westcoastfldisneygirl
Close driving distance to the Mouse
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2015
OHHHHHHHHHH my those desserts!!!
I want them in my belly now! What was that blue dessert?
I want them in my belly now! What was that blue dessert?
POLY, BLT & THE DREAM, WITH A TEEN AND A TWEEN…APRIL 2016***COMPLETED 8/15****
- Thread starter buzzrelly
- Start date
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
Thank you! I wish I was going back in August…I'm jealous! GF in on my list too…it's a loooonnnnngggggg list
I imagine your weather might not be quite as nice, but you'll have a lovely resort to go home to 
I definitely recommend the SW dessert party! Have an awesome time!!
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
OHHHHHHHHHH my those desserts!!!
They were all soooooo good! That was "Blue Milk," or Panna Cotta. I don't think I've ever had Panna Cotta prior to that, but it wasn't bad. Not very sweet, if I recall correctly.
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 10, 2016: DINOSAURS ARE ANIMALS TOO
I love this sign…at least when Disney puts up ugly walls, they give you something fun to look at...
After breakfast, DS and I headed over to ride Dinosaur. DD and DM had no interest in that so they just hung out…I'm sure they ended up in a shop somewhere!
We met up with them at our first FastPass for the day..
I HAVE to post a few animal pics, or it just didn't happen
I thought I heard a rumor that the Zebras were gone from AK because they were mean, or something? Guess that turned out to be false.
AK To Be Continued...
I love this sign…at least when Disney puts up ugly walls, they give you something fun to look at...
After breakfast, DS and I headed over to ride Dinosaur. DD and DM had no interest in that so they just hung out…I'm sure they ended up in a shop somewhere!
We met up with them at our first FastPass for the day..
I HAVE to post a few animal pics, or it just didn't happen
I thought I heard a rumor that the Zebras were gone from AK because they were mean, or something? Guess that turned out to be false.
AK To Be Continued...
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 10, 2016: NOW WATCH ME WHIP, WATCH ME…DAB??
After the safari, we had a FastPass for Kali River Rapids but nobody felt like going on, for some reason. And our final FastPass was for 3pm on Expedition Everest, but I guess everyone had had enough of that this morning and wanted to leave. We took a couple more pics on the way out...
And we ended up here…
YUMMY!!!!
We changed into our bathing suits and sat by the pool for a little bit.
I HAD to take a pic of my girl MINNIE in the Poly lobby…I LOVE this!
So while were were relaxing, DD got a text from her friend. She and her family were visiting MK for the day and they were coming to the Poly for dinner. DD was SOOOOOO excited! We met up with them after dinner and the girls hung out for a bit…
And then THIS happened! If you're old like me, you won't understand, but all the youngens are doing in these days
They were heading back to the MK and we were going to try Gasparilla Grill at the GF for dinner, so we rode over on the monorail together…
DD was sad to leave them…crazy but I guess she likes hanging out with her friends more than her family these days…TWEENS!!
Alas, we parted ways at the Grand Floridian, and DD got over her sadness quickly
Up next…Gasparilla Grill...
After the safari, we had a FastPass for Kali River Rapids but nobody felt like going on, for some reason. And our final FastPass was for 3pm on Expedition Everest, but I guess everyone had had enough of that this morning and wanted to leave. We took a couple more pics on the way out...
And we ended up here…
YUMMY!!!!
We changed into our bathing suits and sat by the pool for a little bit.
I HAD to take a pic of my girl MINNIE in the Poly lobby…I LOVE this!
So while were were relaxing, DD got a text from her friend. She and her family were visiting MK for the day and they were coming to the Poly for dinner. DD was SOOOOOO excited! We met up with them after dinner and the girls hung out for a bit…
And then THIS happened! If you're old like me, you won't understand, but all the youngens are doing in these days
They were heading back to the MK and we were going to try Gasparilla Grill at the GF for dinner, so we rode over on the monorail together…
DD was sad to leave them…crazy but I guess she likes hanging out with her friends more than her family these days…TWEENS!!
Alas, we parted ways at the Grand Floridian, and DD got over her sadness quickly
Up next…Gasparilla Grill...
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 10, 2016: GASPARILLA GRILL AND OUR LAST NIGHT
We got off the monorail and made our way through the GF and out the back to find Gasparilla Grill. We had never eaten here, but we looked at the menu online and everyone liked what they saw so we thought we'd try it. There were very few people around and the weather was perfect. We sat out back and waited for our food…
DD got her standard…pizza or flatbread…clearly I don't know the difference, I though they were the same…
DS got a burger, which came with homemade chips that were yummy...
