1437 Miles From Mississippi to Magical and Back

[SheenaXena21]

Just got caught up!!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

When I started planning this trip, I also started buying clothes. I did not want to do laundry on this long awaited vacation. When I packed, I made sure that each of us had enough different outfits for every day of the trip. I did not count on the fact that my husband would decide that he really wanted to wear is camoflauge pants again or that he has a favorite pair of jeans. So as Maddy-Bug laid down for her nap, we started gathering up dirty clothes. Marie stayed in the room with Madilyn while Jamie and I trecked over to the laundry mat with a suitcase full of laundry.

There was one couple inside the laundry mat. They were using all but two washing machines. One of these two was out of order. We sorted through the clothes we had brought and picked out the things that he wanted to wear again and some stuff that was in the same color family. We bought soap from the dispenser (I think it was $1.50 for a packet to do one load). Jamie and I left our laundry going and walked to the GCH to pick up our tickets for the luau from the concierge desk. I left Jamie at the smoking area right outside the laundry mat and went back to our room to start getting ready for Spirit of Aloha. I carried the clothes that didn't make it into our one load of laundry back to the room with me.

These lovely ladies were waiting on me when I got back to the room

When Marie finished doing her hair, she started on mine. Thank you, Marie!!!

A cute picture of Madilyn and me.

About the time that my hair was done, Jamie came back with the clean and dry clothes. He took a super quick shower. Marie straightened his hair.

Maddy waiting for her Daddy to get ready.

I tied her hair up with some of our leis from check in.

We were finally ready to go!!!

A shot of Jamie, Maddy, and me on the walk to luau cove.

 

[jennyjinx3]

All caught up again! Your dd is sooo adorable, I am sorry she fell and hit her head in the middle of the night. Hate those middle of the night scares! I still can't believe we missed each other at the Poly! Rats!

 

[toychick]

I'm reading too!

Arkansan, here. We're driving down from Little Rock next September. Every other trip report I've read talks about how hot it is in September. Glad to see y'all not even mention the heat and humidity. I didn't think we'd notice a temperature difference but I haven't been to Florida in 25 years and my memories tend to be a bit fuzzy.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

All caught up again! Your dd is sooo adorable, I am sorry she fell and hit her head in the middle of the night. Hate those middle of the night scares! I still can't believe we missed each other at the Poly! Rats!

Thank you! I'm glad she didn't get seriously hurt. The little scrapes and bruises I can deal with I hate we didn't get to meet up! Did you decide to do a trip report?

I'm reading too!

Arkansan, here. We're driving down from Little Rock next September. Every other trip report I've read talks about how hot it is in September. Glad to see y'all not even mention the heat and humidity. I didn't think we'd notice a temperature difference but I haven't been to Florida in 25 years and my memories tend to be a bit fuzzy.

If you're from Arkansas, I doubt you'll notice a difference. It was overcast for most of our trip. At night we actually got a little cool in our shorts and t-shirts! I hope you have a wonderful time. You're going to love walking onto everything with little to no wait!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

The Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show made my must do list before we even decided to stay at the Polynesian. And then, of course, I got on the DisBoards and read all the horrible reviews! I'm glad that I didn't let them scare me away from the show, though I paid for Category 1 seating out of pocket. I didn't want to waste two table service dining plan credits for one meal.

We got more lei's and had our picture made on the path leading to Luau Cove. When we got to the check in desk, we waited for a really long time before we were seated. I overheard the hostess talking about another lady not being satisfied with her table. They were moving her to the table number that was noted on our tickets. Uh oh!

When we were finally seated, it was to (in my opinion) some of the best seats in the house. We were front and center, BUT there was a pole situated right in front of our table. It didn't block our view at because it was so close, but I could see how it could block the views of the people sitting a little further from the stage. The only tables that might have been better were the ones to our immediate right and left because they did not have poles in front of them.

I believe we were among the last people seated because our waitress immediately came for our drink orders. I ordered a beer (Budweiser, I think). My husband wanted a Corona, but he wasn't willing to pay extra for it so he and Madilyn got cokes. I think Marie just had water (watching that wedding day figure!). The bread and salad beat our drinks to the table.

The salad was just okay, but the bread was wonderful!

