It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – an offsite, non-Disney, Christmas TR

[greenclan67]

So I had the BEST intentions to do a whole lotta trip reporting over the course of the weekend, and well.....those great plans went right down the drain. I had a slew of unexpected things pop up between Friday night and now, topped off by Steve finding out late last night that he has to leave for Michigan tomorrow and won't be home until Friday. So my apologies to all! I am going to do my best to get caught back up and at least get one more small entry posted before bed.



Yup, that's one of the things we love about Christmas away......not feeling pulled in so many directions. Not having to decide if we spend the holidays with someone from my family or someone from Steve's. Not having to deal with the brothers-in-law (one on each side) that seems to make us miserable every single year. Not having to worry about baking and cooking and commuting in (often) crappy weather.

We just got up, showered and dressed, and went to SeaWorld . Reserved seating, Quick Queue, no lines, no stress, even prepaid meals. Christmas music, lights, decor, and more holiday cheer than you can imagine. It was perfect . If I had the income and the opportunity to do it every year, I would in a heartbeat!!



The weather was incredible. The heat and humidity were such a surprise!! Especially at night......we were prepared for an evening chill at the very least, but didn't need so much as hoody even once.

You are so very fortunate to have no family drama during the holiday season. We've got a few...uh.....difficult folks that make every holiday (Christmas, Easter, Thankgiving ) a challenge.



Yup, we thought there were some great sales to be had this year, and even with the exchange factored in, we still came out WAY ahead . The malls were busy but it was well worth the time to deal with the crowds.

Most of our family was pretty supportive of our decision to spend Christmas in the south. The few that weren't were the reason we decided to get away in the first place . We all had a big family get together with Steve's family two days after we got home, and we celebrated with my mom the day after that. So we did get to all the important people later in the week, after all the whoopla was over and the dust had settled.



Ah, Discovery Cove for Christmas! I can't think of anything more perfect!





So Great American Cookie is a chain? Oh dear, that's not going to be good for my waistline!!

I saw their cookie cakes, and was mighty impressed (they were decorated so adorably!). Jake's Sunshine is celebrating her birthday on our April trip.....maybe that would be a good idea for her in lieu of a traditional cake . Of course, I was also considering something cool from Carlos Bakery in the Florida Mall. Decisions, decisions .



I do think it makes it easier when you have older kids versus younger ones. One of the perks of having teens .



Yeah, we didn't even really plan on a waterpark day until we saw the forecast for our week there. I was so surprised there weren't more people at Aquatica when it was so HOT and humid . Winter or not, I thought the place would be packed!!



Ah yes, I can empathize with you totally. On my side, its my sister and her husband who sour the holiday spirit. On Steve's, its a brother and a brother-in-law that routinely test everyone's good nature. Family holidays where we are forced to endure those difficult individuals are always the time where Jake takes a moment to thank us for making him an only child .



Oh no! I hope your rain lets up and the sunshine returns. Dreariness is far worse than cooler temperatures!!

We've had drenching rain here for the past two days as well. The upside is that it has melted almost all of our snow. Cold weather is supposed to return for us this week as well, much more to the Canadian norm for January. Blech .



Chili's To Go has always been on our radar, but so far we've never taken the plunge and brought it back to the villa. You're making a good case for it for April, though......I just wish they'd deliver right to the resort! (how's that for a case of the vacation lazies )





A Freudian slip from my friend Carrie?



Glad to have you reading along!!

My mom has a saying: "Poor start, good ending"....and that's pretty much how our vacation went . I am happy to report things did improve substantially from those first couple of days!!



And this one ended up with you stung by an ocean beast!!

And the damn man o war sting is still there!! Those ocean beasts pack a punch. 3 weeks tomorrow and I still have an itchy leg. Good grief.

 

[dancin Disney style]

QUOTE].

You said there was no dessert. Don't lie to us woman! There was a ham.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You said there was no dessert. Don't lie to us woman! There was a ham.

