Picky Eaters, Sore Feet, Hurricanes...After 6 Yrs Nothing will get in our way!

[Emteach]

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

Thank you for joining me on this adventure I call a Disney Trip Report. We began our Disney World Vacation, 6 Years in the Making (as per the title ) exactly one month ago today and boy oh boy have I gone into Disney withdrawl. Before the trip I was definately a DisBoard Stalker and gradually made myself known in the August 2012 Official thread (holla) - this board is the best for finding absolutely everything Disney related. I am still in awe at how much people on here know about THE World. When we returned I decided to create a Food Review, which is now complete, but I need to keep reliving our vacation. I am still new to this so ask you to bare with me (and offer up any suggestions/ questions ) Thanks again for checking in, sit back, relax and enjoy

Up Next... Meet our motley crew!

 

[Emteach]

It is time to meet the cast for this DisneyWorld Adventure!

We travelled as the Party of Five (I always loved when the restaurants said this as, it never got old, this was my all time favourite tv program). Vacation 2012 was 6 years in the making so everyone was incredibly excited. This party included myself, mum, dad, my sister and brother who I will now introduce you to!

Lets start with me! My name is Emelie and I am a 26 year old supply teacher from Ontario, Canada. I am also a party planner on the side, as of recent, another favourite of mine. I love Disney and am a kid at heart, I wholeheartedly believe that there is no happier place on earth than Disney. I was the planner for this trip (and every trip). I love planning, give me a spreadsheet and a file folder and I am one happy girl. I am a foodie, I wont lie I love to eat and cook (I am not a baker but getting there made some edible Banana Muffins the other day ). I am vegetarian, have been for about 5 years, but do eat fish. My favourite characters are Winnie the Pooh, Merida, Ariel, Belle and Minnie Mouse.

My mum is Joan and she is 28 going on 29 She is as go with the flow as can be. She also enjoys Disney but is not as Disney crazy as yours truly. Prior to the trip she was getting irritated with my obsession in planning but once the trip began she actually thanked me for being so well organized. She likes food and will eat most things, although she is not a huge fan of anything from under the sea. Her favourite characters are Dory, Eeyore (actually all the friends from the 100 Acre Woods), Mickey Mouse and Belle.

My dad Jeff was surprisingly looking forward to Disney. He is not a planner but was happy with my planning and actively participated in picking the restaurants. Our resort was also his choice; being a party of 5 we had some decisions to make and we left that up to him. As you can see he chose the Polynesian (a complete surprise and huge splurge for us ).
Our options were:

• Book more than one room at a value or moderate
• Book a suite at one of the All Stars or Art of Animation
• Book a room that can accomodate 5 - we narrowed down to Contemporary or the Polynesian

He surprised us when he said that he decided on the Polynesian, more to come on that.
My dad is a big meat eater; steak and potato, well done bacon double cheeseburger but also became a big fan of Disneys Chicken Tenders I honestly dont know if he has any favourite Disney characters - he is somewhat clueless when it comes to that. You will get to see more about that later as well.

My sister Amber is 12, going on 13, and a typical almost teen. She changes from a happy ray of sunshine to in a split second. She is also very dramatic (currently participating in her 13th play) and is also a singer involved in schools choirs and Glee clubs in our hometown. She is also a very picky eater - I referred to her in my food review as the Queen of Chicken Nuggets; Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Strips, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Bites...but nothing grilled. She is also very sensitive/ easily embarrased about her eating habits - she does not like anyone to aknowledge. Her favourite characters are; Minnie Mouse, Snow White, Tinkerbell and Dory. She also loves Selena Gomez and all that is Family Channel!

My brother Jett is 6, going on 7, and my mini planner! He is a goof and likes to entertain. He is also a competitive dancer and loves to swim! Before our trip his absolute favourite thing to do was watch youtube videos on everything Disney (from where we were staying, where we were eating, the rides and everything in between). He has some sensory "issues" lets call them - he gets overwhelmed with loud noises, close confines and people getting into his personal space. This trip we were able to make use of the Guest Assistance Card which was very helpful for him. He is a pretty good eater, although not very adventurous (he was able to find something he liked wherever we went though ). Jett's favourite characters are Lightning McQueen, Buzz Lightyear, Phineas and Ferb, Perry the Platypus, Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) and Mickey Mouse. Apparently he also has a thing for Ariel

 

[Emteach]

So you are probably wondering what this trip consisted of so all of your handy, dandy links will be posted here

I am new to the World of Trip Reports so please bear with me! I hope to be able to share the fun from our trip (while everything is fresh in my mind) and if you have any questions/ comments please shoot! Here we go!

