Everything You Do, CELEBRATE YOU! - Polynesian - Club Level - TPV

[pkondz]

Reminds me of this advert..

Shoot.. at work.
And you posted a bunch more vids, too.
It's gotta wait til I get home.

I am so happy you've done this! Sounds great.

It was a really magical trip!

Literally how I feel at a morning ADR.

Hahaha this reminds me, whenever the tiniest thing goes wrong for me and my friends we go to our whatsapp group and make plans to distribute a new plague and give only ourselves the vaccine. How DARK! but funny.

"Someone spilled coffee on me.. Exterminate the planet!" "Some took the last chicken sandwich.. How's that vaccine coming along?" Maybe this isn't something I should be sharing.. MOVING ON.

No! Share! This is hilarious!
I may have to start doing this...
I can think of a few people already.....

Exactly. I told myself I wasn't doing a pre-park ADR this year but I just caved. It's for Be Our Guest on the 17th before I do my Keys to the Kingdom tour - so I'll let you know how it goes

Standing by...

Yeah THANKS PAL.

Always aiming to please.

I'm a monster.

Yes you are!

This is a serious problem that Disney really needs to address.

I totally agree. They need to get on this asap.

Yes, and I guess I'll take the burden of being the judge.

It's a sacrifice that you're willing to make?

Impressive.
Although I don't know how your mom's going to take it when you tell her my banana bread is better than hers.

Hymie probably likes the queue more than the ride itself he never went to Disney as a kid so he doesn't really have that Peter Pan nostalgia.

That's a huge part of it isn't it?

Who is your first?

Well Ariel of course!
I'm shocked you have to even ask.

Hahaha me too!!! I'm so pale I have milk bottle-looking legs

You sound like Ruby.
She has two colours.
Milk white or beet red after being in the sun for 2.3 seconds.

We sat out by the pool for a couple of hours.

And yet... no milk bottle coloured hot dogs.

I felt like my skin was completely saturated with sunscreen...

Oily hot dogs...

Eventually we went to enjoy the warmth of outside on the shade of our balcony

With a view like that, I can see where this wouldn't be a huge sacrifice.

We could see all of the equipment, but we had a perfect view of the stage.

I'd probably be too busy watching the guy with the equipment and miss the whole show.

I must say, you got some great pics of the show, Katie.

I like the soundtrack, and Jamie finds synchronised dancing “oddly satisfying”

I am so looking forward to meeting him.
Does he know he's been roped into a DISmeet?
If he doesn't.... DON'T TELL HIM!
I want to see his face when I say hello to "Hymie".

From the show we went straight to Tower, and it was practically a walk on!

What? Was there a recent rain perchance?

I struck a princess pose for the picture
I’m basic and I love my life leave me alone.

Last row, far left.
"Why oh why did I let him talk me into this??"

I always love to walk onto my favourites.

Then we went to the fastpass kiosk and found a Rock n Roller Coaster pass for RIGHT NOW!

What???? How are you doing these magical things?!?!?

We were asleep for the photo!

I totally understand. It's such a dull ride.

We really are succeeding in the important parts of life.

(Also, holy tan line Batman!)

Oh, thank God you said this!
I saw the picture, and, well.... the tan line does stand out. But I didn't want to embarrass you by mentioning it... but it's so..... in your face!
I really didn't know what to do until I read that.

It was difficult manoeuvring the crowds but we made it in the end.

You made what, where?

Did you know you can have your wedding reception in the Wizard of Oz room?!

You can????

But then.... why?

The last time I was at the Wilderness Lodge I looked like this:

So... no change, really.

(Yes my Uncle Pocahontas-stamped my face.)

Did he knock a tooth loose? How cruel!

I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by this resort.

It's really something isn't it?

Before this trip I would’ve said this was my least favourite deluxe.

Maybe I’ll change my mind again next time I’m in Disney.

or... not. Lots of renovations going on right now.
When it was looking like Ruby and I might be heading down, I was going to spring for at least a Mod, possibly a deluxe. I saw the prices were good for WL... and then I saw why. Pool, paths, beach, marina... refurb.

BASICALLY to me, with the whole rustic, wooden thing going on, the Wilderness Lodge feels like a deluxified Dixie Landings.

I can see that.

This little bridge and stream are INSIDE.

I know! I think that might be my favourite part.

Awww...

Could this resort be any more perfect and wildernessy???

Wildernessy.

Is too a word.

THERE ARE HOOF TRACKS IN THE CONCRETE.

You like that do you?

I really wanted that grey hoodie on the right but they didn’t have my size, boooo.

What? Trip ruined!!!!!

The bottom of the Wilderness Lodge totem pole is where I belong in life.

Cute pic!

We were eating at Whispering Canyon Café this evening!

Loved eating there with the rugrats. They had a blast.

I might be the only person to have ever said that.
But we LOVED Whispering Canyon!

Nope. You're not. We did too.

The main room was SO loud and busy and there were kids running around everywhere

That does tend to happen.
Sedate, it ain't.

The pony races still come through, and you can still do the ketchup thing, but it’s only a small room so it’s much less frequent, and generally more low-key.

Huh. Didn't know that existed.

She set down our drinks, then pretended to sneeze, and as she did, she THREW STRAWS ALL OVER THE TABLE.

She then told me I could keep the glow cube that was in my cocktail.
Jamie said, “She already has loads of them!”
To which Monica leaned in to me and said,

“He's being polite, but he’s trying to tell me that you have a drinking problem…"

This was the best salad I have EVER tasted.
I kid you not.
THE BEST.
SALAD.
EVER.

