Welcome, Foolish Muggles! IoA/US/MK/SW *July 2013 Trip Report Link*

[Queila]

All caught up!
What a nice surprise for the boys. Good job on pulling that off! I wonder if I would ever be able to keep such secret.

Your day at MK sounds AMAZING (as usual) so far. You guys are FP's pros! It made me think that we might not be fully taking advantage of FP's ...but again with Beatriz we make lots of stops for character meetings, potty breaks, parades and live shows. I think it will take us YEARS before we can have a day like that.

That tuna sandwich from CHH keeps showing up in every TR I read. I think it is a sign. I will have to have it next time.

Your monorail ride sounds like a good idea and it is so cute your son already has Disney in his DNA. I am sure he will plan some great Disney trips for his own kids one day. I have not even hopped in the monorail in my two latest trips. Something else to add on my list...

Have a great week!

Q

 

[natebenma]

Awesome monorail photos! Those clouds Do look a bit threatening, but hopefully any bad weather will pass while you are at dinner. I can't wait to read more!

Oh yeah, that was another reason we scheduled a break from the park at that time, since the late afternoon in July can bring thunderstorms.

Dee,
I was just reading over my posts and just realized I quoted Drmomof3 by mistake. Sorry about that!!
Can't wait for more
Only 2 days left!!!!

No problem!!! Oh, wow!!!

I'll get my Kona update posted later today or tomorrow, before you leave.

All caught up!
What a nice surprise for the boys. Good job on pulling that off! I wonder if I would ever be able to keep such secret.

Your day at MK sounds AMAZING (as usual) so far. You guys are FP's pros! It made me think that we might not be fully taking advantage of FP's ...but again with Beatriz we make lots of stops for character meetings, potty breaks, parades and live shows. I think it will take us YEARS before we can have a day like that.

That tuna sandwich from CHH keeps showing up in every TR I read. I think it is a sign. I will have to have it next time.

Your monorail ride sounds like a good idea and it is so cute your son already has Disney in his DNA. I am sure he will plan some great Disney trips for his own kids one day. I have not even hopped in the monorail in my two latest trips. Something else to add on my list...

Have a great week!

Q

I still smile when I think about surprising the boys. We don't do it often, but this worked out perfectly!!!

I know that Beatriz is also being raised with a love for Disney, too, so when she gets to be the ages of my boys, she will totally be a park pro!!!

It is nice that you are at a time when you can enjoy the characters and parades and shows and it is great that Disney offers so much to different families- ones who are just into the rides and those who have fun with a little of everything!

And yes, TRY THE TUNA!!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Oh yeah, that was another reason we scheduled a break from the park at that time, since the late afternoon in July can bring thunderstorms.



No problem!!! Oh, wow!!!

I'll get my Kona update posted later today or tomorrow, before you leave.



I still smile when I think about surprising the boys. We don't do it often, but this worked out perfectly!!!

I know that Beatriz is also being raised with a love for Disney, too, so when she gets to be the ages of my boys, she will totally be a park pro!!!

It is nice that you are at a time when you can enjoy the characters and parades and shows and it is great that Disney offers so much to different families- ones who are just into the rides and those who have fun with a little of everything!

And yes, TRY THE TUNA!!!

Dee,
Looking forward to Kona update! Just finished packing the boys' suitcase. I think next yr. they'll need a bigger one- growing boys ya know I wish they were still little enough so I could still put their clothes in ziploc baggies. I loved those days LOL.
Deb

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I always try to quote just the one sentence but can't figure it out.

 

[natebenma]

I always try to quote just the one sentence

When you quote, you get the entire text between the [QUOTE /QUOTE]

Just go into the text within the quotes and get ride of the words/sentances you don't want using delete letter by letter or highlight what you don't want and hit delete.

I just got rid of "but can't figure it out" in your quote above.

Hope that makes sense, but if not, just quote the whole enchilada!

 

[jenneth79]

I'm ashamed to say I never thought about taking a break on the monorail, what a great idea!

Can't wait to hear what you think about Kona, we're having lunch there on our last day, and I haven't read a whole lot of reviews on it yet.

 

[taymacsmom]

I always try to quote just the one sentence but can't figure it out.

Judging by our tickers, I think that we are leaving on the same day. Where in New England are you? Do you fly? Which airport? Maybe we will run into each other.

Kelly

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Judging by our tickers, I think that we are leaving on the same day. Where in New England are you? Do you fly? Which airport? Maybe we will run into each other.

