Melling Mayhem hits WDW 2016

[princessfionasmom]

I have never written a trip report before but have certainly enjoyed reading many of them on here. Here is my very long winded attempt at one and hopefully it won't put you asleep. I hope you enjoy reading it and please let me know if you have any questions!!

Cast: Carmel (Me), Dan (DH), Justin (DS), Fiona (DD), Martin Sr. (my dad), Martin Jr. (my brother), Martha (DSIL), Michael (my brother), Edilsa (DSIL), Elisa (niece), Matthew (nephew), Anita (DS), Kyle (DS's boyfriend).

Dates: 10/18/16 - 10/26/16
Resort: Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

 

[princessfionasmom]

The Medical Part:
This was the first time we traveled with my husband since his health took a down turn. It was a trip with a lot of firsts, having oxygen condenser delivered to the resort, renting a scooter and using DAS. DH has severe graph vs host disease in his lungs from a bone marrow transplant, he also traps CO2 so he is on a bipap for that a couple times a day and has to sleep with oxygen and the bipap. He also has severe osteoarthritis in his hips from all the steroids he has had to take, so walking can be very painful. We had purchased a probable oxygen concentrator prior to the trip and thank god we did. DH's O2 level dropped to 72 while in flight, he immediately put it on and was able to get it back up to 88. Same thing happened on the flight home. I'm so glad we had non-stop flights from Providence to Orlando so the flight was quick. Needless to say, he will not be flying again. As far as flying with the portable oxygen concentrator and the bi-pap machine it was way easier than I thought. We had the letter from his doctor for the FAA approved machine and were never asked for it, but definitely glad we had it just in case. We were never asked anything about his bi-pap, security wiped it to test for whatever they test for and we were on our way. We use Apria for oxygen at home so I contacted them before we left to have oxygen concentrator delivered to our resort. They were very helpful but the delivery and pick up fee was ridiculous. I think they wanted like $285 to deliver the oxygen concentrator to our resort and pick it up. Luckily for us, my sister and my brother both drove to Disney for our big family trip. My sister was able to pick it up and my brother dropped it off for me, other wise I would have rented a car and done it myself. The machine worked out perfectly, just like the one we have at home so no problems there. We rented a scooter from Apple Scooter and I was a little nervous after reading some bad reviews but it all worked out well. The scooter was at bell services when we got there and we dropped it back with them. It ran pretty good but towards the end of the day it would start beeping. After a couple of days I had DH make sure he had the charger with him so we could charge it if needed. Also, the charging cord was very loose at the end that plugs into he scooter, DH let bell services know when he dropped it off but I will also call them and let them know. If he makes it down there again we will try Walker for the scooter just because I have read better reviews about them. I was surprised how easy it was to get a DAS. I was prepared to explain why he can't wait in lines and we were not even asked. When we asked for it the CM took one look at DH and asked how many in our party. It was a very quick process and we did it at guest relations inside of animal kingdom. It worked out fantastic for all the rides DH wanted to go on with us and certainly made his trip more enjoyable.

 

[princessfionasmom]

The Resort:
OMG, when I say I love the Polynesian, it's an understatement. I had no desire to stay here at all but it this trip was all about DH so I let him pick. From the second we checked in until we left I was in heaven. We had been there many times for meals but staying there is another store, it is so relaxing. I was surprised at how much I LOVED it. We are DVC members and stayed on points. If I could afford to add points there I would in a heart beat. When we checked in the CM was super nice. We didn't get any of our requested rooms which were all in Tokelau, we were put in Pago Pago. I did mention about our room request and she was going to see what she could do but it was late and we were tired so I said no worries and we were off to room 3105 in Pago Pago. No room is far from the main house in my opinion. I just love walking around the grounds there. Got to our room, had a parking lot view which ended up being very helpful with my family dropping of stuff to us or picking us up. I also love that when you walk out one end of the building you are a VERY short walk to the TTC. The bed was so comfortable, it was like sleeping on a cloud. I miss it already. DS slept on the pull out couch and said it was comfortable and DD slept on the pull down bed under the TV and she loved it. She's 5'5" and had plenty of room. At first I thought we would kill each other after a few days but it worked out surprisingly well. The two bathrooms (1 toilet) worked out fantastic. My only complaint would be the lack of storage. I'm so glad we had the coffee table to store stuff in. DD used the tiny drawers and shelves in one bathroom to store her clothing, I used the drawers and shelves in the other one for mine. DH used the closet and DS lived out of his suitcase, primarily because he's too lazy to unpack, LOL. We sat on the beach 3 times and watched the fireworks at MK, it was amazing. We loved the pools and the hot tubs. We also rented the sea racers with my whole family, that was a blast and not as expensive as I thought, especially with the DVC 15% discount. I can't believe we haven't done it before now. We ate at Kona Cafe for breakfast twice, it was so yummy, they had pumpkin pancakes with some maple butter that were delicious. DD had regular pancakes and loved those. I forget what DH and DS had because I was enjoying my pumpkin pancakes so much but I know they liked it. The only disappointment was the Kona coffee, it was a different brand the last time we ate there years ago and I didn't like it as much this time. I actually liked the blend coffee at Kona island much better and their pastries where yummy. We tried Captain Cooks twice and they only item that was liked was DS's burger, I tried the chicken sandwich and the nachos and didn't like either. Of course we also visited the Pineapple Lanai for our dole whips -YUMMY!! We had diner at the Sprit of Aloha - the show was fantastic and the foot was very good. We all loved the dessert. DD was sick that night and when we checked I let them know she would not be joining us and they said they would refund her meal which I was not expecting and was very grateful for. We also got our 20% AP discount refunded to us when we checked in. DH got room service the last night we were there while the kids and I had pizza at the grill area in front of Pago Pago with my brother and his family. He got a turkey sandwich, shrimp skewers and creme brûlée and loved it all. My only regret is not spending more time at the resort, I could totally do a resort only stay there.