But did you like it?

I was not willing to share this amazing concoction.

I can see you with one arm around the salad, the other ready to lash out with a fork if Hymie's hand strayed near.

In this next photo you can see how pretty and calm this back room is.

Nice.

I’ve booked this meal again for our 2016 trip so I hope I can add “consistent” to its glowing review!

I hope so too!
Don't dash Katie's dreams, Disney!

Jamie immediately said that 1900 Park Fare was his favourite, because his new girlfriend Drizella lives there.

Sure. Makes sense.

we waited in some fairly long lines at the Boma buffet.

You did? Huh. That surprises me.
Only been the one time, uh... 11 years ago? 7 years? but there were zero line ups.

I love this resort, in case you hadn’t guessed.

What? You do?
Geez, girl. Don't spring it on us like that. Give us a head's up at least.

We stumbled upon a little fireplace and seating area on maybe the third floor.
SERIOUSLY WILDERNESS LODGE???
You are perfect.

Wow. What a perfect little spot.

We sat by the fire for 10-15 minutes and reminisced about the trip so far.
Of all the happiness I felt on this trip, I think this was my happiest moment.

I can totally see why you'd say that.

Then we went to Roaring Fork because I wanted to get a magic cookie bar!
I’d heard great things and thought I may as well grab one while I’m here.

Never heard of it... and when I saw the pic, I knew why.
Coconut.

Blech.

Jamie decided to go back to the room, so I sent him off (with strict orders not to eat my magic cookie bar),

I can't do that.
If I walked out of a room and said "Ruby, don't eat my chocolate! (or whatever)" and then immediately turned around and re-entered... it'd already be gone.
And if I question it?
1. "I didn't hear you."
2. "I thought you told me to eat it."
3. "I was hungry."
4. "You were gone so long." (0.00001 seconds)
5. "You shouldn't just leave things lying around." (i.e. not hidden well enough)
6... Well, you get the idea. I could go on.

I called into the Confectionary first.
Can’t you smell the sugar just by looking at this photo?!

I also heard the singing guy up in this window!

You did! I never have... and I'm surprised you could considering how busy it was.

The atmosphere was so much more relaxed than Main Street, where everyone seems to be frustrated at somebody nearby.

Never thought of this... but... yeah.

Now that they’ve announced the cancellation of the Wishes fastpass area I think Fantasyland will be my new fireworks viewing area of choice.

Really! Huh.

I like that shot.

I wasn’t sure what to do after the fireworks, so I just went straight home.

Kathy Bates, you know me well.​

The woman sat in front of me on Splash was adorable, she kept turning around to talk to me in broken English, but she was so cute.

Awwww...

After the big drop my new friend turned to me and offered me a Kleenex to dry my face!
I love her.

I decided before heading home that I wanted to do a cruise through the jungle at night, so I walked right in, and I was the only one there!

Cool! Now if only you could've done a solo voyage.

When I got in the boat the Skipper said,
“Oooh a girrrrl… Come sit close to me, we’ll talk about stranger danger.”

He said that!?!?!? OMG.

This was the only photo I took.
Tom Bricker, eat your heart out.

I love the play of the different shades of blackness. Very creative.

I know I prefer every ride at night, but the Jungle Cruise is REALLY something special at night! It’s like a completely different experience, and a little creepy.

I just copied and pasted that line into my Disney to do list.

I went back to the room and watched some TV with Jamie, and we went to sleep at around midnight.

It was a very long day, we’d been up since 6:45am with no naps.

We do that in Disney with nary a thought... but do it at home????

 

[DLHNYC]

Tom Bricker, that's like a serious Disney celebrity sighting!!! Would have been cool to talk with him, and he probably would have appreciated being recognized, but if he was in the middle of shooting I probably would have left him alone too. Love your Trip Reports, they are my favorite!

 

[Teetah]

If there is anything I like getting bombarded with, it's TR updates. Keep 'em coming!

I have so many comments and not enough time! I will resume stalker mode.

 

[disneygirl1972]

I'm thoroughly enjoying reading your report!! I am curious of your opinion about the Poly. If you had to choose between a TPV without CL, or CL without TPV, which would you choose?

 

[Leshaface]

Back at it again with the Snapchatting…

Can I just tell you, how much I LOVED that DH's name was Daniel during this trend! Said it all.the.time.

Only the cool peeps show up late to the party

For anyone who is short, or has ever had the regular view of the back of somebody's head in this theatre, you’ll appreciate how delighted I was with this spot!

Shorty right here <--me jumping to see anything

Uh, hello looking right at you

It’s very difficult to do when you're accelerating from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds, so we always feel very accomplished seeing the photo afterwards.
We really are succeeding in the important parts of life.

Yeah you seriously win at life.

They did this to our picture, which Jamie LOVED!
Baymax is his favourite, he’s even his phone background.

OH MY!!!

I'm pretty sure that is a 40 year old John Smith But oh my, how adorable are you with that hair cut?!

I know I tend to exaggerate, and I seem to have a new favourite thing every day.

Twins.

Perfection!

This was one of THE BEST meals that I’ve EVER had at Disney.

That is saying a lot for sure!

It turned out to be greatness.
The pony races still come through, and you can still do the ketchup thing, but it’s only a small room so it’s much less frequent, and generally more low-key.
I thought it was perfect for a childless couple like us, and I will definitely be requesting that back room on our next visit!

