AGLET – We're Gonna Tour The World Together! Updated 5/31!!!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hi everyone, and welcome to another Stringbean & Wingnut report!!! :wave:

For those of you new to our rhapsodizing about Epcot and remorseless eating adventures, well, here's us!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6702094441_822d5af731.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702094441/)

I am Stringbean, aka Sara. (AKA your skipper, guide, social director, and dance instructor for the following trip report.)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6702151155_6322cbbbc3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702151155/)

(I'm not usually this blurry in real life. Except before I put my contacts in.)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6702384743_6f5ecd98f8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702384743/)

And Wingnut is my ever-patient DBF. We have been dating for a little over 4 years. :lovestruc

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6702070317_9962d49f75.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702070317/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702050967_cfe7bbbdfb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702050967/)

But enough about us! (Wait, this whole thing is about us...) But it's mostly about Disney!!

Wingnut and I stayed at the Polynesian from January 8th through January 14th, 2012. It was our first time staying there (we normally stay in the Epcot resort area). You can read all about the planning (read: changing) of our trip here, in my PTR (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2730394).

For a quick summarization of the above link, we changed our resort a few times (POFQ to Boardwalk to Poly), our ADR's even more times (trust me, I even lost count of that one), and collectively crossed our fingers that my Magical Express info would arrive before we left (it did, one day before).

We had an absolutely wonderful (and yes, magical :wizard:) trip, and I can't wait to share it all with you! We ate far too much (unprecedented numbers of snacks and desserts), and yes, of course we changed the plans while we were there!

(Who would we be if we didn't???)

(Oh, and if you're sitting there wondering what the heck an aglet is, well, it just so happens to be one of the world's most-used, yet under-appreciated inventions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTzUYcGIIk0). :teacher:)

(See also: this conversation from my PTR (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41563549&postcount=98).)

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

(Hey, I'm already more organized than last time!! :thumbsup2)

The day before we left (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43765078&postcount=28)


Day 1

You can fly! You can fly! You can fly! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43790205&postcount=51)

We're here!! Move!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43816441&postcount=73)

Finding the hidden longhouse of Tokelau (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43847722&postcount=102)

Amazingly, we make it to Epcot. Not amazingly, we eat. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43862944&postcount=122)

A stroll around World Showcase... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43893943&postcount=151)

I probably should have put "ride" in quotation marks... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43918761&postcount=172)

Giraffes! And zebras! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43945306&postcount=193)

We came, we Sanaa-d, we conquered! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43973212&postcount=218)

Could somebody make these Tiki torches a little brighter? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44014442&postcount=243)


Day 2

Open the turnstyles! We're hungry! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44047142&postcount=265)

Tigger and Piglet and Pooh Bear, oh my! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44080497&postcount=288)

Who knew we'd have so much fun in a cemetery? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44115068&postcount=308)

Yo ho, yo ho, to Adventureland we go! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44151617&postcount=325)

And just around the corner, there'll be even more Fantasyland! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44192232&postcount=353)

Tomorrow, tomorrow...it's only a land away!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44232392&postcount=369)

A cupcake and a cowboy (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44272352&postcount=396)

It's time to light the lights... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44307829&postcount=427)

Eliminating the element of surprise (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44346918&postcount=456)

"Yes, we're huge pigs, I know." (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44385908&postcount=483)

Star light, star bright, will we FINALLY see Wishes tonight? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44422558&postcount=516)


Day 3

Steak, eggs, and "THE COOLEST THING EVER". (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44456498&postcount=550)

I never walk this quickly in real life, I swear. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44524653&postcount=583)

Into the Pangani Forest, into the Pangani Forest, to the gorilla's house we go! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44560487&postcount=602)

Can we feel the love this morning? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44597865&postcount=625)

It's time to light the...no, wait. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44632079&postcount=648)

I can't think of a clever title for this update. We went on the Backlot tour. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44662996&postcount=675)

Bistro de buttery, delicious Paris (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44701219&postcount=701)

The inconclusive documentation of our evening continues... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44737570&postcount=726)


Day 4

Not all roads lead to Epcot at 7 AM (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44766526&postcount=750)

Wingnut gets his breakfast with the princesses and herring. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44807773&postcount=776)

I can't be the only person creeped out by feet, can I? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44855566&postcount=796)

Visiting the World Snack-case (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44878731&postcount=814)

But why isn't my car a spaceship/submarine now??? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44923198&postcount=835)

Patio musings (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44961594&postcount=857)

Probably the ADR I was most excited for. Not to play favorites, of course. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44994643&postcount=878)


Day 5

Tonga Toast, please!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45039453&postcount=906)

[Nermel9]

I'm here!!! Can't wait to read about your trip! I hope you took lots of pictures of the Poly!

[manntra]

Count me in! We run in the same circles on the boards so I thought I would follow along :goodvibes

Tracy

[3prettyprincesses]

I'm here Sara and soooo excited to hear about your trip!:yay:

Love the title! What a shocker, a Phineas & Ferb reference!:laughing: Were you debating between "aglet" and the lyrics to "Gitchie gitchie goo means that I love you"?:rolleyes:

Can't wait to follow along. Love the pictures already, you guys look fabulous!:goodvibes Hey, has anyone seen Perry?:confused3:confused3

[tinacaplan]

I'm here and on page one! :woohoo: Your PTR was so much fun, I can't wait to hear all about the actual trip!

[Laura Loves Tigger]

Subbing! Enjoyed your PTR, can't wait to read about the trip.:banana:

[Jennifer48]

Hooray! So glad you are here!

First of all, AGLET = WINNING! :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see which Poly building you ended up in and if you got your chocolate slipper!!

I certainly hope that you were able to meet P&F also!!! :goodvibes

And dance instructor?! I love to dance! :banana::dancer:

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'm here! I'm here! Let's get this party started! :cool1:

[glennbo123]

I'm here and looking forward to it! Let 'er rip. popcorn::

[jecskc]

You know I am in !! can't wait to read about it. PLEASE say there is food porn !!

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I'll hitch along for the ride. I really enjoyed your last trip report, so I am betting this one will be great too! Bring it on!

[Merida]

Yay! You started; the aglet number is probably one of my favorites - it fit really nicely into the episode and I like Candance's part. :)

[Simba22]

I'm here! :goodvibes

[MeMom]

Wingnut and I stayed at the Polynesian from January 8th through January 14th, 2012. It was our first time staying there (we normally stay in the Epcot resort area).

We had an absolutely wonderful (and yes, magical :wizard:) trip, and I can't wait to share it all with you! We ate far too much (unprecedented numbers of snacks and desserts), and yes, of course we changed the plans while we were there!


Looking forward to seeing Poly pictures and food pictures.

Very glad to hear that you had a wonderful, magical time. :thumbsup2

[kmrein]

Hooray! Can't wait to read about your trip. Welcome home!

[JessicaKnits]

Yay!! It is time! I'm so excited!!:banana:

[Charleston Princess]

Here! I am so looking forward to your adventures!!!

[SimplyGoofy]

Yay, you've started! :cheer2:

I can't wait to here which longhouse you were assigned...

[tankgirl427]

I'm here!

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm curious to see how it was not having EPCOT right outside your door. The Poly I'm sure was just as beautiful as ever. Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

[Megablocks]

Yay! Can't wait to hear all about your trip! :goodvibes

[MEK]

Woo Hoo! :cool1: Welcome Back. Glad to see you started. You didn't waste any time! Hope it was a great trip!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm here!!! Can't wait to read about your trip! I hope you took lots of pictures of the Poly!

Yay!! :yay: Thanks!! Oh, I definitely did! :laughing:

Count me in! We run in the same circles on the boards so I thought I would follow along :goodvibes

Tracy

Welcome!!! :goodvibes Glad to have you here!!

I'm here Sara and soooo excited to hear about your trip!:yay:

Love the title! What a shocker, a Phineas & Ferb reference!:laughing: Were you debating between "aglet" and the lyrics to "Gitchie gitchie goo means that I love you"?:rolleyes:

Can't wait to follow along. Love the pictures already, you guys look fabulous!:goodvibes Hey, has anyone seen Perry?:confused3:confused3

Hahaha thank you!!! I was actually debating between this and "Wingnut, I know what we're gonna do today!" :rotfl:

Yay!! Hey, Perry's in the picture above!! See, I found him!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6702384743_6f5ecd98f8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702384743/)

I'm here and on page one! :woohoo: Your PTR was so much fun, I can't wait to hear all about the actual trip!

Yay!!! Thanks!!! :goodvibes

Subbing! Enjoyed your PTR, can't wait to read about the trip.:banana:

Welcome!!! Thanks!! :yay:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hooray! So glad you are here!

First of all, AGLET = WINNING! :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see which Poly building you ended up in and if you got your chocolate slipper!!

I certainly hope that you were able to meet P&F also!!! :goodvibes

And dance instructor?! I love to dance! :banana::dancer:

Yay!!! Glad you're here too!

Hahaha I thought you'd like that! :laughing:

You'll see soon, I promise! Let's dance in the meantime! :banana::banana:

I'm here! I'm here! Let's get this party started! :cool1:

Yay!! The party will start soon! :yay:

I'm here and looking forward to it! Let 'er rip. popcorn::

Glad to have you here!! :yay:

You know I am in !! can't wait to read about it. PLEASE say there is food porn !!

Yay!! Oh, there DEFINITELY will be! I think I remembered to take a picture of pretty much everything we ate! :thumbsup2

I'll hitch along for the ride. I really enjoyed your last trip report, so I am betting this one will be great too! Bring it on!

Welcome!!! :yay: Thank you!! Glad to have you here!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay! You started; the aglet number is probably one of my favorites - it fit really nicely into the episode and I like Candance's part. :)

Hahaha I think the aglet one is my favorite too!

I'm here! :goodvibes

Yay!! :yay:

Looking forward to seeing Poly pictures and food pictures.

Very glad to hear that you had a wonderful, magical time. :thumbsup2

Oh there will be plenty of both here!! :laughing: Thanks!!

Hooray! Can't wait to read about your trip. Welcome home!

Thanks!!! :yay: Yay!!

Yay!! It is time! I'm so excited!!:banana:

Thanks!!! :yay: I'll start soon, I promise!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Here! I am so looking forward to your adventures!!!

Thanks!!! :banana:

Yay, you've started! :cheer2:

I can't wait to here which longhouse you were assigned...

Thanks!!! Soon enough!!

I'm here!

Yay!!! :yay:

I'm curious to see how it was not having EPCOT right outside your door. The Poly I'm sure was just as beautiful as ever. Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

Thanks!! It was definitely different for us!

Yay! Can't wait to hear all about your trip! :goodvibes

Thanks!!! :yay:

Woo Hoo! :cool1: Welcome Back. Glad to see you started. You didn't waste any time! Hope it was a great trip!

Thanks!!! I know, I was too excited to wait any longer! :laughing:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Our trip actually began on the day before we left for Disney, Saturday 1/7. Which then leads to the conundrum of what to actually call this day. I had originally thought "Day 0", but Wingnut dismissed that as too post-apocalyptic. There's the predictable "The Day Before We Left"...

Why don't we just leave this for now?

Anyways. Wingnut and I went to his parents house on...this day...because they only live around 10 minutes from the airport we were going to be flying out of the next morning, and they had kindly offered to take us there and pick us up when we returned.

We packed up Wingnut's car, and were on our way...

...to the diner 10 minutes from our home! :yay:

(Hey, I'm a Jersey girl through and through. All adventures either begin or end at a diner.)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6715601839_6c8b66387b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6715601839/)

(Veggie omelet with pancakes. Mine. Wingnut wasn't quite ready to start the food photo taking yet. ("We haven't even left our town!!"))

We then were back on the road, on our way...

...to the CVS across the street.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6702015225_371d75af09.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702015225/)

I'm lactose-intolerant, and if (read: because) I wanted to eat cheesecake and ice cream on this trip, well, this was a necessity.

And THEN we were really on our way!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6702015607_caef7732b3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702015607/)

Wingnut looks serious because he is driving. And because he had no idea I was taking his picture. :rolleyes1

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6702017583_366fbc73c3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702017583/)

Nope, no palm trees yet!

We had a fun night with Wingnut's family, playing Pictionary and hanging out, and generally just being excited for Disney the next day!

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Ah yes, the day before Day 1! We will have this problem as well since we are leaving on Friday and driving all night and arriving Saturday. I suppose I will call ours "depart for Disney Day"??? :confused3

You have me drooling already, so you are doing something right on the picture-front so far! ;)

[shan23877]

Joining in! Can't wait to hear about the Poly!

[jecskc]

Yay food porn already !! I hope Wingnut gets on board with the food photos and you didn't have to distract him in order to get a picture. Oh look, honey, it's Mickey (Wingnut turns to see - Stringbean quickly snaps photo of Wingnut's food).

[Grumpy's Wife]

Okay, that was just a tease. :rolleyes1

[tinacaplan]

Day zero....love it. :rotfl:

[Stupid_Judy]

Yay! I'm in! I followed your last trip/dining report & loved it. I can't wait until the pictures start coming in this one!

[Nermel9]

I like Day 0, it doesn't sound too bad! :confused3

I love the night before leaving for Disney, it's always so exciting! At least you had a nice, relaxing night, I'm usually stressed out and doing last minute packing!

I can't wait for Poly pics!!

[Simba22]

I always forget to take pictures on "Day 0" and pics from our travel to the airport!

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: at the lactaid pic! That is SOO us because my BF is also lactose intolerant (and also loves cheesecake)

Love the pic of the NJ...umm...skyline...:laughing:

Great start! Can't wait to read more!

PS I love your Perry shirt! :thumbsup2

[Megablocks]

I love day 0! Totally documenting our "day 0" next time...I can already imagine the looks I'll get and the comments I'll hear :rotfl2:

[MEK]

You can say a lot of things about Jersey, but they sure have the best diners - anywhere!

Lactaid - :rotfl: Love it! That's like me and my Align!

[Merida]

That omelet looks amazing. No one does breakfast better than diners.

Aw, I'm the worst at Pictionary. We've moved on to Bezzerwhizzer, which I am infinitely better at since it involves trivia and not art! :rotfl: There's also really no rules/loopholes for me to exploit in Pictionary to make up for my horrible art skills, and that's like half the fun of playing games with people (we're a very competitive and sneaky group apparently! :rolleyes:)

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Ah yes, the day before Day 1! We will have this problem as well since we are leaving on Friday and driving all night and arriving Saturday. I suppose I will call ours "depart for Disney Day"??? :confused3

You have me drooling already, so you are doing something right on the picture-front so far! ;)

I like the alliteration in "depart for disney day"! Or yours could be "driving to disney day"!

Hahaha thank you!! Much much more to come!

Joining in! Can't wait to hear about the Poly!

Welcome!!! :yay:

Yay food porn already !! I hope Wingnut gets on board with the food photos and you didn't have to distract him in order to get a picture. Oh look, honey, it's Mickey (Wingnut turns to see - Stringbean quickly snaps photo of Wingnut's food).

Hahaha Wingnut was VERY cooperative once we arrived in Disney. Actually, quite a few of the pictures of his food he took himself!

Okay, that was just a tease. :rolleyes1

I know, I know, but the story has to start somewhere! It gets more exciting from here on in, I promise! :laughing:

Day zero....love it. :rotfl:

Hahaha I didn't realize how odd it sounds until Wingnut pointed it out to me, actually..

Yay! I'm in! I followed your last trip/dining report & loved it. I can't wait until the pictures start coming in this one!

Welcome!!! Thank you!! :goodvibes

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I like Day 0, it doesn't sound too bad! :confused3

I love the night before leaving for Disney, it's always so exciting! At least you had a nice, relaxing night, I'm usually stressed out and doing last minute packing!

I can't wait for Poly pics!!

I didn't think so either! But I guess it does sort of have that weird post-scary movie scene vibe to it. At least, according to Wingnut. :rolleyes1

We actually started gradually packing the few days before, so we didn't really have the running around last minute stress! It was a nice change! :laughing:

I always forget to take pictures on "Day 0" and pics from our travel to the airport!

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: at the lactaid pic! That is SOO us because my BF is also lactose intolerant (and also loves cheesecake)

Love the pic of the NJ...umm...skyline...:laughing:

Great start! Can't wait to read more!

PS I love your Perry shirt! :thumbsup2

Oh, I always have my camera at hand!! Wingnut can attest to that! :rotfl:

Hahahaha I'm glad I'm not the only Lactaid-relient person here! It's great stuff, isn't it? I always always have at least 1 in my bag!

LOL I actually purposely put in the most boring picture of the landscape that I could find. Here's what our area of NJ REALLY looks like...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6717494915_7f615df7c6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6717494915/)

(Prettier in the not-winter, but you get the idea :laughing:)

Thanks!! It's from Target, actually! They have great Muppets and P&F shirts!

I love day 0! Totally documenting our "day 0" next time...I can already imagine the looks I'll get and the comments I'll hear :rotfl2:

Hahaha I figured it was worth including, being a day in transit! I just still don't know what exactly to call it!

You can say a lot of things about Jersey, but they sure have the best diners - anywhere!

Lactaid - :rotfl: Love it! That's like me and my Align!

Nowhere does a diner like Jersey!! :thumbsup2 (Actually, foreshadowing, Jersey diners come up again in this TR!)

(And hey, what are you implying about my state??? ;))

When I was taking the pic of the Lactaid, Wingnut was like "seriously??" I'm all "hey, I'm telling a story here!" :rotfl:

That omelet looks amazing. No one does breakfast better than diners.

Aw, I'm the worst at Pictionary. We've moved on to Bezzerwhizzer, which I am infinitely better at since it involves trivia and not art! :rotfl: There's also really no rules/loopholes for me to exploit in Pictionary to make up for my horrible art skills, and that's like half the fun of playing games with people (we're a very competitive and sneaky group apparently! :rolleyes:)

That is the truth! I love diner omelets! I especially love this diner because one of their combos (which was pictured) includes pancakes AND an omelet! Seriously. My two favorite things of breakfast on one plate!

Hahaha I'm pretty terrible at it too! But it's still fun! I've never heard of Bezzerwhizzer, but I'm even worse at trivia games (seriously, no one in their right mind would want to be on my team in Trivial Pursuit). I'd give it a shot though!!

[MeMom]

Wingnut and I went to his parents house on...this day...because they only live around 10 minutes from the airport we were going to be flying out of the next morning, and they had kindly offered to take us there and pick us up when we returned.


Very nice, so you wouldn't have to worry about paying for parking or about something happening to your car. :)

[archdandy]

I'm here! I'm looking forward to reading about your trip! :goodvibes

[LilAnn]

I'm here! I still have to go back and read, but wanted to join in before I forget!

[Simba22]

Hahahaha I'm glad I'm not the only Lactaid-relient person here! It's great stuff, isn't it? I always always have at least 1 in my bag!

LOL I actually purposely put in the most boring picture of the landscape that I could find. Here's what our area of NJ REALLY looks like...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6717494915_7f615df7c6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6717494915/)

(Prettier in the not-winter, but you get the idea :laughing:)

Thanks!! It's from Target, actually! They have great Muppets and P&F shirts!


At least ONE? We have WHOLE BOXES in both cars, 2 boxes in the house, and a spare box at my dad's house just in case we manage to go for a visit and some how DON'T have any lactaid pills... :sad2:

OK THAT pic is actually nice! If I took I pic of our view, it would be a parking lot. I HATE parking lot views! :laughing:

Mental note to go to Target this weekend! :banana::banana:

[glennbo123]

Wingnut wasn't quite ready to start the food photo taking yet. ("We haven't even left our town!!")

Wingnut's gotta get with the program!!!

Great start (anyway ;))!

[Fantasyland Mom]

I have no idea how I'm two days late for this! Oh, well! OF COURSE I'm here! Now off to catch up.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Very nice, so you wouldn't have to worry about paying for parking or about something happening to your car. :)

It was, it was really great of them! Especially since they had to drive us to the airport super-early that morning! :laughing:

I'm here! I'm looking forward to reading about your trip! :goodvibes

Welcome!!! Thanks!! :goodvibes

I'm here! I still have to go back and read, but wanted to join in before I forget!

Glad to have you here!! :banana:

At least ONE? We have WHOLE BOXES in both cars, 2 boxes in the house, and a spare box at my dad's house just in case we manage to go for a visit and some how DON'T have any lactaid pills... :sad2:

OK THAT pic is actually nice! If I took I pic of our view, it would be a parking lot. I HATE parking lot views! :laughing:

Mental note to go to Target this weekend! :banana::banana:

Hahahaha okay, I totally used to be like that too! But since my heart surgery, all of my food allergies disappeared, and my lactose intolerance improved greatly too. Also, I started eating yogurt, which I've read can have a great affect on lactose intolerance. So between the two, I have been able to eat pizza, ice cream, pretty much anything with no or very little effect! (The only thing I still take Lactaid with is cheesecake, but I've had small amounts of it with no problem.)

The funniest part of all of this is I used to be absolutely disgusted by yogurt, didn't even want to be in the same room with it, gross gross gross. Now I have it every morning! (Always with a flavor or mix-in or whatnot, I still can't stand plain or Greek yogurt - too yogurty!)

So if you guys can stand (or actually like!) yogurt, I'd definitely recommend eating some and seeing if it helps at all!

Hahaha thank you! (That's actually down the street from our home, our actual view is parking lot too :rotfl:)

Wingnut's gotta get with the program!!!

Great start (anyway ;))!

Right??? :sad2: Doesn't he realize that his corned beef hash is an integral part of our story here??? :rotfl:

I have no idea how I'm two days late for this! Oh, well! OF COURSE I'm here! Now off to catch up.

Hahaha glad you're here!! Not much to catch up on yet, don't worry! :goodvibes

[Simba22]

Hahahaha okay, I totally used to be like that too! But since my heart surgery, all of my food allergies disappeared, and my lactose intolerance improved greatly too. Also, I started eating yogurt, which I've read can have a great affect on lactose intolerance. So between the two, I have been able to eat pizza, ice cream, pretty much anything with no or very little effect! (The only thing I still take Lactaid with is cheesecake, but I've had small amounts of it with no problem.)

The funniest part of all of this is I used to be absolutely disgusted by yogurt, didn't even want to be in the same room with it, gross gross gross. Now I have it every morning! (Always with a flavor or mix-in or whatnot, I still can't stand plain or Greek yogurt - too yogurty!)
So if you guys can stand (or actually like!) yogurt, I'd definitely recommend eating some and seeing if it helps at all!
Hahaha thank you! (That's actually down the street from our home, our actual view is parking lot too :rotfl:)


Thankfully, I don't have lactose intolerance...I seriously could not live without dairy! My BF on the other hand...if he even LOOKS at dairy he's got problems! He actually was eating the greek yogurt for a while but has since stopped....although he would STILL have to take a lactaid pill with it...is that NOT supposed to happen? :confused3 Should he be able to eat yogurt without it?

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Thankfully, I don't have lactose intolerance...I seriously could not live without dairy! My BF on the other hand...if he even LOOKS at dairy he's got problems! He actually was eating the greek yogurt for a while but has since stopped....although he would STILL have to take a lactaid pill with it...is that NOT supposed to happen? :confused3 Should he be able to eat yogurt without it?

Originally I thought that was the case, because of the active live cultures, but I was googling and it seems that people that are lactose intolerant can have a problem with yogurt too (it doesn't have a lot of milk cultures, but they can be there, apparently)! It sounds like your BF's lactose intolerance affects him a lot more than mine does! However, I have seen soy and coconut yogurts in the store if that's something your BF might be interested in trying, I really like coconut milk substitutes for dairy. I was drinking almond milk for awhile too, that's not bad either.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Very early the next day (I can't even say bright and early, it was still quite some time before the sun rose!) we got up and drove to the airport.

What the moon looks like when you're trying to stealthily take a picture in the backseat of a car driving down the highway.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/6702018503_dccca98671.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702018503/)

(The stealth mode was on because Wingnut's dad was also in the car with us and I didn't want to give away that I was already taking pictures at 5:30 AM)

Another try?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6702018797_7efa7b8f1d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702018797/)

Well, it's...wigglier. :confused3

We soon got to the airport, and quickly got through bag check (WITH the ME tags attached! :banana:) and security, because, well, apparently no one else wants to be at the airport at 5:35 on a Sunday morning.

Go figure.

We strolled up to our gate at (checks timestamp of the next photo) 6:02 AM. Well, it actually says 7:02, but I'm pretty sure I didn't change the time for Daylight Savings Time.

(Hey, half of of the year it's correct! :thumbsup2)

So, I had absolutely NO idea that there was one of these in our airport, let alone about 20 feet from our gate!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6702019239_6e55dfcd70.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702019239/)

Not shockingly, they weren't open yet, and I meandered around the area for a few minutes before I decided that I really wasn't up for roast beef this early in the morning, and I made my way to one of those standard airport little shops with newspapers and drinks and pastries.

(It's always a good time for pastries!)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6702020547_466472b39f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702020547/)

Yes, I was being literal when I used the plural form of pastry. And yes, this was all mine.

ALL MINE.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6702021589_8b80826ffd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702021589/)

I decided to start off with my chocolate croissant. I may or may not have offered to share. Begrudgingly.

Wingnut decided it would probably make for a more cheerful flight companion if he ventured and found a breakfast of his own (hey, I can't help that I get the hunger grumpies). He picked out a cinnamon raisin bagel with (I believe) butter. It was either butter or cream cheese. Nothing out of the ordinary.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6702021963_85a47cfd1a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702021963/)

We settled in and watched an episode or two of Community (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hvZkBpUJs)while we waited to board.

(Seriously, do you guys watch Community? Is it not the best show ever?? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gao5Cxb5te4&feature=related))

Soon enough we boarded the plane, and I snacked on my second pastry of the morning.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6702022119_f9d63a4bfb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702022119/)

A cranberry orange scone. Perfectly fine. Although I wasn't able to use a snack credit for it, so we clearly weren't in Disney yet.

I also got chips, because I could.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6702022399_1492434d75.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702022399/)

Rock on JetBlue, having your own official snack. I want my own official snack. I think it would have to include whipped cream. And salted caramel. And steak. And cookies.

