Oh, Just A Few GALLONS of Pixie Dust! - A July/August 2012 TR

[marDgreen88]

YAY for new updates

Yay indeed!!!

 

[smile4stamps]

Looks like perfect timing to get out of the pool!!!

And there you left it... BEFORE actually getting to 'Ohana! lol!!

I am actually giving up an 'Ohana ADR for my trip. I just haven't gotten the guts to actually hit cancel on it yet. But it will happen. The day is ALL wrong! lol. It's okay though because the only thing I would want there is the Dessert!! I guess I will live without it!

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

They do not have the grapefruit cake in the case, but if you ask for it they will get you a slice. It is on the menu at the Brown Derby next door. A while ago someone posted that if you ask for it, they "most" of the time will get you a slice. I just love it. Not very strong grapefruit flavor IMO.

Anyway. I love the look and the feel of the Poly too! We are staying there the for the first time next year and I cant wait.

Ohana is my fav by far for dinner. I can't wait to hear what you and your family think. My DH tells me it is a must eat from now on.

Keep the updates coming I love getting my Disney fix with your TR

 

[nanhol]

Just caught up with your trip report and I am loving it! Your writing style & your pictures have me so excited about Disney. Can't wait to hear about your Ohana dinner! I'm sort of a newbie on disboards and I keep reading amazing things about the Ohana dinner--I think I may need to trade out one of my ADRs for this one! (No pressure...but your review may make the decision for me...) Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

 

[jecskc]

Don't you just love the Poly ?? I hope you got to see the gift shop downstairs. I really love that one !! We will eat at Ohana when we go in April. Can't wait to see what you thought of it !!

Oh and thanks for taking the time to get some Contemporary pool photos for us. I wanted to see them. I assume that if you stay at BLT, you can use the Comtemp pool and vice versa ?? Because you CAN'T use the Beach Club pool if you are staying at the Boardwalk even though they are close to each other. I just love the deluxe pools. Who doesn't love a good water slide ????

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for finally going to the Polynesian! I think everyone knows how I feel about that resort...seriously, whenever we ride the monorail and pass there I just stare at the window and wish I was getting off to stay there. That place just has so many memories. Isn't walking into the GCH an awesome feeling?! Anyways...can't wait to hear about your meal at Ohana!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I totally and completely get what you mean about the Poly reminding you of the Brady Bunch!!!

Yay for Ohana!!

 

[monica23535]

Great update Marissa! I love the Polynesian resort and I love Ohana so can't wait for the next update

 

[cheekypoppins]

awe u musta been so stoked O'hana is not the easiest to get into,it's not a fave of mine but i know alot of ppl like it

 

[beachphotog]

Can't wait to hear what you thought about Ohana! I really, really, really, like a hundred times really wanna eat there!!

Also, I know what you mean about the Polynesian and the Brady Bunch! The stairs totally have that feel!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I never get good pool pictures either, because I'm afraid of getting my camera wet! I need to invest in a good water proof one.

The Poly is the absolute best. The Grand Ceremonial House is amazing. You're absolutely right about the smell. I just adore it.

Now I have a vision of the Brady's standing on that staircase!

 

[marDgreen88]

Looks like perfect timing to get out of the pool!!!

And there you left it... BEFORE actually getting to 'Ohana! lol!!

I am actually giving up an 'Ohana ADR for my trip. I just haven't gotten the guts to actually hit cancel on it yet. But it will happen. The day is ALL wrong! lol. It's okay though because the only thing I would want there is the Dessert!! I guess I will live without it!

It was indeed!

Hahah I'm sorry. I had more pictures than would fit in one update! I feel like I ripped yall off though, so I'm gonna actually post the next update in a few minutes!

Oh man... that really stinks. If you can, I would highly recommend keeping it?!?!?!

They do not have the grapefruit cake in the case, but if you ask for it they will get you a slice. It is on the menu at the Brown Derby next door. A while ago someone posted that if you ask for it, they "most" of the time will get you a slice. I just love it. Not very strong grapefruit flavor IMO.

Anyway. I love the look and the feel of the Poly too! We are staying there the for the first time next year and I cant wait.

