I See a Line, I Wait In It ~ A January 2016 TR - Completed 12/29

[natebenma]

So close to the pixie dust fireworks cruise. At least you made some fun friends. That is always a nice bonus.

Nice fireworks pictures! Especially this one. Wow!

Too bad there was no music. I watched the fireworks from the Poly beach in 2010 and the music is supposed to be piped in, but I don't remember hearing anything.

Drink outside, huh?

Again, have a guess.

 

[Elevationist]

The CM on the boat said (and I quote): “Wave to all the rich people.”

BAHAHA! That is hilarious!

Here are a few of my favorites (some are mine, some are Beth’s):

Pretty pretty pretty!

Wishes may have been over, but our night certainly was not. I had a fun plan, and I managed to convince Beth to go along with my plan. So, where were we headed? You’ll have to wait for the next update to find out!

OMG, I can't handle the anticipation!

 

[NJlauren]

• We made friends! These two awesome women were sitting on the bench next to us and we got involved in a conversation. They had been to a dessert party earlier in their trip and they showed us these cool glasses they got that create lines of Mickey heads everywhere. They were cool (both the glasses and the women). Also, I think we talked runDisney a little.

• There was a guy setting up his tripod and camera to take pictures. A CM approached him and asked if he thought he could take pictures from a moving boat. The guy said he thought he could. The CM asked if he wanted to test that theory. He said sure, so he and his family followed the CM onto a boat so that they could go out and see/photograph the fireworks from on the water. Yeah … Beth and I were a little sad that we couldn’t find a way to magically be a part of his family. Seriously, fireworks from on the water (and for free) … how awesome is that? (Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to get any pictures because I’m terrible at pictures, but the experience would have been worth it)

• A boat (my theory was that it was a pirates fireworks cruise) passed by. The CM on the boat said (and I quote): “Wave to all the rich people.” I was a little offended … but I guess that’s what we get for hanging out at the fancy hotel.

Things like tihs really can make or break a night! I love that you made friends, and haha waving to rich people

Overall, we enjoyed, and we thought it was a nice outside-the-park viewing area. However, I think we would have liked it better with the music … not having the music definitely changes the experience a bit. But it was nice to see some pretty fireworks, and I’m definitely glad we took the time to watch. Next time, however, I think we’d try a different spot to see if we can get one where they play the music.

Overall seems like an ok experience, but i know what you mean missing the music can really change the experience!

Wishes may have been over, but our night certainly was not. I had a fun plan, and I managed to convince Beth to go along with my plan. So, where were we headed? You’ll have to wait for the next update to find out!

For a nonpark day looks like you were pretty busy!

 

[SarahDisney]

Sorry I am ridiculously behind in commenting! I'm going to keep it short so then I can be caught up but just know I have been following along the way!

I totally understand falling behind, and I really appreciate you following along!

I enjoyed hearing about your Erin McKenna experience. We tried a few things there last summer and were less than impressed. We have an amazing vegan bakery in Columbus and it just didn't compare at all. Now I'm hoping we just caught them on a bad day and we should try them again. It is great that this option is there for people with dietary restrictions.

I'm sad to hear that you had a bad experience with Erin McKenna bakery. We really enjoyed, and I think it's worth another try.
Then again, this was my first vegan bakery, so I didn't really have anything to compare it to.

I'm bummed that you didn't feel the magic at POFQ/POR. POFQ is my absolute favorite moderate. It's just so charming (the pool isn't my favorite but actually even with POFQ being our most repeated resort I don't think we've swam there more than once). I do get the disappointment over the outward princess theming at POR. I think you would love the princess rooms at POR, though!

A lot of people seem to love POR/POFQ ... I guess the theming just didn't appeal to us. Oh well. I do want to try the princess rooms eventually, though, because I think we might enjoy those.

Happy your monorail touring evening worked out and you got to sneak in some Epcot time. I agree with you on the water pageant. It's cute and something fun to see but nothing to really go out of your way over. That's a bummer about Wishes not having the music at GF. I've watched it from the Poly Beach (before the construction) and they did have the music although it wasn't perfect. I don't think it was very loud, etc...so really it just isn't the same there in my mind either. Again a great thing to do on a non-park day but not the same magical experience as in park viewing!!

Watching from the park is definitely a better viewing experience, but this wasn't bad. Defnitely an enjoyable no-park day!