(Clearly, we're still in the brainstorming phase here.)

Hey, look, an identifiable picture of the sky!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6702022803_96bb72442d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702022803/)

Before long (although any amount of time feels long when it's between me and Disney), we landed in Orlando. I used my best tour-group-leader skills to point us in the direction of SIDE B LEVEL 1, and we headed towards the Magical Express center.

(With our ME documents in hand!)

(No, I'm not tired of pointing that out yet. These were a long time coming! :laughing:)

[tinacaplan]

Love all the pictures. And, as for Community...why don't I get it? I love 30 Rock? What am I missing? :confused3:

And wow...a chocolate croissant before you're even on the plane...IMPRESSIVE!

I'm also a big fan of the super early morning flight. Means almost a full day in Disney! :woohoo:

[Joyciemc]

Yay! You're on your way to Disney!

I laughed when Wingnut had to go get his own breakfast. Most of the fights DH and I have involve me getting mad about sharing food! :rotfl:

JetBlue chips... the first time I flew with them, I thought the flight attendant was offering us "Terrible Chips" Then I read the bag... ohh.... Terra BLUE chips. That makes more sense.

[Merida]

That is the truth! I love diner omelets! I especially love this diner because one of their combos (which was pictured) includes pancakes AND an omelet! Seriously. My two favorite things of breakfast on one plate!

Hahaha I'm pretty terrible at it too! But it's still fun! I've never heard of Bezzerwhizzer, but I'm even worse at trivia games (seriously, no one in their right mind would want to be on my team in Trivial Pursuit). I'd give it a shot though!!

It's actually a lot like Trivial Pursuit, only I haven't read all the cards yet. :lmao: And you can pick (sort of) your category. We have a different trivia game where you bet on other people's answers to earn "money" and the question was 'What year did Magic Kingdom open?' and no one bet on my answer. Like I wouldn't know that one!

Mmmm, pastries. Au Bon Pain is my traditional airport stop because of their Wall of Baked Goods.

We saw the first season of Community and then stopped for some reason (maybe we got rid of cable?). I love Troy and Abed (in the Morning ;)). And the Claymation Christmas episode! We keep meaning to catch up (and I guess it's easier now since it's "on break") but haven't gotten there yet!

YAY ME DOCUMENTS!!

[jecskc]

Great start and two thumbs up on the chocolate croissant. I think they taste better as Disney snack credits, though. Can't wait to read more !!!

[Megablocks]

I was cracking up when I read the "hunger grumpies"...I get those, too! I actually said to my boyfriend once, "I get really hostile when I'm hungry" and he said, "ya think?" :lmao:

Logan Airport has an EoS, too, but Logan is like a city in itself, so I'd never find it. There's allegedly one opening IN Boston, though...not so patiently waiting for that!

I love the early morning flights! It's like almost an extra Disney day!

[SimplyGoofy]

And you're off!

I don't envy your early morning flight... especially since I will be doing the same darn thing (in just 16 days!!!). However, the crazy-early flight is best choice for making the most of each Disney day, isn't it? ;)

Hunger grumpies--that is the best description ever! :lmao:

[LilAnn]

Chocolate croissant? Delish! :thumbsup2 One of my fave breakfast pastries.

I love flying on Jet Blue! Especially because they are willing to fork over more than one snack to you if you ask.

Love that I see your D&B bag in the background. :thumbsup2

Hunger grumpies....nice, I get those too. Only I tend to say that I am "hangry." That is a word my sis and I use to describe our feeling by combining the words "hungry" and "angry." Because we are sure cranky when we have empty bellies.

[MeMom]

So, I had absolutely NO idea that there was one of these in our airport, let alone about 20 feet from our gate!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6702019239_6e55dfcd70.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702019239/)


Nice. It would be worth a trip to the airport to visit here occasionally for a 'sort of Disney' fix and some delicious sandwiches. :thumbsup2

[Luvmepluto]

Joining............I lurked on your PTR. Can't wait to hear more!!!!!!:)

[Nermel9]

OMG you have an EOS in your airport??? So jealous. I would probably schedule my flights around when it's open if it was in my airport. :laughing:

Your pastries look really good! I'm not one for sharing either, especially in the morning. I mean, I will. But I'm not happy about it!

Glad you finally made it to MCO, with you ME documents! :woohoo:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Love all the pictures. And, as for Community...why don't I get it? I love 30 Rock? What am I missing? :confused3:

And wow...a chocolate croissant before you're even on the plane...IMPRESSIVE!

I'm also a big fan of the super early morning flight. Means almost a full day in Disney! :woohoo:

I know a few people that aren't big fans of Community either, it has a ton of jokes within itself, so you're definitely missing things if you pick it up in the middle. I like 30 Rock, but I never remember to watch it lol.

Hahahaha I get moving on my vacation treats right away! :thumbsup2

Absolutely, we ALWAYS take the first flight out to maximize our Disney time!

Yay! You're on your way to Disney!

I laughed when Wingnut had to go get his own breakfast. Most of the fights DH and I have involve me getting mad about sharing food! :rotfl:

JetBlue chips... the first time I flew with them, I thought the flight attendant was offering us "Terrible Chips" Then I read the bag... ohh.... Terra BLUE chips. That makes more sense.

Hahaha I DID offer...:rolleyes1 Especially on a flight, I always feel like I have to have plenty of food nearby. No idea why!

:lmao: I will admit, I don't think the chips are anything amazing, but they certainly aren't terrible! (And even though I don't really like them that much, I have to get them every time!)

It's actually a lot like Trivial Pursuit, only I haven't read all the cards yet. :lmao: And you can pick (sort of) your category. We have a different trivia game where you bet on other people's answers to earn "money" and the question was 'What year did Magic Kingdom open?' and no one bet on my answer. Like I wouldn't know that one!

Mmmm, pastries. Au Bon Pain is my traditional airport stop because of their Wall of Baked Goods.

We saw the first season of Community and then stopped for some reason (maybe we got rid of cable?). I love Troy and Abed (in the Morning ;)). And the Claymation Christmas episode! We keep meaning to catch up (and I guess it's easier now since it's "on break") but haven't gotten there yet!

YAY ME DOCUMENTS!!

Hahahaha now I know not to play a board game with you, with you studying beforehand!! That is kind of disappointing no one bet on your MK answer though!

Oh Au Bon Pain. The wall of pastries. The heavenly scent of flaky pastry. I love it. :lovestruc.

Community is on NBC, so you should still be able to watch it! :rotfl: Troy and Abed in the Morning! ("You know there's no cameras, right?")

Great start and two thumbs up on the chocolate croissant. I think they taste better as Disney snack credits, though. Can't wait to read more !!!

Anything tastes better as a snack credit!! (These weren't too bad, but definitely not like the ones from Boardwalk Bakery!)

I was cracking up when I read the "hunger grumpies"...I get those, too! I actually said to my boyfriend once, "I get really hostile when I'm hungry" and he said, "ya think?" :lmao:

Logan Airport has an EoS, too, but Logan is like a city in itself, so I'd never find it. There's allegedly one opening IN Boston, though...not so patiently waiting for that!

I love the early morning flights! It's like almost an extra Disney day!

:lmao: I'm exactly the same way!! It's bad sometimes, but you just can't help it when you need food!

That'd be awesome if one opened in Boston! I wish there was one closer to us that didn't require an airline ticket to reach!

It is! We always take the early morning flights! They're totally worth getting up early for!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

And you're off!

I don't envy your early morning flight... especially since I will be doing the same darn thing (in just 16 days!!!). However, the crazy-early flight is best choice for making the most of each Disney day, isn't it? ;)

Hunger grumpies--that is the best description ever! :lmao:

Oh I love the early morning flight!! I think that they're great! And getting that extra time at Disney is awesome too!

Hahaha it makes them sound deceptively cute, as opposed to me becoming a horrible monster when I haven't eaten!

Chocolate croissant? Delish! :thumbsup2 One of my fave breakfast pastries.

I love flying on Jet Blue! Especially because they are willing to fork over more than one snack to you if you ask.

Love that I see your D&B bag in the background. :thumbsup2

Hunger grumpies....nice, I get those too. Only I tend to say that I am "hangry." That is a word my sis and I use to describe our feeling by combining the words "hungry" and "angry." Because we are sure cranky when we have empty bellies.

Same here!! How can you not love buttery pastry filled with chocolate?

They are! On our flight down last time they were really encouraging us to take multiple snacks! Like "are you sure that's all you want? We have animal crackers too!" :laughing:.

I like "hangry!" That's definitely a bit more descriptive! I wish I were more pleasant when I'm hungry, but, well, that just never happens! :rotfl:

Nice. It would be worth a trip to the airport to visit here occasionally for a 'sort of Disney' fix and some delicious sandwiches. :thumbsup2

Unfortunately this one is located past security, right by the gate! We'd need to get a ticket to somewhere in order to get to it (unless there's another one I didn't know about) :laughing:.

Joining............I lurked on your PTR. Can't wait to hear more!!!!!!:)

Welcome!!! Glad to have you here! :goodvibes

OMG you have an EOS in your airport??? So jealous. I would probably schedule my flights around when it's open if it was in my airport. :laughing:

Your pastries look really good! I'm not one for sharing either, especially in the morning. I mean, I will. But I'm not happy about it!

Glad you finally made it to MCO, with you ME documents! :woohoo:

Hahahaha it seemed to open around 6:30 AM, I just really couldn't face roast beef and horseradish that early! (Although right now I'm totally regretting not getting one!)

:laughing: Hey, I was willing to share! (But I was even more willing to eat them all myself!)

[tinacaplan]

Hahahaha I get moving on my vacation treats right away! :thumbsup2

Absolutely, we ALWAYS take the first flight out to maximize our Disney time!


I think being able to take advantage of early morning flights is one of the great benefits of living in the NE. Our flight out CT is under three hours and if we fly out at 6 a.m., we're usually on property by 11:30. :woohoo:

[SoNotAPrincess]

Great start...I can't wait to hear all about your trip and see your photos!! :cool1:

[MEK]

Blue chips? :lmao: Love that! Beats out SWA peanuts, although they had this cool 100 calorie snack mix that was pretty darn good.

Fun update. Yeah for EOS right in the airport.

Bring on the Magical Express! :cool1:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I think being able to take advantage of early morning flights is one of the great benefits of living in the NE. Our flight out CT is under three hours and if we fly out at 6 a.m., we're usually on property by 11:30. :woohoo:

Agreed! I was really hoping that there would be the 6 am flight for our trip dates, but JetBlue only seems to have 8 am now. Still early, but not as early as I'd like! :laughing:

Great start...I can't wait to hear all about your trip and see your photos!! :cool1:

Thanks!!! :goodvibes

Blue chips? :lmao: Love that! Beats out SWA peanuts, although they had this cool 100 calorie snack mix that was pretty darn good.

Fun update. Yeah for EOS right in the airport.

Bring on the Magical Express! :cool1:

Hahaha hey, I'm all for a themed snack option! 100 calorie snack mixes are good too though!

I know, EOS would possibly be the only reason I'd want a slightly later flight, just to get a sandwich! (Doesn't seem really worth it though...:rotfl:)

[Simba22]

i love early morning flights! I always try to book the earliest flight that I can so I can fit in the most amount of Disney time possible! :thumbsup2 The last few years we've had late morning/early afternoon flights and those just aren't as fun!

And I agree with Jen that I wish there was an EOS in our airport! They're breakfast sandwiches are so good!

Ahh yes...the hunger grumpies! I won't lie, I get downright mean when I'm hungry. :guilty:

[IheartDDuck]

Subbing!

You guys actually arrived at the Poly the day after we left the Poly. :goodvibes

Can't wait to hear more.

[MeMom]

Unfortunately this one is located past security, right by the gate! We'd need to get a ticket to somewhere in order to get to it (unless there's another one I didn't know about) :laughing:.


Well, that's a bummer. :headache:
Think of all the money they are not making from Disney people who might go over there just to eat with Earl.

[reelmom]

How did I miss the beginning of this? Going back to read now.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

i love early morning flights! I always try to book the earliest flight that I can so I can fit in the most amount of Disney time possible! :thumbsup2 The last few years we've had late morning/early afternoon flights and those just aren't as fun!

And I agree with Jen that I wish there was an EOS in our airport! They're breakfast sandwiches are so good!

Ahh yes...the hunger grumpies! I won't lie, I get downright mean when I'm hungry. :guilty:

That's exactly what I do too! I don't think I could wait around for an afternoon flight! :laughing:

I've never had their breakfast sandwiches (or any of their sandwiches, really), but they did look pretty good! (As displayed on the order board, that is... :laughing:)

Hahaha that seems to happen to all of us, apparently! Glad to see we're not alone!

Subbing!

You guys actually arrived at the Poly the day after we left the Poly. :goodvibes

Can't wait to hear more.

Welcome!!! :goodvibes

That's too funny! Too bad we missed each other by only a day!

Well, that's a bummer. :headache:
Think of all the money they are not making from Disney people who might go over there just to eat with Earl.

Hahaha right??? That'd be like having an Aloha Isle stand here in NJ too! That'd be amazing :laughing:

How did I miss the beginning of this? Going back to read now.

Welcome!!! Don't worry, you haven't missed much at all! :goodvibes

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Heading for side B, level 1, Wingnut and I headed onto our first monorail ride of the trip (not on the Highway of the Sky quite yet...) and quickly made our way to the Magical Express check in area.

My handy dandy packet in tow, we were quickly checked in and pointed to our line, which I believe was 4. Or 5. Definitely not 1.

We waited for around 10 minutes, during which I started to regret my decision to not stop at the bathroom when we first landed in lieu of wanting to get to Disney as quickly as humanly possible. But we were then on the bus, only waiting a few minutes more before we pulled away.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6702023671_d896bbe4ec.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702023671/)

(I swear that the bathroom comment wasn't any sort of foreshadowing, I just remember it being notable that I passed up a bathroom trip. Hey, I drink a lot of water. :rolleyes1)

Wingnut then FINALLY permitted our first picture of the trip. (We had been travelling for HOURS already, Wingnut! I had to have missed at least 2 or 3 memorable vacation moments!)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6702024055_19cbbcacac.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702024055/)

Oh yeah, the sweater had been taken off while we were in the Magical Express line. We were in Orlando now! Feel the warmth!!

The bus driver then announced the order of the resorts we would be stopping at, starting with...







THE POLYNESIAN!!!! :yay::yay::yay:

(Yeah, I cheered and danced. A little. Quietly.)

And then we (well, they by then) were going to stop at a bunch of other resorts that I believe included the Grand Floridian, but I was really not paying attention to our route anymore at that point.

The usual bus video then played, and right before it started, I promised Wingnut that I wouldn't cry like the last time we were on the Magical Express bus and the video was playing and I was a slight mess.

But then the game changed entirely, and all bets were off.

SINCE WHEN DID THEY START PLAYING THE CLIPS OF "SURPRISE YOU'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD" AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT???

I can never ever ever ever see one of those without tearing up. I have no idea why. I blame the music. And not the fact that I'm a big ol' emotional sap.

Sunglasses on. I'm all about the subtlety. :cool2:

Pretty soon, we were seeing this.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6702024447_13793e4e4c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702024447/)

Then this.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6702024965_b6a67f88f3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702024965/)

THEN THIS.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6702025345_f6aa93ed4d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702025345/)

If you can't tell from my photo angle, we were pretty close to the front of the bus. The second row, in fact. I had purposely chosen it to get off the bus in the speediest fashion possible.

Wingnut and I actually have a system for disembarking the Magical Express bus, devised on our last trip. The second the bus parks, I shoot out of the bus like a cannon and powerwalk past any friendly greeter right to the check-in counter. Wingnut stands in my cloud of Wile-E-Coyote-style dust, retrieves the bags, and tips the ME driver. And then catches up with me eventually.

At least, that's what I assume he does. Once I take off, I don't look back.

We pulled into the Polynesian, where I didn't take any pictures of this moment because I was reconfirming the plan with Wingnut. Ok, he agreed.

Perfect.

Our bus pulled up behind another ME bus (to this day I'm still not positive if they were departing or arriving), and we were stuck not being able to disembark because of giant palm fronds blocking the entire right half of the bus.

Stupid atmosphere.

I used the opportunity to stretch my calves.

FINALLY (after around 3 agonizing minutes of waiting), the first bus left, and we pulled up.

(Important story detail: I'm in the window seat. Wingnut is in the aisle.)

IMMEDIATELY, practically everyone on the bus stands up to leave.

Wingnut stays sitting.

The entire population of a small country is now filling the aisle of the bus, waiting to get out. I'm poised in my seat, waiting for Wingnut to stand up.

Wingnut stays sitting.

The doors open. People who weren't even on our bus start leaving the bus, all walking towards the Polynesian.

I stand up, but it does absolutely no good, because my path to get up is blocked by a certain Wingnut.

(I appreciate the fact that you are a very chivalrous person, honey, but not at times like these!)

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET UP NOW????" I glared at him.

"What, and knock over all of these people?"

OH SURE, MAKE ME LOOK LIKE THE BAD PERSON HERE.

Finally, after every single person within a 500 foot radius had gotten off the bus, FINALLY Wingnut stood up.

I flew off the bus and started walking as quickly as I could into the Polynesian. Don't worry, there weren't any greeters in the vicinity that I knocked over with my gale force wind tunnel.

I steeled myself for the sight of the lines at the desk.

Amazingly, shockingly, there was absolutely no line to check in. :yay:

I went right up to the counter (of course, I had done Online Check-In!) and started checking in. Wingnut arrived soon after.

Our CM started off by giving us leis, which I unfortunately did not take a picture of Wingnut wearing, but I will reassure you that he did wear it all the way to our room (which was a lot longer than I had pegged him for, actually) :laughing:.

Speaking of our room...

CM: Okay, your room is ready now, it's #.
Wingnut: Okay, great!
Me: Which longhouse is that in???

Through my researching of the Polynesian, there was one longhouse that I had in mind that I thought would be perfect for us to stay in. Tokelau. The central location between the GCH and the TTC, and it's also a bit newer. But Wingnut and I had agreed to leave our longhouse decision up to the Tikis, wherever we were placed would be great.

So, of course, to weigh my odds on the end of maximum potential disappointment, I started chanting "Tokelau. Tokelau. Tokelau." in my head, hoping that we would be placed there. But anywhere would be okay. "Tokelau. Tokelau."

CM: It's in Tokelau.

:yay::yay::yay::yay:

I was pretty elated at that point, Wingnut didn't really know what it meant, but was happy that our room was ready. Map of the resort in hand, leis around our necks, we were off in the direction of Tokelau!

"This was the longhouse I wanted to stay in" I said, bouncing around with excitement.

"Good. Grumpypants." he replied, raising his eyebrow in my direction.

Again, he's always making me look like the bad one here... :rolleyes1

[SoNotAPrincess]

Love that the Tikis smiled on you!

You crack me up with your disembarkation plan, and finally the answer to the burning question, "When is a chivalrous BF a bad thing?" :rotfl:

Excellent installment...very funny!!

[Simba22]

That's awesome you got the building you wanted! :thumbsup2
And hooray for no check-in line! Online check-in is awesome! :woohoo:

and thanks for the warning about the bus video! those "surprise" videos make me cry too so now I know to be prepared.

[tinacaplan]

PICTURES, WOMAN, I WANT PICTURES!!! OF THE POLY!!

:rotfl: OK, I'm done screaming now.


The bus driver then announced the order of the resorts we would be stopping at, starting with...


THE POLYNESIAN!!!! :yay::yay::yay:

(Yeah, I cheered and danced. A little. Quietly.)


I almost clapped here, I'm so excited for you. :banana: First of all, because I'm thrilled that you were able to get there that much more quickly, but because I'm also hoping that the bus always goes in that order! :rotfl:


The usual bus video then played, and right before it started, I promised Wingnut that I wouldn't cry like the last time we were on the Magical Express bus and the video was playing and I was a slight mess.

But then the game changed entirely, and all bets were off.

SINCE WHEN DID THEY START PLAYING THE CLIPS OF "SURPRISE YOU'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD" AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT???

I can never ever ever ever see one of those without tearing up. I have no idea why. I blame the music. And not the fact that I'm a big ol' emotional sap.

Sunglasses on. I'm all about the subtlety. :cool2:

Yep...I pretty much do the same exact thing!

If you can't tell from my photo angle, we were pretty close to the front of the bus. The second row, in fact. I had purposely chosen it to get off the bus in the speediest fashion possible.

You got some great shots of the sign. Definitely sitting in the front helps.

Wingnut and I actually have a system for disembarking the Magical Express bus, devised on our last trip. The second the bus parks, I shoot out of the bus like a cannon and powerwalk past any friendly greeter right to the check-in counter. Wingnut stands in my cloud of Wile-E-Coyote-style dust, retrieves the bags, and tips the ME driver. And then catches up with me eventually.

Yup...this. I pretty much run from the second we get off the plane. Even pushing a stroller doesn't slow me down much. I have to admit that there is a second where all I'm thinking is, get me in, get me in and I truly feel like I'm a kid again.


Speaking of our room...

CM: Okay, your room is ready now, it's #.
Wingnut: Okay, great!
Me: Which longhouse is that in???

CM: It's in Tokelau.


I clapped when I read this. Seriously. I'm so excited for you! I requested Tokelau, too. Seemed best.

I was pretty elated at that point, Wingnut didn't really know what it meant, but was happy that our room was ready. Map of the resort in hand, leis around our necks, we were off in the direction of Tokelau!


I would be, too! I can't wait to stay there. :yay: Also, can't wait to hear about and SEE pictures of the room! So happy for you that whole deplane/ME/check-in process went so well. :goodvibes

[jecskc]

OK, that whole exiting the bus scene was hilarious. And just for the record, I would totally be thinking the same thing. Get out my way, i have some checking in to do. What was Wingnut thinking making you wait all grumpy-like?? That was no time for chivalry to be sure.

Yay that you got the long house you wanted. So looking forward to reading more.

[MEK]

:rotfl2: You ARE the bad one....Did you forget to read the memo? :rotfl2: OMG I am totally cracking up over wingnut not standing while the whole bus is unloading. That is so something Denny would do, but I would probably jump over him into the aisle. :laughing:

I'm so happy you got through check-in in a flash and that you got the long house you wanted. That's awesome. Oh - and I'm proud of wingnut for wearing his lei to the room and not ducking around the corner to take it off.

Love the Poly rooms - can't wait to see your room!

[Megablocks]

So excited you got the longhouse you wanted!

I was cracking up at that bus scene...TOTALLY something my boyfriend would do! He is also chivalrous, which is really cute and really endearing, but I would have vaulted over him if he'd done that! :rotfl:

[3prettyprincesses]

Sara, this update had me rolling!:laughing: My goodness, the sheer irony that it was Wingnut WINGNUT blocking you!:eek: Oh dear, I've been in those shoes before because DH is also very chivalrous and let's about 1,000 people go by before we can get out of our aisle. I suppose it's not the worst thing having a considerate man even though I secretly contemplated kicking him in the shin to get my point across...:rolleyes1 Move it buddy!

You clearly had great ME seats, good work! Your arrival pictures came out great, just seeing that happy arc signage is enough to make me giddy with excitement.

Ah, the tiki gods smiled upon you my friend.:thumbsup2 Tokelau is fabulous, we've stayed in that longhouse twice and it's fantastic. I believe they have the largest rooms at the Poly, right? Would you believe that even with it's very obvious central location, I still managed to get lost or turned around almost everytime we left?:headache: Ya, I'm great with directions.:sad2:

How cool that your rooms were ready, yay! Can't wait to see the picks.:goodvibes

[Luvmepluto]

It seems like Wingnut forgot the plans.:lmao::lmao:

That is something that would happen to me. I am glad that you got the longhouse that you wanted. I can't wait to see what you thought of your room.

[jodywgirl]

I'm signing on. I loved your bus exit story. My husband just doesn't understand either the feeling I get and how I don't want to miss a second of the disney magic. Hope you have a great trip. I enjoyed reading your last dining report :goodvibes

[JessicaKnits]

Yay!! You made it! :cool1:

I am absolutely bursting with excitement! You must must must write more!

[Grumpy's Wife]

Good Grumpypants.:rotfl: Glad you got the longhouse you wanted.

[Fantasyland Mom]

So, you just held your ME packet? If I were you, I would have been holding it over my head, pointing at it, and yelling, "You know what THIS is!?! That's right! My freakin' ME packet! Wooot!" Because, seriously, you deserve a little moment like that after all the stress of waiting on that stuff!:thumbsup2

I KNEW the tikis would not disappoint! I can't wait to see pictures! I'm trying to decide between several resorts right now, and that's one of them. I want every detail!!!

Too bad about no Wingnut lei pics. He won't reenact that for ya?:lmao:

Loved your plan (that Wingnut seems to have forgotten:rolleyes1) for exiting the bus! Seems like a rope drop FP dash to me, only for check-in counters. Awesome.

[Nermel9]

Magical Express sounds so fantastic. Like you just step off the plane and already you're immersed in Disney magic. Someday I'll go on ME, when I'm brave enough to deal with the buses for a whole trip! :laughing: I'm sure I'd be crying like a baby at the video!

OMG I am always so impatient waiting to get off any public transportation in Disney! I always want to be the first one off of anything!

Yay for getting Tokelau! If I ever stay at the Poly, I'm requesting that longhouse! :cool1:

[Oliquig]

Joining in! I'm surprised you didn't just wear the ME documents on a string around your neck after what you went through to get them.

I have to confess the assurance of full size snacks was one of the major points to fly Jet Blue for me. We have a 6:30 AM flight and Bradley is not known for having a lot of things open that early.

We also have a pre-disney day, since we are staying at an airport hotel to reduce the early wake up time.

I'm so glad you got the longhouse you wanted! I can't wait for pictures!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Love that the Tikis smiled on you!

You crack me up with your disembarkation plan, and finally the answer to the burning question, "When is a chivalrous BF a bad thing?" :rotfl:

Excellent installment...very funny!!

:lmao: We definitely found the answer to that question that day!!!

