Adopted ducks + Wild Africa Trek + seriously great food= an AWESOME trip! The end p10

[aprilisis]

May 17-23, 2011, Polynesian Resort

I'll sum up my PTR for you: The winter this year was terrible, so I booked a May trip. I bought an SLR camera and couldn't wait to use it. A friend decide to join me for a few days at the last minute. That's pretty much it!

I had to edit this to add chapters: (the links were messed up- I think I fixed them)
Day 1, Part 1: Travel and Arrival
Day 1, Part 2: DtD
Day 1, Part 3: DtD Continued
Day 1, Part 4: Lunch at Portobello, back to the Poly
Day 2, Sunrise at the Poly & Getting to Wild Africa Trek
Day 2, Part 2: Wild Africa Trek!
Day 2, Part 3: WAT Continued...
Day 2, Part 4: Still more WAT...
Day 2, Part 5: More WAT
Day 2, Part 6: Photopass photos from WAT
Day 2, Part 7: More Photopass photos from WAT
Day 2, Part 8: More Photopass photos from WAT
Day 2, Part 9: More Photopass photos from WAT
Day 2, Part 10: More Photopass photos from WAT
Day 2, Part 11: Back to my AK photos
Day 2, Part 12: More AK
Day 2, Part 13: New HM queue area, some MK photos
Day 2, Part 14: More MK
Day 2, Part 15: More MK & boat back to the Poly
Day 2, Part 16: More Poly pics, WL pics, & dinner at Artist Point
Day 2, Part 17
Day 2, Part 18, Day 3, & beginning Day 4
Day 4, Part 2: Universal & IOA
Day 4, Part 3: More IOA
Day 4, Part 4: EPCOT from a UWA lens
Day 4, Part 5: More EPCOT
Day 4, Part 6: More EPCOT
Day 4, Part 7: More EPCOT
Day 4, Part 8: More Epcot & the end of day 4
Day 5, Part 1: Animal Kingdom
Day 5, Part 2: More AK
Day 5, Part 3: Even more AK
Day 5, Part 4: More AK
Day 5, Part 5: More AK
Day 5, Part 6: Cali Grill & end of Day 5
Day 6, Part 1: Characters in Flight
Day 6, Part 2: MK
Day 6, Part 3: Wishes
Day 6, Part 4: End of the night & end of the trip!
Final thoughts & favorite photos Part 1
Favorite photos part 2
Favorite photos part 3
Favorite photos part 4

My unofficial start to my vacation was Friday, May 13. I had the weekend to pack & pick up some last minute items that I needed for the trip. That Monday, I had an early appointment for a mani/pedi. After the mani/pedi, they had me sit at a drying station to allow the polish to dry before I left. There was an elderly woman at the drying station next to me- who proceeded to tell me IN GREAT DETAIL all of her medical issues throughout her life. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE elderly people. I used to work at a nursing home and I miss the people...but these particular medical issues triggered my gag reflex. I'm not even going to repeat the stories for you guys because I like you too much to put you through that kind of trauma!
I ended up going to sleep by about 11pm that night. My alarm went off at 2:30am and I got everything together, made John a cup of coffee, and he drove me to the airport in Providence. When I got there, there was not a line at the ticket counter- NOR were there any Southwest employees at the counter. I waited at the front of the line & eventually people began to line up behind me. My flight was scheduled for 6am, so I was at the airport by 4:30. I waited at the front of that line for about 30 minutes & started to get nervous because no one was working behind the counter yet. Someone showed up at 5am, so I checked my bag- which was 3 pounds over the limit. I paid the $50 fee- which I totally don't understand...if I can have 2 pieces of luggage that weigh 50 pounds each, why do I have to pay the fee for the extra 3 pounds when I could technically have another 50?? I didn't let that ruin my day, though. I breezed through security, grabbed a water at the news stand, and sat at the gate. It was a very short wait, then we began boarding.
This was the weather I left:

