Third time is a Charm***Our Halloween at the Poly! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

BreezysMom

11-08-2009, 07:36 PM

Hi all!

Welcome to my trip report. :flower3:

This was our third trip to the Poly and was the best yet! While I find our first trip was the most magical, I liked having some experience and knowledge behind us as it made this experience truly fabulous :love:

I combined our last two TR's within this trips PTR which was so fun....you can find it HERE! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2271402)

We had our must do favorites and tried some new things this trip but alas, never made to DAK! I don't know what it is about that park but we just never end up going there! But there is always next trip?!?

Get yourself a snack and a beverage and sit back and relax. :surfweb: I look forward to sharing our third trip of a life time.

First of all, who are we??

I am the Mom, the wife and the planner of all things Disney and otherwise. I do work part-time at a hospital close to home but essentailly I am a soccer Mom, and all that jazz!

DH is our hard working husband and Dad who actually enjoys going to Disney for our vacations! Lucky us :banana: DH loves to see his girls happy :lovestruc

DD is 8 and an only child so Disney is a perfect vacation spot for us. We have fun together and the place is filled with other kiddos for her to meet and share her downtime with while Mom and Dad relax at the pool. Plus we don't get the pleasure of sibling fights and all that fun stuff. Nonetheless, after a full day at the park we still heard the "I'm bored" or "what are we doing now?" Gotta love kids!!!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/077_772.jpg This was our first trip to the Poly and my favorite picture of our little family!

While we have considered other resorts, like many the Poly is in our heart. I actually would like to stay at the GF but DD and DH have no interest. DH says maybe our next holiday trip he might consider it, but since we all our Poly lovers it will be our home resort for the time being.

This trip we added to our Poly experience and stayed GVCL with no dining plan. In hindsight, we should have done the dining plan. I actually think when all was said and done we paid roughly the same OOP for meals and snacks since we did two signature meals and all the snacks and park meals. I guess in reality it made me cringe spending $20-25 for a not so great counter service meal at the park. :headache:

Staying CL was fabulous and I will go more into that during the report. As for celebrations, we were celebrating our anniversary, DH's 40th Birthday and my recovery from major surgery earlier this year :cool1:

We kicked off this vacation with the Miley Cyrus concert the night before we left! It was fun for DD as it was her first concert. They were decent seats but for some reason DD had this image of being front row :confused3 All I can say is Hannah Montana has left the building :rolleyes: Miley has grown up a lot :sad2: and I feel bad for the parents who shelled out a lot of money for their little girls who thought that were going to see HM! We had a great night at the cencert and got home and fell into bed as we had to get up early and head on out to the airport! :banana:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009001.jpg
Here is DD pointing to our countdown calender! I think she was so conflicted about what she was more excited for! :dance3:

The next morning we woke up and finished up our packing. I had things pretty organized so there was little for us to do. We had to drive to my parents house to drop off our puppy and then my Dad was driving us to O'Hare. It was kind of a hassel since we literally drive right past the airport to get to my parents but they take great care of our baby and we get a free ride to the airport! DD still begs for a limo but I tell her a ride from Papa is so much better :)

We had a 12:20pm flight and made it to the airport in plenty of time! They boarded the plane quickly and we actually took off ahead of schedule!:thumbsup2 We landed at MCO almost 30 minutes earlier than originally planned! BONUS! We headed to the airport monorail to head to Magical Express! The first thing we noticed was that it was nice and steamy in Orlando!!!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009012.jpg

We got to the ME area and they sent us right into line which was nice. The lady was sort of chatty and we could see that they were loading our bus. I could tell DH was getting anxious but the lady was being so nice! She finally handed us our stuff back and we headed to our bus.

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009015.jpg

We hopped on the bus and off we went! It was great! Then the best part...the Poly was the first stop. We were off to a excellent start! I love the ME ride. It has become a traditional part of our Disney experience!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009016.jpg

The only bad thing for ME is I can never get a goood pic of the Walt Disney World sign and the Magical Kingdom sign :headache: Maybe one day I can convince the bus driver to pull over so I can get a good shot...then again I might have a bus load of people anxious to get to their resorts get ticked at me.:lmao:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009022.jpg

We pulled up to the Poly and got off the bus. I just love the Poly atmosphere and it is like all my worries and stressors disappear instantly! We are in the Disney bubble and will be for the next 8 days!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009026.jpg

We walked up to the desk and introduced ourselves. They said to just wait a minute and a cart would come and get us and take us to the Hawaii Longhouse, but we were too excited and wanted to walk over to the Hawaii ourselves! My favorite part is walking into the Poly lobby when you arrive...life just does not get much better! :cloud9:
http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/thread%20pics/Disney2009836.jpg

Up next...check in and off to the MK!

mebbradley

11-08-2009, 07:51 PM

I'm following!
I can't wait to read all about it!

1971DBday

11-08-2009, 09:22 PM

Signing on ...getting anxious and excited for our trip. When I last saw you I wasn't feeling well. Turns out I have positional vertigo. I am getting better, but still not 100%.

However, in case you didn't notice under the Poly faq thread...thank you again for the Fairy Godmailer! It came on a good day! Hannah was sick and quarentined to our room. It put such a smile on her face as I reminded her that she needed to get better for Cinderella. Thanks again and let me know if I can do anything in return.

Looking forward to reading about your adventure (helps with my day dreaming).:cloud9::santa::banana:

maiapapaya

11-08-2009, 10:03 PM

Great to finally start reading your TR, although looking at your arrival pics is bringing all of those feelings of withdrawl back!

Another thing we have in common - I would love to stay at GF too (preferably at Christmas!) Unfortunately it appears that my DH has become a complete Poly addict and won't consider staying anywhere else. Except he concedes that maybe we can book a MK view dormer room for our 25th wedding anniversary (in 17 years! :lmao:)

ladybugmom

11-08-2009, 11:28 PM

I'm joining in!! Another Poly-lover here!! We're headed back in May--can't wait!! Looking forward to reading your TR!! :goodvibes

MrsSpratt

11-09-2009, 07:30 AM

Anyone who is Mama to a Blehneim is aces in my book - can't wait for more!

BreezysMom

11-09-2009, 07:42 AM

I'm following!
I can't wait to read all about it!

Welcome...I can't wait to write all about it! :lovestruc

Signing on ...getting anxious and excited for our trip. When I last saw you I wasn't feeling well. Turns out I have positional vertigo. I am getting better, but still not 100%.

However, in case you didn't notice under the Poly faq thread...thank you again for the Fairy Godmailer! It came on a good day! Hannah was sick and quarentined to our room. It put such a smile on her face as I reminded her that she needed to get better for Cinderella. Thanks again and let me know if I can do anything in return.

Looking forward to reading about your adventure (helps with my day dreaming).:cloud9::santa::banana:

I am glad she got it! I am glad your DD is better! Have a great trip :wizard:

Great to finally start reading your TR, although looking at your arrival pics is bringing all of those feelings of withdrawl back!

Another thing we have in common - I would love to stay at GF too (preferably at Christmas!) Unfortunately it appears that my DH has become a complete Poly addict and won't consider staying anywhere else. Except he concedes that maybe we can book a MK view dormer room for our 25th wedding anniversary (in 17 years! :lmao:)

Wow, that is a long time to wait! I am sure you can convince him sooner ;)

I'm joining in!! Another Poly-lover here!! We're headed back in May--can't wait!! Looking forward to reading your TR!! :goodvibes

Welcome! I think May would be a great time to go! Maybe our next trip. Thanks for joining!

Anyone who is Mama to a Blehneim is aces in my book - can't wait for more!

That is my baby! Her name is Poly and she is TR writing cuddle buddy! We missed her so much while we were there. :sad2: It is a shame she can't go to the place she is named after! :rotfl:

Thanks for all joining in! I am off to work out and then to work so will finish day one later :thumbsup2

tarak

11-09-2009, 08:04 AM

BreezysMom

11-09-2009, 01:50 PM

Subscribing! I'm hoping reading your TR will make the next 12 months go by faster. Probably not, though. :)

I was talking to my husband about our split stay next year and he said "wouldn't it be easier to just stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge the whole time?" I sputtered a bit and then said it was much easier to take the monorail or the boat to go to the MK and Epcot. I was shocked. He's the one who loves the Poly and never wants to stay anywhere else. I love the AKL and the Poly equally, I think. Doing a split stay for me is like getting two vacations in one.

We talk about a split stay all the time but then I think about packing and unpacking....I hate to do both!

I think if it was a longer stay, like greater than 10 days I would consider doing a MK resort and an Epcot resort.

I agree the change of scenery might be nice and add some to the vacation :thumbsup2

The 12 months will go by quickly, before you know it, it will be the first of the year and then spring break and then summer vacation! We will keep you company :flower3:

mickeystoontown

11-09-2009, 02:46 PM

I wanna join in too! I've got over 6 months until our next trip to Disney. I've often said trip reports and pictures are what keep me sane until my next Disney trip. Thanks for your contribution to my sanity.:thumbsup2

mla1977

11-09-2009, 04:02 PM

Hello! Sounds good so far and it is nice to see a TR from someone new to me!

HANDYMOM

11-09-2009, 04:31 PM

so I can read later....

LexisAuntieLala

11-09-2009, 05:52 PM

I am excited to read your report (or start to anyway). We are staying at the Poly for the first time in about a month and are soooo ready to go!

MrsSpratt

11-09-2009, 05:56 PM

Is Poly named after the Poly!?!?! We have a Lulu and her little sister (a maltipoo) named Coco - it sounds like we are running a puppy brothel!