Thank you!! :goodvibes

That's awesome you got the building you wanted! :thumbsup2
And hooray for no check-in line! Online check-in is awesome! :woohoo:

and thanks for the warning about the bus video! those "surprise" videos make me cry too so now I know to be prepared.

It really is! Actually, there was no one in the regular check-in line either! I have no idea where all those people from the bus went!! :laughing:

No problem! I don't know why they get me like they do, but seriously, literally, EVERY time!!

PICTURES, WOMAN, I WANT PICTURES!!! OF THE POLY!!

:rotfl: OK, I'm done screaming now.

I almost clapped here, I'm so excited for you. :banana: First of all, because I'm thrilled that you were able to get there that much more quickly, but because I'm also hoping that the bus always goes in that order! :rotfl:

Yep...I pretty much do the same exact thing!

You got some great shots of the sign. Definitely sitting in the front helps.

Yup...this. I pretty much run from the second we get off the plane. Even pushing a stroller doesn't slow me down much. I have to admit that there is a second where all I'm thinking is, get me in, get me in and I truly feel like I'm a kid again.

I clapped when I read this. Seriously. I'm so excited for you! I requested Tokelau, too. Seemed best.

I would be, too! I can't wait to stay there. :yay: Also, can't wait to hear about and SEE pictures of the room! So happy for you that whole deplane/ME/check-in process went so well. :goodvibes

Alright, alright, I'm getting there!!! :lmao: I absolutely super-duper promise that there will be Poly pictures in the next installment!!!

I hope so too!! I really don't know how the science of the bus orders actually works! On the ME line sign, the Poly was listed like 3rd.

Hahaha I hit the ground power-walking too! It's like, you can't hold me back any longer!!

Again, Tokelau room pictures to come VERY soon! I was happy that everything went so smoothly too!!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

OK, that whole exiting the bus scene was hilarious. And just for the record, I would totally be thinking the same thing. Get out my way, i have some checking in to do. What was Wingnut thinking making you wait all grumpy-like?? That was no time for chivalry to be sure.

Yay that you got the long house you wanted. So looking forward to reading more.

Right??? :rotfl: Doesn't he know we have things to do, snack credits to use?!?

:rotfl2: You ARE the bad one....Did you forget to read the memo? :rotfl2: OMG I am totally cracking up over wingnut not standing while the whole bus is unloading. That is so something Denny would do, but I would probably jump over him into the aisle. :laughing:

I'm so happy you got through check-in in a flash and that you got the long house you wanted. That's awesome. Oh - and I'm proud of wingnut for wearing his lei to the room and not ducking around the corner to take it off.

Love the Poly rooms - can't wait to see your room!

Hahahaha I'm always the bad one, I know. I didn't even think of jumping over him, I probably would have tripped and delayed the process FURTHER. :laughing:

Thanks!! I was VERY impressed he kept it on for that long too!

So excited you got the longhouse you wanted!

I was cracking up at that bus scene...TOTALLY something my boyfriend would do! He is also chivalrous, which is really cute and really endearing, but I would have vaulted over him if he'd done that! :rotfl:

Hahaha thanks! It's like, you can be sweet and polite another time!! :rotfl:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Sara, this update had me rolling!:laughing: My goodness, the sheer irony that it was Wingnut WINGNUT blocking you!:eek: Oh dear, I've been in those shoes before because DH is also very chivalrous and let's about 1,000 people go by before we can get out of our aisle. I suppose it's not the worst thing having a considerate man even though I secretly contemplated kicking him in the shin to get my point across...:rolleyes1 Move it buddy!

You clearly had great ME seats, good work! Your arrival pictures came out great, just seeing that happy arc signage is enough to make me giddy with excitement.

Ah, the tiki gods smiled upon you my friend.:thumbsup2 Tokelau is fabulous, we've stayed in that longhouse twice and it's fantastic. I believe they have the largest rooms at the Poly, right? Would you believe that even with it's very obvious central location, I still managed to get lost or turned around almost everytime we left?:headache: Ya, I'm great with directions.:sad2:

How cool that your rooms were ready, yay! Can't wait to see the picks.:goodvibes

Hahahaha exactly! It's wonderful that he's so chivalrous, but not when I've got places to be!! :rotfl:

I think that their rooms are on the larger end of the ones there, our room was pretty big! Oh, more on us getting lost to come. Many times. :laughing:

It seems like Wingnut forgot the plans.:lmao::lmao:

That is something that would happen to me. I am glad that you got the longhouse that you wanted. I can't wait to see what you thought of your room.

Seemingly!!! I thought he knew by now!! :rotfl:

Thanks!! :goodvibes

I'm signing on. I loved your bus exit story. My husband just doesn't understand either the feeling I get and how I don't want to miss a second of the disney magic. Hope you have a great trip. I enjoyed reading your last dining report :goodvibes

Welcome!!! :goodvibes Thank you! Hahaha exactly, I want to spend as much time at Disney as possible!!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay!! You made it! :cool1:

I am absolutely bursting with excitement! You must must must write more!

Haha thank you!!! I will, don't worry!!! :thumbsup2

Good Grumpypants.:rotfl: Glad you got the longhouse you wanted.

:lmao: Yeah, okay, I got slightly grumpy...but I still think it was for good reason!!

So, you just held your ME packet? If I were you, I would have been holding it over my head, pointing at it, and yelling, "You know what THIS is!?! That's right! My freakin' ME packet! Wooot!" Because, seriously, you deserve a little moment like that after all the stress of waiting on that stuff!:thumbsup2

I KNEW the tikis would not disappoint! I can't wait to see pictures! I'm trying to decide between several resorts right now, and that's one of them. I want every detail!!!

Too bad about no Wingnut lei pics. He won't reenact that for ya?:lmao:

Loved your plan (that Wingnut seems to have forgotten:rolleyes1) for exiting the bus! Seems like a rope drop FP dash to me, only for check-in counters. Awesome.

:lmao: I have a picture of you running through the airport waving your packet like a championship trophy! I should have done that! I just clutched it in my hand, afraid I'd drop it!

What other resorts are you deciding between? I will be posting room pictures in my next update, don't worry!

Hahaha sadly we left the lei's in the room! I SO should have taken a pic!

It WAS like rope drop!! I felt like I was training for the TSM dash! :laughing:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Magical Express sounds so fantastic. Like you just step off the plane and already you're immersed in Disney magic. Someday I'll go on ME, when I'm brave enough to deal with the buses for a whole trip! :laughing: I'm sure I'd be crying like a baby at the video!

OMG I am always so impatient waiting to get off any public transportation in Disney! I always want to be the first one off of anything!

Yay for getting Tokelau! If I ever stay at the Poly, I'm requesting that longhouse! :cool1:

ME for getting to Disney is great!! (We're not really fans of taking it back to the airport, it seems to cut the timing a bit close sometimes for our liking.) And it's free, and they pick up your bags for you! And you get a Disney video! :laughing:

Hahaha same here! There's more Disney to be seen! I can't stay on the bus! :rotfl:

Joining in! I'm surprised you didn't just wear the ME documents on a string around your neck after what you went through to get them.

I have to confess the assurance of full size snacks was one of the major points to fly Jet Blue for me. We have a 6:30 AM flight and Bradley is not known for having a lot of things open that early.

We also have a pre-disney day, since we are staying at an airport hotel to reduce the early wake up time.

I'm so glad you got the longhouse you wanted! I can't wait for pictures!

Welcome!!! :goodvibes

:laughing: I just held them REALLY tightly! Yes, JetBlue has pretty much as many bags of snacks that you want! And I think they have meals too, but they charge for them.

That's a good idea to stay at the airport hotel! You'll definitely be waking up early for your flight!

[MiaBella05]

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

[Jennifer48]

You made it! :woohoo:

Doesn't Wingnut realize that you are wasting ample Disney vacation time on the ME bus?! Sheesh! :laughing:

:banana::cool1: for getting Tokelau!!! I knew the Tiki Disney gods would be nice to you!!

[manntra]

:laughing: I like "hangry" although we usually use temper tummy. It's all the same!!! :rotfl2:
:lovestruc JB...just made my flight reservations for May with them. 7am departure landing at 945am. Can't beat that!! :thumbsup2
Oh and I am alllllll about getting off that ME bus! Watch out!! Happy everything worked out for you but it was quite an amusing description (I am sure not at the time) of your debarkation ;) Great score on getting the longhouse you wanted AND your room was ready :goodvibes Awesome way to start your trip!!

Tracy

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

Welcome!! :goodvibes Glad to have you here!

You made it! :woohoo:

Doesn't Wingnut realize that you are wasting ample Disney vacation time on the ME bus?! Sheesh! :laughing:

:banana::cool1: for getting Tokelau!!! I knew the Tiki Disney gods would be nice to you!!

Hahaha I know, right??? Time's a' wastin!!

I was hoping they would be!

:laughing: I like "hangry" although we usually use temper tummy. It's all the same!!! :rotfl2:
:lovestruc JB...just made my flight reservations for May with them. 7am departure landing at 945am. Can't beat that!! :thumbsup2
Oh and I am alllllll about getting off that ME bus! Watch out!! Happy everything worked out for you but it was quite an amusing description (I am sure not at the time) of your debarkation ;) Great score on getting the longhouse you wanted AND your room was ready :goodvibes Awesome way to start your trip!!

Tracy

Temper tummy is a good one!! So many people have terms for it, I definitely don't feel alone!

Awesome flight times!!! That's what I always try to go for! :thumbsup2

Hahaha I was literally sitting there, partially annoyed, and partially like "this is going to make a GREAT story on the Dis..." :rotfl:

It really was a great way to start off the trip! Thanks!! :goodvibes

[IheartDDuck]

Tokelau, Tokelau, Tokelau!

As you already know, that was our building too. We were in room 2944. Pretty good location to us. :thumbsup2

[rndmr2]

I haven't been on the Dis much the past few days so I missed that you started your TR. Great start to your trip by getting there early and getting the building you wanted! :) Can't wait to read more!

[LilAnn]

oh, I just about died laughing at your bus story. I can totally picture it too! Um, that totally defeats the purpose of sitting in the front rows too if you aren't going to make a mad dash off the bus! Classic story.

I also love how you say that you were thinking it would make a great Dis story. I do that on trips too now. I start thinking, so and so would totally appreciate this moment. Love how their is such a nice friendly feeling here on the TR threads.

Anxiously awaiting pics of the Poly room.....(drums fingers impatiently on the table)

[MeMom]

The bus driver then announced the order of the resorts we would be stopping at, starting with...



THE POLYNESIAN!!!! :yay::yay::yay:

(Yeah, I cheered and danced. A little. Quietly.)

It's always a good start when you get to be the first stop. :goodvibes





The usual bus video then played, and right before it started, I promised Wingnut that I wouldn't cry like the last time we were on the Magical Express bus and the video was playing and I was a slight mess.

But then the game changed entirely, and all bets were off.

SINCE WHEN DID THEY START PLAYING THE CLIPS OF "SURPRISE YOU'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD" AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT???

I can never ever ever ever see one of those without tearing up. I have no idea why. I blame the music. And not the fact that I'm a big ol' emotional sap.

I have been known to youtube Disney Surprise Trip and sit and bawl at the resulting videos that come up.





Wingnut and I actually have a system for disembarking the Magical Express bus, devised on our last trip. The second the bus parks, I shoot out of the bus like a cannon and powerwalk past any friendly greeter right to the check-in counter. Wingnut stands in my cloud of Wile-E-Coyote-style dust, retrieves the bags, and tips the ME driver. And then catches up with me eventually.

At least, that's what I assume he does. Once I take off, I don't look back.

Exactly what we do. We take the girls and John is left with the bags. Then when he gets in, he gets the girls and sits in the TV room with them while we finish.

Except this time he didn't watch them very well amd Bella escaped, as you know. :upsidedow



CM: Okay, your room is ready now, it's #.
Wingnut: Okay, great!
Me: Which longhouse is that in???


So, of course, to weigh my odds on the end of maximum potential disappointment, I started chanting "Tokelau. Tokelau. Tokelau." in my head, hoping that we would be placed there. But anywhere would be okay. "Tokelau. Tokelau."

CM: It's in Tokelau.

:yay::yay::yay::yay:

Hooray! :dance3:

I can picture your whole scene from MCO to Poly. Such an exciting time!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Tokelau, Tokelau, Tokelau!

As you already know, that was our building too. We were in room 2944. Pretty good location to us. :thumbsup2

I was all excited that we were put there! I know, how funny is that??

I haven't been on the Dis much the past few days so I missed that you started your TR. Great start to your trip by getting there early and getting the building you wanted! :) Can't wait to read more!

Welcome!! Thanks!! :goodvibes

oh, I just about died laughing at your bus story. I can totally picture it too! Um, that totally defeats the purpose of sitting in the front rows too if you aren't going to make a mad dash off the bus! Classic story.

I also love how you say that you were thinking it would make a great Dis story. I do that on trips too now. I start thinking, so and so would totally appreciate this moment. Love how their is such a nice friendly feeling here on the TR threads.

Anxiously awaiting pics of the Poly room.....(drums fingers impatiently on the table)

:lmao: I really had been proud of myself for getting the 2nd row!! Oh well...

It's so funny how I now think of the Dis and everyone while at Disney! It really is a great community here! :grouphug:

Poly room pictures will be in the next update, I promise!!! :laughing:

It's always a good start when you get to be the first stop. :goodvibes

I have been known to youtube Disney Surprise Trip and sit and bawl at the resulting videos that come up.

Exactly what we do. We take the girls and John is left with the bags. Then when he gets in, he gets the girls and sits in the TV room with them while we finish.

Except this time he didn't watch them very well amd Bella escaped, as you know. :upsidedow

Hooray! :dance3:

I can picture your whole scene from MCO to Poly. Such an exciting time!

It is! We were the first stop on our last trip too! I think I would be bursting out of my seat if we went to another resort first! :rotfl:

Why do we do this? Why? I know I'm setting myself up to cry whenever I look at those videos, but I do it all the time! They're the sweetest things to watch. :lovestruc

Hahaha well normally it works out well for you guys! Bella was just too excited to get her Disney trip going, apparently!! :laughing:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Before leaving the Great Ceremonial House, the CM that had checked us in helpfully pointed us in the direction of Tokelau, and had made sure that we had our map.

Nope, I didn't take that as any sort of forewarning.

Onward! Outward! Forging ahead!

Wingnut was our map-holder while I attempted to find landmarks between the foliage. "Um. Niue?"

The doors to Niue welcomingly opened as we walked past. Sorry Niue, we walked on by.

The paths started to wind, and we desperately were looking for some other sort of hint to our location, but truly, the only distinguishing aspect to any of the buildings in the Polynesian that I could ascertain was the roof of the Great Ceremonial House. (Which was helpful many a time, but not when we were attempting to head AWAY from it.)

Alright. Seriously. We are in Disney World. How tricky could this be???

I looked at the map. "Alright. If we're where I think we possibly are, then there should be a pool to our left."

Miraculously, there was a pool. (Possibly even more miraculously, it was on our left.) :yay:

And right past the pool, via another curving path, was Tokelau.

TOKELAU, HO!!! :boat:

(Honestly, if we had been placed in a longhouse any further away, I have absolutely no clue how we would have found it.)

(Also, if you're wondering why we seemingly aren't soaking in the Polynesian ambience quite yet, don't forget, I hadn't gone to the bathroom since New Jersey (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43816441&postcount=73). Neither had Wingnut. The ambience would have to wait a couple of minutes while we semi-hurriedly attempted to find our room.)

Our room was on the first floor, so we entered Tokelau and bore (beared?) left.


Coming up next time…

(No, I'm kidding) ;)


We found the room, and entered.

I beelined for the bathroom (again, Wingnut is very chivalrous), yelling for Wingnut to please check for bedbugs.

(Yes, we absolutely positively must do that FIRST thing. Especially since I had seen a thread on the Dis around a week before we left reporting of bedbugs in Tahiti :scared1:. Seriously??? Not what I wanted to see right before our trip!)

We were all clear!

Then, and finally then, did I relax and take some pictures of our room!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6702027165_f7f09f999d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702027165/)

Tropical towel animal!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6702028007_a24d25cd56.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702028007/)

I know, I'm not Wingnut, but here's a picture of me in my lei.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6702028409_b6407c1f8d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702028409/)

Lamp Tiki.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6702028785_77711a3504.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702028785/)

Check this out: the closet doors...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6702029163_22aa066379.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702029163/)

LIT UP!!!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6702028925_f7477c0251.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702028925/)

I thought the room was a very nice size.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702029319_d6914863eb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702029319/)

Headboards.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6702029543_d2db005e5f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702029543/)

Random painting in the bathroom. My vote is flower. Possibly.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6705094603_536226372d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6705094603/)

(No, I didn't change, these pictures were actually taken on our last day)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6705095239_efde07fe6d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6705095239/)

Super-power flush toilets.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6705096721_ae92815c99.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6705096721/)

Being on the first floor, we had a little patio. Being me, I had to go check it out immediately.

Straight ahead is Tahiti.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6702030173_011b7c7ed3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702030173/)

Looking right.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6702030571_cac9e4661e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702030571/)

Looking left.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6702031229_4c61395de9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702031229/)

Looking left, with bionic vision.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6702032175_a72d968179.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702032175/)

Boats!

Overall, I thought our room was very nice, very clean, in good shape. It was adorned with lots of little Tiki and other Polynesian touches, which was fun. I think the only slight dislikes I had was that it was a bit dark (if I turned on EVERY light, then it sort of matched an average hotel room's illumination level, but it was certainly not bright). Also, as Danielle had said in her TR, the air conditioning was very loud. We tried to rely on the ceiling fan as much as possible, which worked pretty well.

Bags dropped off, we were ready to head to our first park of the trip!

Any guesses as to where we chose?







Oh, it's not even worth keeping you in suspense…you all know where we went!



EPCOT!!!!! :yay::yay:

(No, I don't mind being predictable at all.)

This led to our next navigational adventure…finding the TTC!

[Oliquig]

No! You went to EPCOT! Shocker.

It looks so pretty, and the size is great, but the lack of illumination would bug me. Also perhaps the staff at the Poly should offer GPS for guests to get around the resort! Or you know, signs!

[tankgirl427]

I'm so happy your ME documents got to you! And I totally would have climbed over Wingnut to get off the bus so I didn't have to wait in any sort of crazy lines! I can't wait to hear more about your day!

[IheartDDuck]

Yeah, you found the room! I know, it felt like you were wandering around forever trying to find it, didn't it? I think that Farrell still had a hard time finding our longhouse even after being there for a week.

The rooms were a little on the dark side, I agree. Although finding the switches for all of the lights was quite interesting. Some of them had me feeling like I was a complete idiot. LOL

[SoNotAPrincess]

Headline news: INTREPID EXPLORERS DISCOVER TOKELAU! Congratulations...I expect a full story, complete with photos, will appear in National Geographic: The Disney Edition! I love the little patio area outside your room, perfect for relaxing in the evening!

Yay for Epcot...it's like coming home every time I pass through the turnstile!

[marDgreen88]

Hi! I'm joining the party. I've seen you comment on so many of the threads that I comment on, so I was glad to see when you had a new TR! I'm enjoying it so far, you have a very fun sense of humor. I appreciate humor haha. So YEAH! :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

YAY! You found your way...and the bathroom! Love the exotic, tropical mickey head. Can't wait to find out if you ever found the TTC! :goodvibes

[glennbo123]

Then, and finally then, did I relax and take some pictures of our room!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6702027165_f7f09f999d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702027165/)

It's evident from that picture that Wingnut did indeed inspect for bedbugs....at least that far bed anyway. Good job Wingnut!

Glad you found your room.

[jecskc]

Yay another update !! Girl, there is NO way, I could have made from Jersey to Orlando without visiting the little girls room. You must have a cast iron bladder !! Love the room pics !! Can't wait to read more !!

[Luvmepluto]

I am dying to stay at the Poly, but I can't get my husband to agree.:sad2: He tells me the moderates and the values are good enough. I told him that for my 40th (in 2013) we will stay at the Poly or the GF!!!

The room look so nice as well as the grounds.

[LilAnn]

Yay for room pics! I wonder why the air conditioning is so loud in the rooms? You would expect it to be whisper quiet when you are staying at a deluxe.

Nice patio shots. That could be relaxing to just sit there in the morning, especially since Disney seems free of bugs most of the time (as long as the love bugs aren't out and about).

Your photos make me wants warm weather....now.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

No! You went to EPCOT! Shocker.

It looks so pretty, and the size is great, but the lack of illumination would bug me. Also perhaps the staff at the Poly should offer GPS for guests to get around the resort! Or you know, signs!

:rotfl: I know, right??? We NEVER go there!!!

It didn't bother me TOO much, but it was extremely noticeable. LOL GPS would be great!! :lmao: There are sporadic signs, but not as many as we needed!!

I'm so happy your ME documents got to you! And I totally would have climbed over Wingnut to get off the bus so I didn't have to wait in any sort of crazy lines! I can't wait to hear more about your day!

Hahahaha I guess next time I'll have to make sure I have the aisle seat!

Yeah, you found the room! I know, it felt like you were wandering around forever trying to find it, didn't it? I think that Farrell still had a hard time finding our longhouse even after being there for a week.

The rooms were a little on the dark side, I agree. Although finding the switches for all of the lights was quite interesting. Some of them had me feeling like I was a complete idiot. LOL

So did we, don't worry! I honestly have never felt so confused as to my whereabouts until staying there!!

I noticed that too!! Different lamps had different switches, it was very random. And I would always try to turn the "knob-type" ones (like on the headboards) the wrong way. :rotfl:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Headline news: INTREPID EXPLORERS DISCOVER TOKELAU! Congratulations...I expect a full story, complete with photos, will appear in National Geographic: The Disney Edition! I love the little patio area outside your room, perfect for relaxing in the evening!

Yay for Epcot...it's like coming home every time I pass through the turnstile!

:lmao::lmao::lmao: I swear, I felt like we deserved a medal or something after that!! (At the very least, a cover story!)

The patio was very cute! I enjoyed sitting there, although on the first floor, you are pretty much right along the path!

Hi! I'm joining the party. I've seen you comment on so many of the threads that I comment on, so I was glad to see when you had a new TR! I'm enjoying it so far, you have a very fun sense of humor. I appreciate humor haha. So YEAH! :thumbsup2

Welcome!! Thank you!! Glad to have you here! :goodvibes

YAY! You found your way...and the bathroom! Love the exotic, tropical mickey head. Can't wait to find out if you ever found the TTC! :goodvibes

Hahaha thankfully!! I thought the lei was a cute touch!

Oh boy...finding the TTC...well...you'll see...:rotfl:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

It's evident from that picture that Wingnut did indeed inspect for bedbugs....at least that far bed anyway. Good job Wingnut!

Glad you found your room.

You can see the comforter pulled up slightly on the first bed too, don't worry! He made sure to leave evidence of his thorough-ness! :rotfl:

Yay another update !! Girl, there is NO way, I could have made from Jersey to Orlando without visiting the little girls room. You must have a cast iron bladder !! Love the room pics !! Can't wait to read more !!

Ordinarily, I would never ever think that I could make it that far. I guess I was just entirely motivated to get to Disney! (Trust me, I'm a person that usually has to make a stop at the slightest MENTION of a bathroom!)

I am dying to stay at the Poly, but I can't get my husband to agree.:sad2: He tells me the moderates and the values are good enough. I told him that for my 40th (in 2013) we will stay at the Poly or the GF!!!

The room look so nice as well as the grounds.

Awww I hope he gives in to the Poly or GF!! That would be such a fun birthday treat! Both resorts really are gorgeous :goodvibes.

Yay for room pics! I wonder why the air conditioning is so loud in the rooms? You would expect it to be whisper quiet when you are staying at a deluxe.

Nice patio shots. That could be relaxing to just sit there in the morning, especially since Disney seems free of bugs most of the time (as long as the love bugs aren't out and about).

Your photos make me wants warm weather....now.

It really was strange, I'm not sure if that's just a Tokelau thing? There are ceiling fans, so that helped a bit.

We noticed a ton of those teeny gnat bugs around the plants on our first day, but then after that, they seemed to go away. The patio was very much bug-free! (No love bugs on our trip!)

[GrammytoMany]

Hi! Just discovered your PTR/TRs the other day and have been reading them. Oh my goodness...you make me laugh out loud. Glad to see from one of your post that you were doing fine after your recovery from hear surgery.
You guys are the cutest couple. Can't wait to read and see photos of this trip to Disney. :surfweb:
Sheila

[Fantasyland Mom]

Oooohh! I would like a dark room!! I love the dark. And loud air conditioners. Is it my "I-haven't-had-a-good-night's-sleep-in-six-years-cause-I'm-a-mom" showing? Dark rooms and loud white noise ups my odds for three kids to sleep somewhat through the night, and that's awesome. I'm noting it on my list.

And my list consists of...pretty much any deluxe resort within walking or monorail distance from a theme park:lmao:. Seriously. I need help narrowing down the list. Brandon's pushing for Contemporary, but I have heard nothing on the darkness/air conditioner noise level of CR, so we'll see:laughing:.

I have to applaud your bladder size (gosh, never thought I'd type that:rotfl2:). I can't make it through carpool line without having to potty, and you make all the way from New Jersey!?! Bravo.
::Insert slow clapping here.::

[MEK]

Well, next time can you PLEASE go to the bathroom somewhere between NJ and the Polynesian so I can have the full effect of your walk WITH pictures! :rotfl:

Those rooms are huge and the closet - to die for. What an awesome room and location. Very pretty!


Bring on Epcot!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hi! Just discovered your PTR/TRs the other day and have been reading them. Oh my goodness...you make me laugh out loud. Glad to see from one of your post that you were doing fine after your recovery from hear surgery.
You guys are the cutest couple. Can't wait to read and see photos of this trip to Disney. :surfweb:
Sheila

Welcome!!! Glad to have you here!!! Aww, thank you!!! :goodvibes

Oooohh! I would like a dark room!! I love the dark. And loud air conditioners. Is it my "I-haven't-had-a-good-night's-sleep-in-six-years-cause-I'm-a-mom" showing? Dark rooms and loud white noise ups my odds for three kids to sleep somewhat through the night, and that's awesome. I'm noting it on my list.

