"I think I'm in love, and her name is Polynesia..." an Aug/Sept '15 TR (NEW TR link @ end!)

[skier_pete]

Start of Day 6

So – our plan for today was to stay close to the resort. We had plans for the evening at DHS, and wanted to do some stuff at Epcot in the morning, but not a lot.

We decided to do another “take it easy” morning after the last two, so instead of plowing into Epcot for rope drop, we lazed around the room a little bit. (You have no idea how hard this is for me to do. I was totally chomping at the bit, but I was TRYING to do a more laid-back trip. Leave it to me to find a laid-back trip more stressful than a “commando” trip!

Anyways, our only real goal in future world was to do Test Track – part of the reason I was freakin’ out because I was worried how long the line was. However, it didn’t stop me from having us stop for a photopass opportunity on the way there!


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Note we timed it so the fountain show was going on at the time. But - Again with the characters?



This one below is a little better – at least he’s not blocking our faces! But poor Olaf would definitely be a puddle today!



It was about 10:15 AM by the time we got there – but believe it or not the crowds were so low there was NO WAIT. (It said 20 minutes, but we walked right in and were given a circle to make our car.)



We asked DD if she wanted to do anything else in Future World before we headed back to World Showcase (we really had covered everything in Future World that we wanted to at this point). She said she wanted to do Space Ship Earth again. So we did!



We’ll pretend I took these pictures too!


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Post-SSE we were getting hungry for some food – so we headed into World Showcase. We were going to head to Germany to do (A) Agent P challenge and (B) Pretzels und Beer. Unfortunately, the Friendship boat from Mexico was not running, and DD decided she did NOT want to walk around WS. So instead of walking from Mexico to Germany, we walked over to the other boat dock, waited about 25 minutes for a boat (couldn’t figure out why they were running so slow, but we JUST missed it) and then walked from Morocco to Germany, which was probably just as far as if we had walked there to begin with!

DW decided she didn’t want a pretzel, so she stopped in Morocco at the Tangerine Café and got a Falafel or something:



Meanwhile – DD and I made our way to Germany, stopping first to get our Agent P commincator. But then – Pretzels und Beer!



These were really good (the beer especially). DW and I also got an order of cheese noodles from the Sommerfest shop. I guess I didn’t get a picture of them, but maybe it was because we scarfed them down so fast, they were SOOOO good.

Meanwhile, we moved around Germany to defeat Dr. Doofenschmirzt. DD says she liked these better when they were Kim Possible – but she is still a big KP fan. Funny that they installed all this after KP got cancelled, and then replaced it with Phineas and Ferb, which now is also canceled. They are going to need to find a way to link this to a more “evergreen” IP. Anyways, here’s some pictures around Germany.


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When we finished the Agent P thing – she had had enough of it. I think she is outgrowing this. But that’s the funny thing about 12 year olds, once she was done with that, she wanted to go and color a “Duffy on a Stick”. So she sat at the kid’s station and did that. Meanwhile, DW and I finished off our “Wine Walk” that we started two nights ago. In Germany there was a Reisling and I forgot the other. We liked them both, but we love German wines.


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Continued in next post

 

[skier_pete]

On our way out of Germany we spotted a photopass person – so we got a couple of shots:



There’s that Duffy.



This is one of my favorites – a spontaneous smile from our oft-grumpy 12-year old!



When DD starts a Duffy – she likes to finish it across 3 or 4 different countries, so we started at this point to head back to the resort. First we stopped in Italy so she could color a little more. Then again in Japan. I found it somewhat amusing that the three countries she chose were the “axis” countries – the enemies of World War 2. DD is clearly an Axis sympathizer! (Makes me wonder what would ever happen with world showcase if there was ever another world conflict.)

DW wanted to get toe socks in Japan anyways. And she had promised DD that she could do pick a pearl. For those that have never done this – you get to pick an Oyster out of a tank, and they cut it open with this little ceremony, and each Oyster has a (seeded) pearl inside. The result is that you get a pearl but you never know exactly what you are going to get.


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In this case – DD actually got a relatively large one – a size 8 I think, which was unusually large. We got some photos taken by the photopass photographer, which was a nice treat as well.

