Island Hopping: A Highly Inappropriate TR. (Boom.)-- Link to NEW TR! 10/8

[Fairy Floss]

Stumbled upon this TR yesterday.
have been reading it all morning .....Brilliant!

Thank you so much for the detail and the photos

 

[LifeIsDis]

That is SO awesome that CM took the girls off on an “adventure.” That’s why I love Disney! Even if the “adventure” was about poop.

Hahahha I love how Julia wanted to find poop at Rafiki’s Planet Watch! I would do something like that. Seems like you guys had a good time doing that!

 

[ronnmel]

A lot of people don't really care for Rafiki's Planet Watch, but you guys really seem to enjoy your time there. I like that place. I also like meeting Rafiki. He can be such a flirt!

THOSE BABY STUFFED ANIMAL/CHARACTERS ARE THE CUTEST THING EVER! I couldn't resist them, as you saw with me buying one for a non-existent baby. I can't blame your children for wanting them. The hardest part is choosing just one.

OMG what a downpour! Reminds me of the one that hit us during our Disneymoon. At some point there is just no used trying to stay dry, so you might as well just laugh it off and go. I may or may not have danced in the rain that time...

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Who knew AK had so many poop adventures/exhibits??? Looks like you guys had a great day - too bad Julia didn't get to go on the wash cycle though! Florida rain is so weird like that - a downpour one second, then sunny the next!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Stumbled upon this TR yesterday.
have been reading it all morning .....Brilliant!

Thank you so much for the detail and the photos

No, thank YOU for stumbling on it and reading! I'm so happy to have new readers!

That is SO awesome that CM took the girls off on an “adventure.” That’s why I love Disney! Even if the “adventure” was about poop.

Hahahha I love how Julia wanted to find poop at Rafiki’s Planet Watch! I would do something like that. Seems like you guys had a good time doing that!

An adventure is an adventure, I guess ! Once Julia gets interested in something, she just doesn't stop!

A lot of people don't really care for Rafiki's Planet Watch, but you guys really seem to enjoy your time there. I like that place. I also like meeting Rafiki. He can be such a flirt!

THOSE BABY STUFFED ANIMAL/CHARACTERS ARE THE CUTEST THING EVER! I couldn't resist them, as you saw with me buying one for a non-existent baby. I can't blame your children for wanting them. The hardest part is choosing just one.

OMG what a downpour! Reminds me of the one that hit us during our Disneymoon. At some point there is just no used trying to stay dry, so you might as well just laugh it off and go. I may or may not have danced in the rain that time...

Well, we haven't just chosen one! We have Pluto, Dumbo, two pandas, and Simba. They just are too cute not to buy!! Can't help it!
You really do have to just give up and go with it sometimes! Dancing in the rain, laughing in the rain...just experience it, ya know?!

Who knew AK had so many poop adventures/exhibits??? Looks like you guys had a great day - too bad Julia didn't get to go on the wash cycle though! Florida rain is so weird like that - a downpour one second, then sunny the next!

I definitely was shocked at their poop-centric exhibits ! Who knew!?!

 

[katt789]

Just chiming in and sayin' a DISmeet should happen (ps I'm the "Dani" Jenn is referring to, hahaha)!

Now, to read the latest update and comment!

Very much agreed!! And from Dani's TR it looks like Dumbo is a meet able activity, bahaha!! I know courtney and i have a few overlapping days, there's bound to be somethin that we all coordinated!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Very much agreed!! And from Dani's TR it looks like Dumbo is a meet able activity, bahaha!! I know courtney and i have a few overlapping days, there's bound to be somethin that we all coordinated!!

I am going to be posting my days for everyone soon. (I know I already sent them to you .) We should plan a flippin' massive meet!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

We laid out our dripping wet clothes and toweled off our hair. The room smelled a little musty...well, WE smelled a little musty and the smell filled the room. We were happy to put on these clothes, mostly because the matching shirts Brandon and I were wearing (yes, we're THOSE sort of people) were an inside joke/love that we made ourselves. More on that later.

Where were we heading for dinner and night time activities?

I'll give you a hint...



Oh, yes. Those are most definitely Hawaiian dresses. And yes, those are also Refecca and Gracie the pandas making an appearance, as well.

