Lizards, ducks, and FUN! Our week at the Polynesian!*Updated 7/21* Page 10

[cmfranklyn]

I'm a little late joining. We were at WDW at similar time so I can't wait to hear all of your experiences!

 

[Angies1274]

I'm way behind---Love the Tink and Simba Photopass pics!!

That's what I'm most worried about in August because we are going with a group. I know that there are going to be rides that some of us will want to ride and other rides that some won't or can't ride. It's been very difficult trying to come up with some sort of plan that will make everyone happy without making anyone have to wait too long... Now I just hope they will want to follow my plans...

Glad to hear you enjoyed Akershus!!

Love the last picture---just beautiful!!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

I was so far behind, but I just got caught up!!

It would be really hard for me to travel with others if I was expected to wait. Maybe this is why I only go to WDW as a family of 4.

It might be too late, but if you call the photopass people, they can do something on their end and tink will show up in your pics. This happened to me. The young lady on the phone told me that it could take up to 24 hours to show up, but Tink was there in just a few hours. If you already have th CD then it would be too late. But now you know for next time.

You did a lot in one day. I'm glad you felt better and it wasn't something serious.

 

[stace208]

Oh, I am so glad someone else feels that way about Illuminations! I don't really care for it either...it's not worth the crowds or the mad dash to the buses afterwards for me.

I'm relieved to hear that others feel the same way as me too, LL.

Sorry about your moment. I think every trip has them, no matter who you are with.

Thanks, and you are right! I think it is true everywhere you vacation too, not just Disney!

Lovely princess pictures! I must agree with you on Illuminations. I am not a huge fan either. We were at Epcot this year during the show but we just browsed shops and enjoyed the fact that everyone else was outside looking at the show!!!!!

Thanks!
Wow, I never thought I'd find two people who didn't like Illuminations!

My girls wore a silly princess shirts on our first Magic Kingdom day, which will be my next post! How fun that Cinderella noticed.

They couldn't help but notice. Ellie showed every single one of them She was smitten with that shirt from the first moment I showed her on the computer!

We didn't get any photos with the giant Troll this year. I don't know when they put that chest of weaponry near him, but when we were there, about half a dozen children were brandishing swords and axes. Your two look suitably war like, especially with the pink jacket and cute smiles.

I know, the poor troll! And yes, mine are a vicious crew!

Yes, the perspective of Spaceship Earth in the last picture is really cool!

Thanks!!

I'm a little late joining. We were at WDW at similar time so I can't wait to hear all of your experiences!

Hi, and Thanks for joining in!

I'm way behind---Love the Tink and Simba Photopass pics!!

Thanks! Don't worry about being behind--I am very behind on not only writing but reading! Busy weekend/week coming up!

That's what I'm most worried about in August because we are going with a group. I know that there are going to be rides that some of us will want to ride and other rides that some won't or can't ride. It's been very difficult trying to come up with some sort of plan that will make everyone happy without making anyone have to wait too long... Now I just hope they will want to follow my plans...

I'm sure it will all work out. My suggestion is to just move on if the wait seems to be too long. In hindsight I realize that I should've taken Ellie and just moved on...live and learn!

Glad to hear you enjoyed Akershus!!

Love the last picture---just beautiful!!

Thanks! He got a good shot!

I was so far behind, but I just got caught up!!

It would be really hard for me to travel with others if I was expected to wait. Maybe this is why I only go to WDW as a family of 4.

This is DH's top request for next summer-no traveling companions. We've had people with us on the last two trips and he's ready for just the 4 of us!

It might be too late, but if you call the photopass people, they can do something on their end and tink will show up in your pics. This happened to me. The young lady on the phone told me that it could take up to 24 hours to show up, but Tink was there in just a few hours. If you already have th CD then it would be too late. But now you know for next time.

I thought about doing this but never did since we got the one shot with Tink in it that was just as good as the others. That is great to know though so thanks!

You did a lot in one day. I'm glad you felt better and it wasn't something serious.

Thanks! I'm glad I was better too-it was such a weird feeling.

 

[Disneyvirg]

Stacy - I'm sorry you were feeling so rough. Sounds like everything worked out in your favor so you could get recouperated - no swimming, naps, shower - maybe that rehydrated you!

