Pixie Dust Overload - the day I won One More Disney Day

[purplepixiedust]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report! Thanks for all the great photos and information. It was fun to see a report from a winner of a contest I entered!

 

[mickeystoontown]

It's been fun following along on your magical journey! It's wonderful to see an actual winner of one of the Disney contests.

 

[lvjen777]

Your DBF sounds just like my DH and you sound just like me. We are always saying next time and they are always battling it even though we will win in the end. LOL Loved the colors in your Swan photo they were beautiful. I don't think there is anything about Disney that I don't love. I am already making notes for my next trip. Sorry to hear about the bill issues again. Thank God you had everything with you to show. My DH at times questions why I bring the things I do. I tell him I hope I don't need them but I have them if I do. Perfect Example! I will be reading this to him.

Too funny!!! You are welcome!!!

 

[lvjen777]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report! Thanks for all the great photos and information. It was fun to see a report from a winner of a contest I entered!

It's been fun following along on your magical journey! It's wonderful to see an actual winner of one of the Disney contests.

Thank you all for reading!! I have sure enjoyed writing this TR, and I'm really glad it you all have enjoyed it !!!

 

[lvjen777]

We arrived at Downtown Disney.

We ended up walking around only a ridiculously tiny bit, because we knew we'd be running out of time fast.


We ate lunch for the first time at Earl of Sandwich. (Super Tip - If you have a birthday within a month of your travels, sign up for the birthday club on Earl's website, and they will give you a coupon for a free sandwich! Score! ) DS got a smoothie and some mac and cheese, and DBF and I got two sandwiches and split them. Man, was that place hoppin' ! Super busy, but pretty efficient, and totally worth it. We had the Caprese (Roma Tomatos, Mozzarella, Basil and Balsamic Vinaigrette) and the Original 1762 (Roast beef, cheddar and horseradish sauce).

We can't wait to eat at the new Earl that just opened at Downtown Disney in California. (and I'm hoping that will be Dec '13!!)

After lunch, we decided to take a boat ride up the river to the Port Orleans resorts , since we had never checked them out before, then take a bus back to either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot to get back to the Poly.

There's the balloon I wanted to go on . The boys still said "no way!" . boo.

The boat ride was peaceful and relaxing. Love how the music changes from resort to resort. I just am so in love all the little details at Disney ...

We liked the Port Orleans area, however we are pretty sure that the Poly has now ruined us forever and ever .......

We had a sort of crazy experience at the Port Orleans bus-stop, a bus arrived with packed full of those South-American tour group kids. They just kept coming out of the bus, more and more and MORE. Not sure how they all fit in there? A few of them were horsing around and "accidentally?" mowed down my DS, so we were really glad that another bus was pulling up and we got the heck outta there!! I guess that was one additional benefit of the Deluxes - no crazy groups hanging out over there!???

So we finally arrived back at the Poly..

This is the walk I'd been dreading all week....

Up to the front of the hotel to the Magical Express bus stop.


noooooooooooo.


We had a tiny bit of time before our bus was going to be there, and DS had already been begging for "one last Dole Whip", so we went inside to Captain Cooks..

Then we went up front to pick up our carry-on bag that they were holding for us, ate our Dole whips and waited for our ME bus. We waited and waited. Our bus was late. Boo! How cruel to drag out our already painful departure! Just get it over with already!

Our bus finallllly arrived and we were on our sad ride back to the airport. I waved goodbye to the Poly, like I was five years old, yes I did. "It's not goodbye, it's see you later!!!"

DS immediately fell asleep on the bus - he was so exhausted, as were we all. He had a fun time, but he said he was feeling homesick, missing our dog and ready to go home. I was exhausted and I missed our dog too, but not THAT much! Sorry, dog, I definitely could've stayed longer. DS really missed out on the drive because DBF and I spotted a bunch of cool things on the way back. We saw one turkey, one gator and one eagle! Cool!

We got to the airport and proceeded through security with all the other tired-looking travelers holding various Disney souvenirs. Ha Ha. The "departing" area is sure different than the "arriving" area. Everybody looks tired and sad!


In Atlanta, we had a bit longer of a layover, DS was starving so we let him have a quick little meal while we were waiting....