Zuzu03

11-09-2009, 06:12 PM

Subscribing too - our trip is SO far away - I love living vicariously through these TRs! :)

1971DBday

11-09-2009, 06:23 PM

DD(3) is on antibiotics and is doing better, but now DD(13) is sick. This is definately our everybody get sick-time right before WDW trip.:sick::dance3:I just pray everyone get healthy in the next 17 days!!! Reading on and enjoying all of the tips and sneak peeks before the trip. Also noting the Electric Lemonade......

DisneyBoundinDec

11-09-2009, 06:55 PM

popcorn:: can't wait to read all about it!!

Subscribing! I'm hoping reading your TR will make the next 12 months go by faster. Probably not, though. :) same here! we are going Nov 2010

BreezysMom

11-09-2009, 08:43 PM

So where did I leave off....:scratchin

So as we were anxiously heading through the Poly lobby to make our way to Hawaii, I did slow down and smell the lobby. Yes, that Poly lobby smell! The lobby noise and the atmosphere are just awesome! I figured if I kicked up my heels and screamed in delight that DH and DD would be totally embarrassed but that was how I felt :cool1:

We walked past the pool which was LOADED with people and that is when we looked over and saw a huge net covering the slide. DD made mention of the slide being covered and we just brushed it off as we wanted to get checked in!

We walked up to those sliding glass doors and they magically opened for us and that is when we heard it for the first time "Aloha"!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009031.jpg

We were checked in by Alexander who was really great! We chatted him up for a while and then headed off to our room. We had a fabulous garden view room on the third floor room 3524. It was a nice view but I did have room envy of our neighbors across the hall as I saw the fabulous view from their room when they had their door open. But that view was almost $1000 more and frankly, the lounge sufficed and actually turned out to be a great place to hang our throughout our trip! But I am not to proud to say that everytime I saw someone from across the hall heading out of their room, I was insanely jealous!!:rolleyes1

Here is our view

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009198.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009199.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009200.jpg

After we chilled out for a bit in the room and changed out of our Chicago cold weather clothing, DH and DD headed to the lounge while I unpacked our carry ons. In reality I needed to run back down to the CM desk and get the items they purchased for me and my box I sent! They had my stuff they they purchased but did not have my box yet. They were sending someone for it. So I set up the "welcome gift" from Minnie and Mickey. It was an autograph book and journal and some Disney treats from Trader Jacks.

After setting the surprise up I met up with DD and DH in the lounge and they were feasting on the food offerings. I have to admit that they would not be happy with the evening offerings as they are two of the pickiest eaters around but when I sat down with them they raved about the food! DH was overjoyed with the beer selection and I immediately pour myself my first large cup of Ku'ulei Special drink of the vacation. :drinking1

We toasted each other to celebrate our arrival and then decided to head off to the MK since it was closing at 9pm and I wanted to go and come back before Wishes! pixiedust:

It was a beautiful evening despite the fact that it was blazing hot...we really did not care as we had a long miserable chilly summer and fall!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009037.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009040.jpg
Off to the boat we went and took that first ride over to the MK. I could not wait to see that Castle! So we get through the gate and DD sees some CMs with a jump rope. They call her over and she starts to jump rode with them! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? We are at the MK and this kid wants to jump rope? :rotfl:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009053.jpg

I preach patience to this child all the time so I guess I had to wait! :rolleyes1

Finally she was done jumping rope and off to Main Street we headed. But we were stopped because some Celebrate today dance party was heading down infront of the train station :headache:. Good Lord, would I ever see the castle. It is so close! OK Disney people...the parade is pretty lame but the music was rockin, so it was cool. But DD does not let me dance in public so I stood there and waited for it to pass.

Then finally, there is was.....

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009065.jpg

Yeppers! Look at all those people. I was a bit shocked at the amount of people, but surprisingly there was little to no waits on any of the rides. :thumbsup2

So of course I had to take a pic of DD in front of the castle. This year she decided to do a signature pose as you will se throughout the TR.
http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009066.jpg

Usually we try to do a signature ride our first ride...the line for Dumbo was fairly long so we headed to the TTA and then DD says she wants to ride the Speedway. OK, whatever...not my favorite ride because it is loud and the fumes are obnoxious but hey, let's go for it!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009072.jpg

We headed to the TTA and rode that. I have to admit, while Space Mountain rattles my brain a bit, I actually missed it! It looks really cool though so I am looking forward to riding it upon our return!!
http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009076.jpg

I was keeping track of the time and I wanted to get out of the park before Spectro started so we headed back to Main Street and then again, a CM tempted DD with a Hula Hoop! DD is a Hula Hoop champion, she will sit in front of the TV just shaking her hips with that hoop for an hour! It is quite funny! So she Hula hooped on Main Street and then we headed back to the Poly for wishes. The sun had set and night had fell upon the MK! Just as beautiful as ever!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009085.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009082.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009089.jpg

The one bad thing about going so close to Halloween is that a lot of the merchandise is sold out. DD had to have a Halloween ear cap and the candy corn one was all she they had left. It is actually kind of cute. I am really ticked that we did not get a MNSSHP pin this year! We looked all over but they were out...but that is part of the next day TR!

We took the monorail back to the Poly so we could browse Boutiki....I think I have reached my image capacity so I will stop here for now....

Coming soon, our first evening at the Poly. Wishes on the beach, turndown service and loads of surprise gifts left in the room for DD ;);)

Disclaimer...I thought the larger pics were too in your face but I don't like the smaller pics either so I I am going to use the larger size for the next installment!

ladybugmom

11-09-2009, 09:03 PM

Oh, thank you!! I liked the larger pictures better b/c you can see everything in detail!! :thumbsup2 It looks like a great first day!! And Wishes on the Poly beach is always a great way to end your day!! :goodvibes

Luv2trav

11-09-2009, 09:03 PM

dvc at last !

11-09-2009, 09:12 PM

I am enjoying your TR !

:cool1:

BreezysMom

11-10-2009, 06:19 AM

Is Poly named after the Poly!?!?! We have a Lulu and her little sister (a maltipoo) named Coco - it sounds like we are running a puppy brothel!

Yes, she is. We got her about a week after our first trip and it just seemed like the natural choice. Her breeder had named her Lola :laughing: We still call her that every once in a while!

BreezysMom

11-10-2009, 06:20 AM

I love your trip report so far! I am going to be staying LVCL over Easter and I am hoping they will help me out organizing some surprises for my boys on Easter...

What kind of beer was offered if you don't mind me asking and would DH be able to bring a couple back to our room in the evening..(I am not saying a lot I mean 2-3 of them :) )

There was bud, bud light and Heinekin. They also had a Kona beer, I think it was called. DH liked it though :thumbsup2

I am enjoying your TR !

:cool1:

Thanks!!!

tarak

11-10-2009, 08:28 AM

I like the larger pictures as well. I'm never sure what to post on my TR - I always figure people don't want to see my huge photos. But then, they wouldn't be reading it if they didn't. And the pictures do a good job of breaking up my rambling.

The view you had was great! Very nice pictures!

My younger daughter wants to go on the speedway next time - I never liked that ride, but will go for her. I really want to try Test Track next time. I don't think she'll go for that one, though. :)

mbcary

11-10-2009, 09:47 AM

I am jumping on board too! I have been lurking the Poly FAQ thread and found out you were doing a trip report for your recent stay. Can't wait to read more! I have never stayed at Poly but seriously considering it for my next visit.

PolynesianLily

11-10-2009, 10:08 AM

Joining in!
Great trip report so far! Oh and yes, the Polynesian lobby does smell so NICE!!! Sometimes when i'm out and about at home, I will smell something that smells like the Polynesian lobby and I immediately zone out and go to my happy place.

leeann32

11-10-2009, 12:13 PM

Can't wait to read more! I'm currently trying to switch to CL at the Poly for our next stay in September. :thumbsup2

BreezysMom

11-10-2009, 06:58 PM

After we headed back from the MK we checked out the fabulous goods in Boutiki. I had bought DD the Hidden Mickey book so she had to show me all the hidden Mickeys she read about....I was impressed at how many she rememberd.

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009096.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009094.jpg
Hidden Mickey on Tiki in Boutiki

We decided to stop in the room to see if our luggage was there and I was also super anxious for DD to see her surprise Welcome gift! I know I went totally overboard, but she was blown away. It was a Welcome back to Disney from Mickey and Minnie! It was a haul of Halloween stuff and I had the IPO pick up a Autograph book and journal and some other goodies. She still tells everyone about her welcome gift! It was a total success and was fun to put together. I am sure with the shipping and all it was about the same as what a Disney Florist gift would cost but so much more personal:thumbsup2

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009099.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009100.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009114.jpg

Our luggage was in the room from Magical Express. We love Magical Express and have had nothing but great experiences with using it. Yes it may take a bit to get our luggae but I always pack a carry on with a change of clothing for each of us, PJs and our bathing suits. We always get our luggage within a few hours and then I unpack before we head go to bed. It really is a great complimentary service.

Our room was also turned down...ahhh so nice:cloud9:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009101.jpg

After we checked out the room we headed to the lounge for a beer to take onto the beach for Wishes. I of course poured myself another tall glass of the Ku'ulei special :rolleyes1

DH and DD got themsleves a swing and I pulled up a lounge chair and we waited for Wishes. The crazy thing was they were doing the ELP during Wishes some nights which was a bit annoying. This was one of the nights...it was still beautiful pixiedust:

Finally, this trip the beach speakers were working! Our two previous trips there seemed to be issues! :woohoo:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%201/Disney2009108.jpg

So this my friends is number one of this list of many reasons that we adore the Poly :love: To be able to enjoy the wonderful show from the beach and head back to our room, or the CL lounge for some yummy dessert treats. Which is what we did that night. We got a plate of treats and headed back to the room so I could unpack and we could get to bed. It had been a long day of traveling and the next day was our biggest day of the trip. But before we went to bed we set up our wake up call.....

