And all at once, everything was different. Literally. *WDW NYE 2019 TR* Updated 4/11x2*COMPLETE*

[disneyAndi14]

Who are those people?? Toy Story Land is AMAAAAZING!! It's supposed to be designed by Andy with his toys in the backyard, I think it fits that theme perfectly. The details are out. of. this. world.

I so agree! Who are these people, how can they complain about this amazing area. The details are so wonderful and I totally get the Andy’s backyard theme! We laughed a lot on AS2, I love listening to the music and the Aliens, very cute!

 

[suse66]

In a special moment of "that doesn't happen often", there was only one other family taking pictures in front of Sorcerer Mickey. We offered to take their photo, and they took ours too.

This is a great photo...dare I say X is smiling??? Or at least not scowling...lol!

We walked on so quickly, there was barely time to stop and take pictures...but I had to get SOMETHING!

Classic!

I LOOOVED the retro kitschy goodness of the DHS decor. My grandma had so much of this stuff, it reminds me of the Christmases from my childhood.

I can't wait to see this in person one day!

We booked a trip for just me and DH last night. I was checking out AP discounts for summer and found a too good to be true rate at Yacht Club. I have a friend who will lose her DVC points if she doesn't use them by August, and she offered to give me a good deal if I found dates I wanted, so I'm going to see if she can do better on price and see what rooms are available...So I'm not sure if our dates and resort are set in stone or not, but we are now planning a June visit!!

OooH! We ended up with renting points as the AP discount for July was nothing great. Now I am curious about June. Also, I seriously LOVE the Yacht Club!

I always enjoy checking out the mini Jungle Cruise on display in One Man's Dream

I have never noticed this before. Must check it out!

I love my children.

Remind me of that in case I forget, ok??

I might say this to myself daily.....

Please, please, please when you visit, do me a favor and just look around. All four of us spent the whole time in that area just randomly shouting out, "Oh look at that, look at that!" as we'd notice new things. Like the giant Andy sized shoe prints on the ground Dead. We loved it!!

I loved the theming! The washrooms, the popsicle stick fences, the camper van....

There was so much laughing while we were riding, it was a blast.

I loved it too!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

so I'm going to see if she can do better on price and see what rooms are available...So I'm not sure if our dates and resort are set in stone or not, but we are now planning a June visit!!

YEAH!!! Def need to get as much uses as possible out of that Annual Pass!!

Gotta get all the trips in I can with this AP!! We are regretting not getting DH one, too, because mine was "free" from using Disney reward points. No hurry on a ticket for him yet, as long as we get one before 60 days out of course!

Maybe you buy DH one this time... So you can continue to make the most of the pass...

There was a wait for the movie that was longer than we had patience for, so we left One Man's Dream and finally got to Toy Story Lan

I don't think we have ever been there where they were actually showing the one Man's Dream movie. I would love to actually see it.

You look great no matter what size you were vs. now. Damn kids breaking our bodies...

I love my children.

Remind me of that in case I forget, ok??

Ha. I need reminders sometimes too! Morgan is quickly becoming a preteen / teen. And I am just not sure I am ready for it.

I keep seeing threads that are like, "I just didn't like TSL", "TSL is a huge fail for Disney.", "Why didn't they do more with TSL?"

Who are those people?? Toy Story Land is AMAAAAZING!!

Some people will never be happy. My biggest complaint... I wish they had it when Morgan and Gwen were little. They would have LOST there mind.

re, but I did get a good one of sugar cookie Ham!

So cute! I love it.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

What a great day at HS!!!

 

[CaseFace5]

Hey There Joining in!

What an awful travel day. Just sounds like one headache after another!

The dinner at Artist Point sounds good but I am such a picky eater that I fear it's not for me. I am going to keep looking into it/thinking about it because I would love to meet the characters.

What a great start to DHS. I can't wait to check out Toy Story Land so I am glad to hear you really enjoyed it!

 

[coloredimage]

Yeah...I'm gonna nope right away from those things.

The four of us thought this show was so fun! They get volunteer kids from the crowd to participate in some games of skill like running through hula hoops, tossing a ball into buckets, etc...

My friend Sadie was pulled up for this show!!! I have a video for my summer trip report whenever I get that far lol.

 

[xlsm]

I agree with your review of Toy Story Land! I love it!! IDK what people were expecting or what they see that is disappointing. There can always be more, but what we got is pretty great.

You also got some fantastic pics! Glad you had a nice first experience

Toy Story Land just makes me so happy!! It was a great first visit to Andy's backyard!!