LOL! Which one of them do you class as the ham?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, December 21st:


This was pre-designated as an “easy morning”….one where we could sleep in, relax and get a late start. Unfortunately for Steve and I, our biological clocks are generally set to rouse us from slumber at a reasonably early hour regardless of whether it’s a work day, weekend day, or vacation day. While we managed to sleep in a tiny bit more than normal, we were still up and moving sooner than we would have liked despite the itinerary telling us to sleep late.


Jake, of course, didn’t have any problem sleeping at all . Ah, to be young again.


Our early-to-rise tendencies turned out to be not such a bad thing that morning, though, as my brother, his fiancé and her mom (who were all scheduled to join us for our morning event) arrived MUCH earlier than we anticipated they would. We had told them to be at our villa by 10:15 am to allow lots of time for the drive to the Poly, but they rolled in to the resort parking lot right around 8:30 am instead. Staying in a condo on Indian Rocks Beach on the gulf coast, they weren’t 100% sure how long it would take them to make the morning drive (or if they would encounter any traffic slowdowns due to holiday traffic), so it turned out they left exceptionally early to ensure they made it on time. After checking in with one of the front desk staff, the SVR Welcome Center called up to authorize their entry, gave them a map and directions to Fountains 10, and they were at our door within minutes. Steve brewed a second pot of Tim Hortons coffee, and we all enjoyed a cup of home and some Florida fresh air as we lounged lazily on the balcony.


This was my brother’s first time to Florida, and a first time to the Vistana for all of them, so after the coffee was gone (while we waited for Jake to shower and dress), we took them on a short tour of our side of the resort. They were VERY impressed with both our villa and the grounds….so much so, I got a text from my big bro later that day, asking me to keep an eye out for similar resale deals such as ours. They were shocked at how many amenities were at our disposal….pools, hot tubs, shuffle board, volley ball, playgrounds….and how many activities were held right on property. I think they FINALLY understood why we love travelling to Orlando so much!


As originally planned, we left plenty early for our 11:15 am reservation, just in case we encountered traffic or unexpected delays (we almost missed our 2012 Christmas reservation at the Poly on our last holiday season vacation, with traffic backed up for MILES in some places). Surprisingly, the drive to the MK area was smooth sailing the entire way…..surprisingly empty roadways and no traffic to speak of at all . We were at the parking gates in record time.








With such a swift commute, we had tons of time yet before our official ADR time, so we were in no rush to go check-in for our breakfast. We strolled leisurely up to the building as Dean and his Lovely marveled at all the little Disney features, like the monorail.




The exterior of the Poly was beautifully decorated for Christmas. The entrance is breathtakingly pretty in ANY season, but it somehow still manages to be extra nice when its dressed up for the holidays.







There was a lovely poinsettia tree right at the front doors that fit perfectly with the Polynesian theming.





This was the first time we had seen the lobby since it had been completely redone. It is very open now….lots more space, for sure, but truthfully I think I liked it better before. I miss the fountains and greenery.








Heading upstairs, we checked in at the podium and grabbed a washroom break. Dean’s fiancé and her mom checked out the stores while Dean took photos and texted them to his adult kids back home. Yeah, he was pretty excited for his first taste of Disney at the ripe old age of 50!





Our buzzer went off right around 11 am…..as you can see from the pictures so far, it really wasn’t that busy (again, completely against what we had expected as we planned our Christmas week trip) so it made sense that we would be seated a tiny bit sooner than our actual reservation time. It was a good thing, too, because by this point the guys were almost salivating on the floor….the aroma of bacon emanating from the kitchen was almost killing them….so they were the first ones to beat a path to the restaurant entrance.





Our “cousin” seated us in a quiet table in the corner of the room, gave a short explanation of the experience to our breakfast guests since it was their first visit, then was off to fetch coffee, tea and the infamous (and much anticipated) POG juice for all. The food….and the characters ….would be arriving soon!

 

[dancin Disney style]

LOL! Which one of them do you class as the ham?

In this case it's Jake. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree though.

 

[vrajewski10513]

The Poly is my favorite!! I loved the water feature before, but I really like how big and open the remodel makes the lobby look. I've never done Ohana for breakfast, but dinner there is delicious!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

In this case it's Jake. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree though.

