A Smile in my Heart–Magical Week of Friends,Fun & Freezing-10/28-COMPLETE!

[mkluvsmickey]

Yay, an update (actually 2!) to start my morning. I can't believe you guys had snow when you left, great time to head on down to Florida! Love the pictures from 2007 and now of Katie asleep upon arrival.

Can't wait to hear about the kid's impression of the Polynesian!

 

[vamassey1]

Oh boy travel days! We drove this time too and it was snowing on the morning we left. Very unusual for South Louisiana, but it made the day all the more Magical. Glad you got a good hotel, I was worried for you there for a minute.

 

[RockinDisney]

Great TR, LOVE the matching shirts..
Cute that Katie fell asleep both times
Can't wait to here the rest!!

And I agree once you start seeing the signs I swear time starts to drag and it does not matter how fast you drive, not that I would EVER speed it takes FOREVER to get to Disney

 

[onelilspark]

I'm joining in! This is the week we usually head to Disney, but this year we did a cruise instead...I lead such a difficult life

Great report! Can't wait to read more

 

[reyasmommy]

Great update!

As you know from reading my PTR, I would much rather drive then fly any day. And the cost of flying is insane. Before I had kids, I worked for the airlines and got to fly for free. I wished I would have taken advantage of it more often then I did, but I would panic almost every time I got on an aircraft. Especially because I worked up in one of the control towers and “knew” what happened behind the scenes….

ANYWAY …… I love driving to WDW ! I like watching the scenery go by, I like discovering new towns, I love staying in new hotels, I like playing cheesy road trip games and listening to books on CD. I’m only flying this time around because DH can’t take off too much time since he took off a whole month when I had the baby in December.

I like your star bucks picture….. I associate vacation with star bucks too. LOL!!

The hotel you stayed at looks pretty nice, especially for $60.00 (SCORE)

Cute pictures of the kids… They look like they handle road trips well.

 

[mom2mek]

Yay, an update (actually 2!) to start my morning. I can't believe you guys had snow when you left, great time to head on down to Florida! Love the pictures from 2007 and now of Katie asleep upon arrival.

Can't wait to hear about the kid's impression of the Polynesian!

Thanks Michelle! I felt bad for Katie missing the sign. She was wiped out though! At least in October 2008, she was able to see it every day of the trip since we went under it each day on our way in from Windsor Hills!

Oh boy travel days! We drove this time too and it was snowing on the morning we left. Very unusual for South Louisiana, but it made the day all the more Magical. Glad you got a good hotel, I was worried for you there for a minute.

Thanks! Yes, the snow was weird, but kind of fun...if people just drove in it properly!

Great TR, LOVE the matching shirts..
Cute that Katie fell asleep both times
Can't wait to here the rest!!

And I agree once you start seeing the signs I swear time starts to drag and it does not matter how fast you drive, not that I would EVER speed it takes FOREVER to get to Disney

So true! Those last few miles are BRUTAL!!! And of course, since we were at the Poly, we had to go all the way back to the Magic Kingdom entrance. It was like torture!

I'm joining in! This is the week we usually head to Disney, but this year we did a cruise instead...I lead such a difficult life

Great report! Can't wait to read more

Oh man...a cruise...I feel for you! I really hope to do a Disney cruise someday soon! Thanks for joining in!

Great update!

As you know from reading my PTR, I would much rather drive then fly any day. And the cost of flying is insane. Before I had kids, I worked for the airlines and got to fly for free. I wished I would have taken advantage of it more often then I did, but I would panic almost every time I got on an aircraft. Especially because I worked up in one of the control towers and “knew” what happened behind the scenes….

ANYWAY …… I love driving to WDW ! I like watching the scenery go by, I like discovering new towns, I love staying in new hotels, I like playing cheesy road trip games and listening to books on CD. I’m only flying this time around because DH can’t take off too much time since he took off a whole month when I had the baby in December.