Kelly

I'm from MA and fly out of Green in Warwick.
My ticker is a little deceiving though, we are leaving in 2 days for Univesal but I never made a seperate ticker.
Have a great trip!!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

When you quote, you get the entire text between the [QUOTE /QUOTE]

Just go into the text within the quotes and get ride of the words/sentances you don't want using delete letter by letter or highlight what you don't want and hit delete.

I just got rid of "but can't figure it out" in your quote above.

Hope that makes sense, but if not, just quote the whole enchilada!

Thanks Dee- I'll try that next time.

 

[natebenma]

I'm ashamed to say I never thought about taking a break on the monorail, what a great idea!

Can't wait to hear what you think about Kona, we're having lunch there on our last day, and I haven't read a whole lot of reviews on it yet.

It was a good idea. I can't really take credit for it. But you can! I won't tell anyone...

Judging by our tickers, I think that we are leaving on the same day. Where in New England are you? Do you fly? Which airport? Maybe we will run into each other.

Kelly

Have a fun trip!

 

[natebenma]

We arrived around 15 or 20 minutes before our reservation. In fact, Kona wasn’t even open yet. So we explored a little around the Polynesian Resort.

When we first walked into the Grand Ceremonial House, we stopped at the railing to look down at the beautiful fountain. Then I looked straight across and gasped! I had never noticed before that you can see the castle from there!!!

So cool!

We have been here a few times before- several mornings for breakfast at Kona, one dinner at Kona and one dinner at ‘Ohana. I stayed behind last July by myself and watched the Electric Water Parade (Pagent) and the Nightastic Fireworks.

Since the guys did not stay with me last year when I watched the fireworks from the beach, they did not see the really cool volcano pool, so we started out by taking a walk out that way. There was someone at the entrance to the pool checking room keys and handing out bracelets. I didn’t want to ask him if it was ok if we just crossed over to the beach, so we turned around and went back into the building.

I decided that this would be a good place for a picture I needed.

Those of you who have followed me over here from the Yacht & Beach Club board know about the 2nd annual DIS meet at the Beach Club that was scheduled for the week after my trip. The first meet, organized by a couple of long-time Y&B posters, was held last August. I was not able to attend in person, but I sent along a poster of myself, “Flat Dee” so I could be there in spirit. I had hoped to attend this year’s meet, which was also going to be a surprise “Nanny Shower” for our beloved Beach Club greeter Teena, but the stars did not align for that to happen, so once again, I would be attending in flat form. But since I am the one behind the camera all the time, there aren’t really many solo pictures of me to choose from.

Here is the picture my husband snapped, along with two pictures from the meets:

August 2010 Yacht & Beach Club DIS meet:

Thanks for the photo, LovintheLodge!

July 2011 Second Annual Beach & Yacht Club DIS meet and surprise "Nanny Shower":

Thanks for the photo, kldmom2000!

Once that bit of business was done, it was time for dinner!


Our waiter, Maykel, was excellent. We were joking around, telling him how much we love eating at Kona and that we were really looking forward to some Tonga Toast and Macadamia Pineapple pancakes. He smiled and said we would have to wait a few hours for that.

He took our drink orders, brought over the delicious Hawaiian sweet bread and Macadamia butter and took a picture of us.

We looked at the menu and found that there were so many things that we wanted to try. Fortunately, they had a “Kona Experience” offering allowing us to choose an appetizer, entrée and dessert from a selection of menu items, so Mark and I decided to go with that.

Mark chose the Potstickers, Pan Asian Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple Upsidedown Cake. The potstickers were for Ben, so Mark ordered the Tempura Shrimp Sushi as well.

Pan Asian Noodles - Asian egg noodles with sliced chicken, pineapple, seasonal vegetables, and a housemade sweet and sour sauce

Pineapple Upside Down Cake - with Lemongrass and Caramel Sauces

I ordered the Shrimp and Coconut Curry Soup, Coconut Almond Chicken and Kilauea Torte

Coconut Almond Chicken - sauteed chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds

Kilauea Torte - An explosion of warm liquid Chocolate inside Chocolate Cookie Volcano

Nate ordered the Ribeye and Banana Chocolate Crème Brulee and Ben ordered the Pan Asian Noodles with Chicken with the ice cream sundae.

Banana-Chocolate Creme Brulee - with a chocolate spiral

I actually suggested that Mark and Ben split one of the Pan Asian Noodle dinners instead of ordering two since we had so much food coming, but neither one of them really liked that idea.