Well, Steve will be glad to hear that Jake got the ham title....he'd rather be described as a "beef"-cake .

On a rather ironic note, Jake used to have a power skating coach who called him Pork Chop. I'm seeing a theme here .

The Poly is my favorite!! I loved the water feature before, but I really like how big and open the remodel makes the lobby look. I've never done Ohana for breakfast, but dinner there is delicious!

It does make it spacious, I'll give them that. In fact, I didn't even realize there was that much space to be gained!! Its a much bigger area than I ever thought. I did love the new view from above.....so pretty!!

We're just the opposite, done the breakfast now many times but never dinner. Dinner looks delish (and my guys would love all that meat) but the price kills me . On a free dining plan, sure....but out of pocket is a killer (especially with the exchange rate now ).

 

[Hemlock]

I also prefer the old Poly lobby. We have 'Ohana dinner booked for our upcoming trip and the prices are killing me (I also need to factor in the crappy Canadian exchange), but it's staying because we're travelling with some friends and they really want to try it. Oh and the worst part is paying almost $25 for dinner for my 3 year old

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I also prefer the old Poly lobby. We have 'Ohana dinner booked for our upcoming trip and the prices are killing me (I also need to factor in the crappy Canadian exchange), but it's staying because we're travelling with some friends and they really want to try it. Oh and the worst part is paying almost $25 for dinner for my 3 year old

Holy moses...that's a hefty price for a preschooler!!

I guess then that I won't complain about our $30 per adult for breakfast!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

As soon as our server had beverages poured, she disappeared for just a few quick moments and reappeared with the first components of our all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast feast. The fruit tray of melon, pineapple and raspberries is one of my favourite parts of the meal....there is nothing like fresh fruit in Florida, especially in the winter. Its sweet, flavourful, ripe and soooo yummy (but I could live on good fruit alone....I’m not much of a veggie girl, but fruit I adore!). I seriously would have been happy with just the plate of fruit to myself, and nothing else.





Along with the fruit tray, they delivered a basket of sweet breads: one had pineapple in it, the other I can’t recall. I personally didn’t have any of the breads (too much other good stuff I’d rather eat) but the rest of the table, excluding Jake and I, happily dived into it.


The first massive skillet of Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries and biscuits was next to arrive: the quantity was more than enough for our party of six to split between us (initially, at least):





Dean went to reach for the serving spoon, to which Jake informs him “You’d better let mom get her pictures first!”. Dean raises an eyebrow at me......”Seriously, George?” (he’s the ONLY one in the world that’s allowed to call me that).


“Seriously Deano. Paws off the spoon”.


Click! Check. “Okay. You can eat now”.


I start with a small portion of all my favourites. Delicious, all of it....though we are a bit dismayed to find that they changed out our favourite item in the skillet, the home fries, since our last visit. We had RAVED to Dean about their home fries, and these were just.....good. Not spectacular, just good.





As we dined and visited animatedly with each other (Dean, his lovely and his MIL were all very pleased with the food thus far), along came the characters. Mickey Mouse was the first to pay a visit to our table.





Now, I even feel bad saying this, but the truth is: Mickey was a disappointment. I don’t know if it was because we had no children in our party, or if this was a new Mickey, or if the soul inside the suit was just having a bad day, but he did not want to spend time at our table.





This was my brother and his ladies’ first Disney experience, so they were all super excited to get pictures with the Mouse himself, but Mickey steadfastedly did not want to indulge us with a photo op with each of our party. When he paused at our table the first time, he literally stopped for a photo with Jake and then moved on to the next group. After he finished with that family(where he took tons of time with two young children), I politely inquired if he would return to our group for a few more pictures. He tromped (no kidding) back over, stayed for ONE more photo, and skittered off again. I had to ask a second time for him to come back, and his body language (yep, even through the suit!) was more definitely annoyance. Thankfully, our newcomers didn’t notice, but we sure did....and I was really quite dismayed. We have had so many good experiences here, with exceptional character interaction each time, that this was completely unexpected.


However...One disappointing encounter would not colour our whole meal.


