POLY, BLT & THE DREAM, WITH A TEEN AND A TWEEN…APRIL 2016***COMPLETED 8/15****

[buzzrelly]

DH and I stayed in Moorea on our adults-only trip in January; we did a spit stay, 3 nights AKL and 2 nights Poly on rented points. It was our first time at both resorts and while we preferred AKL, we did enjoy the Poly We were at the opposite end of Moorea than you were so we didn't have any problems with the Ferry horns, but we also didn't have lake view so no fireworks from our balcony. However, we've been able to watch high Illuminations from our balcony at BWV on a couple stays and I totally agree with you, it's AWESOME to be on our balcony in jammies watching any Disney fireworks!

I also agree on the Murphy bed, love it. Again we didn't have the kids with us at the Poly so we didn't need it, but younger DS slept on it last Nov. after it was added to the BW studios and he'll be on it again this Nov. at the BC. It gives older DS the pullout to himself

What was it about AKL that you liked better? I would like to stay there someday but we never rent a car and I feel like it's soooooo far from everything.

 

[nenglim]

Thanks for joining in!!

Congratulations!! You're going to LOVE LOVE LOVE your DVC! The fireworks view from BLT is much closer, but the view from the Poly is more how they are meant to be seen…I love both!

I concur 100%! I LOVE LOVE LOVE our DVC. Our home resort is also BLT and VGF. I have seen the fireworks at the Top of the World and it is amazing. You can almost touch it...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8, 2016: O'HANA MEANS FAMILY

We woke to an absolutely GORGEOUS day…


We made an early ADR for O'hana breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. With all the raving about this place, I can't believe we were just making it to this restaurant for the first time EVER! I believe our reservation was for 7:45, which is usually too early for us since we are not big eaters in the morning. But with just 4 pre-cruise park days, we needed to maximize our time there. We had a great time and would definitely eat here again. Loved the food, the characters and the atmosphere…not to mention, they have our favorite juice which is the Passion Fruit juice they also serve at Tusker House…yum!





We ate everything but the biscuits and got seconds of the waffles and bacon...





More O'hana in next post…I'm not sure why I'm only allowed to post 10 pics per post..grrr...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8, 2016: MORE O'HANA, TEST TRACK AND LIVING WITH THE LAND



DS usually crouches over in character pictures, I guess because he feels much taller than them. Here's one of the few characters he doesn't need to crouch with...


Our plan for today was to head over to EPCOT for the morning and then back to MK in the evening. I ended up not even making FastPasses for EPCOT because our favorite ride there (Soarin') was closed for refurbishment If we made a FP for Test Track then we would've had t make the other two for EPCOT and I kind of think making a FP for Living With The Land (though I LOVE this ride!) is kind of a waste. So after careful consideration, I made our FastPasses for the evening at MK.



Since we didn't have a FP for TT, it's the first ride we headed to once we got to EPCOT. We did the single rider line and it took about 30 minutes. DM rode TT once and wasn't a fan so she sat and waited outside and she ended up meeting a nice older lady from the UK and chatting with her the whole time. I had to drag her away once we were done or she may have sat and chatted with her all day




Even though we were in the single rider line, the kids rode together in the same car…


I went right after them with another family…looks like I'm having a BLAST, doesn't it??


After TT, we dragged DM away from the British lady and walked over to one of her favorite rides, Living With The Land.







More EPCOT to be continued in next post...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8, 2016: THE BEVERLY, THEN FLOWERS AND GARDENS


I've heard a lot of talk here on the boards about the "Beverly,"but none of us had ever actually tried it until this trip…I have to say, it wasn't AS awful as I had imagined, but it wasn't very good either!


We all tried it, but I only got DD trying it on video...

There wasn't much else to do in Future World so we started to make our way over to World Showcase and just kind of enjoyed all the flowers along the way...




We had to stop in the store to get DS a pair of sunglasses since the sun was blinding...














Up next…DOING DUFFY...