Ohana is my fav by far for dinner. I can't wait to hear what you and your family think. My DH tells me it is a must eat from now on.

Keep the updates coming I love getting my Disney fix with your TR

Yeah! I knew they had it there so I was surprised to hear about you getting it at Starring Rolls! That's really cool though! If I ever go to Brown Derby I'll probably order that! Maybe! I don't know!

It's got such a unique atmosphere! I love it. Are you really?! How exciting!!!

(ME TOO.) I'm actually going to put up the update in a few minutes! I'm excited about it hahaah.

Aww, thanks! I'm glad!!

Just caught up with your trip report and I am loving it! Your writing style & your pictures have me so excited about Disney. Can't wait to hear about your Ohana dinner! I'm sort of a newbie on disboards and I keep reading amazing things about the Ohana dinner--I think I may need to trade out one of my ADRs for this one! (No pressure...but your review may make the decision for me...) Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

Aren't you sweet! Can I just say, WELCOME TO THE DIS!!! I hope you're loving it here! And thank you so so much for the compliments, AND for joining in the report, AND for catching up, AND for commenting! I really appreciate it more than I can say! You will be hearing about our meal at 'Ohana very shortly, so I hope you enjoy it! Hahah, no pressure at all!!!

Thank you again for joining in! I'm glad you're here and I really hope to hear from you again!

Don't you just love the Poly ?? I hope you got to see the gift shop downstairs. I really love that one !! We will eat at Ohana when we go in April. Can't wait to see what you thought of it !!

Oh and thanks for taking the time to get some Contemporary pool photos for us. I wanted to see them. I assume that if you stay at BLT, you can use the Comtemp pool and vice versa ?? Because you CAN'T use the Beach Club pool if you are staying at the Boardwalk even though they are close to each other. I just love the deluxe pools. Who doesn't love a good water slide ????

Yes! It's wonderful!!! Haha, we did actually. That's so exciting, I hope yall enjoy!

Oh yeah! You're so welcome! I actually felt genuinely bad that I didn't take pictures because I had every intention to do so! Here's the thing: when you stay at BLT, you can use both pools. HOWEVER, when you stay at the Contemporary, you can only use the Contemporary's pools. You need your room key to get into the BLT pool. I like that they do that because the BLT pool is a lot smaller. I agree, deluxe pools are brilliant! I can't wait to try out some more!

Yay for finally going to the Polynesian! I think everyone knows how I feel about that resort...seriously, whenever we ride the monorail and pass there I just stare at the window and wish I was getting off to stay there. That place just has so many memories. Isn't walking into the GCH an awesome feeling?! Anyways...can't wait to hear about your meal at Ohana!

It was awesome! Hahah I definitely do! Aww, I wish you'd be able to stay there again! It really is an awesome feeling and that SMELL.

I totally and completely get what you mean about the Poly reminding you of the Brady Bunch!!!

Yay for Ohana!!

YAY!!! Hahaha I'm so glad someone understands!

Great update Marissa! I love the Polynesian resort and I love Ohana so can't wait for the next update

Thank you so much! I'm actually posting it in a few minutes!!

awe u musta been so stoked O'hana is not the easiest to get into,it's not a fave of mine but i know alot of ppl like it

Yeah definitely! We actually didn't have too much trouble finding an ADR, even though we didn't book it until like June! I'm so glad we went.

Can't wait to hear what you thought about Ohana! I really, really, really, like a hundred times really wanna eat there!!

Also, I know what you mean about the Polynesian and the Brady Bunch! The stairs totally have that feel!

I can't wait to share! Hahaha. I really want you to eat there too!

YES! I'm so glad that at least two of yall get it! But RIGHT?!

 

[marDgreen88]

I never get good pool pictures either, because I'm afraid of getting my camera wet! I need to invest in a good water proof one.

The Poly is the absolute best. The Grand Ceremonial House is amazing. You're absolutely right about the smell. I just adore it.

Now I have a vision of the Brady's standing on that staircase!

Yeah, exactly! Plus if it's a nice camera, it's just not too smart to leave it hanging out by itself. I agree, I'd love to get a water proof case or something!