Pluto was next at the table, silly as always, and was exactly the antidote we needed for the ornery Mickey Mouse.





He was happy to stay for pictures with everyone, and we got some fun and candid shots with our favourite Disney canine.





Little Lilo was next, and as always....my fellows made her look even tinier:





My brother was really starting to get into the spirit of the character pictures by this point, and was quick to suggest a “siblings pic” that he could send to our mom via text.





Stitch was our last visitor of the breakfast, and was his normal rascally self.....picking his nose in the photos, then wiping it on the backs of unsuspecting diners.





After Stitch took his antics and moved on, we took the opportunity to leisurely enjoy the balance of our meal. Our server kept our skillet refilled with all of our favourites (that bacon for the guys just kept coming and coming) and took great care of us throughout our breakfast. The glasses were refilled with more POG juice without having to ask, and we couldn’t have asked for any better care from our “cousin”.


Eventually, we’d all had our fill and it was time to move on from the Poly. We covered the bill (Dean’s fiancée almost had a small stroke when she saw the cost ... if she had calculated the Canadian price with exchange factored in, I think she may have died on the spot), left a 20% tip (as we were a party of 6), and we headed back outside.





We grabbed a few more photos with the lovely garden backdrop:





....gave some quick hugs all around, and then Dean & company headed to Universal while we opted for a stroll at Disney Springs. We needed to walk off our breakfast indulgences, and I was not-so-secretly wanting family photos with Santa .


Disney Springs is next!

 

[Lynne G]

Great pictures. I have not checked out the poly since October, and it was still mostly under construction then, but I like the look of the tropical theme.

Your DB does look like your DB. He has the same facial shape. Glad to see he and his DF enjoyed their meal and characters. We really enjoyed that breakfast when my kids were young, and we had the free dining plan and had so many credits that it was the last table service meal we had before catching our flight home. Back then, it was only LILO and Stitch. They were so much fun, and since very few people were there, my kids got so much attention. It was our magic 10 minutes, or maybe even more time.

 

[pigletto]

Oh the Poly. I just love it there. We stayed there back in 2010. It was a splurge even with the 40% off code and a much better exchange rate. One I've never been able to justify again. But oh how I love the Poly. I agree with you completely about the lobby. It's just not the same, is it?
I loved the fountain and greenery.
O'Hana is our family favourite and one of the only things my Dh and Ds request on every Disney trip. I have a reservation for our upcoming trip but I don't know that I can justify $200 or more for dinner after exchange. Not for meat and potstickers. DS goes for those potstickers. DD is a vegetarian and barely eats half the meal. I just can't justify it. Luckily we love many offsite places now.
But I would sure love a trip to the Poly again one day!

 

[afan]

Loved seeing the breakfast at Ohana. It's in our plan for November. I can't wait to try it.

 

[JaxDad]

Awesome shirt Steve! Go Gators!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Great pictures. I have not checked out the poly since October, and it was still mostly under construction then, but I like the look of the tropical theme.

Your DB does look like your DB. He has the same facial shape. Glad to see he and his DF enjoyed their meal and characters. We really enjoyed that breakfast when my kids were young, and we had the free dining plan and had so many credits that it was the last table service meal we had before catching our flight home. Back then, it was only LILO and Stitch. They were so much fun, and since very few people were there, my kids got so much attention. It was our magic 10 minutes, or maybe even more time.

Yeah, my brother and I look more alike than my sister and I do, for sure. We both look like my dad, where my sister favours my mother's features. He's a cool guy, though, and we've always been pretty close. It was great spending part of our Christmas holidays together (he will pop up again later in this report ).

Oh the Poly. I just love it there. We stayed there back in 2010. It was a splurge even with the 40% off code and a much better exchange rate. One I've never been able to justify again. But oh how I love the Poly. I agree with you completely about the lobby. It's just not the same, is it?
I loved the fountain and greenery.
O'Hana is our family favourite and one of the only things my Dh and Ds request on every Disney trip. I have a reservation for our upcoming trip but I don't know that I can justify $200 or more for dinner after exchange. Not for meat and potstickers. DS goes for those potstickers. DD is a vegetarian and barely eats half the meal. I just can't justify it. Luckily we love many offsite places now.
But I would sure love a trip to the Poly again one day!