DM and I had the "Create your own salad," of which I forgot to take pictures, but we both enjoyed them very much.
It was so pretty in this area, I had to take a couple of pics…here's one…don't mind DS's Goofy face. I'm just happy that it's not a scowel!
After dinner, we leisurely made our way back to the monorail to pack up and get ready to check out the next day…BOOHOO!!
But WAIT! We weren't sad! We were super EXCITED and getting ready to board THE DREAM!!!
We got off the monorail and made our way through the GF and out the back to find Gasparilla Grill. We had never eaten here, but we looked at the menu online and everyone liked what they saw so we thought we'd try it. There were very few people around and the weather was perfect. We sat out back and waited for our food…
DD got her standard…pizza or flatbread…clearly I don't know the difference, I though they were the same…
DS got a burger, which came with homemade chips that were yummy...
DM and I had the "Create your own salad," of which I forgot to take pictures, but we both enjoyed them very much.
It was so pretty in this area, I had to take a couple of pics…here's one…don't mind DS's Goofy face. I'm just happy that it's not a scowel!
After dinner, we leisurely made our way back to the monorail to pack up and get ready to check out the next day…BOOHOO!!
But WAIT! We weren't sad! We were super EXCITED and getting ready to board THE DREAM!!!
Last edited:
westcoastfldisneygirl
Close driving distance to the Mouse
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2015
AHHHH yay for the cruise part of your trip!!!
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
I know, right?!! Sorry it's taking me forever! We are in the process of getting the house ready to move and instead of getting on my computer I've been packing boxes and painting! I'll try to get back to it soon!
nenglim
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
APRIL 10, 2016: GASPARILLA GRILL AND OUR LAST NIGHT
We got off the monorail and made our way through the GF and out the back to find Gasparilla Grill. We had never eaten here, but we looked at the menu online and everyone liked what they saw so we thought we'd try it. There were very few people around and the weather was perfect. We sat out back and waited for our food…But WAIT! We weren't sad! We were super EXCITED and getting ready to board THE DREAM!!!
We also FOUND Gasparilla Grill this April after our cruise. We couldnt seem to find it the last 2 stays we were in VGF. We always seem to get lost and give up looking when we were almost there. You can order a whole large cheese pizza for $14!! Which I found very surprisingly reasonable in Disney! They also served a turkey club sandwich which was good and you can have the chips as a side. YUM!
Excited you are getting into the cruise part!!! will be stalking your pictures to see if we make it in one again!!! hahaha...
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
We also FOUND Gasparilla Grill this April after our cruise. We couldnt seem to find it the last 2 stays we were in VGF. We always seem to get lost and give up looking when we were almost there. You can order a whole large cheese pizza for $14!! Which I found very surprisingly reasonable in Disney! They also served a turkey club sandwich which was good and you can have the chips as a side. YUM!
Excited you are getting into the cruise part!!! will be stalking your pictures to see if we make it in one again!!! hahaha...
I can't even get a large pizza at home for $14! That's a great tip! I find I can enjoy CS as much as TS, especially since we don't do the DDP anymore.
That would be too funny if you make it into my cruise pics!!
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 11, 2016 GOOD-BYE POLY, HELLO DREAM!!
OMG!! It's finally time to board our Dream cruise! This is what I woke up to...
I think I started at 500 days or something!
But first, we had to say good-bye to the Poly…
Of course, it was another beautiful morning.
I sat on the balcony and had my coffee and just enjoyed the scene so much…
We took our time packing up, and called Bell Services around 9 to come take our bags. I also packed up all of our extra non-perishable food and put it into our Owner's Locker and BS sent it over to BLT so that it would be waiting for us after the cruise. How awesome is that!? I had just signed up for OL this trip and I am so glad I did! Otherwise, I would have had to give away or throw out all of our extra food!
By 9:30 or so, we made our way out to the front of the Poly to wait for our car service. It was then that I remembered that I hadn't taken any pics of the front of the Poly, though I had always meant to come back to do that. We had about 30 minutes to wait so I started snapping away…
We had arranged to have FL Tours pick us up to bring us to the port. I had asked around on the Cruise Boards and this was recommended because if we took the Disney Transfers, we would be getting to the ship MUCH later, like in the afternoon. Since I had gotten an early Port-Arrival-Time (10:30), I wanted to get on and start enjoying the ship as early as possible.