Travel Day Number One: Are we there yet.... Nope we're LOST!

Travel Day Number Two: Leaving on a Jet Plane. First Flights, Gravol and "Shuttles"

We made it - Welcome to the Polynesian

Let the Magic Begin, where else but the Magic Kingdom: Day #1

You're a Star: Day # 2 Disney Studios, AKA Hollywood Studios, AKA MGM

RAIN and Ripped Ponchos: Epcot Day # 3 Part 1
Part 2

Lions and Dinosaurs and Nemo, Oh My! Animal Kingdom Day # 4

Look Ma, I'm Famous.... Mum... Where are You? Disney Studios Day # 5

Its So Hot.... The World Showcase Air Conditioning Marathon: Day # 6

Waa, I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME, Last Day in the MK: Day # 7

Homeward Bound: Day # 8

 

[Emteach]

So the trip started off very well. The plan was running smoothly; no traffic, no lines at the border (we are from Ontario, Canada but decided to fly from Detroit since we got a good deal from there). That was until we hit a snag... aka we went the wrong way!
Our lovely directions were wonderful until we hit the border (this is where a GPS would have come in handy ) Well we went through the tunnel and the second we exited we realized... we had directions from the bridge, uh oh!
So it was starting to get dark and my dad started to drive toward where we thought the exit from the bridge was. WRONG, this took us back to the border and we were headed back to Canada! We ended up driving around in the dark, in Detroit with NO idea where we were going.
Well about 45 minutes later, lots of tears from the under 13 crowd and finally we convinced my dad to ask for directions. Please explain gentleman crowd why it is so wrong to ask for directions?
Finally we checked into our hotel but not before grabbing a bite to eat at McD's!

Well, it was a stressful start to our vacation but I promise it will get better! Florida, here we come!

 

[Emteach]

Day 2 Our flight was not due until 4pm so we were able to sleep in... Problem with sleeping in meant we missed the continental buffet, oh dear! Luckily when we went to the lobby the manager lead Amber and Jett to the kitchen and let them pick out what they wanted to breakfast.

We headed to wait for the shuttle to the airport around noon - Amber and Jett were so excited but we still had over 3 hours until we could even board the plane. We grabbed a quick lunch for them at the McDonalds airport (which was SO much more expensive than the one by our hotel). We then went to TGIFridays for wings and my mum and I shared some Spinich and Artichoke Dip. It was a delicious start to our vacation.

Finally, after checking our bags and going through security (and about 1.5 of waiting, wandering the airport) we could finally board!

Amber and Jett were both VERY excited about their first flight, my mum not so much! Her and I had not flown for over 15 years and she had memories of that flight that were not so positive... She took a couple of Gravol and about 10 minutes started singing (thankfully quietly ) Leaving on a Jet Plane. The flight then was fairly smooth, not much turbulence! Hooray! This would not be the case on the way home... Boo

The novelty of the flight wore off very quicky and Jett moved on to his Leapster after about 20 minutes.

When we arrived we needed to get to our offsite hotel (where we were staying for the night) and the shuttle was NOWHERE to be found. Apparently this particular hotels shuttle was often an issue at the airport, of course! Eventually, after having someone from the airport call the hotel (not a payphone in the place was working) the shuttle arrived, we checked in and all fell FAST asleep, not before checking the weather report for Hurricane Issac information.

This was a huge worry for us before we headed out and until it passed - we were so worried that the Hurricane would hit and very nervous about what that would entail.

We were so tired from our travels and would have to be up bright and early for the shuttle BACK to Orlando airport and then onto MAGIC EXPRESS shuttle to our hotel to officially start our vacation!

 

[TIME2DISNEY]

I'm here!!
Looks like a great start so far!
More please!

 

[Emteach]

I'm here!!
Looks like a great start so far!
More please!

Yeah, a follower Was getting disheartened that I was the only one reading this lol
Glad to have you aboard, will try to get myself organized to make a post later today!

 

[Emteach]

I write this whilst listening to the theme song from Psycho - apparently we have already started the Halloween obsession here in Ontario. Oh, now we have moved onto Purple People Eater.

Finally, after a couple of long days of flights and shuttles we hopped aboard the Magical Express and pretty soon we were seeing this!