There were a few things that weren't the same.....the missing fountain and greenery.....the different breakfast potaotes.....the leis.....the family picture taken just before you were seated. I know they're all small and really insignificant on their own, but together it just ends up feeling different. We still love the meal, but those little touches are definitely missing now!!

I love the theming of the Poly too. I am not big on Disney resorts, but if I were to stay at any of them, the Poly would top my list (winning over the Wilderness Lodge simply because of the monorail).

Loved seeing the breakfast at Ohana. It's in our plan for November. I can't wait to try it.

I love the fact that its served family style, and there's no running back and forth to a buffet line for food. Its just so relaxing, knowing you don't have to worry about missing any characters while you're refilling your plate. We keep saying we'd like to try Cape May's character breakfast at some point, but the family style dining at Ohana has us coming back every time!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Awesome shirt Steve! Go Gators!

One of his favourite purchases at the outlets!

 

[toystoryduo]

Great pictures, Gina!
The entrance to the Poly looked so beautiful and Christmasy!

We haven't been to the Poly in a couple of years, but from what I have seen of the pictures of the lobby, I think I prefer it the way it was before the refurb too.

I'm glad your brother and his family enjoyed Ohana and the characters. How did they like Universal?

 

[tgropp]

Yes awesome shirt. I have one like it but had it shipped here....lots of money. I remember asking you if your son was a Gator fan when he was wearing "The Swamp" shirt on one of your vacations...Go Gatas

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Great pictures, Gina!
The entrance to the Poly looked so beautiful and Christmasy!

We haven't been to the Poly in a couple of years, but from what I have seen of the pictures of the lobby, I think I prefer it the way it was before the refurb too.

I'm glad your brother and his family enjoyed Ohana and the characters. How did they like Universal?

Sigh.....you don't even want to know about Universal .

I told them not to go. I know they don't handle crowds well, so I pleaded with them to take a pass on the parks over Christmas and come back at a slower time of year. Did they listen to me though? Noooooooooo. His fiancee's mom is a huge Harry Potter fan, and he was determined to show her "Harry Potter World".

Long story short, they paid a full day's admission and only stayed two hours (2-4 pm). Did only one ride (Forbidden Journey), MIL felt awful afterward, crowds were massive, so they left. I could have cried when I heard.

I said to him....if you're going to go, be sure to be there when the parks open. Buy the Express Passes. Get there when the parks open. Be sure to go in with a plan. GET THERE WHEN THE PARKS OPEN. But alas, he didn't listen.

They loved the detail of Hogsmeade & Diagon Alley, but the crowds really got to them.

Yes awesome shirt. I have one like it but had it shipped here....lots of money. I remember asking you if your son was a Gator fan when he was wearing "The Swamp" shirt on one of your vacations...Go Gatas

Ha ha! Jake loves anything orange. He loves the Gator fanwear, just for the colour alone. Ditto for Syracuse .

 

[toystoryduo]

Sigh.....you don't even want to know about Universal .

I told them not to go. I know they don't handle crowds well, so I pleaded with them to take a pass on the parks over Christmas and come back at a slower time of year. Did they listen to me though? Noooooooooo. His fiancee's mom is a huge Harry Potter fan, and he was determined to show her "Harry Potter World".

Long story short, they paid a full day's admission and only stayed two hours (2-4 pm). Did only one ride (Forbidden Journey), MIL felt awful afterward, crowds were massive, so they left. I could have cried when I heard.

I said to him....if you're going to go, be sure to be there when the parks open. Buy the Express Passes. Get there when the parks open. Be sure to go in with a plan. GET THERE WHEN THE PARKS OPEN. But alas, he didn't listen.

They loved the detail of Hogsmeade & Diagon Alley, but the crowds really got to them.

Oh, Gina! I'm so sorry to hear that! This was their first trip to Florida, right? Any chance they will try again sometime in the future?