Our next flight was interesting. It was a late night flight, from Atlanta to Vegas, and it was pretty crazy, with all these wound-up people ready to party in Vegas! I'd never been on a plane where so many passengers were so chatty! Even so, we finally all went to sleep. Suddenly DS woke up, and didn't realize he wasn't feeling good and promptly threw up right there in his seat. OMG! I grabbed an airsick bag , which he used a little bit, but was mostly about 1 minute too late. I called for a stewardess, but of course, we were in turbulance / sit-down / stay-buckled mode so nobody came for a little bit. EEK ! When one did come, she was a very young cute little blond thing. I was trying to be discreet telling her what had happened and what I needed.... She brought me back 5 kleenex and like 3 paper towels. Really?!!!! That is not going to cut it, girlie!! LOL.

I called for another stewardess, and got another (older) lady, who obviously "got" it.. I got a trash bag and a huge pack of paper towels. What a MESS! I have a strong stomach, but that experience really tested my limits !! I turned our air on full blast, started to clean up everything I could (yay for leather seats) and filled that trash bag. It was pretty hard in that kind of confined space. DS was so embarrassed and sad. Poor little guy. Talk about an adventure in parenting.. I was amazed that I managed to keep the whole thing super discreet and under wraps. Yay me. !!! We tried to joke that I guess if it was going to happen, it was better here than getting sick with Goofy at Chef Mickeys???


That plane couldn't land fast enough!! THANK GOODNESS we had our swim stuff with us in our carry-on, because we could just THROW AWAY his other shorts. I don't know how he missed his shirt completely, but he did. I don't know what we would've done if we didn't have that change of shorts?????? Poor kid. What a mess! And let's not even talk about the iPod and earbuds that were in his lap at the time as well.!! After landing, we quickly went to the very first bathroom we could find and let him clean up again...

Since we were super late getting down to the luggage carousels, that was another bit of an adventure trying to track down where they take luggage that people don't pick up. With our luggage successfully recovered, we finally get to our truck in the parking garage and head home around 1:00 am (in the pouring rain, I will mention!)


The transition from Disney to "real life" sure hadn't been an easy one!!! Adding to that airport craziness, that morning we go to pick up our dog, who ended up being super sick as well. Who knows if she ate something weird or was homesick, or what .. ?? So we had to begin nursing her back to health over the next few days as well. Phew! Vacations are hard work!!!!

It took me a couple days before I was ready to EVEN talk about that plane experience with friends and family. Ha. After such an awesome trip and so many fun experiences, we were SOOOOOO sad that it all had to end this way!!


My "next time" list (so far) is as follows :

-On all future flights, DS will NOT be eating prior and a change of clothes will ALWAYS be with us.

-Poly (will I ever be able to stay anywhere else ever again..?)

-Hoop de Doo dinner show

-Spend more time at Epcot

-Have an all day pool/relaxation day

-Rent water mice on the lake

-Splash Mountain (it's been down on both of our trips, so we've never ridden it at WDW)

-Eat at Be Our Guest



and finally, MY CONCLUSION ..................


You may or not remember one little detail from our trip :

For our prize, we got four 5-day park hoppers.......... We only used three..................... That means you know I still have one park hopper burning a hole in my pocket................ TO BE CONTINUED....................????





In the meantime, I can keep reliving my trip as I go to work on my trip scrapbook now.

AND

I definitely will continue to faithfully enter Disney contests!!




THANKS SO MUCH to everybody who has been here reading my TR !!! It has been a lot of fun writing it, and hopefully I will be able to write more in the future !!




.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Poor dude! Having that extra ticket would be soo tempting! I have always thought a solo trip
Could be fun!

 

[Wishes2you]

We ate a Earl of Sandwich too. I was impressed by how quick they moved everyone though when we went. I got the holiday sandwich according to the sign date it had ended but they were still serving it which made me happy. I have forgotten what the others got but we were all very pleased with our sandwiches. I also bought some loose tea in the shop next door to bring home to add to my stash. Did you like your visit to Port Orleans? I wanted to stay there but we ended up staying at Caribbean Beach again as we loved it there. We went to go over there for a visit but decided to check out the Board Walk and the other resorts there. We ran out of time to visit Port Orleans. I would like to stay there next time in Riverside I think. Oh as for the balloon ...our friends were married in it a couple months ago. I am so sorry to hear that your DS was so sick on the flight home. Oh and I am with your DS as I so missed our dog while we were down there. She is a sweet 12 yr old black lab. Thank you for sharing your TR with us all. Oh and I learned a few things for FUTURE trips.