I was surprised that the Christmas stuff was still up. I always thought that in WDW Christmas ended on the 6th of January and on the 7th everything Christmas was gone where Paris would always still have their decorations up until the 13th and beyond because they were slow taking them down but they were still playing Christmas music in the AoA the day we left

I really thought they'd have everything down by the 7th too, since the official end was the 6th. I felt like Christmas in general just went on forever this year, LOL

oOoOo another trip, how exciting!!

Well I for one am happy to hear your enthusiasm for TSL!! I am so pumped to see it and don't understand why people have been so critical of it!

It's so cute there!! I told Matt we needed to make the popsicle stick wall our new backyard fence, LOL. I'm excited for you to see it!!

Just love your review so far---it all looks amazing! Can't wait to head back someday and see Toy Story Land. Keep up the great writing, just love your style and sense of humor!

Thank you!! I can't wait for you to see it, either, it's just so much fun. Joyful is a good word for it. I can't imagine being in that land and being sad...unless it was b/c you were leaving.

I know! Sooo cute! I just don't have room for them right now!


I think the land is very cute, with lots of details. It just could be so much more... If they hadn't cut the budget so much, Slinky Dog Dash could have been longer and even more worth it. They could have had a Pizza Planet or Al's Toy Barn, or something. And when it's hot, not a whole lot of shade! I think I've heard they have an expansion pad set up for it right now, so maybe they'll add another ride, which will continue to make it better (though that will require Disney actually wanting to put more money into the parks, not cut things)!

Though I will say, it's leaps and bounds better than the Disneyland Paris one, which is just a carbon copy of the versions in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

I get what you're saying, but Al's Toy Barn and Pizza Planet are more appropriate if it was a human sized land, so it makes sense to me why they didn't include it in Andy's backyard.

I do agree about the shade factor - it's like the surface of the sun back there

I so agree! Who are these people, how can they complain about this amazing area. The details are so wonderful and I totally get the Andy’s backyard theme! We laughed a lot on AS2, I love listening to the music and the Aliens, very cute!

The ride makes me so happy!! I only wish my own backyard was this cool, LOL

This is a great photo...dare I say X is smiling??? Or at least not scowling...lol!

Classic!

I can't wait to see this in person one day!

OooH! We ended up with renting points as the AP discount for July was nothing great. Now I am curious about June. Also, I seriously LOVE the Yacht Club!

I have never noticed this before. Must check it out!

I might say this to myself daily.....

I loved the theming! The washrooms, the popsicle stick fences, the camper van....

I loved it too!

Haha, yes! No scowl!! He's actually a pretty pleasant kid, but no one would ever know
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to remind myself that, LOL!! Kids...they were sent here to kill us and turn our hair gray!

It's such a fun land, and I can't wait to visit again and spend more time back there. If they do an after hours or EMM for it in June I think we might try to book one to see it with less people

YEAH!!! Def need to get as much uses as possible out of that Annual Pass!!


Maybe you buy DH one this time... So you can continue to make the most of the pass...


I don't think we have ever been there where they were actually showing the one Man's Dream movie. I would love to actually see it.


You look great no matter what size you were vs. now. Damn kids breaking our bodies...


Ha. I need reminders sometimes too! Morgan is quickly becoming a preteen / teen. And I am just not sure I am ready for it.


Some people will never be happy. My biggest complaint... I wish they had it when Morgan and Gwen were little. They would have LOST there mind.


So cute! I love it.

Yes!! We may end up buying his in June.

It's been years since we saw the actual One Man's Dream. It made me cry, LOL!! Everything makes me cry

The transition to pre-teen can be so challenging!! Both my boys were mostly ok until 7th grade. That's when they both got a little mouthy and grouchy, but they've mostly been ok. Xavier is more emotional than Leyton, as far as reacting to things, but they are both fairly easygoing overall.

Aw, yes! Mine would have loved it so much when they were little, too!! Midway Mania has always been one of their favorites (ok, me and DH too!!), b/c Toy Story was watched sooo often when they were small.

What a great day at HS!!!

It really was!!

Hey There Joining in!

What an awful travel day. Just sounds like one headache after another!

The dinner at Artist Point sounds good but I am such a picky eater that I fear it's not for me. I am going to keep looking into it/thinking about it because I would love to meet the characters.

What a great start to DHS. I can't wait to check out Toy Story Land so I am glad to hear you really enjoyed it!

Hello and welcome!!

I'm hoping it was the worst travel day we ever have to deal with, it was so frustrating.

Depending on how picky, the veal is basically just beef and mashed potatoes - nothing too crazy going on there. It was really fun, but I understand skipping it if the menu isn't something you'd enjoy. For the price you should love your food, in my opinion!!

Toy Story Land was so cute, I hope you enjoy it when you see it!!