I like your star bucks picture….. I associate vacation with star bucks too. LOL!!

The hotel you stayed at looks pretty nice, especially for $60.00 (SCORE)

Cute pictures of the kids… They look like they handle road trips well.

Oh man...I HATE to fly! It's necessary sometimes, if your travel dates are more limited, but ever since I had a few bad incidences on flights, I have been a very bad airplane rider! I was never really that fond of it, but it only takes a couple of big scares to really do a girl in! I was also really glad we ended up driving this time, because we might have been delayed leaving due to the snow at home. It got worse that night after we left, and even later in the week, my parents were leaving VA and they were having to get their plane de-iced! Scary!

The kids do "ok" on road trips. They would rather fly!

Sara

 

[KathyRN137]

You know….coffee pot (yes, I know the Poly rooms have coffee pots….ick ), electric kettle for heating water in the room for oatmeal, hot chocolate, etc, etc, a few food items for breakfast and snacks, water bottles, diet coke, medicines for every possible illness that could ever happen, cleaning supplies like clorox wipes, lysol, sample-size laundry detergents, you know…the norm! LOL! Shawn was very confused as to why we needed all of this. Silly man! Eventually we all drifted off with dreams of Disney for the next day!

You must be my long-lost twin sister!! I always pack that way!
Ed teases me about bringing an entire pharmacy, too!

Eventually we all drifted off with dreams of Disney for the next day!

Three crazy kids:

Aww, look at the excitement on their faces!!

Coming up....we check in at the Poly? Is our room ready? Would we get Tokelau? First floor? ANYTHING I requested???

I get those kinds of butterflies before getting our room assignment!
Hope everything worked out!
You're at the Poly!! Time to break out the camera, Sara!


Kathy

 

[mrsksomeday]

I can't believe I didn't know about this report . Now I am going to go back and read .

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Hi Sara! I'm joining in! I had read your previous TR's and just saw on your comment on BippityBoo's that you had a new TR link.

We love the POLY - haven't stayed there yet but DH says it'll be our next splurge as soon as we can find a good deal. On our December trip we spent so much time there it felt like we actually did stay there!

Can't wait to see more!

 

[Poohtigeey]

Woo hoo! Love that sign! Sounds like a fairly good, uneventful drive. You're making me remember details about out trip since I seem to have forgotten already. You mentioned Michael's behavior this trip and I'm guessing Hunter had something to do with that! They had a good time though.

Oh, BTW you're making me want to write a trip report! Thanks alot!!!!

Keep the updates coming!

 

[ga disney mom]

joining in. Loving your trip report so far. Sounds like a really fun time. I'm with you on the packing, I would never be able to fly with all the stuff I pack. Luckly we are only 6 hours from Disney so driving is the way we always go. I would love to stay at the Poly. We went to the Luau there last year and loved it. Maybe one day. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[skyshark82nd]

I just have to say that my wife has now sucked me into the DIS boards. Like a hoover sales man at a vegas convention. So here I am, dazed and confused on how this board works. oh sorry got distracted by all the little icons dancing on the screen. Anywho, mom2mek you rock and love the trip report so far. Can't wait to read so i can remember all the things we did

 

[mom2mek]

You must be my long-lost twin sister!! I always pack that way!
Ed teases me about bringing an entire pharmacy, too!


I get those kinds of butterflies before getting our room assignment!
Hope everything worked out!
You're at the Poly!! Time to break out the camera, Sara!


Kathy

Thanks Kathy! Our husbands are lucky to have us because more than not, we end up needing almost all of those medicines at one point or another!

Yes, we did eventually break out the real cameras!! What? You don't like my low resolution, mostly blurry, cell phone pics?

I can't believe I didn't know about this report . Now I am going to go back and read .

Hi Tracy! Glad you are here!

Hi Sara! I'm joining in! I had read your previous TR's and just saw on your comment on BippityBoo's that you had a new TR link.