 

[princessfionasmom]

Tickets and Discounts:
I had the gold annual pass (I had purchased my AP online back in June, got the exchange certificate in the mail) and also upgraded the kids to the gold annual pass and we all got 13 months. I did this at the guest services in the shop at space mountain thanks to the dis unplugged for that tip. It was quick and easy. I had gotten the kids 7 day park hoppers from park savers for $384 and paid $117 each to upgrade to gold annual passes. Since we are definitely going to be down there for my niece's graduation celebration next may I figured it better upgrade them. They both used their cards for the AP discount after that and had no problem using it even though they didn't have ID's. One CM actually told me that we could just show the AP ticket in the MDE App and that way we don't have to show id's. Speaking of the AP discount, man did we make out with that! I did have other family members give me their items to pay for them (with cash) so it wasn't all me, but we saved about $300 alone in food and merchandise discounts from the AP. We also made great use of the photo pass and had over 200 pictures taken between my whole family. This definitely made the AP well worth it for me. I did also get a TIW card and we saved about $250 this trip using it and we will use it again next trip.

 

[princessfionasmom]

The Parks and MNSSHP:
We had family arrive at different times so we ended up doing parks multiple times. We arrived Tuesday night and unpacked and went to bed and slept like babies. Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom with my sister and her boyfriend. The crowds where supposed to be low but it was very busy, actually the whole week was very busy. I've heard attendance is down but I didn't see that at all. We activated our military tickets and my AP at animal kingdom. There was no one in line when we got there and the CM was super friendly and funny. Then we got in line for the DAS but it was long, a CM came along and told us since we had our tickets to go to guest relations inside, now why didn't I think of that, lol. Went inside, only one person ahead of us. Told the CM we were looking to get DAS, she explained how it worked and asked for everyone's ticket in our group (6 people), set it up and we were on our way. No questions were asked but I will say it's pretty obvious when you see DH that he is not well. We did the safari and the animals were all very active, it was great. We also went on the kali river rapids and I got soaked, like wave crashing over my head soaked. I had one poncho for DH to cover him and his oxygen condenser and he didn't get wet at all. It was a great laugh for all. We had FP for expedition everest, DH did not go on this in case anyone is wondering, no roller coasters for him. Had lunch at Tusker house and used TIW because we got alcohol with lunch. Some of the food was very good, some I just didn't like but all in all everyone was pleased. The character interaction was great. Daisy Duck was all over my 16 year old son, it was hilarious, we got of lots of pics. I wanted to do some shows but I was the only one. I didn't get it before but now I can totally see why people do solo trips and can definitely see doing one in my future. Thursday my Dad and my brother Martin and his wife arrived. This was our MNSSHP day so we hung out at the resort, went to the pool and relaxed. DD and I took the boat over to MK then Fort Wilderness to see about horseback riding but my the time we got there it was too hot for her so we booked it for Monday morning, more to come on that. The CM who helped up book the horseback riding was super nice and friendly, I really enjoyed talking to him. Took ferry back and relaxed until 3:30 and headed off to MNSSHP!! Kids would not dress up but DH and I were pirates and so was my dad, my sister and her boyfriend were Jack and Sally and my brother and DSIL were Pocahontas and John Smith. It was so much fun going dressed up and will definitely dress up if we go again. There were some great costumes, saw some full length princess dresses and capes. We got lots of candy, every TOT spot we stopped at we got handfuls of candy. I didn't see any Zero popcorn buckets which was a huge bummer, I really wanted one. The parade and fireworks were so awesome, I love the grave diggers in the parade. Traveling with such a big crowd definitely changed they flow of the evening and we didn't do things the way we normally would. I would have made it back to the front for fireworks but coordinating everyone and getting everyone moving did not work like I would have liked so we watched from Tomorrowland. It was OK and I'm so glad we had a few nights to watch them from the Poly to make up for it.