And my list consists of...pretty much any deluxe resort within walking or monorail distance from a theme park:lmao:. Seriously. I need help narrowing down the list. Brandon's pushing for Contemporary, but I have heard nothing on the darkness/air conditioner noise level of CR, so we'll see:laughing:.

I have to applaud your bladder size (gosh, never thought I'd type that:rotfl2:). I can't make it through carpool line without having to potty, and you make all the way from New Jersey!?! Bravo.
::Insert slow clapping here.::

Hahaha well then our room in Tokelau would be perfect for you!!!

Any theme park? Are you set on it being the MK, or is Epcot ok too? Because I've heard that the Beach Club is really fun for the kids (Stormalong Bay is there too!), although I think the rooms might be slightly brighter there with the theme! :laughing: In the MK area, even though I've only stayed at the Poly, that's what I'd probably recommend. Although you can walk to the MK from the Contemporary, which is pretty awesome. The Poly seems to have the most fun atmosphere out of the three though, at least to me. And their pool has a giant volcano!!

Hahaha I swear, my bladder is not usually that impressive! :laughing:

Well, next time can you PLEASE go to the bathroom somewhere between NJ and the Polynesian so I can have the full effect of your walk WITH pictures! :rotfl:

Those rooms are huge and the closet - to die for. What an awesome room and location. Very pretty!


Bring on Epcot!

:lmao: Alright, alright, I'll pause in my excitement next time at MCO! (Admittedly, you probably wouldn't have gotten too many "walking to the room" shots, we had a few pieces of luggage along with us!

The closets were seriously awesome. I loved that they lit up! The room really was great!

[MeMom]

Straight ahead is Tahiti.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6702030173_011b7c7ed3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702030173/)


Looks like a nice place to sit and plan the day's activities. :cool2:

And maybe wave at an occasional passer-by. :wave2: 'Hi there! We're on vacation, too. In Disney World. At Poly. We're cool. :cool1: See ya in the parks or maybe scarfin' down some skewers at 'Ohana after while. Life is good. Maybe better than good.' ::yes::

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Looks like a nice place to sit and plan the day's activities. :cool2:

And maybe wave at an occasional passer-by. :wave2: 'Hi there! We're on vacation, too. In Disney World. At Poly. We're cool. :cool1: See ya in the parks or maybe scarfin' down some skewers at 'Ohana after while. Life is good. Maybe better than good.' ::yes::

Hahaha I always would forget that we were right along the path (not that it wasn't right in front of me :rolleyes1) until someone came along. Most people kept on walking when I'd say hi, actually!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Plans to head to Epcot formulated, we made sure to have the map, and stepped outside of Tokelau.

"So, which way do we go?"

http://www.exploreorlandoflorida.com/images/ResortMaps/disney-world-polynesian-res.jpg
www.exploreorlandoflorida.com

Wingnut consulted the map, while I looked around and attempted to figure out what direction we had come from originally.

"I think we go left" Wingnut said, just as I suggested we try right.

Alright, let's try right.

Around 5 steps later, we saw the lake. Wrong way. :headache:

Wingnut only gloated a little.

We turned around and started making our way along the winding (and often seemingly superfluous) paths, guessing at every turn.

"Let's just keep heading...that way." I pointed arbitrarily towards some foliage and identical-looking buildings.

Where's Russell when you need him?

http://images.wikia.com/disney/images/2/27/Russell-up.jpg
(images.wikia.com/disney)

We kept picking and choosing directions, attempting to make educated guesses based on the map, but truly, we may as well have just picked at random. Eventually this led us to an area outside of a longhouse (looking at the map now, my best guess is we were outside Tahiti) where there happened to be two other intrepid travelers...I mean guests...standing and looking much more confident in their navigational skills than us.

I went over to them, and asked how to get to the TTC from there. One responded that we were (amazingly) going the right way, keep going the way we are, hang a left or a right at some point, and we'll see it.

She patted my shoulder reassuringly, we thanked them, and we went on our way.

And eventually...

Amazingly...

We found the TTC!!!

(No picture as evidence, unfortunately.)

(Sorry for the lack of photos during this adventure, I was honestly concentrating on our whereabouts too much to take pictures. Obviously, that doesn't happen too often. :rotfl:)

Anyways, once we got to the TTC, it was easy to find the Epcot monorail. And finally take pictures!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702033015_9059959de8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702033015/)

Magic Kingdom sign, as seen from the monorail.

I love you, Epcot.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6702034233_ffb171449d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702034233/)

Just monorailing past the geodesic sphere made me SO happy. It finally, FINALLY felt like we were in Disney!

Oooooohhh...oh. Um. Uh-oh.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6702035655_edb6b9b728.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702035655/)

Somehow, without looking it up at all, I had convinced myself that the WDW Marathon was the day before (Saturday). Nope. Today. Here. Now.

Seriously?

1 hour at Disney and I am seriously not living up to my overplanning reputation! :sad2:

I turned to Wingnut. "Alright, we're here now. We'll make the best of it," he reassured me.

We made our way into the park (of course I messed up putting my card into the reader and smacked into the turnstyle rotating thing. Ow.) and noticed that the paths were divided in half and one side was blocked off for the race. A good amount of people were still running by. We decided to go into World Showcase, where here, pretty much all of the main walkway was designated for the runners, and passerby skirted around the edges.

Also, the Christmas tree was still up!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6702036069_3279db4dfc.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702036069/)

We slowly made our way to Mexico, and ducked inside the temple, which was NOT a part of the race route, and seemed wonderfully crowd-free in comparison.

I love the Mexico pavilion, I love the perpetual twilight, and I think that the theme is exceptionally well done here. While it isn't my favorite ride anymore (the pre-Donald version will forever be the better of the two incarnations of this ride), El Rio del Tiempo (The River of Time) was our first ride of the trip!

Bad shot of the fireworks scene at the end.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6702036839_39f5ff3eb1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702036839/)

I remember being entranced by "fake" fireworks at Disney when I was younger, I also loved the ones on the ceiling at Muppets 3D.

(I'm easily amused, what can I say?)

We had an ADR at Sanaa that night, and it was around 1pm or so by then, so we figured we'd have a little snack to tide us over until then.

"Where should we go to eat?" I asked Wingnut.

"School bread!!!" He suggested, to my agreement. Before we had left, we agreed to attempt to try as many different snacks and restaurants as we could that we hadn't before. School bread was one of the ones at the top of the list.

We made our way to Norway, where by that point, the race was seemingly coming to a close, and the cones were being gathered up from the pathways. Immediately, the congested feeling we had had getting to Mexico was gone. We went into Kringla Bakeri og Kafe, where Wingnut selected the school bread, and I picked the cloudberry cream horn (we had agreed to share our selections).

(Yes, these will make my 3rd and 4th pastries of the day. :rolleyes1)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702037251_926c408fe2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702037251/)

Cloudberry horn in the front, school bread in the middle, Wingnut in the back.

While both pastries were awesome, the school bread was clearly the winner for us. It was unexpectedly spiced and not-too-sweet, filled with a delicious pastry cream, and topped with toasted coconut. We both loved it. Wingnut: "The school bread was refreshing in that it was savory when most things like that are sweet. The cream with it completed the package."

The cloudberry horn was also very good, it was sugar-crusted flaky pastry filled with a berry cream. (I should have turned it around in the photo above, sorry!) I really enjoyed the berry flavor here. Wingnut thought that the horn was a little too crispy, but the cream was very tasty.

We quickly devoured these treats, and started strolling along into World Showcase until Wingnut immediately stopped at the next country, China.

"I want to try the pork buns here. Where's the roasted pork buns?"

(He had done his menu research, as we both had.)

I steered him towards the Joy of Tea stand (right along the lagoon), reminding him of our dinner at Sanaa in a few hours.

FYI, at $4.50, the roasted pork buns are NOT available for a snack credit.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6702037703_84ae3dfe6e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702037703/)

(Wingnut claimed he helpfully was showing everyone a cross-section of the bun. I think we was just impatient. ;))

As lovely and shiny as these looked, I gave them a "meh". They were a dry, didn't have a lot of filling, and had an unexpected almost-crisp texture to the outer shell. This was disappointing, as roasted pork buns tend to be my favorite dim sum item. Wingnut's take was that the pork bun was way too dry and the bread was flaky, making it fall apart. He thought the pork was ok, but there was too little of it in the bun.

Snacks eaten, we were back to wandering around World Showcase!

[Jennifer48]

School bread?! I thought for sure you were going to have a Napolean!! I really must try that school bread, but I say that every time and never get one. :headache:

[SoNotAPrincess]

Disney snacks rock! I wonder if I can get a schoolbread without the coconut topping? I'm just not a coconut fan, but I want to taste the much-praised schoolbread! The berry cream horn thingy is HUGE and looks yummy!

[marDgreen88]

OH THE MONORAIL. AND EPCOT. :cloud9:
Oh man! Was it at least kinda cool to see part of the marathon?
I have heard such great things about school bread, but I'm reluctant to try it because I really can't stand coconut. I feel like I'm missing out on an Epcot classic here!
Excited to hear about what happened next! :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

Oh, boy...maybe I should start studying that Poly map right now. :lmao:

Love the pictures coming into EPCOT on the monorail. Sorry the marathon was happening, but you made the most of it, for sure. Love the Mexico pavillion, its really cool. And fake fireworks are awesome. Third to daytime fireworks and, of course, real, nighttime fireworks. :lmao:

Hmm..your description of Schoolbread have me curious, which I'd not been before. Maybe we'll have to try it.

The pork buns don't look all that good...but, then again, what are pork buns supposed to be? I had some from Trader Joe's a while back and they were OK, but I have clue what real ones are supposed to taste like. :confused3

[Fantasyland Mom]

So what does it say about me if I am STILL mesmerized by the fake fireworks??:rolleyes1

I am re-sizing photos for my next update on my TR (while listening to MouseWorld radio on live365...El Rio del Tiempo just played! Weird!) and can't help but think, "Oh, that Stringbean will love this one!" Yes. It's Epcot. WOOOT!!

I might be a *little* obsessed with the place.
And to answer your question, resorts within walking/monorail distance from ANY park are fair game;).

[glennbo123]

I'm really impressed at Wingnut, studying up on his Disneyworld snacks!

[Nermel9]

I'm behind a little, but caught up now!

Had to :laughing: at you guys getting a little lost at the Poly! It is really confusing at first! We drove there for the first time in October and tried to find the GCH from the parking lot and we were so lost! We were like "seriously, are we that stupid, we can't find our way around a Disney resort?" :rotfl: We found it, eventually!

Your room is beautiful! I love the patio, if I ever stay there, I'll be sitting out there every morning! :lovestruc

Yay for Epcot being your first park, it's always our first park too! :banana: And getting to take the monorail over there is awesome! I love how it loops your around Spaceship Earth!

Mexico! I remember El Rio del Tiempo from my first trip when I was a kid! I do like the Donald version, it's just such a pretty ride!

Yum, Disney snacks! I had no idea they had those pork things, they look interesting! :thumbsup2

[Simba22]

It's so funny that you had to rush to the bathroom before doing anything else because that is SO me! I don't know why I always sit there in the airport for like 2 hours and say to myself "eh, I can hold it." I always immediately regret that decision upon taking my seat on the plane. :sad2:

If it makes you feel any better, we got lost trying to find The Ranchos as CSR and it REALLY wasn't hard. I always try to follow the signs instead of the directions the CM gives me and it never works out!

Sweet pics of your room! I laughed to myself when you said you made Wingnut do a bed bug check. I freaked myself out before our last trip reading the Bed Bugs thread and scouring the web for ways to kill the little buggers should we bring them home. But I decided I wasn't going to let it get to me, we left for our trip and everything was going great...until about half through our trip when my feet and legs were COVERED in bug bites. They were CLEARLY from mosquitoes but that did NOT stop me from demanding that my BF rip the covers off the bed to check anyway.

Glad you had the "good" school bread! I was reading a thread a week or so ago where people were saying they had changed the recipe! :scared1: I don't know if it's a permanent change or if it's one of those things that it just depends on who makes it....:confused3 But people were saying that the "new" recipe is terrible. Ironically, the first time we went to Kringla we also got the school bread and the Cloudberry Horn! I found the horn to actually be kind of bland. :confused:

And at least the marathon was ending! Pretty good timing IMO! :laughing:

[IheartDDuck]

Mmmm, school bread. Nothing wrong with having 4 pastries in a day. You hadn't eaten anything else at that point, so it makes no difference. It all evens itself out in the end, right? :lmao:

[MEK]

I think its great that you were in a building where you could walk to the TTC. I would love that. I have to admit, never having stayed at the Poly it s a bit of a mystery to me. I bet the grounds are lovely and it must be so perfect for a stroll.

I think we got that cloudberry horn in December and I remember the filling as being not very sweet. School bread definitely gets my vote! :thumbsup2

[shan23877]

I think that 4 pastries in one morning sounds just right! :thumbsup2

Love the pics of the Poly, it's at the top of my dream resorts list.

[LilAnn]

I see nothing wrong with haveing 4 pastries by midday. :confused3

Um, looks like a serious lack of pork in the pork bun. But whatevs.

Oh, I love the Epcot monorail loop! :cloud9:

[petals]

I saw the word trip report and have to join in. I'm a bit late though :)

[TheThomsLuvDisney]

Subbing in and loving TR!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

School bread?! I thought for sure you were going to have a Napolean!! I really must try that school bread, but I say that every time and never get one. :headache:

Hahaha I know, but we were trying to have as many snacks that we hadn't had before!!! (Plus, Norway was closer...:rolleyes1). The school bread was really good!!

Disney snacks rock! I wonder if I can get a schoolbread without the coconut topping? I'm just not a coconut fan, but I want to taste the much-praised schoolbread! The berry cream horn thingy is HUGE and looks yummy!

There really is no snack like a Disney snack!!! I don't think you would be able to, they're baked already and in a pastry case. The best you could probably do is eat around the coconut, but I'd still say give it a try. It really is super-good! The cream horn is SO good too!

OH THE MONORAIL. AND EPCOT. :cloud9:
Oh man! Was it at least kinda cool to see part of the marathon?
I have heard such great things about school bread, but I'm reluctant to try it because I really can't stand coconut. I feel like I'm missing out on an Epcot classic here!
Excited to hear about what happened next! :thumbsup2

It was kind of cool! I just wasn't expecting all of the paths to be blocked! :laughing:

It doesn't taste very coconut-y, if that's any persuasion. But there is definitely (obviously) coconut on it. :laughing:

Oh, boy...maybe I should start studying that Poly map right now. :lmao:

Love the pictures coming into EPCOT on the monorail. Sorry the marathon was happening, but you made the most of it, for sure. Love the Mexico pavillion, its really cool. And fake fireworks are awesome. Third to daytime fireworks and, of course, real, nighttime fireworks. :lmao:

Hmm..your description of Schoolbread have me curious, which I'd not been before. Maybe we'll have to try it.

The pork buns don't look all that good...but, then again, what are pork buns supposed to be? I had some from Trader Joe's a while back and they were OK, but I have clue what real ones are supposed to taste like. :confused3

Hahaha I don't mean to make you nervous!! The good part of the layout of the resort is it is a lot more compact than I thought it was going to be, so when you're wandering around, you're at least not wandering too far between different places!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves those fake fireworks! They just seem so "Disney" to me! :rotfl:

This is more like what pork buns that I've had before look like:

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/images/roast-pork-bun.jpg
(seriouseats.com)

They're soft, slightly sweet (but not anywhere near a sweet snack), and just warm and delicious. There's also steamed pork buns, which are wonderful, but I prefer the roasted version. I've never had the ones from TJ's, their frozen food does tend to be pretty good though! The best pork buns I've had are at a dim sum restaurant by my parents house. SOOO good :cloud9:.

(And now I'm all hungry. Wingnut and I will be heading to our favorite Indian buffet for lunch soon though, yay!! :yay:)

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

So what does it say about me if I am STILL mesmerized by the fake fireworks??:rolleyes1

I am re-sizing photos for my next update on my TR (while listening to MouseWorld radio on live365...El Rio del Tiempo just played! Weird!) and can't help but think, "Oh, that Stringbean will love this one!" Yes. It's Epcot. WOOOT!!

I might be a *little* obsessed with the place.
And to answer your question, resorts within walking/monorail distance from ANY park are fair game;).

Hahaha it's okay, so am I! :rotfl:

Awww I do love that one!! Whenever I try to listen to online Disney radio, I always come in during a block of like Disneyland Paris music or another park where I'm unfamiliar with the parade music! It's fun to listen to, but I'd rather sing along to Epcot tunes!

My vote is for the Beach Club or Poly then!

I'm really impressed at Wingnut, studying up on his Disneyworld snacks!

Hahaha oh of course he does!! How else to avoid those "how did I not know about THIS??" moments? :rotfl:

I'm behind a little, but caught up now!

Had to :laughing: at you guys getting a little lost at the Poly! It is really confusing at first! We drove there for the first time in October and tried to find the GCH from the parking lot and we were so lost! We were like "seriously, are we that stupid, we can't find our way around a Disney resort?" :rotfl: We found it, eventually!

Your room is beautiful! I love the patio, if I ever stay there, I'll be sitting out there every morning! :lovestruc

Yay for Epcot being your first park, it's always our first park too! :banana: And getting to take the monorail over there is awesome! I love how it loops your around Spaceship Earth!

Mexico! I remember El Rio del Tiempo from my first trip when I was a kid! I do like the Donald version, it's just such a pretty ride!

Yum, Disney snacks! I had no idea they had those pork things, they look interesting! :thumbsup2

That's what we were thinking too!!! Like, we HAVE to be able to figure this out...right??? :rotfl:

Epcot is pretty much always our first park! I think it's the best place to get an unscheduled lunch when you arrive!

It's too bad that they were actually pretty disappointing. We were very excited about these! :sad2:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

It's so funny that you had to rush to the bathroom before doing anything else because that is SO me! I don't know why I always sit there in the airport for like 2 hours and say to myself "eh, I can hold it." I always immediately regret that decision upon taking my seat on the plane. :sad2:

If it makes you feel any better, we got lost trying to find The Ranchos as CSR and it REALLY wasn't hard. I always try to follow the signs instead of the directions the CM gives me and it never works out!

Sweet pics of your room! I laughed to myself when you said you made Wingnut do a bed bug check. I freaked myself out before our last trip reading the Bed Bugs thread and scouring the web for ways to kill the little buggers should we bring them home. But I decided I wasn't going to let it get to me, we left for our trip and everything was going great...until about half through our trip when my feet and legs were COVERED in bug bites. They were CLEARLY from mosquitoes but that did NOT stop me from demanding that my BF rip the covers off the bed to check anyway.

Glad you had the "good" school bread! I was reading a thread a week or so ago where people were saying they had changed the recipe! :scared1: I don't know if it's a permanent change or if it's one of those things that it just depends on who makes it....:confused3 But people were saying that the "new" recipe is terrible. Ironically, the first time we went to Kringla we also got the school bread and the Cloudberry Horn! I found the horn to actually be kind of bland. :confused:

And at least the marathon was ending! Pretty good timing IMO! :laughing:

LOL and then I'll just be sitting there the ENTIRE time not being able think about anything else except how I wish I had gone to the bathroom, and how much longer is it going to be??? :rotfl:

Hahaha this was the first time that I was REALLY relying on a map at Disney. No, wait. Animal Kingdom (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=40846332&postcount=145). We were BFF's with our map there.

Oh no...I would have done the SAME thing...bedbugs freak me out SO much! :scared1:

I read about the "new" school bread. We never had the old one, so this may have been the new one and we just didn't know better! But we both thought that it was really good! The horn wasn't super-packed with flavor, I thought it was pretty subtly sweet/berry/cream.

Mmmm, school bread. Nothing wrong with having 4 pastries in a day. You hadn't eaten anything else at that point, so it makes no difference. It all evens itself out in the end, right? :lmao:

Hahaha I agree!! :rotfl:

I think its great that you were in a building where you could walk to the TTC. I would love that. I have to admit, never having stayed at the Poly it s a bit of a mystery to me. I bet the grounds are lovely and it must be so perfect for a stroll.

I think we got that cloudberry horn in December and I remember the filling as being not very sweet. School bread definitely gets my vote! :thumbsup2

That's why I was so excited to get Tokelau. It was really convenient for us!

It was nice that the treats we had weren't overwhelmingly sweet. As much as I do adore the Napoleon, it is absolutely a sweet treat! :laughing:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I think that 4 pastries in one morning sounds just right! :thumbsup2

Love the pics of the Poly, it's at the top of my dream resorts list.

Hahaha technically it was 2 in the morning, 2 in the early afternoon! :rotfl:

Thanks!! It really is gorgeous there!

I see nothing wrong with haveing 4 pastries by midday. :confused3

Um, looks like a serious lack of pork in the pork bun. But whatevs.

Oh, I love the Epcot monorail loop! :cloud9:

Hahahaha I agree! :thumbsup2

It really was just a mingy amount of pork with too-dry bread. Oh well, too many other fun treats to get too bummed out about one!

I saw the word trip report and have to join in. I'm a bit late though :)

Welcome!!! :goodvibes You're not late, we just got there! :thumbsup2

Subbing in and loving TR!

Welcome!! Thank you!! :goodvibes

[mousescrapper]

Not sure how I missed the beginning of your TR...but I'm here now and can't wait to read more :goodvibes

Can't believe you made it all the way to the room at Poly w/out peeing :rotfl:

Me never...would have gone like 3 times at least LOL

Glad your building chant worked and you got a room where you wanted to be...see it really works (like me chanting even # when we stayed BLT in Oct) :thumbsup2

Love that you dove right into food and are already having fun

J

Oh and I LOVE your title!

[Merida]

I'm behind! And so I will try and catch up quickly and will probably forget something:

1) Yay for the longhouse you wanted! I read that report about the bedbugs and promptly freaked out. I don't check for them because then I would need to check everything any time we're in the room (and my boyfriend doesn't want to) so I just assume that everything's okay. It's worked so far! (and I have, erm, misdiagnosed bedbugs many times so I now know the symptoms by heart. If there ever are any, I'll know as soon as they start biting ;)).

2) The rooms in the Poly are so nice but what's with the lighting problem? I mean, Polynesia has lights! And lots of sun! Why make the rooms so dark? The rest of the decor is so nice - I love birds of paradise, one of my favorite flowers. And what a beautiful view!

3) That is an excellent map - and no Papyrus font in sight! One would think that a company as rich as Disney would have better graphic designers. :rolleyes:

4) The monorail to Epcot is probably my favorite monorail ride; I like that it goes "through" the park. At least it gives a better view of Spaceship Earth! (I think? My memory's a bit fuzzy right now, but I can't remember a decent view of the castle any time I was on the monorail in December).

5) I love the Mexico pavilion and it's where we always start! I was baffled to hear that people will start in Canada and work around that way! I mean, they're risking missing El Rio del Tiempo! I love those fireworks. We've never snacked around the World Showcase, definitely on our Disney bucket list. :goodvibes

[that's nice]

Hello Sara... I'm joining in! :woohoo:


I read about 1/2 your updates so far so that means I have the other 1/2 till i'm caught up! Love everything so far! :thumbsup2

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Not sure how I missed the beginning of your TR...but I'm here now and can't wait to read more :goodvibes

Can't believe you made it all the way to the room at Poly w/out peeing :rotfl:

Me never...would have gone like 3 times at least LOL

Glad your building chant worked and you got a room where you wanted to be...see it really works (like me chanting even # when we stayed BLT in Oct) :thumbsup2

Love that you dove right into food and are already having fun

J

Oh and I LOVE your title!

Welcome Julie!!! Glad to have you here! :goodvibes

Hahaha believe me, I think that was the longest I've held out EVER. :rotfl:

Building chants do work!!! We're proof of that!! :thumbsup2

I'm behind! And so I will try and catch up quickly and will probably forget something:

1) Yay for the longhouse you wanted! I read that report about the bedbugs and promptly freaked out. I don't check for them because then I would need to check everything any time we're in the room (and my boyfriend doesn't want to) so I just assume that everything's okay. It's worked so far! (and I have, erm, misdiagnosed bedbugs many times so I now know the symptoms by heart. If there ever are any, I'll know as soon as they start biting ;)).

2) The rooms in the Poly are so nice but what's with the lighting problem? I mean, Polynesia has lights! And lots of sun! Why make the rooms so dark? The rest of the decor is so nice - I love birds of paradise, one of my favorite flowers. And what a beautiful view!

3) That is an excellent map - and no Papyrus font in sight! One would think that a company as rich as Disney would have better graphic designers. :rolleyes:

4) The monorail to Epcot is probably my favorite monorail ride; I like that it goes "through" the park. At least it gives a better view of Spaceship Earth! (I think? My memory's a bit fuzzy right now, but I can't remember a decent view of the castle any time I was on the monorail in December).

5) I love the Mexico pavilion and it's where we always start! I was baffled to hear that people will start in Canada and work around that way! I mean, they're risking missing El Rio del Tiempo! I love those fireworks. We've never snacked around the World Showcase, definitely on our Disney bucket list. :goodvibes

I wish I could not frantically check for them, but I just have to look! Bugs of any nature freak me out, especially ones like bedbugs!

:lmao: This is true, Polynesia does have sun!! And light!! Idk, I guess they were going for the wood look throughout, but it does make things SO dark, but really just in the rooms. Everywhere else it's lush and tropical!

As long as it doesn't have Comic Sans, I'm happy :laughing:. Comic Sans is the font that bugs me the most. Oh, and Curlz MT.

I know it's perfectly logical as well, but I just can't fathom touring WS Canada to Mexico! You have to go the other way!! :rotfl: You MUST snack around the World Showcase! It's the best!

Hello Sara... I'm joining in! :woohoo:


I read about 1/2 your updates so far so that means I have the other 1/2 till i'm caught up! Love everything so far! :thumbsup2

Hi Tim! Glad to have you here!!! :yay: Haha thank you!!

[3prettyprincesses]

Plans to head to Epcot formulated, we made sure to have the map, and stepped outside of Tokelau.