Can DH and I sit in that room and put our kids in that other room???

It’s nice that they give people that option though.

There are some real lame-o's out there that don't enjoy fun #getoutofthebubblethenplease

She set down our drinks, then pretended to sneeze, and as she did, she THREW STRAWS ALL OVER THE TABLE.

“He's being polite, but he’s trying to tell me that you have a drinking problem…"

Wait, how many ice cubes do you have exactly?

I won't tell but maybe you do have a problem

Drinks out of mason jars are the best!

Looks so fresh and vibrant and yummy!

Then we said that we liked the fact that at Whispering Canyon the food is brought out to you, whereas we waited in some fairly long lines at the Boma buffet.

This is what I loved about our O'hana breakast (coming up eventually...taking me forever!) Didn't have to get DS's food at the same time as me, just served him straight from the table. So much more convenient!

I called into the Confectionary first.
Can’t you smell the sugar just by looking at this photo?!

I'm pretty sure you know, cause I may have told you, but i'll tell you again just in case. You must get these candles! I still don't have them cause they're always out of stock every time I look, but in stock now!

WOW!

Cal has been reading along with me and said, "WOW so cool!" at the video too

"Hi Katie!" says Calvin

I headed out towards Adventureland, and there I spotted none other than Tom Bricker from the Disney Tourist Blog!!!

Don't know this blog, but will soon enough!

“Oooh a girrrrl… Come sit close to me, we’ll talk about stranger danger.”

Tom Bricker, eat your heart out.

Gasp, SC has Disney filters!!!

 

[disneyguy4life]

I really need to get over to Wilderness Lodge on my next trip. I love the geysers they have there.
Without a doubt I am going to suggest seeing the fireworks from Fantasyland next time around. That way I won't have to deal with everyone's interesting body odor. There is nothing magical about that.

 

[dmlovullo]

We were asleep for the photo!
It’s very difficult to do when you're accelerating from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds, so we always feel very accomplished seeing the photo afterwards.
We really are succeeding in the important parts of life

Nice work!!

Did you know you can have your wedding reception in the Wizard of Oz room?!
Like seriously.

WHAAAAAAA????? Interesting!

Love the Wilderness Lodge lobby!

Yup! Definitely our favorite lobby/resort. It is just ahead of Animal Kingdom Lodge.

This was one of THE BEST meals that I’ve EVER had at Disney.
That probably sounds crazy.
I might be the only person to have ever said that.
But we LOVED Whispering Canyon!

We had such a delicious meal there in October! We are going for breakfast next week!

“He's being polite, but he’s trying to tell me that you have a drinking problem…"

HAHA!! This made me LOL at work! Love it!

That cornbread...YUM!!!

Ok...now I'm drooling...

We love relaxing at the Lodge. So quaint and rustic! Right up our alley!

We headed out the back of the Wilderness Lodge, through the pretty courtyard and past the pool, and hopped on a boat to the Magic Kingdom.

The boats on Bay Lake are our favorite form of transportation at WDW! So pretty, especially at night.

I headed out towards Adventureland, and there I spotted none other than Tom Bricker from the Disney Tourist Blog!!!

OMG!!!!!!!! Love his photos and his blog! Him and Sarah have recently started a YouTube Channel called "Disney Tourist Vlog". They have entered the "Vlogisphere".

When I got in the boat the Skipper said,
“Oooh a girrrrl… Come sit close to me, we’ll talk about stranger danger.”
Bahaha.
Disney after dark.
I mean, I was on a boat in the middle of no where, so I couldn't exactly say no...

Stranger Danger at its finest! Love the skippers and their wittiness!

This was the only photo I took.
Tom Bricker, eat your heart out.

 

[Glee1973]

Just caught up on your trip report. It sounds fabulous! I've never stayed deluxe but we are old school Dixie landings people too. We can't make ourselves stay anywhere else! We are totally commando park tourers so paying for a deluxe seems silly. What has been your favorite deluxe so far?

 

[TheLittleKatie]

We're actually going back in September too so even less of a wait! (But not staying at the Poly then). I'm so excited for Christmas this trip and the last one we both did for Halloween which is our favorite holiday, but it made us curious about how awesome Christmastime could be.

Love Halloween and curious about Christmas... why not do both?! have a great time, we're back in September too so maybe I'll see you there!

I tried it out but it was too itchy and I thought it was too hot for Orlando I was very sad because our names do start with the same letter so I thought it would be perfect.

Ahh itchy sweaters were my nemesis as a kid, I wouldn't put myself through that again..!!! It's a shame though, I think it's a cute idea.

I can't wait to see the Wilderness Lodge especially around the holidays We haven't seen that resort yet.

Omg I think the Wilderness Lodge would have the BEST Christmas feel to it! I've just noticed the TR and PTR links in your signature, I'm going to head over there

Loved the review! We're going for lunch in December at the request of the birthday boy.

Thanks! It was weird enjoying it so much because the food there never really gets much attention? From what I've seen anyway

Awesome updates. What's your snapchat name?

Thank you! It's katiesaurus91

Amazing updates as usual! Your next trip is coming up really soon isn't it?

Giiiirrrrrrllll we fly out in 16 days are you guys heading out again anytime soon?

 

[Raeven]

Love Halloween and curious about Christmas... why not do both?! have a great time, we're back in September too so maybe I'll see you there!