 

[lvjen777]

We ate a Earl of Sandwich too. I was impressed by how quick they moved everyone though when we went. I got the holiday sandwich according to the sign date it had ended but they were still serving it which made me happy. I have forgotten what the others got but we were all very pleased with our sandwiches. I also bought some loose tea in the shop next door to bring home to add to my stash. Did you like your visit to Port Orleans? I wanted to stay there but we ended up staying at Caribbean Beach again as we loved it there. We went to go over there for a visit but decided to check out the Board Walk and the other resorts there. We ran out of time to visit Port Orleans. I would like to stay there next time in Riverside I think. Oh as for the balloon ...our friends were married in it a couple months ago. I am so sorry to hear that your DS was so sick on the flight home. Oh and I am with your DS as I so missed our dog while we were down there. She is a sweet 12 yr old black lab. Thank you for sharing your TR with us all. Oh and I learned a few things for FUTURE trips.

We sure did like Port Orleans. The Mansions section of Riverside was our favorite.. There were a few people walking along the river, and that seemed very peaceful and pretty. The busses do make quite a few internal stops there, that was maybe the only negative, if a person was ever in a hurry to get somewhere.

Since DS is not looking forward to flying again anytime in the near future, he offered to stay in town (with grandma & the dog) while the two of us go back and use that leftover ticket. Is he crazy?!?!? I'm not sure if we'd actually do it, but it's worth thinking about..........!! DBF thinks we could have a nice time on an adult-only trip. If so, we'd definitely consider Riverside.

I had no idea people can get married in that balloon, how cool! We've talked about Disney weddings a little here & there, however not sure if that would actually ever really be a possibility. We're thinking probably Hawaii for when we do. (and of course then there's always Aulani !!)

I'm so glad you enjoyed my TR & that it can help you plan your "next time"! Thanks for reading along!!!

 

[kimbo0569]

I loved reading your TR, you say the same thing that I do, especially to my kids...."It's not goodbye, It's 'see you later'!

Are you going to post any of your scrapbook pages?

 

[Wishes2you]

We sure did like Port Orleans. The Mansions section of Riverside was our favorite.. There were a few people walking along the river, and that seemed very peaceful and pretty. The busses do make quite a few internal stops there, that was maybe the only negative, if a person was ever in a hurry to get somewhere.

Since DS is not looking forward to flying again anytime in the near future, he offered to stay in town (with grandma & the dog) while the two of us go back and use that leftover ticket. Is he crazy?!?!? I'm not sure if we'd actually do it, but it's worth thinking about..........!! DBF thinks we could have a nice time on an adult-only trip. If so, we'd definitely consider Riverside.

I had no idea people can get married in that balloon, how cool! We've talked about Disney weddings a little here & there, however not sure if that would actually ever really be a possibility. We're thinking probably Hawaii for when we do. (and of course then there's always Aulani !!)

I'm so glad you enjoyed my TR & that it can help you plan your "next time"! Thanks for reading along!!!

Caribbean Beach resort has a lot of internal bus stops also. So I am used to that already. Do they stop at any other resorts as well though do you know? Hopefully DS will forget his unpleasant flight experience and be excited to go again soon!

 

[kittylady1972]

Yes, they have floats at DL. The Dole stand is right in front of the Tiki Room.

Goofy's kitchen is good , however, the 3 of us prefer the Chip & Dale critter buffet at the Grand Californian over Goofy's.

All this DL talk is making me want to plan a quick trip there now!! ha ha.

Sorry to add fuel to the fire for another trip. I think it's an addiction! Just a few weeks ago I did NOT have another Disney trip even in the works and now this SoCal trip just keeps growing and growing. I haven't focused as much on Disney as on the other pieces of it and I still have my Disney area hotel to narrow down before I can even start thinking about planning out the FOOD!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Thank you for the wonderful trip report! It sounds like you had a great time (minus that bit at the end, of course). I'm glad you got sprinkled with a bit of extra pixie dust with your great room views and enjoyed lots of good food. I look forward to reading your next report - hopefully you won't have to wait the "two years"!

 

[luckylady]

Poor baby I hope he felt better the nest day. Thanks flr letting me go with you as you relived this great trip. BTW did they ever raise the shower heads at the Poly? Last time we stayed there my poor five four self just barely fit under it.

 

[hallienicole]

Thank you for posting this wonderful trip report. It totally made my PDD (Post Disney Depression) even worse! Arruugghh I've always had this impression that the Ploy was kinda outdated and didn't really want to stay there (we are Beach Club people) but now I actually really, really, really want to stay at the Poly next time! I'm so glad you had a magical trip!