Yeah...I'm gonna nope right away from those things.



My friend Sadie was pulled up for this show!!! I have a video for my summer trip report whenever I get that far lol.

Right?? Like, who designed those and thought they represented sweet, wholesome, holiday fun??

Ahh!! Yay for Sadie! It was such a cute show!

 

[xlsm]

We made it to Friday!! And it's the very best kind of Friday...the Friday of a long weekend. No school Monday, woohoo!!

To all of you in the path of the winter storm, stay safe and warm!! We were originally supposed to get snow (yeah right, if you've read along with me you know we never end up with any!), but now it's just supposed to be thunderstorms followed by temperatures dropping quickly and windchills below zero. There is a winter weather advisory, but it probably won't amount to anything other than some slick spots on bridges and overpasses.

Let's get some more of our New Year's Eve posted, shall we??

Chapter Four Part Three

We headed out of a very crowded Toy Story Land and started making our way to the other side of the park for lunch.

I wanted to spend some time in front of the Chinese Theater, because I always like looking at the hand/footprints in the cement. It's always fun to catch up with some old friends



We also learned that L's hands are almost as big as Samuel L Jackson's



He always seems so tall on film but I googled it just now and he's only 6'2", so I guess we'll just have to see how much L grows in the next few years. I figure he'll hit 6'2" easily



(OMG, it's really hard to find a Dis-appropriate Samuel L Jackson gif )

I miss the Great Movie Ride so much! I can't wait for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad to open so the beautiful theater can be used again.



Our lunch was at 11:30 at Mama Melrose - yes, we actually stuck with the reservation this time!! It was one I was afraid would hit the chopping block, but we ended up changing our dinner this night instead (you'll see where in a later update).

We paid a visit to the Wall of Star Wars



Chip and Dale were meeting in cute holiday scarves so we got in line...we waited several minutes and then they went on break. Boo!! No Chip and Dale meet for us.

Since we couldn't cuddle some chipmunks, we decided to admire a pig fountain instead:



And then we watched Santa do what looked potentially like breaking and entering



I really wanted to go see if they had any Muppet Babies stuff in the store, and they DID!! I got so excited my eyes crossed, LOL



Fozzie Bear is my favorite!!!

This is also where I saw the Spaceship Earth Bubblegum Wall ears for the first time:



I wanted them soooo badly!! But I didn't get them See, I had already bought the potion purple ears when I said I was done buying ears, so I didn't need yet another pair...did I???
These ears would haunt me!!

It was almost time for lunch so we went to check in.



There was a party of 10 without a reservation getting really upset with the hostess for telling them they'd have to wait at least an hour to be seated without a reservation, and maybe longer. Another party of ten had already been seated, with a reservation of course, and the second group was not happy about that. They were being rude. Who shows up with a group of ten ANYWHERE, even outside of WDW, and thinks they'll immediately be seated?? And on New Year's Eve no less??

We were seated pretty quickly however, because we DID have a reservation.



I loved the interior of this restaurant!! It was definitely my style...my style is basically anything with twinkle lights, lol. It didn't stay empty for long, I was glad I was able to get this picture.

Our server was fun and chatty, and even better, she brought us bread!!

L wanted to be my bread model:



From the moment I booked this, I figured I would get the charred strip steak with mac and cheese. I surprised myself though, and ended up getting two apps instead.

I had the Seasonal Italian Salad:Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Warm Focaccia, Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Tomato, Onion, Cucumber, Feta Cheese, and Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette

(Sorry, I ate a bunch before taking a picture )



Why did I eat so much of it before remember to take a picture?? Because it was so freaking good! One of the best salads I've ever had.

I also ordered the Mushroom Flatbread:Roasted Cremini and Button Mushrooms with a Roasted Vidalia Onion Spread topped with a Fontina and Asiago Cheese finished with Balsamic Reduction and fresh Herbs



This was also very good, but after the salad I could only eat two pieces of it. The kids and DH had some so it wouldn't go to waste.

Both boys ended up with the charred strip steak:Four-Cheese Macaroni with Pancetta, Aged Balsamic-Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction



I was able to get one noodle from each of their plates, and L gave me a bite of the steak, too. Yum!! This is a solid choice on the menu, and a great steak from a non-signature restaurant.

DH was in the mood for red sauce so he went with the Chicken Parmigiana: Breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti



It doesn't look like much, but tasted good.

Overall, we all enjoyed this meal very much and will return in the future. The kids even said this might be their favorite meal of the trip. They can't quite commit to going all in and calling it officially their favorite, but it's up there.

It might seem like a silly thing to do after a big meal, but when we left the restaurant I checked to see if Rock N Rollercoaster was up and running yet...it was!