Coming up next....

rope drop at MK, a traditional must do for us!!!

Breakfast at CRT, used to be a must do, but we may pass next trip :sad2:

the Pirate League for Breezy, AWESOME! pirate:

and MNSSHP, thank goodness for the parade because I have decided that the parties are just plain annoying :headache:

DebbyLof428

11-10-2009, 07:43 PM

Really enjoying your report... keep it coming.

BreezysMom

11-10-2009, 08:29 PM

So day one of the trip was our big day! First of all we wanted to get the the MK for rope drop. It was an EMH morning so we had to be there by 8am. Since we are an hour behind here in Chicago it really was not a problem getting up, but we just did not have the "rush" in us this trip. We were going s-l-o-w. It turned out to be the best for all of us. I got up first and went to Captain Cooks to buy my refillable mug. I only bought one for me because I like to get my coffee and walk around the resort watching it wake up in the morning before DD and DH wake. Since we were staying CL, with the beverages in the lounge we all really did not need one. But I wanted one for a souvenir nonetheless.

I got my coffee and went for my morning stroll. It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes at the Poly you feel like you are the only one there as it is so quiet and empty :goodvibes Granted it was 6:30 a.m., it is my favorite part of the day.

I did leave my camera behind but did take plenty of pics on other mornings!

By the time I was back in the room I heard the phone ringing so I quickly ran to the phone and hit the speaker button...."Good Morning Sleepy heads, it is time to wake up...WAKE UP!" :stitch:

We showered and headed to the lounge. We utilized the lounge every morning for breakfast. A few days I went to CC and got Tonga toast for DH and a Mickey Waffle with a side of eggs for DD, but the lounge really sufficed for us. They had bagels every day, and either cinnamon rolls, muffins or croissants. They had cream cheese, butter, jelly and peanut butter. They also had mixed fruit of cantaloupe, honeydew and grapes. They had oatmeal too but I could hardly stomach oatmeal when it was 90 degrees out! I actually did have a bowl one morning later in the week and it was quite good. They also had 4 cereals to chose from! :thumbsup2

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/thread%20pics/Disney2009954.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/thread%20pics/Disney2009953.jpg

They also had yogurt, you just needed to ask for it. They had cranberry juice, orange juice and the guava fruit juice as well as milk, skim and 2%. Of course the coffee machine with an array of selections. I only had coffee, DH had a mocha one evening and he said it was so-so.

While the breakfast is nice, it is severely lacking in protein options so while DD would love to eat cinnamon rolls and muffins each morning, we battled constantly that she needed to have peanut butter on a bagel or apple or yogurt as well as milk with breakfast. Otherwise, I would have a starving child by 9:00am. :headache: I usually grabbed an apple or orange to take with us to the park for a snack later and of course we asked for plenty bottles of water that I used to fill our water bottles we brought with us to take to the park.

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009116.jpg

So of course we took our time eating and then we just missed the boat launch so we made the tail end of rope drop...oh well, we had many more days to catch it again!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009121.jpg

There really is something to be getting to the park right at opening. We are early risers so it works well for us. We headed right to Dumbo so we could ride it first, but not before taking our signature pose in front of the castle!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009130.jpg

I love Dumbo...it was my first ride at Disney World at 35 years old and my daughters first ride at 6 years old so we have to ride Dumbo. This time she wanted to ride alone! :sad1: Oh well, they have to grow up sometime, but I was still riding it too! :dumbo:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%202/Disney2009132.jpg

We rode a lot of rides that morning. We got there at 8am and had a 10:20 seating at CRT and we walked on a lot of rides, the Pooh and Snow white and Buzz. I did Splash Mountain by myself, because DD was too scared still. I got soaked but it felt good with the heat! We did Big Thunder Mountain and then headed off to the castle for breakfast.

If you have ready my previous TR you know that we make CRT a must do. We did breakfast our first trip and Dinner our second. Since we wanted to see the princesses we decided to do breakfast this time. We have always paid for CRT Out of pocket even when on the dining plan as I did not think it was worth it for 2 TS so we just paid for our meal. It had always been worth it to us!

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This time I felt really rushed by the Cindy line to get a pic, then our food was brought so quickly. We were done even before all the Princesses were out! Then the princesses swooped through, we got our pics and autograph booked signed and they made little small talk with DD but I could tell the whole Princess Magic thing was wayning with her and it was with me too! What really tipped it in for me was when I saw Jasmine roll her eyes becasue the little boy toddler at the table next to us was being a toddler while they were trying to get a pic and I guess she felt put out by it! Oh well, it still was a nice experience and a tradition. We have lots of wonderful memories from our previous visits but I am not sure it will be a part of our next trip :confused3

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DH has a thing for Belle...Gold Gown Belle but I always make him get a pic with her! It has now become quite a joke with us over the years!

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After our late breakfast we headed back to the Poly for some pool time :banana: We needed to relax because we were going to party with Mickey for Halloween! I love chilling at the pool. It is just so beautiful there! :beach:

I have to say that the Poly does a great job of entertaining the kiddos so us parents can actually relax at the pool. DD loved all the activites they had and of course she had to Hula Hoop :lmao:

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DD is the one in the white tankini with pink hearts. She came in like third place for the first contest and then tied the second. They also played some rockin music at the pool. Maybe one of your kids was shaking their hips with DD that day! ;)

After a bit we headed to the lounge for a cold soda and a snack and then a short nap before we needed to head back to the MK for our appointment at the Pirate League pirate:

Coming up...the Pirate League and MNSSHP! :cool1:

maiapapaya

11-10-2009, 08:37 PM

BreezysMom

11-10-2009, 08:52 PM

Hey, that's our Belle! :laughing: We felt the same way at CRT, that it was just an assembly line with the princesses. The only one who attempted to make any sort of chit chat was Ariel. I wonder if your Jasmine was the one that we saw by the flying carpets. DD18 had no use for her (long story - I'll explain in my TR), but I can totally see her rolling her eyes at a little kid.

Bri would have been over the moon with Ariel :love: She has yet to encounter her ever!

Ok, Poly the puppy is feeling neglected, Time to cuddle my puppy! I will do the next installment tomorrow!

Disney Girl35

11-10-2009, 10:17 PM

Ok joining in!!! We have a poly trip in febuary and this should help pass the time and get me excited about our trip. Not that I am not excited already.party:

ladybugmom

11-11-2009, 01:19 AM

We did the CRT breakfast for the first time in May and felt the same way--sooo rushed and the food was just so-so. Needless to say we aren't doing it again this next trip. We enjoyed Akershus sooo much better and it's only 1 TS credit!!

BreezysMom

11-11-2009, 11:55 AM

When they first announced the Pirate League opening, my first thought was finally something for boys! Even though I have a little girl, I do think that maybe boys get gypped a bit at some experiences.:confused3 I never really though DD would be interested in the Pirate League. When we were planning this trip DD basically said she was not interested in doing BBB again. This was fine with me. She is almost 9 now and had done it twice before so I was not too heartbroken.

One day she heard DH and I talking about the Pirate League and asked to do that and be a Pirate for MNSSHP. Well, it was not really an original costume for the party but hey, it was easy and after all, it is her choice! I requested an appointment for the day of the party and got a 4:00 ressie which was perfect as that was usually the time we head out to the parties. :thumbsup2

I had found a pirate costume at the local Halloween store and the Pirate League would take care of the rest, i.e., makeup, bandana and sword!

After some rest we got ready for the party. Earlier in the day while we were at the MK DH and I picked ourselves up some t-shirts at the POC giftshop. I got a bandana as well so he and I were all set. We are not big costume wearers. Probably because we are just really unoriginal, but I have to say that I was impressed with some of the costumes people were wearing and equally shocked with other costumes that people chose to wear :sad2: I don't get the whole sexy costume craze but maybe I am just getting old or something :confused3 Anyways, some people really went all out! I am amazed with the creativity!!

So we entered the Pirate League and were greeted by the wonderful CM who are all in character with their British accents and distinct personalities. I think DH and I were more excited than DD!

First she was taken to get her Pirate name. She turned a crank on a drum that held blocks with letters on it and they pulled them out and asked her month of birth and from that she became.....

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Jade Backscratcher!

I can tell you that DD did not like the backscratcher part but liked the Jade! So off we went to the makeover area. It is really cool in there and much larger than BBB! The room is full of great details and props. Disney went all out for this experience! The CMs are all so wonderful. We were lucky enough to get Pirate Brenna who is I think happens to be on the DIS. She was awesome and while for some reason DD got the shy bug during her makeover, Brenna kept chatting her up and doing her thing. I was having so much fun.

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After she was made into a pirate, Pirate Brenna had her recite an oath and then screamed "WE HAVE A NEW PIRATE" and the whole room erupted in applause and hoots! It was great! pirate:

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After Brenna was done we went over to another Pirate and he taught DD how to wear her sword and then sent us into the secret room...and this is where my details will end because we have been sworn to secrecy ;) But I will say that we got a great photo in that room and when I get my photopass CD I will post it. I was not allowed to take pics in the room and DH had to put his video camera away! I loved this aspect of the experience and I strongly suggest a ressie at the Pirate league no matter boy, girl, young or old!! It was an incredible experience and well worth the cost in my opinion :thumbsup2 DH originally had an appointment as well but we cancelled it. I think he was totally jealous and regretted that we cancelled!:lmao:

After we were led out of the secret room we received our picture and the Pirate Pledge certificate. All the CMs we encountered during this experience were great!