We were at the Polynesian Resort! We were set to move to this resort the next morning, so we considered this a preview of great things to come.

The first thing to strike me was the wonderful smell in the lobby, like a combination of tropical flowers and stale water. It was magnificent.
We took some time to just enjoy and soak in the atmosphere of the Grand Ceremonial House. Obviously, the water fall was a huge hit!







We immediately found a Hidden Mickey right there in the stone of the floor...



...and that made Julia VERY happy!!



We were waiting around for 6:00 for a very special reason. Right then, a nice lady cast member (I feel bad for not remembering her name, as she would be the singer later at dinner as well) announced that the Chief was coming!

One of the luau dancers, the barely clothed "Chief," brought out his huge conch shell (NOT a euphemism for something else...an actual shell!) and blew it loudly, summoning us outside. We followed him outside the front doors, and the front was suddenly blocked off with ropes...for good reason! The nameless lady began beating her huge drums to a nice Hawaiian beat, and soon the chief had his stick-o-fire (also not a euphemism...an actual stick with fire!) lit and spinning wildly!!

Honestly, our pictures of this aren't great, and that's because we were focusing on getting video. In fact, almost an entire song in our OUR TRIP VIDEO (yep, that's a link!) is dedicated to the Polynesian Resort and our adventures there, so go watch it if you haven't already, SILLY!

With his stick-o-fire (ahem...), he lit all the torches out front as the drums pounded and we clapped and oooohed and aaaaaahed.





My planning was pretty spot-on, if I do say so myself, and it was perfectly time to go check in for our ADR...at 'OHANA!! It was our first time here, so after I checked in and got our buzzer and way too many leis, I had some business to take care of IMMEDIATELY while we were waiting.



OH, YES. It was the famous Lapu Lapu!

I walked myself happily up to the Tambu Lounge, shelled out way too much money for way too little drink, asked for a bowl to catch the drippings, and made myself a happy little Island Hopper!

ISLAND HOPPER!!! You can see our shirts in this picture! I may have mentioned it before, but maybe not.

Brandon and I have an unnatural obsession with Magnum, P.I....no, I couldn't make this sfuff up! So when we found out we'd be resort hopping, from one "island" resort to another (Caribbean Beach to Poly), we immediately thought of Island Hoppers, the name of the helicopter company in Hawaii run by Magnum's friend TC! That's normal, right!?!?!

Brandon designed these t-shirts based on a screen shot of TC's shirt in one of the episodes. He pulled the colors from the helicopter itself. Seriously. We're obsessed. They sort of messed up and faded when ironing on the decals, but it actually made it look more authentic eighties.

And also, the TR title was born! BRILLIANT!

We waited by the windows overlooking the beach and paths down below and wondered if the rain would still be holding off for our later plans. It was beautiful and relaxing there in the waiting area, wearing our leis, me drinking my drink, the girls fighting over the buzzer...

Soon our pager went off and we were led to our table, which was just inside the restaurant, far from the action and windows. That was sort of a disappointment. Our "cousin" welcomed us immediately and took our drink orders. Brandon decided to walk over where every other person in the restaurant was seated and take some pictures. The open area where the meat is cooked is very enticing!





Immediately, a conga line formed...and I love that you can say that when talking about Disney and nobody bats an eyelash. It's par for the course.

So, conga line. I joined the girls while Brandon sat with Sawyer.

We were given maracas, and my little musicians loved that!





We sat down to loads and loads of food.

And?

Brandon's camera battery died. Okay, well, it nearly died, so he put it away to save the tiny amount of battery for later, meaning...

NO FOOD PICTURES! GASP! But here's the thing: I did not want food pictures here. I thought this food looked like a hot mess. LOOKED, but not tasted! I secretly hate the look of the pictures everyone has from this meal, because no matter what, it's messy. Messy tastes good, but it doesn't look good. Just a little peek into my neurotic brain.

We took some video of Julia doing a disappearing fork trick, and Julia interviewed everyone about their favorite foods.

For the record, everyone loved the noodles. Mom and dad loved the shrimp, while Brynn went for the chicken. Sawyer ate up the broccoli and a few noodles, and pretty much half a loaf of the pineapple bread. Julia wouldn't go near a shrimp, but ate every other meat.