A few minutes later we could see the Polynesian in the distance and the excitement became a reality. After 6 years we were finally here! This was our first time at the Polynesian (our last trip we stayed at the All Star Movies but needed more space for this trip since the added body).

The lady at the front desk was awesome, giving us our leis and even putting one of Dumbo! We then grabbed a couple of pictures in the lobby (it is gorgeous), even if you are not staying there you should check it out - I imagine it would be beautiful at Christmas time.

We then crammed into a golf cart with our concierege who gave us a quick tour of the grounds. He was so knowledgeable and really excited for us! It was great to see where everything was, although it took us a couple of days to navigate the quickest ways to get from A to B - we took a couple of detours on days 1 and 2.

We when arrived in our room this is who we first found!

We were SO impressed with our room! It was very spacious, which we (as a family of 5) needed. We put dibs on beds (I chose the pull out which after 2 days of sleeping on cots with mattresses the thickness of a piece of paper was a pleasant change - so comfy )


We were also thrilled that we not only got our request - 3rd floor of Tokelau - but also a pleasant surprise. A room with a view! We had a garden view but through the trees were able to see Seven Seas Lagoon! This would become a favourite spot of my mums!

Well after a quick rest and exploration of our room we were headed where else but the Magic Kingdom! I will post more pictures of the Polynesian throughout the Trip Report!


Oh, almost forgot about this guy... These (along with pressed pennies and pin trading) became an obsession of Amber and Jett's - EVERY time we saw them we had to spot and take a picture. I promise I wont share all 48 pictures we took of them, seriously but this was our first one.

 

[WDWaddictt]

Hi...I am reading along. I am also from Ontario Canada and fly out of Detroit every time except once when we flew from Flint. Smaller airport but more expensive, so back to Detroit we go.

I would love to stay at the Poly...dream resort....maybe one day?????

My son also has issues with sensories, especially when he is tired and it doesn't always turn out good when a stranger gets in his face.

Looking forward to what's next...

 

[WDWaddictt]

Oh, almost forgot about this guy... These (along with pressed pennies and pin trading) became an obsession of Amber and Jett's - EVERY time we saw them we had to spot and take a picture. I promise I wont share all 48 pictures we took of them, seriously but this was our first one.

I also have hundreds of pictures of these. My husband and kids are obsessed with them...haha

 

[TeresaNJ]

Hello! Enjoying your TR so far! The Poly was the very first Disney resort I ever stayed at. I have very fond memories. Your brother and sister are adorable! Can't wait to hear about all your adventures.

 

[Emteach]

Hi...I am reading along. I am also from Ontario Canada and fly out of Detroit every time except once when we flew from Flint. Smaller airport but more expensive, so back to Detroit we go.

I would love to stay at the Poly...dream resort....maybe one day?????

My son also has issues with sensories, especially when he is tired and it doesn't always turn out good when a stranger gets in his face.

Looking forward to what's next...

Welcome aboard! When we booked the flights we SO much cheaper out of Detroit, it is a nice airport as well Staying at the Poly was amazing and a huge splurge, we know now that we wont be going back anytime soon so really made the most of the trip. We saved up to stay there and it was well worth it. My brother did really well on the trip and the GAC helped so much, made it alot easier for him - there were only 2 rides that we had issues with that I will discuss later in the report.

Hello! Enjoying your TR so far! The Poly was the very first Disney resort I ever stayed at. I have very fond memories. Your brother and sister are adorable! Can't wait to hear about all your adventures.

Glad to have you reading along. We will always have wonderful memories of the Poly and hope to be able to stay there again some day. Thanks

 

[heaven2dc]

So happy that you had booked a room for the time before your flight esp after getting lost! We've gotten lost getting to an airport that we had never flown out of before and it was so stressful - wish we had thought of booking a room!

The Poly is absolutely beautiful - we've gone there for the Polynesian Luau dinner show and I've always wanted to stay there. I would be sitting out looking at the view just like your Mum! Great TR so far!

 

[Emteach]

So happy that you had booked a room for the time before your flight esp after getting lost! We've gotten lost getting to an airport that we had never flown out of before and it was so stressful - wish we had thought of booking a room!

The Poly is absolutely beautiful - we've gone there for the Polynesian Luau dinner show and I've always wanted to stay there. I would be sitting out looking at the view just like your Mum! Great TR so far!

Welcome Yes, we were very grateful we had done this. The room we booked included free parking for the week and shuttle to the airport. We were so lost though!

