to the buffet when we were ready. So we hopped up and started. J

ust after sitting down a young couple with two children were seated next to us, not to be rude, I mumbled to DH, I hope the kids aren’t annoying. If you haven’t been here before, the seating is quite close and DH’s booth seat was shared with their table, so if the kids bounced around it would be annoying. But, Before long we noticed Goofy coming around. We took turns taking a photo and then the mother next to us offered to take a photo for us. In turn we took one for them. We continued the photo shoot for all of the characters, and in between we all chatted about our trip and other things.

At some point we noticed that we had not seen our waiter in about 20 minutes, so we flagged down another sever and asked for some sodas. Our waiter returned with them. Shortly after a CM came around with our Dining Plate Photos and offered us the package for like $45.00 we told him we would have to think about it. We ended up passing on it. It wasn’t my favorite photo and it was very expensive. We headed up for dessert. Shortly after sitting back down, we saw our waiter one more time, for him to bring us our check. We handed him our KTTW card and he returned with the papers so sign. Our meal was close to $100.00, good thing we were on the dining plan. The meals alone were $33.99 because we were in the holiday price range, then about $15.00 for our drinks, then tip. I will say we didn’t tip great. We honestly felt like our waiter couldn’t be bothered to serve us, and was not very friendly. Don’t get me wrong I have no problem tipping well, and in a few restaurants to come we tipped at least 20%. Just this time I did not feel he earned it. So we said goodbye to the family next to us, who turned out to be very sweet and the children were amazingly well behaved! And just the cutest things.

So here are some of our food pics:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1909.jpg
Just adorable!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1910.jpg
Their drink menu!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1915.jpg
This was our drink, we got the same, it was a chocolate martini, I think.

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http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1913.jpg
I had been looking forward to the Mickey Ravioli.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1914.jpg
The rolls were delicious!

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A few of the characters came by our table more than once, like Donald, so this time he hugged me!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1934.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1936.jpg
This was DH dessert plate, the chocolate mouse/cookie things, and some kind of cheesecake thing.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1938.jpg
My dessert plate, the chocolate chip cookies were a lot like you would find at a grocery store. But I loved the Chocolate thing! The mouse was on a oreo cookie, then had chocolate wafers for the ears!



So our review of Chef Mickey’s. DH and I both liked the atmosphere. It was fun, the buffet was good, not great. The dessert was good especially that chocolate cookie/mouse thing. We had good interaction with the characters, Donald even tried to fight DH over me. Minnie was jealous of my ring and I told her I would yell at Mickey for her! We both thought the meal was expensive, but you’re really paying for the time with the characters, not the food. And we really disliked our waiter. So we would rate this meal around a 6.5. We would rate this meal again when we have kids but for two adults, once was enough.

After Chef Mickey’s we had plans to head over to Epcot to watch Illuminations. So we hopped the Monorail to the TTC and then over to Epcot. We stopped for a few photopass ops on our way through, rode TT and checked out the dancin’ lights, which were amazing and very well done.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image093.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image108.jpg
The lights danced to “the carol or the bells” and were timed just perfectly.

I had read on the DIS some good places to watch from, so we walked up towards Mexico and found a spot on the bridge. We sat for a while and I was getting annoyed with the guy standing next to me who kept trying to push me over, but I wouldn’t let him. We were there first, and he was quite a bit taller then both DH and I, so it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be able to see. We loved the special Holiday edition of Illuminations. I think it really was just a bit longer, not really different. So after the show, we headed back to the Poly to get a good night sleep.

When we returned to the room, I bet you can guess what we DIDN’t have….turn down service. I forwent called Mousekeeping since it had gotten us no wheres! As we went to bed we were excited for our day tomorrow, and thought we did a pretty good job of hitting 3 parks in one day.


Next up: A full dat MK, Dinner in the 100 Acre Woods (ok well Crystal Palace), Dinner at Tony's Town Square and MVMCP!

[Disneychix]

Wow, excellent day! We are going in early December this year and I"m getting excited for all the Christmas decorations.

Do you ever get this Mousekeeping situation straightened out??

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Sorry it took soooo long but I got another update, and we are so close to the cruise!!!!

I will try and have the rest up around Mon, cause we are heading out of town for a wedding tonight.