We love the POLY - haven't stayed there yet but DH says it'll be our next splurge as soon as we can find a good deal. On our December trip we spent so much time there it felt like we actually did stay there!

Can't wait to see more!

Thanks for joining in! We love the Poly! I hope you are able to stay there one day too!

Woo hoo! Love that sign! Sounds like a fairly good, uneventful drive. You're making me remember details about out trip since I seem to have forgotten already. You mentioned Michael's behavior this trip and I'm guessing Hunter had something to do with that! They had a good time though.

Oh, BTW you're making me want to write a trip report! Thanks alot!!!!

Keep the updates coming!

I'm telling ya, just write it here if you want! As far as the behavior, it was starting before he ever even saw Hunter (and besides, the feeling is mutual - 8 year old, Bakugan-obsessed boys....what are you gonna do, right? )

joining in. Loving your trip report so far. Sounds like a really fun time. I'm with you on the packing, I would never be able to fly with all the stuff I pack. Luckly we are only 6 hours from Disney so driving is the way we always go. I would love to stay at the Poly. We went to the Luau there last year and loved it. Maybe one day. Looking forward to reading more.

Driving certainly does help us over-packers, doesn't it? Last year we flew and boy, was that hard! And now with all the weight limits on bags, it's even harder!

I just have to say that my wife has now sucked me into the DIS boards. Like a hoover sales man at a vegas convention. So here I am, dazed and confused on how this board works. oh sorry got distracted by all the little icons dancing on the screen. Anywho, mom2mek you rock and love the trip report so far. Can't wait to read so i can remember all the things we did

Oh boy! Shawn is here! Hi hon! I hope I can help us relive the trip - it was so great and I just want to remember all the details! Feel free to chime in whenever you feel like I have grossly misrepresented you!

Sara

 

[kaysmommie]

I loved your update Sara. The kids look so excited, well until Katie fell asleep before you got the Disney sign. Your over packing made me laugh, that is what I do when we drive. Glad you were able to get on the road before the snow got any worse. Hoping you got a nice room at the Poly and what your kids thought of it. about your comment to your Shawn. That is nice that he wants to read your report.

 

[cinderella crazy]

That's one thing about driving, as long as it fits in the vehicle you can take whatever you want. I'm the same way about wanting to know where we're going, where we're staying, where we're eating. I don't even think having a spreadsheet would have made me feel better. Maybe I'm type A+. Can't wait to read about the Poly!

 

[mom2mek]

I loved your update Sara. The kids look so excited, well until Katie fell asleep before you got the Disney sign. Your over packing made me laugh, that is what I do when we drive. Glad you were able to get on the road before the snow got any worse. Hoping you got a nice room at the Poly and what your kids thought of it. about your comment to your Shawn. That is nice that he wants to read your report.

Yeah, I will fill you in on the room in the next update, Nichole! I know it's driving you nuts not knowing!!

Yeah, I'm glad he is here to read....hope he behaves himself!

That's one thing about driving, as long as it fits in the vehicle you can take whatever you want. I'm the same way about wanting to know where we're going, where we're staying, where we're eating. I don't even think having a spreadsheet would have made me feel better. Maybe I'm type A+. Can't wait to read about the Poly!

LOL! A+ is good!! It was so hard to decide what to do about that because you normally have to cancel by 4 or 6 at most places and we had no idea where we would be at that time! Hard to know where you'll end up when you haven't hardly made it down the road 5 minutes! It worked out ok this time, but I probably wouldn't do it again. The Port Wentworth Days Inn will probably always be our stopping place! It works!

Sara

 

[skyshark82nd]

Ok, What was next? arrive in room only to find a giant ...... on the bed... Oh what could it be? Sara will have to fill you in...

 

[mom2mek]

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Arrival Day Continued


Arrival at the Polynesian!