We wanted to go to the Poly Luau but with such picky eaters and me being a vegetarian we thought we wouldnt find anything much to everyones liking. Somewhat regret though as we have heard such amazing things about the luau. Yes, that balcony was her home most days before everyone else woke up and between 2 and 4 when we were resting or at the pool.

 

[Emteach]

After spending a few minutes getting settled we decided to head right over to the Magic Kingdom! Admitedly everyone was pretty tired and hungry and some members of the party are grumps when they dont have food in their bellies!

We knew we needed to get to a restaurants and stat! We decided to hop on over to Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe. I wont go into detail on all our our dining since that is all in my food review (it is complete and you are welcome to check that out ) I will give a brief note though about each - CR's was so busy and we were not able to get one large table. Thankfully, after hovering around families that were almost finished we were able to grab one near my dad, Amber and Jett who had ordered together. They all got chicken (the adult ones were great, the kids ones look and taste like hockey pucks), my mum got a burger and chocolate mouse and I got a veggie burger and carrot cake.

After lunch everyone was in much better spirits, thank goodness! We checked out Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (hillarious), Stitches Great Escape, which we originally we were not going to ride since we recall it terrifying Amber on our last trip (also began Jett's obsession with Stitch) and took a spin with Buzz Lightyear before heading toward the castle to BBB for reservations that we had.
On our way to BBB Jett noticed that he was being followed! It was the alien of the hour Stitch, hiding in a trash container. Jett and Stitch proceeded to have a couple minute conversation - people looking onward. It was so funny seeing peoples reactions to Stitch sneaking up on them!

We also took our first family photograph by the castle.

Amber and Jett were both pretty excited. Amber for the courtyard package and Jett becoming a knight. Jett went first, he was a little unsure through the whole thing since he was clearly outnumbered by little princesses but we could tell he was still excited. He also LOVED the fact that he was knighted and got a sword and shield.

Amber was over the moon excited about her makeover. Despite being 12, almost 13, she is still very into pricesses and the magic of Disney. We were very happy that BBB now offered the Courtyard Package as the outfit is a little more grown up and the hairstyle is really pretty. Our FGIT, Debra, was incredible. She made my sisters experience memorable! My sister was also having a somewhat rough day, coughing, struggling with her breathing (she has a rare genetic disorder PCD that is similar to Cystic Fibrosis and the humidity was really getting to her lungs). Debra, as it turned out knew about PCD/CF so it made the experience even more touching.

After BBB we had time for a few rides in Fantasyland; Its a Small World, Mickeys Philharmagic, Goofy's Barnstormer and Dumbo before we headed out of the park to the Grand Floridian for a buffet at 1900 Park Fare! Love the new Double Dumbo ride, it is gorgeous!

I think Amber was getting a little tired

The characters at this restaurant were fabulous, especially Anastasia and Lady Tremaine who were so in character. We had printed invitations from a Disigner and had the characters sign. Lady Tremaine was very impressed that her name was on the invite - and proceeded to show it throughout the dining room Cant say that the food was fabulous, didnt find a huge assortment but it was well worth it for the experience.

We kept having the characters not to get too close to Jett's hair as the coloured gel never really dried. We ended up having to wash it out when we got back to the Poly

After dinner we would head back to the Poly and watch the Water Pageant and Fireworks from balcony at the end of our building with a few other families and then head right to bed!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Looks like fun, we're following along. It is neat to see how Disney has something fun for everybody! Our prior trip was over five years ago, but we re hoping to not have to wait as long next time.

 

[Emteach]

Looks like fun, we're following along. It is neat to see how Disney has something fun for everybody! Our prior trip was over five years ago, but we re hoping to not have to wait as long next time.

Welcome, thanks for joining in! It really does... we are such a diverse group. My mum who is a show person, my dad who doesnt like thrill rides, Amber who is 12 but middle of the road when it comes to rides and Jett (6) and I who are daredevils Think it will be a while until our next trip (wish we could go sooner though). I see you just got back from the World! Hope you had a wonderful trip!

 

[Emteach]

For anyone following along I promise I will start posting some more about our Disney adventure. Some things came up this week so didnt have an opportunity to post.

 

[Emteach]

Alright, so I am not sure if anyone out there in Cyber Space is still following me (or whether you have given up ) Life has just recently gotten in the way of spending too much time in the world of DIS but I am here and posting today about the Disney Studios (aka Hollywood Studios, MGM, the place with the Giant Sorcerer Hat).