Finishing up in Japan – we headed off back to the hotel room. We wanted to get one more chance at Stormalong Bay, followed by an early dinner at Beaches and Cream.

But THAT will wait for another post!

 

[rteetz]

Some of your pictures aren't showing up for me.

Great photopass pictures around world showcase!

Those pretzels look great now I'm craving one.

 

[khertz]

Oh no I came to catch up and a bunch of your pics say they have exceeded your photobucket band with! I'll have to come back when the pics are back so I'm not only getting half of the experience.

 

[mlegerto]

Can't see any of your photos in your most recent posts!

 

[skier_pete]

Some of your pictures aren't showing up for me.

Great photopass pictures around world showcase!

Those pretzels look great now I'm craving one.

Oh no I came to catch up and a bunch of your pics say they have exceeded your photobucket band with! I'll have to come back when the pics are back so I'm not only getting half of the experience.

Can't see any of your photos in your most recent posts!

EEK!!!! It looks like I have uploaded too many photos (large photos - probably all those photopass ones!) in too short a period of time. From what I can tell - it will reset on November 7th.

Please everyone - CHECK BACK ON NOVEMBER 7TH AND THE PHOTOS SHOULD BE BACK UP.

If it doesn't - I will have to investigate further.

 

[khertz]

EEK!!!! It looks like I have uploaded too many photos (large photos - probably all those photopass ones!) in too short a period of time. From what I can tell - it will reset on November 7th.

Please everyone - CHECK BACK ON NOVEMBER 7TH AND THE PHOTOS SHOULD BE BACK UP.

If it doesn't - I will have to investigate further.

Bummer!! But I will definitely check back!

 

[tabrizia]

EEK!!!! It looks like I have uploaded too many photos (large photos - probably all those photopass ones!) in too short a period of time. From what I can tell - it will reset on November 7th.

Please everyone - CHECK BACK ON NOVEMBER 7TH AND THE PHOTOS SHOULD BE BACK UP.

If it doesn't - I will have to investigate further.

I was finally checking up since my alerts forgot to alert me on updates to the thread and I was going, but the photos are gone! I'll have to remember to check back after the 7th.

 

[franandaj]

Please everyone - CHECK BACK ON NOVEMBER 7TH AND THE PHOTOS SHOULD BE BACK UP.

OK I won't feel bad that I am behind on your TR. I made a specific effort to check here yesterday and was sad to find that the pictures weren't showing up. I will definitely check back here once I get back from my folks house as that's when you say PB will reset itself.

 

[DisneyJo]

I just love your DD's face on EE and Dinosaur

I can see your latest photos and think your DD's smile is so cute when you're both kissing her

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catch you on the 7th.

 

[skier_pete]

Bumping the thread for everyone because my photobucket account cycled and the photos are back on-line from my last set of posts. Guess I will have to post less frequently going forward.

For those that already got to see them, I'll have a new post in a few days.

Thanks for your patience with me!!

I just love your DD's face on EE and Dinosaur

I can see your latest photos and think your DD's smile is so cute when you're both kissing her

Not sure how you were able to do that...but thanks! She can be quite the doll when she let's go of her "teen-ness"!

 

[ymxbfalcon]

So I was scrolling through trip reports this morning looking for something to read while I ate breakfast and had the pleasant surprise of finding this. It sounds like the the three of you were having a great time! In all of my trips to Disney, I've never made it to one of the water parks. You may have inspired me to try that out next time.

 

[franandaj]

Glad to see your pictures are back! Looks like a fun morning and some good food! I hope to try eating in Morocco next month when we are there. I love Moroccan food, but have never tried the restaurants in the pavilion at Epcot.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Fun!

Pity about the wait for transport but at least you knew you had the food rewards at the other end.
Love the pick a pearl!

 

[skier_pete]

So I was scrolling through trip reports this morning looking for something to read while I ate breakfast and had the pleasant surprise of finding this. It sounds like the the three of you were having a great time! In all of my trips to Disney, I've never made it to one of the water parks. You may have inspired me to try that out next time.

Hey - welcome along!!! It's always nice to have a real world friend join in!! The water parks are as much Disney as any other part. It's tough to take the time/money though since adding an extra park day is $12, and adding a water park is $50. They are still a lot of fun.