It's amazing! I mean, the GCH is basically the only thing I saw of the Poly, but it gave me a good impression for sure! And yes. That smell... good Lord in Heaven. AMAZING.

Hahah YES YES YES. That was the plan ALL ALONG. (Okay, that sounded slightly sinister but... you know what I mean?)

 

[marDgreen88]

The One Where 'Ohana Means FOOD!!!

July 31, 2012

Our cousin led the way to our table, and she brought some bread along with her. We got a table in a good location (as far as I know) next to a window and with a view of the kitchen... or should I say, the MEAT PIT.

Here is the view from our table. It was better than this actually, it was just a bit hard to capture on camera. It was nice being able to see outside!

Here's the PIT.

We also had a view of this lovely Tiki man licking a torch.

Here's that bread I was talking about!

Here is a picture of some of the members of my family eating said bread.

That bread was SO GOOD. I just loved it. It tasted like yeast rolls to me, which I love, but everyone else could taste the pineapple-coconutness of the pineapple-coconut bread. I mean, I guess I could, but either way I didn't care. I thought it was delicious.

For me bread has to be fluffy and soft without a hint of dryness OR chewiness. Yes, I'm picky. But if you've had bread like that, you know why I have such high standards. Anyway, the bread at 'Ohana was fantastic! It met my standards, for sure. However, I didn't want to eat too much of the bread. My goal for this meal was to taste everything but not leave there feeling like I was about to die.

So I had one piece of the bread, and waited for the rest of the food to arrive. Well, let me tell you, we didn't have to wait very long. Before long, there was salad on our table.

I'm a fan of salad, but I knew that there was more important stuff coming. I mean, nobody goes to 'Ohana for the salad. (Or do they? I don't know. Seems like a waste of money... anyways...)

Yes... yes, I do realize that's an action shot but it's the best I could do!!!

The salad had honey-lime dressing on top. Since I wanted to taste everything, I got ONE leaf of lettuce. What I tasted of it was really good! Next time I'll allow myself at least TWO leaves of lettuce.

Then they brought out a few dipping sauces! (I say they, because there were multiple cousins bringing us things. I don't know if that's the norm, but I'm guessing it is. Either that, or everyone wanted to be in our family. I wouldn't be surprised.)

The sauces were peanut, sweet and sour, and one that was spicy. I believe it was something like chimichurri sauce. I got a spoonful of each to put on my plate to dip my meats into for when they came.

The next things that came out were the honey coriander chicken wings and the pot stickers (or dumplings, or whatever you want to call them)!

I had one of the chicken wings and I thought it was so good! It had a great balance of flavors.

I intended to just eat one pot sticker. HOWEVER. When I ate one, I couldn't believe how delicious it was. I mean, seriously. In the past I havent really cared for that kind of thing, but I was IN LOVE with those pot stickers. Basically, by the end of the night I probably had five. Not one. Oops. But I mean, they were too too good!

The next items out were the broccoli and noodles! In keeping with the theme, I had one piece of broccoli. I like broccoli. I have it all the time at home. But I mean, I have it all the time at home. 'Ohana doesn't mean broccoli.

The noodles were really great as well! Up to that point of the meal, everything we'd had was amazing. AND THAT WAS JUST THE APPETIZER PORTION!

Soon enough, they were bringing us hot towels.

Okay, someone please explain to me what the point of hot towels is. I honestly don't understand. I'm not an overly fancy person. I'm just regularly fancy. The towels were nice, but after a while, they were cold. It was weird... I guess it's the thought that counts. HAHA.

I should mention that the restaurant never got too full or crowded the entire time we were there. It was great! We never felt like we were surrounded by people or anything like that. It was definitely ideal!

I don't really understand why I took this picture. I'm guessing I thought it looked cool.

Totally.

So there we were, surrounded by delicious food. WHEN SUDDENLY, cousins with large skewers of meat came and just started giving it to us!

To those of you who may not know, they come around and ask you if you want whatever meat they happen to bre serving, and they'll literally give you as little or as much as you want. It's the most perfect thing ever.

The meat options are peel-and-eat shrimp, pork, steak, and chicken.