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I cannot rave enough about this experience!

NancyLuvsMickey

11-11-2009, 12:50 PM

Lovin' your trip report!!! :cool1:

And the Poly is beautiful!!! We've never stayed there, but it's on my bucket list!!! :thumbsup2

This is my first exposure to the Pirate League and it looks and sounds awesome!!! Might have to add that to my bucket list too!!! :rotfl:

Jenjulia

11-11-2009, 12:54 PM

Joining in! We're leaving in 31 days and can't wait. One night at the BCCL and then 6 nights Poly CL.

That is so disappointing about CRT. I we are going with our 3 year old DD, 5 yr old DS, and 9 year old DS. They've never been to the World and I've only been to Epcot, so pretty much everything is new to us. I'm now wondering if I should have planned Akershaus meal too? It sounds like the princesses are a little more personal there? I would think that for the cost of CRT, they would make sure that the experience was stellar. :confused:

The pirate makeover looks really fun. I've been trying to get my 9 year old to go to that. He loves POC and I thought that would be fun for him. I gave him the option of the Cool Dude at BBB or the Pirate Experience and he chose Cool Dude. It looks like so much fun though. Maybe I should surprise him with that? :wizard:

BreezysMom

11-11-2009, 12:58 PM

DWGal210

11-11-2009, 01:50 PM

Great report so far!

The Poly looks wonderful - I would love to stay there someday! Looks so peaceful and lovely! :thumbsup2

The Pirate League DOES look really neat....hmm....I'll have to give that some thought. My 3 year old cousin is part of our group for this trip and he loves Pirates (he even makes what he calls his 'pirate face' which is basically covering up one eye and snarling!) so maybe he would really like that!

Can't wait to read more, great start so far!

Disney Girl35

11-11-2009, 02:35 PM

I have an appointment scheduled for my 3 year old to do pirates league in feb. We will then go on the pirates and pals cruise that evening. I am so excited for him. Can't wait to see that.

I have not been to CRT since characters have been there but prior to the characters the castle was a great TS meal. It was very romantic even with kids all around. I wish they would bring that back.:)

Your daughter looks so cute in here pirate outfit all made up.:rolleyes:

cdhale

11-11-2009, 03:43 PM

Subscribing... followed from the Poly thread. We can't wait for our first trip to Poly in January, so I'm loving all of your pictures of the resort.

Cheryl

Zuzu03

11-11-2009, 04:07 PM

stich626

11-11-2009, 06:58 PM

i'm 3o and i want to do the pirate league!!!

BreezysMom

11-11-2009, 07:01 PM

Breezysmom - were there any older kids there at the Pirates League? I'd love for my DD to do it, but she'll be 17 when we go and I'm not sure if she'll think it's too kiddish. I think it would be a hoot! LOVE your TR so far, thank you for all the great photos and descriptions!

There were a few kids and a few adults there as well. It is so much fun I think a 17 year old would love it! I am seriously thinking about all 3 of us doing it our next trip we had such a good time. It is too bad they discontinued the P&P parties because it was be awesome to do the Pirate League and then attend the party!

Zuzu03

11-11-2009, 08:27 PM

Cool - then I'm in too! Why not? :banana:

BreezysMom

11-11-2009, 08:30 PM

So after we finished up at the Pirate League we headed to the Rose Garden to get our MNSSHP wrist band. The atmosphere was totally different this year than it ws 2 years ago. I can't really pinpoint what was lacking for us. I missed the blow up Mickey Ghost near the castle and the blow up Stitch! We finally saw the Mickey Ghost near toontown later in the evening.

We decided we should proabably eat dinner so we headed to Cosmic Rays. We ate at the counter and people watched for a while. It was fairly hot and humid so we were taking our time so we did not burn out too early. It was only 6pm so we had an hour until the party even started.

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After dinner we headed to the COP. It was our first time seeing it. It was kind of boring but interesting nonetheless. We were in an airconditioned room and sitting for a bit. We rode a few rides and then decided to head back to Main Street. It was a bit after 7pm and I noticed that people were already staking out their spot for the parade. I was frustrated by this because I love the parade and wanted a good spot so we copped a squat in front on the castle! We saw the Villan Show and it was cool and then we waited. Not my idea of how I wanted to spend the an hour of precious party time but the parade was a priority for us.

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Of course while we waited we snacked on Mickey Ice Cream Bars and popcorn and soda...later in the evening this came back to haunt us!

The CMs in the area kept the kids busy and then the Villans started to come around and one was messing with DH. It was pretty funny. I am sorry, I am not up on my Villans so I don't know who the he was :confused3

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Then one CM had the kids line up and hold hands to do sort of a costume parade and the next thing I know DD was totally missing in this crowd of parents and kids. I was flipping out so I ran to go see if I could track her down and of course that two minutes I was gone DH had to fend off parade space invaders :rolleyes:

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So seriously, losing DD in the crowd set a bad tone for the rest of the night for me. :scared: I just about had a nervous breakdown there in front of the castle!:scared1: I know some of you Moms know what I am talking about. It is that like 20 seconds of sheer terror that seems like it is 20 minutes. Thankfully I found her...well actually after I was yelling her name she yelled "here I am Mom". I think the CM realized that it had become quite chaotic so he sent all the kiddos back to their parents.

Finally the parade started! I really love the Boo to You Parade. I think it is really creative and the music is the best..."this is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween...

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One of my favorites is the Grave diggers and of course all the Characters in their costumes.

So this is when my camera started to act up. I could not zoom in and it kept shutting down on me and the shutter kept making weird noises and getting stuck. I thought maybe the battery was pooping out. So I did not get a lot of parade pics but DH got it all on video which is much better anyway :thumbsup2

So we had the parade out of the way and Hallowishes was not really a priority because in my experience they were better from the Poly beach which was our plan for the next night and Halloween night! pixiedust: So lets ride some rides and go get some merchandise. Well DDs tummy was hurting :sick: I gave her some chewable pepto and we chilled for a bit to see if it subsided. She seemed better so we headed to Toontown to ride the Barnstormer.

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After a few rounds on that we went to get our t-shirts and party pins. Well how stupid were we :headache: We had to go from store to store to find the t-shirts and we never did find a pin which actually ticked me off. There really should be enough of that merchandise. We paid good money for that party and only party goers are able to buy that stuff so why would they not have enough? I should not have to miss out because they start the parties so far in advance. It was almost Halloween! Ok, rant over. I need to check out e-bay to see if I can a 2009 Halloween Party pin for DDs collection?? At least we got our t-shirts and we also got a few other things to decorate the house with next Halloween. We also did a couple of trick or treating lines but they were really all jammed packed! I am a mean Mom and really did not want a ton of candy to contend with anyway so we skipped the remaining lines :rolleyes1

It was still somewhat early but DD was still complaining about her belly ache. Now I will honestly tell you that this whole situation was because she was not eating and drinking well. It was a long, busy day and I kept stressing that she needed to eat and keep up with her fluids. We were all starting to get crabby and the fireworks had not even started yet. We decided to go on Astro Orbitor which I really hate going on but DD likes it. It turned out to be cool because the fireworks started while we were up there and we got to see most of them from up there :wizard: That was quite magical.

But that seemed to make DD feel worse. It was only 10 or so by now and we made the decision to leave the party. :sad2:

So maybe it was our experience that night but like I previously hinted, the parties are ticking me off. First of all it was really crowded. It was not nearly as festive as it was in 2007 where it seemed the park came alive. The just sell too many tickets to these events and frankly I am done paying for them. I felt bad for DD becasue she feels so special being able to stay out to midnight and party, but we just were not feeling it that night. We planned on going back to the Nov 1st party and am glad we decided not to buy the tickets prior to going that night.

Regardless, we still had a wonderful time even though it was cut short and we got to see our favorite parade.:thumbsup2 As you can see, we had did no character pics. The line for Cinderella's carriage was insanely long! We did get a great pic of us in front of the castle from Photo pass though!

So we headed back to the resort and I got DD some food and she took a shower and passed out cold very quickly after that as did Mom and Dad :faint:

The next day we planned on heading to Animal Kingdom...sleeping in and taking our time getting there. It did not happen though!

Coming up...last minute park change and Spirit of Aloha Dinner show!!

maiapapaya

11-11-2009, 09:57 PM

I felt the same blah about MNSSHP and we'd never been before. There was nothing magical about it except for the parade and the fireworks. We went on Halloween, so we expected it to be crowded, but it was bad. The line ups for everything were so long and we were constantly fighting the crowds to get anywhere.

praisehisname

11-12-2009, 07:10 AM

I'm enjoying your report!

tarak

11-13-2009, 11:28 AM

maiapapaya

11-13-2009, 11:46 AM

We went to the MNNSHP and it wasn't exceptionally crowded for us, but we went on Oct. 2nd. We'd never been, so I might have been expecting much bigger crowds. I liked the decorations and the parade was great. I don't think I'd do it again. I thought about the Christmas party next year when we go, but a friend of mine whose done it said that every year she gets excited and goes and ends up disappointed. I wonder if they're selling more tickets than in the past because of the economy?

