We left the park and gave some thought to actually taking the monorail, rather than the boat. But one glance at the station showed quite a line, and when we looked out on the water, we could see a boat already heading over. That was an easy decision!
Have you seen enough pictures of us on boats to the Poly yet? No? Well, youre in luck:
Considering how often we were using the boat this trip, I still cant believe we never took the boat when we were staying at the Poly
Anyway, we made it over there by 4:30, with our ADR at 5:00, right when Ohana opens. With a little time to kill, we found a spot at the bar in the Tambu Lounge and ordered a couple drinks: an Island Macaw and a Sunset something or other. I cant specifically remember what was in them, but I do know they were quite tasty.
Once we were done with the drinks, the line waiting to check in at Ohana was really long. The restaurant wasnt open yet, so folks were just all lined up. We decided to just hang tight in our seats for a bit, rather than waiting in a line that wasnt going to move at all.
When the CMs came out to the desk, I watched as a woman skipped ahead of that whole long line. She spoke with a CM and was given a pager before everyone else. That seemed kinda weird to me, but didnt exactly effect me at all. But what was
really interesting is that she was checking in a group of about 40 kids, and just a few adults.
Anyway, the line was moving and people were starting to be sat, so Ben and I got in line. We chatted a bit with a lady behind us, and Wishes came up. She hadnt seen or heard of the Magic, Memories and You show, and we very enthusiastically told her she needed to fit it in. Ben and I are probably the biggest fans of this show, and we love telling people about it! I hope her family got to see it, and I hope they loved it!
Our buzzer went off almost as soon as it was handed to us and Cousin Jennifer showed us to our table. She asked if we were celebrating anything (I hadnt put our anniversary on any of our ADRs, except for one later in the week
we just didnt enjoy the celebrating we got on our previous trip with our honeymoon.) And we told her it was our first anniversary- she was very excited!
We had a great table, with a view of the castle in a sunny corner of the room. This was our first time eating here while it was light out, and it gave a different feel to the restaurant.
Once we were settled at our table, we had to take a picture of me holding the bread:
(*side note: I look totally bat-poop crazy in that picture!)
If you read our last TR, you may remember the server taking handing me the bread and taking an awkward photo of us. Since Cousin Jennifer didnt do this (I havent heard of anyone else doing this
), we recreated it ourselves.
If you haven't read it (and don't want to because you've already read enough about our weirdness), here's the pic I am talking about:
Soon the food started coming out, and Ben and I got to work. We were careful not to over indulge in the food right away, instead only picking at it until the meat skewers came out. That way we could try everything, and only pig out on the stuff we really wanted. Saving room for dessert is key here, since the banana bread pudding is amazing!
In the end, we ate more of the food than I think we ever have
but didnt feel too full. Probably because we skipped most of the meat skewers, now that I think of it.
Once the table was clear, Cousin Jennifer came over with dessert
and a surprise! A cupcake! She lit the candle and warned us to be careful what we wish for: she said, dont wish for a cupcake, because you already have one. We both found that hysterically funny. Jennifer took our picture blowing out the candle:
The funny thing is- neither Ben nor I made any wish at all! We were both so concerned with not wishing for a cupcake and posing for the picture that we forgot.
That beautiful bread pudding was calling to use, so we piled our plates high and dug in. Then Ben poured the sauce on the cupcake and ate that, too. Here is the evidence of how much we ate:
We were oddly proud of our gluttony.
When the check was brought over, we quickly realized it was the wrong one
the bill we received included a kids meal and several cocktails (none of which we had ordered!). So we had to wait just a bit for that to be straightened out before we could waddle out of there and head back to the MK.
A storm had passed over during dinner, but the sun was back out by the time we were ready to leave. Perfect timing- I think this was the only rain we saw all week!
We actually went to the monorail platform instead of the boat dock and waited for quite a while with no trains coming by. Eventually, we decided that the boat was the better option and headed that way.
No one was waiting on the dock, and we just sat on a bench and looked at the castle. Very peaceful! Another family eventually joined us, and then a few more. By the time the boat arrived, there were a lot of people waiting and we had stood up to form a line.
The boat captain told us we would not all fit, and there was some mumbling and grumbling from the crowd. A woman near us said they were first, and before I could think I had answered with, no, we were here before anyone. And that family was second. Youre third. It was only after Ben pointed out that it didnt matter- all of our groups would get on that I felt like a real jerk. It was out of character for me to say anything. I know I shouldnt have said it, but I just didnt like the thought of her not getting called on her lie. Sorry, lady! Hope I didnt spoil your evening!
Apparently there were some major transportation problems leaving the MK, because the first people that got off the boat at the Poly looked at us and snapped, good luck getting back, we waited forever. All in all, the tension was high on that dock just then!
I am happy to report, though, that we made it to the MK without any more fights or altercations. Phew!
Once back in the park, it was over to Space Mountain once again. This time it was Bens turn for a picture:
On our way to Tomorrowland, Ben was so surprised to see CMs inside Tomorrowland Terrace that he had to take a picture:
Weve never seen this place open, so it was a note worthy sight for us.
It was only after we walked away that I thought about the dessert parties and figured the CMs were saw were getting ready for that
Once done in Tomorrowland, we headed over to my other favorite thing in MK: the Country Bears! But we had just missed a show, so the wait was about 20 minutes. Instead, we continued on to ride Splash and came back to the Bears after. This time, the wait was posted at just a few minutes. When the announcement came on that the doors were about to open, we all got ready to go in. But they never opened. A CM ducked inside the theater and never came out. We waited, and waited. And finally decided just to head out
clearly there was something weird going on!
Knowing how much we had eaten at dinner, youll never guess what we did next: got Dole Whip floats in Adventureland. Doesnt it just make you sick thinking about it? I dont know how to explain it, but WDW makes it possible to eat vast quantities of food that you would never imagine doing back home.
After this, we were both pretty tired and had an early wake up time the next day. We left the park at 9:20 and caught a bus pretty quickly. We were back in our room at 10. I was sad about missing the Country Bears, but I knew wed have a chance to visit them later in the week
Next up: I meet my new boyfriend!
And because I forgot to include it earlier, another PP pic:
And because I forgot this, too:
The Fantasyland construction was
way more pleasing to the eye on this trip than when it was a big pile of dirt in September!