That was our next destination.

Hello again, Sunset Boulevard!!

2

Hey Steven! How 'bout some backstage passes??



We had a great time rushing through LA traffic to get to the show!!

I'll close this section of the report with one of my favorite pictures from the trip...our hilariously bad "rock and roll" mega fail...where we ended up mostly doing "quiet coyote" hands instead of rock and roll hands (quiet coyote is a thing from a nature center overnight trip the kids took in 5th grade)



In all the pictures we did everything from sign language I love you to hang ten, soo...yeah. We're awesome.

I thought I put the ride photo in Flickr but apparently not...I did the hands right in that one, LOL!!

Have a fun Friday night and a great weekend!! The next update will cover our quick trip through Epcot! We decided to boat over there and walk to the monorail instead of being anywhere on the road!! It was the right choice!

Bye for now!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Those SE bubblegum wall ears are so cute, oh my I might have to get them!!

I’m glad you enjoyed MM, we really liked our meal there, yum

Rock on..............

 

[xlsm]

Those SE bubblegum wall ears are so cute, oh my I might have to get them!!

I’m glad you enjoyed MM, we really liked our meal there, yum

Rock on..............

Spoiler alert, but I do end up buying them, and they might be my current favorite ears. I LOVE them. They are so, so pretty!!

We were impressed with MM!! I want to try and recreate that salad, minus the bread chunks, it was so good and is now my favorite Disney salad.

 

[xlsm]

Guys!! It actually snowed here!! I even wrote "hi!" to you all on my patio table, LOL



and took a picture from DH's truck when I got in



This is the most snow we've had in about four years. DH and I ventured out for lunch and grabbed some groceries for dinner tonight. There is hardly any people out, which is rare for a Saturday here - usually everyone is out and about. We thought we'd use the opportunity to eat at DH's favorite breakfast place, but even though everything else around us was deserted, that dumb place was packed and people were parking in the empty lot (which is basically a muddy, grassy field) next to it, just like they do on a regular day. The food isn't even that great, but you can NEVER get in there unless you go randomly at 9:30am on a Tuesday after praying at the altar of every religious entity and donating to charity. So we drove back across town and had something else

Since I'm now snuggled up on the couch with blankets and dogs and a fire in the fireplace, wearing my Purple Potion spirit jersey, I figured I'd go ahead and put up another update!!

Chapter Four Part Four

Ok! So, after we rode RNR, we made our way out of Hollywood Studios and walked over to the Friendship Boat. We planned to boat our way over to Epcot. The line was pretty long, and we missed the first boat that pulled up, but they did tell us they were running extras today, and the next one would be there to get us in about five minutes. They were right!! We hopped on the next boat and set sail toward Epcot.

As the boat chugged along, we made the decision to get off at the Beach/Yacht Club stop and just walk over to save ourselves some time.



We were enjoying the walk and views across the water, and having flashbacks from our December 2016 trip at the Boardwalk.

Soon the gondola construction came into view and we were almost to the International Gateway!





I know people are concerned about these not having a/c, but over the summer we went to this place called Trees of Mystery in northern California, where you ride in a similar type of container (container?? LOL! What else do you call it? Gondola, I guess ) - it was a cold, rainy day and there was no heat in them, but the temperature inside was very neutral. The Disney ones have to travel pretty far...I feel like surely they won't actually be boiling hot inside, there's probably some way to regulate the temperature.

It was fairly early in the afternoon, not quite 2:00pm but close, and the crowds were downright manageable.



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Manageable OUTSIDE anyway, inside Mitsukoshi was awful, the only time I've ever seen it worse was last NYE and once in July during a rainstorm.

We sort of halfheartedly looked around, I saw a My Melody plush daruma doll I wanted, but no WAY was I even thinking about getting in line to buy it then, it was too crowded. There were about fifteen people lined up for pick-a-pearl...guess I wasn't doing that today, either!! Not that it was on today's to do list, but something I might have done had there been less people around.

It was too much for us in there, so we ducked out and grabbed some kaki gori instead. L insisted that he was getting his own this year - I usually make the boys share, and then DH and I share, but I gave in and let everyone get their own.

X was being weird and said he didn't want one, but the rest of us did. DH had strawberry, L had melon, and I had the best one - Tangerine. We all opted for the sweet milk topping, which is really what makes it so yummy anyway!!



I was sad no one wanted to share with me, b/c I only ate the top part of mine. Those suckers are gigantic!! L managed to finish his entire one, out of spite I think. It killed me to throw away so much beautiful uneaten frozen deliciousness

It was pretty warm out, so we just kept walking after our kaki gori break, we were ready to monorail back to the Polynesian!! Even though the sun was hot, the weather itself was actually nice, and the blue skies made everything look so pretty.