The links to the princess pics aren't working on my computer. Maybe they'll work tomorrow?

Weren't you pleasantly surprised by all the yummy-ness at Akershus!?!? I love that place! Good food AND princesses!

 

[SunnieRN]

Grrrr, work always interferes with my dis schedule, but I'm all caught up again!!

You got a lot accomplished at Epcot!! I'm impressed!! I'm glad that the kids got to see crush. I think that's so cute!! I loved the picture with Mickey and your son at garden grill...too funny!! All the princess pictures were cute as well!! Ben didn't seem too broken up posing with princesses in the end, after all!

You know, what is it about Animal Kingdom? I love the park, but its always so darn stinkin hot!! It just makes people un-cooperative and cranky!! I love the Lion King and Nemo shows though, they're awesome, as well as the safari ride and EE!! What a bummer that you had to spend so much of your morning waiting though.

I like pizzafari. The pizzas not too bad and I love the a/c!

Looking forward to your next day!

Now you have me worried about my group trip in December, I just know they aren't going to mind me!

lol, if you can't keep the group focused no one will be able to!! Is it a family trip? If so, grab Harper and run and everyone will follow you for sure!

 

[micheleq]

Just joining the fun! What a great TR! The Poly is my hope for our next trip, it looks fantastic.

 

[stace208]

My goodness, real life has gotten in the way of this TR...well, no longer!!
Wednesday, June 24 (BTW, this is day 6 of our trip)
We had an earlier than usual wake-up call this morning because Ellie had a special appointment in the castle! We were heading to the BBB! Now, I know that some folks don't like this place. I, myself, am not a huge fan of little girls wearing make-up and all that jazz... So, why did I let Ellie go? When we were here last January everywhere we turned were little girls in princess dresses with their hair done and such. Ellie became intrigued and I did a bit more research. She is not a girly-girl per se but she does like to have her nails done and dress up sometimes for fun. She asked, on her own, if she could go to "the princess place" when we were talking about this trip and what rides/shows the kids wanted to make sure we did. I, having done my research, agreed but within limitations. She could only get the princess hairdo--no spiky pink hair or Hannah wigs. Also, no full princess outfit. I offered to get her a shorts outfit or princess sundress. She decided to just wear her Minnie dress and pack an outfit to change into when she got hot. Worked for me.

She was up and ready to go the fastest today. Hmm, I wonder whyAs we were getting ready, I opened the curtains to check the weather. We had some friends.

Ben is feeding them pop-tart crust. I admit, I told him to There were signs all over at the Poly to not feed them but they were so cute and looked so hungry. Ellie was tickled pink that the ducks were right there.

We headed out and took the monorail over to MK. We had to wait a couple of minutes to be let in and then we were in. It's so wonderful to be in there when hardly anyone else is! Many folks were heading for CP and some were heading for CRT. We poked along because our time wasn't until 8:30 and it was only 7:45.

We went ahead to the BBB door and waited. There was a lady there that insisted she had a 7:50 ressie and couldn't figure why they wouldn't open the door. She and her hubby actually went over the rope and started looking for another door although I told her that this was the only one. A CM chased them down and told them that the BBB opened at 8 and to just wait. When the door opened, they hustled in, all flustered. I made sure to point out that although I liked following my plan, I didn't act like that! We went in and checked in. I was prepared to wait since her time was later but they took us right away! Score!! Once we were checked in, John and Ben headed out to do some exploring on their own. We were not scheduled to meet up until lunch time.
Once seated, Ellie got to pick her hair package and what crown she wanted. Then while her FGIT started on her hair, another one came and let her pick her make-up stuff. I chimed in that it should be VERY light and in the end, she did exactly what I asked so I was happy about that. Although it was our first time, I'd say this was a typical BBB experience-nothing magical yet nothing horrible happened. I'll post a few of the photopass pics.

The big reveal!

