3 Generations! 2 Resorts! 10 Days! DxDp! 3000 Pictures! - Saying Good-Bye!

[debrapagliasotti]

Love the hidden Mickey cloud pic! What fun!

Thanks for answering my question earlier about the MM metal structure at CR. I have it written down in my "trip notes" to make a point to get there for a picture.

You asked if we were planning on bkfst or dinner at Chef Mickey. We havent given it too much thought just yet, but I'm thinking it might be a fun dinner for our first night there since 2 of our 4 kiddos will be making their first trip there and they will be 3 & 4 at the time, so they should love it.

We are still waiting for our booking window to open...counting the days until Aug 14 , going at Christmas 2012, but we are hoping for Boardwalk Club level. We love the Boardwalk/Beach Club area. Staying for 7 nts, doing DxDp.

Looking forward to reading more

 

[amandaw]

Great update with great pics! Is the Neverland Club at Poly? And do you have to be staying there to let your kids go for the night? I think Reid would LOVE going there one night. Can't wait to hear if the kids liked it or not. And I'm also super-curious about Victoria & Albert's!

 

[hstrickland]

Awesome Ohana and Wishes updates.

Thanks!

That picture of DH with the bib and lapu lapu - LOL!!!

Every time I look at that picture, I die laughing....I think what tops it off is the bib! Of all places to wear a white shirt I wasn't thinking when I picked that out for him to wear

The pictures of the food looked so good, I'm so mad you had bad service - ugh, I hate that!!! I'm sure it was just an off night!

Those pictures of the Poly at night really makes me miss it too, so beautiful and peaceful! I also LOVE that smell! Wishes on the beach is our favorite memory of the Poly for sure. I would bring the extra blankets out of our closet and we would snuggle up and fill our mugs and watch Wishes and Hallowishes, it's the best view and SO relaxing to walk back to your room and go right to bed.

Some people hate that smell...they say it smells old and musty...maybe...but I still love it When we were sittting on the beach, I felt like I was invading someone elses territory since we weren't staying at the Poly....I kept looking back at the Hawaii Longhouse thinking...thats where we sat last year...I'm ridiculous!

Can't wait to see the fireworks on the cruise, I wonder what music they play?

No kidding! I'll have to ask my friend that was on the Dream back in June. I'm assuming it will be similar for yall on the Fantasy.

Oops! I fell off the face of the earth! But am caught up now.

Glad you didn't disappear!

Loved your report on the trek at AK. I am so hoping we will get to walk some of those trails this year. The theming looks amazing, and I want to see those tigers!!!

While I was grabbing FPs, my family tried to take the train up to the area to pet the animals...45 minute wait...so they said forget it! We opted for the trails instead...well worth our time!

Oh, Ohana. I think I may be the only person on the Dis who doesn't love it. We too had a TERRIBLE server. I thought the food was pretty tasty, but the sheer over abundance of it just kind of grossed me out. I think I would have liked it much more though had the entertainment not been so bad. We had someone other than the gentleman you showed in your review. She was just so over-the-top and kind of spoke in baby talk. It was like nails on a chalkboard. I am sorry you all had a bad server experience too.

You're not the only person who doesn't like it We've been reading lots of reviews lately that have been less than favorable...too bad y'all didn't have that guy (wish I could remember his name) If I'm not mistaken, his mother has been at the Poly since it opened. Hopefully that's not misinformation.

Wow - loving the Poly and Wishes pics.

Y'all should try the beach for Wishes...or better yet...try the Poly

Heather

 

[hstrickland]

Love the hidden Mickey cloud pic! What fun!

Can you believe that?! And my DS10 wasn't there to see it! He's the one who loves the HM Book.

Thanks for answering my question earlier about the MM metal structure at CR. I have it written down in my "trip notes" to make a point to get there for a picture.

No problem! I'm laughing at your 'trip notes' we do the same thing!! Glad I'm not the only 'over planner' on the Dis.