 

[dew4378]

Following along. I love your pictures. Also, very sweet taking your mom along with you!

 

[ariane37]

What was it about AKL that you liked better? I would like to stay there someday but we never rent a car and I feel like it's soooooo far from everything.

The main thing we loved about AKL, besides how beautiful it is, is how totally peaceful it is Many others have described it this way so it sounds cliché, but it's Disney, yet not Disney. I still completely felt like I was in Disney but it's just......a different feeling than the other resorts we've been in. You do feel like you're in another "place". Between the music they play, the drummers and the CM's from Africa that are all around and very willing to talk to you about where they're from, their customs, etc., it's like it transports you. We didn't have a savannah view room but there are so many areas to see animals from both inside the resort and out it's amazing. Even just to stop and watch them for 3 minutes as you're on your way someplace. What we had was an absolutely gorgeous pool view from our room, stunning and again, peaceful in the morning and fun to watch the kids when we stopped back mid-day.
Another thing we really liked being in Jambo is that pretty much everything is inside so you don't need to leave the building once you're in your room, unlike the Poly. If you need bell services, the desk for any reason, gift shop, quick service, laundry, a bar, you don't have to go outside. Well, for the Mara you walk under a covered walkway for about 2 minutes but it doesn't feel like you're outside And most of the walk to the busses is covered. Once we got to the Poly, even though we got our requested room in Moorea, we felt the difference in resorts when we had to walk over to the GCH to get to Tambu Lounge, the gift shop, Capt. Cooks, etc. And while we were close to TTC and the walk to the busses wasn't too far, it was quite cold while we were there and windy and did seem further than at AKL. Not a big deal at all since most resorts require some walking somewhere, but having most of those things indoors was a big plus we felt. As for bus service and AKL being farther away than other resorts, that was DH's biggest concern and we found neither to be an issue for us! Bus service was great! And we didn't think the rides to parks were any longer than from anywhere else in general. MK was the longest but no longer than when we stayed at CSR. We didn't go to Disney Springs from there so can't speak to that and weirdly enough we didn't go to AK until we were at the Poly lol, but that bus ride has to be like 4 mins. it's so close. Now keep in mind we were only at AKL for 3 nights and didn't have our kids; would we have felt differently about the distance if we stayed longer, IDK. But I do know I'm dying to go back there and keep wishing something would open up points wise for the 2nd half of our Nov. stay at Jambo!
Oh, I much preferred the décor at AKL over the Poly, but I'm an animal print person anyway

 

[ariane37]

Hey, I think I see our DS smiling in some of those Epcot pictures!!!
I love doing new things on each trip so that's cool you managed 2 in one day (so far), 'Ohana breakfast and trying the Beverly Last October my boys and I visited my sister and my nephews shortly after they'd moved to Ga. We went to the Coca-Cola factory in Atlanta where you can try TONS of different flavors of Coke from all over the world. When I noticed they had Beverly there I had my nephews try it........neither of my boys let on how "not real good" it was and the looks on my nephews faces were priceless

 

[buzzrelly]

Following along. I love your pictures. Also, very sweet taking your mom along with you!

And thanks for reading! I can't leave Dm at home…she's part of the Squad

Hey, I think I see our DS smiling in some of those Epcot pictures!!!
I love doing new things on each trip so that's cool you managed 2 in one day (so far), 'Ohana breakfast and trying the Beverly Last October my boys and I visited my sister and my nephews shortly after they'd moved to Ga. We went to the Coca-Cola factory in Atlanta where you can try TONS of different flavors of Coke from all over the world. When I noticed they had Beverly there I had my nephews try it........neither of my boys let on how "not real good" it was and the looks on my nephews faces were priceless

It's probably more fun when you have no idea what to expect and take a nice big swig!!