The hands-down winner for every single person? POT STICKERS! YUM!!!!!! I wasn't terribly hungry, so my meal pretty much consisted of a plate of these, shrimp, and salad, with a few noodles on the side. I could easily make a meal off these babies and was wishing I had more room in my tummy to eat!

Every couple of minutes, a different cousin would try to push more meat on us, and we tired of saying no. We definitely did not eat our money's worth, but it was so good!!

The camera couldn't take pictures, but Brandon took the video camera to film the coconut races. Brynn's version? Pick up the coconut and carry it to the finish. The broom thing was for losers, apparently. Her version was to work smarter, not harder! I'm glad Brandon got that on video, because right then, the video camera died.

FOR REAL.

We traded off sitting with Sawyer, who was still working on his broccoli, and I went with the girls to do a little dancing to "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch. This meal did not lack entertainment for the kiddos, OR for the people who were actually sitting near the wandering singer, who never wandered over in the middle of nowhere where we were seated. It was such a fun time! You can't be a grump when you're filled with food, song, and silly games!

When we returned to the table, the bread pudding had arrived and was half eaten by Sawyer and Brandon! The girls dug in, and I ended up with one small bite. That was fine, as I'm not a big sweets person, and I thought it was just okay. The others thought it was fabulous and devoured it all, so perhaps it is.

We paid the bill and headed out with too-full bellies. Our first stop was the gift shop on the second floor. Julia just had to have another of those tubes filled with candy powder, and Brynn had to be just like her...and would pour hers out ON PURPOSE ten minutes later once we were outside. While there, I picked up a sticker for my van ("My other car is a monorail") and the actual Hidden Mickeys guide book to replace Julia's ruined hand-made one.


And then it happened.

Love at first sight.

Wuv, twue wuv...

Sawyer saw Duffy. The Duffy in the pajamas and sleeping cap. The Duffy who just screams, "CUDDLE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And he grabbed Duffy, and he hasn't let him go since.

OKay, so maybe he has. But seriously, Duffy sleeps with him every single night and every single nap. Duffy is what convinces him to go to his bed...because Duffy misses him. Duffy is the first thing besides family that he actually attached to. We love that darn teddy!

After spending way too much money, we made our way downstairs and...





...out to the beach!

I cannot tell you how perfect this was. I dug my toes into the cool sand and relaxed while I watched my three kids build sand castles around me. A giant movie screen was playing Tangled on one side of the beach, and across the water, the Contemporary Resort was shining.

And of course, the castle. We just stood around on the beach and watched Wishes as the music was piped in over on the sidewalk speakers.

PERFECTION. No crowds, no loud noises, full relaxation. And for the first time ever, we saw the Electrical Water Pageant!!













It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening. The only bad thing that happened was the camera battery issues. At the fireworks, Brandon didn't even have time to get settings perfect and the tripod set up. He just had to shoot some quick photos before it died totally, which it did while we were on the beach. Still, photos or not, we simply enjoyed seeing Wishes this way. It spoiled us, I must admit. I sort of got the feeling that someone somewhere on that beach was singing, "One of these families is not like the other," but we WOULD belong here in just a few short hours! And that makes us automatically classy, right???

We shook the sand off our sandals and walked back to the van. We didn't want to leave, but we did leave with smiles on our faces knowing we would be back here in the morning, hopping back to the Poly to settle into our new room!

At the room, we tucked the kids into bed and finished packing our things. We put some of the things in the van and only left out what we'd need. We had to be up early for a yummy breakfast and packed day!

We fell asleep dreaming of that smell of the Polynesian lobby, the torches, the sand, and the fireworks. ALOHA!

 

[Fairy Floss]

What a wonderful night.

What time is the water parade ... Looks great

 

[tinkgurl]

I loved this update! We stayed at the Poly on our honeymoon, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Ohana is so yummy. And so fun for the kids! I love watching the coconut race. I love that Brynn just picked her coconut up!

Isn't Wishes so neat from the Poly beach?! It's just such a different view from being used to watching it in the MK.