Epcot? I'd have thought you'd be heading off to AK...your favorite park:rolleyes1

"So, which way do we go?"

http://www.exploreorlandoflorida.com/images/ResortMaps/disney-world-polynesian-res.jpg
www.exploreorlandoflorida.com

First off, I loved the look of this map so much so that I asked the front desk for an extra copy to put in our scrapbook. Does that make me geeky? Probably.

"I think we go left" Wingnut said, just as I suggested we try right.

Alright, let's try right.

That would've been my guess too! See, I'm horrible with directions, even with a map in hand.:sad2:

Around 5 steps later, we saw the lake. Wrong way. :headache:

Wingnut only gloated a little.

:laughing:Ya, the lake is the wrong way. So is the GF incase you ended up there too.:laughing:

We turned around and started making our way along the winding (and often seemingly superfluous) paths, guessing at every turn.

It's freaky how those paths look so much alike! I swear, it was like dejavu! Didn't we just see that palm tree and tiki torch? Yup. Wait, what's around that corner? Another palm tree and tiki torch.:headache:

Where's Russell when you need him?

Um, Paradise Falls silly. Looking for Kevin.;)

We found the TTC!!!

Yay. So, how long did it take you find it? I won't tell you how long it took me because that would be embarrassing.


(Sorry for the lack of photos during this adventure, I was honestly concentrating on our whereabouts too much to take pictures. Obviously, that doesn't happen too often. :rotfl:)

You were focused girl! Like a finely tuned compass.:thumbsup2 No time for pictures. Well, unless the path to the TTC had been lined with Napoleans.

I love you, Epcot.

Shocker. I bet you wish you could sleep inside Spaceship Earth for your entire stay. Right?:rolleyes:

Just monorailing past the geodesic sphere made me SO happy. It finally, FINALLY felt like we were in Disney!

I so agree with you. I love love love how the monorail loops into Epcot before dropping you off. Spaceship Earth makes me happy too.:goodvibes

Somehow, without looking it up at all, I had convinced myself that the WDW Marathon was the day before (Saturday). Nope. Today. Here. Now.

Seriously?

Man, look at all those cones! I'd have been a teensy disappointed too.

1 hour at Disney and I am seriously not living up to my overplanning reputation! :sad2:

I didn't know that was possible Sara. I'm sure Wingnut would disagree with you.

I turned to Wingnut. "Alright, we're here now. We'll make the best of it," he reassured me.

Oh, he's a keeper for sure. Great attitude!:goodvibes

We made our way into the park (of course I messed up putting my card into the reader and smacked into the turnstyle rotating thing. Ow.)

Ok, I'm only laughing because I've done this too at the turnstiles! And I've also bruised myself at Mickey's Philharmagic...I was scooting across the row and these tour group kids kept pushing me so that I when I sat down, I sat down on the arm of the air and bruised my ahem, backside. Not my most graceful moment.

I love the Mexico pavilion, I love the perpetual twilight, and I think that the theme is exceptionally well done here. While it isn't my favorite ride anymore (the pre-Donald version will forever be the better of the two incarnations of this ride), El Rio del Tiempo (The River of Time) was our first ride of the trip

Completely agree! This is perhaps my favorite pavillion in WS.

I remember being entranced by "fake" fireworks at Disney when I was younger, I also loved the ones on the ceiling at Muppets 3D.

(I'm easily amused, what can I say?)

Ah, fake fireworks. They look sorta real when you're a kid, don't they? I love them and the smell of the indoor water rides at Disney.

"School bread!!!" He suggested, to my agreement. Before we had left, we agreed to attempt to try as many different snacks and restaurants as we could that we hadn't before. School bread was one of the ones at the top of the list.

Darn, I'd have thought you would heed the siren call of your beloved Napoleans. Schoolbread? I thought it was just ok the first time I tried it. Maybe there wasn't enough filling in mine, it seemed very dry to me.

As lovely and shiny as these looked, I gave them a "meh". They were a dry, didn't have a lot of filling, and had an unexpected almost-crisp texture to the outer shell. This was disappointing, as roasted pork buns tend to be my favorite dim sum item. Wingnut's take was that the pork bun was way too dry and the bread was flaky, making it fall apart. He thought the pork was ok, but there was too little of it in the bun.

Sheesh, you can tell just by looking at it's not a good filling to bun ratio. I agree with Wingnut.

Looking forward to the next update.:goodvibes

[mickeystoontown]

I don't know how I missed that you had started your trip report. :sad2: I'm here now though and all caught up thanks to your handy dandy links. As always, I'm loving the report and can't wait to hear more.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Epcot? I'd have thought you'd be heading off to AK...your favorite park:rolleyes1

First off, I loved the look of this map so much so that I asked the front desk for an extra copy to put in our scrapbook. Does that make me geeky? Probably.

That would've been my guess too! See, I'm horrible with directions, even with a map in hand.:sad2:

:laughing:Ya, the lake is the wrong way. So is the GF incase you ended up there too.:laughing:

It's freaky how those paths look so much alike! I swear, it was like dejavu! Didn't we just see that palm tree and tiki torch? Yup. Wait, what's around that corner? Another palm tree and tiki torch.:headache:

Um, Paradise Falls silly. Looking for Kevin.;)

Yay. So, how long did it take you find it? I won't tell you how long it took me because that would be embarrassing.

You were focused girl! Like a finely tuned compass.:thumbsup2 No time for pictures. Well, unless the path to the TTC had been lined with Napoleans.

Shocker. I bet you wish you could sleep inside Spaceship Earth for your entire stay. Right?:rolleyes:

I so agree with you. I love love love how the monorail loops into Epcot before dropping you off. Spaceship Earth makes me happy too.:goodvibes

Man, look at all those cones! I'd have been a teensy disappointed too.

I didn't know that was possible Sara. I'm sure Wingnut would disagree with you

Oh, he's a keeper for sure. Great attitude!:goodvibes

Ok, I'm only laughing because I've done this too at the turnstiles! And I've also bruised myself at Mickey's Philharmagic...I was scooting across the row and these tour group kids kept pushing me so that I when I sat down, I sat down on the arm of the air and bruised my ahem, backside. Not my most graceful moment.

Completely agree! This is perhaps my favorite pavillion in WS.

Ah, fake fireworks. They look sorta real when you're a kid, don't they? I love them and the smell of the indoor water rides at Disney.

Darn, I'd have thought you would heed the siren call of your beloved Napoleans. Schoolbread? I thought it was just ok the first time I tried it. Maybe there wasn't enough filling in mine, it seemed very dry to me.

Sheesh, you can tell just by looking at it's not a good filling to bun ratio. I agree with Wingnut.

Looking forward to the next update.:goodvibes

I'm so glad that Wingnut and I really aren't the only ones that are completely baffled by the layout of the Polynesian! :rotfl: I feel like it should be a lot less confusing than it is!! Everything DOES look identical, which doesn't help things at all either!!

After the woman helped us out, we got there within a few minutes. How long did it take you guys? :laughing: Thankfully we didn't get COMPLETELY turned around and end up at the boat dock or something!

Hahaha the path lined with Napoleons reminded me of this P&F moment (8:25 in the video, I couldn't find just the clip I wanted! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9MYt0zTK-g))

I could TOTALLY camp out in Spaceship Earth for my stay!! I think I'd stay in the "making papyrus" scene. Or the living room watching the moon landing. Or the garage in California. (I'd hop from scene to scene each night! :laughing:)

I think we got a good batch of the school bread, they weren't too dry!!

I don't know how I missed that you had started your trip report. :sad2: I'm here now though and all caught up thanks to your handy dandy links. As always, I'm loving the report and can't wait to hear more.

Hi Lisa!! Glad to have you here!!! :yay: Thank you!!!

I'm SO far behind on your report, I promise I will catch up soon!! :flower3:

[MeMom]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702037251_926c408fe2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702037251/)


Good picture. I've had both of these. Schoolbread is a cheaper snack, at only $1.99. Of course, in the real world two bucks for a 'donut' would not be a great bargain, but in WDW, it's not bad. I prefer schoolbread over the cloudberry horn. I can never finish a whole one, though.

[tinacaplan]

Hahaha I don't mean to make you nervous!! The good part of the layout of the resort is it is a lot more compact than I thought it was going to be, so when you're wandering around, you're at least not wandering too far between different places!

:rotfl: I think I'll be OK...I do teach geography, after all. I have read that, despite appearing on a map like its spread out like the mods, that it is really much smaller and more compact. Just out of curiosity, how long did it take to walk to GCH from Tokelau?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves those fake fireworks! They just seem so "Disney" to me! :rotfl:

Nope...not at alone. Max likes them, too!

This is more like what pork buns that I've had before look like:

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/images/roast-pork-bun.jpg
(seriouseats.com)

They're soft, slightly sweet (but not anywhere near a sweet snack), and just warm and delicious. There's also steamed pork buns, which are wonderful, but I prefer the roasted version. I've never had the ones from TJ's, their frozen food does tend to be pretty good though! The best pork buns I've had are at a dim sum restaurant by my parents house. SOOO good :cloud9:.

(And now I'm all hungry. Wingnut and I will be heading to our favorite Indian buffet for lunch soon though, yay!! :yay:)

Yum...thanks for the very thorough description and I hope you had a yummy Indian lunch. :goodvibes

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Good picture. I've had both of these. Schoolbread is a cheaper snack, at only $1.99. Of course, in the real world two bucks for a 'donut' would not be a great bargain, but in WDW, it's not bad. I prefer schoolbread over the cloudberry horn. I can never finish a whole one, though.

Thank you!! Hahaha it's true, we're all like, $1.99, that's amazing!!! :rotfl:

:rotfl: I think I'll be OK...I do teach geography, after all. I have read that, despite appearing on a map like its spread out like the mods, that it is really much smaller and more compact. Just out of curiosity, how long did it take to walk to GCH from Tokelau?

Nope...not at alone. Max likes them, too!

Yum...thanks for the very thorough description and I hope you had a yummy Indian lunch. :goodvibes

Hahaha then you're off to a good start!! I would say that (once we knew what we were doing) it took maybe 5 minutes to get from Tokelau to the TTC. Not far at all. The walk to the GCH was slightly shorter, just a couple of minutes. Really, no point of the resort is THAT far from another, I was surprised at how close everything is!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Before I continue, I want to share a piece of art Wingnut and I just picked up at HomeGoods.

(We do have a bunch of Parisian/travel-themed art around, so it fits in. But you'll see why I especially love this one...)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6785148037_6b40ca1d8d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6785148037/)

(It's a little hard to see in this photo, but yes that does say Boulangerie Patisserie)

:cloud9:

And where it is now. (Over the stairs)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6785143249_8001c77f3e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6785143249/)


Back to our regularly scheduled programming!

We decided to continue onward in World Showcase, ignoring the temptation of the other fabulous snacks around us.

(Yes, I hear you, siren call of the Napoleon. Not answering today!)

Taken (I believe) while Wingnut was finishing up his disappointing pork buns.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6702038057_d2186c73cd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702038057/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6702038635_9f70b3f0db.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702038635/)

Yep, that's where they were taken. Because we then decided to go into here.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6702039543_637e46fa12.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702039543/)

("Here" being the Temple of Heaven in China)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6702040559_27ef3a0d57.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702040559/)

I had heard that if you stood anywhere in here and whispered, your voice would bounce back to you. Or maybe you had to be standing in the center. And yelling? I'm not sure, it didn't really work for us. :laughing:

(No, we didn't try yelling :rolleyes1.)

I noticed this door that I have never seen before. Of course I tried opening it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6702040813_a1bf55aa02.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702040813/)

It didn't open.

After the marathon had run its course (ha), World Showcase wasn't that crowded.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6702041657_9166994209.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702041657/)

I think I have this exact picture from every single one of my trips.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6702043061_22461bc6eb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702043061/)

We skipped going into many of the pavilions, knowing that we would be back multiple times. But we can never skip going into Mitsukoshi! As we were leaving, I noticed a tiny museum by the stores' exit.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6702044047_6a58a2889e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702044047/)

I'm not sure of the exact name of this museum (the Disney site lists it as a photography exhibit), but I believe it was cultural character-focused.

Cool gravel design.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6702044649_af79a39d39.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702044649/)

Soon enough, we had reached France.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6702045227_07fc0a6415.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702045227/)

NO I DID NOT GET A PASTRY. OR A SQUISHEE. OR A CREPE.

:sad2:

We continued our loop around World Showcase, and decided that we had time for a couple of rides in Future World before we headed to dinner. Where was Wingnut's first choice?

Well, it wasn't Soarin', I'll give you that. :rolleyes1 :laughing:

[jecskc]

NO I DID NOT GET A PASTRY. OR A SQUISHEE. OR A CREPE.



But .... why ?? Why deny yourself the pleasures of life ?? Especially when you are in EPCOT and you only have a week to enjoy these pleasures ?? I would have, especially the Grey Goose Slushie !! Heaven in a plastic martini glass !!

[SoNotAPrincess]

Pretty pictures! I need to be in Epcot posthaste. As soon as humanly possible. Immediately, if not sooner! Now where did I put my transporter? If I had a transporter, the coordinates would be set for WDW always.

Rant over. :rotfl:

My guess for your Future World ride is.....NOT MISSION SPACE (or, as I like to call it, Mission Sinise)!

ETA: I adore the ceiling in the temple, and I've heard about the voice thing, too, but haven't been able to get it to work. And, I'm officially jealous of your mad photography skills because I can't get photos of the ceiling to come out not blurry to save my life!

[marDgreen88]

I LOVE that picture yall bought! It's funny but when I saw Beauty and the Beast on the big screen recently of course the first thing I noticed in the opening scene was that one of the buildings said Boulangerie. I mean of course it's just a French word, but to me it's DISNEY. :love:

Ahhh, World Showcase. I love your pictures! I think it's hard to pass up that photo op though. Spaceship Earth is just so perfectly centered, and the lake is gorgeous, and everything about it is just perfect for a picture.

Okay... I feel silly for not knowing this but what is a squishee? It does remind me of Dory, though. "He shall be mine and he shall be my squishee." :laughing:

[petals]

Luvin your epcot pics. I dunno why I would have expected the pastry horn thingy from Norway to be filled with cream and not have a berry flavour :confused3

[Megablocks]

We were at Epcot this day, too! We somehow managed to get there right when it opened and also spent a good chunk of time in WS once it opened...like pretty much all afternoon. We ate at Boulangerie Patisserie and although I did not get a napoleon, I thought of you! Too funny that you were there when we were!

[Jennifer48]

Speaking of trying to open doors, I hope you were able to have some fun in DHS like I mentioned in your PTR! Don't tell me now, I want it to be a surprise :goodvibes.

Ok you passed THROUGH France without ANY type of food or beverage?! :faint: I didn't think that was humanly possible :rotfl:

[Nermel9]

Your World Showcase pictures are beautiful! I take pictures of SE across the water on every trip, you have to, even if you have a million of them! :thumbsup2

You went to France and didn't get a pastry OR a squishee??? I'm shocked! :laughing:

Hmmm, Future World...I'm guessing you went to Figment first!

[MEK]

Cute new picture! Nothing like a Disney reference in a picture to make you smile. :goodvibes

You took some beautiful shots in the world showcase. It really looks like perfect weather.

Ride choice? Test Track maybe?

[Merida]

Oh, I love the China pavilion. We did a Kim Possible mission there and it was the first time I'd really explored there. Though for some reason I missed the fact that the Tomb Warriors were not a to-scale reproduction. :rotfl:

Was it the mythology influences on anime? That's the only museum-y place in Japan that I know about (I always mix up where the position of the Japan pavilion. I want it to be closer to China!).

Test Track for your first ride?

[IheartDDuck]

:eek: You made it out of World Showcase without another pastry or slushie?! I wouldn't have. At least I wouldn't have made it out without the slushie part.

[mousescrapper]

Love the picture too :goodvibes

Did you touch the gravel in there? ;)

Nathan was disappointed we didn't make it there this trip to go in the gift shop...he loves the wind-ups

FW ride that's not Soarin...aww did he pick a romantic ride Ina Clamobile :laughing:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

But .... why ?? Why deny yourself the pleasures of life ?? Especially when you are in EPCOT and you only have a week to enjoy these pleasures ?? I would have, especially the Grey Goose Slushie !! Heaven in a plastic martini glass !!

:lmao: Heaven in a plastic martini glass! I love it!!! :thumbsup2

I know, I know. But I didn't want to fill up before dinner! :laughing: (Lamest excuse EVER. I know)

Pretty pictures! I need to be in Epcot posthaste. As soon as humanly possible. Immediately, if not sooner! Now where did I put my transporter? If I had a transporter, the coordinates would be set for WDW always.

Rant over. :rotfl:

My guess for your Future World ride is.....NOT MISSION SPACE (or, as I like to call it, Mission Sinise)!

ETA: I adore the ceiling in the temple, and I've heard about the voice thing, too, but haven't been able to get it to work. And, I'm officially jealous of your mad photography skills because I can't get photos of the ceiling to come out not blurry to save my life!

Oh man if I had a transporter, mine would be constantly set for WDW too!!!

Hahaha you are correct, not Mission Sinise! :rotfl:

I'm not sure what we were doing wrong (everything, probably :laughing:), but it wasn't working at all! Thanks! I probably cheated and set it on auto for that one! :laughing:

I LOVE that picture yall bought! It's funny but when I saw Beauty and the Beast on the big screen recently of course the first thing I noticed in the opening scene was that one of the buildings said Boulangerie. I mean of course it's just a French word, but to me it's DISNEY. :love:

Ahhh, World Showcase. I love your pictures! I think it's hard to pass up that photo op though. Spaceship Earth is just so perfectly centered, and the lake is gorgeous, and everything about it is just perfect for a picture.

Okay... I feel silly for not knowing this but what is a squishee? It does remind me of Dory, though. "He shall be mine and he shall be my squishee." :laughing:

Thank you!! Hahaha it is! Like the word geodesic. I can't see it and not think of Disney. (Not that I see it THAT often outside of Disney. But still.)

Thank you!!! It really is hard to walk away from that little Italy patio and not take a picture!

A squishee is my pet name for the Grey Goose/Grand Marnier slushes at the kiosk in France! (After the squishees in the Quik-E-Mart in The Simpsons.) Just me being silly, is all! :)

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Luvin your epcot pics. I dunno why I would have expected the pastry horn thingy from Norway to be filled with cream and not have a berry flavour :confused3

Thank you!!! It is filled with cream (I should have turned it around for the picture! :headache:), but it does have a berry flavor. I can't remember if there are actual berries in it, but if there are, they're pretty teeny.

We were at Epcot this day, too! We somehow managed to get there right when it opened and also spent a good chunk of time in WS once it opened...like pretty much all afternoon. We ate at Boulangerie Patisserie and although I did not get a napoleon, I thought of you! Too funny that you were there when we were!

Hahaha that's too funny!! We must have crossed paths around 100 times this week! :laughing:

Speaking of trying to open doors, I hope you were able to have some fun in DHS like I mentioned in your PTR! Don't tell me now, I want it to be a surprise :goodvibes.

Ok you passed THROUGH France without ANY type of food or beverage?! :faint: I didn't think that was humanly possible :rotfl:

Trust me, I was SO excited for those doors in DHS! More on that to come...

Hahaha :lmao: I know, neither did I! But I'm glad I passed it up! We had a TON of food that night!

Your World Showcase pictures are beautiful! I take pictures of SE across the water on every trip, you have to, even if you have a million of them! :thumbsup2

You went to France and didn't get a pastry OR a squishee??? I'm shocked! :laughing:

Hmmm, Future World...I'm guessing you went to Figment first!

Thank you!!! Hahaha definitely never enough Epcot pics!!

It was hard to walk on by, I will say that!!! :laughing:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Cute new picture! Nothing like a Disney reference in a picture to make you smile. :goodvibes

You took some beautiful shots in the world showcase. It really looks like perfect weather.

Ride choice? Test Track maybe?

Thanks!!! I really liked it, then LOVED it when I read the sign! :thumbsup2

Thank you!! It was beautiful out!

Oh, I love the China pavilion. We did a Kim Possible mission there and it was the first time I'd really explored there. Though for some reason I missed the fact that the Tomb Warriors were not a to-scale reproduction. :rotfl:

Was it the mythology influences on anime? That's the only museum-y place in Japan that I know about (I always mix up where the position of the Japan pavilion. I want it to be closer to China!).

Test Track for your first ride?

I've never done the Kim Possible missions. We kept seeing the little hints and other things going off while we were there though!

I think it was, that sounds about right! Hahaha I always mix up the pavilion locations too! I always think Japan is closer to Mexico, for some reason! :laughing:

:eek: You made it out of World Showcase without another pastry or slushie?! I wouldn't have. At least I wouldn't have made it out without the slushie part.

Hahaha I was trying to be good in anticipation of dinner! Don't worry, those were far from our last World Showcase snacks! :laughing:

Love the picture too :goodvibes

Did you touch the gravel in there? ;)

Nathan was disappointed we didn't make it there this trip to go in the gift shop...he loves the wind-ups

FW ride that's not Soarin...aww did he pick a romantic ride Ina Clamobile :laughing:

Thank you!!!

No, I was well-behaved :rolleyes1:laughing:.

Awww we love that store! I think my favorite part is the room with the fun kitchenware and candies!

[tinacaplan]

I could have sworn that I had replied to your latest update already. You got some really nice pictures, including the new one for your living room. Love Homegoods! :love:

[mike the canuck]

Enjoying your TR. Following along

[that's nice]

AAIGHT!!!!! I'm caught up! Great pics of your room! I love the room you had... being on the first floor is key! I hope we are on th efirst floor in Nov. :thumbsup2

Glad you found the TTA! I was worried for you! :lmao:

You are telling me you didn't know a marathon was going through EPCOT the day you got there? :confused3 :rolleyes1 :rotfl2::lmao::rotfl:

You should of eaten JUST pastry the whole day! popcorn::

Great updates!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I could have sworn that I had replied to your latest update already. You got some really nice pictures, including the new one for your living room. Love Homegoods! :love:

I always forget whether or not I reply to people's updates! :laughing: Thanks!! :goodvibes I love it too, it always has the most awesomely random stuff!

Enjoying your TR. Following along

Welcome!! Thanks, glad to have you here! :goodvibes

AAIGHT!!!!! I'm caught up! Great pics of your room! I love the room you had... being on the first floor is key! I hope we are on th efirst floor in Nov. :thumbsup2

Glad you found the TTA! I was worried for you! :lmao:

You are telling me you didn't know a marathon was going through EPCOT the day you got there? :confused3 :rolleyes1 :rotfl2::lmao::rotfl:

You should of eaten JUST pastry the whole day! popcorn::

Great updates!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Thanks!! Usually I'm not a fan of first floor rooms, but this was really nice! The little patio was a nice bonus! I'm sure first floor is something you can request!

Hahaha I had my doubts there for awhile too! :rotfl:

I honestly did not. I know :sad2:. And this wasn't even the dumbest planning mistake I made...you'll hear about that one eventually! :headache:

That really would have made for an awesome and buttery day!! :thumbsup2

[Simba22]

Wow, I can't believe you REALLY didn't get a Napoleon! You have much stronger will power than I do! :laughing:

Love your new painting from HG! :thumbsup2

My guess for your Future World rides are Test Track and Living With The Land.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Wow, I can't believe you REALLY didn't get a Napoleon! You have much stronger will power than I do! :laughing:

Love your new painting from HG! :thumbsup2

My guess for your Future World rides are Test Track and Living With The Land.

Hahaha I really really didn't!! :sad2:

Thanks!!! We love HomeGoods for artwork, we have a bunch of things from there!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Well, no one guessed where we headed first in Future World.

To be fair, it is only marginally more predictable than going to the Circle of Life movie with Timon and Pumbaa.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6702045601_5c1c8ec034.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702045601/)

Yes, we've been to Captain EO before. Yes, we know how hilariously '80s it is.

And that's why we go.

(Also, ALL Wingnut's idea.)

Is the song stuck in your head yet? You're welcome. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyKjLK0Zobo)

Also, we were lucky(?) enough to get to see the whole entire preshow. During which Wingnut just kept saying, "I can't believe Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas made THIS." :laughing:

World saved and evil monster turned into attractive woman, we moved on.

Of course we had to go visit my favorite Figment of imaaaaaaaaaaagination next!

And then the leaping fountains.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6702046029_91de2d9603.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702046029/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6702046743_af9522607a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702046743/)

I love the whole Imagination pavilion area, it's so fun and bright-colored. And awesome flying and gravity-defying water features don't hurt either!

We then made our way past the timeline of progress (I have no idea what this is actually called).

I had Wingnut take a picture of me with the printing press marker, as I love books.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6702048565_ec083cc99c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702048565/)

It was around 3:30 at this point (thank you camera time stamp!), and we had a 5:00 ADR at Sanaa. We knew that we wanted to leave enough time for Disney transport, and also knew if we got to AKL early, there's more than enough to explore and look at. So we decided to go on one more ride for today, and then make our way out of the park.

That ride?

Spaceship Earth, of course!

I love Spaceship Earth, even though now every time I go on it, I long for the old Jeremy Irons narration. ("This, our Spaceship Earth.") :love:

(Judi Dench may say that line too, I think she does, but it's just not the same.)

(But I will say that the computers being developed in the garages in California is one of my new favorite scenes.)

My picture came out kind of Swiss-cheesey and crooked. Wingnut's, of course, is perfectly normal. :rolleyes1

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6702048933_79176d93f0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702048933/)

Seriously? This just doesn't look comfortable.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6702049567_ce12c90201.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702049567/)

I think Wingnut is eating in an aquarium here. And I'm in the Alps. At the same table?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6702049937_97f23a2a60.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702049937/)

A toast, to the start of our vacation!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6702050179_a256b9b715.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702050179/)

Or, you know, to the beginning of our future. That too.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6702050447_0d06729785.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702050447/)

We then made our way to the bus stop for Animal Kingdom Lodge, and waited for the motorcoach to arrive.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702050967_cfe7bbbdfb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702050967/)

[Nermel9]

I was almost right with my Future World prediction! :rotfl:

I have no memory of Captain EO from the 80's and we haven't seen it yet since it's return...maybe on our next trip!

