Just returned from Polynesian 9/11-15

[SeanSpoonts]

Wanted to report that DW is in good shape.

We arrived on the 11th at the Poly about 5:30pm. We had the check-in desk all to ourselves. We were booked into Samoa 1st floor and the room was ready as promised. We had asked for a fridge and it arrived at the room shortly after we did.

All in all a nice stay with low crowds and few problems.
Just a few observations.

1. Hawaii was under renovation during our stay but we noticed no banging or construction.

2. Part of the seawall on the harbor side of the Grand Floridian was being rebuilt. The rain may have washed away the corner they were working on.

3. Thunder Mountain was closed during our stay. They were putting chicken wire up on the car incline railing and had sections of track removed. I think in light of the recent tragedy at DL in California they were making sure that they did not have any problems with the Orlando attraction. Or perhaps they already diagnosed the problem with the DL ride and were making a fix to the DW ride.

4. The Exposition Hall had a display of DW construction photos. Really neat to see the place under construction. I took a tour in 69' as a kid when DW was under construction, it gave me a wild flashback to being 7 years old again.

5. Went on Mission Space and have to say that it was amazing. I think Disney now has a ride to rival Spider Man at Universal Studios. As a warning, if you suffer from any motion sickness forget this ride. I was in helicopters in the Navy and this ride is a full motion flight simulator with G forces. Other than that it is awesome in its execution. Don't miss it

6. They were having problems with Space Mountain when we were there and the ride was closed.

7. C. of Progress was closed too.

8. Winnie the Pooh was closed too

 

[pumba]

sounds awesome though.......thanks so much for your report.....

 

[tinawv]

SeanSpoonts - some of the posters have stated that if you look straight ahead and not around you, that you should not suffer from any motion sickness. Do you think this is true in your opinion? I want to ride MS in December when we are there, but at the same time I do not want to get sick and have it ruin my day. I guess if I have doubts I shouldn't ride it, but I so hate to miss it.

Thanx for the great trip report.

 

[Minniespal]

Wonderful reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[SeanSpoonts]

Originally posted by tinawv
SeanSpoonts - some of the posters have stated that if you look straight ahead and not around you, that you should not suffer from any motion sickness. Do you think this is true in your opinion? I want to ride MS in December when we are there, but at the same time I do not want to get sick and have it ruin my day. I guess if I have doubts I shouldn't ride it, but I so hate to miss it.

Thanx for the great trip report.

That's correct. You might also find that sitting in one of the middle two seats would be a good thing as well. I did look out side to side and it was slightly disorienting. Another thing that helps enormously is taking a deep breath and bearing down on your stomach muscles like you are going to the bathroom. I know it sounds crazy but some of the queezyness that you get is from your stomach and internal organs pressing up against your diaphram. I found myself doing that reflexively on the ride, a function of my own flight training in reponse to G forces. It also helps to brace your feet against the bulkhead in front of you rather than place your feet directly under your seat. I would recommend going in the morning and eat only a light breakfast if at all at least 2 hours before you ride. Afterward expect to be a little weak kneed for a few moments. You are going to feel some pretty extreme sensations though. The first is acceleration induced G forces, then a pretty good weightlessness simulation, some side to side banking, then deceleration that will press you forward. The weightlessness is the most discomforting. It all happens over the span of about 4.5 minutes. Like a very long rollercoaster ride.
If you are wondering if your stomach can take the test I suggest riding the Astro Orbiter at TommorrowLand. Look out to the left as the ride spins, if you can take that for 15 to 20 seconds then you should be fine on Mission Space.
As an aside I was enormously proud of my 9 year old son who was little apprehensive before the ride but then completed his assigned mission tasks for two crew positions right on cue. (Two people on our crew chickened out right before boarding) He can be an amazing little guy.

 

[holcomb-mania]

Pooh was closed? Hadn't heard about this.

And they have exactly 18 days to fix Space Mtn!

 

[tinawv]

Thanks for the great advice SeanSpoonts. I will put it to good use, though I could use a little of your son's braveness.