After we had had time to fix a plate and start eating, the show began. This segment was basicly a narrative that set the groundwork for the show. Basicly a girl is leaving the islands to go to the mainland for college. Auntie and some of her friends are throwing her a going away party so that she won't forget where she comes from. This is probably the least entertaining part of the show. I did purchase the photo package, but it is irritating that they interrupt the show and meal with a sales pitch. It was a good picture! I still need to scan it in, though.

The kids are invited onstage to learn some island dances.

Anyone with a September birthday was then invited onstage. We're all July and August babies. Couples with September anniversaries were also invited up to dance, but Jamie and I got married in April. The main course was brought out to us. I really wished that the waitresses could either have waited until each "act" was over before comming to the tables or at least have made more of an effort not to block our view. The ribs and chicken were both really tender and flavorful. The rice was great! We all received drink refills without needing to ask for them.

This is the show's "tomboy" finally getting noticed by her guy friend.

Some shots of the dancers. By this point my husband had caught on to the reason I booked this show!

The audience was divided by row into different island nations and taught to say hello in the native language. It was a pretty cool way for us to cheer on the dancers. I was excited for the fire performance, but also starting to worry that it wouldn't happen because it had started a light, but steady rain. At the first seats under the awning, we were also getting a little wet.

Comic relief... sort of.

The manditory Disney love story.

I don't like raspberries, but the dessert volcanoes were very good. If you like chocolate mousse, you'll like it. I was pleasantly suprised by the entire meal.

This was cool. Apparently twirling sandbags kept the island girls' hands nimble for sewing.

And, despite the rain, the main event This guy was really into what he was doing!

Love this guy's smile!!!

I'm very glad we were able to see this show and I would reccommend that anyone who is interested give it a try, but I wouldn't spend the money to see it again. After all, there are so many other things to try at WDW

A few shots of us heading back to the room.

JennyJinx- this is the night we were suppossed to look for you on the beach, but we were all pretty worn out so we headed straight back to our room. I'm sorry!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We had slept a little later and then dressed Madilyn in her Belle dress. I packed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt in my bag for her to change into. We first saw other guests in our building on Thursday morning when we headed for the TTC to catch the monorail to Epcot. I still don’t think that more than a few rooms on each floor of Rapa Nui were occupied. It was nice! There were also more people in Epcot today than there had been on Sunday. Perhaps the blue skies made the difference?

Madiyn and her daddy walking towards Akershus.

A few shots I took while we were waiting to be checked in. This was the first restaurant at which we encountered a real line to be seated.

Belle was waiting in an alcove just off the entrance. There is very little opportunity for interaction with her. It’s basicly just a photo opportunity.

We were all ready for a real breakfast by this point. The hot items were brought out on a family style platter, but we could reorder more of anything we liked. It was all delicious!

Aurora was one of the best characters we met all week. She asked Madilyn if her fairy godmother liked yellow. Madilyn said yes. Aurora then went into a big spill about how her fairy godmothers never could make up their minds if her dresses should be pink or blue. It was really sweet.

It was time for the Princess Processional and Madilyn was able to follow Aurora through the restaurant.

We did not feel rushed and had plenty of time to eat. I made two trips to the buffet. The fresh fruit on the buffet was good. Madilyn loves fruit so she was happy. The lingonberry muffins were my favorite thing!

We also saw Snow White…

Cinderella…

And Ariel…

I was surprised that so many princesses were there. Aurora was the most into her character. We poured what was left of our drinks into our refillable mugs. I changed Madilyn into her “comfy clothes” in the bathroom before we headed back out into the World Showcase.

 

[Queila]

Thank you for reviewing the luau experience. I have always been very curious about it. Looks like fun. Not sure it is numer one on my list of things yet to try though.

You guys looked all so beautiful all dolled up to the event.

Breakfast at Akershus is always fun and Maddie is adorable on her Belle dress.

Cannot wait for more.
Q

 

[JAMIESMITH]

After our royal breakfast and a smoke break for my husband, we walked into the just opened Maelstrom ride. This was another neat boat ride.

Maddy and Jamie posing with the ugly ogre/knome thing in the Norway gift shop.

We then headed back to the Mexican Pavillion for a Three Cabinerros boat ride. I think Madilyn enjoyed this one more than Maelstrom. It was certainly more colorful! We also enjoyed walking through the area with all the souvenier carts. I added a meal at San Angel Inn to my Disney bucket list. It's such a cool looking resturant!