Ellie was pleased. I was not thrilled with her hair. I'm not sure if you can tell in those pictures but you will be able to tell in the others. Her FGIT left the back part down. Now I know that her hair wasn't "long" but she could have pinned it up or something..at least I felt like she could have. I asked Ellie and she said she was fine with it down so I let it go. I paid and we headed out. It was now just 8:30 so I knew John and Ben had to be around somewhere. I called and they were waiting by the Main Street Bakery to get breakfast. We thought it would open by 8:30 but it didn't open until 9. I asked a photopass person and she said Exposition Hall was open so we headed in there to do some pictures of Princess Minnie.
Notice that the sash has already come off...this is a trend....

We were done in here in no time and we headed back to the Bakery. We witnessed the crowd come running in...it was funny to watch and not be a part of it. As soon as they opened the doors, we were in! Ellie, Ben, and I had a cinnamon bun. John had something, but I forget. The boys ate quickly because now the park was open and they were burning daylight. I felt bad that the bakery hadn't been open and they had lost time but soon enough they were off. Ellie and I were a bit more leisurely as we still had time to get where we were going...

 

[ladybugmom]

How sweet! Ellie looks absolutely beautiful!! I'm so glad that she enjoyed herself at the BBB! I wonder why they didn't put ALL of her hair up--it's not like it is that short?! But she still looks sooo pretty! Can't wait to read more!

 

[stace208]

We finished breakfast and started walking. It was so nice to just walk along and enjoy the sights. We took the bridge towards Tommorrowland, watched some ducks, and then went to the restroom. Next stop-Toontown rope! We got there and there were only 4 other families there. I was chatting with a couple other moms to pass the time. A lady came up and went past me right up to the rope and asked the CM a question. No big deal. Then one of her kids comes up. Ok. Then her DH and 2 other big kids push their way through. Ellie and I had to move back to make room for them and now she can't see a thing. To top it off, these 3 kids get picked now to help open Toontown. I was aggravated but Ellie was none the wiser so no biggie I guess. We followed directions well and followed the guy heading for the fairies/princesses. Many folks had strollers so I knew we had the advantage over them. We made it in and were the 4th people in line to see them! I think I was almost as excited as Ellie.
I tried taking some pictures of Pixie Hollow but we were constantly moving up and the ones I got didn't turn out too well. When we first got in, I could see the 3 fairies. Ellie was a bit disappointed (no Fawn) but she rallied when it was her turn and you'd never know she wasn't thrilled.
Iridessa was first. This is probably her least favorite and she didn't interact/talk with her much.

Next up was Tink! Oh my goodness, best character of our whole trip! Ellie, to this day, tells people that Tinkerbell called her ladybug. She was so cute, talked fast, and asked a million questions. I actually got a little teary because of how special an interaction this was for Ellie.

Look at the smile!

Last up was Silvermist. Another great interaction. Although not as lively as Tink, very in character and very chatty. She even told Ellie a secret that she still won't tell because Silvermist told her not to!

With our morning goals accomplished early, and perma-grins on our faces we headed out. Ellie looked around the store and I called John. They had done BTMRR and Splash again and were headed our way. We let the kids decide what they wanted to do. We rode Buzz (a 15 minute wait or so), met Buzz and Stitch, rode CoP, and grabbed FP's for Peter Pan (John ran and did this while we were in line for Buzz? I think).

It was very hot by now and quite crowded today. Despite our big, sweet breakfast, we were now all ready for lunch. We headed over to CHH. It was nice and cool and since it was a little before 12, it was not crowded at all. John had the fish and chicken (yummy), Ellie mac and cheese, Ben-chicken nuggets and I had the adult's chicken nuggets that I gave quite a few to Ben. They were very good and better than the kids nuggets.

After eating, we let the kids pick some more things. We got in line for the carpets but they decided they didn't want to wait the 40 minutes. We headed to the Tiki Room and just barely made it in. This was ok, but nothing I would HAVE to see again. I think Ellie probably liked it best of all of us.
We headed up to Main Street to watch the Move It, Shake it parade/show. Ellie wouldn't go out there but Ben did and danced up a storm with King Louie.