I'd like to try the Christmas party too. For me, what I think would be different, first, is that we wouldn't be going right on Christmas, unlike MNSSHP where we went right on Halloween (way too crowded). But, what I think exaggerated that feeling for us was that we were waiting in line for trick or treating. That would not be a factor at the Christmas party.

BreezysMom

11-14-2009, 09:00 AM

I'd like to try the Christmas party too. For me, what I think would be different, first, is that we wouldn't be going right on Christmas, unlike MNSSHP where we went right on Halloween (way too crowded). But, what I think exaggerated that feeling for us was that we were waiting in line for trick or treating. That would not be a factor at the Christmas party.

We did the Christmas party last year and I have to say I liked our FIRST Halloween party the best our of all the parties we attended. We did have a blast at the Christmas party though. The parade was wonderful but you still get the benefit if the decorated park and Castle all lit up without the party. The hot chocolate and cookies were a nice treat while we were waiting for the crowds to thin out after the parade. The snowing on Main Street was very cool :thumbsup2

If you are cash strapped and your money would maybe be better used elsewhere then I would skip the party otherwise it is always good to try things. :santa:

ladybugmom

11-14-2009, 11:43 PM

Oh no!! I'm so sorry the party was so crowded and that your DD wasn't feeling well. I hope things get better!!

ReneeDisney

11-15-2009, 06:14 AM

Wonderful trip report! Looking forward to reading more. I'm so sorry your DD wasn't feeling well at the party. Love the pirate league pictures and your DD looked too cute!!! :)

iloveeeyore

11-15-2009, 04:18 PM

IheartDDuck

11-15-2009, 04:39 PM

BreezysMom

11-15-2009, 08:31 PM

So after a very long first full day we woke up a little tired. We had briefly discussed our next day plans but never really came to a final decision. The only thing that was confirmed was the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at 5:15 that evening. I did subscribe to Tour Guide Mike and Mike told us it was a great day for DAK and DHS.

We dragged ourselves out of bed and after breakfast and showering we decided to go to Animal Kingdom. A park we had never yet been to. So we headed to the bus stop and on our way out of the CL lounge we decided to grab a DAK map so we could plan our day on the bus....this is mostly how we do our touring plans. Although, to be honest I always have my DIS knowledge either written down or tucked away in my brain to help facilitate a plan ;) It makes DH feel better to think we are just winging things even though I am subtlety steering the way. :rolleyes1

So we get to the bus stop only to see the DAK bus just pulling away and the Studio bus pulling up. OK, I guess we'll go to the studios :wizard:

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So this is how we roll. It was only our second day, we'll hit DAK another day. We went straight to TSM there was a 10 minute wait and the fast pass return was 2:55 to 3:55 so we got fast passes. We had to be at the resort by at least 4:15 at the latest to get ready for dinner so this would work...hopefully!

After getting our fastpasses we saw a line to meet Chip and Dale :yay: We had yet to ever meet them in our past trips and the line was short so we jumped in! It was blazing hot and after a waiting a bit I realized that I had a little crab AND a big crab :rolleyes1 to share my day with :headache: We had our first meeting with C & D and DD was really happy...for about a minute :rolleyes:

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Then we headed to RNRC. It showed a 10 minute wait but after being in line for 20 minutes DH called me on my cell to say he could hear people that were exiting talking about something be wrong with the ride. Breezy had been crabby since we got in line and I had had enough:headache: so we got out of line and decided to head elsewhere. I was thinking that my buddy Tour Guide Mike was a little off because it was quite busy at he the studios! I am sure it did not help that we strolled in well after opening and had no plan.

We ended up catching the Indiana Jones Stunt show that DD and DH love. I hoped it would get them to both lighten up a bit ;) We then saw the Jedi Training Academy. Yea, DH is a Star Wars fan. :darth: Not a convention going super fan but grew up with the triolgy and is always up for anything Star Wars. He then wanted to wait in line for DD to be part of it but apparently it is like the first 15 kids and there was like 30+ in line. I asked a CM and he said they were waiting for the next show. Ummmmm, No I don't think so.:sad2: Sorry DH, Breezy will have to learn how to use the force another day.

It was time for lunch so we went to the ABC commissary. DH took DD to the bathroom and I ordered lunch. I was a bad RULE BREAKER and ordered 3 kids cheeseburger meals. The cashier looked at me like my third grade teacher Sister Helen Denise, like I committed this moral sin! But good gracious, we just wanted a quick smaller lunch since we were heaving the Luau feast later. She ordered the meals, which included the burger, fries and a small drink which is all we needed. I paid my cash and sulked back to my table :guilty: I really don't condone breaking the rules. I buy a new refillable mug on every trip I swear! By the way, the burgers were not so great and the fries were cold so I didn't feel so bad after all! DHS needs to amp up their counter service options because I really have a hard time finding something to eat there!

We headed back to RNRC and the line was only 10 minuted so off we went....

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DD wanted me to take a picture with her and the Miley Cyrus Picture! I love RNRC. It is a great coaster even for the hesitant riders like myself! DD got a little nervous before we went on even though we had ridden it plenty of times before, but it sort of broke her in for the rest of the trip.:) We got off and then rode again.

I tried to get her on Tower of Terror but she still is not ready. It is not the ride itself but I think the que that had her a little scared :scared: We saw it on a Disney Travel Special and since then it has been her hang up. She is sensitive to spooky areas which is confusing considering she has been a Scooby Doo freak since she was like 3! Oh well, I was not too keen on TOT myself but would have done it for her!

It was finally time to head to TSM. It would be our first time. :cool1: When we went in December we went to DHS only one day and the fast passes were gone quickly and the wait times were like 2 hours! We were excited to finally be able to try it!! We still waited a good 20 minutes or so to ride but it was worth it :thumbsup2 What a fun ride!

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After we got off we ended up chatting with a CM who notice DH Blackhawks t-shirt and we started talking about hockey. We are huge hockey fans and are season ticket holders to our AHL team the Chicago Wolves. It just so happened this CM was good friends with the goalie on the Wolves! The CM used to play pro Hockey! It was really cool talking to this gentleman. We chatted with him for a while and then we realized that we had to head back to the poly for the SOA! We said our goodbyes and headed back to the bus stops.

Of course, just our luck...the Poly bus was pulling away despite us running like crazy to catch it. Thankfully a TTC bus was sitting waiting and empty. We hopped on and once a few more people got on, off we went! This is a nice perk of staying at the Poly :) We knew we were going to have to hussle from the TTC back to our room to get ready in time for dinner!

Coming up...a full review of the Spirit of Aloha dinner show!

BreezysMom

11-15-2009, 08:42 PM

Hi, BreezysMom! I'm really enjoying your trip report! Thanks for putting so much time into it. Can't wait to hear about how you liked SoA!

We attended MNSSHP in 2001 and found it overly crowded and not very much fun at all. The lines for everything were just horrendous, from picture-taking to trick-or-treat to rides. We managed to get one photo of the kids in front of some MNSSHP sign, and the only ride we were able to get on was the steamboat; even that was horribly crowded, so many people shoulder to shoulder and we couldn't hear the narration at all over all the noise.

On the good side, we really did enjoy the parade and fireworks, which alone were worth the price of admission. We would never do it again though. Sorry your experience was similar!

Thanks!

I will never forget our first MNSSHP in 2007. It was a blast although it was a Tues in late Spetember so it was not crowded at all. Disney's deals have changed the whole crowd calender and I am not quite sure if there really is a quiet time anymore! I am glad we went though. Being the huge people watcher it made for some interesting sights! :rolleyes1

It looks like you and I might be missing each other in July at the Poly. We are arriving 7/17. We initially only booked 5 nights but I added two more. Airfare is still quite high so I have not booked that yet!

BreezysMom

11-15-2009, 08:50 PM

I'm joining your TR! We were there a couple weeks before you and stayed at the Grand Floridian. I liked it very much, but I found that I like the Poly better, so I think you made the right decision. Can't wait to read more!

We considered doing GF for Christmas of 2011 but then we decided we may want to do a nice long Poly stay over the holidays. Since it will be crazy busy in the parks we figured really doing a resort vacation with the parks secondary. :thumbsup2

DH and I did compromise doing a cruise for my 40th and we will do a land/sea package and that is when we will stay at the Grand but that is not for a long, long time...well 2012 that is :rolleyes:

tarak

11-15-2009, 09:28 PM

We considered doing GF for Christmas of 2011 but then we decided we may want to do a nice long Poly stay over the holidays. Since it will be crazy busy in the parks we figured really doing a resort vacation with the parks secondary. :thumbsup2

DH and I did compromise doing a cruise for my 40th and we will do a land/sea package and that is when we will stay at the Grand but that is not for a long, long time...well 2012 that is :rolleyes:

I would love to do a mostly resort vacation. My older daughter wanted to see pictures of Stormalong Bay. She wants to go there and not even bother with the parks. I'm thinking that sounds like a lot of fun, even though the theme of the Yacht/Beach Club doesn't appeal that much to me. Maybe a split stay. I'm thinking of getting APs for the girls and for me next year so we can do another trip in 2011. Not sure I'm up to taking them all by myself, though. I might have to talk my sister into going.

BreezysMom

11-15-2009, 09:34 PM

I would love to do a mostly resort vacation. My older daughter wanted to see pictures of Stormalong Bay. She wants to go there and not even bother with the parks. I'm thinking that sounds like a lot of fun, even though the theme of the Yacht/Beach Club doesn't appeal that much to me. Maybe a split stay. I'm thinking of getting APs for the girls and for me next year so we can do another trip in 2011. Not sure I'm up to taking them all by myself, though. I might have to talk my sister into going.

