04-22-2012, 12:16 PM
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#1 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,943
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Our First Magical Poly Vacation: April 14-21 2012!
We just returned from our 8-day vacation at Disney and had an absolutely wonderful time! Over the next few weeks, I hope to put together a nice trip report mostly as a method of therapy to help me wean off from the week long Disney euphoria.
 I'm already feeling the effects of withdrawal this morning. Not having any princesses or furry giant creatures greet me while I'm eating my breakfast is just downright depressing.I'm going to take my time with this one - I learned my lesson from building my PTR when I breezed through the 8 day touring plan in less than 10 days.  Table of Contents Saturday, April 14th Part I - Get me to SeaWorld! Saturday April 14th Part II - Shamu Gives us a Proper Welcome! Sunday, April 15th Part I - Aloha! Sunday, April 15th Part II - Loving the Mania Sunday, April 15th Part III - An Italian Lunch, Ariel Strikes Out, and Exploring Another Dimension Sunday, April 15th Part IV - Enjoying the Nightlife at MK Monday, April 16th Part I - A Morning with the Princesses, the Fab Five, and Puddy Monday, April 16th Part II - Learning How to Say Duuuude, Sound Financial Advice from a Piggy, and Eating like a Canadian Monday, April 16th Part III -Touring the World and a Meltdown to Remember Monday, April 16th Part IV - A Birthday Surprise for DW Tuesday April 17th Part I - Tonga Toast, Main Street, and The Castle. What a way to start the day! Tuesday April 17th Part II - Flying with Pan, Singing Dolls and Birds, and a Splash Down the Mountain Tuesday April 17th Part III - Star Light, Star Bright, First Star I See Tonight Wednesday April 18th Part I - A Poly Sunrise Wednesday April 18th Part II - Surfing with Lilo and Hanging Loose in the Cabana Wednesday April 18th Part III - Fun on the Beach and Skipping Across the Pond for a Parade Thursday April 19th Part I - A Breakfast and Safari in Africa Thursday April 19th Part II - Partying with Simba and Co., Dino Adventures, and a Beautiful (Concrete) Tree. Thursday April 19th Part III - Here Come the Birds! And the rain. Thursday April 19th Part IV - Going Commando for Everest and Boma Friday April 20th Part I - The Rapunzel Run Friday April 20th Part II - An Abbreviated MK Day and Dining with the Tremaines Saturday April 21st Part I - Staying One Step Ahead of the Storm on Our Last Day Saturday April 21st Part II - Saying Goodbye If you're interested, the links to my PTR and Live Report are on my sig which can serve as a preview of this TR. As for my first post, I'm going to give a brief summary report and impressions of the trip and post a few of my favorite pics. The Polynesian: It was everything I had hoped it to be. Beautiful landscaping. Very friendly staff. Great pool and beach. Wishes from the beach gives a completely different look and feel compared to the views inside MK. Awesome restuarant and shopping options. And being on the monorail. Yes, the room was a little outdated and worn, but in my opinion, you are paying extra for all of the other amenities and services, AND the atmosphere is one of the most unique and other-worldly of all the Disney Resorts. We found our next resort!:This will be a tough one. We would LOVE to go back to Poly again for our next trip in two years. But we also enjoyed our brief tour of AKL after our dinner at Boma. Both DW and I agreed that we'll have to stay at AKL. Best Food/Restuarant: Overall, it was Boma by a mile. Actually, we didn't have a bad meal at any of the Disney restaurants we ate at. I ate so much, I'm afraid to step on the scale. Pretty sure gained at least 10 pounds. Best Character Meal: Best character interactions were at Ohana. The characters took their time with us and we never felt rushed. In fact, three of the four came back again as they were passing by to play with the kids again. Best food for a character meal was at Tusker House. Best Live Show: FOTLK is still the best one for us. We tried Flights of Wonder for the first time and enjoyed it as well. Favorite Rides: For DD5 and DS2, it was TSM. For DW and I, it was ToT which we tried for the first time this year. Best "Celebrity" Moment: When CM Hiram (sp?) from Poly helped me with our bags. He was the CM from one of my favorite youtube videos by Bosox01 who helped out with the pronunciation with Aotearoa Longhouse. Favorite Moment: Watching Wishes from the Dessert Party with DD on my lap. Least Favorite Moment: Not being able to go PoTC as each time we went by, the ride was temporarily closed. Perfect Snack Moment: The enjoying a shaved ice snack while sitting at Japan Pavillion's garden around 3:00pm with temps reaching the upper 80s. Best Looking Garden at Epcot: Canada. Longest Line for a Ride: The Seas Pavillion with Nemo which was still only 15 minutes. I don't know what was going on that day but it was also the same day TT started its refurbishment. Anyway, I consider this a success. The Disney Mobile Magic app was a godsend as I could time my fastpass runs with better accuracy by monitoring the return time windows. Best Souvenir: Mickey Mouse Hands/Gloves. Overall, everything was GREAT! CMs were once again nice and friendly all around. The weather was warm and hot except the last two days. But the rain actually made our touring a lot easier as it kept the crowds away. Here are a few of my favorite pictures I got to keep you enticed while I work my way to posting our Day 1 happenings. Once thing I learned, I wish I had a bought a better camera instead of our point-and-shoot. Dumbo's Flight at Night:  Rope Drop at MK:  View from our Illuminations Cruise:  O Canada!  Tree of Life Up Close  While waiting for the Resort Launch Boats at Poly  DD at Poly Beach  Sunrise on Poly Beach  Wishes Dessert Party 