I love the Imagination area too, I love the fountains, I remember them from when I was a kid!

Ahh, Spaceship Earth! I actually don't care who's narrating, I just love that ride!

Hope you didn't have to wait too long for your motorcoach! :)

[MEK]

Great update. So great that I am going to borrow it when I get to the Captain EO part of my TR. Looking back all I can remember is it was over the top 80's and I was in my 20's in the 80's. that was my prime. :laughing: Shouldn't I remember everything 80's?

NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You even knew the song. I am totally impressed. That Captain EO movie was just plain dumb, but it WAS Michael Jackson and everyone was super skinny, so for that reason I watched it.

I totally love that picture of you! That's awesome (too lazy to cut and paste it). I hope you have it framed because you look adorable.

I hope you loved Sanaa.

Tell wignut to put his tongue back in his mouth! :rotfl:

[Fantasyland Mom]

I have never seen Captain EO, but I am so tempted! I kind of like things that are pointlessly odd.

Granted, I never went on Spaceship Earth when it had Jeremy Irons, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dame Judi Dench! I was so excited to know I'd hear her familiar, comforting voice the first time I rode! There's just no way it could get any better than that:snooty:. Maybe. Now going to find a video of his voice...you know, just for research purposes...

You're right--your photo is Swiss cheesy! Makes me laugh. I have one to compete, though. It'll be up on this day of my TR, and it is possibly the worst SE picture EVER. I love it. Having a bad photo kind of makes the ride even more worthwhile!

[petals]

What is Spaceship Earth I have never been there (fear of the unknown :lmao: )

[IheartDDuck]

Hahaha, I think we've all been there where we ask the same question of Captain EO. Really? All that talent and THIS is what they come up with?

I miss Jeremy Irons narrating Spaceship Earth. ACTUALLY, I miss Walter Cronkite narrating SE. I like Judy Dench, but it's not quite the same.

[jecskc]

I just love Spaceship Earth. I can't wait to see what you thought about Saana and AKL since we are going to be there in 63 more days !!! You look much warmer on this trip than you did last trip. It has been a very mild winter. My cousin in Colorado just got 18 inches of snow so it makes you wonder what might be coming east. But for now, I have tennis plans for Sunday - yay.

[rndmr2]

I used to Love Captain EO back in the day. I actually had a stuffed "Hooter" (the elephant) he was so cute. We missed it when we were there in May, it wasn't a big priority but I had hoped we would have time.

I miss Jeremy Irons, too but I will say that I am partial to the Walter Cronkite version.

[that's nice]

Being a HUGE MJ fan, I was so excited to see Captain EO last December. When the show was over I was like huh?:confused3 Maybe in 1985 (or whenever it was made) it was cool but really?:confused3:confused3

Loved your S.E picture.... i know a good chiropractor if you need one. :rolleyes1:rolleyes1 :lmao:

[tinacaplan]

Another brilliant and hillarious update. Nope. Didn't see Captain EO coming. :lmao: We saw it last February and I had some murky recollection of it from my childhood. Oh. My. Word. Just so, so bad. And, to top it all, we had Max with us and he was scared out of his mind. I felt like the world's worst mother for exposing him to all of that at such an early age.

But you are correct about the fountains. They are super cool. I've never seen the timeline, but I'll look for it when I'm there. I'd be into that, I'm sure.

We always seem to leave plenty of time when travelling on Disney motorcoaches. Love that you used that term. :goodvibes I can hear that announcer now... :goodvibes

Looking forward to your review of Sanaa, especially since I know you like Indian food. :thumbsup2

[3prettyprincesses]

Fab update Sara!:thumbsup2

Oooh, Michael Jackson! I may or may not have had a poster of him in my room as a young girl..."just beat it, beat it, no one wants to be defeated":thumbsup2 :laughing:

We've yet to see Captain EO, I don't know why. Maybe because it gets consistently cheesy reviews? Especialy after hearing Wingnut's glowing review.:laughing:

Well of course you stopped to visit Figment! Of course. I love this ride too and basically force my family to ride with me. They're very meh about it but I just love it!

Love your jumping fountain pic! We love that area too and always spend time just watching it jump.:goodvibes

I love that area with the timeline pavement too. I'm sure it has some other more official title but I've no idea what it is. It's cool though. I was pointing them out to my girls and explaining them, I guess that's the homeschool mom in me.:laughing: A field trip!

That's a great picture of you too, sitting on the ground.:goodvibes Very princess like.:thumbsup2

Ah, Spaceship earth! I knew you'd make it over there soon. I agree Jeremy Irons has a more expressive voice, kinda like Alan Rickman. But Judi Dench isn't too bad but I prefer the old one too.

Love your swiss cheese picture! How weird that it photoshopped that way. I have to agree that it's odd to have Wingnut eating in an aquarium while you're across the table eating at the Alps? I guess in the future eveyone will be wearing argyle and able to eat at various locations silmutaneously?:confused3

Looks you managed to have a great arrival day despite those pesky marathon cones.:laughing: Looking forward to the next update, these are so much fun to read.:thumbsup2

[JulieAnn]

Great TR - subscribing so I can catch your Disney happiness for our May '12 trip!
Captain EO, meh... we didn't love it last May and I highly doubt i'll get my kids to watch it this may...:confused3

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I was almost right with my Future World prediction! :rotfl:

I have no memory of Captain EO from the 80's and we haven't seen it yet since it's return...maybe on our next trip!

I love the Imagination area too, I love the fountains, I remember them from when I was a kid!

Ahh, Spaceship Earth! I actually don't care who's narrating, I just love that ride!

Hope you didn't have to wait too long for your motorcoach! :)

Hahaha that's true!! You were in the right vicinity!

:laughing: You should see it, if only for a laugh. It's pretty 80's-tastic.

The Imagination area is just so fun and spunky I think. Even the area music makes me feel like I can accomplish awesome things! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHzjZx6TJY8)

Great update. So great that I am going to borrow it when I get to the Captain EO part of my TR. Looking back all I can remember is it was over the top 80's and I was in my 20's in the 80's. that was my prime. :laughing: Shouldn't I remember everything 80's?

NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You even knew the song. I am totally impressed. That Captain EO movie was just plain dumb, but it WAS Michael Jackson and everyone was super skinny, so for that reason I watched it.

I totally love that picture of you! That's awesome (too lazy to cut and paste it). I hope you have it framed because you look adorable.

I hope you loved Sanaa.

Tell wignut to put his tongue back in his mouth! :rotfl:

Hahaha thank you!! It truly is over-the-top 80's! It even includes the upbeat "getting to work" theme music during the preshow! :rotfl:

Probably the funniest part of it was literally the first Monday we went back to work after our trip, Wingnut texted me like, "you will NEVER believe what just came on my online radio" and it was We Are Here to Change the World from Captain EO! :lmao:

Thank you!! I promise I will post about Sanaa in the near future! :laughing:

I swear, he's making that face in around half of our vacation pics...:rolleyes::laughing:

I have never seen Captain EO, but I am so tempted! I kind of like things that are pointlessly odd.

Granted, I never went on Spaceship Earth when it had Jeremy Irons, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dame Judi Dench! I was so excited to know I'd hear her familiar, comforting voice the first time I rode! There's just no way it could get any better than that:snooty:. Maybe. Now going to find a video of his voice...you know, just for research purposes...

You're right--your photo is Swiss cheesy! Makes me laugh. I have one to compete, though. It'll be up on this day of my TR, and it is possibly the worst SE picture EVER. I love it. Having a bad photo kind of makes the ride even more worthwhile!

Oh you SO should! Pointlessly odd completely summarizes this one!! :lmao:

Judi Dench certainly isn't bad, but I just LOVE the Jeremy Irons version. (There's no video in this version, but this is the best audio I could find. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ihjrm1QMG0&feature=related) Part 2 of the audio. 1:24 is my absolute favorite line. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NLqWB6EP6g&feature=related))

Hahaha idk why my photo always comes out so weird! But it is kind of funnier to have a bad picture!

What is Spaceship Earth I have never been there (fear of the unknown :lmao: )

The ride inside the giant Epcot ball! Don't fear the unknown, especially in Disney! There's fun things around every corner! (Or, in this case, inside every geodesic sphere) :thumbsup2

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hahaha, I think we've all been there where we ask the same question of Captain EO. Really? All that talent and THIS is what they come up with?

I miss Jeremy Irons narrating Spaceship Earth. ACTUALLY, I miss Walter Cronkite narrating SE. I like Judy Dench, but it's not quite the same.

Hahaha literally, Wingnut just kept saying that for at least an hour later. "Really? Really???" :rotfl:

I agree. It's definitely not bad. But I miss the old version!!

I just love Spaceship Earth. I can't wait to see what you thought about Saana and AKL since we are going to be there in 63 more days !!! You look much warmer on this trip than you did last trip. It has been a very mild winter. My cousin in Colorado just got 18 inches of snow so it makes you wonder what might be coming east. But for now, I have tennis plans for Sunday - yay.

AKL and Sanaa coming up soon!! Your trip is coming up so fast, that's awesome!

We were SOOOO much warmer this trip, thank goodness!! It was fantastic to not have to wear our winter coats this time! :laughing:

Wow 18 inches of snow is a lot! Let's hope it just all magically disappears before it comes east! Have fun at tennis!!

I used to Love Captain EO back in the day. I actually had a stuffed "Hooter" (the elephant) he was so cute. We missed it when we were there in May, it wasn't a big priority but I had hoped we would have time.

I miss Jeremy Irons, too but I will say that I am partial to the Walter Cronkite version.

Awwww a stuffed Hooter, that's awesome!! It is a bit of a time undertaking, they seem to want to make you watch the whole pre-show! Hopefully you'll get to see it at some point!

Being a HUGE MJ fan, I was so excited to see Captain EO last December. When the show was over I was like huh?:confused3 Maybe in 1985 (or whenever it was made) it was cool but really?:confused3:confused3

Loved your S.E picture.... i know a good chiropractor if you need one. :rolleyes1:rolleyes1 :lmao:

Hahaha that's kind of what our reactions were too! Like...wow, things were REALLY different then! :rotfl:

:lmao: I think my little SE person needs more than a chiropractor! That shoulder blade looks like it's about 2 feet more to the left than it should be!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Another brilliant and hillarious update. Nope. Didn't see Captain EO coming. :lmao: We saw it last February and I had some murky recollection of it from my childhood. Oh. My. Word. Just so, so bad. And, to top it all, we had Max with us and he was scared out of his mind. I felt like the world's worst mother for exposing him to all of that at such an early age.

But you are correct about the fountains. They are super cool. I've never seen the timeline, but I'll look for it when I'm there. I'd be into that, I'm sure.

We always seem to leave plenty of time when travelling on Disney motorcoaches. Love that you used that term. :goodvibes I can hear that announcer now... :goodvibes

Looking forward to your review of Sanaa, especially since I know you like Indian food. :thumbsup2

Thank you!! Hahaha yeah I knew that one was going to come out of nowhere! Awwww it does get a bit unexpectedly loud, I'm sure you didn't expect that! At least there's a ton of other fun things to do around Epcot to forget all about EO!

The timeline is kind of a ring of plates on the ground when you're walking towards The Land from the main "hub" of Future World. They're easy to miss, but they're really cool to stop and look at.

We always leave a ton of time too for the transport! Hahaha I'm on a roll with the YouTube tonight, here you go! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCifY6n-tp8)

Sanaa review coming up (fairly) soon, I promise! I'm REALLY excited to share this one! :yay:

Fab update Sara!:thumbsup2

Oooh, Michael Jackson! I may or may not have had a poster of him in my room as a young girl..."just beat it, beat it, no one wants to be defeated":thumbsup2 :laughing:

We've yet to see Captain EO, I don't know why. Maybe because it gets consistently cheesy reviews? Especialy after hearing Wingnut's glowing review.:laughing:

Well of course you stopped to visit Figment! Of course. I love this ride too and basically force my family to ride with me. They're very meh about it but I just love it!

Love your jumping fountain pic! We love that area too and always spend time just watching it jump.:goodvibes

I love that area with the timeline pavement too. I'm sure it has some other more official title but I've no idea what it is. It's cool though. I was pointing them out to my girls and explaining them, I guess that's the homeschool mom in me.:laughing: A field trip!

That's a great picture of you too, sitting on the ground.:goodvibes Very princess like.:thumbsup2

Ah, Spaceship earth! I knew you'd make it over there soon. I agree Jeremy Irons has a more expressive voice, kinda like Alan Rickman. But Judi Dench isn't too bad but I prefer the old one too.

Love your swiss cheese picture! How weird that it photoshopped that way. I have to agree that it's odd to have Wingnut eating in an aquarium while you're across the table eating at the Alps? I guess in the future eveyone will be wearing argyle and able to eat at various locations silmutaneously?:confused3

Looks you managed to have a great arrival day despite those pesky marathon cones.:laughing: Looking forward to the next update, these are so much fun to read.:thumbsup2

Thank you!!!

Awww, how could you have skipped EO, especially with your old poster?? It's just totally hilarious in its cheesyness. You have to go, seriously!

I love Figment too! Wingnut is actually VERY patient, and will go on Journey Into Imagination several times a trip! (Yup, there's a spoiler :laughing:)

I have no idea what the timeline is actually called either, but I love looking at it! It really is cool seeing all of the different inventions!

Jeremy Iron's voice really is just more expressive! But Judi Dench has fun with it, which I do like.

I swear, the SE futures really do love those argyle sweaters!! :lmao: I guess eating in different "locations" could be useful, maybe. (Alright, I have no idea how this could be useful! :rotfl:)

Great TR - subscribing so I can catch your Disney happiness for our May '12 trip!
Captain EO, meh... we didn't love it last May and I highly doubt i'll get my kids to watch it this may...:confused3

Thank you, welcome!! :goodvibes Glad to have you here!

Hahaha we just love super-cheesy things like this. Wingnut, especially. I was actually a bit surprised when he excitedly suggested going back. But hey, it's not like I don't enjoy it either! :laughing:

[Simba22]

Dang it!! I was totally gonna say Captain EO!! And I'm so glad that you like Figment! It's one of my favorite rides and I hate that guidebooks always trash it!

I miss the Jeremy Irons narration on SE too...although to be honest, before the refurb they did, I could barely hear any of it because the track was so loud. :confused3

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at Sanaa!

[Megablocks]

I've never seen Captain EO. One of my DIS friends saw it last year and texted me with, "that was the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life." :lmao:

I LOVE the Imagination area! I remember seeing the timeline, next time I need to stop and look at everything.

So...you were at Sanaa that night? We were at Boma at 4:30! :rotfl:

[MeMom]

Seriously? This just doesn't look comfortable.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6702049567_ce12c90201.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702049567/)

Yes, I believe you will require a chiropractor. Trent works for an awesome one, so let us know..... :goodvibes




http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6702050967_cfe7bbbdfb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702050967/)

I'm picturing Wingnut Junior doing this in a few years.
You will have to save this for when Senior tells Junior to get down because it's dangerous and rude. :laughing:

[marDgreen88]

I think you've convinced me to go to see Captain EO. :rotfl:

Omg, your Spaceship Earth picture is hysterical. I mean who took a bite out of your head? HAHAHA.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Dang it!! I was totally gonna say Captain EO!! And I'm so glad that you like Figment! It's one of my favorite rides and I hate that guidebooks always trash it!

I miss the Jeremy Irons narration on SE too...although to be honest, before the refurb they did, I could barely hear any of it because the track was so loud. :confused3

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at Sanaa!

Hahaha you should have!!! I know, Figment gets such bad reviews, I'm like "but he's awesome!!" :laughing:

This is true, the track used to be a lot louder. I can't pretend to look fondly back at that...;)

I've never seen Captain EO. One of my DIS friends saw it last year and texted me with, "that was the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life." :lmao:

I LOVE the Imagination area! I remember seeing the timeline, next time I need to stop and look at everything.

So...you were at Sanaa that night? We were at Boma at 4:30! :rotfl:

LOL :lmao: That's pretty apt!!

It's fun to look at the timeline, although it's hard during busier times, you're pretty much right in the middle of the Soarin' traffic flow!

Seriously??? Seems like we were on the same plan wavelength!!! :rotfl:

Yes, I believe you will require a chiropractor. Trent works for an awesome one, so let us know..... :goodvibes

I'm picturing Wingnut Junior doing this in a few years.
You will have to save this for when Senior tells Junior to get down because it's dangerous and rude. :laughing:

Hahahaha thankfully I only look like that on Spaceship Earth!!

:lmao: He so would! I'll have to keep this one on hand... :rolleyes1

I think you've convinced me to go to see Captain EO. :rotfl:

Omg, your Spaceship Earth picture is hysterical. I mean who took a bite out of your head? HAHAHA.

Hahahaha yes!!! You just HAVE to once!

I don't really know what happened here!! :rotfl:

[LilAnn]

Wait, I've never even noticed the timeline stuff. Man, there is always so much to see at Epcot, I seriously discover something "new" each time I go.

I can't wait to hear about Sanaa. I really want to eat there one day. There's just so many places that I want to try, but some old favorites always call out to me.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

It wasn't long before our AKL-bound chariot arrived, and we hopped on-board.

Not literally. We took our seats in a calm and civilized manner.

Probably. :rolleyes1

Can I divert for a moment to rhapsodize about the bus music? I truly adore how the Disney busses – sorry, motorcoaches – play destination-specific music. Like, for the Yacht Club, it's calm nautical sounds like seagulls and ocean waves. To Epcot, you'll hear lots of the songs from 4 Parks 1 World CD's, Ellen's Energy Adventure and World Showcase tunes. En route to DHS, movie themes.

The music going to Animal Kingdom Lodge has to be one of my favorites. It seems to be pretty similar to what's played over the lobbies and savannah viewing locations, and I just love the singing and the drums. It's just peaceful and wonderful and part of what makes Disney Disney.

Anyways. We're on the bus. Nothing very notable happens. We stop first at Kidani Village, and disembark (I'm on a roll with the bus terminology here, right?).

(Yes, that last one was on purpose too.) :thumbsup2

We were pretty early for our reservation, so we made our way through the lobby, stopping in the gift shop, of course.

Wingnut: Wait! Why does this gift shop have Chef Boyardee???
Me: Because it's a vacation club resort.
Wingnut: That's awesome.

Sigh. :headache:

Moving away from the pantry section of the gift shop, we decided to go check out the animals for a little bit.

I stopped in one of the bathrooms on the way to the savannah, and found an awesome sink in there.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6702051495_e7773b5f14.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702051495/)

(Wingnut had gone to the bathroom as well, he was pretty impressed with the sinks as well, all like "Did you see the sinks in there??") :laughing:

Blurry, but AKL has quotations painted on the walls.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6702052611_4de0010b21.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702052611/)

Savannah time!!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6702053429_e396b23d7b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702053429/)

Zebras!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6702053885_b5d1aef804.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702053885/)

Giraffes!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6702054377_97e8778a3b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702054377/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6702054607_2236a171bd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702054607/)

Zebras!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6702055247_db0d9a7ae5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702055247/)

Giraffes!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6702056327_80f94d4309.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702056327/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6702057003_f2b1b96c75.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702057003/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6702058811_6f4ecb71f4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702058811/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6702059849_18a72e480a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702059849/)

(Apparently we were in the part of the savannah with the zebras and giraffes :rolleyes1)

Pretty beaded lamps.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6702060947_4506c50dfa.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702060947/)

And more zebras!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6702061521_257de423d0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702061521/)

Gira... no, wait. That's an ostrich.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6702061959_6b6cb11d22.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702061959/)

It was just so peaceful and wonderful standing out there watching the zebras and wildebeasts and birds. I know I've always said that Wingnut and I would never consider staying at AKL because of the distance to everything (Epcot) but at that moment, I finally felt the AKL lodge love.

I tuned to Wingnut. "I know this sounds crazy, but I really want to stay here someday."

He reiterated our usual lines, that it's far from Epcot and DHS, and that the novelty of the animals would probably wear off.

"Yeah, I know. But this is just so nice."

"It is nice," he agreed.

We hung out for around a half hour or so on the little area overlooking the savannah, enjoying watching the animals and savoring that excitement of the first Disney day.

A few minutes before 5 (when Sanaa opens), we made our way inside, ready for our first dinner of the trip!

[LilAnn]

Apparently I commented too soon as you just updated. Anyways, you got some nice animal pics! I haven't seen the giraffes whenever I am out there. I do see many a zebra butt.

Nice sink, for reals.

Those beaded lamps are pretty cool. I just love all the details in the resorts.

[Joyciemc]

Your AKL pictures are making me nostalgic! I LOVED staying at Kidani, but we probably never will again (unless we do a trip without parks, which is totally possible for us, or a long split-stay) because of how far it is from everything... we tried to take mid-day breaks, and I felt like we missed both park time AND time to enjoy our resort. Though if we had a car with us, that might have changed things...

But it is sooooooooo nice and I absolutely loved our stay at the resort itself!

[mousescrapper]

Capt EO :rotfl2:

Well at least you had fun...I love those fountains too...just realized we didn't see them last month whoops

No EP day could be complete w/out a ride through SSE...

I was thoroughly impressed too w/ the Savanah area at AKL as well...someday we may stay DVC there too...but I too get hung up w/ the need for the busses everywhere :confused:

Can't wait to hear about your dinner

J

[Jennifer48]

Nope, definitely didn't think Captain EO was your first stop! :laughing:

I completely agree with you regarding the music on the Disney buses, ahem, motorcoaches. Really gets you in the mood before you've even hit your destination. :thumbsup2

Kidani is our "home" so the AKL has a special place in my heart. Isn't that outlook just fun to sit out at? There usually is a CM with great knowledge standing out there answering questions and such.

I can't wait to hear about Sanaa. I want to dine there soon! :goodvibes

[Fantasyland Mom]

I knew I couldn't be the only one who is impressed with bathrooms:lmao:!

I think it's hilarious that foodie Wingnut was impressed with Chef Boyardee:rotfl2:! But then again, who can resist it??

Can't wait to hear about Sanaa. Everyone seems to love that place!

[vassar36]

can't wait to hear about Sanaa....so glad I found your TR!!

[tinacaplan]

Probably the funniest part of it was literally the first Monday we went back to work after our trip, Wingnut texted me like, "you will NEVER believe what just came on my online radio" and it was We Are Here to Change the World from Captain EO! :lmao:

Um...what do you have to your radio programmed to to make THAT happen?? And which service was it? 'Cause if I could make that happen..I SO want to. :rotfl:


Thank you!! Hahaha yeah I knew that one was going to come out of nowhere! Awwww it does get a bit unexpectedly loud, I'm sure you didn't expect that! At least there's a ton of other fun things to do around Epcot to forget all about EO!

It was more the fearsome Angelica Houston and the crazy nails! :scared1:

I love the bus music, too! :love: You are totally right. Its one of the things that makes Disney "Disney" for me and why I don't mind riding the busses in the slightest.

I would love to stay at AKL someday, too. We were "this" close to doing it last summer (club level no less), but went with the Beach Club in the end because of...yup, location. That and the fact that Max isn't a huge animal fan. :confused3 I don't know...he's four. I'm afraid of how long it will take to get anywhere. I have a secret (OK not so secret) dream for a trip for Christmas week, which would simply involve staying at AKL and soaking up all the fun there. I even love how the lobby smells there. And the bathrooms...OMG...they are fantastic.

[marDgreen88]

I agree about the Disney bus music! I love it. They put so much thought into everything.

Disembarking is so much fancier than just 'getting off the bus.' :thumbsup2

AKL is the coolest idea for a hotel ever. I mean really. Just the IDEA that you might be able to see animals at any given time is awesome! I want to stay there someday too! I'm used to the distance, given that I've ONLY stayed at the All Stars! :laughing:

[shan23877]

I would have been snapping pics of the Chef Boyardee :lmao:

Excited to hear how you enjoyed Sanaa.

[SoNotAPrincess]

I totally :lovestruc the giraffe photos! Not to leave the zebras out, of course, because they're also very photogenic!

We stayed at AKL, and it was wonderful; but at the end of the day when you're tired and just want the pool and an adult beverage, it was a looooong drive. I don't know that we'd stay there again, but I'm so glad we did it once.

Can't wait for your Sanaa review...I haven't been there yet!

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Oh I'm so far behind! I have to catch up!

[glennbo123]

Love the back and forth between the zebras and the giraffes and the occasional ostrich...great chapter! Very nice pictures.

And you'd love it if you stayed there.

[MeMom]

You know, I was having a pretty darn good not craving Disney day - all happy about getting tickets to take the girls to the Disney Princess Live show in March and getting ready to book our October trip within the week....


but,

then

you

came up with all of those incredible AKL pictures,

and

I digressed in a big way! :upsidedow

I am so glad you felt the AKL love. I can so easily picture us being there in those pictures - feeling the sunshine, hearing the chirps of the birds, and watching the giraffes walk slowly and gracefully from tree to tree finding their food. We have only stayed there once (Jambo), but have visited many, many times, and we definitely plan to stay there again. ::yes::

Now I have to go write a hundred times
There is no March trip.
and get myself back in control.

June will be here shortly, right?

June will be here shortly.
June will be here shortly.

I think I better do two write-offs to convince myself. ;)

[Nermel9]

First, thank you for that link to the Imagination area music, I LOVE it! I feel like you and I really love the Disney area music loops a LOT! :thumbsup2 Now I'm listening to the Norway area music...God I'd give anything to be in Epcot right now! :banana:

And your description of the bus music makes me want to do a non-rental car trip, just to hear the music on the buses! The only time we ever used the buses was from MK to WL and I'm pretty sure it was music from Four Parks/One World, but I can't be sure, it might have been WL music too...either way, I want to hear Disney music on a Disney bus! :lovestruc

AKL is beautiful, that is such a cool sink! I really love going outside and looking at the animals, although, we always go out by the pool and none of the cool animals are over there (and by that, I mean giraffes! :love:)

Can't wait to hear about Sanaa!