Our driver arrived just about 10am and it was just perfect timing. If I did this again, I would plan it exactly the same way. We got to the port early, checked-in, and boarded the ship fairly quickly. But…I'm getting ahead of myself. One last thing, I would like to give a shout out to FL Tours…I would definitely use their car service again. Clean van, professional driver, arrived right on time, overall just a great experience.
The driver loaded up the van and soon we were on our way!!
I think the ride was 45-60 minutes. It wasn't long before we got our first glimpse of THIS BEAUTY!!
To Be Continued...
OMG!! It's finally time to board our Dream cruise! This is what I woke up to...
I think I started at 500 days or something!
But first, we had to say good-bye to the Poly…
Of course, it was another beautiful morning.
I sat on the balcony and had my coffee and just enjoyed the scene so much…
We took our time packing up, and called Bell Services around 9 to come take our bags. I also packed up all of our extra non-perishable food and put it into our Owner's Locker and BS sent it over to BLT so that it would be waiting for us after the cruise. How awesome is that!? I had just signed up for OL this trip and I am so glad I did! Otherwise, I would have had to give away or throw out all of our extra food!
By 9:30 or so, we made our way out to the front of the Poly to wait for our car service. It was then that I remembered that I hadn't taken any pics of the front of the Poly, though I had always meant to come back to do that. We had about 30 minutes to wait so I started snapping away…
We had arranged to have FL Tours pick us up to bring us to the port. I had asked around on the Cruise Boards and this was recommended because if we took the Disney Transfers, we would be getting to the ship MUCH later, like in the afternoon. Since I had gotten an early Port-Arrival-Time (10:30), I wanted to get on and start enjoying the ship as early as possible.
Our driver arrived just about 10am and it was just perfect timing. If I did this again, I would plan it exactly the same way. We got to the port early, checked-in, and boarded the ship fairly quickly. But…I'm getting ahead of myself. One last thing, I would like to give a shout out to FL Tours…I would definitely use their car service again. Clean van, professional driver, arrived right on time, overall just a great experience.
The driver loaded up the van and soon we were on our way!!
I think the ride was 45-60 minutes. It wasn't long before we got our first glimpse of THIS BEAUTY!!
To Be Continued...
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 11, 2016: A TURTLE AND A BUTTERFLY
Our driver unloaded our bags and a porter came right over to assist us. We kept a carry on with my lap top and cruise docs, etc. but the rest we left and didn't see again until later in our room…
We had to go through customs which I thought would be more confusing, but it wasn't a big deal at all..
DD started to record on the GoPro at this point and some of this footage made it into our video. DS wouldn't even turn around. He was extra grumpy this morning, which means he was probably HUNGRY again!
We made it into the terminal and checked-in and then took a couple of quick pics. Check-in went very quickly even though it seemed crowded.
Our VERY FIRST NAVIGATOR!
As we were waiting to walk in and board the ship, I noticed these floor tiles…
I HAD to take a picture because I lost my niece to Lupus last year. She was an amazing, special person. She was my mom's oldest granddaughter and she raised her and lived with her from the time she was 10 until she passed away at age 31. We are still missing her very much and we talk about her most every day. She was lucky enough to go on The Dream in October 2014. That was 3 months before my mom found her unresponsive, and 5 months before she passed away. We thought about her all the time while we were on the ship and we were so thankful that she had the opportunity to go on that trip when she did. Anyway, we saw the turtle, which was her favorite animal, and the the butterfly which is the Lupus symbol, and we knew she was there with us. Here's my beautiful niece on her cruise…it's funny because I NEVER saw her drink any alcohol, but I guess she was partying it up on Pirate Night…
Love you, Christie
I'm sorry to get sad, but I had to explain those pictures and why they meant so much to me. I promise MUCH lighter topics in the next post...
Our driver unloaded our bags and a porter came right over to assist us. We kept a carry on with my lap top and cruise docs, etc. but the rest we left and didn't see again until later in our room…
We had to go through customs which I thought would be more confusing, but it wasn't a big deal at all..
DD started to record on the GoPro at this point and some of this footage made it into our video. DS wouldn't even turn around. He was extra grumpy this morning, which means he was probably HUNGRY again!
We made it into the terminal and checked-in and then took a couple of quick pics. Check-in went very quickly even though it seemed crowded.
Our VERY FIRST NAVIGATOR!
