Day 9: Tuesday, May 4: Checking into the Poly, then Epcot
Weather: Clear all day. High 70s in the morning, low 80s in the afternoon and mid 70s at night.
We used express check out and asked the resort to forward our luggage to the Polynesian. We shot down to the Mara for a quick breakfast. Maybe the selection could have been a little more varied, but overall it was very good (Grade: "B").
We were at the Poly by 11:00. Since we had no luggage with us, we walked straight over to the Hawaii building. Check in was phenomenal. The private check in is almost worth the price of the concierge service. OK, so not quite that much.
They really make you feel right at home and totally comfortable using them during your stay. Aida check us in and she was outstanding. We had requested either a third or first floor with a good view of the castle. We didnt want a second floor since there are no balconies on that floor. Aida said our room was ready and it was on the third floor, Room 3511. Since I knew half of the third floor is smoking optional, I ask whether it was a smoking room. She said it was but that guests usually choose not to smoke in the room. She said she wanted us to see it because it had a great view of the castle and, if we didnt like it, she would set us up in another room. The room was incredible. Not a hint of smoke and a perfect view of the Grand Floridian to the left, the Contemporary and Space Mountain to the right and Cinderellas Castle right in the middle.
The rooms are also much nicer since the rehab. Our room was beige and the dark curtains and fabrics of the 70s have been replaced with much lighter ones. After sitting on the balcony for a while we walked around the resort. The whole place looks great. Whatever is in bloom made the grounds smell incredible. The only issue I had was that the Rarotonga was still under construction and they boarded off a fair amount of the grounds directly outside of the back doors of the GCH. So it was not as pretty walking into the rear of the GCH. The rehabs were supposed to be done the day we were checking in, but it was still going on when we left and it didnt look like it was going to be completed any time soon. Other than that, the Poly looked as good as ever.
We grabbed a snack in the concierge lounge a little after 12:00. The had plenty of drinks, cookies (which are delicious), candies and trial mix. A nice selection, but PBJs would have made it perfect.
After our snack, we decided to go to Epcot for a while. We asked the concierge if they could get PS for us at the Garden Grille and they had them in 5 minutes for exactly when we asked, 5:00. We walked to the TTC and took the monorail over to Epcot. Epcot looked beautiful with the Flower and Garden Festival. We grabbed FPs for Test Track as soon as we got there (which was around 1:00). We got a return window of 2:15 to 3:15, so I knew the park was not too busy. We then went over to the Living Seas. There was no line. My kids appreciate the Nemo theme in LS. I suspect it was seeing all of the fish from Nemo, but I was surprised how much they loved LS. After about an hour there, we hit Spaceship Earth (walked right on). The track has definitely gotten rougher with some pretty big jolts. After SE, we were in our TT FP window and went over and hit that. This was DSs second time. Both kids loved it, though it was a little fast for DD's belly. We then did the Universe of Energy, again with no wait. My kids love dinosaurs, so this attraction rated high with them. We stopped at Ice Station Cool for some soda and, of course, I told DW she had to try Beverly.
We went to the Land Pavilion for dinner around 4:50. This was our first time at the Garden Grill and we were pleasantly surprised. The characters included Mickey, Chip & Dale and Pluto. The interaction was great and completely unrushed. The food was also quite good. We used to shy away from family-style, but DW and agreed that we really enjoyed them this trip. The food was almost as good as Whispering Canyons. We will definitely do this one again (Grade "A-"). After dinner, we rode Living with the Land and then called it a night. We would have loved to stay for Illuminations, but we didnt want to push the kids since we are going to have a late night tomorrow.
We got back to the resort around 7:00. We unpacked, and then hit the game room. The Polys game room has definitely improved with age. We grabbed dessert from the concierge lounge and brought it back to the room to watch the fireworks. In a perfect world, the first time I would have seen Wishes would have been at the park with the accompanying music. But, the kids were dying to see some fireworks and they would have been tough to hide from our room.
All is right in the world when I am at the Poly. I do not know what it is about the resort. I know its short coming: Old looking, too spread out, too basic. But I think those are some of the things I love about it.