[jecskc]

I loved your AKL photos !!! I hope we get to stay near the giraffes. I just love them. Looking forward to your Saana review.

[MEK]

I love AKL and I know everyone says its far from everything, but it didn't feel that way to me. Once you are there you get totally immersed. I loved it there. Best restaurants, greats pools and HANDS - DOWN the best relaxation music. DO it!

[Simba22]

The music going to Animal Kingdom Lodge has to be one of my favorites. It seems to be pretty similar to what's played over the lobbies and savannah viewing locations, and I just love the singing and the drums. It's just peaceful and wonderful and part of what makes Disney Disney.

Yes! The AK "motorcoach" music is the best! I love that kind of music (I bought one of those Sounds of Africa CDs at Walmart a couple years ago and LOVE it..maybe I'm weird, but hey....). It was great in 2009 when we went to Boma and got a bus to ourselves in the morning...we could actually listen to the music without people talking over it :laughing:



http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6702057003_f2b1b96c75.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702057003/)

Awesome shot! :thumbsup2 Love it!



I tuned to Wingnut. "I know this sounds crazy, but I really want to stay here someday."

He reiterated our usual lines, that it's far from Epcot and DHS, and that the novelty of the animals would probably wear off.

"Yeah, I know. But this is just so nice."

"It is nice," he agreed.

Dude, your pics may have played a part in the most important decision regarding WDW Trip Planning! I totally just turned to my BF and asked him about doing a split stay in 2013...We're set on BWV....but AKL is SOOO amazing! And since we're going for 2 weeks, it might not be so bad changing resorts after the first few days.... :scratchin

[IheartDDuck]

Hahaha, I would have named the chapter that. "Why does this store have Chef Boyardee in it?" :lmao: That's flippin' hilarious. Oh little one.

I love AKL. One of my favorite resorts. The animal thing hasn't worn off for me yet. I just love the resort. As BFF Farrell would say "I'll let a giraffe lick my toes anyday!"

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Wait, I've never even noticed the timeline stuff. Man, there is always so much to see at Epcot, I seriously discover something "new" each time I go.

I can't wait to hear about Sanaa. I really want to eat there one day. There's just so many places that I want to try, but some old favorites always call out to me.

It's basically right along the path to Soarin', around where you start to see the Land pavilion and the wait times board by there. Just look down, you'll see it!

Apparently I commented too soon as you just updated. Anyways, you got some nice animal pics! I haven't seen the giraffes whenever I am out there. I do see many a zebra butt.

Nice sink, for reals.

Those beaded lamps are pretty cool. I just love all the details in the resorts.

Hahaha you snuck in there! The giraffes and zebras were out and about that day, it was great!

The sink was so awesome! It was that waterfall-type spout too. I love all of the details too, it's just amazing HOW detailed everything is!

Your AKL pictures are making me nostalgic! I LOVED staying at Kidani, but we probably never will again (unless we do a trip without parks, which is totally possible for us, or a long split-stay) because of how far it is from everything... we tried to take mid-day breaks, and I felt like we missed both park time AND time to enjoy our resort. Though if we had a car with us, that might have changed things...

But it is sooooooooo nice and I absolutely loved our stay at the resort itself!

We would definitely have to rent a car to stay there, it just is too far from the things we love! I do think it would be a cool place to stay though! I'm glad you enjoyed your stay there!!

Capt EO :rotfl2:

Well at least you had fun...I love those fountains too...just realized we didn't see them last month whoops

No EP day could be complete w/out a ride through SSE...

I was thoroughly impressed too w/ the Savanah area at AKL as well...someday we may stay DVC there too...but I too get hung up w/ the need for the busses everywhere :confused:

Can't wait to hear about your dinner

J

Hahaha hey, gotta give the '80s some love!

It really isn't. You just have to ride Spaceship Earth. I think it's a requirement for stepping foot into Epcot.

The savannah area was gorgeous! But agreed, SO many busses!

Nope, definitely didn't think Captain EO was your first stop! :laughing:

I completely agree with you regarding the music on the Disney buses, ahem, motorcoaches. Really gets you in the mood before you've even hit your destination. :thumbsup2

Kidani is our "home" so the AKL has a special place in my heart. Isn't that outlook just fun to sit out at? There usually is a CM with great knowledge standing out there answering questions and such.

I can't wait to hear about Sanaa. I want to dine there soon! :goodvibes

LOL we're unpredictable, I guess!!

The music really lends the perfect atmosphere to your destination! The outlook was wonderful and peaceful! Yes, there was a CM there answering questions, she really seemed to love her job!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I knew I couldn't be the only one who is impressed with bathrooms:lmao:!

I think it's hilarious that foodie Wingnut was impressed with Chef Boyardee:rotfl2:! But then again, who can resist it??

Can't wait to hear about Sanaa. Everyone seems to love that place!

Hahahaha I'm always impressed by a fun bathroom!! :rotfl:

He really was. He loves that stuff. I don't know how or why (well, he always says it reminds him of when he was a kid), but I won't touch it! :laughing:

can't wait to hear about Sanaa....so glad I found your TR!!

Welcome!!! :goodvibes Thanks!!

Um...what do you have to your radio programmed to to make THAT happen?? And which service was it? 'Cause if I could make that happen..I SO want to. :rotfl:


It was more the fearsome Angelica Houston and the crazy nails! :scared1:

I love the bus music, too! :love: You are totally right. Its one of the things that makes Disney "Disney" for me and why I don't mind riding the busses in the slightest.

I would love to stay at AKL someday, too. We were "this" close to doing it last summer (club level no less), but went with the Beach Club in the end because of...yup, location. That and the fact that Max isn't a huge animal fan. :confused3 I don't know...he's four. I'm afraid of how long it will take to get anywhere. I have a secret (OK not so secret) dream for a trip for Christmas week, which would simply involve staying at AKL and soaking up all the fun there. I even love how the lobby smells there. And the bathrooms...OMG...they are fantastic.

I think he uses Pandora, and he has a mix of 70's and 80's songs. I can confirm this later :thumbsup2

She really does have crazy nails there!

Location really does play such a big role with resort selection. I love love love the restaurants and atmosphere there, but it's just SO far from Epcot!! That would be such a cool Disney week trip! And I agree, AKL really does have the greatest bathrooms!

I agree about the Disney bus music! I love it. They put so much thought into everything.

Disembarking is so much fancier than just 'getting off the bus.' :thumbsup2

AKL is the coolest idea for a hotel ever. I mean really. Just the IDEA that you might be able to see animals at any given time is awesome! I want to stay there someday too! I'm used to the distance, given that I've ONLY stayed at the All Stars! :laughing:

They really do! I love those Disney details!

It so is!! I can't imagine just waking up and seeing zebras and giraffes, that seems just so awesome to me!

I would have been snapping pics of the Chef Boyardee :lmao:

Excited to hear how you enjoyed Sanaa.

:rotfl: I should have!! I totally didn't think to!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I totally :lovestruc the giraffe photos! Not to leave the zebras out, of course, because they're also very photogenic!

We stayed at AKL, and it was wonderful; but at the end of the day when you're tired and just want the pool and an adult beverage, it was a looooong drive. I don't know that we'd stay there again, but I'm so glad we did it once.

Can't wait for your Sanaa review...I haven't been there yet!

Thank you!!! All of the animals were big posers for the camera that day! :laughing:

That's what I'm afraid of. It seems like a fantastic place to stay though!

Oh I'm so far behind! I have to catch up!

Don't worry, we're still on day 1 here! :rotfl:

Love the back and forth between the zebras and the giraffes and the occasional ostrich...great chapter! Very nice pictures.

And you'd love it if you stayed there.

Hahaha thank you!!! I'm thinking we would, but there's still a bit of hesitation!

You know, I was having a pretty darn good not craving Disney day - all happy about getting tickets to take the girls to the Disney Princess Live show in March and getting ready to book our October trip within the week....


but,

then

you

came up with all of those incredible AKL pictures,

and

I digressed in a big way! :upsidedow

I am so glad you felt the AKL love. I can so easily picture us being there in those pictures - feeling the sunshine, hearing the chirps of the birds, and watching the giraffes walk slowly and gracefully from tree to tree finding their food. We have only stayed there once (Jambo), but have visited many, many times, and we definitely plan to stay there again. ::yes::

Now I have to go write a hundred times
There is no March trip.
and get myself back in control.

June will be here shortly, right?

June will be here shortly.
June will be here shortly.

I think I better do two write-offs to convince myself. ;)

Hahaha sorry MeMom!!! :flower3: June will be here before you know it!!! And the Disney Princess Live show will definitely help bridge the gap before then too!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

First, thank you for that link to the Imagination area music, I LOVE it! I feel like you and I really love the Disney area music loops a LOT! :thumbsup2 Now I'm listening to the Norway area music...God I'd give anything to be in Epcot right now! :banana:

And your description of the bus music makes me want to do a non-rental car trip, just to hear the music on the buses! The only time we ever used the buses was from MK to WL and I'm pretty sure it was music from Four Parks/One World, but I can't be sure, it might have been WL music too...either way, I want to hear Disney music on a Disney bus! :lovestruc

AKL is beautiful, that is such a cool sink! I really love going outside and looking at the animals, although, we always go out by the pool and none of the cool animals are over there (and by that, I mean giraffes! :love:)

Can't wait to hear about Sanaa!

Anytime!! I think we do too!!! They're just so great to listen to!! Ugh, I would LOVE to be in Epcot right now!!

Hahaha the busses aren't always fun, but the music is a really fun touch!

I loved all of the details around AKL. It really is fantastically done.

I loved your AKL photos !!! I hope we get to stay near the giraffes. I just love them. Looking forward to your Saana review.

Thank you!!! That'd be awesome, the giraffes are beautiful!

I love AKL and I know everyone says its far from everything, but it didn't feel that way to me. Once you are there you get totally immersed. I loved it there. Best restaurants, greats pools and HANDS - DOWN the best relaxation music. DO it!

Hahahaha I'm REALLY tempted, believe me!! :laughing:

Yes! The AK "motorcoach" music is the best! I love that kind of music (I bought one of those Sounds of Africa CDs at Walmart a couple years ago and LOVE it..maybe I'm weird, but hey....). It was great in 2009 when we went to Boma and got a bus to ourselves in the morning...we could actually listen to the music without people talking over it :laughing:

Awesome shot! :thumbsup2 Love it!

Dude, your pics may have played a part in the most important decision regarding WDW Trip Planning! I totally just turned to my BF and asked him about doing a split stay in 2013...We're set on BWV....but AKL is SOOO amazing! And since we're going for 2 weeks, it might not be so bad changing resorts after the first few days.... :scratchin

Hahaha that's awesome! I loved that music too while we were there! It is great when the busses are quieter, and you can really hear it!

Thank you!! :goodvibes

LOL glad to help! You know, this was also the first trip that I really understood the logic of a split stay. Before this, I wouldn't get why people would pack up and switch resorts after only a few days, but I would TOTALLY split stay at AKL. Especially since you're going on a 2-week trip, that's a great amount of time to get to experience 2 resorts!!

Hahaha, I would have named the chapter that. "Why does this store have Chef Boyardee in it?" :lmao: That's flippin' hilarious. Oh little one.

I love AKL. One of my favorite resorts. The animal thing hasn't worn off for me yet. I just love the resort. As BFF Farrell would say "I'll let a giraffe lick my toes anyday!"

LOL :lmao: that's a good one!

It really is gorgeous!! (I don't know about letting the giraffes actually REALLY close to me, but I did love looking at them! :laughing:)

[Simba22]

LOL glad to help! You know, this was also the first trip that I really understood the logic of a split stay. Before this, I wouldn't get why people would pack up and switch resorts after only a few days, but I would TOTALLY split stay at AKL. Especially since you're going on a 2-week trip, that's a great amount of time to get to experience 2 resorts!!


I always wanted to try a split stay but my BF was always against it for your exact reason...why waste time packing up again? But for our 2013 trip, we planned on doing 4 park days, then a resort day...so we could easily use that day to change over. And I'm pretty sure that Disney will move all of your luggage for you. This could actually work! :idea:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I always wanted to try a split stay but my BF was always against it for your exact reason...why waste time packing up again? But for our 2013 trip, we planned on doing 4 park days, then a resort day...so we could easily use that day to change over. And I'm pretty sure that Disney will move all of your luggage for you. This could actually work! :idea:

You definitely could! I know that they do move luggage, which makes it even easier! I think 4 days at a resort isn't TOO short an amount of time! That would be really fun to be able to stay at 2 places on one trip.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Despite it being a late-ish addition to our ADR roster, it would be an understatement to say that Wingnut and I were pretty excited for this meal. We really enjoy Indian food, and also have loved our meals at Disney's African-inspired restaurants, Boma and Jiko, so we couldn’t wait to try another Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurant.

We made our way to the podium a few minutes before 5, and checked in. While we checked in, I asked if it would be possible for us to have a window table, since we had been so enjoying watching the animals on the savannah overlook, and would love to keep watching them while the sun was still up. I was told that the request would be noted on our reservation.

We stepped away from the podium, and Wingnut discovered this cozy little nook (with very comfortable seating) right off to the side of the restaurant's check-in area.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6702062379_81fcce7350.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702062379/)

A few brief moments of lounging later, we heard drumming and singing coming from Sanaa.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6702062819_071da7df3d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702062819/)

The staff performed a fun welcome song, drumming and singing and clapping. We clapped along and were led to our table pretty much immediately after the song ended, which had an absolutely gorgeous view of the savannah. :yay:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6702068725_cacea22c98.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702068725/)

We both had mango lassis to drink (yes, included on the DDP).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6702063635_aeb30c333b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702063635/)

We really enjoyed these, they were a bit more mango-y and a bit less yogurt-y than the ones we are used to, and it was very smoothie-like and icy in texture.

Wingnut: The lassi was good, it was pretty standard. It had a lot of mango in it, which is nice.

They were an excellent and refreshing way to begin our feast. (You'll see in a few moments that "feast" is in no way an exaggeration to what we had to eat that night.)

Current Disney cocktail napkins:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/6702066745_ab12822ef9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702066745/)

Throughout our meal, we were visited by one of the birds roaming the savannah. Our server told us his name (which we completely forget now), and that he and his brother love visiting Sanaa.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6702065137_83a47680b4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702065137/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6702065947_025ec0e388.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702065947/)

Wingnut was absolutely set on trying the bread service as his appetizer, which came with a choice of three breads (between Naan, Onion Kulcha, Papadum, Paneer Paratha) and three dips (between Red Chile Sambal, Cucumber Raita, Coriander Chutney, Mango Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Mint Chutney, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus, Tamarind Chutney, and Coconut Raita).

I decided to order the appetizer sampler for 2 as my contribution to the appetizer round. (Our wonderful server told us that only one of our appetizers would count for both of our appetizers on the plan, since they were both intended for 2 people. That was totally fine by us.)

(Yes, we started our meal with food for 4. Let the remorseless eating begin!)

Soon after, the food arrived.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6702068183_dc99fdb3b9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702068183/)

Our bread service consisted of Onion Kulcha, Papadum, Paneer Paratha and Cucumber Raita, Coconut Raita, and Tamarind Chutney. We had decided to try the three breads offered besides naan, which we have had more often before. Out of the dips, we chose the tamarind (which I love), and the coconut and the cucumber because they sounded interesting.

We really enjoyed all of the offerings in the bread service. My favorite bread was the Onion Kulcha, it was chock-full of sweet onions. The Papadum was the thin and crispy bread on top, it had a nice light flavor. The Paneer Paratha is a cheese bread (paneer is made from cottage cheese), it was a bit heavier, but had a great flavor.

Out of the dips, the Tamarind Chutney was great, nice and sweet. The Cucumber Raita was very good, it had a nice slight heat to it. The Coconut Raita was the only disappointment, it was a bit too yogurty and not enough coconuty for our taste.

Wingnut: The Paneer bread was my favorite. It was more dense than the others, and it had a lot of curry flavoring. Out of the dips, I liked the Cucumber Raita. The Tamarind is always nice, it's got a nice sweetness. The other one we had was way too yogurty. It was nice, but it lacked...pizzazz.

(Yes, all of Wingnut's reviews are direct quotes.)

The appetizer sampler came with Potato and Pea Samosas, Lamb Kefta Kabobs, and Roasted Cauliflower

I really enjoyed the potato and pea samosas. They had a wonderful flavor and texture to them, a crispy exterior and a nice soft and warm interior. I especially enjoyed the chutney that accompanied them. The roasted cauliflower had a little bit of heat to it, it was very good. Around 99.3% of the lamb went to Wingnut, save for the teeny tiny bite he insisted I try (I'm not a huge lamb fan). I thought they were pretty good, but let him have most of them. (Especially since he said I could have most of his samosa in exchange for the meatballs.)

Wingnut: That was REALLY good. The lamb kebabs were fantastic. They were very spicy, but not overwhelmingly spicy. I liked the cauliflower, it was seasoned well. The samosas were very good. Standard samosa-y kind of things.

For our entrees, we both chose from the Slow Cooked in Gravy options. I asked, and you ARE allowed to mix and match from the meats and the vegetables lists, which is what I did. Wingnut went carnivorous for both of his selections.

(Do not be deceived by the size of these bowls. I promise you, these servings have a LOT of food in them, much more than Wingnut and I had been expecting, based on pictures.)

Wingnut and his entree, the Spicy Durban Shrimp and the Coconut-Curry Lamb.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6702070317_9962d49f75.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702070317/)

Wingnut: The Spicy Durban Shrimp was AWESOME. They gave a ton of shrimp in the dish. Usually when you order shrimp, you only get a few, this was like, 10 of them. The lamb was really really really tasty. They know how to do a good lamb.

I went with the Beef Short Ribs and the Vegetable Sambar.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6702069371_2e7d227fd6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702069371/)

The short ribs were honestly one of the best dishes of our trip. Wingnut described them as "Indian pot roast," and I think that's really the best way to describe them. They were perfectly cooked, deliciously seasoned, and simply awesome. The vegetables were also great, but were nowhere near the amazingness of the short ribs.

We both had the Basmati rice with our meals (you have a choice of that or 5-Grain Pilaf), which our server recommended. It was very well-cooked and nicely flavored.

Yep, we're pigs.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6702072079_3ae1f44792.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702072079/)

After those plates were cleared away, I noticed a Mickey on the table!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6702072501_b9f3ca4160.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702072501/)

If you think that we're going to let a thing like enough food for 17 people stop us from having dessert, well, you're new to my food reviews, aren't you?? :laughing:

For dessert, I chose the Orange Sesame cake with Strawberry Ginger Kulfi. Kulfi, as I had Wikipedia'd before we left, is like a super-creamy ice cream.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6702073947_f2fcfff37f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702073947/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6702074843_b58800f8e7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702074843/)

I thought that this was very good. It's essentially a lightly-orange flavored pound cake with a sweet sesame topping (don't worry, it doesn't taste like you're eating a bagel). I really loved the flavor of the cake. The kulfi was very interesting, and I don't say interesting in the sense that I hated it, because believe me I didn't. It was literally a flavor explosion, in a little pink package. I have never had such gingery strawberry flavor before, especially in a creamy ice cream sense. The ginger flavor was very prevalent, as was the strawberry. I thought that it was an interesting component with the cake, although the ginger flavor was a teeny bit overpowering when paired with the lovely orange cake.

Wingnut went with the rice pudding. He is a HUGE fan of rice pudding, and was excited to try Sanaa's take. Our server did warn him that it was not really a traditional rice pudding, per se, but he was still on board.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6702072973_0eec5d52b0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702072973/)

(The rice pudding is in the glass, topped with a crispy cookie. In the small pitcher is a cinnamon-scented milk.)

Wingnut: I was disappointed by the rice pudding. It was very dry, and it wasn't very sweet. And it just wasn't what you expect from a rice pudding. The crunchy cookie on top was tasty and sweet though.

Overall, we LOVED Sanaa. It absolutely lived up to our expectations, the food and the atmosphere were both incredible. It was one of our favorite meals of the trip, and as we pretty much rolled out of the restaurant, we were almost giddy that our meal had been THAT good, and that our vacation dining was off to THAT great a start.

I would absolutely, completely, entirely recommend Sanaa as a wonderful wonderful meal. Do not be scared away by unfamiliar ingredients or cooking methods. The servers are more than happy to answer any and all questions. Believe me, I am not that adventurous an eater (I don't even like dark meat chicken! Oh, and while I'm on the subject, Sanaa only uses dark meat chicken in its dishes, except for ones that specify that they are a chicken breast), but I was thrilled with our dinner here.

Leaving Kidani Village, the temperature had dropped considerably. During dinner, we had discussed our plans for the evening. Magic Kingdom had EMH's that night, but Wingnut suggested since we had been up since 5 that morning to fly down to Disney (yes we're still on day 1!), why don't we relax, get our refillable mugs, and explore the resort a bit. I agreed that this was a good idea (now decreeing that we had to stop at our room for warmer clothes before heading the GCH!), that I was tired too.

We decided to return to the Polynesian by way of either Magic Kingdom or Epcot (depending on which bus came first), then monorail. The Epcot bus showed up, and I joked that I hoped we'd have an easier time finding Tokelau from the TTC than we had had with the reverse earlier…

(I'll leave you with that bit of foreshadowing for now…)

[SoNotAPrincess]

OMG...seriously, you should write Disney food reviews for a living...imagine being PAID to eat yummilicious Disney food! My mouth is positively watering! I am NOT an adventurous eater, but everything sounded SO good.

And I love the bird that sauntered up to the window like, "Hello, I know you're really here to see me, so, TA DAH, here I am, for your viewing pleasure!"

GREAT installment...kudos! :cool1:

[3prettyprincesses]

It wasn't long before our AKL-bound chariot arrived, and we hopped on-board.

Not literally. We took our seats in a calm and civilized manner.

Ya, sure you did.;)

Can I divert for a moment to rhapsodize about the bus music? I truly adore how the Disney busses – sorry, motorcoaches – play destination-specific music. Like, for the Yacht Club, it's calm nautical sounds like seagulls and ocean waves. To Epcot, you'll hear lots of the songs from 4 Parks 1 World CD's, Ellen's Energy Adventure and World Showcase tunes. En route to DHS, movie themes.

I completely agree! It's so theme park specific and just puts me in such a good mood!:goodvibes

We were pretty early for our reservation, so we made our way through the lobby, stopping in the gift shop, of course.

Wingnut: Wait! Why does this gift shop have Chef Boyardee???
Me: Because it's a vacation club resort.
Wingnut: That's awesome.

Sigh. :headache:

:lmao:Chef Boyardee?? Oh, I'd have busted a rib laughing over that! Ah, Wingnut clearly has sophisticated taste!

I stopped in one of the bathrooms on the way to the savannah, and found an awesome sink in there.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6702051495_e7773b5f14.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702051495/)

Love the sink! It's so cool, I'd have taken a picture too and then told DH and watched him roll his eyes at me for well, taking a picture of a Disney bathroom sink.

(Wingnut had gone to the bathroom as well, he was pretty impressed with the sinks as well, all like "Did you see the sinks in there??") :laughing:

Oh, Wingnut so gets you, doesn't he. You guys are a match made in heaven!:goodvibes


Zebras!

Giraffes!

Zebras!

Giraffes!

(Apparently we were in the part of the savannah with the zebras and giraffes :rolleyes1)

And more zebras!

Gira... no, wait. That's an ostrich.

I was going to say antelope...:rolleyes1 Maybe there was some kind of zebra/giraffe convention?:confused3 They were probably mulling over territory lines or something.

I tuned to Wingnut. "I know this sounds crazy, but I really want to stay here someday."

He reiterated our usual lines, that it's far from Epcot and DHS, and that the novelty of the animals would probably wear off.

Wingut has a very valid argument. Though my DH would side with you on this one, he really wants to stay at AKL!

The staff performed a fun welcome song, drumming and singing and clapping. We clapped along and were led to our table pretty much immediately after the song ended, which had an absolutely gorgeous view of the savannah. :yay:

This looks pretty darn cool! And your table view is stunning.

If you think that we're going to let a thing like enough food for 17 people stop us from having dessert, well, you're new to my food reviews, aren't you?? :laughing:

Oh, I knew dessert would be had!:thumbsup2

Leaving Kidani Village, the temperature had dropped considerably. During dinner, we had discussed our plans for the evening. Magic Kingdom had EMH's that night, but Wingnut suggested since we had been up since 5 that morning to fly down to Disney (yes we're still on day 1!), why don't we relax, get our refillable mugs, and explore the resort a bit. I agreed that this was a good idea (now decreeing that we had to stop at our room for warmer clothes before heading the GCH!), that I was tired too.

I can't believe you did all of this on just your arrival day! I'm impressed Sara.

We decided to return to the Polynesian by way of either Magic Kingdom or Epcot (depending on which bus came first), then monorail. The Epcot bus showed up, and I joked that I hoped we'd have an easier time finding Tokelau from the TTC than we had had with the reverse earlier…

Ah, the elusive Tokelau via the TTC. Yup, been there done that.:rolleyes1

Fantastic dining review to Sara! You should be a food critic, your writing is very succint and detailed. Makes me want to try Sanaa now!:goodvibes

[MeMom]

Throughout our meal, we were visited by one of the birds roaming the savannah. Our server told us his name (which we completely forget now), and that he and his brother love visiting Sanaa.

Cute. :goodvibes




Yep, we're pigs.

Looks like a ton of food.
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the review, since we have not eaten there....

yet.





Wingnut suggested since we had been up since 5 that morning to fly down to Disney (yes we're still on day 1!), why don't we relax, get our refillable mugs, and explore the resort a bit. I agreed that this was a good idea (now decreeing that we had to stop at our room for warmer clothes before heading the GCH!), that I was tired too.

Yes, sounds like a good idea to call it a night after a long day and all that good food. Plus, when you are staying at Poly, going back to the resort is such a nice thing. :thumbsup2

[Simba22]

Wow! What a fantastic review of Sanaa! Your pics and descriptions are fabulous! I am so NOT an adventurous eater but you really made me decide to give it a try! It's officially on the list for next year's trip!