The closer to the front of the World Showcase we got, the more we noticed the crowds beginning to really pick up. Here's Germany, for example:



No caramels right now, kiddos, keep moving!!

I made sure to show the kids the dragon thing over the dance floor in China:



By the time we got up to Mexico, it was PACKED. Wall to wall people, like swimming upstream. I looked at my watch and yep, it was close to the time we arrived at Epcot the year before. This was more like what we remembered!! We just powered through toward the park exit and to the monorail.

MK was at a capacity closure, so they were asking everyone going toward the monorail what their destination was. We said we were going back to our resort, and they scanned our bands to check that we were Poly guests, and then let us on.

Guys!! Aside from first thing in the morning, THIS is the time to ride a monorail!! It was practically empty!!

We watched the traffic outside the windows and started having flashbacks from last year:



I thought I had more of the wall-o-traffic up front there, but this shows off the people giving up and turning around in the grassy median.

We were SO HAPPY to be flying above it all on the monorail!! This was so much nicer than being on that bus for over two hours last year!!

Once we got to the TTC we hopped off and walked back to the Polynesian. L and I went to the pool, and DH joined us for a little while. X stayed in the room and took a nap and listened to a podcast. He was starting to not feel so great, his nose was stuffy and his throat a little scratchy.

**So, originally we had reservations for Citricos at 5:35, and before we left I also made a 6:40 reservation for The Wave, b/c I was having doubts about timing. And also b/c I couldn't find a 7pm reservation for Citricos, even with my handy dandy Touring Plans alerts, which have never before failed me. The afternoon before, we (and by we I mean mostly me) started feeling like the Citricos reservation was too early, what if we wanted to stay longer at DHS or Epcot? What if we had issues with crowds/transportation getting back from the parks? What if we were too tired to stay up for midnight fireworks?? I wanted to see SOME fireworks on NYE!! Everyone looked at both menus, and we all decided to cancel Citricos and go to The Wave. We all (yes, actually all of us!) agreed it was the safest choice time-wise **

After pool time and showers, we left the room and headed to the monorail around 5:30pm. We wanted to give a time cushion in case the monorail was down again, and also b/c we had a plan to watch the 6:30 Fantasy in the Sky from the Contemporary!



As the monorail cruised past the Magic Kingdom, I took some pictures through the window. This is as close as I was getting to the MK tonight!!





We got to the Contemporary and went to the observation deck on the main level. There weren't a ton of people out there, and we had a decent spot to watch, but we were not satisfied! Surely there was a way to get up higher, onto the outside stairwell overlooks on the higher floors. We counted up and found an empty one on the 9th floor. DH went to do some recon for us, and make sure we could get up there without a room key, and the answer was yes we could! So he got up there and waved down to us, and the boys and I went back in and took the elevator up to the 9th floor.

It was a great view



We met and chatted with a nice family who were also frequent visitors. They were watching fireworks then heading to Disney Springs, and we wished them good luck with traffic!!

The fireworks were going to start at 6:30, and our reservation was for 6:40, so we were going to watch as much of them as we could before heading downstairs to dinner.

Soon it was dark...



and the show began!!



I stood and watched rather than taking a bunch of pictures, so that's all you get - sorry!!

It was an interesting viewpoint, seeing the fireworks mainly over Space Mountain and not Cinderella Castle.

We left at about 6:38 and rushed down to The Wave, making it right on the dot at 6:40!

Dinner at The Wave, drinks at Trader Sam's and finishing off New Year's Eve...coming up as soon as I type it!!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Four Part Five

We checked in for dinner and they took our number to text us, and told us we could have a seat in the lounge. DH ordered a drink, and I said what if we're seated by the time it gets here, and the waitress said she'd find us. As soon as she walked away we were called to be seated

The bread came out fairly quickly, which was the only thing that happened quickly during this meal. Luckily it was good bread!!

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Our server was very nice, but very slow. The restaurant was pretty full but not overly crowded. We ordered appetizers when we placed our drink order, and they took FOREVER to come out. While we were waiting for them, the waitress from the bar finally found us, and handed DH his very, very watered down melty ice Old Fashioned.

L really wanted the crab cakes, and I did too, so we decided to split them:

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They were comically tiny I felt guilty for eating one, so I just took a bite and let L have them.

DH ordered the cheese board, and I had a little taste of the different cheeses.