 

[buzzrelly]

The main thing we loved about AKL, besides how beautiful it is, is how totally peaceful it is Many others have described it this way so it sounds cliché, but it's Disney, yet not Disney. I still completely felt like I was in Disney but it's just......a different feeling than the other resorts we've been in. You do feel like you're in another "place". Between the music they play, the drummers and the CM's from Africa that are all around and very willing to talk to you about where they're from, their customs, etc., it's like it transports you. We didn't have a savannah view room but there are so many areas to see animals from both inside the resort and out it's amazing. Even just to stop and watch them for 3 minutes as you're on your way someplace. What we had was an absolutely gorgeous pool view from our room, stunning and again, peaceful in the morning and fun to watch the kids when we stopped back mid-day.
Another thing we really liked being in Jambo is that pretty much everything is inside so you don't need to leave the building once you're in your room, unlike the Poly. If you need bell services, the desk for any reason, gift shop, quick service, laundry, a bar, you don't have to go outside. Well, for the Mara you walk under a covered walkway for about 2 minutes but it doesn't feel like you're outside And most of the walk to the busses is covered. Once we got to the Poly, even though we got our requested room in Moorea, we felt the difference in resorts when we had to walk over to the GCH to get to Tambu Lounge, the gift shop, Capt. Cooks, etc. And while we were close to TTC and the walk to the busses wasn't too far, it was quite cold while we were there and windy and did seem further than at AKL. Not a big deal at all since most resorts require some walking somewhere, but having most of those things indoors was a big plus we felt. As for bus service and AKL being farther away than other resorts, that was DH's biggest concern and we found neither to be an issue for us! Bus service was great! And we didn't think the rides to parks were any longer than from anywhere else in general. MK was the longest but no longer than when we stayed at CSR. We didn't go to Disney Springs from there so can't speak to that and weirdly enough we didn't go to AK until we were at the Poly lol, but that bus ride has to be like 4 mins. it's so close. Now keep in mind we were only at AKL for 3 nights and didn't have our kids; would we have felt differently about the distance if we stayed longer, IDK. But I do know I'm dying to go back there and keep wishing something would open up points wise for the 2nd half of our Nov. stay at Jambo!
Oh, I much preferred the décor at AKL over the Poly, but I'm an animal print person anyway

It sounds lovely…It's definitely on my list of places I want to stay at! Especially if I have enough points for Savannah view

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

Great updates and photos! I love Lilo and Stitch, it's one of my favorites for sure! And your food pics

 

[buzzrelly]

Great updates and photos! I love Lilo and Stitch, it's one of my favorites for sure! And your food pics

Thank you! Do you know, I had not seen Lilo & Stitch, the movie, at this time?? Isn't that crazy?! I ended up watching it on the cruise ship because they have a ton of movies available on demand. And I LOVED it! I didn't know what I was missing all this time!!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8, 2016: DOING DUFFY


DD wanted to design a Duffy Bear and get it signed as we walked around WS, so we stopped in Mexico and while she did that, DM, DS and I went on the little ride in the back, the Gran Fiesta Tour. I never even realized it was there, and now, having seen it once, I don't need to go back.
For those who haven't seen it, it's a boat ride very similar to It's a Small World, but not as good. Maybe I am judging too harshly…I guess it was kind of cute and if I had a choice of standing in the Mexican pavilion watching my 12 year old DD color a Duffy Bear, OR going on that ride, I would ride it again Also, it's quiet, dark and air-conditioned so I might choose that ride for a nap someday too, so there's that

Anyway, DD didn't go crazy with the coloring and pretty much just outlined her Duffy so she was pretty much done by the time we got off the ride.





Looks like we have a new Squad member...

Cute Anna and Elsa Topiaries...

Sorry, I'm about to bombard you all with lots of Flower & Garden photos. Mind you, I am not a gardner by any stretch of the imagination, I haven't even managed to get pre-potted flowers out on my porch yet this year, and at this point I may just skip it! But I loved the F&G festival at EPCOT…these topiaries make me happy to look at, so I need to include them here.