Now it was time for our Peter Pan fastpasses. Family drama makes an appearance here. The first time we rode this (way back on Saturday) the kids rode together. I forgot this. So when both kids wanted to ride with John, I told Ben no because I thought he'd already ridden with him. Well, this didn't sit well with Ben at all. Once John reminded me that the kids had ridden together, it was time for us to board and Ben got "stuck" with me. Well, the little terd sat there and pouted the whole ride. This made me mad! I fussed at him a little, laid on the guilt when we got off. I knew he felt sorry but I wasn't going to be easy to win back over. Needless to say, at this point, we decide to leave the park. There were so many people here this afternoon. Maybe because it was closer to the 4th weekend?
We did see one special person

I wanted to ride the resort launch back to the hotel because we had never done it. We went to wait and boat finally pulled up. But, she was having mechanical problems so we went to ride the big boat. Pulled away right as we walked up. At this point, you can't get on the monorail without going back through security so we sat down to wait. Ben was being moody as was I still a little. Ellie was turning on the charm, she didn't want me too upset with her! A boat came along shortly and we got on for a nice peaceful trip over to the Poly.

When we got back to the room, Ben made a nice, heartfelt apology. We talked a little bit about what happened and then agreed to put it behind us and go have a swim. Ellie wonders "what about my hair?". I tell her that she can either not get it wet, get it wet like it is, or take it down. She votes to take it down. I thought John was going to pass out when he saw me taking down that very expensive hair-do Honestly, I didn't care. It was her experience and she had fun. If she was done, she was done. She said it was hurting and she gets migraines, so really I figured it was for the best to take it down!

The three of us head to the pool and John heads to the GCH to straighten out a problem we had with our dinner ressies. He also filled up our mugs. We managed to score a table by the pool today. I swam with the kids a bit and then went to sit with John so I could hear if he got everything in order for tonight. I had my own private BBB experience sitting there by the pool.

John headed in first to take a shower and then the kids and I followed. We weren't sure how long it was going to take us to get to our dinner so we wanted to be ready.
Dinner and our evening is next!

 

[Disneyvirg]

What a magical day!

Looks like Ellie really enjoyed BBB. Too bad the FGIT didn't put up the back. Strange! She still looks cute, though.

Each crew managed to get quite a few things accomplished!

Looking forward to your next update.

 

[stace208]

Wed. 6/24 Part 3
After showering and fancying up, we headed off to dinner. We decided to drive...I should say, John wanted to drive. The CM had suggested we use Disney transportation but John was convinced it would be better to drive..
We made it, parked, and caught a bus back to our final destination. Where?

Pioneer Hall for the Hoop-De-Doo Review! We were all excited for this meal. We were also very, very early. We walked around some and sat around some. We finally got checked in and got our picture taken (didn't buy it).

Finally we got to go in! Our table was on the right hand side of the stage but we had a great view. This is how the table looks when you sit down.

We ordered drinks. I got sangria-love that this is on the dining plan here. The salad and cornbread was delicious. Ellie was acting funny and complaining about being cold. The show started, food came, and life was good!

Ellie wouldn't eat a thing so they brought her some mac and cheese. She was still picking at it and wasn't very lively. I started to worry but didn't say anything. Finally, she asked me to take her to the bathroom. When we returned, she perked up and started eating.
Sadly, the show had to come to an end.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this show. Is it silly and corny? Yep and Ben laughed so hard he cried. The food was delicious and they kept it coming. A definite for our family again and again.
After this, we planned on doing the campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale. We waited quite a while for a bus. Finally one came that would take us to the right stop in the campground. Got off and headed over. It started to rain. For some reason, John had taken all the ponchos out of the backpack. So, we sat in the drizzle. There was hardly anyone there. Turns out, they had moved the time back 30 minutes. Finally they opened the chuckwagon and John got our s'mores kit. The rain stopped and they started the fires. Ben had a blast roasting *read catching them on fire* the marshmallows. Ellie enjoyed her first "real" s'mores experience.

Soon the singer guy came out and started the sing-a-long. It was fun.

Chip came around but Dale never made it to our side.

We decided to head out as we weren't staying for the movie. We walked over to the bus stop and waited...and waited...and waited some more. John said it wouldn't be that far to walk so I said let's go. Big mistake. It was a VERY long walk. I was so proud of my kids. Not until the end did Ellie asked to be picked up. I gave her a piggy back until we got to the parking lot. We were all so tired and glad to sit down in the cool car!!
We went back to the Poly, washed up a little, and hit the hay. It had been a long, but very fun day!