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A Winter Escape to the Enchanted Forest - January 2013 Trip Report/PTR
A Solo Trip to Disneyland 28 years in the Making! A Trip Report for October 16 and 17th, 2012 Our First Magical Poly Vacation! April 14-21, 2012 - Trip Report/ Live Report/ PTR  Last edited by DaveinFallsChurch; 06-27-2012 at 05:40 PM. |
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04-22-2012, 01:08 PM
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#2 |
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Princess
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Maine
Posts: 467
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 Am I first??? Subscribing!
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04-22-2012, 02:09 PM
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#3 |
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"hang onto your hats and glasses 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!"
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: 1,247 miles from WDW!
Posts: 349
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I'm joining in! I love first-trip trip reports!
 Looking forward to reading
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Me (Erika)
 DH (Robert)  Furbabies (Daisy) (Mickey)   |
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04-22-2012, 03:12 PM
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#4 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 703
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Oh Dave - what beautiful pics. (I was lucky enough to see some of those before anyone else!) LOL!
I am very excited to re-live my week in time again with a trip report too. It will certainly be nice to see how our 2 trips compare. LOL!
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May, 1991 - The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
January, 2009 - Barcelo Maya Palace, Mayan Riviera, Mexico December, 2010 - Barcelo Maya Tropical, Mayan Riviera, Mexico April, 2012 -Disney's Polynesian Resort November, 2012 - Barcelo Maya Palace, Mayan Riviera, Mexico Our Poly Dream Vacation - April, 2012 Trip Report My Parents Gave US the World - A Poly Dream PTR |
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04-22-2012, 03:30 PM
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#5 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 568
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Love your photos of the Poly. My trip in January for marathon weekend, I stayed at the Poly and loved the proximity to everything, plus the wonderful staff. Look forward to reading the rest of your report.
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04-22-2012, 03:37 PM
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#6 |
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Mouseketeer
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 150
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Can't wait to read your report! Poly is my dream resort. We stayed at AKL in 2010 and you can't beat it for the price. You can have a club room and/or savannah view for the price of the Poly. You won't be disappointed!
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04-23-2012, 11:12 AM
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,943
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 The monorail was so convenient especially with a stroller. Plus, we were in the Tahiti Longhouse which meant that the TTC was extremely close-by. Loved having those options as well!Quote:
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A Winter Escape to the Enchanted Forest - January 2013 Trip Report/PTR
A Solo Trip to Disneyland 28 years in the Making! A Trip Report for October 16 and 17th, 2012 Our First Magical Poly Vacation! April 14-21, 2012 - Trip Report/ Live Report/ PTR |
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04-23-2012, 01:16 PM
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Earning My Ears
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Sioux City, IA
Posts: 53
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Subscribing
Can't wait to read your report, you have some great pics here already! we got home from Disney late last weds and are feeling those disney blues too so considering writing my own report......or a dining one at the very least. Would love to hear about the Poly, we also have AKL on our list of places to stay...especially after having breakfast at Boma and exploring the resort afterwards!