My favorite Deputy



After walking around admiring flowers, we headed to Japan so DD could do something she had never done before...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8, 2016: PICK A PEARL

Pick a Pearl! I know…she's been SOOOO deprived all these years! Honestly, I'm glad we held off on doing things on past trips because we always have new stuff to look forward to!

DS couldn't help himself, he was sooooo into this whole pick-a-pearl thing



DD liked it though and it was really cute to watch. Here's her pearl…you see it, right?



I should've taken a close up of it after, especially since this is the last time any of us ACTUALLY saw it! DM bought her a pretty chain to put the pearl on and we packed it carefully away so nothing would happen to it, and then...we never saw it again

I swear, I have no idea what happened to it. DD says she put it in my luggage but I haven't come across it. I still think we will find it someday, even if it's not until we go on our next trip!

When we were done in Japan, we kind of just wandered aimlessly while DD got her Duffy signed in each country. It ended up being really cute when she was all done…


Kind of a nice memento, and it's FREE which is nice! And of course, this thing got home just fine, unlike the $100 necklace…sigh.

DM and I ate lunch at Les Halles in France while the kids walked over to the American Pavillion to eat. I didn't get any food pictures this time, I'm not sure why??


More aimless wandering and pretty scenery…



We made our way around the WS and headed out, stopping to ride Spaceship Earth and take a couple PhotoPass pics on the way. And that was it for EPCOT this trip..kind of lame. I can't wait to go back and see the new Soarin' and Frozen ride on our next trip, then I'm sure we'll be spending more time here.





Off to the MK...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8, 2016: BACK TO THE MK

We monorailed back to the TTC…don't you love how empty the monorail is in the middle of the day?!


I definitely need to take more notes for my trip reports because, for the life of me, I don't remember HOW we ended up getting on the boat back to the MK. Seems like we should have just changed monorails and continued on to the MK…not sure if the MK monorail wasn't running or what, but we ended up taking the boat back over to the MK. Here's my "home" from the water…

We all LOVE the CR…I think I've told this story before, but we brought my DM on her VERY FIRST VACATION EVER back in 2010. She had never even been on a plane before that! And though the kids and I had been twice before, this trip was PERFECT in every way. We stayed in the CR with a TPV and had the BEST weather and it was October so we'd watch Hallo-Wishes from our balcony every night and went to MNSSHP one night. It is still everyone's favorite trip, even to this day. Anyway, we fell in LOVE with The CR on that trip and when I purchased my DVC a few years later, BLT was the ONLY place I wanted for my home.

Anyway, we got to the MK around 6 and our first FastPass was at 7 for 7DMT again. The kids weren't happy with me for scheduling this FP again because they kind of like the ride, but definitely don't love it. They prefer Space Mountain or BTMRR any day. I think I was caught up in the frenzy of making FastPasses for the things that everyone tells you you need to make FastPasses for. I've done that before, like when everyone was kooky to meet Anna and Elsa, I HAD to make a FastPass to meet them, even though DD didn't care all that much. I think I get Disney-fever or something takes over my mind when I'm planning months in advance which rides we want to go on or who we want to meet…ugh

So we had about an hour to kill which was nice because I hadn't gotten my little lovies to pose in my favorite spot yet, and I was about to remedy that…

Oh my GOSH…my babies! The picture on the right was in May 2006, as seen on the tacky date on the front of the picture. CRAZY how fast that time went!! Especially when I think about how in the same amount of time that is between these two pictures, they will be 24 and 22, probably out of college and not living with me …sniff, sniff

Anyway, we were hungry and I didn't make any ADRs for dinner so we decided to go to Pinocchio Village Haus for QS. I had gone here once with my friend on a solo trip last December and I thought it was pretty good. Though I'm usually in the camp of even bad pizza is still pretty good…not so much this time. None of us really liked our food, and we thought the cheese had a funny, chalky feel to it. I was glad DM and I had decided to split one and a salad because we didn't even finish the one. On the plus side, we had a table right up against the window with a view of IASW which was kind of fun