The food was amazing!

But there was WAY too much!!! I don’t think any of us finished our entrees or desserts! It was a shame to leave what we did on our plates, but there was no way we could comfortably finish what was there.

We paid our bill and went out to catch the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom.

Next up: Disney after Dark- Psst: Anyone wanna buy a locker???

 

[eandesmom]

YUM! I love Kona!!!!!!!! Although I admit, that early in the evening I couldn't have eaten that much either.

I had no idea they checked room keys at the Poly pool, is that new?

And the Monorail is a ride.

Well done!

 

[DrMomof3]

I love Kona! We ate there the night before my half-marathon and I had the Asian noodles since it was the only pasta dish on the menu! it was super yummy!

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Dee,
So glad you were able to post the Kona review before I left
We've never been to Kona and we're even staying Poly this time. It was in the running at 180 days out but something beat it don't know which restaurant we switched it with. Maybe next time.
It did however look delicious- ya never know we might be too tired to go very far one night and maybe get a walk up ressie??
All packed!!!!
Just last minute things tomorrow.
OT:
Do you know how much it is to do a load of laundry? I can't believe I'm asking this question I swore I would NEVER do laundry on vacation!!!!

Deb

 

[Katesdad]

Dee, thanks for all the postings and pictures of your day at the MK. My DW and I won't be able to be at WDW this year or next so I am getting my Disney fix vicariously through all your pictures and stories as well as those back on the YC/BC thread. I'm really impressed though that you were able to get the "flat Dee" pinted off and over to the DIS meet as fast as you did. Where did you get that printed off at?

 

[natebenma]

Dee,
So glad you were able to post the Kona review before I left
We've never been to Kona and we're even staying Poly this time. It was in the running at 180 days out but something beat it don't know which restaurant we switched it with. Maybe next time.
It did however look delicious- ya never know we might be too tired to go very far one night and maybe get a walk up ressie??
All packed!!!!
Just last minute things tomorrow.
OT:
Do you know how much it is to do a load of laundry? I can't believe I'm asking this question I swore I would NEVER do laundry on vacation!!!!

Deb

Deb- I won't have any more updates today, but I wanted to make sure I wished you a FANTASTIC trip!!! Can't wait to hear about it when you get back!


Good luck with your last minute plans today. Make sure you call your credit card companies to let them know you are traveling and don't forget to pack your camera and phone chargers and/or batteries! That is always my fear- I will forget my camera charger!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to get a Kona walk-up reservation if you want one. 'Ohana is definitely the golden child over at the Poly. Maybe people who can't get in there also try for walk-ups, but I didn't make my reservation there until a few days before the trip. I also think the concierge desk at the Poly could help you, especially since you are a guest there.

I haven't done laundry at Disney and I'm not sure there were even laundry services at the Portofino in Universal. Here is the info for the Beach Club laundry service. Maybe someone reading here who has stayed at the Poly has some info. The Poly FAQ also seems pretty thorough, although I have never checked for Poly laundry info, so you may want to check that out:

Washers are front loaders. According to repairmen working on disabled washers, HE (High Efficiency) detergent should be used in the machines. Regular laundry detergent is available for purchase in the laundry room ($1) or at the Beach Club Marketplace ($2). Don't forget to pack a few dryer sheets.

Both washers and dryers cost $2.00. Washers run for about 30 minutes. The sign in the laundry room says the dryers run for 20. Users have reported the dryers run for up to 30 minutes on regular and permanent press cycles.

 

[natebenma]

YUM! I love Kona!!!!!!!! Although I admit, that early in the evening I couldn't have eaten that much either.

I had no idea they checked room keys at the Poly pool, is that new?

And the Monorail is a ride.

Well done!

We are usually plate cleaners. I will finish up anything left behind by any members of my family, but that night I just couldn't do it! We only ate about half of our desserts, too!

I probably would have skipped dessert, but we had already ordered "The Experience" and the desserts the kids wanted were not amongst the choices.

Here is a photo of the guy who was at the entrance of the Poly pool. As I said, I didn't talk to him, but he was holding wrist bands so I assume he was checking room keys. He probably would have let us check out the beach, though.

I love Kona! We ate there the night before my half-marathon and I had the Asian noodles since it was the only pasta dish on the menu! it was super yummy!

Amanda

What I tasted of the Asian noodles was really good. I wish I had room to eat more!