[IheartDDuck]

Mmmmm. I haven't eaten at Sanaa for quite some time, but your pictures and review are definitely inspiring me to go back.

[glennbo123]

An awesome review Sara! I'm so happy that you and Wingnut enjoyed your meal there. Kidani is calling your name....;)

[Merida]

Oops! I missed a few! (Also an oops: I really liked Captain EO. I don't know - I have a thing for Michael Jackson and music videos and the 80s and space operas so.. how could I hate Captain EO? Setting anything in space increases the coolness like fifty million times. And it reminds me of Power Rangers for some reason).

Those leaping water fountains are so cool! I love watching them and seeing where they land. Very soothing and usually not very crowded! And it's a relatively short shot to go see Figment. :goodvibes

I love AKL so much but my favorite deluxe bathroom has to be Yacht Club because there are real (cloth) towels (washcloths) available! It just feels so fancy! And I tend to forget which part of AKL (Jambo vs Kidani) to go to. I ALWAYS mix up answers when there's two choices (left/right, Jambo/Kidani, true/false.. this has to have some sort of Latin or German name!) Yacht Club does not have zebras, which is a major negative.

We've only been to Boma but after reading about Jiko/Sanaa I really want to go there. I don't know, it's such a different feel from the rest of Disney (GFlo is nice, but it's so obvious that we don't have enough money to actually stay there... AKL is much more relaxed, I guess? Maybe because of those birds. Who can be stuffy with those neighbors?!)

The food at Sanaa sounds amazing, but I have a feeling I'd stuff myself full of naan and then not be able to eat anything (I may have done this at Kona). Is kulfi kind of like gelato? It looks... interesting. But I do love strawberry gelato. It's just so pink!

Also dark meat chicken is the work of the devil. Worst food ever (next to cauliflower which is a pale imitation of the far superior broccoli).

I'm glad your first dinner was such a success! Hopefully everything else was just as amazing. :)

[marDgreen88]

They seriously welcomed you... WITH SONG? Okay, dream come true. Hahaha.

That is just adorable that the bird likes to visit the restaurant guests! I bet he's thinking, "Thanks for not eating me, yall."

Haha I love the Wingnut quotes. It's never fun when your bread dip doesn't have enough pizzazz.

You have a knack for describing food, I must say! I'm glad you said that you aren't a very adventurous eater, because I'm not either, but eventually I'd like to try it. So, good to know!

Hmm... foreshadowing... hahaha oh goodness. :rotfl:

[tinacaplan]

Wow...your meal at Sanaa looked and sounded delicious. I am big fan of Indian food, so I'm sure I'd love it. One of these trips, we're going to have get out there. And what an incredible table. As much I know that the atmosphere can only go so far in a restaurant...this IS Disney so it always helps a bit when the scenery is that incredible.

And it didn't even occur to me that when you're staying at the Poly that getting to or from a resort would be as simple as hopping the next bus to either the MK or EPCOT. How cool! :thumbsup2 And people say the monorail is overrated. :sad2:

Can't wait to see if you make it back to Tokelau OK and....if you do...if you took pictures. Can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited??? :lmao:

[SoNotAPrincess]

Also dark meat chicken is the work of the devil. Worst food ever (next to cauliflower which is a pale imitation of the far superior broccoli).

:lmao: I laughed out loud when I read this because I always say that broccoli turned green with envy cuz it couldn't be cauliflower! (To each is own, right?)

[that's nice]

Can I divert for a moment to rhapsodize about the bus music? I truly adore how the Disney busses – sorry, motorcoaches – play destination-specific music.
I love this too!!

Wingnut: Wait! Why does this gift shop have Chef Boyardee???
Me: Because it's a vacation club resort.
Wingnut: That's awesome.

Sigh. :headache:
HAHHHHAAAAHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

This is awesome! :lmao::lmao:

I stopped in one of the bathrooms on the way to the savannah, and found an awesome sink in there.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6702051495_e7773b5f14.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702051495/)
LOL... glad you got a bathroom pic! :lmao: (and smiled for it too!) :rotfl2:

(Apparently we were in the part of the savannah with the zebras and giraffes :rolleyes1)
I was wondering if there were any other animals there. :confused3 ;)

Gira... no, wait. That's an ostrich.
Whew! There are other animals! I thought you went to the zebra/giraffe reserve. :lmao:

A few minutes before 5 (when Sanaa opens), we made our way inside, ready for our first dinner of the trip!
Be back later for your Sanaa update... the little one is waking up! :3dglasses

Great update from Sanaa! I'm not sure I would like it there but Wingnuts main course looks really good! We ate at Jiko a few years ago and ordered the bread and it reminded me of the bread you ordered for an app. You guys had a great seat too! What do ya know... more zebras! :)

[Jennifer48]

Loved your review of Sanaa! DH & I are not adventurous eaters either but reading your review gives me the confidence to try it. Just a little bit of research and we should be good. Thank you!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

OMG...seriously, you should write Disney food reviews for a living...imagine being PAID to eat yummilicious Disney food! My mouth is positively watering! I am NOT an adventurous eater, but everything sounded SO good.

And I love the bird that sauntered up to the window like, "Hello, I know you're really here to see me, so, TA DAH, here I am, for your viewing pleasure!"

GREAT installment...kudos! :cool1:

Awww thank you!!! :goodvibes I wish I could! :laughing:

He really was! He kept eyeing Wingnut the whole time, it was too funny!

Ya, sure you did.;)

I completely agree! It's so theme park specific and just puts me in such a good mood!:goodvibes

:lmao:Chef Boyardee?? Oh, I'd have busted a rib laughing over that! Ah, Wingnut clearly has sophisticated taste!

Love the sink! It's so cool, I'd have taken a picture too and then told DH and watched him roll his eyes at me for well, taking a picture of a Disney bathroom sink.

Oh, Wingnut so gets you, doesn't he. You guys are a match made in heaven!:goodvibes

I was going to say antelope...:rolleyes1 Maybe there was some kind of zebra/giraffe convention?:confused3 They were probably mulling over territory lines or something.

Wingut has a very valid argument. Though my DH would side with you on this one, he really wants to stay at AKL!

This looks pretty darn cool! And your table view is stunning.

Oh, I knew dessert would be had!:thumbsup2

I can't believe you did all of this on just your arrival day! I'm impressed Sara.

Ah, the elusive Tokelau via the TTC. Yup, been there done that.:rolleyes1

Fantastic dining review to Sara! You should be a food critic, your writing is very succint and detailed. Makes me want to try Sanaa now!:goodvibes

Hahaha he just loves his Chef Boyardee!

I thought he was going to laugh at me for taking the picture of the sink, but he was just as enamored with it as I was! :laughing:

There were a few wildebeasts WAY in the back, but it was primarily zebras and giraffes there! And the birds that visited us at Sanaa.

Hahaha of COURSE we had dessert! Who would we be if we didn't!?!

Thank you!!! :goodvibes You should try it!

Cute. :goodvibes

Looks like a ton of food.
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the review, since we have not eaten there....

yet.


Yes, sounds like a good idea to call it a night after a long day and all that good food. Plus, when you are staying at Poly, going back to the resort is such a nice thing. :thumbsup2

Hahaha it was a TON of food! Too much, but it was so good!

That is true, the Poly is a fun destination in and of itself! :thumbsup2

Wow! What a fantastic review of Sanaa! Your pics and descriptions are fabulous! I am so NOT an adventurous eater but you really made me decide to give it a try! It's officially on the list for next year's trip!

Thank you!!! Yay!! I'm glad you're going to give it a try!! It's such a great restaurant!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Mmmmm. I haven't eaten at Sanaa for quite some time, but your pictures and review are definitely inspiring me to go back.

Isn't it awesome there? You should go back! We loved it!

An awesome review Sara! I'm so happy that you and Wingnut enjoyed your meal there. Kidani is calling your name....;)

Thank you!! Hahaha it seems to be...:rolleyes1:laughing:

Oops! I missed a few! (Also an oops: I really liked Captain EO. I don't know - I have a thing for Michael Jackson and music videos and the 80s and space operas so.. how could I hate Captain EO? Setting anything in space increases the coolness like fifty million times. And it reminds me of Power Rangers for some reason).

Those leaping water fountains are so cool! I love watching them and seeing where they land. Very soothing and usually not very crowded! And it's a relatively short shot to go see Figment. :goodvibes

I love AKL so much but my favorite deluxe bathroom has to be Yacht Club because there are real (cloth) towels (washcloths) available! It just feels so fancy! And I tend to forget which part of AKL (Jambo vs Kidani) to go to. I ALWAYS mix up answers when there's two choices (left/right, Jambo/Kidani, true/false.. this has to have some sort of Latin or German name!) Yacht Club does not have zebras, which is a major negative.

We've only been to Boma but after reading about Jiko/Sanaa I really want to go there. I don't know, it's such a different feel from the rest of Disney (GFlo is nice, but it's so obvious that we don't have enough money to actually stay there... AKL is much more relaxed, I guess? Maybe because of those birds. Who can be stuffy with those neighbors?!)

The food at Sanaa sounds amazing, but I have a feeling I'd stuff myself full of naan and then not be able to eat anything (I may have done this at Kona). Is kulfi kind of like gelato? It looks... interesting. But I do love strawberry gelato. It's just so pink!

Also dark meat chicken is the work of the devil. Worst food ever (next to cauliflower which is a pale imitation of the far superior broccoli).

I'm glad your first dinner was such a success! Hopefully everything else was just as amazing. :)

Hahaha we don't hate Captain EO either! I can see why you think of the Power Rangers, the whole "saving the universe" thing!

I love the leaping fountains! They're just so fun! And I love watching people trying to "catch" the water. :laughing:

That is true, Yacht Club DOES have the real hand towels! I did think that was a pretty fancy touch! But sadly, no, if they do have a zebra, well, then, that's probably not intentional! :laughing:

It really is just nice and relaxed at the AKL area. You should totally try Jiko or Sanaa! Both are fantastic!

Hahaha you can't fill up on bread there! I forbid it! Hmm...I think I would still call it ice cream-esque. Ugh, I cannot stand dark meat chicken. I know people say that it's more flavorful, but blegh. No. I am cool with cauliflower though! :laughing:

They seriously welcomed you... WITH SONG? Okay, dream come true. Hahaha.

That is just adorable that the bird likes to visit the restaurant guests! I bet he's thinking, "Thanks for not eating me, yall."

Haha I love the Wingnut quotes. It's never fun when your bread dip doesn't have enough pizzazz.

You have a knack for describing food, I must say! I'm glad you said that you aren't a very adventurous eater, because I'm not either, but eventually I'd like to try it. So, good to know!

Hmm... foreshadowing... hahaha oh goodness. :rotfl:

Yes, they did! (Hint, another place that welcomes you with song is Le Cellier!)

Hahaha I think he's just living it up meandering around the savannah! He was very social!

Thank you!! No, I am definitely not adventurous! You should definitely give Sanaa a try! They really do have something for all tastes and adventure levels!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Wow...your meal at Sanaa looked and sounded delicious. I am big fan of Indian food, so I'm sure I'd love it. One of these trips, we're going to have get out there. And what an incredible table. As much I know that the atmosphere can only go so far in a restaurant...this IS Disney so it always helps a bit when the scenery is that incredible.

And it didn't even occur to me that when you're staying at the Poly that getting to or from a resort would be as simple as hopping the next bus to either the MK or EPCOT. How cool! :thumbsup2 And people say the monorail is overrated. :sad2:

Can't wait to see if you make it back to Tokelau OK and....if you do...if you took pictures. Can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited??? :lmao:

If you love Indian food, you SO should try it!! It's definitely Indian-inspired cuisine. And the atmosphere truly is incredible. Gorgeous restaurant, inside and out!

Hahaha I loved having the monorail right there! It was super-convenient to have that additional transportation option!

I'll just get this out here now...not many pictures of our journey. :sad2: I'm sorry!! I'm the worst, I know!

:lmao: I laughed out loud when I read this because I always say that broccoli turned green with envy cuz it couldn't be cauliflower! (To each is own, right?)

Hahaha I like them both! Am I supposed to root for one over the other? :rotfl:

I love this too!!


HAHHHHAAAAHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

This is awesome! :lmao::lmao:


LOL... glad you got a bathroom pic! :lmao: (and smiled for it too!) :rotfl2:


I was wondering if there were any other animals there. :confused3 ;)


Whew! There are other animals! I thought you went to the zebra/giraffe reserve. :lmao:


Be back later for your Sanaa update... the little one is waking up! :3dglasses

Great update from Sanaa! I'm not sure I would like it there but Wingnuts main course looks really good! We ate at Jiko a few years ago and ordered the bread and it reminded me of the bread you ordered for an app. You guys had a great seat too! What do ya know... more zebras! :)

Hahaha Wingnut just loves that Chef Boyardee! :confused3

Well, I figured if I'd be making an appearance, may as well look nice! :laughing:

LOL yes, there were other ones! But the giraffes and zebras were closer, and well, yeah, I played photo favorites!

(Good morning, Christopher! :wave:)

You should give it a try! It's really really good! Jiko has sort of similar flavors, but it really so different! (And great!) Hahaha we were looking at the same savannah as before, around 10 feet to the left! :laughing:

Loved your review of Sanaa! DH & I are not adventurous eaters either but reading your review gives me the confidence to try it. Just a little bit of research and we should be good. Thank you!

Thank you!!! Yay!!! You should definitely try it! You don't have to be all that adventurous, I promise!

[Twoboysnmygirl]

DROOLING!!!!!! Sanaa was on the top of my list for our girls trip next February, and after this I'm even more sure we will be going there! It looks amazing! I'm off to post a link to you review on our PTR so Hope can read it too! :thumbsup2

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

DROOLING!!!!!! Sanaa was on the top of my list for our girls trip next February, and after this I'm even more sure we will be going there! It looks amazing! I'm off to post a link to you review on our PTR so Hope can read it too! :thumbsup2

Thanks!!! I'm glad that this helped you decide to try there! It really is an awesome restaurant!

(And thanks for sharing the link on your PTR!! :goodvibes)

[MEK]

I seriously can't believe I am two days late for your last update. what the heck? How did I miss it? :confused3

I love that restaurant. I am still at work so I can't see your pictures, but I will make sure to lust in the food porn as soon as I can. I am leaving right from work to go to a wedding so I'm killing a little time.

So glad you had such a great evening. You are totally making me want to go back there. See - you can't have a bad meal at AKL - all 3 restaurants are top notch and even the counter service is one of the best.

Yum - bring on the wedding food. I'm hungry now. :rotfl:

[Oliquig]

That food looks great, and I love the bird.

[GeminiAngel]

All caught up. That lamb looks awesome! Like you could just sop up the gravy with a big piece of bread.

[MEK]

Now I'm caught up on your pictures and.....

1. Great view
2. Great shot of that bird. Looks like he's sitting at the table with you.
3. Great shots of the food porn.
4. Great smile on wingnuts face. Much better than the tongue!:rotfl2:

[Megablocks]

Ooh Sanaa looks AWESOME! That bird that joined you cracked me up...I'm used to my dog staring at me while I'm eating, having a bird watching me would be hilarious :rotfl:

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I seriously can't believe I am two days late for your last update. what the heck? How did I miss it? :confused3

I love that restaurant. I am still at work so I can't see your pictures, but I will make sure to lust in the food porn as soon as I can. I am leaving right from work to go to a wedding so I'm killing a little time.

So glad you had such a great evening. You are totally making me want to go back there. See - you can't have a bad meal at AKL - all 3 restaurants are top notch and even the counter service is one of the best.

Yum - bring on the wedding food. I'm hungry now. :rotfl:

Isn't Sanaa wonderful? I remembered you had enjoyed it as well!

The only AKL restaurant I have yet to visit is Mara, I've heard great things about there as well!

Yay, wedding food = cake!! :thumbsup2

That food looks great, and I love the bird.

Haha the bird was a fun little visitor!

All caught up. That lamb looks awesome! Like you could just sop up the gravy with a big piece of bread.

Welcome!! Thanks! It was really good, Wingnut made sure to eat all of the gravy with the rice!

Now I'm caught up on your pictures and.....

1. Great view
2. Great shot of that bird. Looks like he's sitting at the table with you.
3. Great shots of the food porn.
4. Great smile on wingnuts face. Much better than the tongue!:rotfl2:

Thank you!! (x4! :goodvibes)

Haha Wingnut DOES smile for pictures...usually... :laughing:

Ooh Sanaa looks AWESOME! That bird that joined you cracked me up...I'm used to my dog staring at me while I'm eating, having a bird watching me would be hilarious :rotfl:

It was really so good! Hahaha it was kind of like a dog hanging out at the table, but there wasn't any way this guy was going to sneak scraps! He was so cool to watch!

[MeMom]

The only AKL restaurant I have yet to visit is Mara, I've heard great things about there as well!



Mara.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010546.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010066.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/March%202009/disney3-18-09AKEpcot074.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade008.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade009.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade011.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade014.jpg


Home of these little sweeties. :goodvibes

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010065.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010544.jpg

Here are some other good things you can get from Mara.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010080.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010081.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade012.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade013.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade015.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/Dis%20Dec%202009%20end%20of%20trip%20Tiana%20AKL/DisDec2009WLTianaXmasParade017.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/March%202009/disney3-18-09AKEpcot076.jpg

There is a pretty place to sit outside - plenty of seating among lush greenery.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/March%20disney%20trip/P1130701.jpg


Condiment area.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/missjill5/AKL%20Mothers%20Day%20trip%202010/AKLMay2010542.jpg

I hope it was okay to post those. If not, let me know, and I will take them off. You saying you hadn't been to Mara just gave me an excuse to take a trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge this morning through pictures. :goodvibes

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

After only a few minutes of shivering and regretting not bringing my sweater along, the bus to Epcot pulled up, and we got on board. The plan was Epcot to monorail to TTC to Tokelau.

Hopefully.

The bus to Epcot part of the plan went off without a hitch. But then Wingnut suggested why don't we just take the bus back to the Polynesian, rather than taking the monorail and then having to navigate our way back from the TTC?

I didn't think that there was a bus from Epcot to the Poly, but I said we'd check. If there's a bus, sure, why not. We started checking around for the Legend of the Bus Stops, walking to the farther bus stop area, when a man sweeping up the area asked if he could help us.

"We're looking for the bus stop to the Polynesian?"

"Oh, no. There's no bus to the Polynesian from here. You have to use the monorail. Except after the fireworks, they'll have bus service to there. But that's not for a few more hours."

Monorail it is.

(Did I mention that it's still cold out?)

Walking back to the entrance of the park, we realized that the monorail entrance is actually not QUITE inside the park, but past the bag check area, so I had to make a quick pause there. And then up the ramp we went.

Boy, that ramp is steep after a long day, isn't it?

The monorail pulls up, and we hop on, and glide (that seems like the best verb to use when describing a monorail, at least, to me) to the TTC.

I suggested to Wingnut that we could take the monorail to the Polynesian, and it would drop us off at the GCH, rather than walking there. When we pulled up, the resort monorail was nowhere in sight, so we decided to just walk back.

Not a problem.

Easy as pie.

(Oh, sorry, that was me describing us walking down the monorail ramp.) :rolleyes1

We started walking around the TTC, not exactly sure where we had even ENTERED it earlier this afternoon. It was dark now. And things look different at night.

A few "I recognize that Minnie topiary!"'s and "I swear we walked past this gate"'s later, we found the sign pointing us in the right direction, "Walkway to the Polynesian".

(I swear, this entire path needs a giant brightly-colored line or something painted on it.)

We walked towards the sign, which led us toward a path surrounded by thick foliage. The path was dark, save for a few sparse tiki torches lighting the way.

It was at that moment that I was absolutely positive we would never see Tokelau ever again. Or at least, until the next morning, when things were illuminated again. We'd be found by one of the CM's on the golf carts, curled up under a palm tree 4 feet from the TTC. :laughing:

Basically, if we had thought finding the TTC in the daylight was difficult earlier, well, that was just a simple stroll, my friends. Thank goodness Wingnut has the night-vision of an opossum.

(Wait. No he doesn't.)

(Darn.)

We slowly walked along the under-lit and under-marked paths, attempting to just stay somewhat parallel to the parking lot. We figured that that route would at least take us to the GCH (theoretically), and if we got there first, well, that's a start.

I'm not sure what had happened to our trusty map during the afternoon, but we were definitely without a guide that evening. At one point, I saw a building that looked like ours (brown and rectangular) and raced over to the sign, sure that we were at Tokelau.

Nope. Tahiti.

Alright. Okay. That means we're close. Right?

Right?

Oh, how I missed the 1-building layout of the Yacht Club at that moment…

We continued on, hoping to see some sort of landmark, of which there aren't too many at the Polynesian. The roof of the GCH, for one. And the volcano pool. But both of those would have meant we missed our target.

Eventually, we saw a slightly-more-lit area ahead. Was it? Could it be?

THE QUIET POOL! THE ONE OUTSIDE TOKELAU!! WE FOUND IT! :yay:

We both breathed a sigh of relief entering Tokelau. We had made it back. We figured it out! We're so amazing! :woohoo:

(Let's not dispute that one, okay. Let me revel in our glory on this one time.)

Our room, proof we actually made it back! (And that ME had delivered our luggage)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6702075321_acd0a2a04a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702075321/)

But after FINDING the building, well, the plan had been to turn around and leave it again. Alright. We can do this. Again.

I resisted the urge to leave a trail of uneaten pastries from earlier (mainly because I didn't have any uneaten pastries from earlier…) along the path to the TTC. We had a much easier time finding our way there, with the unique roof serving as a beacon to us confused tourists.

I knew that we had to pick up our mugs from Captain Cooks, but as to the EXACT whereabouts of the Captain? Nope.

We literally did an entire lap and a half around the lobby of the Polynesian looking for Captain Cooks before I decided to veer our course down one of the hallways. Happily, overhead, we finally noticed the sign pointing the way to the quick service location. Straight ahead? I can do that!

We walked in and grabbed our mugs. We didn't really poke around too much, 1, because it was a bit chaotic there, and 2, because we were pretty full. And tired. And tonight was just not the night for squeezing in one more cupcake.

We also got some bottles of water while we were there. I'm pretty much a hydration fiend, and seemingly risk shriveling up into a shrinky dink if I don't have water at hand at any given moment.

(Who else remembers shrinky dinks?!? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikV1_kqtpCI&feature=related))

The cashier layout at Captain Cooks was a bit confusing, as two cashiers seemed to bounce back and forth between two lines per podium (4 lines total?), and I decided to just let Wingnut figure it out and stood unhelpfully about a foot to his side. I'm really not good at line physics when they merge or divert or whatnot. :confused3

But my smart Wingnut figured it all out and we were soon on our way back to Tokelau. We were getting slightly more familiar with the path to and from the GCH, thankfully, and I was feeling practically brazen when I suggested that we walk a bit past Tokelau when we got to the entrance, I'd love to see the view of the lake. I promised we'd just walk straight, no taking unfamiliar paths.

Oh, hey Castle!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6868881365_2304bce20a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6868881365/)

We headed back to the room and I, of course turned on some Stacey.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6702077449_cd3c53b440.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702077449/)

And took a picture of our hard-earned mugs.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6702076955_4ed858def0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenphobe/6702076955/)

(I'm sure you guessed it already, but Wingnut's is the blue one, mine is pink.)

Relaxing in the room, I heard some booms outside. But I thought Wishes was at 9 that night, so since it was only around 8:02, that obviously couldn't be Wishes.

A few minutes later, the explosions could still be heard. (And no, we weren't at all concerned about inexplicable explosions outside our window :rolleyes:.) Maybe it WAS Wishes? Instead of actually looking outside, I checked my list of ADR times and fireworks/parade schedules.

8 pm Wishes. By now I could hear even more booms and explosions, which had to be the finale.

Oh well. Another day, then.

[GeminiAngel]

:rotfl::rotfl: Yup, the Poly is confusing! I've only been there twice to eat.
And once for a Hallowishes cruise. I plan on staying there someday.

The food at Mara looks really good. Except for one item: Zebra Domes. Yuck.
I had those at Boma, there wasn't any flavor to them. :confused3

[Twoboysnmygirl]

OMG, you have me rollin over here! :lmao: How many times can you get lost in a day, that is the question?!?! :p

Thanks for the clarification on the mugs, and not-so-obvious to me...Rey picked pink and I picked blue on our trip! :laughing:

Totally remember shrinkydinks, they still have them! :thumbsup2

[mickeystoontown]

Oh you poor things....wandering all around trying to find your room at the Polynesian. We had that same problem last year at the CBR. At least it was during the day time when we were wandering and not by the light of dim tiki torches.

[LilAnn]

Things do look totally different at night don't they? We have navigated that path from the TTC to the Poly many times, at night too, and I am always amazed when we find it. It's so dark and if I don't have my glasses on, I'd be just as lost as you guys were.

Love the pink resort mug.

Sanaa looks so good, especially your entrees. Yum. I am drooling since it's lunchtime now.

[IheartDDuck]

Oh my goodness, you're so right about the Poly layout being a little confusing. I didn't have any trouble, but that's because for some reason, I seem to always know where I am at WDW. I don't know if it's a curse or a gift. Farrell on the other hand? Oh man, that girl would not have been able to find anything if her life depended on it. I'm glad that you made it though. Truly glad that you didn't have to leave uneaten pastries as a trail back to your room. Because really, uneaten pastry crumbs would just be a travesty. :lmao:

[marDgreen88]

Hahahah! I'm glad you admit to getting lost, because some people pretend it's so easy, like, "Yeah, we found our way back so easily. I could do that with my eyes closed walking backwards reciting the Gettysburg address." I mean, when I was staying at All Star Movies I had trouble finding my building/room, and there, the buildings don't all look the same! hahaha. ANYWAYS, sounds like yall had a good first day, despite getting lost!

[MEK]

You didn't know you were going to need a flash light to get back to your room, did you? :rotfl: I'm glad you found it and I'm glad your luggage was all there waiting for your arrival. I really do LOVE that room.

You had such a busy first day after such an early morning. Boo to missing Wishes - darn 8pm start.

Great and very humorous update! :thumbsup2