I talk myself out of a a split stay all the time. I just want to get unpacked and stay that way! It is not ruled out forever. Maybe when the tween of mine is older and brings a buddy we may do a split stay.

flevy

11-15-2009, 09:39 PM

Great TR. I'm throughly enjoying your story and pictures.

maiapapaya

11-16-2009, 06:36 AM

I can't wrap my head around a split stay either. The idea of packing everything up again and moving is so unappealing. I like to just get settled in and be comfortable in one place. When we went to China a couple of years ago we had to do a "split stay" (different cities mind you, not different resorts!) and it was not fun ... one night in Beijing, four nights in Nanjing, back to Beijing for seven more nights. ack!

There's also the ADR hassle with a split stay, only being able to partially book and then having to do it all over again a few days later. Nope, I'll just pick one place and stay put!

praisehisname

11-16-2009, 07:41 AM

Yay for DD riding RNRC! Looking forward to hearing about SOA!

iloveeeyore

11-16-2009, 12:12 PM

Thanks!

I will never forget our first MNSSHP in 2007. It was a blast although it was a Tues in late Spetember so it was not crowded at all. Disney's deals have changed the whole crowd calender and I am not quite sure if there really is a quiet time anymore! I am glad we went though. Being the huge people watcher it made for some interesting sights! :rolleyes1

It looks like you and I might be missing each other in July at the Poly. We are arriving 7/17. We initially only booked 5 nights but I added two more. Airfare is still quite high so I have not booked that yet!

We will arrive at the Poly on 7/29! Doing 7 nights there and then 4 at AKL. Never thought we'd do a split stay, either, until DH was wonderful enough to suggest that we make 2 vacations out of 1 (since it's a special celebration and we didn't get one this year). I actually had to tweak my dates a little when JetBlue released their fares for summer. It was cheaper to get a flight at a good time on Thursday than Saturday, so we added an extra night and moved the trip up to days. Can you be flexible with your dates? You might find better fares that way (and maybe we can run into eachother;)). I still believe lower fares will be available at some point, so hang in there!

Your "little" family looks just perfect! Breezy is gorgeous and looks just like you!

BreezysMom

11-16-2009, 03:47 PM

We will arrive at the Poly on 7/29! Doing 7 nights there and then 4 at AKL. Never thought we'd do a split stay, either, until DH was wonderful enough to suggest that we make 2 vacations out of 1 (since it's a special celebration and we didn't get one this year). I actually had to tweak my dates a little when JetBlue released their fares for summer. It was cheaper to get a flight at a good time on Thursday than Saturday, so we added an extra night and moved the trip up to days. Can you be flexible with your dates? You might find better fares that way (and maybe we can run into eachother;)). I still believe lower fares will be available at some point, so hang in there!

Your "little" family looks just perfect! Breezy is gorgeous and looks just like you!

Oh I would love to tweak my dates to come later in the month but we got some great seats to the BON JOVI concert on 7/30 at Soldier Field!!! :banana::banana::banana: So I have to be home for that! Can you tell I am excited??

I fully expect that I will have to tweak my dates. I may try Southwest this trip because luggage fees annoy me! I wish they would just tack the fee onto my fare? Time will tell!

Thanks for the comments about my cute family :goodvibes

BreezysMom

11-16-2009, 09:34 PM

Being our third trip to the Poly we decided to finally try the SOA! I had been hesitant due to not so great reviews I had read but now DD was a bit older and she really wanted to try it too! DH has always been interested in going but I vetoed it everytime!

After racing back to get washed up and changed before dinner we took a nice stroll over to the Luau cove. They tell you to be there at 4:45 for the 5:15 show so we listened and got there ahead of time. We walked by our beloved Longhouse Figi :love: and stopped to take a pic with our buddy "Tiki Dude" who we have had the pleasure of taking an annual pic by our previous trips! The walk to the Luau Cove is beautiful. I think that part of the resort tends to get overlooked by a lot of guests.

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We were greeted by a very nice CM who asked if we would like her to take our pic by Tiki Dude. I happily agreed since other than photopass pics, I am hardly in any pictures ;) After taking some pics we checked in and got our leis and then they took our picture. I have to say the check in system is pretty organized and moves rather quickly!

Then they send us to another area and tell us that will start seating around 5:00 or so. OK so we rushed here to wait? But they did inform us that there was a bar for us to purchase cocktails or beverages. Well no thanks, the cost of the dinner includes unlimited wine and beer! I could wait for my beer!

I snapped a few pics and we just enjoyed the atmosphere while we waited!

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Finally, they started seating us and I have to say that I was totally impressed and how efficient the process is. We were taken to our seat and we were so happy to see that we were seated front and center of the stage!This really made DH happy!

The minute you sit down your server gets your beverage order and then they bring out this fabulous salad and bread. It was so yummy! I ate too much of that alone :rolleyes1

Then the show starts and they do the first part. It is a cute little story about a girl leaving her village and they incorporate customs and dances from the various islands from Polynesia. I found that very interesting!

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Then at one point they called all the kids up on the stage to learn a dance whihc DD was so pleased to be able to do. Now I will say, DD is 8, almost 9 and I think she was a good age for this, even a year or so ago but this show would not keep a toddler entertained in my opinion, or at least most toddlers I should say. The show was in 3 parts. In between the parts some of the kids were running around and getting on the stage and then an overhead announcement would ask that parents keep there kiddos in their seats. Some parents rounded up their kids, some didn't

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Yes, the show is a bit cheesy at times but very entertaining and while the ladies are quite beautiful, the guy dancers were equally as nice to look at ;)

After the first act, the main course came out. It was delicious chicken, pork and rice and veggies. It was really good. I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the meal was! By this time between the unlimited food and beer I was stuffed to the gills! Sadly my camera was not working well and the zoom quit working! I was so upset but at least I could still take some pics. :sad2:

They did bring our pic around and the sucker I am I bought the stupid thing. But it is a great family pic and since it was our first Luau I thought it would be nice to have!

When the show resumed at one point one of the female dancers pulled DH up on stage and he had to get up there and shake his booty! :banana: It was hysterical! If you only knew how shy and quiet DH is. We are quite opposites in the personality department. I was trying to take pics with my camera while manning the video camera and laughing hysterically! :lmao: He was so cute!

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After dinner I posted on Facebook that he was pulled up on stage and posted a pic and got over 30 responses from friends and family because they could not believe it with their own eyes. Don't get me wrong, DH is not a stick in the mud, he is just a hard working serious guy most of the time. That is why I love our Disney vacations because I get to see him shake his booty :lovestruc

The best part of the show was the firedancer but sadly due to my camera having no zoom capabilities the pics turned out really bad but DH did get it all on video! The Firedancer is worth the price of admission alone! The Spirit of Aloha is one of those things I think everyone should try at least once. I thought the food was excellent and the show very entertaining. We had a great seat but I suspect that most the seats might be fairly decent to some level. If you really want to try the show, don't let the bad reviews scare you away. Although, I don't know if I personally would use 2 TS credits if on the dining plan. We paid out of pocket and I felt it was worth the money.

After dinner we dragged our overstuffed selves back to our room and spent the rest of the evening relaxing on the beach and in the CL lounge. We went to bed early that night as the next day was Halloween. As usual, we had no park plan but I am sure we would figure it out in the morning. We knew that our afternoon plan was to hang out at the Poly and partake in their Halloween activities.

Here are some pics of our room all decked out for Halloween and the wonderful turndown service! :goodvibes

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Coming up.....HE BROKE MY CAMERA! :scared1: and Halloween at the Poly

ladybugmom

11-16-2009, 11:20 PM

Great update!! Glad to hear some positive things about the Spirit of Aloha dinner show. I'd like to try it sometime but would have to talk my dh into it. He's not one for wanting to eat outside. Uh oh!! A broken camera--that doesn't sound good!!

1971DBday

11-17-2009, 01:36 AM

I'm glad I read you TR on the SOA. I have been regretting not booking this for the trip, but I feel better now. I was really struggling as to whether it would be appropriate for DD(3) and this helps answer that question - especially with it being the 2 TS. Thanks for the Mom point of view. Maybe I'll sit on the beach one day while she plays and just enjoy the music coming from it.:laughing:

IheartDDuck

11-17-2009, 05:05 PM

I'm glad that you enjoyed SOA! I've done it twice and have had fun each time. I do agree though that I'm not sure it would be worth 2 TS credits though. You and I have similar camera luck, because the last time I saw the show two years ago my camera's battery died too, about 1/3 of the way into the show, so I didn't have any really good pictures.

praisehisname

11-17-2009, 06:47 PM

Spirit of Aloha sounds really fun!

BreezysMom

11-17-2009, 08:02 PM

So it is Saturday Morning and it is Halloween!:yay: We were pretty tired this day and frankly could not get moving this morning! Our plan was to be at the resort in the afternoon for the activities the resort had planned. Breezy and I decided to go for a walk to I could take some pics around the resort for the Poly FAQ thread. My camera was being such a pain. The shutter would not open or close and I could not use the zoom at all! I was trying to take pictures and getting beyond frustrated.

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I really did not want to tell DH about my camera because the camera has been a point of contention between us. I wanted a nicer camera and did a lot of research and chose this particular point and shoot camera. He felt that it was too much camera for us (he was right by the way:rolleyes:) but we bought it anyway. I was really pleased with the pics it took especially when I figured out how to use the stupid thing.:headache: The pics we took for our Christmas trip were really awesome!