So close to the pixie dust fireworks cruise. At least you made some fun friends. That is always a nice bonus.

Our new friends were definitely a good consolation prize for not getting invited on the fireworks cruise!

Nice fireworks pictures! Especially this one. Wow!

Thank you! I think that was one of Beth's ... we both got some great pictures!

Too bad there was no music. I watched the fireworks from the Poly beach in 2010 and the music is supposed to be piped in, but I don't remember hearing anything.

Oh well. The fireworks are still pretty cool even without the music!

Drink outside, huh?

Again, have a guess.

Your guess may or may not be right. You'll find out soon(-ish)!

BAHAHA! That is hilarious!

Funny, but mean

Pretty pretty pretty!

Thanks!!

OMG, I can't handle the anticipation!

Hopefully I'll get the next update up soon!

Things like tihs really can make or break a night! I love that you made friends, and haha waving to rich people

Yeah, some of the people we met (or were made fun of by) definitely made the waiting more fun!

Overall seems like an ok experience, but i know what you mean missing the music can really change the experience!

It was definitely a good viewing area and experience, just ... not the same.

For a nonpark day looks like you were pretty busy!

Well, I get bored easily.
We had a good mix of rest and stuff to do that day, so it was really a perfect non-park day!

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm kind of surprised that they didn't have the music playing on the dock. I'd always thought that was the case too. Oh well, at least you got to see the fireworks.

Too bad you didn't bring a tripod and get a VIP boat ride.

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Great fireworks photos! DH and I stayed at Contemporary a few years ago and we were able to watch Wishes from the observation deck there, and they also pipe in the music - but I still have yet to see it at MK! I know, bad DISer! I'm really surprised about the "rich people" CM comment, but I am guessing that it gets a few laughs on the boat. The boat they've paid extra to ride during fireworks.

Curious to see where you end up next.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm kind of surprised that they didn't have the music playing on the dock. I'd always thought that was the case too. Oh well, at least you got to see the fireworks.

It was definitely a little surprising ... but we still enjoyed the fireworks.

Too bad you didn't bring a tripod and get a VIP boat ride.

Yeah, next time I need to bring a tripod.
And possibly steal my brother's DSLR, because I feel like my crappy little point-and-shoot wouldn't get me on a boat, even with a tripod.

Great fireworks photos! DH and I stayed at Contemporary a few years ago and we were able to watch Wishes from the observation deck there, and they also pipe in the music - but I still have yet to see it at MK! I know, bad DISer! I'm really surprised about the "rich people" CM comment, but I am guessing that it gets a few laughs on the boat. The boat they've paid extra to ride during fireworks.

Thanks! We were considering watching from the Contemporary observation deck, but decided to do Grand Floridian instead. Maybe we'll watch from the Contemporary next time.
I think the CM was making the "rich people" joke just for laughs ... and people laughed, so I guess it worked.

Curious to see where you end up next.

Hopefully I'll have the next update up later this week (or early next week), so you'll find out soon!

 

[momabaarjo]

I think you took some awesome shots of the fireworks! The GF dock area is one of my favorite locations for Wishes outside MK (although I am usually on the deck of NAC when doing so)...next time, book an ADR at NAC for around 8:30ish, just get an app or maybe a dessert that will work in your diet and enjoy the music and fireworks...as NAC has Wishes piped in.

 

[SarahDisney]

I think you took some awesome shots of the fireworks! The GF dock area is one of my favorite locations for Wishes outside MK (although I am usually on the deck of NAC when doing so)...next time, book an ADR at NAC for around 8:30ish, just get an app or maybe a dessert that will work in your diet and enjoy the music and fireworks...as NAC has Wishes piped in.

Thank you!
On a previous trip I had considered doing dinner or something at Narcoossee's, but decided against it. I totally didn't even think about it for this trip. Thanks for the idea - I'll definitely consider it for next time!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Hey Sarah! I am all caught up with your TR. I think it's nice you had a non parks night. Those are always fun! I loved all your pictures from the Water Pageant and Wishes at the GF, very cute! Looking forward to hearing what else you and Beth did that night!

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey Sarah! I am all caught up with your TR. I think it's nice you had a non parks night. Those are always fun! I loved all your pictures from the Water Pageant and Wishes at the GF, very cute! Looking forward to hearing what else you and Beth did that night!