 

[ladybugmom]

Oooh--Hoop-De-Doo Review!! I've been wondering about this show. Your TR is the first I've read where it has been mentioned. It looks really cute! Glad to hear that you liked it! The campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale looks cute, too! Can anyone participate? How does that work? I've never heard of it before! Looks fun!!

 

[dismagiclover]

Wow what a fun and busy day Love getting to the MK early Glad Ellie enjoyed the BBB. We did that once with my DD and she liked it too. I don't think we'll do it again though.
I loved the Fairy pictures The one with Ellie hugging Tink is a keeper for sure Those are the moments that keep us all coming back!
The Hoop de Doo looks like fun. Maybe we'll give it a try sometime.
And of course making S'mores looks great! What is there not to love about a freshly roasted (or burnt) s'more. Good times

 

[cjackearl]

Stace, you had a busy day!! Ellie looked just darling in her BBB princess makeover. What a sweet mama to let her have the experience and then to be ok when she was done with it.

What a great fairy experience. We loved them too, but only had 2 fairies. BUT Boo! to the line cutters! The mom knew exactly what she was doing, asking the CM a question and then conveniently having her family join her.

You're own personal BBB experience was very cute.

Ooh, HDDR! We that show too!! We would go back in a heartbeat.

ETA: We had some of the same rider drama. It got old fast.

 

[Gabes_mommy]

Great updates!

That Ariel just looks old - it's probably the makeup but she just doesn't look young and fresh like that character should.

The pictures of your DD after her BBB makeover are so cute! She looks so happy. I agree with you about the hair though - that would have peeved me a little.

I'm sorry about the "rider" drama. I'm sure my family will encounter that kind of stuff as my DS gets older too.

I hope Ellie wasn't sick at the HDDR.

 

[stace208]

Stacy - I'm sorry you were feeling so rough. Sounds like everything worked out in your favor so you could get recouperated - no swimming, naps, shower - maybe that rehydrated you!

It was the weirdest feeling. Once I got my temp regulated, I was all better!

The links to the princess pics aren't working on my computer. Maybe they'll work tomorrow?

I think photobucket was down.

Weren't you pleasantly surprised by all the yummy-ness at Akershus!?!? I love that place! Good food AND princesses!

Yep, we are big fans of Akershus!! The pull of CRT is getting to me though...

Grrrr, work always interferes with my dis schedule, but I'm all caught up again!!

Yay!

You got a lot accomplished at Epcot!! I'm impressed!! I'm glad that the kids got to see crush. I think that's so cute!! I loved the picture with Mickey and your son at garden grill...too funny!! All the princess pictures were cute as well!! Ben didn't seem too broken up posing with princesses in the end, after all!

Ya, he was eating it up for sure!

You know, what is it about Animal Kingdom? I love the park, but its always so darn stinkin hot!! It just makes people un-cooperative and cranky!! I love the Lion King and Nemo shows though, they're awesome, as well as the safari ride and EE!! What a bummer that you had to spend so much of your morning waiting though.

Yep, it was a bummer. It is always so dang hot there and I always feel that I miss so much. While we hit the major things we want to, it still seems we cut that park short.

I like pizzafari. The pizzas not too bad and I love the a/c!

Our thoughts exactly!

Looking forward to your next day!

lol, if you can't keep the group focused no one will be able to!! Is it a family trip? If so, grab Harper and run and everyone will follow you for sure!

Just joining the fun! What a great TR! The Poly is my hope for our next trip, it looks fantastic.

Hi! Thanks for joining in! I hope you get to stay at the Poly. It is wonderful!

 

[stace208]

How sweet! Ellie looks absolutely beautiful!! I'm so glad that she enjoyed herself at the BBB! I wonder why they didn't put ALL of her hair up--it's not like it is that short?! But she still looks sooo pretty! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you!! That's how I felt about the hair. We purposefully grew it out (she likes it short) so that it would all go up. Oh well, she was happy and that's what matters!

What a magical day!

Looks like Ellie really enjoyed BBB. Too bad the FGIT didn't put up the back. Strange! She still looks cute, though.