I got two pieces of each meat so I could see which one I liked best. (The pieces are a really nice size, too. They're not tiny or huge.) If I wanted more of my favorite, I could get more. They basically keep coming back and asking you if you want more. I told them no until I was done trying them all.

Funny story, do you remember when I said I don't do fish? Well, I really don't. That includes shrimp. Well, since I really wanted to try everything, when the shrimp cousin came and asked me how many I wanted, I told him, "Just one, please."

He said: "I don't do one. Two or three."

It was too funny! I went with two.

I can tolerate shrimp sometimes, so it was no problem. However, I basically refused to peel it because that would just make me feel like I was eating a shrimp right out of the ocean and I was terrified of that, so my mom was nice enough to do it for me.

Here is my plate of MEAT.

Okay, I think I forgot to take a picture right away. I was overwhelmed with food. That may sound like a bad thing, but it really isn't.

Here is my MEAT RANKING:

(Listen carefully. This is really important stuff.)

From least favorite to very favorite...

4. Pork- Surprisingly, I even liked this less than the shrimp. It was alright, but it was a little bit dry and it just a little too bland. That's okay though! It was only one of the meats, and I'm betting it just depends on what skewer you get it from. That could happen to any of the meats, so I don't blame the pork.

3. Shrimp- It was actually really good! I can only eat stuff like that in small doses before I realize what it actually is that I'm eating, but what I did eat, I enjoyed. It had a really nice flavor and was cooked perfectly, as far as I could tell! If you're a shrimp fan, I imagine you would love it!

2. Steak- I know I said I'm not really a steak person, but when it comes in smaller pieces like it does at 'Ohana, I love love love it. This steak was great for me. It was cooked enough that it didnt seem too rare, but it wasn't too chewy either. It had a really great flavor and I enjoyed dipping it in the peanut sauce.

1. CHICKEN- YALL, THIS CHICKEN. I can't even explain how much I loved it. Chicken is my favorite meat, but when it isn't done right, it can be extremely bland. This was the best chicken ever. It was just perfectly juicy and seasoned and grilled to perfection, and it tasted amazing dipped in all three of the sauces!

When they came around again asking if we wanted more, I got more of the chicken and only the chicken. THAT CHICKEN. Ahhh, amazing.

So, while we were feasting on meat, this Hawaiian lady came out and started singing. We pretty much tuned her out when she was singing her little songs, but at one point I noticed something...

SHE HAD LEIS.

Listen, I wanted a lei.

I needed to go up there and get a lei.

Everyone up there was a small-to-medium-sized child.

If you think that stopped me, well...

It didn't.

I begged each of my family members to go up there with me so I could get a stinking lei.

Since my dad is awesome, he agreed to go with me, and we had a precious little father/daughter dance.

This wasn't captured on film or anything. Oh, no. While we were dancing, this came to the table:

I think everyone else forgot we existed for a minute and just focused on bread pudding.

(And Jacob focused on vanilla ice cream with colorful Mickey sprinkles. I want some!!!)

BUT LOOK! I did get my leis.

I was extremely proud of them.

But it was dessert time, so...

I was gonna eat some dessert (WEARING MY LEIS).

This is bananas foster sauce! It went on top of the bread pudding!

And this is what it looked like when you put said bananas foster sauce ON TOP OF the bread pudding!

Now let's taste it. (I mean, if only, right?)

If you were curious, that stuff was SO YUMMY!!!!!!! Yes, I said YUMMY!!!! It was just amazingly good. I don't like bread pudding or pineapple, and I can take or leave caramel, but put it all together and you just have this epic explosion of delicious.

I mean, I really enjoyed it.

Pretty soon, we had paid our bill using our meal plan and were ready to leave.

I was actually sad to be leaving 'Ohana. I'm not even kidding. It was such an amazing meal. Seriously, every single thing I put in my mouth (except for the pork) was delicious, fresh, and perfect, with my favorite parts being the bread, the pot stickers, and the CHICKEN. The atmosphere was perfect, even though sometimes the singing lady got a little squeaky. The crowds were low, and we didn't feel crowded in, which made it perfect.