 

[jane2073]

I love the Poly!!
We have Yet to stay there but I love to visit

The pot stickers are my most favorite part of the meal too!

 

[katt789]

Aw man, I know that musty smell! Working at camp, whenever wet swimsuits/towels didn’t get hung up, the whole cabin would stink like that. Eck.

Love the girls dresses!! The lobby at the Poly is awesome! So glad you guys got a chance to stay there, it really is magnificent! Awesome that you got some extra fire watching! I won’t lie, I watched half your video last night before I crashed for bed, but I’m definitely going to check it out again now! Lol.

So jealous of the Lapu Lapu! I cannot wait for the day that I get to try one, the timing for Ohana dinner just hasn’t worked out yet, haha! I have to agree, when things are served family style, or buffet, the pictures just aren’t pretty. Especially me at buffets, those plates are so overloaded and just not attractive! Baha. Glad you guys all enjoyed all of the food at Ohana!

I’ve always wanted to watch Wishes from the Poly, it just looks so relaxing, but I’m always so busy doing things in MK that I wouldn’t dare leave, haha!

P.S. where are you guys staying in Sept?

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Great update! I love your Island Hopper shirts! How exciting to be checking in to the Polynesian. I can't wait to hear about the resort.

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

I love the lobby of the Polynesian. They capture the feel (and smell) of Hawaii so well. And I didn't even know they had that ceremony! How awesome is that?

Potential euphemisms all over the place!

That drink looks amazing, and I want it right now.

I'm really tempted to try Ohana. It sounds really good, and looks like a lot of fun. The only thing is we have so much good asian/hawaiian food in the area, it's hard for me to justify eating it while on vacation. But...Stitch!

Yay Duffy! Sawyer has good taste. You know how we feel about Duffy!

That beach looks perfect just about now. I'm hoping to spend some time there in September. And I LOVE the Electric Water Pageant. When I was little, it was my #1 favorite thing in all of Disney (besides the Haunted Mansion, of course).

Can't wait to see more of the Polynesian stay!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your Polynesian adventures sound like so much fun!! Good idea with the bowl with the Lapu Lapu!!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update...LOVE your pics!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

What a wonderful night.

What time is the water parade ... Looks great

It was perfect! I love when you get an absolutely relaxing moment at Disney. Wonderful.

The water pageant comes to different resorts and to MK around the water at different times. I know it begins at Poly, because that's where the pageant originated back in the day. It's there at 9:00 (in reality, it came on a couple of minutes before Wishes started). During Wishes, it made its way from the right side of the castle allllll the way across the water to the left, off to its next destination.

I loved this update! We stayed at the Poly on our honeymoon, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Ohana is so yummy. And so fun for the kids! I love watching the coconut race. I love that Brynn just picked her coconut up!

Isn't Wishes so neat from the Poly beach?! It's just such a different view from being used to watching it in the MK.

We loved Wishes from the Poly beach! Not only was it not crowded, but we didn't have to worry about Brynn's ears being hurt by the booms! It might have been the first time she's ever enjoyed fireworks in her life while being free of her earmuffs .

I love the Poly!!
We have Yet to stay there but I love to visit

The pot stickers are my most favorite part of the meal too!

They are DELISH!!
I'll be telling you about our stay there very soon.

Aw man, I know that musty smell! Working at camp, whenever wet swimsuits/towels didn’t get hung up, the whole cabin would stink like that. Eck.

Love the girls dresses!! The lobby at the Poly is awesome! So glad you guys got a chance to stay there, it really is magnificent! Awesome that you got some extra fire watching! I won’t lie, I watched half your video last night before I crashed for bed, but I’m definitely going to check it out again now! Lol.

So jealous of the Lapu Lapu! I cannot wait for the day that I get to try one, the timing for Ohana dinner just hasn’t worked out yet, haha! I have to agree, when things are served family style, or buffet, the pictures just aren’t pretty. Especially me at buffets, those plates are so overloaded and just not attractive! Baha. Glad you guys all enjoyed all of the food at Ohana!

I’ve always wanted to watch Wishes from the Poly, it just looks so relaxing, but I’m always so busy doing things in MK that I wouldn’t dare leave, haha!

P.S. where are you guys staying in Sept?