Thanks!! We definitely had a lot of fun and got some great pictures.
Hopefully the next update will be up later today!

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 5, Chapter 3: Yeah, Let’s Just Drink Outside
Saturday, January 9th, 2016 (mostly)
​

When we left off, I had a plan, and I had convinced Beth to go along with my plan. So what was the plan? Well, as my plans usually are … it was a boat ride. After a short wait, we were on a boat on our way over to the Polynesian. Behold, a really dark boat selfie:

We’re on a boat to the Polynesian Village Resort and we’re both over 21, so I think you guys can guess where we were headed:

Sorry, I don’t know what’s up with my hair or my face in that picture. Or the severe red eye that I felt no need to correct (seriously, I hate Photoshop, and I don’t have Lightroom or anything like that, so more often than not, my pictures stay as they are).

After spending more time than we should have getting that picture, we went in, and the hostess told us that the wait would be 35 minutes. We were also told that if we didn’t want to wait, they serve the full menu outside at the Tiki Terrace.
Part of experience of Trader Sam’s is the atmosphere. Particularly for people like us who are primarily beer drinkers and may not get a fancy specialty drink.
But it was also 10:30 at night and we did not want to wait 35 minutes. So we didn’t get to really see the inside of Trader Sam’s. We chose to drink outside instead.

We sat down and waited for a server to approach us. We actually found the Tiki Terrace to be really nice and peaceful. There was a ukulele player serenading us when we first arrived (he actually left at some point while we were there):

We also took a few pictures of the area (not all right at this moment, but I figured I’d throw them all in together). Tiki statue:

Waterfall:

After a few minutes, a server approached us and gave us menus. Like the good DISer that I am, I tried to take pictures … and failed (again, my bizarre cell phone camera). Beth, however, was very successful at the picture taking (or at least Beth’s phone was … I may have taken these pictures with her phone, I don’t remember).

Front:

Inside:

Inside Close-Ups:

Back Page:

I know that when you go to Trader Sam’s you’re supposed to get a fun specialty drink in a souvenir cup … but I didn’t want to deal with issues that could have arisen for us with ingredients in mixed drinks (way too complicated for me to explain), so we decided to be boring and go beer.

But at least we were a little fun and went with Hawaiian craft beer:

The one on the left is mine – it’s a Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale. I enjoyed it a lot – I’m bad at describing these things, but I thought it had a solid and enjoyable flavor. I would definitely recommend and definitely would get it again.
On the right is Beth’s Kona Longboard Island Lager. She enjoyed it.
For those of you curious about the cost … each beer cost $6.75. And that’s probably a 16-oz cup. So really not too expensive.
We both liked our beers, but realized that we probably should have gotten the beer flight (which contained three different beers from the Kona Brewing Company, two of which are the ones we got). Oh well, next time.

As we were working on our drinks, Beth was working on some postcards to send to her nieces (her best friend’s two daughters). It’s hard, because each girl gets her own postcard, but she has to say vaguely similar things so that they don’t get jealous of each other. Beth was telling me what she was writing, to which my response was … “You write lame postcards.” She disagreed.
I’m hysterical. Beth just doesn’t appreciate me.

While we drank we also snacked on some nuts that I had in my bag … so don’t worry, we weren’t drinking on an empty stomach.

Once we were done and had paid our bill, it was time to head back to the hotel. Since there are no direct buses from the Poly to Pop Century, we decided to take a bus to Disney Springs and then a bus from Disney Springs to Pop. As we made our way through the hotel to the bus stop, I had to make a pit stop (because, well, life). We even made a friend at the end of our pit stop – some cute little kid started a conversation with us about dinosaurs or something. His mom apologized, to which my response was, “That’s okay, we have cousins that age.” I may not like kids very much, but I understand them.

After we finished our pit stop, we looked around the Poly a bit and took some pictures:

Just a note on this picture: I’ve never seen Lilo & Stitch (and don’t have any intense desire to see it), and Beth doesn’t understand why I point at things in pictures.

We made our way out of the hotel, taking one last picture as we were leaving:

As we were wandering around the Poly, making our way to the exit, I realized … I love this place. It’s calm and relaxing, but still has those fun elements of Disney. It’s got some super cute stuff that lets you know that you’re still in the Disney bubble … but it doesn’t scream “Disney,” it whispers. It brings in that island flavor without forcing you to leave the Disney world. It really was the perfect place to spend a Saturday night. I never had any interest in staying at the Poly, but now … I really want to. A few hours relaxing and a few minutes wandering made me fall in love with a hotel that I never would have thought about before.
Beth liked it, but is not quite as in love as I am.