Now lets start by saying that our family is full of drama geeks. We love participating and watching plays so Disney Studios is definately our cup of tea. It is #1 on my parks list and #2 only to MK for the rest of the fam!

When we arrived @ the park the first thing we did was check out the schedule. The goals of the day were Star Tours and Toy Story Mania so even if we just hit up those it would have made the day

First things first we headed over to Star Tours. My mum is not a big ride or enclosed spaces so this was out for us, she said she was happy to enjoy the gift shop while we rode since it had started pouring. We have not been to the World since 2006 so this was an all new Star Tours and I must say I loved this one!

We knew we still had quite a while until American Idols first show of the day so we decided to check out The Great Movie Ride, this was a favourite on our last trip.

Unfortunately we didnt have the greatest Tour Guide which really makes it or breaks it. I still love the animatronics in it

On our way out (before we headed over to AI Experience) we saw Piglet and Jett insisted he join the line. Unfortunately he tripped and fell hence why he doesnt look to impressed. By the looks of it I think my dad was more excited

We also saw Minnie and thankfully Jett had quickly recovered.

Finally it was time for American Idol! We were toward the front so were able to snag second row seats! I would HIGHLY recommend this part of Disney Studios - the performers are actually very talented and it is such a fun and interactive experience We even got to see ourselves on the giant screen. We were also glad to be indoors since it was raining.

My sister was unfortunately just a bit too young to audition... she was pretty disappointed but as you can see, got over it pretty fast.

No one was really too hungry, we had eaten some cereal from home for breakfast so decided to skip lunch (we also had an early dinner reservation for Sci Fi).

Up next we headed to Light, Motor, Actions Extreme Stunt Show and it was awesome! Now my mum and I are not a big action fan but we both loved seeing how all the stunts were created. Amber liked it but found it really loud (she has issues with her ears so loud noises tend to bother her). Jett and my dad were in their element and the younger of the two was beyond thrilled when a certain red racecar appeared. Can you guess who.... thats right.

Lightning McQueen

I wont post the err, 65 pictures I took of the show. Here is just one!

Following the show we tried to ride the Studio Backlot Tour but it was an estimated hour wait and they dont have any options for guests with the GAC. Instead we headed over to Toy Story Midway Ride (not until we got another one of Amber and Jett's favourite souveniers).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Toy Story Mania, I think this was one of my favourites from the whole trip. I love how interactive the ride is and the fact that you get to actually play the games, not just shoot - which I am really bad at). Jett and I rode together so I had to help him (if I wasnt for that I would have for sure had the high score of the day, thats my story and I'm sticking to it).

We were getting close to our reservations but still had about 45 minutes until our time. Jett then saw this in the distance

Jett and I were the only ones who wanted to ride, we hadnt convinced Amber... yet. We had to run to the Hollywood Tower since it had yet again started to rain.

Our bellhop was awesome (and hillarious) and kept asking Jett, in a creepy way, are you suuurrree you are brave enough to experience the Hollywood Tower lol. Well we hopped aboard our lift and off we went.
OMG Tower of Terror is so much fun and the random drops make it so much better! I thought the whole ride was great from start to finish. After the ride Jett wanted to see our picture and although I tried to use my camera to grab a snapshot it did not turn out but basically this is what it looked like.

Me and Jett He wasnt the least bit afraid.

Finally it was time for supper (we were all getting pretty hungry at this point) so off to Sci Fi we went. Overall, it was a fantastic dinner (I dont know why this place gets so much negativity, it was really good and really filling) and those milkshakes are to die for. The movies are so much fun and our waiter was great as well (and really accomodating to my picky sister).

Again, I wont go into detail but our orders were the following.

Me - Shrimp Pasta, Oreo Milkshake and Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake (to go)
Amber - Kids Chicken Nuggets and Fries, Vanilla Milkshake x2
Mum - Rib-Eye Steak and Potatoes/Veggies, Flavoured Sodas (Vanilla and Cherry), Milkshake
Dad - Angus Chuck Burger, Milkshakes x2
Jett - Hot Dog and Fries, half of my milkshake and Ice Cream Sundae

Yummy!
A couple of pictures of the hams!

In the next post since I apparently posted too many

We then headed back to our hotel for a quick rest and then spent the rest of the night at the Volcano and Quiet and back to the Volcano pools!

 

[Emteach]

Some Pictures of Sci Fi... for detailed review and food porn please check out my Completed Dining Review

Did I mention it had been a rainy day? lol