Weather: Clear all day. High 70s in the morning, low 80s in the afternoon and mid 70s at night.
We used express check out and asked the resort to forward our luggage to the Polynesian. We shot down to the Mara for a quick breakfast. Maybe the selection could have been a little more varied, but overall it was very good (Grade: "B").
We were at the Poly by 11:00. Since we had no luggage with us, we walked straight over to the Hawaii building. Check in was phenomenal. The private check in is almost worth the price of the concierge service. OK, so not quite that much.
They really make you feel right at home and totally comfortable using them during your stay. Aida check us in and she was outstanding. We had requested either a third or first floor with a good view of the castle. We didnt want a second floor since there are no balconies on that floor. Aida said our room was ready and it was on the third floor, Room 3511. Since I knew half of the third floor is smoking optional, I ask whether it was a smoking room. She said it was but that guests usually choose not to smoke in the room. She said she wanted us to see it because it had a great view of the castle and, if we didnt like it, she would set us up in another room. The room was incredible. Not a hint of smoke and a perfect view of the Grand Floridian to the left, the Contemporary and Space Mountain to the right and Cinderellas Castle right in the middle. The rooms are also much nicer since the rehab. Our room was beige and the dark curtains and fabrics of the 70s have been replaced with much lighter ones. After sitting on the balcony for a while we walked around the resort. The whole place looks great. Whatever is in bloom made the grounds smell incredible. The only issue I had was that the Rarotonga was still under construction and they boarded off a fair amount of the grounds directly outside of the back doors of the GCH. So it was not as pretty walking into the rear of the GCH. The rehabs were supposed to be done the day we were checking in, but it was still going on when we left and it didnt look like it was going to be completed any time soon. Other than that, the Poly looked as good as ever.
We grabbed a snack in the concierge lounge a little after 12:00. The had plenty of drinks, cookies (which are delicious), candies and trial mix. A nice selection, but PBJs would have made it perfect.
After our snack, we decided to go to Epcot for a while. We asked the concierge if they could get PS for us at the Garden Grille and they had them in 5 minutes for exactly when we asked, 5:00. We walked to the TTC and took the monorail over to Epcot. Epcot looked beautiful with the Flower and Garden Festival. We grabbed FPs for Test Track as soon as we got there (which was around 1:00). We got a return window of 2:15 to 3:15, so I knew the park was not too busy. We then went over to the Living Seas. There was no line. My kids appreciate the Nemo theme in LS. I suspect it was seeing all of the fish from Nemo, but I was surprised how much they loved LS. After about an hour there, we hit Spaceship Earth (walked right on). The track has definitely gotten rougher with some pretty big jolts. After SE, we were in our TT FP window and went over and hit that. This was DSs second time. Both kids loved it, though it was a little fast for DD's belly. We then did the Universe of Energy, again with no wait. My kids love dinosaurs, so this attraction rated high with them. We stopped at Ice Station Cool for some soda and, of course, I told DW she had to try Beverly.
We went to the Land Pavilion for dinner around 4:50. This was our first time at the Garden Grill and we were pleasantly surprised. The characters included Mickey, Chip & Dale and Pluto. The interaction was great and completely unrushed. The food was also quite good. We used to shy away from family-style, but DW and agreed that we really enjoyed them this trip. The food was almost as good as Whispering Canyons. We will definitely do this one again (Grade "A-"). After dinner, we rode Living with the Land and then called it a night. We would have loved to stay for Illuminations, but we didnt want to push the kids since we are going to have a late night tomorrow.
We got back to the resort around 7:00. We unpacked, and then hit the game room. The Polys game room has definitely improved with age. We grabbed dessert from the concierge lounge and brought it back to the room to watch the fireworks. In a perfect world, the first time I would have seen Wishes would have been at the park with the accompanying music. But, the kids were dying to see some fireworks and they would have been tough to hide from our room.
All is right in the world when I am at the Poly. I do not know what it is about the resort. I know its short coming: Old looking, too spread out, too basic. But I think those are some of the things I love about it.
