**It's a Poly-Tastic ExtraVaGanZa!**OR IRENE IRENE GO AWAY!

[jdd]

Subbing....we're checking in four weeks from today

 

[Carrie772]

Enjoying the after-trip party! Glad you had a nice trip!

 

[QuirkyBelle]

The room looks awesome! Love that you have a sort of water view.

I used to keep my eyes closed on Dinosaur until I was 17! For some reason, even though I really wanted to like the ride, the dinos freaked me out. Maybe one day your daughter will like it too since those dinos don't look even remotely real.

Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[Oliquig]

The room looks awesome, I am finally able to read up on my subscribed threads now that I have power after 3+ days!

When we went on Kali, I was the only one who got wet, and I get wet enough for the whole boat.

Looking foward to the rest of the report.

 

[mikkiwikki]

Now on this evening ...we had a ressie to the California Grill...
HULA HULA KITTY however....would have none of that -

She wanted to order Pizza...after a small hissy fit, and realizing that our minds were made up to go to Cali Grill....
she decided she was going to hang out in the room with the Tiki gods..

This is her kissing us off. Reluctantly we left her there...after much pleading..

Be that as it was....the remainder of us - *After de-moisting* jumped onto a Monorail to the Contemporary - we were off to the 13th floor....and given a pager to wait...(Our ressie was at 5:30 we arrived at 5 ish...) This gave us time to check out the resort a bit and the kids wanted to see the improvements to the pool. Which the pop jets at the Contemporary are a big improvement to the swim area...(a little foreshadowing..Hubby actually wants to stay there next year)

Then we wandered back to the waiting area..

The pager goes off and we are shown up the elevator to the 15th floor....
Here is My Son looking excited

I started out with the Cali Grill Chese board - Description here
California Grill's Cheese Board (frequently changes) all 5 for $20

SeaHive - SeaHive is hand- rubbed with Beehive wildflower honey and sea salt. The honey is harvested from a local farm where the bees visit wildflowers and fruit orchards. The salt is from an ancient sea bed near Redmond, Utah and contains unique flecks of color. This artisanal gourmet cheese indeed bursts with flavor: sweet, floral notes of the honey, salt and the sharpness of the cheese; a real adventure in flavor.

Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert - Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert is a pasteurized cow and sheep's milk cheese from Old Chatham Creamery in New York. This creamy, soft-ripened cheese is smooth and buttery with the texture of a triple-creme. It is sweet with a buttermilk depth and a little tang.

Truffle Tremor - Cypress Grove's Truffle Tremor is made from pasteurized cultured goat's milk and Tuber Aestivum Vittadini, otherwise known as a black truffle. This bloomy-rind cheese has an earthy flavor with a slight tanginess reminiscent of fresh cream. Cypress Grove's Truffle Tremor cheese is rich, lush, and velvety.

Petite Agour - Petit Agour is a pure unpasteurized sheep's milk cheese 'Pur Brebis' and a winner of two gold medals at the Paris Salon de L'Agriculture. The semi -firm paste is sharp, deep, and earthy with notes of butter and toasted nuts. The rind of the cheese is rubbed with spices to help protect the interior and to give the exterior a rusty hue.

Roaring Forties Blue - King Island Dairy Roaring Forties Blue is a full flavored Pasteurized blue with a sweet, slightly nutty character, a rich mouth feel and good aftertaste. The rindless cheese is matured in its wax coating, which cuts off the oxygen supply, promoting its sweet and fruity flavor. The wax also assists in retaining the blue's moisture, creating a smooth and creamy texture.


Here is the pic...Things are plated from LEFT to RIGHT as you read the descriptions above

by far my favorite was the Petite Agour...the little triangle 4th from the left.The honey above to complement was heavenly...
*Although* surprisingly the Bluecheese with the CranJelly was by far the strongest tasting ...but surprisingly I loved it...I finished all of it...
The Camembert ...the 2nd from the right...I didnt like....just didnt like the texture. The smoked bacon complement was good.
The SeaHive..the 1st was very dry..and crumbley...not bad...I finished half..
The Tremor...the 3rd with the Candied Nuts was very special..sweet and tart at the same time...I ate 3/4 of this
I ordered also a glass of Frogs Leap red Wine to complement the cheese tasting.