Anyway … back to the story.
We went out to the bus stop and had to wait a bit for a bus. Finally, a bus came that said that it was going to Disney Springs. We got on the bus, and it went to the Grand Floridian, where some people got off, and another person got on. The bus driver told us that Disney Springs was already closed. The other guy on the bus was arguing with the driver, telling him that some things are open until 2 AM (which is true of some of the restaurants). We already knew that most things were closed, but we were just going there to catch a bus to Pop, which is what we told him. He said that he would call his dispatcher to see if he could take us to Pop Century.

We arrived at Disney Springs, where our driver told us that our next stop would be Pop Century – yay, we didn’t have to change buses! The other guy got off the bus, a few new people got on, and we finally we were headed back to Pop. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long, because I needed another pit stop.
This is why I don’t drink. When I drink, I pee.

We made it back to the hotel, made our pit stop, went back to the room, and got ready for bed. No early wakeup call the next morning, thankfully, but we did have somewhere that we wanted to be around 10 AM, so we needed to get some sleep!

Saturday “End of Day” (Starting Approx. 7 PM) Stats:
Steps: 3,883 (not our most active day, clearly)
Miles: 1.62
Flights of Stairs: 4

Coming Next: Disaster Morning

 

[rteetz]

I called it! Trader Sams! I really like the look of the place. I still have 3 years until I can go in there though. Looks like you had a great evening.

I'm surprised you haven't seen Lilo and Stitch. I really like the movie and think it's one of Disney's better ones from that time period. The second movie and tv show weren't as good. I hope you see it at some point.

Glad you got the bus situation figured out. In 2014 we were lucky to have a similar situation. We had a early ADR at Ohana. The bus took us to MK and then the bus driver asked us what we were doing. We said we had a reservation at the poly he said he would take us there and that was that.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Trader Sams looks great! In a 1.5 years I'll be able to go in there and enjoy lol.

I love the Poly... I have never stayed there either, but I always visit when I'm in WDW.

 

[natebenma]

Sounds like a pretty decent end to your night. I am really bummed that we didn't go to Trader Sam's when we were in Disneyland in July 2014. I haven't been since it has opened at the Poly, but I think Mark and I may try to get there on our October anniversary trip. We have a dinner with a group of my friends at Kona one night, so maybe we will start there. It looks like a lot of fun, even outside.

Your drinks looked good. I'm a beer drinker too, when I drink, and I am disappointed that I didn't try the Kona beer when we were in Hawaii. I am cheap, and don't often pay for drinks at restaurants and I didn't buy a six pack because Mark said he wouldn't have any and I knew I wouldn't have 6. Regrets!

I agree with you about the Poly. I love the subtle, tropical theming there. That is where I would want to stay if I was not at the Beach or Yacht Club.

Glad you were able to say on your bus after arriving at Disney Springs.

:

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Yay, Trader Sam's! Love that place. And it is totally worth going in sometime if you're able - we tend to go at open, just because it's easier to get in/out. And if you're drinking beer, you can still enjoy the ambiance, because you can enjoy the show when other people order the signature drinks! The Poly is my favorite afternoon chill-out spot, especially if we're going to/coming from MK. Glad you were able to experience it!

@rteetz and @FantasiaMagic You can totally go in before 8pm, kids (sorry, their term, not mine) are allowed until then. And there are signature non-alcoholic drinks like Schweizer Falls (named for the infamous Dr. Albert Falls! ). The ambiance is totally worth it.

 

[disneywlf]

Glad to be back and reading your TR Sarah! Based on what you said, Trader Sam's looks like a fun place and while I do not drink beer, I will have to stop in on my next to WDW, as the theming (even outside) looks amazing and it carries forth the Polynesian's laid-back vibe. Also, I loved how you made friends and your pictures of the fireworks. Also, it was lucky that you were able to get on a bus and not have to change, which makes for a much easier evening for sure! Can't wait to read where you go the next day!

 

[SarahDisney]

I called it! Trader Sams! I really like the look of the place. I still have 3 years until I can go in there though. Looks like you had a great evening.

