November 5th 2011 Eastern on the Magic

[NC2WDW]

On the subject of passports, I will give an example of how useful they can be. (I recently posted that I would never travel RCL again and the below explanation has nothing to do with that.) DH and I went on our 1st cruise ever in April 2010. To make a long story short, the Miami airport closed down that day due to a storm and we didn't arrive in Miami until 9:00pm, after the cruise ship left. (Yes, we should have flown in a day earlier but didn't want to be gone any longer without the kids) So, we had to fly in to the Bahamas to meet the ship. If I'm not mistaken, we couldn't have flown into the Bahamas without the passport. Therefore, we would have lost all the money paid for the trip (including prepaid tips) and not been able to take our 10 year anniversary trip! We were sure glad we had our passports, to say the least!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Kathy,
they spray for mosquitos in the parks. However where the animals are around its much harder to treat for them due to poison getting on the grass they eat, so that lodge can be nasty at times. Thye do treat all the areas they can.
We always go in the winter months so no worries about those critters. I hate summers in Florida due ot the humidity.

When we lived there I would go out really early or really late at night for groceries and errands and hibernate during the day or play in the pool.
The parks are miserable then and crowded too.

Do you have any photos of the Polynesian??

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

On the subject of passports, I will give an example of how useful they can be. (I recently posted that I would never travel RCL again and the below explanation has nothing to do with that.) DH and I went on our 1st cruise ever in April 2010. To make a long story short, the Miami airport closed down that day due to a storm and we didn't arrive in Miami until 9:00pm, after the cruise ship left. (Yes, we should have flown in a day earlier but didn't want to be gone any longer without the kids) So, we had to fly in to the Bahamas to meet the ship. If I'm not mistaken, we couldn't have flown into the Bahamas without the passport. Therefore, we would have lost all the money paid for the trip (including prepaid tips) and not been able to take our 10 year anniversary trip! We were sure glad we had our passports, to say the least!

Also sometimes people miss the ship(on the islands) on the cruise and then have to get a plane to get back home or the next port. That can be hard without a passport too. Of course you dont want to carry your passport on the islands with you but I do suggest everyone make a photo copy to carry with you. You might want to do the same with your birth certificates.
Whether you miss the ship or have an emergency where you need to fly out, life will be much easier with a passport.

I know on a cruise in the past they refused people boarding because they didnt have a passport. So they must of relaxed the rules again.
I havnt kept up on that. But when our son deicded to come this time he sent off for his passport the same day because we believed it was still required.

Hope you called DCL to verify you only need BC's.

I would feel terrible if they denied you boarding.

Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Ok, so here's a question of the day:

What food are you most looking forward to on the ship (and if you haven't been on Disney Cruises before, then what kind of food are you hoping most they have on the ship?)

For me, I'm a foodie, first of all.... I love food, but *good* food! We aren't big eaters at all (Disney makes money off of us because I know we don't eat our money's worth of food on the ship for the week), BUT we enjoy our food a lot when we sit down to eat!!

I can't wait for the Tenderloin!!! Yum!! I love a really good tenderloin. The one at Palo is really really good! Also, I love fish, and so I always look forward to all the different types of fish dishes they offer.

And, the Chocolate Souflee dessert at Palo... I always save room for that. It's amazing!

-Katy

 

[clj1410]

No cruise documents today, but we did get my daughters passport. Even with the ssn screw up, it only took 13 days to get here I just feel more comfortable having passports with us, just incase of an emergency!

 

[clj1410]

I am looking forward to having smoked salmon for breakfast every day!

 

[LovesToRun]

Kathy,

Do you have any photos of the Polynesian??

Kathy

Kathy,

Unfortunately, these are the only photos I have of the Polynesian from when we stayed there last December! This was the trip where I had fractured my back just before we went (yes, which meant I could not do any rides at WDW ). But, I'm the main photographer in our family... DH takes pictures, but not a lot, because he just doesn't think to take them. Since I was in so much pain and just walking from point A to point B took all my energy, I just did not take hardly any pictures, and I didn't think to ask DH to take a lot of pictures... I really regret that now because we didn't get a lot of pictures from that WDW trip... we got a lot of pictures of the Panama Canal cruise because my parents came with us on the cruise (they were not at WDW), and each week, I started to feel a little better, but these are the only pics I have of the Polynesian... I don't have any of our room. We stayed in the Tahiti building, though, and loved that one!!

Here is a picture of the pool. There is a really cool volcano and it "errupts" every so often (I can't remember how often, but it gets all red at the top and makes erruption sounds... really fun for the kids), and then there is a big water slide inside the volcano and you come out into the pool. My only complaint about the pool area is that the Polynesian does not have a hot tub at all in the pool area!! I was bummed about that because I love to sit in the hot tub, espeically after being in the parks all day. Not sure why they designed in that way.

These are pictures of the lobby (decorated for Christmas). The lobby was really pretty!!! Looked very Polynesian!

And, this is a bit washed out from the sun, but this is a picture of the monorail literally right outside the lobby! This was the best part... it only took 5 minutes to get to Epcot! Loved that!!! It was so nice to be right on the monorail, because it was so close to Epcot, but then super easy to get to the transit center to get to the other parks. Took hardly any time to really get to any park. This ended up being a blessing in disguise for me because of my back... if we had stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I woudl have been miserable because of how much traveling you have to do just to get to the parks!! So, being SO central while injured was truly great for me!! Much less walking and less traveling all together.