You asked if we were planning on bkfst or dinner at Chef Mickey. We havent given it too much thought just yet, but I'm thinking it might be a fun dinner for our first night there since 2 of our 4 kiddos will be making their first trip there and they will be 3 & 4 at the time, so they should love it.

That sounds like a lot of fun, especially for the 2 little ones!! They will be so excited when they see the characters for the 1st time....great way to start the trip!! And look at it this way...they can get 5 autographs at Chef Mickeys and y'all won't have to stand in those long character lines!

We are still waiting for our booking window to open...counting the days until Aug 14 , going at Christmas 2012, but we are hoping for Boardwalk Club level. We love the Boardwalk/Beach Club area. Staying for 7 nts, doing DxDp.

I'm jealous....that trip sounds awesome...Christmas time, 7 nights, DxDp, CL, EP resort!!! Sounds perfect...especially the DxDp. We've never done Christmas at WDW...have to do that at some point before I'm old and gray

Looking forward to reading more

Great update with great pics! Is the Neverland Club at Poly? And do you have to be staying there to let your kids go for the night? I think Reid would LOVE going there one night. Can't wait to hear if the kids liked it or not. And I'm also super-curious about Victoria & Albert's!

You don't have to be staying at the actual resort that the child care centers are in. We looked at the Cub's Den (WL) last year...looked good, but small. Since we were going to V&As, I read up on the GF Child Center, but there were some not so good reviews...people said it was very small. The Neverland Club is one of the bigger ones...spacious, lots to do. Most people had great things to say about it. When we went in the night before to check on our reservations, the kids were ready to stay then!!!...all of them!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Ugh. Too bad about the service but glad you didn't let it ruin your night or opinion of the restaurant. I haven't tried O'hana but did make a special trip to the Poly in May just to try the lapu lapu. Yum!

I hear pretty consistently that the Poly beach is the best spot to watch Wishes. Someday i will have to try it.

Really looking forward to hearing about V&A's!

 

[hstrickland]

Ugh. Too bad about the service but glad you didn't let it ruin your night or opinion of the restaurant. I haven't tried O'hana but did make a special trip to the Poly in May just to try the lapu lapu. Yum!

I wonder how many people make special trips just for those things!? I think a lot of the attraction is the big pineapple that drink is presented in. I've had one by the pool in a cup....wasn't the same

I hear pretty consistently that the Poly beach is the best spot to watch Wishes. Someday i will have to try it.

Most definitely!! Next time, grab a Lapu Lapu then go sit on the beach and enjoy Wishes!

Really looking forward to hearing about V&A's!
Certainly an experience!!!!

Heather

 

[amandaw]

You don't have to be staying at the actual resort that the child care centers are in. We looked at the Cub's Den (WL) last year...looked good, but small. Since we were going to V&As, I read up on the GF Child Center, but there were some not so good reviews...people said it was very small. The Neverland Club is one of the bigger ones...spacious, lots to do. Most people had great things to say about it. When we went in the night before to check on our reservations, the kids were ready to stay then!!!...all of them!!

Thanks for that info! I didn't realize you didn't have to be staying at that resort in order to utilize their child care center. Very good to know! Next time we take a long trip, I may look into letting Reid do that one night.

 

[nicki dahling]

And 27 days??!!! Wish my ticker said that!! I have many months before our return. I'm guessing you'll be back at Ohana?

Heather

Yes, its our first disney dinner that week!

 

[hstrickland]

Yes, its our first disney dinner that week!

Enjoy!! And by the way...I love your signature..."Disney Queen"!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Yes, its our first disney dinner that week!

I noticed the scrapbooking reference in your avatar - I just started my scrapbooking on my Oct. 2010 trip today - with my new cricut!!! It's so exciting! I just borrowed a really good book from the library by Creating Keepsakes called 'The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker' that had some great ideas for scrapbooking rooms in it. I just thought I would recommend it! Authors are Wendy Smedley and Aby Garvey.