We walked back through Norway and into China. Mulan was talking with two little girls, but there was no line. We waited our turn so that Madilyn could meet her. When I called her "Maddy Bug" in front of Mulan, Mulan told her that bugs are good luck, especially crickets.

The best part of this meet and greet was that when we left, Mulan did too. She followed us right to the gift shop and talked to Maddy the whole way.

I bought a pretty fan from one of the carts outside the gift shop. It is now hanging on my bathroom wall.

We thought these were pretty cool, too!

I love this picture!

Marie used a snack credit for a piece of caramel from the sweet shop in Germany. It looked yummy, but I was still full from breakfast. I would have loved to have bought one of the glass Christmas ornaments from the shop next door, but the price was a little steep for me! Marie, Madilyn, and I spent some time looking at the train set while Jamie smoked another cigarette. I know I'm not the only spouse of a smoker who gets really fed up with all the smoke breaks, especially at Disney!

We didn't spend much time in the Italy or America pavillions. It was at about this point that Madilyn started doing something that really got under my skin. She would walk in front of one of us while we were walking and looking and just stop with her hands up to be picked up. The first time she did this, I walked right into her and knocked her over. I decided to make use of a snack credit for a strawberry shaved ice from the stand in Japan so we could all rest our feet for a minute.

Yummy and big enough to share! We were able to listen to the drummers as we took our break.

We explored the Japanese exhibits and the gift shop. I thought about letting Madilyn pick a pearl, but decided to save it for another trip. She was more interested in the Hello Kitties, anyway.

I had hoped that we would find Marie Kitty in France, but Aurora and Prince Phillip were out. They had a huge line and we had just eaten breakfast with Sleeping Beauty.

We bypassed the rest of the World Showcase for the time being and headed to the Imagination Pavillion. I had planned on skipping this area, but my husband had heard an announcement on the monorail that morning about Captain EO. He remembered seeing something about it on an MTV special years ago and really wanted to see it. He had never experienced anything 3D prior to this trip and I could tell he was hooked!

We had to wait a while for the next show to start. My husband loved it and I thought it was okay. Marie has issues with 3D shows and she said it made her feel sick. Madilyn was fine until Michael Jackson started getting hit with the whips. The audience feels a blast of air on their legs and feet that really freaked her out. I ended up holding her in my lap through the rest of the show.

My rotten child being carried by her daddy!

We did Journey Into Imagination with Figment which was much better than I expected. Actually, it was pretty cool!

We headed back into the World Showcase. There were still several things we wanted to see and do!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I would love to spend more time in Britain and Canada on a future trip. We just sort of walked through them this time.

My junior prom's theme was "A Parisian Rendezous" and that's just what we had in the France Pavillion with Marie Kitty. I figured I could reuse the name from prom! There was only a short line, but no photopass photographer.

Maddy was very excited to tell Marie Kitty that she has a big stuffed Marie Kitty. I think her stuffed animal's fur is cleaner, though!

Two Maries!

We were all ready for a break, but not starving. We still followed our plan to eat lunch at Boulangerie Patisserie. We had ham and cheese sandwiches with a variety of different desserts. We had to wait a few minutes for one of the tables outside after we got our food. As we were eating we saw a couple of families playing the Kim Possible/Phinneas and Ferb or whatever it is now mission game. They were stopping right by our table to say "cheese" in front of the Eifel Tower. It looked like it would be fun with older kids. The best part of our meal by far was dessert. I had a huge peice of chocolate cake and it was divine!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

After our lunch in France we made a b-line for Morocco because we knew that Mo’Rockin would be starting a show at any minute. This was something that I knew my husband would love (because he’s male) and my daughter would also love (because she takes ballet and tap classes and loves to dance). We snagged a bench right in front of the stage just before the musicians came out. They played for a few minutes before introducing Rajaleen (I’m not sure if that was her real name of if it’s a stage name, but I thought it was pretty).

All the kids in the audience were invited up for a dance lesson. Madilyn loved this!

We watched the whole performance. After the show, a cast member was sure to mention that more dancers could be seen at Restaurant Marrakesh. I wish the menu there was more appealing. My husband is still talking about the belly dancer, mostly to annoy me I’m sure! That girl really could move, though!!! We were pretty given out by this point largely because Madilyn had insisted on being carried through most of the World Showcase and she’s getting pretty heavy!