I had been waiting on that Lapu Lapu for years! It was great...too small, but you can only fit what you can fit in a pineapple!
In September, we're starting out at AoA, then switching for Thursday-Sunday to Contemporary. WHere will you be?
OMG. THIS IS HAPPENING!!!!!!!

Great update! I love your Island Hopper shirts! How exciting to be checking in to the Polynesian. I can't wait to hear about the resort.

We still wear those shirts all the time, LOL! We may be the only people in the world who "get" our inside joke, but it's still funny to us!

I love the lobby of the Polynesian. They capture the feel (and smell) of Hawaii so well. And I didn't even know they had that ceremony! How awesome is that?

Potential euphemisms all over the place!

That drink looks amazing, and I want it right now.

I'm really tempted to try Ohana. It sounds really good, and looks like a lot of fun. The only thing is we have so much good asian/hawaiian food in the area, it's hard for me to justify eating it while on vacation. But...Stitch!

Yay Duffy! Sawyer has good taste. You know how we feel about Duffy!

That beach looks perfect just about now. I'm hoping to spend some time there in September. And I LOVE the Electric Water Pageant. When I was little, it was my #1 favorite thing in all of Disney (besides the Haunted Mansion, of course).

Can't wait to see more of the Polynesian stay!

We are doing 'Ohana for breakfast on our next trip on Sunday. It's the draw of Lilo and Stitch! Can't say no to that! You're welcome to join us! (And can I just say that it's awesome to be able to say that!?!?!) I won't be having the Lapu Lapu that early though...wompwomp...
And as for us, ZERO good Asian/Hawaiian food here, so we had no issues trying it!! The breakfast will be standard fare, though, except for the juice, I think, and some seasoning on the potatoes. That's fine. Sausage and bacon. I'm set.

Your Polynesian adventures sound like so much fun!! Good idea with the bowl with the Lapu Lapu!!

I think I had been planning on that Lapu Lapu for so many years that I had planned in advance what to do just in case it was leaking ! Bonus? It didn't poke my hands! I'm normal. Really.

 

[jane2073]

I forgot to add that my parents LOVED Magnum PI back in the day. (Actually my husband liked it a lot too!)
My mom's most favorite part was the little double eyebrow raise that Tom Selleck does at the end of the theme song. My dad tried for years to perfect it.

 

[tiggerfan77]

Looks like you all had such a wonderful evening! I LOVE the Poly! It is my dream resort so I'm so jealous you got to stay there for a few days. I usually try to eat a meal there on every visit so that I can at least pretend to stay there. Lol! You will not be disappointed with Ohana's Breakfast! I usually have it on our MK days so it builds the excitement as you see the castle first thing in the morning.
I'm so excited to finally be doing Ohana's for dinner on our upcoming trip I've tried to get in for the last few years and was just too late. Looks like so much fun and everyone talks about how great the food is. I'm looking forward to seeing my son do the coconut races and the conga line, well I'm sure I'll be joining him too

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Great update...LOVE your pics!

Thank you ! It was a fun time for sure.

I forgot to add that my parents LOVED Magnum PI back in the day. (Actually my husband liked it a lot too!)
My mom's most favorite part was the little double eyebrow raise that Tom Selleck does at the end of the theme song. My dad tried for years to perfect it.

SWOON!!
Yeah, I'm thirty years old. I have no idea how I got hooked on this show or how I even know about it. It's sad, really.

Looks like you all had such a wonderful evening! I LOVE the Poly! It is my dream resort so I'm so jealous you got to stay there for a few days. I usually try to eat a meal there on every visit so that I can at least pretend to stay there. Lol! You will not be disappointed with Ohana's Breakfast! I usually have it on our MK days so it builds the excitement as you see the castle first thing in the morning.
I'm so excited to finally be doing Ohana's for dinner on our upcoming trip I've tried to get in for the last few years and was just too late. Looks like so much fun and everyone talks about how great the food is. I'm looking forward to seeing my son do the coconut races and the conga line, well I'm sure I'll be joining him too

This was the first year I was able to get the ADR, too! You HAVE to join him!
I am excited about breakfast there. I'm becoming more and more happy about that ADR as the time gets near, just for another trip back to the Poly, if nothing else!