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The blue cheese was amazing and so was the honey accompanying it, the cheese on the far right of the picture was hard like a parmesan, and the soft white one at the top was brie-like. The salami slices (or whatever it is) were really good, and I normally won't touch the meat on a tray like this, and so was the mustard under the cornichons. Nothing fancy, but a nice cheese board. The one from Chefs de France is probably my overall favorite, but this wasn't bad.

Xavier had the seasonal soup, which today was butternut squash:

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This was good, but nothing compared to the butternut squash soup from Storybook Dining at Artist Point. This particular version was more Indian inspired, flavor wise, and not as decadent and buttery as the Artist Point version.

After our appetizers we waited about fifteen or twenty minutes for our entrees to come out. I mean...I guess they weren't trying to rush us. If I'm trying to look on the bright side, LOL. On the other hand, they weren't in a hurry to turn tables, either.

I ordered the Braised Beef Shortrib: Roasted Garlic Potato Purée, Winter Vegetables, Peppadew Vinaigrette

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This was good, I don't have any real complaints, but it wasn't anything overly special. I mean, it tasted good, I enjoyed it, but it just wasn't something that you go, "oh my gosh, if I don't get back here and have this again, I'll die!"

However, it was better looking that what DH and both boys ordered, which was the Grilled Beef Tenderloin: Potato Gratin, Jumbo Asparagus, Red Wine
Reduction

I took pictures of two out of the three plates. How sad do these look??

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All three steaks and squares of potatoes were different sizes, and just sort of tossed onto the plate. And are those first asparagus not the saddest looking asparagus you've ever seen??

But, everything tasted fine, and the boys in particular were happy with their steaks. I thought the potatoes were actually really tasty, X let me have a bite of his, since he'd eaten most of the big bowl of soup, he was nicer about sharing with me, LOL.

We had no interest in dessert from here, because we were afraid we'd have to sleep in the restaurant overnight by the time it would make it to the table, so we asked for our check, waited, waited...and waited some more. Finally paid, and were able to leave.

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Overall, the meal here was fine. The food tasted good, but was nothing special. We probably won't be back for dinner, just because there are so many more exciting options out there that we really love. Someday I hope to try the breakfast, as it seems pretty universally enjoyed by most people, from reports I've read.

We started making our way up to check out the Contempo Cafe and see if they had any desserts there we couldn't live without. They had an interesting and varied selection, I'm not sure why we didn't end up with any?? I think the kids started talking about Dole Whips, and DH and I were talking about going to Trader Sam's, which is why we must have skipped buying anything.

I did really love getting to be up close and personal with the Mary Blair mural back here by Contempo Cafe, though!!

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Are those animals attacking that little girl? Are they skunks or raccoons or wolverines? And why is she so happy if they're attacking her?? Maybe they are just her friends. Of course, I'd probably be smiling too, if cute animals were that close to me. Even if I was being attacked. Because at least I could pet them!!! #powerofpositivethinking

We got back on the monorail to go back to the Polynesian, we had a lot of night left ahead of us!!

Because of photo amounts, I'm going to go ahead and end here, and immediately type up the rest of this night. I was going to cram it all into one post, but i think it would be too long, and this is a good pause point!!

 

[Smilelea]

We had almost that same exact firework view in September from BLT. It was my first time to get to see HEA fireworks but I wasn't too crazy about the funky side view.

This most recent trip we ended our stay at Poly and we had a lake view. It was awesome seeing the fireworks directly over the castle. Maybe one day (2020) I can see the entire show including the castle projections.
We also enjoyed that walk from TTC to our room. We are thankful to our Disboards obsession for giving us that little tidbit .

Y'all sure are brave to tackle those NYE crowds! No thank you!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Four Part Six

We made it back to the Polynesian



It was pretty busy by the 'Ohana check in desk, but not at all as crowded inside as I thought it would be. I mean, usually on a regular afternoon the Poly lobby is a pretty bustling place, so I was surprised to see it pretty chill for once.

We spent a little time in Boutiki, and L posed for a tiki picture:



and took advantage of the Photopass photographers in the lobby



We got one with the main tiki, too, but I can't find it. Hmm...I need to go look for that one later!

The boys wanted Dole Whips, so I got in line with L to show him how to charge on his magic band for future reference. The line was pretty long:



While we were doing that, DH went over to Trader Sam's to check the wait and get us on a list if need be. I was shocked when he texted and said there was no wait and we could go right in!! He went on in to try to find us a seat, while I finished up with L. I showed L how to charge with his MB, and sent him back up to the room with his and his brother's Dole Whip, and then I didn't see him again til 2019!