Dee, thanks for all the postings and pictures of your day at the MK. My DW and I won't be able to be at WDW this year or next so I am getting my Disney fix vicariously through all your pictures and stories as well as those back on the YC/BC thread. I'm really impressed though that you were able to get the "flat Dee" pinted off and over to the DIS meet as fast as you did. Where did you get that printed off at?

Glad you are enjoying tagging along on our MK day!

The poster was done at Sam's Club. I think it was a 16x20 and it was around $5. I placed the order from home and it took around an hour for them to print it for me to pickup.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Deb- I won't have any more updates today, but I wanted to make sure I wished you a FANTASTIC trip!!! Can't wait to hear about it when you get back!


Good luck with your last minute plans today. Make sure you call your credit card companies to let them know you are traveling and don't forget to pack your camera and phone chargers and/or batteries! That is always my fear- I will forget my camera charger!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to get a Kona walk-up reservation if you want one. 'Ohana is definitely the golden child over at the Poly. Maybe people who can't get in there also try for walk-ups, but I didn't make my reservation there until a few days before the trip. I also think the concierge desk at the Poly could help you, especially since you are a guest there.

I haven't done laundry at Disney and I'm not sure there were even laundry services at the Portofino in Universal. Here is the info for the Beach Club laundry service. Maybe someone reading here who has stayed at the Poly has some info. The Poly FAQ also seems pretty thorough, although I have never checked for Poly laundry info, so you may want to check that out:

Yay!! iwas able to delete the stuff I didn't want. Thanks for teaching me that Dee!
The camera and charger ae packed thanks! If I ever forgot those I don't know what I would do- I guess have to buy one. You'll have teach me how to post pictures next LOL.
Thanks for your info. about the washers- I did post the question on the Poly thread and someone said the same-$2 too. I knew you would answer me quickly so I posted it here as well. And I figured the prices were the same at all resorts.
Thanks for everything!
ALOHA

 

[Marlton Mom]

Hi all

Even with a voracious 12 year old son I noticed that we were not cleaning our plates when we ordered 3 Disney counter service meals.

I decided to take the bull by the horns and get the 3 of us on board with the "Sharing 2 meals with 3 people plan." *Copyright Marlton Mom 2011

We are lucky because usually 2 of us want the same thing and the 3rd person gets what they want that the other two can live with. We find that there is enough food and that we actually like the fact that we switch off and vary the meal that much more. We also no longer have the mountain of french fries and bucket of soda pushed into the trash can at the end of the meal.

For 1 meal a day, usually lunch, we work it out and save the money for an ice cream or other snack later in the day.

For dinner we don't usually share, so everybody gets what they want without having to sacrifice. We have started to do "Sharing 2 meals with 3 people plan" at home when we are running around someplace and we have to eat lunch out.

Next time, just watch all the food that your family is shoving in the can at the end of a meal out and decide if maybe YOU can live with the "Sharing 2 meals with 3 people plan."

There is your thought of the day from good old Marlton Mom!

 

[natebenma]

The camera and charger ae packed thanks! If I ever forgot those I don't know what I would do- I guess have to buy one. You'll have teach me how to post pictures next LOL.
Thanks for everything!
ALOHA

I would be glad to talk you through posting your photos! I'm excited to see and hear about your trip.

Hi all

Even with a voracious 12 year old son I noticed that we were not cleaning our plates when we ordered 3 Disney counter service meals.

I decided to take the bull by the horns and get the 3 of us on board with the "Sharing 2 meals with 3 people plan." *Copyright Marlton Mom 2011

We are lucky because usually 2 of us want the same thing and the 3rd person gets what they want that the other two can live with. We find that there is enough food and that we actually like the fact that we switch off and vary the meal that much more. We also no longer have the mountain of french fries and bucket of soda pushed into the trash can at the end of the meal.

For 1 meal a day, usually lunch, we work it out and save the money for an ice cream or other snack later in the day.

For dinner we don't usually share, so everybody gets what they want without having to sacrifice. We have started to do "Sharing 2 meals with 3 people plan" at home when we are running around someplace and we have to eat lunch out.

Next time, just watch all the food that your family is shoving in the can at the end of a meal out and decide if maybe YOU can live with the "Sharing 2 meals with 3 people plan."

There is your thought of the day from good old Marlton Mom!

Thanks for "sharing" your trademark strategy.

Maybe Ben could join you- he is often "1 boy/2 meals" so he would even out your dilemma. Disney portion sizes really can be insane. It was very unusual for us to leave the amount of food we did unfinished.