As we were waiting to walk in and board the ship, I noticed these floor tiles…
I HAD to take a picture because I lost my niece to Lupus last year. She was an amazing, special person. She was my mom's oldest granddaughter and she raised her and lived with her from the time she was 10 until she passed away at age 31. We are still missing her very much and we talk about her most every day. She was lucky enough to go on The Dream in October 2014. That was 3 months before my mom found her unresponsive, and 5 months before she passed away. We thought about her all the time while we were on the ship and we were so thankful that she had the opportunity to go on that trip when she did. Anyway, we saw the turtle, which was her favorite animal, and the the butterfly which is the Lupus symbol, and we knew she was there with us. Here's my beautiful niece on her cruise…it's funny because I NEVER saw her drink any alcohol, but I guess she was partying it up on Pirate Night…
Love you, Christie
I'm sorry to get sad, but I had to explain those pictures and why they meant so much to me. I promise MUCH lighter topics in the next post...
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 11, 2016: WELCOME ABOARD! NOW POINT ME TO THE BUFFET!!
A pic of me and DD in the terminal, just to prove I was there
And then we walked up the gangplank and saw this
We stopped for a quick pic with Mickey…that area was pretty chaotic but probably didn't take more than 5-10 minutes. If you've ever been on a Disney cruise, you know that when you board they announce your party either by a last name or some cute-sy name. You tell them when you get to the door what name they will announce. We had decided…or so I thought…that since we were boarding with 3 different last names, we would have them say, "Welcome Aboard The Disney Squad!" DD had thought of this name and I LOVEd it! But as we were walking up, DS was pretty adamant that he DIDN'T want them to introduce us as that. I think he thought it would be embarrassing, or something. He ended up just giving them his real last name and I didn't really care. I was just HAPPY to be on the ship!!
Why, HELLO, Admiral Donald!!
The first place we headed was up to deck 10. We wanted to ride the Aqueduck before everyone else boarded the ship and it got too crowded! When we got up there, there were LOTS of empty chairs and the Aqueduck was open so we left all of our stuff with DM and went on. I went by myself and the kids went together. It was so cool…literally and figuratively! I guess I didn't realize how chilly the air would feel, but I guess it makes sense since we were so many stories up! After that one ride we could have gotten right back on and gone again but we were all much too cold to do that! So we decided to head inside to the buffet. And would you guess that I wouldn't ride that thing ever again?!
For one reason or another, I just never got the chance, which bums me out because I was SOOOO looking forward to riding over and over!
Anyway, we headed into Cabanas for lunch. And here I will give you the most valuable piece of advice I could give someone going on this ship…
ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, GO FIND A TABLE TOGETHER BEFORE YOU GO GET YOUR FOOD!! Put something down on it to save it and THEN go fill up your plates! Otherwise, you will end up like us and losing each other at the buffet and then circling, and circling, and circling….UGH…to try to find your family and eat lunch together!
We started off good…I was videotaping and taking pics, and DD headed straight for her favorite...
DS was browsing, and we may or may not have already lost Grammy by this point...
We somehow found each other again and then found a table, but it was LITERALLY at least 20 minutes of searching and searching!
More Cabanas in next post...
A pic of me and DD in the terminal, just to prove I was there
And then we walked up the gangplank and saw this
We stopped for a quick pic with Mickey…that area was pretty chaotic but probably didn't take more than 5-10 minutes. If you've ever been on a Disney cruise, you know that when you board they announce your party either by a last name or some cute-sy name. You tell them when you get to the door what name they will announce. We had decided…or so I thought…that since we were boarding with 3 different last names, we would have them say, "Welcome Aboard The Disney Squad!" DD had thought of this name and I LOVEd it! But as we were walking up, DS was pretty adamant that he DIDN'T want them to introduce us as that. I think he thought it would be embarrassing, or something. He ended up just giving them his real last name and I didn't really care. I was just HAPPY to be on the ship!!
Why, HELLO, Admiral Donald!!
The first place we headed was up to deck 10. We wanted to ride the Aqueduck before everyone else boarded the ship and it got too crowded! When we got up there, there were LOTS of empty chairs and the Aqueduck was open so we left all of our stuff with DM and went on. I went by myself and the kids went together. It was so cool…literally and figuratively! I guess I didn't realize how chilly the air would feel, but I guess it makes sense since we were so many stories up! After that one ride we could have gotten right back on and gone again but we were all much too cold to do that! So we decided to head inside to the buffet. And would you guess that I wouldn't ride that thing ever again?!
For one reason or another, I just never got the chance, which bums me out because I was SOOOO looking forward to riding over and over! Anyway, we headed into Cabanas for lunch. And here I will give you the most valuable piece of advice I could give someone going on this ship…
ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, GO FIND A TABLE TOGETHER BEFORE YOU GO GET YOUR FOOD!! Put something down on it to save it and THEN go fill up your plates! Otherwise, you will end up like us and losing each other at the buffet and then circling, and circling, and circling….UGH…to try to find your family and eat lunch together!