It was really cool- I think in the 40's as we left RI. I sat next to an elderly woman who told me she was going to visit her sister. The pilot actually came out of the cockpit & warned us that the flight was going to be extremely bumpy because of the storms through the middle of the country. That was a first for me- Usually turbulence just happens without warning, so I got pretty worried about it. It turned out that we barely hit any turbulence and we landed early!
Some shots from the flight:

I breezed right over to Magical Express & I immediately got on a bus by myself that left for the Poly right away!
It was really only me on the Magical Express bus:

I was talking with the driver so much about Star Wars weekends that he missed the turn into the Poly!! That was really funny. He ended up getting there through the back of the parking lot & I was soon checking in to my room. It was only 10am, but my room was ready!! Before I say what I have to say, Poly fans, please don't be upset with me. I love the resort, but this room was pretty beat up. The glass sliding door was almost impossible to close, one of the cupboards didn't close, the walls were dirty, and the view of Magic Kingdom wasn't exactly unobstructed. I didn't complain to anyone and I didn't let the issues bother me, though. How could I not be happy to be staying right across from MK?
Some room photos:

While I was photographing the room, I got a text from Garden Grocer to say my order was in the lobby. I called them and they delivered it within a few minutes. As soon as I unpacked & put away groceries, I walked over to the bus stop to go to DtD. Some photos along the way:

My adopted ducks:

They started following me! They also make a repeat appearance.

Continued in next post...

 

[aprilisis]

There were a lot of people waiting and it took about 30 minutes for the bus to show up. It was so sunny & warm that I was just happy to stand in the sun & wait!

My first order of business: FOOD! I went straight to RFC because I am a Safari Club member. I just wanted something small to hold me over until late lunch at Portobello. I went and sat at the RFC bar. There weren't many people there. I ordered the queso and it was GOOD. It was nice & spicy, too.

After the queso, I left RFC to do some shopping & photographing. I walked from Marketplace to the West Side & back. I was disappointed to see that Characters in Flight was tethered down. It must have been because it was so breezy. I sat at the little margarita place in Marketplace & just took it all in. The weather was perfect, I was relaxed, and then one of my favorite Disney songs came on: "You Can Fly" from Peter Pan. I sat there for about 30 minutes. Here are a few photos from my walk:

Continued in next post....

 

[Chaitali]

Yay, I'm glad you've started. Can't wait to hear more! I love the photo of the empty Magical Express bus. That's great that you received essentially private transportation to the Poly Ours was not crowded by any means but it had a good number of people. And it was stopping at 5 places so I felt sorry for the people at the last stop.

 

[aprilisis]

I really, really miss this place:

Continued in next post...

 

[aprilisis]

Right at about this time, I knew I couldn't wait until 3pm for dinner. I was exhausted from traveling & not sleeping. I went to see if they could take me in early at Portobello & they did!

I just got a little pizza. It was good, but nothing special.

I headed back to the room & relaxed for a bit.
My ducks found my room!!

I headed to the Tambu Lounge for a Lapu Lapu & then went to bed early. I was excited for the next morning: Wild Africa Trek!!!

 

[aprilisis]

Yay, I'm glad you've started. Can't wait to hear more! I love the photo of the empty Magical Express bus. That's great that you received essentially private transportation to the Poly Ours was not crowded by any means but it had a good number of people. And it was stopping at 5 places so I felt sorry for the people at the last stop.

I see you've started yours, too! I'm off to read it now. I can't wait to hear how your trip was!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

great start! and as always you have great pictures!
loving the low crowd start...hope it continued throughout your stay!

 

[KatMark]

I'm here. I'm off to bed (only three hours of sleep last night -- air conditioning went out and it was 80 in the house) and I'm exhausted. But I'll be back tomorrow to catch up.

 

[Disney_Jill]

You pictures are amazing!! I can't wait to see more from the rest of your trip.

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

I'm here!! I'm here!!!

 

[bluejasmine]

I just love the POLY! Cant wait to go back.. You should have said something about that room tho, so they would fix that problem especially since you pay through the nose for that view..LOL

 

[KatMark]

All caught up! What a great arrival day. Love that you had the bus to yourself. Sorry about the room not being in perfect condition (we've not stayed at the Poly since 2004 and our room was great, but that was seven years ago...and they did NOT have those TV's when we were there).