 

[hstrickland]

Hollywood & Vine
Play n Dine Character Breakfast
8am Reservation
Day 7 ​

Rise and shine! We’re up at the crack of dawn because we have an 8am breakfast ressie and want to make rope drop at 9am…Hollywood Studios, here we come! If you’ve been reading, then you know the main reason I do an 8am breakfast is to get in the park before it opens. We decided to drive since we had to leave so early…weren’t sure if the buses were running or not. Walking out of the CR I saw this….

I probably should have posted this picture on the 1st page of my TR…but oh well…Then I see the Magical Express. I’ve always thought it would be really cool to fly down, then be picked up by Disney…sounds neat to me. Do they play Disney music on the bus ride over??? Just curious…seems like they would.

Almost there…not much traffic this morning….so this is a good sign, right?!

So as we are pulling in, I notice that there is a LONG line of cars….okay…that’s strange. The park doesn’t open until 9am. Are there that many people with an 8am breakfast ressie??!! As we get further in, I’m completely surprised to see that the parking lot has masses of cars in it at 7:45am!! Immediately a 1000 things start going through my mind….it hit me like a ton of bricks…THE PARK IS OPENING EARLY!! Did I make a mistake and mess up?? Seriously!!! Not a happy camper at all. I’m an obsessive over planner to say the least, so how in the world did I miss this??? So much for my early park entry!

I was really concerned about getting to the restaurant in time for our reservation because of all the people waiting to get in. Luckily, you can go through one of the shops on the left and it will take you all the way out past the crowd.

Okay…so we made it…I’m still a bit disappointed and frustrated, but nevertheless…we’re at WDW...so get over it, right!? I took all the tickets and ran to Toy Story to get FPs…didn’t want to miss getting those!

It really didn’t take that long…I basically ran like a mad woman…then made it in time for breakfast with the characters! I have no sense of sanity while at WDW.

The restaurant was not crowded at all!! Guess people were already in the park having fun! I didn’t realize this, but the restaurant is attached to 50s Prime Time and they share the same bathroom…I sneaked over to the 50s restaurant and looked around while it was vacant…kinda neat…felt like I was stepping back in time!

The characters came around frequently and spent lots of time with the kids. I was a bit surprised that DS9 enjoyed getting pictures with them…these characters are, in my opinion, for younger children.

The buffet was good…just another breakfast buffet. Not bad, but nothing super special. If you are like us, then the reason you come to a character breakfast is specifically for the characters…not really the grand buffet.

During breakfast, the music starts and the characters start dancing around the restaurant…lots of fun for the kids!!! We tried to get Stephen to go dance, but he was going to have no part of it!! Guess he’s a bit old for this…but his younger siblings are having a ball!

Jesse could not figure out why some characters talk, and some don’t! It cracked me up…he would always speak to them and expect an answer!

Here we go again….he makes me laugh….ridiculous, yes…but still funny to me!

Because Disney always does it right, they had another fun activity for the little ones throughout breakfast. This was great interaction with the kids…not just the typical meet n greet basics with the characters. Again, I tried to get DS9 out there, too, but just not gonna happen! I’ll admit…he would have been the oldest by far!!!

Great breakfast!! If you have small children that like Playhouse Disney, then you’ve got to do this character meal. They are constantly playing songs from the Disney Channel…songs that all my children recognized. Now…if you have older children, like Stephen, then you might want to rethink it…not sure Stephen would have enjoyed it without his little brother and sister. It’s a bit elementary, but we had a ball watching Faith and Jesse dance and sing. I was very pleased with the amount of time each character spent at the table and how quickly they returned….a must do (at least once) for little children!!!


Up next….a DHS morning then lunch at 50s Prime Time!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I'm joining in a little late here, but I thought I would say hello anyway! I haven't read your whole report yet, but I would like to say that I love that you posted about the Campfire Sing-A-Long!! That is something that we are planning on going to during our upcoming trip, so it is nice to see some pictures and read a little about someone else's experience. I look forward to reading the rest!