We started off good…I was videotaping and taking pics, and DD headed straight for her favorite...
DS was browsing, and we may or may not have already lost Grammy by this point...
We somehow found each other again and then found a table, but it was LITERALLY at least 20 minutes of searching and searching!
More Cabanas in next post...
Last edited:
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
APRIL 11, 2016: CABANAS AND THE CLUBS
A close up of my plate…everything was delicious
The lady serving the salad was impressed when I asked for Garbanzo Beans instead of Chick Peas…I'm super worldly like that
After lunch we needed dessert, so we headed out to get our first of many, many ice cream cones...
While we were sitting, we played a bit of Disney Trivia…Does anyone know the answer?
Then we went to check out the Edge,
And saw this cute guy in the hall…
Then we went to find the Vibe…It's VERY tricky to find!
There was nobody in either club yet, and DD at this point was thinking the VIBE looked better than the EDGE and she was a little bummed. She ended up loving the EDGE though once she met people to hang out with!
Did anyone have a guess for the Trivia Question above? The correct answer is...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
C. Mickey Mouse
A close up of my plate…everything was delicious
The lady serving the salad was impressed when I asked for Garbanzo Beans instead of Chick Peas…I'm super worldly like that
After lunch we needed dessert, so we headed out to get our first of many, many ice cream cones...
While we were sitting, we played a bit of Disney Trivia…Does anyone know the answer?
Then we went to check out the Edge,
And saw this cute guy in the hall…
Then we went to find the Vibe…It's VERY tricky to find!
There was nobody in either club yet, and DD at this point was thinking the VIBE looked better than the EDGE and she was a little bummed. She ended up loving the EDGE though once she met people to hang out with!
Did anyone have a guess for the Trivia Question above? The correct answer is...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
C. Mickey Mouse
Donald Duck888
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
I was gonna say A. Spinning wheel but I see now that was incorrect. I guess my future career plans in Disney trivia are not looking so a good now, guess I'll keep my day job, lol.
Nice trip report, looks like you all had a really nice time.
Nice trip report, looks like you all had a really nice time.
westcoastfldisneygirl
Close driving distance to the Mouse
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2015
First off, your niece is beautiful!
I love your cruise photos so far! I can't wait to read more!
I love your cruise photos so far! I can't wait to read more!
ariane37
Dis veteran
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
Very excited that we're at the cruise part of your trip! We've never cruised and I just recently finished reading another TR that included a cruise with a few days at WDW beforehand. The Aquaduck looks awesome, too bad you didn't get on again 
My computer isn't letting me use the quote function but I love that quote you took a picture of at AK that was up on one of the walls. I actually took a picture of the same quote last November because I thought it was so cool
I keep seeing so many awesome reviews of the SW dessert party and it's making me seriously consider booking it for November! Even though we aren't SW fans.......we saw the fireworks in January, loved them, and I'm hearing the "new" ones that just started last month are beautiful, also. And of course we love desserts lol!
My computer isn't letting me use the quote function but I love that quote you took a picture of at AK that was up on one of the walls. I actually took a picture of the same quote last November because I thought it was so cool
I keep seeing so many awesome reviews of the SW dessert party and it's making me seriously consider booking it for November! Even though we aren't SW fans.......we saw the fireworks in January, loved them, and I'm hearing the "new" ones that just started last month are beautiful, also. And of course we love desserts lol!
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
Thanks for joining! I haven't verified that answer for myself yet, but I will definitely be hitting the pause button next time I watch!
First off, your niece is beautiful!
I love your cruise photos so far! I can't wait to read more!
Thank you
Very excited that we're at the cruise part of your trip! We've never cruised and I just recently finished reading another TR that included a cruise with a few days at WDW beforehand. The Aquaduck looks awesome, too bad you didn't get on again
My computer isn't letting me use the quote function but I love that quote you took a picture of at AK that was up on one of the walls. I actually took a picture of the same quote last November because I thought it was so cool
I keep seeing so many awesome reviews of the SW dessert party and it's making me seriously consider booking it for November! Even though we aren't SW fans.......we saw the fireworks in January, loved them, and I'm hearing the "new" ones that just started last month are beautiful, also. And of course we love desserts lol!
From the very little I know of you, I believe you and I have similar tastes! Definitely try the dessert party! Though I don't think they have Grey Goose Slushies
Winniebell10
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2016
Thank you for posting your trip! Looks like such a great time!
buzzrelly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
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