I made my way over and into Trader Sam's and found DH. A nice local couple had seen him looking around for a place to sit, and said he could share their table - luckily there was space for me, too! We were in the back corner under this cool moving artwork:



It was snowing, but the people we were sitting with said it didn't always do that, they'd changed it for the season. These tiki guys were looking out over us:



The couple was super nice - had moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico about a year before, after the hurricane. They were frequent visitors to Trader Sam's, and were just as surprised as we were that it was so uncrowded on New Year's Eve!! They were so excited to show us all the fun drink shows, so we all decided to order all different stuff so we could see as many as possible

While we were waiting for our first round to come out, someone ordered something to make this beautiful lady show up and show out:



I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just tell you about our drinks!

I started with the HippopotoMai-Tai: Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curaçao, Orgeat (Almond), Organic Agave Nectar, and fresh Lime Juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki Glass

IMG_3935

Yum, yum!! The drinks here are GOOD and the drinks here are STRONG. But you don't notice it right away, lol!!

DH ordered the Shrunken Zombie Head: Gosling’s 151 Black Seal Rum, Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Bacardi 8 yr Rum, Tropical Juices, Falernum, and Cinnamon. Served in a souvenir Shrunken Head



Our new friends ordered the Uh-Oa!, which I guess I didn't manage to get a picture of.

Round Two for me was The Polynesian Pearl: RumChata Cream Liqueur, Grand Marnier, and Cinnamon with Tropical Juices. Sadly they were out of pearl glasses for this, and I had to have it in a regular plain old cup



Our server (who was amazing, btw, and I'm so sad I didn't write his name down. It was unique and I thought I wouldn't forget it...that was before all the drinking ) said this was his favorite drink, and wasn't it awesome? I said, "Actually I like his (DH's) better (coming up next), this one doesn't have a fun cup! How am I supposed to drink out of a regular cup now, after all this?? He made a big deal pretending to be so upset about me preferring the other drink and having to slum it with a regular glass. Then he said they'd been out of The Pearl for so long. Actually, they were out of a lot of the glasses, which would affect the one we ended up taking home with us!

Anyway, DH's round two was the Krakatoa Punch: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Pyrat XO Reserve Rum, Orgeat (Almond), Sam’s Gorilla Grog, and Hibiscus Grenadine. Served in a souvenir Tiki Mug



We stayed here for quite awhile, talking to our seat mates (i'm sad, we never got their names, but we really enjoyed their company!!), joking with our server and the table across the room from us, and by the time we left we were participating in all the drink show fun (there are some you yell along with, like shouting out certain words/phrases...some of the drinks are so frequently ordered you learn really fast, LOL)

I knew two drinks were my max, so we settled our bill and said goodbye to our company, and picked up our HippopotoMai-Tai mug (they were out of the shrunken zombie head, or we'd have definitely taken that one home, too). We had barely left the room before saying how much we couldn't wait to come back again. We love Trader Sam's!!

Originally we planned to go to the beach and watch the midnight fireworks from there, but we noticed people going into the Lava Pool gate and sitting in there, so we did too. There were tons of lounge chairs available, and not many people in there at all. What?? Had we found a quiet, comfy place to sit and wait?? Yes!!

We looked so tired in this picture, I put it in black and white so we looked less awful



View from our chairs while we waited:



Not too shabby considering I was laying in a pool lounger!!

They actually paused the Polynesian Christmas music and everyone around was having fun singing along to the music we could hear from the beach. Unfortunately they started playing it again about twenty minutes later, so we had to listen to a weird mish-mash of the Poly Christmas songs layered over the superfun Bon Jovi and Backstreet Boys coming from the beach party.

When the fireworks were getting ready to start, we moved over by the pool stairs so the lifeguard chair wasn't blocking us, and we stood there and enjoyed ringing in the new year!!

Just a few fireworks shots to end the post:











It was really pretty the way the fireworks reflected on the pool water!! It was such a calm and relaxing spot to watch from: no crowds!! The whole evening was so relaxed and calm, such a major departure from the previous year, and it was the perfect way to say goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019. If you're going to start the year off right, I can think of no better way!!

That's it!! That was our New Year's Eve!! I'm finished for today, but the next time I update it will be New Year's Day with our VIP guide!!

Stay warm and enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

 

[xlsm]

We had almost that same exact firework view in September from BLT. It was my first time to get to see HEA fireworks but I wasn't too crazy about the funky side view.

This most recent trip we ended our stay at Poly and we had a lake view. It was awesome seeing the fireworks directly over the castle. Maybe one day (2020) I can see the entire show including the castle projections.
We also enjoyed that walk from TTC to our room. We are thankful to our Disboards obsession for giving us that little tidbit .

Y'all sure are brave to tackle those NYE crowds! No thank you!

Yeah, I like that the fireworks are so close from the Contemporary, but I definitely like having the castle as my central view better. I was so happy to see them from here, though!