Glad to see your pictures are back! Looks like a fun morning and some good food! I hope to try eating in Morocco next month when we are there. I love Moroccan food, but have never tried the restaurants in the pavilion at Epcot.

We really like Tangerine Cafe as a quick service place. The TS one (Restaurant Marrakesh) we haven't been to in a LONG time (2006). I thought it was good, but a bit pricey even for Disney for what you got. There's a dinner show (belly dancer and band) as well, which gives it a real authentic feel. I really would like to get back to it someday.

Fun!

Pity about the wait for transport but at least you knew you had the food rewards at the other end.
Love the pick a pearl!

It's the whole "Can't use logic with a child". DD wanted to take the boat because she didn't want to walk. The boat took us as far away from our destination as where we started, so we waited 20 minutes, spent 10 minutes on the boat, and had to walk just as far. Yet there was NO arguing with her. The only good thing is I think afterwards she realized she was being silly, because the same thing came up at DTD later where we could've walked back to the West side dock which would've been just as far a walk and then wait for the boat, and she saw that and agreed to just walk the rest of the way. Guess sometimes you just have to let them decide for themselves.

 

[skier_pete]

With photobucket holding my photos hostage - I kept working away at my TR. Believe it or not I've already written up through Day 8, but for now I'm just going to finish off Day 6.

I went to the SAB with full intent to get LOTS of pictures for everyone! I brought our water camera and had it ready to go. But instead – the battery DIED! ARGH! Sorry – no pictures. I will cheat and instead show you these pictures I took on our way to Beaches and Cream.


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I get the appeal of the pool, but really the prime Raison D’être of this resort has got to be the location adjacent to Epcot. The guess the reason I wasn’t as high on the pool is that it was too warm. I may have mentioned this before, but when it is hot out, it’s nice to have the water be refreshing. While the pool temperature here would be great in November, in August, it was just too warm, and it wasn’t cooling us off at all. (I wonder how it would’ve felt in the evening. Probably even WORSE.)

Anyways, after an hour or so swim, we headed back to the room for a little rest. We also managed somewhere in here today to catch up with the second family we were sharing a photopass with. However, we didn’t manage to get any pictures together with them. Disappointing!

I was really looking forward to Beaches and Cream. We so far have had five TS meals (Big River Grill, San Angel, Yachtsman, Via Napoli) but for whatever reason I was looking forward to this one probably the most. Just because this was really a seminal / legendary Disney Dining location, but it never really made sense to go here on the Dining Plan, and was never really convenient to go here either.

On the way there – we got a few pictures. This is the statue of the Little Mermaid that greets you when you enter the DVC wing of the Beach Club. It’s a cute little “extra” for being an owner I guess!


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We cut through the Solarium to stay inside as much as possible. Never got around to hanging out here during our stay.



A couple of neat paintings in the hallway of the Solarium. Can you spot the hidden Mickey? It’s not hard to do.


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On to Beaches and Cream – right off the pool at Stormalong Bay.


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I guess what surprised me the most about this place was the size of it. There was at best about 10 tables inside plus the counter. No wonder it’s such a hard ADR to nab. These three shots pretty much show the whole place:


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We don’t often let DD drink soda – but they had Orange Fanta there which is her favorite. She only drank about a quarter of it.

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The menu is pretty limited – burgers, hot dogs, and some other sandwiches. We stuck with the classics. DD got another hot dog.



This was pretty good – she didn’t eat the whole thing. I had a Swiss and mushroom burger melt. It was FAN-tastic. I love the large-cut fries. I much prefer these to stock skinny cut fries.



DW got herself the bacon cheeseburger – you could go no wrong with this.



I tried to convince DD that she didn’t need her own sundae for dessert, even though she had purposefully left room for it. I did convince DW that we should simply share one sundae, so we only ordered two total. DD ordered a Fudge Mud Slide – which is a sundae with a brownie underneath. DW and I ordered the Milky Way Where I was facing I could see them preparing the Sundaes. I kept saying to DD – “You’re never gonna finish them!” Here’s what they looked like when they arrived.