I actually didn't think my boyfriend woukd be so agreeable to that suggestion But after we went the first time when I posed that dilemma to him he agreed that was the only choice that made sense. Of course originally the September one was supposed to be shorter but it didn't stay that way for long. Yes maybe we will see you there we're going to be in Disney from the 18th-24th!

Ahh itchy sweaters were my nemesis as a kid, I wouldn't put myself through that again..!!! It's a shame though, I think it's a cute idea.

Yeah it was very disappointing

Omg I think the Wilderness Lodge would have the BEST Christmas feel to it! I've just noticed the TR and PTR links in your signature, I'm going to head over there

Thanks for reading! I'm so excited to see all the resorts at Christmas

Thanks! It was weird enjoying it so much because the food there never really gets much attention? From what I've seen anyway

It's true I haven't heard much about the food there either. But it looks good

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Shoot.. at work.
And you posted a bunch more vids, too.
It's gotta wait til I get home.

Are you ever not at work? I'm guessing that's where you do all of your Dis-ing?! I'm telling your boss!

That's a huge part of it isn't it?

I guess the line makes up for the fact that you wait an hour for a ride that is 30 seconds long

Well Ariel of course!
I'm shocked you have to even ask.

I could've figured this out!

You sound like Ruby.
She has two colours.
Milk white or beet red after being in the sun for 2.3 seconds.

I know a lot of people like this. I am usually pretty pale (the sun doesn't exist up here), but thankfully I can get a tan if I try really hard

With a view like that, I can see where this wouldn't be a huge sacrifice.

I'm so glad we took the time to appreciate the hotel/lounge/balcony, I was worried we wouldn't, but I'm definitely satisfied with the amount of time we spent relaxing

I must say, you got some great pics of the show, Katie.

FANX. It's the camera though, nothing to do with me

I am so looking forward to meeting him.
Does he know he's been roped into a DISmeet?
If he doesn't.... DON'T TELL HIM!
I want to see his face when I say hello to "Hymie".

Hahah he knows!! He is familiar with you already because I made him read a passage from your TR. The bit where you and Kay went on Splash and she was throwing a tantrum so you ordered Chinese food He enjoyed that very much!

What???? How are you doing these magical things?!?!?

SEPTEMBER MAGIC.

Oh, thank God you said this!
I saw the picture, and, well.... the tan line does stand out. But I didn't want to embarrass you by mentioning it... but it's so..... in your face!
I really didn't know what to do until I read that.

HAHA it's funny isn't it!!! I'm actually quite impressed with myself

You can????

But then.... why?

No idea why anyone would want to... Of all the beautiful places you could get married in Walt Disney World, why would you choose the Great Movie Ride

Did he knock a tooth loose? How cruel!

Well apparently my Auntie could've knocked his tooth loose when she realised he'd put a big red birth-mark-looking thing across half of my face for all of our nice character breakfast photos...

It's really something isn't it?

SO pretty. Photos really don't do it justice.

or... not. Lots of renovations going on right now.
When it was looking like Ruby and I might be heading down, I was going to spring for at least a Mod, possibly a deluxe. I saw the prices were good for WL... and then I saw why. Pool, paths, beach, marina... refurb.

I hope they do a great job! I really hope they do a room refurb soon. When I see most deluxe rooms I think "WOW", but not so much for the Wilderness Lodge rooms.. Could just be me

Nope. You're not. We did too.

Good! The food never seems to get much attention? And it was GREAT Hope it wasn't just a one off. I'll let you know when I see you at Epcot

But did you like it?

I can see you with one arm around the salad, the other ready to lash out with a fork if Hymie's hand strayed near.

Hahahah were you spying on us..!??!

You did? Huh. That surprises me.
Only been the one time, uh... 11 years ago? 7 years? but there were zero line ups.

Oh yes it was very busy. The meat station always had a line.

What? You do?
Geez, girl. Don't spring it on us like that. Give us a head's up at least.

Never heard of it... and when I saw the pic, I knew why.
Coconut.

Blech.

I hate coconut too, I assure you there's no coconut on it!!!

I can't do that.
If I walked out of a room and said "Ruby, don't eat my chocolate! (or whatever)" and then immediately turned around and re-entered... it'd already be gone.
And if I question it?
1. "I didn't hear you."
2. "I thought you told me to eat it."
3. "I was hungry."
4. "You were gone so long." (0.00001 seconds)
5. "You shouldn't just leave things lying around." (i.e. not hidden well enough)
6... Well, you get the idea. I could go on.

Ruby and I are the same person

Never thought of this... but... yeah.

For reals. Everyone seems so angsty watching Wishes on Main Street... Fantasyland is where the cool people watch from

I like that shot.

FANX.

He said that!?!?!? OMG.

YES I swear! I was so shocked! He's lucky I have a dark sense of humour it could've gone much worse for him

I love the play of the different shades of blackness. Very creative.

FANX.

I just copied and pasted that line into my Disney to do list.

You must! It's pitch black back there, you only see the animals when the flash light is on them, it's really creepy!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Tom Bricker, that's like a serious Disney celebrity sighting!!! Would have been cool to talk with him, and he probably would have appreciated being recognized, but if he was in the middle of shooting I probably would have left him alone too. Love your Trip Reports, they are my favorite!

I know!! It was probably the fact that he was sat on the ground too if he was standing I might have said hi. Aww thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoy them, even though I'm so slow at posting!!! Thanks for sticking around

If there is anything I like getting bombarded with, it's TR updates. Keep 'em coming!

I have so many comments and not enough time! I will resume stalker mode.