At my request, we circled back through Germany so that I could get one of the yummy pretzels I’ve seen so many pictures of here. I put it in my bag to save for later. We hopped onto the boat that carries park guests across the lagoon and back into Future World. For all my obsessive reading about WDW, I did not until that moment know that such a boat existed, but we were all very very glad to see it!

We had planned to go back to the Disney Cardholder Photopass site for more free pictures, but decided to skip it and go straight back to our hotel. A monorail ride and a short walk later we were back in our room for some much needed rest. We lounged around and watched Alice in Wonderland (the one with Johnny Depp). It was really nice to spend a little time in the room. We discussed visiting Downtown Disney, but decided that we couldn’t do EVERYTHING on our first trip.

 

[saintstickets]

After our lunch in France we made a b-line for Morocco because we knew that Mo’Rockin would be starting a show at any minute. This was something that I knew my husband would love (because he’s male) and my daughter would also love (because she takes ballet and tap classes and loves to dance).....

We watched the whole performance. After the show, a cast member was sure to mention that more dancers could be seen at Restaurant Marrakesh. I wish the menu there was more appealing. My husband is still talking about the belly dancer, mostly to annoy me I’m sure! That girl really could move, though!!!

Awww, c'mon now...your husband, just like all of us Mississippi men, are admirers of God's beauty in whatever form it takes...a beagle pup, moonlight on a lake, tall Southern pines and yes, even a scantily clad, hip-shakin' belly dancer!

Great TR...can't wait to read more!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Awww, c'mon now...your husband, just like all of us Mississippi men, are admirers of God's beauty in whatever form it takes...a beagle pup, moonlight on a lake, tall Southern pines and yes, even a scantily clad, hip-shakin' belly dancer!

Great TR...can't wait to read more!

He could not agree with you more! At least he has good taste!

 

[mjohn9083]

Awww, c'mon now...your husband, just like all of us Mississippi men, are admirers of God's beauty in whatever form it takes...a beagle pup, moonlight on a lake, tall Southern pines and yes, even a scantily clad, hip-shakin' belly dancer!

Great TR...can't wait to read more!

Not that I'm the best Dis-trip reporter (Jamie, after all, has been coverin our trip perfectly!!) but this post made me giggle because my husband and I just got a new beagle puppy named Copper. I'm sure he would call the Mo-Rockin' belly dancer cuter, though!

 

[luckylady]

Great update. Maddie looks to cute in her princess outfit. I heard they had changed to show for the SoA at the Polly. Haven't seen it yet. I agree with you tho go to see the men dance. Thanks for the pictures of them.. I mean it.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Not that I'm the best Dis-trip reporter (Jamie, after all, has been coverin our trip perfectly!!) but this post made me giggle because my husband and I just got a new beagle puppy named Copper. I'm sure he would call the Mo-Rockin' belly dancer cuter, though!

Couldn't even name the dog without incorporating Disney, could you? It does suit him perfectly!

Great update. Maddie looks to cute in her princess outfit. I heard they had changed to show for the SoA at the Polly. Haven't seen it yet. I agree with you tho go to see the men dance. Thanks for the pictures of them.. I mean it.

Thank you I'm glad that we went to SoA. It was very enjoyable for all of us You're quite welcome for the pictures! I enjoyed looking at them as I was posting

 

[JAMIESMITH]

A few shots of us before we left our room:

I love the turtles on the bedspreads!

We headed to Captain Cooks at about 8:45 to refill our mugs.

A shot of one of the buildings on the walk. The Polynesian is so cool at night!

We walked back down the sidewalk towards Sunset Point and sat down in the closest lounge chairs to the point. I had neglected to double check our times guide and I thought that Wishes was going to start at 9:00, but it didn't start until 10:00 due to the evening Extra Magic Hour. This turned out to be a good thing. This was probably the most relaxing hour and half of our entire trip. The grown ups (and I use that term loosely) really enjoyed being able to relax and take a moment to look out across the lake. Madilyn enjoyed playing in the sand. We were able to watch the Electric Water Pageant again. The view this time was better than our view from the table by the pool Tuesday night.

Relaxing on the beach. I borrowed Madilyn's mouse ears. Marie actually bought these for her on her last trip.

Marie in her Bride Ears.

Madilyn playing in the sand.

You can see the EWP in the background.

Kind of blurry...

I didn't take any photos of the Wishes fireworks. Sorry! I can say that I was not as impressed with this show as I had been with Hallowishes. I think part of the reason is that we had been able to hear the music to Hallowishes from our table by the pool, but we couldn't hear it this time because we had picked a spot so far down the beach. Marie disagrees with me. She says that Wishes always makes her tear up.