I’d say DD ate MAYBE a third of hers. DW and I didn’t quite finish ours, though I ate some Ice Cream out of DD. I am actually not a big fan of Sundaes, but a big fan of ice cream. My preferred “Sundae” would be mostly Ice Cream with just a small amount of toppings. The Kitchen Sink – which we saw quite a few of come out – I find to be one of the most disgusting things I could ever see. Even these sundaes were overloaded with sweet. Nonetheless they were very good. Disney uses as their premium ice cream Edy’s, so it would be pretty simple to make this at home – but it’s pretty good here too!

Somehow – and don’t ask me how – I have ZERO pictures from the rest of the night. Not sure why I didn’t, but after saying how much better I got at doing it, I apparently still was not very good at it! Since I don’t have any pictures, I’ll actually try to run through this pretty quick….

After dinner we were stuffed – but we had a target for the evening – DHS and frozen fever! We headed over to the boat dock, and JUST MISSED a boat. Another 15 minute wait and we were on our way. We just BARELY made it in time for our FP+ for the Frozen Singalong. DD being a tween started out liking Frozen but now claims to “hate” it. I say that in quotes because even so she taped the whole show. The show is cute, and actually quite comical, but let’s face it unless you are a big fan it’s pretty skippable. Just what DHS needs, more skippable attractions.

Post-Frozen, we headed over to TSMM for another FP+. Always a good time here.

We had a FP+ for Star Tours, but DD decided she HAD to ride the Great Movie Ride again. (Remember when I said this would come up again?) We were actually the LAST group on the ride for the night. I was kind of hoping something different would occur with that, but it didn’t. This is the first time riding this ride twice in one trip. It was much worse the second time, because it is SOOO scripted the lines are exactly the same. Someone needs to Jungle Cruise this ride stat! DD still closed her eyes and hid for the Alien part.

Afterward this – we really didn’t have time for Star Tours. (We told her this would happen if we rode the GMR.) I said I wanted to see the frozen fireworks, and DD started flipping out crying. She had earlier said she wanted a new lightsabre, and was upset we wouldn’t let her get one. We were also talking of getting two as gifts for her cousins. We calmed her down a bit because we went over there and let her buy her lightsaber, actually her third (this is with her own money – BTW). I have to say, they’ve improved them over the years, as they now make a lot more sounds, and are much more sensitive to motion.

We then headed back to Hollywood Boulevard and picked a spot sort of halfway down and waited for the show. They timed the Fireworks so they started about 5 minutes after Fantasmic let out, so the street got really, really crowded. DD generally doesn’t like fireworks, claiming they are “too loud” no matter whether we watch them for 10 miles away. She moped on the ground while DW and I watched the show.

We hightailed it out, but there was a massive line waiting for the boat. This was one of the later nights of our trip (9:30 PM), and we had to wait for 2 boats. It made me realize that though Beach Club is great for Epcot, it really has little advantage for DHS than most other resorts. The only real advantage is that at any time you KNOW you won’t more than 15 minutes for your ride, but at the beginning and end of the day, you are just as likely to have to wait for 2 or more boats before you can get to your destination.

Overall a good day – it didn’t really rain at any point today. The big thing today was the heat/humidity really starting to get to us. Both in Epcot and at DHS there were times where we just wanted to get out of there.

 

[rteetz]

I haven't actually eaten at Beaches and Cream but we have done the kitchen sink and it was a fun experience.

I really do hope the weather is good so I get to experience the pool.

Yes they do time the fireworks well. When we saw them in July we saw fantasmic and then went right out to view the fireworks.

 

[mlegerto]

Glad your photos are back and working!!

I agree with you....SAB pool is amazing, it really is, but the huge plus to staying at the Beach Club is its proximity to EPCOT and being a back entrance makes it even sweeter IMHO.

I love Beaches n Cream. It truly reminds me of my childhood and I always try to make a stop in there when we visit WDW. It is small, but I think that's part of the charm. I'm much like your DD, I always want my own, but once I start eating one, I'm usually glad we shared!

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Your pictures *might* convince me to try B&C again. We ate there once and the food was pretty ordinary. The burger was overdone, the hot dog seemed like it had been heating up all day and the vegie pattie that DH had was barely edible. Your food looks great!