Thanks girl!!! I've got some more coming up

I'm thoroughly enjoying reading your report!! I am curious of your opinion about the Poly. If you had to choose between a TPV without CL, or CL without TPV, which would you choose?

Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Oh boy, that's a tough one, but I'd have to go with the TPV! Especially if you had the dining plan or something. Nothing beats that view, in my opinion! Is this a decision you're actually trying to make?! What are you leaning towards?

Can I just tell you, how much I LOVED that DH's name was Daniel during this trend! Said it all.the.time.

Oh jeez, I wonder how annoying he found that..?!

Only the cool peeps show up late to the party

I'm clearly way too cool to be using Snapchat.. I'll just casually show up 2 years late. FASHIONABLY LATE.

Shorty right here <--me jumping to see anything

The Festival of the Lion King theater is the worst for short people in my opinion..

I'm pretty sure that is a 40 year old John Smith But oh my, how adorable are you with that hair cut?!

I always hated that haircut when I was little but I've come to realise it was actually quite cute. Same with all the ridiculous matching outfits my mum would dress me in

That is saying a lot for sure!

Right?! I never hear any love for WCC, not sure if we just got lucky, but we'll be back next month to try it again

Can DH and I sit in that room and put our kids in that other room???

There are some real lame-o's out there that don't enjoy fun #getoutofthebubblethenplease

For reals. Why would you book this restaurant and not participate? It's what it's known for! #judgingyou

Wait, how many ice cubes do you have exactly?

I won't tell but maybe you do have a problem

Not even that many!!! I've only had four or five?!

I'm pretty sure you know, cause I may have told you, but i'll tell you again just in case. You must get these candles! I still don't have them cause they're always out of stock every time I look, but in stock now!

OH I need some of these! Have you tried the confectionary one and and does it actually smell like it? I'm looking at £12.71 for the candle and £26.22 for shipping though so it's something I'll have to revisit when I'm over there in a couple of weeks! There are a bunch in there I would like to try, have you had any others?

"Hi Katie!" says Calvin

STOP IT I am fangirling Hi Calvin!!!!!

Don't know this blog, but will soon enough!

Just having a browse of his photography is well worth your time!

That skipper was lucky I have a sense of humour..!!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

I really need to get over to Wilderness Lodge on my next trip. I love the geysers they have there.
Without a doubt I am going to suggest seeing the fireworks from Fantasyland next time around. That way I won't have to deal with everyone's interesting body odor. There is nothing magical about that.

Do I see a new Disney outfit for lil HM in your picture?! So cute! I definitely recommend watching Wishes from Fantasyland, I think it was the most fun area I've watched from When are you next heading out?

Love the Wilderness Lodge lobby!

Me too! I appreciate it so much more in person than in pictures

We had such a delicious meal there in October! We are going for breakfast next week!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys it, I never see anyone getting excited about this meal. Let us know how breakfast is!

HAHA!! This made me LOL at work! Love it!

she was so funny!

Ok...now I'm drooling...

Me too!! Looking at those pictures makes me so hungry.

The boats on Bay Lake are our favorite form of transportation at WDW! So pretty, especially at night.

I don't know why, maybe because it was my first time doing it, but I LOVED this journey! This whole evening made me really want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge

OMG!!!!!!!! Love his photos and his blog! Him and Sarah have recently started a YouTube Channel called "Disney Tourist Vlog". They have entered the "Vlogisphere".

I didn't know this, thank you! I'll check them out on YouTube

Stranger Danger at its finest! Love the skippers and their wittiness!

I was surprised they can get away with saying stuff like this actually! Only at the Jungle Cruise! Imagine if a CM said this at the Storybook Canal Boats at Disneyland

Just caught up on your trip report. It sounds fabulous! I've never stayed deluxe but we are old school Dixie landings people too. We can't make ourselves stay anywhere else! We are totally commando park tourers so paying for a deluxe seems silly. What has been your favorite deluxe so far?

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I don't blame you, I have so much love for Riverside, it brings back so many happy memories
Oh boy, picking a favourite deluxe is what I imagine picking a favourite child feels like That's really really tough. Well of the ones I've stayed at, Beach Club, Grand Floridian and Polynesian, the Grand is obviously the most fancy and "special", I love the theming and the easy transport at the Poly (walking to the TTC), but I LOVE the location of the Beach Club, the whole Epcot resorts area is one of my favourite places to be. And since we stayed they refurbished the rooms at the Beach Club, did you see them?! I think they look GREAT. Overall, as a general hotel, I'd probably pick Beach Club and the Grand equally.. although our personal experience at the Poly (TPV and CL) was incredible!!! We're staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a couple of weeks so that could potentially mess up my decision!!! Do you have a favourite?! I literally love all eight of them

I actually didn't think my boyfriend woukd be so agreeable to that suggestion But after we went the first time when I posed that dilemma to him he agreed that was the only choice that made sense. Of course originally the September one was supposed to be shorter but it didn't stay that way for long. Yes maybe we will see you there we're going to be in Disney from the 18th-24th!

I'll be there until the 21st so we have a few days cross-over

 

[disneygirl1972]

Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Oh boy, that's a tough one, but I'd have to go with the TPV! Especially if you had the dining plan or something. Nothing beats that view, in my opinion! Is this a decision you're actually trying to make?! What are you leaning towards?

It is a decision I am trying to make. We are planning a split stay, POR & POLY (per the request of my high school senior for graduation). I have done CL at YC, & while I enjoyed it, I'm not sure if it is truly worth it for us. Aside from breakfast, our touring style would probably not put us back to the hotel during prime CL hours. My teens would enjoy the "priviledge" of it, but I think the novelty would wear off after the first day.