After our walk we met up with DH and we all decided to just spend the day at the resort. It was a fabulous day and we really wanted to enjoy the sunshine :sunny: He and DD decided to rent a watermouse and cruise the Seven Seas Lagoon. They were going to leave me all by myself to sit by the pool. Can you imagine the tears I was shedding at the idea :rotfl: I sent them on their way and headed to the pool for some quiet alone time!

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They were only gone an hour but it was a nice hour of alone time for Mom! After they came back we had some lunch at Captain Cooks and then we swam for a bit. DH and DD spent hours playing in the pool while I just sat there and soaked up the surroundings! It was heavenly :cloud9:

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After a bit DH came over and sat by me and asked where the camera was? I gave it to him but told him to be careful with it because I was having shutter problems. He decided to start messing with it which I knew was a huge mistake. He tinkered with it for what seemed like forever and then handed it back to me. At this point the camera was totally frozen. I could not open the shutter at all now. The battery was fine because I could view the pictures stored in the camera. At this point I was furious :furious: Here we are not even half way through our trip and I had no camera. DH could tell I was mad but left me alone. I went to the CL concierge to see if there was any place I could take the camera to get looked at or possibly fixed. They just suggested buying the disposable :confused3 Well, I have already taken 900+ pics, a disposable camera would not work. I literally sulked back to the room where DD and DH were. At this point I was almost in tears but I was trying to be rational. I was at the Poly with my family on a wonderful vacation...don't pout :sad2: That did not work. I finally declared that I was heading out to the MK to buy a camera at the Emporium. I knew that had Kodak cameras there and whatever the cost I needed to get a new one.

So we hopped the boat to the MK to buy a camera. They had 3 to choose from. I ruled out the very expensive one right away. Then I had to decide between the two moderately priced ones. It took me a while but I finally picked one and then I had to buy a new memory card because forbid they all be standard :headache: The CMs at the Emporium were wonderful. I think they could tell there was loads of tension between DH and I about the whole issue. In the end I bought the camera, a memory card, rechargeable AA batteries and the battery charger. The CM was getting the camera all set up for me. She even set the date and time and loaded the batteries and memory card. She was such a doll! DD says to me "Mom, just think everytime you use the camera you will think about Disney" :):):)

What a doll my little Breezy is! :love: As we walked out the Dreams Parade was just coming by and we had a great viewing spot:thumbsup2 We had no plans to see the parade this trip so it was a nice added bonus and somehow things seemed to be better after the parade was over!

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The first pic with our "Disney" camera!

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After the parade we left the MK to go back to the pool for a bit before we got ready to trick or treat and party at the Poly!

Coming up...Halloween Polynesian Style!

Zippa D Doodah

11-17-2009, 09:59 PM

Awesome TR! This is helping me pass the time until our very first Poly stay this coming January. :goodvibes

BreezysMom

11-19-2009, 08:29 PM

Awesome TR! This is helping me pass the time until our very first Poly stay this coming January. :goodvibes

Thanks! You will love the Poly!

ladybugmom

11-19-2009, 08:42 PM

Sorry about your camera but YAY for the new one!!! :goodvibes

maiapapaya

11-19-2009, 09:33 PM

Ok, do you realize we were in the pool with the girls on the morning of Halloween?!! :headache: And we managed to miss each other how?!

BreezysMom

11-20-2009, 07:10 PM

Ok, do you realize we were in the pool with the girls on the morning of Halloween?!! :headache: And we managed to miss each other how?!

We were probably sitting next to each other too! :headache:

There were a lot of people at the pool that morning. I think a ton of people just having a pool morning because they were going to MNSSHP that night.

We are hanging out watching the videos of the trip this evening. Breezy has all the symptoms of the dreaded flu so we are making a visit to the doc tomorrow! Poor thing, she is miserable! :sick:

maiapapaya

11-20-2009, 07:21 PM

We were probably sitting next to each other too! :headache:

There were a lot of people at the pool that morning. I think a ton of people just having a pool morning because they were going to MNSSHP that night.

We are hanging out watching the videos of the trip this evening. Breezy has all the symptoms of the dreaded flu so we are making a visit to the doc tomorrow! Poor thing, she is miserable! :sick:

Poor Breezy. Last weekend DD7 came down with all the symptoms too - fever, headache, cough - fortunately it only lasted about a day (but the cough was longer). DD4 also got the fever, but no other symptoms. Hopefully Breezy gets over it as quickly as ours did! :hug:

BreezysMom

11-20-2009, 07:58 PM

This is Halloween...this is Halloween....Halloween...Halloween! :cool1:

After we all chilled out a bit from the whole camera fiasco we went to the room and got Breezy in her costume. She wanted to be Hannah Montana. Who I am I to complain, the costume was on sale at the Disney store! Quite a contrast from our little princess 2 years earlier!

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We first went to the lounge to get ourselves a beverage and partake in some of the tasty evening offerings! Then we headed to the lobby because as much as I liked hanging out in the CL lounge, I love the GCH. It was very quiet in there. I think a lot of people were at the the Haloween party or doing other activities. Breezy colored for a while while DH and I relaxed. After a bit we headed to the marina where we were to meet up with the other resort trick or treaters.

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We got to the marina and no one was there. We waited for a bit and a few other people showed up. Finally a CM named JT showed up. This poor kid did not have a clue about what he was doing but boy was he cute! He had the cutest accent and made the corniest jokes but was adorable all the same.:lmao: He led the kid through the resort for some treats. We went to the Barefoot Bar first. Whoo hoo! Treats for the parents :cool1: Then to the Hawaii Longhouse, Captain Cooks, the lobby and the DVC desk. Breezy got a ton of candy that night just from the resort!

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After that we headed to the GF beach for a campfire and movie. DH and I found a couple of beach chairs and sat back and relaxed while DD ran around and played with some other kiddos she met at the resort!

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DD had a blast playing for a bit and then they had a costume contest which DD happened to win in her age group. It was by applause and she has a loud Momma :rolleyes1 and made a few friends so that helped with the applause factor! Then I saw the prize! :scared1: It was a huge box of Playdoh! How the heck was I going to get that home :rolleyes: DD was pleased that she won and she had a great time! Actually the Playdoh set was a great gift. She has been playing with it a lot since our return! I carried the box on the plane with us by the way...

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We actually left the beach before the movie started. We were all really tired and my ankles were getting bit up by something! We had intentions of going back another night to watch a movie but never made it. That is a must do for our next trip. I will come better equipped with bug spray!

All in all it was a great night. It was wonderful inexpensive entertainment for Halloween night at Disney. We headed back to the room and put some comfy clothes on and then hung out in the lounge for a bit. We watched Hallowishes while DH and I enjoyed an evening cocktail and desserts and then we headed to bed.

Halloween was over! I was half expecting, maybe hopefully I would wake up to Christmas decorations the next day! Wishful thinking!! ;)

Coming up...yep, we head back to the MK the next day! :love: Plus a evening trip to Epcot which we quickly discovered was not a great plan :rolleyes1

praisehisname

11-21-2009, 04:45 PM

Besides having the unexpected expense of a new camera, it sounds like your day was really great! Looking forward to more!

BreezysMom

11-21-2009, 06:08 PM

Halloween did turn out to be a really nice day. Really slow and quiet. Sometimes we don't even want to leave the Poly property!

So today Breezy was tested for H1N1 and it was positive :scared1: She is so sick and I am really worried. I have been holding her close all day and just waiting for this fever to break. I just can't believed we spent a week in Florida with millions of people and she gets sick at home 2+ weeks after we get home!

She is "quarantined" for at least 7 days which means I am housebound as well. I also have to cook up a little Thanksgiving dinner for us because we cannot attend dinner at my Mom's house. :sad1:

Right now I am focused on her and will worry about Turkey day later!

I am sure I will have time to work on my TR!

More updates coming soon!

maiapapaya

11-21-2009, 06:25 PM

Sorry to hear that Breezy is so sick. There was a big H1N1 outbreak here (fortunately the worst of it was while we were away). Most of the kids had VERY mild cases. Hoping that she feels better soon!!! Keeping all of you in our thoughts. :hug: (I feel like I should be asking if there is anything I can do to help, but I guess Chicago is a little far to drop off a lasagne. :) )

my2disneyboys

11-21-2009, 08:20 PM

So sorry to hear about the H1N1! Both my boys got it a few weeks after we returned from Disney in May. The fever lasted a couple days and then all was back to normal. I hope for a speedy recovery for Breezy!

BTW.... I really love your trip report and the pics!! Great job :thumbsup2

ladybugmom

11-21-2009, 09:06 PM

How fun!! I didn't know that you trick-or-treated around the Poly!! And congrats on Breezy winning the costume contest--she looked adorable!!