Good morning everyone,


Anybody else have plans for the weekend??


Kathy

Eric comes home from China tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, the 4 of us all being back togehter as a family is our big plans for the weekend!! Can't wait to see him!!!

Take care!
Kathy

 

[clj1410]

Plans for this weekend include:

Karate, car shopping, baseball and a birthday party, I am guessing Monday will be here before I know it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend

Kathy enjoy your husband being home

 

[mrp4352]

Ok, so here's a question of the day:

What food are you most looking forward to on the ship (and if you haven't been on Disney Cruises before, then what kind of food are you hoping most they have on the ship?)

Great question!! The cheese souffle appetizer in Lumiere's!!! YUM!!!!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Well for todays question.
I can answer for my family but not for myself.

My hubby is looking forward to trying any new dishes he has never ate before. He loves to experiment on the ship because if he doesn't care for it he can return it and get something different and theres no extra cost like in a restaurant.
He has learned he loves many foods he had never eaten before.
For Peter I believe its the pizza at Palos. He is always talking about how great it is, plus any great steak he can get his hand son.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Kathy,
great to hear Eric will be home this weekend. I'm sure it seems like forever to you when he is gone. Enjoy your family time this weekend,

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Kathy,

Unfortunately, these are the only photos I have of the Polynesian from when we stayed there last December! This was the trip where I had fractured my back just before we went (yes, which meant I could not do any rides at WDW ). But, I'm the main photographer in our family... DH takes pictures, but not a lot, because he just doesn't think to take them. Since I was in so much pain and just walking from point A to point B took all my energy, I just did not take hardly any pictures, and I didn't think to ask DH to take a lot of pictures... I really regret that now because we didn't get a lot of pictures from that WDW trip... we got a lot of pictures of the Panama Canal cruise because my parents came with us on the cruise (they were not at WDW), and each week, I started to feel a little better, but these are the only pics I have of the Polynesian... I don't have any of our room. We stayed in the Tahiti building, though, and loved that one!!

Here is a picture of the pool. There is a really cool volcano and it "errupts" every so often (I can't remember how often, but it gets all red at the top and makes erruption sounds... really fun for the kids), and then there is a big water slide inside the volcano and you come out into the pool. My only complaint about the pool area is that the Polynesian does not have a hot tub at all in the pool area!! I was bummed about that because I love to sit in the hot tub, espeically after being in the parks all day. Not sure why they designed in that way.

These are pictures of the lobby (decorated for Christmas). The lobby was really pretty!!! Looked very Polynesian!

And, this is a bit washed out from the sun, but this is a picture of the monorail literally right outside the lobby! This was the best part... it only took 5 minutes to get to Epcot! Loved that!!! It was so nice to be right on the monorail, because it was so close to Epcot, but then super easy to get to the transit center to get to the other parks. Took hardly any time to really get to any park. This ended up being a blessing in disguise for me because of my back... if we had stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I woudl have been miserable because of how much traveling you have to do just to get to the parks!! So, being SO central while injured was truly great for me!! Much less walking and less traveling all together.

Eric comes home from China tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, the 4 of us all being back togehter as a family is our big plans for the weekend!! Can't wait to see him!!!

Take care!
Kathy

Thnaks for sharing th ephotos. Ilove the idea of the volcano with the water slide. I have never been out by the pool area. At Christmas I have got off the monorail and walked just inside the door to see their chocolate display on a table there. It is usually a volcano with smoke rising and palm trees around it. Lots of hidden Mickeys there too.
Looks like a fun place to stay.

I love the monorail to zip around on. So much nicer than buses.
Now we rent a car and drive to the parks from our hotel. We know our way around and its faster than the buses and much easier to plan our day. Sometimes we have to wait for 2 or 3 buses when its busy to even get to a park but with the car we get up, eat and are on our way.
For us its well worth the price of the car.

Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Great question!! The cheese souffle appetizer in Lumiere's!!! YUM!!!!

Oh, yes!! ME too!!!

 

[NC2WDW]

No cruise documents today, but we did get my daughters passport. Even with the ssn screw up, it only took 13 days to get here I just feel more comfortable having passports with us, just incase of an emergency!

Yeah. Exciting News! Time to celebrate!

 

[NC2WDW]

Kathy (LTR) Good to her your DH will be home. Relish your weekend!

To answer question of they day:
I am looking forward to any dessert.
DH is looking forward to anything strange.
DD 9 is looking forward to all the shrimp and steak she can eat. (She's told me that more than once)
DS 5 is looking forward to sausage. (He has told me that more than once!)

 

[wtgilligan]

Favorite food? I have no idea. but I will try anything I have never eaten before. I love experimenting with new food. and I have lost 40lbs. and when I get to the cruise calories don't count and I am going to eat everything that isn't nailed down.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

We are doing the Doc dance at our house

They arrived today!!!

 

[LovesToRun]

We are doing the Doc dance at our house

They arrived today!!!

Oh, lucky you!! I just got our mail and no cruise docs. Guess we gotta wait!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Kathy,
I am sure it wont be too long. On past cruises everyone had them within a week of each other.

Kathy

 

[NC2WDW]

Gma Kathy: Allearsnet.com has good pictures of the Polynesian. I have spent lots of time there visiting, but not staying. I will have to say that they have a really nice gift shop. Every time I've visited there, I have seen an item or two that I couldn't find anywhere else.