 

[princessfionasmom]

Friday we headed over to DHS for a little while and did a few rides with DH. My husband was not feeling well so he stayed in the room and slept all day. The first couple of days and traveling took a toll on him but the one day of rest was what he needed to get back to vacation mode. I had wanted to stay til park close but everyone wanted to head back to their rooms to rest and I wanted to get back to DH. My kids headed back on the bus while I walked over to EPCOT to grab a quick snack and get scan my band to get a scan towards my AP Glass. It was a great excuse to get a few mins alone and take a quick walk through EPCOT and hop on the monorail back to the Poly. I cannot say enough how much I loved the quick walk from the TTC to our building Pago Pago. Friday night we headed to DS to meet my brother and his family who came in from Alabama that night and were staying for the following week (this was the family overlap). We all ate at Bongos, not everyone was thrilled with the food but DH really wanted to eat there. After we all walked around and had some good laughs. Saturday morning everyone met us at the poly and we rented a whole bunch of the sea racer boats and headed out on the lake for an hour. It was so much fun for the whole family and of course, I was the only one who got wet. After the boats we headed over to a very crowded EPCOT for F&W. My brother had to activate his military tickets and the lines were insane, it took about an hour. Once we were in it was off to do some rides. We hit up a few kiosks for some treats. My brother was sticker shocked at the prices, even though I had warned him in advance, so after a few kiosks we all headed back over the the electric umbrella for a more substantial meal for him and his family. Then we headed back over to world showcase and continued around the world. I loved the Sangria and empanadas at the Mexico kiosk, wish I had some right now. I insisted on my grapefruit beer in Germany - everyone tried it and really liked it. We then headed over to pick a pearl in Japan for the kids. Even though my kids are a little older, 13 and 16, this is still one thing they both look forward to. They have a collection of pearls from all our trips. By this time it was time for Reflections so we watched from Japan. It was pretty much empty there and it was a great view.

 

[princessfionasmom]

Sunday my sister and her boyfriend headed back on their drive back to Vermont but the rest of us headed to Animal Kingdom with my brother Mike who had arrived on Friday. It was a great day, not overwhelmingly busy. No Kali River Rapids for me this day, I wanted to stay dry. We did go back to Tusker House and everyone enjoyed it again. We did a few rides then headed back to our resort for a quick rest before heading over to EPCOT so my Dad could do Soarin one more time before he left Monday morning. He really enjoyed the ride. After Soarin we did a quick walk around world showcase to hit up a few more kiosks. It was much less busy and easier to maneuver for my husband in his scooter. I cannot recall how we got separated but everyone ended up going ahead of me over to England. I took full advantage of this alone time to stroll along and hit up Italy for a snack and France for that yummy slushy drink and a desert. When I met up with my family my drink was quickly taking away for the rest to try and that was the end of that drink for me. Then my daughter wanted to get a desert so we quickly went back to France, got her a desert and me another slushy which I did not share, lol. Last stop was Canada for the filet which was delicious. Monday morning my Dad and my brother Martin and his wife left so we were down to just my family and my brother Mike's family. We spent the day at DHS which it was fantastic. It's amazing how different dynamics in families affect how the day goes. I was able to do everything I wanted at DHS. We did rock n roll roller coaster 2x, tower of terror 3x and star tours 2x. We hit just about everything and actually killed a whole day there. I got to see the star wars fireworks show and it was AWESOME. Everyone enjoyed it and we were all so glad we got to experience it.

ETA: OOPS, I missed a day.

 

[princessfionasmom]

Tuesday was our last park day and we headed back to Magic Kingdom. It was a party night which meant it would be closing to us at 7:00. The monorail was down so we took the ferry over from TTC. This was the first time we had experienced it being down this trip which was surprising since I've read it's been down a lot lately. MK was not terribly busy. We used hubby's DAS the most at MK because it had the most rides he could and would go on. It worked out very well. We did a lot of rides, caught the parade and DS (16) got a haircut at the barber shop. I was surprised at how easy it was to get in for a haircut. We walked in there around noon and it was only a 1/2 hr wait. She did a great job on his hair and the price was not bad, $19. I was a expecting to pay a lot more. He was happy and even got some mickey stickers at the end for being a good boy, haha. Pirates and splash mountain were down which was a bummer so we didn't ge to do those with my brother and his family. I searched everywhere again for the Zero popcorn bucket and was told they were completely sold out, huge bummer. We finished our time at MK shopping on our way out. Not a lot of 45th anniversary stuff left. I really wanted a mug and they were sold out.
We ended our night with pizza and beer back at the Poly compliments of my brother and we all sat on the beach and watched MNSSHP fireworks for the last time. It was a fantastic way to end a fabulous family vacation. Wednesday morning we went for our last Kona Cafe breakfast where I had the delicious pumpkin pancakes, soooooo good. Then back to our room to pack up and head down for the bus. As always, it was hard to leave but we cannot wait to go back next May!!

 

[dmea10]

Sounds like a great trip! I would love to do a trip with all of my kids and their families. I know it can be difficult with a large group. Sounds like it went pretty well for you and your family.