Thanks to all you who have stuck with this annoying slow TR!:thumbsup2

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Day 5

We woke up about 6:30am since we had an 8:05 ADR at Crystal Palace, the first ADR of the day. We showered and headed to the GCH to get the Mono-rail to the MK. When we walked up there were only a few other people waiting, so when the CM walked over near us, I asked if we could ride up front, and he said he would see what he can do! Just seconds after a family with a little boy walked up and asked the same thing, when the CM said he already had someone riding up front I began to feel bad. Not quite bad enough to give our seat up, but pretty bad! I figured he has like 6 more years to get to ride and enjoy it as a kid! Haha.

The monorail pulled up and the CM escorted us to the front. The driver greeted us and told us to take a seat. We sat for a few minutes, getting a peak at the control panel and taking a few photos.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_1998.jpg

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The drive came back and we headed off to the MK. He gave us our co-pilot cards, and we hopped off for our morning at MK. We arrived early and weren’t really sure where to go, so we stayed up near the gates. After what seemed like forever, the CM started turning on the ticket machines. I don’t remember the CM checking our confirmation numbers for our ADR’s, I believe we just walked in when he told us it was ok to enter. Next to us was this man in a wheel chair, I mention this because he was chatting with the CM on how he’s there at least once a week and ALWAYS is the first one in the park. Oh the competition was on. When we got the chance I flew through the gate and threw the tunnel, around to the right and there it was…. Empty Main Street and The Castle!!!! It was beautiful!

Someone offered to take our photo in the street, then we headed over to CP for breakfast.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2035.jpg
This was how empty Main Street was!

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DH checked in and we sat and waiting for about 15 minutes. They called a ton of names, then ours and our hostess took us to a table to the far right. It was decorated with confetti! Our waiter came over and asked us what drinks we wanted, said congratulations on our wedding and told us how the buffet would work. We got up and started making our way around. We filled our plates and returned to our seats just in time to meet Pooh! We also saw Eyeore, Piglet and Tigger. Eyeore had taken a photo with DH then moved on to the next table, I was sad that I didn’t get a photo with him. The characters then did this dance with the children around the room. After the characters made a quick round and DH flagged down Eyeore so I could get my photo. After the photos I went back up to grab more food and when I came back our Waiter brought us a signed paper from the characters saying Congratulations! It was really sweet, and another Magical Moment! We paid with our KTTWC using a DDP meal and tipped our waiter very well!

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We walked out right at 9am when the park was opening to the other guests. We decided to head straight to POTC first since it was the closest, we walked onto the ride and it was fun as usual. After POTC we headed to the Haunted Mansion. We waited until we were allowed to enter the stretching room, which we debated how they create the illusion of it stretching. We liked the refurbishments they made to this attraction. The grave yard scene was cute. We walked out and on the way we saw a crowd of people ahead, as we got closer, I knew why, it was the dream squad!!!!!!!!!!!!! We walked over and both got Dream Fastpasses for MK. I was soo excited! Like a little kid in a candy store, it didn’t matter what we got, I was so happy we saw them and got a Dream!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2082.jpg

With our Dream Fastpasses in hand, we decided to try some different rides. We did Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and It’s a small world. After TASW, DH said he didn’t feel very good, so I told him we could leave, go back and rest a while then come back for Dinner. DH agreed, so we headed back to the Poly for a nap. It was about 11 am.

On our way back, we stopped at the GCH and I spoke with the same manager I did the other day about the Mousekeeping problem. I was very polite, but stated that I would want to know if my employees were doing their job. She apologized again and this time she asked if there was anything she could do for us, I thought “yea a MK view Concierge Upgrade would be great!” haha but said I wasn’t sure. She said “well since you have only 2 more nights, how about a credit to our room for $150.00?” I said that would be nice. She explained we could spend it however we wanted and if it wasn’t all spent we would just receive the credit back on the credit card we linked to our room. I thanked her, and DH and I went on our way, somewhat happy. The credit was nice, but I would have preferred the good service right from the start.

We went back to our room and took a long nap.