I wonder how many more times I can say perfect?

I would highly recommend going to 'Ohana for dinner if you haven't been. I would also recommend that you go AT OPENING TIME, EVEN IF you don't usually eat dinner at 5:00. We had breakfast and a snack and we were good to go at 5:00. It was the perfect time to go, because we got the food as soon as it was made, and since the restaurant wasn't full, we got attention from multiple cousins. It also wasn't too loud in there, which we enjoyed. So basically, this meal was perfect (oops, I did it again) and it was my favorite meal of our trip!!!

Can you understand why I was sad to leave now?!?! Hahahah.

Since we were on an 'Ohana high, we didn't want to leave the Polynesian just yet.

We went downstairs and took some more pictures!

Here are some siblings standing in front of some water.

Here are some parents standing next to a surfboard.

Here is some me standing with that same surfboard.

By the way, that hand gesture? No clue if that means anything. I was trying to do that Hawaiian 'hey brah' symbol but hey, I never get any of those things right. It happens. I just hope that hand gesture isn't offensive to your culture.

Then we found this happy Tiki man! He was just so happy. My dad was a happy Tiki man too, so he went and made a new friend.

I have the best dad.

After we'd had our fill of photographing things, we went into BOUTIKI!!!

That is a really great store! I found about a million things I wanted to buy. They had really cute Polynesian Resort pins that I wanted, but I didn't have my money with me. Darn! Oh well! It happens. We window-shopped for a while before we went back to get on the monorail to head back to our villa for a little digestion.

After a while, we were digested enough. The boys decided they wanted to stay and relax. The girls? NOPE. We headed out for some more fun!!!

Continued in Next Update​

 

[shan23877]

The Poly is totally Brady Bunch! Good call Marissa!

I can't wait to hear if you guys liked 'Ohana!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your review of Ohana has convinced me that we DEFINITELY need to go there on our honeymoon! It looks so good and fun! That's so cute that your dad did a dance with you!

I at your one piece of lettuce! So over-indulgent!!!

 

[MEK]

Read your update with pictures before work. Well, I actually missed the Ohana review, but I'll save that for later.

I like the pictures of the Contemporary pool. When I stayed at BLT I swam at the BLT pool, the Poly pool, and the GF pools. Unfortunately, I never made it to the Contemporary pool. It looks pretty fun with that fountain right in the middle of it.

Isn't it great just hopping on the monorail and being at your dinner destination. I have to admit though, I have always wished there was a way to put a path between the Contemporary and the Poly, but there isn't. *sigh*

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

It is only 8:55 am and I could eat all of that right now. I just love Ohana. I am so glad that you did too! We went for the first time in 2010 and we will always make that a must from now on.

Good to know that 5:00 was a great time to go. Do you remember if they did any of the kid things at that time? Trying to get our trip planned for next year.

P.S. I like 2 updates in a day

 

[amandaw]

I agree - the Poly is soooo Brady Bunch!

Glad to hear that y'all loved 'Ohana! It's hard to believe I was just there this past Friday night. Even though you're not a big seafood eater, I'm glad you tried a shrimp!

Love all the family photos!

 

[sbprincess]

Hi again! I kind of stink at keeping up with TRs and commenting in a timely fashion. My usual rate could read something like, "You know when you said _______ like, 3 months ago? Yeah, that was really funny!" I lose track, then catch up over and over. I am really enjoying yours though when I am able to catch up! This is definitely a "it's not you, it's me" excuse that's completely true, I swear!

I just had to say that your Ohana update has me so excited for my trip! We'll be there on 11/8 - less than a month! I too LOVED the potstickers. I think my husband ate maybe one or two and I had ALL the rest, no lie! My favorites were the potstickers, chicken, steak and of course the best dessert on property - bread pudding! I'm actually a HUGE bread pudding fan and this is the best I've EVER had.

I love all of your Full House references. I can't really sit through an episode now but just remembering how much I used to love it is great! I think we're around the same age and it sounds like we watched all the same things (Home Improvement, Brady Bunch, Friends, etc.) so I totally get all of your connections.

Looking forward to more!