At least we weren't overly full for 7DMT, so there's that too Here's our video…

Afterwards, we went over to our second FP…

DM was too cold to ride but she's always cold. We sucked it up and went on but wore our ponchos just in case. Not sure what DD is doing with her face, but I love the "dabbers' behind us! I wish they had let us in on it and we would have done it too I'm not sure if the back row ladies would have though

None of us felt like sticking around for Wishes tonight. We kind of just meandered around. I walked by my favorite bathrooms and had to take a pic because At Last I Saw The Light…

I REALLY wish this area was more than bathrooms…so pretty

DS did some shootin' at the shootin' gallery

He's always loved this. We made the mistake of letting him buy a gun one year and had a HECK of a time getting it home on the airplane. We ended up having to buy a special box at the airport and had to do special security stuff too, what a pain! I don't think they sell guns anywhere in WDW anymore so you won't make that mistake, even if you wanted to!

Ironically, we decided to skip our FastPass for Wishes so we wouldn't get stuck behind the crowds exiting the park. So we left just as Wishes was starting and walked up the ramp to the monorail which was sitting there. We got right on, but then we were just sitting and waiting and waiting, and waiting…By this time, there were 10 million people coming now and just waiting to get on the monorail. The CMs started saying there was something going on at the CR so we couldn't move until that was all straightened out but they weren't sure how long it would take. So we sat and waited some more, thinking it would just be a couple minutes. Finally, after 20 or so minutes we figured we weren't going to get anywhere and decided to leave and walk down to the ferry. Well, you might have guessed that all the 10 million people behind us had already thought of that, not to mention the million people leaving the MK. So frustrating! We ended up making it onto the second ferry, which by the way, I'm not even sure how it stayed afloat with 10 million people on it. At least I knew we could all swim if we had to

Up next, an awesome day at Hollywood Studios...

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

I love this update! The dabbers behind you and the people on the last row on SM I love it!

 

[buzzrelly]

I love this update! The dabbers behind you and the people on the last row on SM I love it!

Thanks! I know, right?! HaHa! I wonder if those people were playing it straight to be funny? If so, they sure do look convincing!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: THE FORCE IS WITH US AT DHS


DHS is our second favorite park, after MK, so we were all super excited to get there today. No-one was more so than DS who got so impatient with us that he went ahead and left without us while we were getting ready

DD and DM were bring kind of pokey this morning so I ended up leaving shortly after DS and figured they could come along at their leisure. I REALLY like getting to DHS for Rope Drop and have even been first in line at the Mickey scanners once or twice. Not this time, unfortunately, but I still got there before rope drop. I didn't find DS amidst the swarm of rope droppers, but we were texting and he was going to head to Rock N' Roller Coaster first. I was heading to TSM so I told him we would meet up after.

Here's my (not so) awesome selfie on TSM, rocking the 3D…



I think I've gone way beyond the age where I will EVER take a good selfie, despite all the coaching from DD. And this is one of the BETTER ones!

When I got off TSM, I texted DS and we decided to meet at the Animation Academy…errrrr...Star Wars Launch Bay. Still miss that

DS is a HUGE Star Wars fan and we were both really excited to see some of the new Star Wars stuff.


First, we got in line for Chewie…awww…..such a lovable Wookie


You KNOW your 14 year old is tall when he is almost as tall as Chewbacca...



After Chewbacca, we moved onto someone more sinister, Kylo Ren. He was SUPER creepy from the time we walked in…ack! He was freaking me out a little! Can ya tell from the look on my face?!

DS was putting on a brave face, I think...



He was very good at being creepy and was definitely a fun interaction!

Up next, more of The Force...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: MORE OF THE FORCE & STALKING A TEEN SENSATION


I forgot to post this pic of DS at RnRC earlier…

He's smiling!!!

After we met Kylo Ren, we were exploring the Launch Bay when THIS happened…

That crazy Jawa tried to steal my phone! And I had absolutely NO IDEA what was going on until DS explained to me after that they are scavengers and collect all kinds of things so he wanted my phone! I was cracking up, it was so funny!