Next up: Our review of Crystal Palace, Our ADR at Tony’s, have all the bad reviews been right?????? and MVMCP!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Our plates at Crystal Palace

DH plate, with puffed French toast, scrambled eggs, biscuit and mickey waffles.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2062.jpg

My plate, puffed French toast, hard boiled egg, mickey waffles, bacon and some kind of bread.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2063.jpg


We both enjoyed the food. The majority was standard breakfast fare, but things like the puffed French toast made it a more unique breakfast. The characters were great and our service was great! We both would rate this meal a 8.5, only because it was not very unique. We will definitely return to this restaurant again.

We awoke from our nap around 3:30. I immediately jumped into the shower and got ready. We headed over to the MK around 430 pm. We weren’t sure what to do for the half hour remaining till our ADR at Tony’s, so we decided to step inside where Tony’s is and look at the camera place, since I was looking for a camera strap. After about 15 minutes, I decided to buy an entire case for my camera, which came with a strap too, then we checked in early for our ADR.

We took a seat and a few minutes later we were shown to our table. Our waiter came over and took our drink orders and brought back some sliced Italian bread. This was delicious!!!! We preceded to order our meals, we both got the chicken parm. It seemed that we got our food very quickly, but it was cooked perfect. Not over done or under cooked. We were worried since Tony’s has many bad reviews on the DIS. But we very much enjoyed our meal. We decided to follow up with the Tiramisu. We had been dying to try this, since we love the Olive Garden version. We both thought it was good, not great, but we would do this meal again.

Here’s our dinner photos:
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2110.jpg
The Yummy bread!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2113.jpg
The Chicken Parm.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2116.jpg
The Tiramisu!!!

Over all, we liked the food, thought the service was good and the atmosphere was cute, while we were eating there were doing some kind of flag ceremony which was fun to watch also, just wish we could have sat outside, but since we kind of got snuck in, I won’t complain. DH and I both would rate this meal about a 7.5-8.

After dinner we walked over to get our wrist bands for MVMCP and since DH promised we could ride the train, we took the train around to Toon Town and looked through a few of the houses. I love the Christmas décor they had going in the houses, x-mas trees and stockings. We decided to hot a few rides and try to catch the Night Before Christmas show. We walked over to Tomorrowland, but found the show to be full with a 45 minute wait for the second show! That’s crazy. We decided to wait for Buzz instead and rode 2x’s, hit Space Mt and then hit a few shops. We noticed the parade starting so we rushed over to get a spot. The parade was very cute, I love the Christmas floats, it is deff a must see for this time of the year. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pics since I videotaped the whole thing. When the parade was over we sat waiting for Wishes to start. Wishes was amazing also. Again I videotaped it, so no pics. But I believe it was longer then I remember the normal one being and lots more Red and Green colors.

I did get a few cool pics of the castle
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2179.jpg
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After Wishes, we decided to get some hot chocolate and cookies, ride pirates again, and we caught the little pirate dancing group show, it was cute. Then we hit about 5 photopass people and finished our shopping, then headed back to the Poly.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image182.jpg

During our shopping experience I decided to get a Glass Christmas tree ornament that was a wedding one but I knew better then to carry it around, so I asked the store what the “deliver to your resort was about” they told me that your purchases could be delivered to the store in your resort by 2pm the following day, so as long as you weren’t checking out, they would hold it for you and get it to your resort for pickup. We did this and no problems or complaints at all. WE greatly enjoyed this service. Tomorrow we got to sleep in, then enjoy a relaxing breakfast at Kona and a day at Epcot.

Our opinion of MVMCP: We both enjoyed the Christmas Parade and the extended Wishes. I liked the hot chocolate and cookies, but the entire time we were there it was very very very crowded. I disliked the idea of spending almost $100.00 on tickets to not be able to do or see much. The shows were packed and hard to get into, the ride lines weren’t bad, but I would rather just go on a slower day and not have the crowded lines, then spend $100.00 extra for it. I think this is something we might only do again with children, just for the experience, and meet n’ greets, but I don’t recommend this for adults.

Next up: Is the Tonga Toast as good as it looks? And how is the Presspot? And “What the heck is Goofy doing?”