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Our Cast! Lindzy(me)
 , Darin(dh)  Trystan(ds)  , Rylei(dd)  , Camyren(ds)  , Syenna(dd)  , Loghyn (dd)  Our 1st DisneyWorld trip! Off Property-June 2010 Shades of Green and MNSSHP! Sept. 2011 Our 5yr anniversary trip! April 2012-Port Orleans French Quarter |
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04-23-2012, 01:21 PM
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#9 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: canada
Posts: 3,425
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I am here too!!
 Can't wait to here more detail about your trip! You are filling a void right now...thank you!! 
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 Thanks Kook! |
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04-23-2012, 04:16 PM
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#10 | ||
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,943
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A Winter Escape to the Enchanted Forest - January 2013 Trip Report/PTR
A Solo Trip to Disneyland 28 years in the Making! A Trip Report for October 16 and 17th, 2012 Our First Magical Poly Vacation! April 14-21, 2012 - Trip Report/ Live Report/ PTR |
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04-23-2012, 04:28 PM
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If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. Can you feel the love tonight? Ohana means family. Hakuna Matata!
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: 1,194 miles from the Magic Kingdom
Posts: 990
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Wow!! Absolutely beautiful pictures!
I love the POLY! It's my favorite Delux resort by far! I'm glad you enjoyed your time there. I'm excited to hear about your trip!
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1997-POFQ (First Visit!), 1998-ASMo, 2001-ASM, 2003-POFQ, 2003-CBR, 2005-offsite, 2006-offsite, 2007-Poly & offsite, 2009-POR, 2010-Dolphin & Poly, 2012- POP & POFQ, 2013-Dolphin Moving Mom to FL and DBF's first Disney trip June 2013 PTR (Current) Mother/Daughter June 2012 PTR and TR (Current) Graduation/Anniversary Trip July 2010 TR  |
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04-23-2012, 06:07 PM
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,943
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There were several that were so blurry and dark, I can barely tell what I was shooting for. And there's one where I took one of the ground while riding the Speedway. DD was driving and it was quite bumpy. 
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A Winter Escape to the Enchanted Forest - January 2013 Trip Report/PTR
A Solo Trip to Disneyland 28 years in the Making! A Trip Report for October 16 and 17th, 2012 Our First Magical Poly Vacation! April 14-21, 2012 - Trip Report/ Live Report/ PTR |
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04-23-2012, 06:32 PM
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Jambo Wildbunch Gang
I instantly turned into "one of those moms" I think I'm going to start looking for ways to fit jive into my daily vocabulary 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 2,846
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Hi DaveinFallsChurch. I'm stepdisney in Haymarket.... Can't wait to hear about your Poly trip. We are torn between YC and Poly this year.....
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   June 2000 1st trip off site~Oct. 2005 POP~ Aug/Sept. 2007 WL~Aug/Sept. 2008 AKL ~Aug/Sept. 2009 Kidani Village~Aug/Sept. 2010WL/Grand Gathering~ Aug. 2011 YC  Aug. 2012 YC? |
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04-23-2012, 08:41 PM
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#14 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 973
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can't wait to hear all about it!!!
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January 2008 Pop Century
January 2010 Wilderness Lodge January 2011 All Star Sports April 2012 Polynesion |
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04-23-2012, 10:09 PM
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,943
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A Winter Escape to the Enchanted Forest - January 2013 Trip Report/PTR
A Solo Trip to Disneyland 28 years in the Making! A Trip Report for October 16 and 17th, 2012 Our First Magical Poly Vacation! April 14-21, 2012 - Trip Report/ Live Report/ PTR |
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