Hubby got a plate of sushi - Yoshie's Deluxe Sushi Platter - Maki and Nigiri $28 (its 4 dollars more than it was when we went in 2008!)
astounding as usual....the rice paper is his fave and nice change from the seaweed wrap

To COMPARE - He got this back on my 2008 report...see pic HERE


Here are the kids - looking at my boxed cheese I could not eat...waiting for their food

Next the main entrees...
DS got a Brick Oven Fired Flatbreads
Triple Cheese - Pecorino, Asiago, and Provolone with Sun-dried Tomato and Arugula Pesto* $12
He ordered it without the Pesto...He ate 1/2 said it was good.

DD ever adventurous got Mac & cheese.

for my Entree I ordered
Spicy Kazan Roll - crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce $22

love love loved this...little scallops hiding in the middle with the fireball sauce were astounding...and I could have eaten two plates

Hubby got his all time favorite...He got this on my last 2008 TRIP REPORT...
I did a little comparison to see how their consistency held up ....see here And the presentation is very different....no brocollini ( a big plus...) and now they top with onions... Oak-fired Filet of Beef - Mascarpone Potatoes, Roasted Delta Asparagus, Spring Onion Oil, and Teriyaki Barbecue $44

Hubby loved it and said there wasn't enough of it. on a scale from 1-10 as steaks go - he said this was a 10.

Deserts! ( forgot them...just adding 09/01!)
VALRHONA CAKE - me...I ate like one bite of it...I was so full..DD helped because she got vanilla ice cream only for desert

BANANA CUSTARD - Hubby - Said too much crusty stuff not enough custard...said it wasnt bad, just not what he expected.

DS - I dont remember what this was...but he ate all of it!

Our server was absolutely awesome and I gave him a 25% tip.

Total - 151.53 + 25% tip left it at 199.89
We paid OOP for this meal rather than use 2 TS.

 

[mikkiwikki]

The room looks awesome! Love that you have a sort of water view.

Wow... I know..I totally was psyched when I walked into the room and saw the water...
and it was very quiet...so I was in heaven

I used to keep my eyes closed on Dinosaur until I was 17! For some reason, even though I really wanted to like the ride, the dinos freaked me out. Maybe one day your daughter will like it too since those dinos don't look even remotely real.

Maybe someday

Can't wait to read more!!!

stay tuned!

 

[mikkiwikki]

The room looks awesome, I am finally able to read up on my subscribed threads now that I have power after 3+ days!

When we went on Kali, I was the only one who got wet, and I get wet enough for the whole boat.

Looking foward to the rest of the report.

Yea its pretty funny....EVERY time we do kali...we get drenched..the family we are sitting with comes off dry as a bone.. Everyone was so hot on this day no one wanted to wear the ponchos...it was nice as long as you are not in AC.

Well DAY ONE is done...tomorrows schedule includes Crystal Palace & MK! Stay tuned

 

[glennbo123]

You have a very entertaining report going here mikkiwikki, so wanted to let you know I am following along.

 

[mikkiwikki]

.

 

[mikkiwikki]

You have a very entertaining report going here mikkiwikki, so wanted to let you know I am following along.

COOL!

Ive always enjoyed your trip reports glennbo123!
checking in on my lunch hour but ill be posting more about my first magic kingdom day tonight....

In the meantime some POLYNESIAN trivia for more fun and prizes!!!

What are Tuvalu's neigbouring states... "Federated States of MicroNesia" (There are seven...)
PRIZES AWAIT

 

[mikkiwikki]

Subbing....we're checking in four weeks from today

Forgot to welcome you!

Enjoying the after-trip party! Glad you had a nice trip!

 

[mikkiwikki]

.

 

[glennbo123]

COOL!

Ive always enjoyed your trip reports glennbo123!
checking in on my lunch hour but ill be posting more about my first magic kingdom day tonight....

Thanks for the welcome.

In the meantime some POLYNESIAN trivia for more fun and prizes!!!

What are Tuvalu's neigbouring states... "Federated States of MicroNesia"
there are seven...