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Our ADR was for 10am, so we woke around 9, showered and got dressed and headed over to the GCH. We were a bit early so we walked around and took some pictures. Shortly after we were called and seated. We looked over the menu, even though I had known for months what I was going to order. Our waiter was a heaver set young guy, and very friendly. I ordered the presspot coffee and DH ordered the juice, it’s a special kind for Kona.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2214.jpg This was amazing, hands down the best coffee I ever had.

DH then ordered the Blueberry pancakes, with ham and I of course ordered the Tonga Toast with bacon.

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http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2218.jpg
If you do not like sweet things then DO NOT get this, it’s very sweet and sugary.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2222.jpg
Just to show you what the inside looked like.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/IMG_2220.jpg
the different toppings

They came with 4 different sides, syrup, strawberry something (not very good), butter and something else, I didn’t try any but the strawberry. We payed OOP for this meal and it was worth every penny. So Is the Tonga Toast as good as it looks? The Answer?? YES! And how is the Presspot? Unbelievably Delicious! Both DH and I would rate this a 10! We had great service, the best coffee I’ve ever had, DH even had a cup and a half, and amazing food. We are planning on eating here every trip we take from now on!

After we finished up, we headed to Epcot for the day. Rode some rides, explored and did some shopping. Then around 2pm we decided to hit the Visa Card Character Meet N Greet again. This time it was Mickey, Minnie and Goofy! We walked in and Goofy pointed to my “Just Married” button and held his hand out for mine, and looked for my ring. I say “looked for my ring” because he made gestures about not being able to see it, I think it made DH feel bad, but it was really funny. Then Minnie hugged me and showed me her hand and how she didn’t have a ring from Mickey. I told Mickey that wasn’t very nice, and he put his head down with his hands covering his face. I truly was amazed on how “verbal” the characters are for not being able to talk! Disney really puts a lot of work into everything! We left and walked around World Showcase for a few hours.


http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image212.jpg
This is Goofy trying to see my ring!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/dizziedupbaby0127/DISBOARDS/image218-1.jpg

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I just love this photo, it looks very professional!

At about 3pm we started getting very hungry. I knew our ADR’s were at 5, but I was starving, so we ran to Electric Umbrella and got a late lunch…A BIG MISTAKE. We ended up eating too much and were still full by the time dinner rolled around. But we couldn’t miss our ADR at Teppan Edo. We both really wanted to try this place, so we went and checked in.

It wasn’t long before our name was called and we were shower to our seats with another family of 7, four adults and 3 children. Needless to say our table was a bit crowded. Even though we were on the dining plan we were able to pick the combo meals, which had a split entrée, such as steak and chicken, which is what we both chose. Also with it came some kind of noodle with veggies. Our chef came out and started cooking, he was amazing. He did the steaming onion train, made a Mickey Mouse and even tossed the food in the air and caught it in his hat. Now DH and I are not big veggie eaters, well we cleaned our plates. Delicious!!!! Everything was cooked perfectly. This restaurant was just as much about the show as it was the food. I will say even the young children seemed to enjoy their food. DH and I both rated this restaurant a perfect 10! Teppan Edo had the perfect amount of fun added with amazing food and great atmosphere. We will be returning back there on our next trip and we hoping it will be as good as this last time. I do not have any pics for our meal here, I forgot to take my camera out we were so busy watching the chef.


After dinner we walked around a bit then decided to get a spot for illuminations. We had found a great spot last time and wanted to head back there. On our way we found and even better spot and took turns holding the spot while we went to shop. I had found an adorable Mickey and Minnie throw I wanted to purchase and wanted a pair of sweatpants, so I got those and a few other small items. DH had seen a track jacket he wanted and had to have, so he went back to get that, then we relaxed and waited for illuminations to start.


After Illuminations we headed back to the room, since tomorrow was a early day and we were headed to the ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Next up: Our Optional Morning at AK, and a perk from the DCL and off to explore the Wonder!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Hey guys I just wanted to say Thanks, if any of you are still with me. :confused3

I know I have dragged this TR out much more then I ever wanted to or should have! I just haven't had alot of time lately. But I am trying to shorten it up and get to the good stuff, and the cruise is next, so I will work on that! :worship:

[Belle_373]

I'm here and looking forward to reading the rest of your report! :goodvibes

[MaleDisneyBeliever]

Im still here and enjoying!