 

[pwdebbie]

You handled your son's sickness very well. I would not have been such a champ.

If you visit the POFQ FAQ thread, you will see that there are quite a few people have posted that they are "converts" from deluxe resorts, particularly Poly. Every time I read someone posting that, I tell myself that I really don't need to experience the deluxe resorts, however, if I ever won a trip, I certainly won't object.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

 

[lvjen777]

Thank you for posting this wonderful trip report. It totally made my PDD (Post Disney Depression) even worse! Arruugghh I've always had this impression that the Ploy was kinda outdated and didn't really want to stay there (we are Beach Club people) but now I actually really, really, really want to stay at the Poly next time! I'm so glad you had a magical trip!

LOL! Sorry about your PDD! I know that feeling for sure! I don't know whether to say "I'm sorry" or "you're welcome" for helping propel you into more trip planning!! LOL !!!

I read all kinds of those negatives that some people say about the Poly being dark, outdated, etc, so while I loved the Poly grounds from our previous visits, I definitely went into our first stay with an open mind on how the room was actually going to be. I obviously ended up thinking our room was GREAT, but I could also understand why some people complain about them as well. While our two rooms at YC and Poly were quite similar, it's hard to compare them because they are SO different.. YC seemed clean/bright. Poly was sort of rustic/tropical. However, I don't personally think the "dark" decor makes the Poly less quality. It all comes down to everybody's own personal taste. I thoroughly enjoy everything about the tropical/tiki decor, so that cancelled out that the bathroom was not exactly the brightest place to put makeup on...

Thanks so much for reading & commenting

 

[gracer9977]

Just loved reading your TR! So sad that it is all over but look forward to reading about your trip in 2015.

Poor Tyler, how awful to get sick on the way home. I am sure that by the time you are ready to go back he will be ready, it's still pretty early and I am sure traumatic but hopefully will be forgotten and seem less horrible over time.

It would be nice to go on an adults only trip though. However my DH dislikes Disney only goes cause I drag him there. When we go in 2014 it will be my last trip for a long time cause he is refusing to go back till we vacation at other places. I am okay with going other places but I just love Disney so much that it will be depressing not to go back for awhile.

Anyway sorry that was I loved all your pictures and hope you have a great time scrapbooking all your memories.

 

[lvjen777]

I loved reading your TR, you say the same thing that I do, especially to my kids...."It's not goodbye, It's 'see you later'!

Are you going to post any of your scrapbook pages?

Ok... you talked me into it. I will post some scrapbook photos here tonight !!!!

 

[lvjen777]

Poor baby I hope he felt better the nest day. Thanks flr letting me go with you as you relived this great trip. BTW did they ever raise the shower heads at the Poly? Last time we stayed there my poor five four self just barely fit under it.

Oh that's right, I forgot to mention about the showerheads! After the original showerhead question, I made sure to tell DBF during our trip that we needed to thoroughly assess the shower situation so I can report back here~ ( He doesn't even question my strange Disney missions anymore, LOL!! )

Anyways, I am 5'6 & DBF is 6'1 . They were low, but we thought they were no lower than we always seem to get at most hotels. Personally , we weren't annoyed with them at all because the pressure & settings were really good, which to us is always important. Not sure if any of this is even helpful to anybody at all, but there you have it... LOL.

 

[lvjen777]

Just loved reading your TR! So sad that it is all over but look forward to reading about your trip in 2015.

Poor Tyler, how awful to get sick on the way home. I am sure that by the time you are ready to go back he will be ready, it's still pretty early and I am sure traumatic but hopefully will be forgotten and seem less horrible over time.

It would be nice to go on an adults only trip though. However my DH dislikes Disney only goes cause I drag him there. When we go in 2014 it will be my last trip for a long time cause he is refusing to go back till we vacation at other places. I am okay with going other places but I just love Disney so much that it will be depressing not to go back for awhile.

Anyway sorry that was I loved all your pictures and hope you have a great time scrapbooking all your memories.

Like you, I'm also thinking that hopefully time will erase those bad memories, too !!

That's actually pretty funny what you say about your DH. At home last night we were talking about future vacations , and how DBF really wants to do an Alaska cruise "someday". To which (of course) I replied, "you know Disney goes there". To which HE replied, "does EVERY vacation have to be Disney, you know there are tons of 'OTHER PLACES' out there" . And I said, WHAT exactly are all these 'OTHER PLACES' you keep speaking of ??!


Thanks for following along, it's been lots of fun chatting with you!