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 10
Thursday 1st October 2015
Part 1 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!

It’s October 1st!
HAPPY 44TH BIRTHDAY MAGIC KINGDOM!
HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY EPCOT!

And Happy Halloween Party day to us

We slept a solid 10 hours last night, it was the greatest thing ever.
I got us some breakfast at around 10:15am.
I miss carbo-loading for no reason.

I also tried a corner of my Magical Cookie bar, holy cow it was good.

It’s hard to describe, like a cookie / flap-jack / granola bar type thingy.
Although I don't know if those mean the same things to you and I
The language barrier between American-English and ... (proper) English can be a problem for me.

We took it slow this morning and I sat out on the balcony.

Courtney (@courtneybelle), who writes great trip reports and currently works at Disney, saw my Snapchat from Magic Kingdom last night and sent me one back saying she had been there too!
I asked her if she was working at the Halloween Party tonight but she wasn’t, booooo.

At around 12:15pm Jamie went to the pool, and I went to Epcot to make a few purchases.
I went to creep on him first though, obv.

When I was done creeping I walked over to the TTC.

When I got there the Epcot monorail was closed and a CM was directing people to buses around the corner.
I walked around to the Epcot line and, oh my life, there were enough people to fill ten buses. Maybe more.
NO THANKS.
I walked back to get the monorail to Magic Kingdom instead…
But now the Epcot line was open?!
Literally no more than 2 minutes later.

I could have done the right thing and alerted the millions of people waiting for the bus.
But there was a monorail pulling in, so I just hopped right on.

​

Helloooo Epcot.
I arrived at around 1pm.

It was SO hot, so I went straight to Club Cool to enjoy a free cup of Pineapple Fanta.

When I left I paid a visit to a lone photopass photographer.

He made me do this I swear

Then I went to Mouse Gear, and bought myself two hand sanitizers:

An Epcot mug that I was excited to find because I thought they’d stopped selling this:

And I bought Stanley a Mickey Ice Cream toy.

Next I went to the Port of Entry store to look at the Food and Wine books, then I walked into World Showcase…

And straight through International Gateway to visit the Boardwalk!

There was a wedding being set up at Sunset Point, with a violinist out playing

This was my first time visiting the actual Boardwalk hotel!

As soon as I walked in I realised that, just like the Wilderness Lodge, this was another hotel that I’ve never been hugely interested in, but I loved it in person!

I love the mint walls and all the little circus trinkets.

You can see my favourite chair in this shot!
I wish they sold them in the gift shop.

I wandered around and looked in the gift shop.

This is such a cool place, and I really like the new DVC refurb.
The only thing I don’t like is that horrible clown slide..!
I get the theming, but I think it looks a bit tacky and out-of-place in a deluxe resort.
But other than that, it's a great hotel!

After exploring I went outside to catch a bus…

Click for Day 10, Part 2!

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[TheLittleKatie]

Day 10
Thursday 1st October 2015
Part 2 – Happy Birthday Disney Springs! …kind of.

After seeing the Boardwalk Inn I decided to visit Disney Springs!

Just two days ago the name was officially changed from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, therefore I needed to wish it a Happy Birthday too!
(That counts as a birthday, right?)

The Springs signs are up:

And the Downtown Disney Marketplace sign is down!

First I went into The Art of Disney store.

When I’m a grown up my mansion will have a gallery room that looks something like this.

Next I went into Fun Finds to get a grab bag but they didn’t have any.
I went into Once Upon a Toy, then to The Marketplace Co Op!

I also had a look at the phone cases in D-Tech. I was really enjoying the DVC ones.

Next up I went to World of Disney!
I was looking for some clothing, but I always prefer the men’s designs.
The men’s sweaters are a good compromise for me because they can pass as gender neutral AND I can wear them frequently back home where it’s cold!

I left World of Disney and saw that some topiaries were out!
This was so cool because I haven’t been to Flower and Garden festival since I was nine years old (2001) and I don’t remember it at all.
So it was fun to see these!

I saw Kermit and Miss Piggy:

And Lady and the Tramp!

I headed out of The Marketplace into what is now called The Landing, and I had a look in the brand new Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC.

They do cupcakes, donuts and bagels etc. and everything is vegan-friendly and gluten free!
What a concept. There are now healthier ways to eat cake.
But I think I'll stick to my own method, thanks.

Then I came across the new Boathouse!
It's so pretty

These are amphibious exploring vehicles.

I carried on my exploration and found some more new things that weren't around last year.

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar:

Morimoto Asia:

I also looked in Vivoli Il Gelato, but it was getting way too hot to continue exploring (none of Town Center was open yet anyway), so I headed back to the buses.

I admired Saratoga Springs on my way, I need to go visit there sometime.

And I HAD to look in the Christmas shop before I left.
It’s the law.

Eventually I made it back to the buses.

I joined my line and took this picture for Jamie, because it’s a line we quote from Friends:

“Go back to 3B, 3B!”

The bus came pretty quickly and I got back to the Poly at around 4pm.

I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and I was getting hungry, so I got a Dole Whip!

The Pineapple Lanai is the only place you can get a pineapple/vanilla swirl now, because some crazy person pulled them from the Magic Kingdom.
So you better believe I was getting one from here.

And of course I went for the souvenir Tiki bowl! Do you even have to ask, lady?