Thanks!

Each crew managed to get quite a few things accomplished!

At the time I felt like we hadn't gotten much done. Now, looking back on it, I think we did pretty good.

Looking forward to your next update.

Oooh--Hoop-De-Doo Review!! I've been wondering about this show. Your TR is the first I've read where it has been mentioned. It looks really cute! Glad to hear that you liked it! The campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale looks cute, too! Can anyone participate? How does that work? I've never heard of it before! Looks fun!!

HDDR is great, I highly recommend it.
The campfire is open to anyone. They have the one we went to at Fort Wilderness and they also have one at GF. The Chip and Dale sing-a-long is only at Fort Wilderness though. They have a little ampitheater type place there near the pool-that's where it is. You can bring your own supplies or buy a kit (marshmallows, small box of grahams and 2 Hershey bars) for $10. Sticks were .75 I believe. After the sing-a-long they show a movie. Only thing I am not sure of is whether they do this all year or only in the summer.

Wow what a fun and busy day Love getting to the MK early Glad Ellie enjoyed the BBB. We did that once with my DD and she liked it too. I don't think we'll do it again though.

Yep, this was a once in a lifetime thing for Ellie too.
I loved the Fairy pictures The one with Ellie hugging Tink is a keeper for sure Those are the moments that keep us all coming back!

Thanks! That Tink pic is going in a frame!
The Hoop de Doo looks like fun. Maybe we'll give it a try sometime.
And of course making S'mores looks great! What is there not to love about a freshly roasted (or burnt) s'more. Good times

Definitely give HDDR a try. Your kids would love it! Oh, if you need help burning a marshmallow, I have an expert right here!

Stace, you had a busy day!! Ellie looked just darling in her BBB princess makeover. What a sweet mama to let her have the experience and then to be ok when she was done with it.

Thank you so much for saying that about Ellie and ME! I was proud of myself. At first I was thinking of trying to talk her out of taking it down and then I just let it all go. Maybe I learned something from Sunday when we just chilled at the resort. There's hope for me yet!

What a great fairy experience. We loved them too, but only had 2 fairies. BUT Boo! to the line cutters! The mom knew exactly what she was doing, asking the CM a question and then conveniently having her family join her.

I can't believe you only saw two. I thought there was always 3.

You're own personal BBB experience was very cute.

Ellie and Ben got a good laugh out of that too!

Ooh, HDDR! We that show too!! We would go back in a heartbeat.

Us too! Just pure fun!!

ETA: We had some of the same rider drama. It got old fast.

Oh, I am sorry to hear that you had the same drama. We'd never had it before. Thankfully, after this, they both were eager to ride with me and compromised when needed.

Great updates!

That Ariel just looks old - it's probably the makeup but she just doesn't look young and fresh like that character should.

John said that too-that she looked too old. I just didn't like her interaction skills. I think that is even more important than how they look.

The pictures of your DD after her BBB makeover are so cute! She looks so happy. I agree with you about the hair though - that would have peeved me a little.

Thank you! Yep, I was peeved. The lady at the register heard me I think but I don't know if she told. I was wishing I'd packed some bobby pins!

I'm sorry about the "rider" drama. I'm sure my family will encounter that kind of stuff as my DS gets older too.

Yes, I think it's probably a given. It was our first experience so it caught me off guard. Now I will be prepared and try to nip it in the bud from the beginning-if I can!

I hope Ellie wasn't sick at the HDDR.

Nope, not sick. She just needed to use the bathroom to "make some room" if you follow me on that!

 

[Lamping3]

I've been lurking and I thought I would post a comment! Love that you guys went to Chip and Dale's singalong! This is one thing I am hoping to do in December with my DD and I am glad to see someone who went. I had also been thinking of doing the Hoop De do Review....I don't know if my DD will sit through it though, she will be 2 yo when we go.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Hoop De Doo looked great. We did it once before when I was a teenager but it was our first night of the holiday and were so jet lagged we could hardly see the food on our plate clearly never mind enjoy the show. We had a good night all in all but I would love to go again. This time not exhausted! The campfire looks really fun too. You certainly had a full days fun!