I don't know atoll. (ba dum bum)

 

[mikkiwikki]

Wow. Was that party same size ad yours? Did you say anything? I am so enjoying your report. I'll be there in Oct. I have been to Hawaii one time and it was great. So excited to be at the Poly. Thank you so much for letting us be there vicariously!!

Welcome granfan...sorry for delayed welcome...im just catching up now that I have internet connectivity!

 

[mikkiwikki]

Thanks for the welcome.



I don't know atoll. (ba dum bum)

VERY FUNNY!

 

[mikkiwikki]

Just added deserts to my 8/19 Cali grill..somehow I missed those..NOW onto 08/20!

 

[mikkiwikki]

Today we are off to the Magic Kingdom and the kids are beyond excited.
We shuffle through bag check and line up for the 'good Morning song'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTZf-qQevIw
HERE IS A VIDEO I wasnt able to get one....I was CRAMMED up next to one of the MK doorway entrances...
SO my good morning view was a little obscured
BUT it was just like this MINUS the pumpkins!

After being allowed onto "Main Street USA"

We head over to Crystal Palace and snap the following

After checking in and being seated we are shown a table by the front windows...and TIGER appears

We ordered coffee and juice and are off to the buffett

Here is my first plate - Smoked salmon cream cheese bagel with super ripe tomatoe...LOVE this ...and Poohs French Toast..Strawberries and whipped cream. On the side some roasted Potatoes that were cooked just right

DDs plate - breakfast pizza ...bagel and cream cheese

DS plate - Yogurt and blueberries

Hubbies plate - CranOrange Muffin, which he did not like..fruit and croissant

Next Pooh bear appeared

Eeyore

We got another round of plates but for some reason I didnt take pictures


$$$ IF OOP 103.68 before tip - BUT we used 3 (ad)TS credit & 1 ch TS..I paid 14.75 for tip

 

[mikkiwikki]

After weeks and weeks of planning what rides we were going to see when...to avoid waits in line... I had put Tomorrowland on the top of our list of things to see first...Space Mountain Specifically...
HOWEVER....Hubby started complaining he had too much food to go on space mountain.. DS didnt want to get tossed around in the dark , and DD announced she doesnt like that ride, that it scares her

...SO...rather be the grumpy guss....I try to remain FLEXIBLE....My mantra on this trip..."Go with the flow...Don't argue ....we are here to have fun!"
(say it 3-4 times.....really it really works! lol

Ok so as an *alternative* I propose BUZZ Lightyear.(next on my list) DS is ok with it...but DD is jumping up and down to do Big thunder Mountain.

Now let me just say I love my daughter dearly but hubby and I have a private term for DD.....the little dictator. AND it totally fits...

GUESS where we ended up.

So after going on BTR twice...(Not sure how its ok to go on BTR with a full tummy but space mountain is out with hubby...but he did just fine..loved it)

AFTER BTR we made a beeline for POTC (pirates arrgh)
WE saw this great tshirt while walking through the gift shop in the way out.
http://curiousinkling.com/geek-t-shirts/img/index/to-err-is-human-to-arr-is-pirate.gif
"to Err is Human to ARR is pirate" cute!

I didnt take any pictures on POTC, because its kinda dark.

Next was Flying Carpets of Aladdin which we walked right on no wait at all

Basically after this ride we decide its like 11am and we are ready for a snack....not a full lunch because we have a luau to go to tonight...Basically we had Mickey ice cream for lunch. BAD mommy?

But really it was SOOO hot and no one was really in the mood for much food at this point. Furthermore we forgot to bring the misting fans on this day (they were left at our room) Mickey bars it is!

After that we went to the TIKI room...OK I have to say I am soo happy the old version is back, and for all those disers out there who said the old version was lame & witnessed people were walking out mid-show...The room was always packed when we went on many occasions, and not *once* did anyone walk out. Furthermore....People were laughing and singing along, something I never saw with the YUCKY NEW MANAGEMENT IAGO version... (Perhaps I've said too much? - sorry to any iago fans) but basically everyonein the family loved the 'walt VERSION' and was very happy to see the annoying loud characters be gone.