After we passed through the Magic Kingdom parking lot gates, we scooted all the way to the right and made a left turn towards the Poly. We passed the TTC on our right, seeing all of the people heading down the ramp on the parking lot trams and heading to the monorail to go to the Magic Kingdom!

My excitement was growing. I still couldn’t believe that this was where we were going to be staying for a whole week. Plus, there is nothing like that feeling of having your whole vacation week ahead of you.

Unfortunately, my vision of magically pulling into the Poly, happy children exiting from the car, slowly and surely making our way into the majestic Poly, soaking up all the sights, sounds, and smells, was tragically not what was going to happen, as, if you recall, I had an 8 year old boy in the backseat who was about to wet his pants. So instead we pulled up to the valet and I jumped out, opened the back door and raced inside with all 3 kids (I’m still not sure why the other two came with me) and ran into the Poly and around the waterfall, past the stores, towards Capt Cooks and made a hasty left turn into the bathrooms. Phew….just made it!


As we left the bathrooms, we walked (still quickly) back to the outside of the Poly to see the progress made at unloading the massively filled Tahoe. When we got back outside, everything was already out of the truck and the luggage and bellman were already gone. Wow – that was quick! Shawn was just getting the last little bit of things out of the back and we were done! The valet parked the car and we made our way back inside the Poly to check in and get our room assignment.

I wasn’t sure that our room would be ready as it was still early, about 1:00, but I still wanted to unload the car and have bell services hold our luggage so that Shawn wouldn’t have to go back out later that evening to bring the car around and unload it then. We got in the almost non-existent line with only 1 person in front of us and within 2 or 3 minutes we were checking in!

Say it with me......ALOHA!!!!

(Yes, we do eventually break out the real cameras, I assure you!)


We had the sweetest lady checking us in and immediately she told us that our room was indeed ready. Yippee! I tried to refrain from shouting with great joy “Where is our room??” as I didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself, but at that point I was so excited that everything she said to me from that point forward seemed to be a blur!

When we made our reservation, we requested the longhouse Tokelau, as we thought that would be the most convenient. Not only for getting to the TTC and the GCH, but also convenient to the Hawaii longhouse since that is where my parents would be staying when they got there on Wednesday! We also thought that 1st floor would make it easier with the stroller (walk right up to the patio instead of dealing with the elevators), and also getting out to go over to Hawaii to visit the grandparents would be easy.

The travel agent said our reservations were cross-referenced and the kids would be showing on each reservation so that they could be over at Hawaii with them when we wanted, and that we would hopefully get our request since the reservations were linked. Tokelau and Samoa are the closest longhouses to Hawaii, and of those two, we originally thought Samoa would be a great longhouse to request, but had read that it was hard to get as it had a lot fewer rooms than a lot of the other longhouses and was also very frequently requested due to its close proximity to everything. We hedged our bets and decided that requesting Tokelau was a safer bet and more likely to be granted. Besides, Tokelau had about 60 extra square feet in each room and with all 5 of us in one room for a week and I thought that extra 60 feet would come in handy!

As the CM kept checking us in, going over all of our tickets, dining plan, charging privileges, celebration buttons and birthday buttons for Emily and Michael (their birthdays are in March but we were sort of celebrating them while we were there), I was kind of tuned out….obsessing over the room assignment!

Yeah, yeah, lady….just show me the map and tell me where we are going to be living for the next week!!!

Eventually, she started....


“Ok, here is where you will be…."


"You got a GREAT location….."


She brought out the map….


”You’re gonna love it…."


She took out the highlighter...


Put it down in front of us…..


COME ON, LADY!!! SPILL IT!!!





“You are in the Samoa longhouse, volcano pool side”!!


Whoa! What???



YIPPEE!!!!





But I played it cool!




“Great”, I said, very non-challantly! LOL



As soon as we left the desk, I had to be smiling ear to ear! As were the kids!