Marie and Madilyn dancing

This is one of the reasons I really wanted to stay at the Polynesian. Once wishes was over we only had a short walk back to our room.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I forgot to mention that while the load of clothes was drying Wednesday night, Jamie moved our car to the parking lot in front of Rapa Nui. We set the alarm for 7:30 Friday morning. After we had gotten dressed and finished packing, we only had a short walk to the car. We went to the GCH to check out. I had brought along two gift cards. One was for $220 from my Disney Chase Visa rewards. The other was for $40 for doing the DVC phone tour. I gave both of these to the lady who checked us out. The balance after we used them was just over $7 All our tips for the trip and most of our souveniers were paid for with "free" gift cards! We took the elevator to the gift shop upstairs. I used a couple of extra snack credits for big suckers. Madilyn bought herself a stuffed Stitch. We refilled our mugs before heading to the bus stop to wait for a bus to Hollywood Studios. I believe we waited about 15 minutes. This was our longest wait for any bus during our trip.

During our bus ride we made an important decision: We would rent a stroller today so that Madilyn wouldn't pester us to carry her. By our last day, we were all starting to get worn down. We also had more of a tight schedule today than we had had on any other day of our trip. I wanted to be sure to see Beauty & The Beast on stage at 11:30, we had a 12:45 lunch reservation, the parade was scheduled for 3:30, and Lights Motors Action was starting at 4:15. I knew that Hollywood Studios was going to be our most crowded day in a park. We headed straight for Tower of Terror which already had a 15 minute wait. Jamie and Marie went first. Jamie knows I'm scared of elevators (more of being stuck in one than of the drop) so he was going to decide if I should ride.

Madilyn and Stitch waiting in her stroller while Marie and her daddy rode ToT.

A few shots of ToT.

I did end up riding ToT with Jamie. He swears that it dropped harder this time than it had on his first ride. The theming was cool and I would ride it again on another trip, but it is definitely not either of our favorite ride!

After ToT, we headed to Rockin' Roller Coaster. This time Jamie and I went first while Marie waited with Madilyn. Luckily, Madilyn found another little girl to talk to while she waited. Jamie and I both loved this roller coaster! When our ride was over, Jamie and Marie had a turn.

With the two biggest rides out of the way, we headed to Staring Rolls for some breakfast. This is the point that I should have known something was wrong: Marie picked at her breakfast and Madilyn wouldn't eat much at all. Jamie had some sort of danish (which he didn't think was all that good) and I had a red velvet cupcake (pretty darn good!). After breakfast, we went to see Muppet Vision 3D. Really funny! I noticed that Marie took her 3D glasses off during the show and closed her eyes. She said that the 3D motion was making her feel sick again. Then we had to go back across the park to see Beauty & The Beast.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We parked our stroller at 11:20 and were just starting to walk into the 11:30 showing of Beauty & The Beast: Live On Stage, when two cast members told us to wait just a minute. I have seen entire threads devoted to how the cast members choose the little girls who are princesses for these shows. All I can say is that Madilyn was wearing a bright red shirt with Belle on it. One of the cast members asked Maddy how old she was. She asked her if she wanted to be part of the show. By this point Marie and could hardly contain our excitement because we knew what was happening but Jamie just looked bewildered. Maddy said yes, but very quietly. The lady told her that she had a job for her, but that she couldn't be shy. Maddy told her "okay" and we were led to the row just behind the hanidcapped seating which was ropped off with pictures of roses. The lady told her to sit beside us and that she would be right back to show her what to do.

Madilyn practicing her role as princess.

Marie took a ton of pictures during the show. You can thank her for these. I was just enjoying the show and Maddy's "moment".

As a former chorus girl, I will say that Gaston was the most musically talented part of the play.

Our special finale. One of the cast members from earler took her to the front of the stage where Belle and her prince (Did you know his name is Adam?) presneted her with the enchanted rose. Maddy turned around and waved to the crowd before comming back to sit with us. She was also given a card by the cast member commemorating her magical moment at Disney World.

I know it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but the whole experience really tickled my little princess

 

[saintstickets]

I know it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but the whole experience really tickled my little princess

That's a REAL BIG deal IMO!!! It's things like this that she will remember for the rest of her life. Fantastic!!!