I wish we had gotten to actually sit inside Trader Sam's since it looks so cool, but the outside was nice too.
And 3 years isn't that long ... you'll probably be able to see Trader Sam's before you see Star Wars land!

I'm surprised you haven't seen Lilo and Stitch. I really like the movie and think it's one of Disney's better ones from that time period. The second movie and tv show weren't as good. I hope you see it at some point.

I really haven't seen too many Disney movies from that time period. I've seen most of the ones from the 90's and many of the ones from the last 5 years or so, but for some reason I just didn't see many Disney movies when I was in high school and college.
Lilo and Stitch is on my list of things to watch eventually, but there are a lot of other things on that list too. Maybe if I ever actually get to stay at the Poly I'll watch it before that trip.

Glad you got the bus situation figured out. In 2014 we were lucky to have a similar situation. We had a early ADR at Ohana. The bus took us to MK and then the bus driver asked us what we were doing. We said we had a reservation at the poly he said he would take us there and that was that.

Helpful and accommodating bus drivers are always awesome!!

Trader Sams looks great! In a 1.5 years I'll be able to go in there and enjoy lol.

1.5 years isn't too far away - only a few more years of college to survive until you can celebrate at Trader Sam's!

I love the Poly... I have never stayed there either, but I always visit when I'm in WDW.

I really never had any interest in Poly before this trip, but I think that now it's one of those places that I'll go back to often!

 

[SarahDisney]

Sounds like a pretty decent end to your night. I am really bummed that we didn't go to Trader Sam's when we were in Disneyland in July 2014. I haven't been since it has opened at the Poly, but I think Mark and I may try to get there on our October anniversary trip. We have a dinner with a group of my friends at Kona one night, so maybe we will start there. It looks like a lot of fun, even outside.

Thanks! We haven't been at Disneyland yet, but next trip I think I will make an effort to go there. I think it's definitely worth a visit!

Your drinks looked good. I'm a beer drinker too, when I drink, and I am disappointed that I didn't try the Kona beer when we were in Hawaii. I am cheap, and don't often pay for drinks at restaurants and I didn't buy a six pack because Mark said he wouldn't have any and I knew I wouldn't have 6. Regrets!

Thanks! I drink so rarely that I'm usually willing to pay a little more for drinks. Which is weird, because I'm normally pretty cheap.
And I definitely couldn't finish a whole six pack by myself either.

I agree with you about the Poly. I love the subtle, tropical theming there. That is where I would want to stay if I was not at the Beach or Yacht Club.

Glad you were able to say on your bus after arriving at Disney Springs.

Thanks - it definitely worked out great!

Yay, Trader Sam's! Love that place. And it is totally worth going in sometime if you're able - we tend to go at open, just because it's easier to get in/out. And if you're drinking beer, you can still enjoy the ambiance, because you can enjoy the show when other people order the signature drinks! The Poly is my favorite afternoon chill-out spot, especially if we're going to/coming from MK. Glad you were able to experience it!

I definitely want to go inside at some point, even if it's just to see what everyone else's drinks do. I think that going Saturday night at 10:30 may not have been my best idea ... next time I'll have to either try going when it opens or going at a time when I'm more willing to wait.

@rteetz and @FantasiaMagic You can totally go in before 8pm, kids (sorry, their term, not mine) are allowed until then. And there are signature non-alcoholic drinks like Schweizer Falls (named for the infamous Dr. Albert Falls! ). The ambiance is totally worth it.

This is good to know (in case I want to bring in any "kids"). Thanks for the info!

Glad to be back and reading your TR Sarah! Based on what you said, Trader Sam's looks like a fun place and while I do not drink beer, I will have to stop in on my next to WDW, as the theming (even outside) looks amazing and it carries forth the Polynesian's laid-back vibe. Also, I loved how you made friends and your pictures of the fireworks. Also, it was lucky that you were able to get on a bus and not have to change, which makes for a much easier evening for sure! Can't wait to read where you go the next day!

Thanks!
They have a great variety of drinks at Trader Sam's (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), so it's definitely worth checking out!
Overall, it was a great night and definitely got us excited for the next day!

 

[Saphire5742]

Great way to end the night. Love all your Poly photos. Almost makes me wish I hadn't decided to cancel Kona. Oh well, next time (I really have to keep a lost of all these next times, they are seriously adding up).