DS and I spent a lot of time checking everything out…


Then we went outside just in time to see these guys marching in…

DD and DM finally made it and we met up with them…

Don't they look refreshed?

I don't remember If we even ate breakfast, but I guess but this point we were all hungry for ice cream…yum!





By now it was time for our TOT FastPass. Just the kids and I went on while mom sat in our favorite, cool spot in the lobby



As we were leaving the TOT area, the coolest thing EVER happened…that is, IF you are a 12 year old girl! We were standing in the street and there was a large crowd so we stopped to see what was going on and Cameron Boyce was filming a commercial!! Holy Cow!! THE Cameron Boyce!! Oh? You don't know who he is? I didn't either, but apparently he is a BIG deal to my 12 year-old DD! He is from The Descendants and other shows that I can't remember right now and DD isn't around to ask Anyway, we stopped and watched this all going on for a while and then we headed over to RnRC and when we got off that, we noticed the crowd again so we kind of hung out and he had JUST gotten off RnRC also! DD was devastated, and wished we had gotten to go on with him. Here is the video of him so y'all can see who I am talking about…

It was really cute to see DD get all excited and giggly over him

After we got tired of stalking, we kind of made our way down Sunset Blvd. The kids stopped to take this pic and text it to their dad who was currently on RT 66 at the time…what a coincidence


By then it was time for our TSM FastPass, so we headed over…




It was super fun and I got my best score ever, which made me a Beaver so I was super proud of myself

Almost time for our Mama Melrose dinner ADR and then we had tickets to the Star Wars Dessert Party, which we were beyond looking forward to!

 

[ariane37]

When we were done in Japan, we kind of just wandered aimlessly while DD got her Duffy signed in each country. It ended up being really cute when she was all done…

That actually did come out really cute. For the longest time I had a drawer full of those Duffy's on a stick lol. I think now I have one or two of each DS's in a bin somewhere.

So we had about an hour to kill which was nice because I hadn't gotten my little lovies to pose in my favorite spot yet, and I was about to remedy that…

CRAZY how fast that time went!! Especially when I think about how in the same amount of time that is between these two pictures, they will be 24 and 22, probably out of college and not living with me …sniff, sniff

The 2006 picture is ADORABLE!!! And this thought hit home with me tonight as last night my older DS had his "moving up" ceremony from middle school - he'll be starting H.S. in Sept. I have 2 stepsons in their 20's but, it just wasn't the same when they were this age! I'm just happy I still have my baby (who at 10 hates being referred to as my baby)

Anyway, we were hungry and I didn't make any ADRs for dinner so we decided to go to Pinocchio Village Haus for QS. I had gone here once with my friend on a solo trip last December and I thought it was pretty good. Though I'm usually in the camp of even bad pizza is still pretty good…not so much this time.

Huh. DH and I ate at Pinocchio's for the first time in YEARS back in January. He just had a salad; I had the caprese flatbread and garlic knots and I was actually surprised the food was better than I thought it would be. Of course that's not the same as pizza......was thinking of going back there this Nov. with the boys but if we do, guess we'll stay away from the pizza!

DHS is our second favorite park, after MK,

I love hearing people say they love HS It's been my favorite park, closely tied with Epcot, for years. It's kind of in limbo now with all that's going on but I'm confident it'll retain it's #1 spot when all is said and done. DS14 loves it, too.

DS is a HUGE Star Wars fan and we were both really excited to see some of the new Star Wars stuff

So we aren't SW fans here but wanted to give you an interesting (I think it'll be interesting?) little piece of info. My stepson works for a pool company; he installs inground pools and also does maintenance on them. In essence - he's what I lovingly refer to as a "pool boy" One of the towns very near us is Pawling, NY. One of its more famous residents is James Earl Jones; my stepson is James Earl Jones' pool boy!