We made our way out the back doors and towards the volcano pool, beach music was playing as they were having a poolside dance party, and of course we were able to catch our first glimpses of the spires of Cinderella Castle across the Seven Seas Lagoon. We crossed the bridge in front of the pool and headed towards Samoa! I love the Poly grounds! Even with the cold weather, we were still among lush greenery and beautiful plants everywhere. The gentle swaying palm trees were above us and the pool was steaming like a hot spring! I love all of rock formations, slides and waterfalls that they incorporate into the landscaping too. Everything is so beautiful.


In no time at all, we were at Samoa. We were given a 3rd floor room, which I was totally fine with…I actually prefer having a balcony, but requested a 1st floor this time thinking that the patio might make the room feel a bit bigger and would be easier to get in and out with a stroller, but 3rd floor was great! I knew the noise would likely be less and whatever view we had would most likely be enhanced by being up higher! Boy, was I right! We got to our room, 3606, and opened the door to this wonderful view!

Ahhh….heaven. The volcano pool, the Seven Seas Lagoon, the majestic Grand Floridian Resort & The Wedding Pavillion, in addition to the monorail off in the distance... all of it graced our window!! And if you went out on the balcony and looked to the right you could see the mountaintop of Thunder Mountain Railroad, and if you looked REALLY hard, you could see the castle through the trees!

(Yeah, I know it's hard to see but it's there through the trees, and at night when the castle was lit up, you could really see it! Trust me! LOL!)

Oh my word! I could not have been happier! The kids jumped out on the balcony and danced around to the party music being played down at the pool

and about 5 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It was bell services with our luggage.

The guy was very funny, talking about how “little” we had packed. “Not staying too long, I see”, he said! “That’s a shame!” He talked about how sorry he was that the weather was so bad (the sun was brightly shining, the temps were hovering around 70, it was GORGEOUS), and also made note of our “poor” room location! LOL! He was a hoot!

He asked if we needed anything else, and took the liberty of getting us some ice before he left. We tipped him and he was on his way! Ahhh…now to unpack and make this place our home for the week!

I really can’t believe that this was the only picture of the inside of the room we took upon arrival.

I started the monstrous task of unpacking. Shawn unpacked his stuff in a matter of minutes. Easy when you only have one person to unpack for.

I got the footlocker unpacked and set up our “mini” kitchen with the new coffeepot, tea kettle, found spots for snacks, bowls, breakfast items, spoons, put the water and diet coke into the fridge, medicines and toiletries into the bathroom, and then started on the kids clothes. The Poly dressers have 6 drawers and Shawn took 2 of them, which left one for each kid and one for me. I had packed each one of the kids clothes in giant Ziploc bags and then into the suitcase – that way when I pulled out the bag, I knew which kid they belonged to, and they went right into the drawer for that kid (after a nice little spray with Lysol – one thread about how people use the drawers to store their DIRTY clothes, or their shoes is all it takes for you to take a few preliminary steps before unpacking).

Phew – ok. All done with all the unpacking but my own. What time is it?

It was 2:00 at this point and we had an ADR at Trex in Downtown Disney for a late lunch which was sort of done as a “we can but we don’t have to” type of thing. Well, everyone was starving so we decided to go. It was for 2:35 so I figured I would unpack my stuff when I got back. Off to Downtown Disney!!

 

[kcandbella]

Great update! The Poly looks so gorgeous. I hope to stay there...someday! I could totally see the castle through the trees. It sounds like your family really lucked out. Can't wait to read about T-Rex!!!

 

[mom2mek]

Great update! The Poly looks so gorgeous. I hope to stay there...someday! I could totally see the castle through the trees. It sounds like your family really lucked out. Can't wait to read about T-Rex!!!

Thanks Kayce! It is really beautiful....even in February! I couldn't believe our luck with that room view - I truly don't think there are "bad" views at the Poly - it's just so lush in tropical landscaping everywhere, every room has a nice view. But I was VERY happy with what we were given for our "garden" view!

Sara