I took it back to the room and found Jamie chilling in the air con after baking by the pool all afternoon.
He was very happy to see…… my Dole Whip.
He forced me to share it with him.
Against my will.
We enjoyed it very much!

Later we got showered and ready for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!!!!!!

I was so excited.
We skipped MNSSHP last year but we went in 2012 and had a great time.

We went to the lounge at around 5:45pm, and had some mini chicken quesadillas…

AND UNCRUSTABLES.

Then we headed out at around 6pm, with POG juice in hand.

I wanted a photo of my outfit on the beach, but it was SO sunny outside.
Whatever, I still managed to smile like a princess.
This is how a princess smiles, right?

Then we got the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom!

Click for Day 10, Part 3!​

​

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Love the updates!!! Cute Tiki bowl!

 

[Raeven]

I could have done the right thing and alerted the millions of people waiting for the bus.
But there was a monorail pulling in, so I just hopped right on.

I would have done the same thing

He made me do this I swear

Those Photopass photographers and their poses

I love the mint walls and all the little circus trinkets.

Ooo it is a lot cuter in there than I thought. I've never been in the Boardwalk but I've seen the pictures of the rooms, and I was not a fan.

The only thing I don’t like is that horrible clown slide..!
I get the theming, but I think it looks a bit tacky and out-of-place in a deluxe resort.

That slide is awful

Just two days ago the name was officially changed from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, therefore I needed to wish it a Happy Birthday too!
(That counts as a birthday, right?)

That means we were actually there on the day it changed over! We were in Disney Springs on the 29th. I was aware the change over was happening, but I didn't realize it became official on that day. So I guess we were there for a very important name change day celebration

I headed out of The Marketplace into what is now labelled The Landing, and I had a look in the brand new Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC.

Josh loves Erin Mckennas because he can't have gluten.

But I think I'll stick to my own method, thanks.

But I agree, baked goods that aren't good for you is where it's at (unless you can't eat those).

Then I came across the new Boathouse!
It's so pretty

Can't wait to eat there in September!

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar:

We walked by the first day it opened, but it was booked up for a private party. Boo

Later we got showered and ready for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!!!!!!

Love the shirts!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 10
Thursday 1st October 2015
Part 3 – Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 6:15pm and collected our wristbands, map and trick-or-treat bags at the entrance.
The bag was GREAT this year because it had Aladdin on one side!

The other side was The Good Dinosaur, which I haven’t even seen yet.

We walked slowly down Main Street and the atmosphere was so fun.
There were SO many people in costume!
I thought this was a big difference from 2012, where we didn’t notice it as much.

We got some photos taken by a hilarious photographer.
She took us a GREAT magic shot.

Then we headed to Tomorrowland.
I had something very necessary I wanted to do, but we had a while to wait so in the meantime we rode Buzz.
I won!
Duh.
I just fulfilled my intergalactic duties.

Oops got too cocky.

It’s 6:45pm, time to visit Lotso!
He came out at 7pm and he did not like me!!!
I even asked him if we could be friends, and he said NO!!

It was such a fun meet and greet, he really played up to my costume.

Buzz Lightyear photo op.

We headed up to Storybook Circus to spot some characters in their Halloween costumes.
The skies looked magnificent along the way!

We were very pleased because we’d noticed that all the Halloween nights since we’d arrived seemed to have had some pretty bad weather.
So YAY.

We didn’t plan on standing in line, but we spotted Donald’s precious outfit, so I was satisfied.

Minnie was nearby also!
For some reason I only have a video clip of her.
Also, beware of magic-shatterers like Jamie. In the clip, he makes an observation, to which I give him "a look", and I manage to cut the camera off and shut him up before he (correctly) speculates.

I mean, he is a duck...
How many ducks do you know with muscular calves?
None I'll bet.
Stop being silly Hymie.

We also wanted to catch a glimpse of Jack and Sally but they were hidden away in a tent.
Probably a good idea, I bet everyone would do what we wanted to do and stand around in a crowd gawking and blocking walkways

We got talking to a CM who told us the line to meet Jack and Sally was 2.5-3 hours long!!!
What the heck.
I know there’s “only one of each character”, but you’d think they could implement two Jack and Sally meets at Halloween?
Maybe the way they used to with Anna and Elsa?
(Split the queue into two lines for two different rooms.)
Meh, oh well, I’m not even that bothered about meeting them, but it would be nice!

We headed out of Storybook Circus and the sunset was beautiful.
These photos aren't edited at all, this is really what it looked like:

Wowee.

Next we went to meet Pooh and the gang over by their ride, but the line was very long (obviously).
There was a long line up the trail, then more people were being held in line down at the path.
The CM told us that the line down at the path was for the 8:15pm meet, so by joining the end of that line we probably wouldn’t meet the gang until around 8:45pm…
It was only 7:30pm now, bleehhh.

We made friends with the CM and chatted to him for a while, and as we were about to leave he told us to go off and have fun, and he would hold our place in line!!!

Magic moment!!!

So we went off to ride Haunted Mansion, a Halloween necessity.
It looked very spooky tonight, there was lots of mist and cool lighting.
The best picture I got

And this lady was out on the lawn singing and being hilarious.

We talked to the people behind us in line, they were really friendly.
They were American, and said they work with someone from Liverpool, UK, and that they struggle to understand them
We said that we often do too

Mansion was fun!
Although this was what we heard about a hundred times on the way round...

Jamie acted like a tour guide since he was dressed as the Ghost Host this evening.