 

[onelilspark]

Was that Friday, Saturday or Sunday? They opened the park early (unannounced) for Star Wars weekends. I had heard they were doing it so I encouraged my group to leave the resort at 8 (I couldn't get them out earlier than that) *just in case* and sure enough, the park was open when we got there. So glad we got there early!!

 

[hstrickland]

I'm joining in a little late here, but I thought I would say hello anyway! I haven't read your whole report yet, but I would like to say that I love that you posted about the Campfire Sing-A-Long!! That is something that we are planning on going to during our upcoming trip, so it is nice to see some pictures and read a little about someone else's experience. I look forward to reading the rest!

Welcome! Never too late to join in!

You'll really enjoy the Sing-A-Long...lots of fun for all ages. My kids still talk about Chip n Dale. Are y'all going to be staying at FW?

Edited...I just answered my own question...I see that yall will be staying at AKL!! Awesome!

 

[hstrickland]

Was that Friday, Saturday or Sunday? They opened the park early (unannounced) for Star Wars weekends. I had heard they were doing it so I encouraged my group to leave the resort at 8 (I couldn't get them out earlier than that) *just in case* and sure enough, the park was open when we got there. So glad we got there early!!

That was actually Wednesday. Not sure how missed the EMHs I have everything typed out and check those things 2 and 3 times before I make ADRs...I even use Touringplans.com for 'Best/Worst' parks. Who knew?! Next time we go, I'm pretty sure we are going to utilize EMHs in the mornings so we can be done by noon. Was the park packed the day y'all went? It usually is when they do Star Wars.

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like a great character breakfast. I had it booked for our last trip but cancelled because I didn't think it would be all that great. Boy, am I kicking myself right now! Well, whenever we do get back, I'll definitely have to book it if Reid still loves Oso & Little Einsteins like he does now!

 

[hstrickland]

Sounds like a great character breakfast. I had it booked for our last trip but cancelled because I didn't think it would be all that great. Boy, am I kicking myself right now! Well, whenever we do get back, I'll definitely have to book it if Reid still loves Oso & Little Einsteins like he does now!

It really was cute...not so much for DS9, but for the 4 and 5 year old. Reid would have a blast without a doubt. Just make sure you don't have an 8am ressie with the park opening at the same time

By the way, my sister finally started reading your cruise TR...in fact we were talking about it yesterday We both agreed we will have to get up early and get on CC before the crowd appears...not sure if she post and make comments (she's the official Dis lurker) but she's following along

 

[4forWDW]

DisneyDoc5 - thanks for the reply about my DS and the PL.
It seems at certain ages you aren't sure if they will like something or not - will they think they're too old or not.
It's good to read other's experiences to help make up your mind.

Heather,
Enjoying the TR as always.
Can't wait to read more
Amy

 

[onelilspark]

That was actually Wednesday. Not sure how missed the EMHs I have everything typed out and check those things 2 and 3 times before I make ADRs...I even use Touringplans.com for 'Best/Worst' parks. Who knew?! Next time we go, I'm pretty sure we are going to utilize EMHs in the mornings so we can be done by noon. Was the park packed the day y'all went? It usually is when they do Star Wars.

It was pretty crowded, but nothing we weren't expecting. It helped that I had read that the park might open early so we got there early. We skipped TSM and were able to do star tours twice, rnr, and tot before lunch. By the time we were done with lunch we were done with everything we wanted to do!

 

[hstrickland]

It was pretty crowded, but nothing we weren't expecting. It helped that I had read that the park might open early so we got there early. We skipped TSM and were able to do star tours twice, rnr, and tot before lunch. By the time we were done with lunch we were done with everything we wanted to do!

No TSM??!! What in the world? That's like my do or die ride. Then DD5 would rather ride TOT