When I was in the Hawaii building we liked watching from the lounge, and from the beach right in front of it. It's fun to see how much of the sky really fills with fireworks.
I really loved Wishes, but HEA has quickly become a favorite. I FINALLY got to see it from the perfect spot with our guide on new year's day. It's worth staking out a spot up close early, and is just amazing.

This year was so much better than last year as far as crowds were concerned...but that's because we knew when to leave this time!! Last year we got to the parks at such a busy time, and it was so crazy. Our approach this year is definitely how we'd do it again in the future.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

We got snow last night too!!! I'd say about 6". YUCK!!!!

 

[Raeven]

Why do boys try to ruin our pictures??

I don't know! They're awful

Aw, a Pua one would be so cute! My poor Dopey bag is now destined to finish out his life hanging from a hook in my closet. He has fulfilled his mission of completing my Snow White dinner outfit, and is now retired.

It was! I figured I'd only use it like once too though and it was full price.

I'm sad I never got to do Club Villain

Aw, I'm sad too

that's a pain about the app and the wifi...so, I figured out like four days into our trip that I didn't even have the wifi ON and was using data the whole time. Although, now that we switched to Sprint and got new phones over the weekend, we have unlimited data, so I guess I have that to look forward to on the next trip

I have unlimited data now too so I mostly just use that but I think at some point I had deleted the app so when I went to re-download it, it wouldn't let me without wifi and I wasn't connected so I just never ended up doing it because we only needed the buses for a day.

We booked a trip for just me and DH last night. I was checking out AP discounts for summer and found a too good to be true rate at Yacht Club.

Yay!

The mannequin is super creepy looking.

Who are those people?? Toy Story Land is AMAAAAZING!! It's supposed to be designed by Andy with his toys in the backyard, I think it fits that theme perfectly. The details are out. of. this. world. I've also seen complaints that Slinky Dog Dash is open and you can see it from all over. Why is anyone complaining about that? In my opinion, it's part of the charm and excitement of the entire area.

I can't wait to see it!

I loved the interior of this restaurant!! It was definitely my style...my style is basically anything with twinkle lights, lol. It didn't stay empty for long, I was glad I was able to get this picture.

Ooo I like it too.

You look so pretty here! The rose gold ears look good with that outfit.

I took pictures of two out of the three plates. How sad do these look??

It does look sad!

Are those animals attacking that little girl? Are they skunks or raccoons or wolverines? And why is she so happy if they're attacking her?? Maybe they are just her friends. Of course, I'd probably be smiling too, if cute animals were that close to me. Even if I was being attacked. Because at least I could pet them!!! #powerofpositivethinking

I can't tell what they are either, but I think you'd be happy as long as you got to pet them Although I'd probably be happiest to pet a raccoon so maybe that's what they are.

 

[piglet1979]

To all of you in the path of the winter storm, stay safe and warm!! We were originally supposed to get snow (yeah right, if you've read along with me you know we never end up with any!), but now it's just supposed to be thunderstorms followed by temperatures dropping quickly and windchills below zero. There is a winter weather advisory, but it probably won't amount to anything other than some slick spots on bridges and overpasses.

We are getting hammered with the storm. We have about a foot of snow by now and several more hours of the storm to go. After the storm is over lake affect snow will start. They are now saying we will get possibly up to 18 inches. DH and I were supposed to see the play Cinderella tonight in the city put opted to stay home because of the weather. Stay warm.

 

[amazingact21]

Joining and following along! Your NYE day sounds pretty relaxed fun considering where you were at. A bit of a bummer that the Wave was so slow, but glad to hear Trader Sam's made up for it with its fun atmosphere and good company.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We also learned that L's hands are almost as big as Samuel L Jackson's

Yikes! But you said he isn't "that" tall. I guess he just seems very intimidating.

Four-Cheese Macaroni with Pancetta, Aged Balsamic-Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction

That looks really good!

I took pictures of two out of the three plates. How sad do these look??

But that.... not so much.

I showed L how to charge with his MB, and sent him back up to the room with his and his brother's Dole Whip, and then I didn't see him again til 2019!

Funny. How nice it is to let them go hang out in there rooms while you guys just have a nice adult evening!

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just tell you about our drinks!

I am hoping we get to go in our our trip in Feb. Do you have a drink I should order based on what happens in the space?

Anyway, DH's round two was the Krakatoa Punch: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Pyrat XO Reserve Rum, Orgeat (Almond), Sam’s Gorilla Grog, and Hibiscus Grenadine. Served in a souvenir Tiki Mug

Our last trip we had drinks outside and I took this glass home with me. I love it. Hoping to add to my collection!