“Here is my dinner party. My guests are having a great time dining and dancing. I’m an excellent host. An excellent GHOST host.”

And here’s a blurry shot of the Halloween lighting:

Then it was time to go visit Pooh!
Gahh they looked so freaking cute in their Halloween costumes

They were having some wardrobe malfunctions though.
The elastic strap for Pooh’s hat kept pinging up from under his chin and getting caught in his mouth
Silly old bear.

Tigger’s hat was a little wobbly too!
(This is the CM who held our place in line!)

Soon it was our turn to meet!
Eeyore freaked out when I pointed out my bag, he took it off Jamie and wandered off with it!
I got a big group hug and we posed for some photos together.

Just look at these costumes.
They are SO cute!

We said goodbye to the gang and thanked our new CM friend. We were telling him our plans for the rest of the night when Eeyore trotted back over to us and made a heart with his hands and pointed at me

Such a fun meet and greet!

I put together a little video of the night so far!
It has some really cute character interaction footage in it

Click for Day 10, Part 4!​

​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 10
Thursday 1st October 2015
Part 4 – The Halloween Party shows

Now it was time to race up Main Street to find a spot for Mickey’s Boo-To-You parade!
It was jam packed already, and the sidewalk viewing was like three-people deep, but by some miracle we managed to find a sweet little spot behind a stroller.

ALL of my photos came out terribly, so here’s another little video I put together too:

I love this parade so much!
The music is so catchy and it’s fun to see all of the pirates, ghosts and Disney villains.
And Jamie was excited to see Drizella again!!!

After the parade we went to Sleepy Hollow to get a Halloween party souvenir mug!
(With bottles of water.)
How cool is this.

Then we rushed back to see Celebrate the Magic, and stake out a spot for HalloWishes, which was starting at 10pm.

We got a great spot! After Celebrate ended we were able to move forward a bit, and this was our view for HalloWishes!

Woweeeee this was great!

We were already pretty familiar with the show after seeing it from our balcony three times already but it was even more spooktacular close up!

Here’s some more video!

After the fireworks finished at around 10:15pm everybody started to pile out of the hub, but we were sticking around for the Hocus Pocus show at 10:40.

I think we had the best seats in the house, front and centre!

Everybody waiting sat on the ground until the show started.
We got talking to these two women who were around our age and their two little sons who were probably around 5.
They were so funny!
One of the boys was fussing because he wanted to go ride Buzz, but his mom was like,
“It’s broken right now, they’re going to fix it after the show.”

When the boys finally came around to the idea of watching a show, they got really excited to see…
Mickey Mouse…

The moms obviously knew Mickey wasn’t in the show, we were all laughing and they were facepalming so hard!

Soon the show was starting!
Check out this view, we really lucked out!

The Hocus Pocus show was a lot of fun!
I’m not even the biggest fan of Hocus Pocus, I don’t actually think I’ve seen it all the way through.
But a villains show is always fun, and the Sanderson sisters were excellent!

Here's another little montage of the show, I like this video a lot!
Being close to the front meant I got some great footage of the villains.

It was past 11pm now, and we didn’t have ANY candy!
This is not ok.

​

So we went trick-or-treating!
We knocked on the Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room…

…and Pirates in Adventureland before heading over to the Carousel of Progress treat stop in Tomorrowland.

With our candy bags getting full we stopped at the Monsters Inc Dance Party because Boo looked adooooorable.

She kinda reminds me of someone…

Could that be…

Clearly stood in front of us is Nicolas Cage, in an Aladdin costume, in a Boo costume, IN A MONSTER COSTUME.
We're onto you, Nicolas.

...
I'm not on drugs I swear.
But I think only the people who read my Disneyland Paris report will appreciate the throwback

Then we got more candy from the Tomorrowland Speedway and back at the Riverboat!
On the walk from the Speedway to the Riverboat we spotted the seven dwarfs!

It’s annoying that all the character lines are always so long at the party but obviously there’s nothing they can really do, and I was really happy we’d got to meet Lotso and the Pooh gang!

We went to get more candy from the Splash trail, but by now it was 11:45pm and they’d closed it.
So we rode Splash instead!
We sat in the front row and got soaked.
Every drop was bringing up a big wave over the front of the boat!

For the photo, Jamie was offering me a bite of the poison apple

After the ride, by the Splash bathrooms, I went into my treat bag to retrieve my phone that I’d thrown in there, but it wasn’t there…
I set the bag down on the wall and went into my Eeyore bag…
IT WASN’T THERE.
I started to freak out, and literally emptied my treat bag onto the floor
NOTHING.
Omg.
I got Jamie to call it from his phone…
And HIS treat bag lit up and started to vibrate
We must have switched bags at some point!
I’ve no idea how.
I sheepishly collected up all my candy from the floor, UGH I'm so irrational.

It was after midnight now so we headed out.
We walked up Main Street while the Hocus Pocus show was playing, and all the buildings were changing colour.

We were very happy with our party experience!

We had so much fun we completely forgot to eat!
We’d only shared a Dole Whip at 4pm and had a bit of chicken and uncrustables from the lounge before the party, so we were pretty hungry.

We got the monorail back to the Poly and went straight to Captain Cook’s.
The kitchen was closed but we still managed to put together a hearty meal.

I had the rice krispies and uncrustables, and Jamie had the Doritos.

We ate our dinner and examined our earnings.

Pretty good haul!
We ended up going to sleep at around 2am!

Night!


Click for Day 11, Part 1!​

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