So sorry to hear that Breezy is sick. I hope she feels better soon! :goodvibes

BreezysMom

11-22-2009, 07:57 PM

Thanks all for the kind words. Breezy's fever is finally under 100 degrees which was the most worrisome to me. Now she has this incredibly nasty cough! It really sounds horrible. :sick:

Today I went to the grocery store and shopped for Thanksgiving. Due to the 7 day quarantine that the doctor reccommended, we can't go to my parents house so we are going to have a small quiet Thanksgiving at home. While I am sad that Breezy won't get to see her cousins, aunts, uncles and Grandparents, there is a part of me that is selfishly glad that we get to stay home and stuff ourselves and then retreat to the couch in a turkey coma :faint: Although instead of my Mom doing all the cooking, I will have to do it but since it is just the three of us I got a small breast that we will grill and the rest of the stuff is easy epecially since we can't leave the house all week so take away all the typical running around and it will be a welcome diversion :thumbsup2

One Thanksgiving when Bri was four years old I think, she woke up with a fever. I ran out to the store and was able to snag one of those "bird in a box" all ready cooked Thanksgiving dinners and we had a makeshift last minute dinner alone. I cried the whole day I was getting things ready. But then when we sat down and had a nice quiet dinner and watched The Polar Express after dinner and I look back at it being one of the nicest Thanksgivings ever. I love my family but there is the 35 mile each way drive and then all of us together in the same room.....:headache: It is a scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" :lmao:

Come to think of it, by Thursday I may not sound so sane... :crazy::crazy:

Can you tell I am already going a little stir crazy as I am just going on and on....:hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper:

OK, I will update tomorrow! Thanks again everyone :grouphug:

tarak

11-23-2009, 09:17 AM

I hope Breezy feels better soon. I know what you mean about having a small Thanksgiving meal. Years ago, my mom was out of town and it was just my dad, my sister and me. We went to the officer's club at the air force base. The food was awful, but it was nice to not have to cook or worry about anyone's expectations.

JLR

11-23-2009, 10:43 AM

I have been reading your TR and loving it. I am so sorry to hear about Breezy's sickness. I hope she gets well soon! I hope you don't mind a suggestion. Several years ago I had to make a Thanksgiving meal for just our family of (then) 3 - I cooked cornish game hens. Fun, quick, and a lot less mess! (And 3 wishbones if you are careful!) Thank you for taking to time to post this TR.

Julie

DisneyBoundinDec

11-23-2009, 03:46 PM

BreezysMom

11-23-2009, 04:00 PM

I am loving your trip report!! I am happy to hear that Breezy is feeling better.. my boys had the H1N1 too.. be prepared for a second round of it.. they had a high fever for 2 days.. nothing for a day.. and then the fever came back.. I have heard it does this.. along with a lasting cough for a good week! But I am glad to hear she is starting to feel better and I hope you have a nice relaxing Thanksgiving.. we (family of 4) are all alone this year and we are looking forward to it!! :thumbsup2

Yes, I am just discovering that...she was fever free since last night but just spiked!:confused3 She also has a nasty cough and developed pneumonia :scared1: This virus is nasty. I can't remember my child being so miserable!

We had to head back to the doctor today and she is feeling really crummy so I have been giving a lot of TLC! She is sleeping now so I decided to steal a moment and escape to the DIS for a bit!

I am looking forward to DH coming home so I can go workout or I might crack up! I am not used to being stuck home! I am so thankful we have our trip to look back on and smile :):):):):):):):):):)

Thanks for the well wishes :love:

Zuzu03

11-23-2009, 08:43 PM

Poor Breezy! I hate when my daughter's sick - I just want to take it away from her! DD got a concussion this weekend playing basketball and I felt so bad for her (and it freaked me out). Breezy will always remember this Thanksgiving as being the Thanksgiving she got H1N1, poor baby! I hope she feels better soon!

BreezysMom

11-28-2009, 09:44 PM

You would think after a week of being stuck at home with a sick child I would finish this report by now but with all going on I could just not "get into it" with Breezy being so sick! She is much better now and we both can't wait for her to head back to school on Monday and I will get back to work! I am thankful she weathered this virus and I almost feeled a bit relieved that it is past us...I hope.

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving? Ours was nice a quiet and now we are in full holiday mode! I was getting ready to head to Disney this time last year!! :santa: We toned down decorations last year because of the trip but this year we are totally decking the house out! We are waiting until next weekend to get the tree because we get a real one. But all the outside stuff is up and the house it pretty much decorated!

I guess I need to start shopping soon! :rolleyes:

BreezysMom

11-29-2009, 06:55 PM

So Day 5 was a Sunday...it seemed very quiet around. We saw a lot of people with their suitcases getting ready to check out and head home. It was another beautiful day. Hot but sunny and big, beautiful, white, fluffy clouds! We decided to spend the morning at MK. Tour Guide Mike said it was going to be a green light day and he was right :thumbsup2 Today we told DD we would celebrate her un-birthday which is why she had the pin. We had nothing special planned but after a few days of her asking I finally decided to let her have a "special" day to celebrate even though her Birthday is in January ;)

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009599.jpg DD from the Poly boat dock...testing out the new camera!

On the boat ride we could hear the rode drop ceremony so I figured it was perfect timing since the crowds waiting to get in would already enter.

We walked in and saw Daisy Duck right away so we waited in line to meet her. The nice thing about this trip is we experienced some new character sightings which thrilled DD!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009603.jpg

We rode a ton of rides this day. I think people were getting a late start since it was Halloween the night before or leaving with a new crop of guests arriving that day so the park was really quiet. It was nice.:thumbsup2 We encountered the strangest photopass guy I have ever met. He literally demanded my camera and was saying the weirdest things. He was a goofy guy but at least I have one pic of the three of us that is not a photopass!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009605.jpg

We were heading to Fantasy Land to ride the teacups and ran into Alice and the White Rabbit! Another new experience for us. Alice sat with DD for quite a while. While she was chatting with Alice we met a family that was using a VIP tourguide and this really peaked DHs interest. He was asking them all sorts of questions and seemed totally interested. I explained what information I knew from the DIS but then he said "we should look into that for our next trip" Ummmm, OK :yay:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009609.jpg Alice was impressed with DDs manicure!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009610.jpg

We headed to Toontown to ride the Barnstormer for about 50 more times. If you want some really good entertainment, wait at the Barnstormer exit because as people are walking past they get shot with a spray of water from Donald's Boat. It is really humerous :lmao: Cheap entertainment for me! Some people are shocked and then laugh and few people actually seem peeved! The only thing is that some kiddos are running and I saw two kids wipe out so it really is not so safe. I started to warn kids as they were running out that it is slippery. Then I went back to enjoying my cheap entertainment! ;)

We then decided to head to the judges tent to see was the whole Pixie Hollow thing was all about. DD is not really a Tinkerbell fan and as soon as she saw a 40 minute wait she decided to see the Princesses instead!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009618.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009629.jpg

DH has the hots for Belle in her gold gown. This Belle was a bit of a stiff though. Alice and Cindy and Aurora were all so sweet about DDs un-birthday day and this Belle questioned her why she is celebrating so early? I guess Belle has an off day every once in a while :confused3

It was getting close to lunch and I was dying for some lunch at Kona so we decided to head back to the Poly! I love Kona Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner! We did not do a lot of Table service this trip but I knew Kona was a must do! We had a great waitress and she was really sweet to DD. She even brought out a celebration dessert for Breezy for her un-birthday which we told her was totally unneccessary! She was a doll. Kona was very quiet that afternoon so it was a nice relaxing lunch. We sat next to a family that was just checking in and was waiting for their room. It was fun listening to them talk about their plans and how excited they were :wizard:

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009650.jpg

After lunch we decided to swim for a bit and relax by the pool. We thought we might head to Epcot for the evening because we had yet to see Illuminations ever and figured this would be a good time to go! We got to spend a ton of down time at the Poly this trip and I don't regret a minute of it! It was actually pretty hot while we were there so the pool was such a welcome break! I also love the activities they have now and the games. It is perfect for DD so it can keep her occupied and having fun!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009662.jpg

After some pool time we went back to the room to shower and then headed to the CL lounge for a sncak before we headed to Epcot. We did not want to fill up too much considering that I am sure we would find lots of treats at the F&W festival!!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009671.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009669.jpg DD wanted it to seem like she was holding up the huge golf ball. What a goof!

Epcot was mobbed! I mean crazy busy.:eek: Tour Guide Mike told us to stay away too! :headache: What were we thinking?? We actually did test track stand by which did not take too long and then we headed over to the countries. DD likes to do a passport and so we thought we would try and get a few countries done this night! DH likes England the best so we started in Canada and moved on from there. In England we ran in to Tigger and Pooh and DD got plenty of alone time with them because no one was waiting behind her. There was a band playing so then Tigger grabbed Breezy out side and next thing I knew DD was rocking out with Tigger and Pooh! It was so great! After a few minutes they got noticed by other kiddos so a crowd started to form so their handler made them come back in. The photopass guy got some great pics of this. I hope to get my photopass CD any day now!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009677.jpg
http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/teriboc/2009%20Day%204/2009%20Day%205%20Halloween/Disney2009678.jpg

DD got to visit Canada, England, France and Morrocco and then we decided to find a spot for Illuminations. We loaded up with some tasty food and beverages and found a nice spot in between Canada and England for Illuminations. While we were waiting I had DD call her Grandparents to check in. She thought it was so funny to tell them she was calling from England! We sat there for about 45 minutes and people watched while we enjoyed our late dinner of F&W treats. I can see where F&W may get a bad rep with the overserved guests because we saw plenty of them. We also had the displeasure of watching a man totally unload on his kids. It seemed that he had just had enough! Poor dude...I felt bad for him. :sad2:

So, we finally experienced Illuminations and while it was nice I was totally unimpressed. The smoke was horrible and I don't get the big ball of fire? It almost seems like it is not supposed to be that way. I am glad we finally experienced it though but I do not think we will go out of our way to head over and see it again. My new camera did not take such great pics. My broken camera is on its way to get repaired so I hope to have it back by the holidays!

We decided to head back to the Poly and we lucky enough to be able to view the last night of Hallowishes from the Monorail. We took the nice scenic walk from the TTC and headed to the CL lounge. We were pleasantly surprised that the desserts were still out so we fixed ourselves a plate of treats and a drink and headed back to the room. The next day, Monday, we were heading back to Epcot to finish our trip around the world!