Your pictures of Downtown Disney and the West side are terrific (looks as if you got a really good camera and you have a good eye for pictures).

I love the ducks that followed you and are now sleeping at your door.

 

[magichusky]

Wow- I LOVE your photos (your new camera is rather fabulous) and even though your Poly room was slightly beat up, it looks awesome- the view and location are spectacular! Can't wait to read about your Wild Africa Trek- I've been looking into signing up for the trek on my next WDW excursion.

 

[ChattaAlley]

Awesome start. Can't wait to read more.

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Hi April,
Love the pics of DTD...we never seem to spend enough time there! I think the name - "hole in the wall" bar is so funny!
Your food looks yummy, yummy!

the ducks at the poly are soo cute! did you name any of them???

p.s. any damage in your area from the storms/tornadoes last night?

 

[aprilisis]

great start! and as always you have great pictures!
loving the low crowd start...hope it continued throughout your stay!

Thanks! The crowds were fairly low. I think the only time we saw a lot of people is when we went to DHS on Saturday night.

I'm here. I'm off to bed (only three hours of sleep last night -- air conditioning went out and it was 80 in the house) and I'm exhausted. But I'll be back tomorrow to catch up.

My goodness! I couldn't deal with not having AC in that heat!! Last night we actually had to stay in the basement for a while because there were a bunch of tornadoes in MA. We NEVER get tornadoes! It was scary.

You pictures are amazing!! I can't wait to see more from the rest of your trip.

Thanks! I hope I don't disappoint with the photos!

joining in

I'm happy you're here!

I'm here!! I'm here!!!

Hey- did you get any of the storms last night???

I just love the POLY! Cant wait to go back.. You should have said something about that room tho, so they would fix that problem especially since you pay through the nose for that view..LOL

I should have said something, but it wasn't bad enough to impact my trip. I didn't want to spend any of my trip time complaining about it. You know? I still absolutely LOVE the atmosphere of the Poly- plus the Lapu Lapus & the Dole Whip don't hurt!

All caught up! What a great arrival day. Love that you had the bus to yourself. Sorry about the room not being in perfect condition (we've not stayed at the Poly since 2004 and our room was great, but that was seven years ago...and they did NOT have those TV's when we were there).

Your pictures of Downtown Disney and the West side are terrific (looks as if you got a really good camera and you have a good eye for pictures).

I love the ducks that followed you and are now sleeping at your door.

Thanks! I wish I spent more time learning more about my camera before this trip. There were some things that I wanted to photograph that didn't come out too great. The ducks were great!

Wow- I LOVE your photos (your new camera is rather fabulous) and even though your Poly room was slightly beat up, it looks awesome- the view and location are spectacular! Can't wait to read about your Wild Africa Trek- I've been looking into signing up for the trek on my next WDW excursion.

Thanks! I LOVE that camera...we had tornadoes blow through last night & the camera went with me (along with the pets) into the basement! Wild Africa Trek was AWESOME.

Awesome start. Can't wait to read more.

I'm so glad you joined in!

 

[aprilisis]

Hi April,
Love the pics of DTD...we never seem to spend enough time there! I think the name - "hole in the wall" bar is so funny!
Your food looks yummy, yummy!

the ducks at the poly are soo cute! did you name any of them???

p.s. any damage in your area from the storms/tornadoes last night?

I just posted to ask you if you got any of the storms! We did get some. It was pretty scary. It was as dark as night & I could hear the hail. We didn't get any damage, though, thank goodness.
I didn't name the ducks, but I collectively referred to them as "my kids".

 

[Em&Bec'sMom]

Jumping in to join the fun - getting psyched for our trip next week! Am anxiously waiting to hear about your experience on the Wild Africa Trek. I'm booked with my DD9 for the 15th!

 

[aprilisis]

Jumping in to join the fun - getting psyched for our trip next week! Am anxiously waiting to hear about your experience on the Wild Africa Trek. I'm booked with my DD9 for the 15th!

You will LOVE the Trek! It was awesome! Thanks for reading!