It looks like I've got enough pictures to make a chapter out of our adventures between the time we got back from Islands of Adventure and the Luau, so I'll go with that, and we'll get to the actual Luau itself next time.
So it turned out that we left Islands of Adventure a little after 2 o'clock, and were back home at Kidani by 3. We never did stop for lunch while we were in the park, we just kind of powered through and then ate some Chex mix in the van on the ride home.
Gram and Poppy were in the suite when we got back, and we learned that they had gone over to the Grand Floridian while we were gone. Gram had seen some of their shops when she was there earlier in the week for the Tea, and wanted to go back to do a little shopping. I was kind of proud of them for venturing out, using Disney transportation and figuring out how to get there. I guess I shouldn't be surprised -- you don't get to their age without figuring your way around the world, but still, I was surprised. I assumed that they'd just hang out at the resort, watching the animals and maybe talking to some cast members. I guess I forgot that they were here to do stuff!
I also found out that James had gotten a wand...er, I mean, a wand had picked James back at Wizarding World. I didn't even realize that. Apparently he got it when I went with the girls for a second ride on Forbidden Journey.
His
patronus is a koala bear. (Sorry to those who may not be familiar with it, but that's a little Harry Potter humor.)
Our Luau reservation was for the 8 o'clock show, so we still had a little time before we had to get ready to leave. Judy, James, and I got our swimsuits on and went to the pool. Everybody else rested. (It was so nice to have a big suite where everybody can find a couch or bed and just relax, and doors can be closed if someone wants to have a TV on. Heaven knows that your body can get plumb worn-out by this point in the week on a Disney trip!)
My notes say that the pool was fantastic. It was a hot day, but the water temperature was perfect for cooling off. We had trouble finding seats though, as they were almost all taken. I should clarify that -- there were a few chairs with people in them and many chairs that were 'reserved' with towels on them. Also, Judy wanted a spot in the shade, so that made it even tougher. We found one empty chair that we could at least use as a place for our stuff, and while we were setting up shop some people nearby took back a towel on an adjacent chair so that we could have a second chair. Very nice of them, I commend that! (For the record, for the rest of the time we were there, which was about an hour, no one ever used the other 'reserved' chairs around us.) But two chairs was good, we were all set.
I thought that I'd walk around and take a few pictures of the pool. Here's Maji, the pool bar.
And turning around, I face the zero-entry section of the pool.
This one was taken from the bridge, near the big slide.
James, contemplating his next move.
Apparently, his next move was to the slide, where I captured this action shot.
Judy came over and I enlisted her to try to get video of me on the slide.
Me on the Kidani slide
I'll just say that she leaves her imprint on any video or picture that she takes.
The cast members were holding some games, and these kids seemed to be having a blast. I love how when you're at a Disney resort you don't necessarily have to be at a park to have fun.
I walked to the other end of the pool to get a shot of the water play area, as seen from above.
We relaxed for a little while longer and checked out the Luau menu on my Disney Parks app. It's always nice to know what to expect, and we were getting hungry!
Soon it was time to get changed to go. Back at the suite, James and Lauren got into an argument, I don't even remember what about. I'm sure that tiredness and hunger were a factor. At one point, James locked himself in the bathroom, saying that he wasn't going to go to the Luau. Other people tried to reason with him, pointing out that it was already paid for, and of course, that it would be a great evening. If you had walked by our suite at that moment, I'm not sure, but it's possible that you may have heard someone inside the suite sternly announcing, "If I have to call down to the Front Desk and have someone come up here to open this door, I will!" Eventually everyone's feathers got unruffled and we made it down to the bus stop at 6:10, and a Magic Kingdom bus showed up at 6:13. This was more like it, great bus mojo. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 6:33, mosey'd our way to the monorail platform and made it to the Polynesian at 6:50. The Luau wasn't until 8 o’clock, but I wanted to allow around 2 hours to get there. If you plan on 2 hours, it will take you under an hour; conversely, if you chance it, hoping that you can make it in an hour, that'll be the time that it takes 2 hours.
We wanted to at least find out where we needed to go for the Luau. On our way, we passed Captain Cook's, so of course I quickly snapped a picture of the Dole Whip station!
It's important to know where you can find a Dole Whip on a potential non-park day in the future.
We had some time to kill, so I thought that I'd like to walk over to the Grand Floridian, since I'd never been inside of it, and everyone except James and I had been there on this trip. Heck, even Poppy'd already been there! Judy walked with me.
Construction was underway for the new DVC suites.
We passed the entrance to the wedding chapel.
We went around to the "back door " of the hotel, closer to the lake rather than front entrance. I'm not really sure why we did that. Maybe because Judy wanted to show me where the afternoon Tea was held. Or maybe because I felt like riff raff, wearing a Hawiian shirt to the Grand Floridian.
Remember this hedge for later in the chapter. We'll have a wild animal encounter here on our way out.
No one can resist taking a picture of the floor when they enter the Grand Floridian. In fact, they should rename it "The Grand
Flooridian".
Here's the room where the afternoon Tea is held. Judy told me that they were seated at that area near the front of the picture where two round tables are pushed together.
The magnificent lobby.
The music from the Grand piano was as beautiful as the architecture surrounding it. I was sure that I would be asked to leave at any minute.
As we were leaving the Grand Floridian, we saw this little guy and almost half-expected to hear him say, "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date." Although he looks more like Thumper than the White Rabbit.
Then we started our walk back to the Poly. As we got closer, we saw some pretty buff guys playing volleyball on the beach, just kind of passing the ball back and forth. It took me a minute, but I realized that they were probably guys from the Luau show blowing off steam in-between shows. I told Judy who I thought that they were, and I said that Lauren and Marlene were in for a treat.
She said, "they’re not the only ones."
Hey, I'm standing right here!
Up next: Loo-wow! Or...Hula the dogs out?
Link to next chapter
)Some of the rides sound like a lot of fun!
I love your screen name.
I'm sure if we loved those crazy rides or HP, IOA would be more of a draw, but it's just not our thing. We were very disappointed in US compare to US in Cali, so we haven't been back. I'm sure one of these times, DS and DGS will demand that we try it, though. 
You'll give my secret away.
I've started on the next chapter, organizing the pictures, so maaaaybe one of these days...