Next we go on the jungle Cruise always a kid favorite. We had a nice guide that didnt make the ride seem like a total joke, and wasnt SCREAMING into the microphone...SO I Actually enjoyed this ride.
As did the kids...My son made me laugh as he jumped down to the floor of the boat when the SPEARS started flying from the natives...I think he actually thought he was going to get lanced...lol

Went on the carroselle then tried to become the Kings and Queens of England by pulling to sword out of the stone

Alas no one was dubbed worthy.

By the time we exit this ride, the kids are getting grumpy ..hot, hot hot...sweaty ....I wanna go swimming mode...SO we decide to can the park and go back to the hotel pool for a swim....

NEXT UP Dinner - or possibly a better title
"To LUAU...OR have a hissy fit"
~~~~> What will it be?...Can you guess?

 

[mikkiwikki]

It is with MUCH apprehension that I post the following....

LET ME JUST SAY UP FRONT...

That I have done the Luau in the past..MANY times...many many times...
.and have loved it dearly ....unfortunately that was back in the 70s/80s
as a child it was mandatory to go to the luau if we were staying at the poly -
WHICH per my dad (rest his soul) was the ONLY place he wanted to stay (mom won the argument once and got him to stay at Contemporary...BUT then we went right back to the POLY) ...

WHEN I WAS KID...(oh my there I go sounding old) there were a LOT fewer tables. I mean a LOT. AND You got a LOT more personal attention...However, I realize they have added TWO longhouses since that time...and everyone wants to see the luau...and Disney is trying to maximize profit etc etc etc etc....

OK! Ill try to keep this positive...hAH Rumph....give me a minute...

I, at no small expense. had paid in advance for the luau...for Category 1 seating.. to be exact I paid 258.12 for a family of four for category 1 seating back in December. The assumption being...that we would be pretty close the front of the stage. (and YES of course I looked at the map and knew exactly what the layout was but I felt if I called right on the 180 mark my chances were pretty good of getting either the first or second row...NOT TRUE!)

I had to convince my hubby to do category 1, because to me if we were not right up front I just wasn't interested in paying that kind of money. Most specifically my daughter is short, and would just be miserable the entire time, so not worth it at all. Therefore, I made sure right at the 180 day mark I made my Category 1 ressie.

Foreshadowing...COMPLETE.

So this is how it went. We arrive...they check us in ...we get our leis....we wait...we are shuffled down a little path...they hand our ticket to our SERVER....who PROCEEDS TO walk us back from the stage FOUR tables back ....from the front stage. FOUR...So my daughter would have 7 adults sitting in front of her.

If we paid Category 2 I would have been happy as a clam *but*... I did not.

At that point I just stopped and said to the server, I dont want to sit here...there are 4 tables in front of us, my daughter will not be able to see....and I paid a lot of money for this. He retorts that it is assigned seating he cannot just move me...well then I very calmly said...Im not sitting here...my daughter will not be able to see, and I didnt pay 258.12 to sit behind 7 people. THEN - I look at my husband..my ROCK...this is the best part....and HE says OUT LOUD " I dont want to hear it - you wanted to do this not me, and I didnt want to spend the money - and if you dont like it lets leave" - almost just broke down LAUGHING....I think he was intentionally being loud to embarass someone but...just embarassed himself (I think?) LOL

OH YES...good stuff...we are creating a bit of a melee...and people are being seated around us.. AT this point a manager appears - I complain..she listens..and basically says she cannot move us but is willing to give us a refund...at which point I say fine...meanwhile my kids are squirreling around my legs saying mommy whats happening mommy whats wrong....

OK so I go to the front desk where they have to process my 1/4 of a GRAND refund....AND I Turn to my husband and say ..."Go to the concierge now, & see if you can get us into Kona...I'm *not* eating at Captn Cooks tonight"

So off he goes....My refund is processed...and with that Im off with DD...Hubby took DS. NOT the way I wanted to start my trip...but whatever...moments later I get a text from Hubby - he got a table at Kona...YEA.. For which he got much praise...

Stay tuned...KONA review up next

 

[glennbo123]

Oh no! Sorry you weren't happy with your seating at the luau. I haven't been to the luau yet, but based on Hoop de Doo, I think their categories need to be revamped a little....4 tables back shouldn't be the same price as the front. And the bad part is, my family is pushing for the luau next trip.