Party at the Poly-Our first trip report-LAST ENTRY-5-21-07-page 4

Yay, another update! I'm really enjoying reading your trip report (and all the pictures! Love the one in front of the castle on an empty Main Street!). You are much braver than me, I am still too chicken to get on Mission Space, even with the tame option. My dad and sisters keep trying to get me to go on. :rolleyes: Looking forward to reading the ending!
 
Yay, another update! I'm really enjoying reading your trip report (and all the pictures! Love the one in front of the castle on an empty Main Street!). You are much braver than me, I am still too chicken to get on Mission Space, even with the tame option. My dad and sisters keep trying to get me to go on. :rolleyes: Looking forward to reading the ending!

I'm glad I'm not the only one scared of M:S! I might have thought about doing the tame/lame side, but I know Danielle would have had no part of that and she was the only reason I was doing it at all! Try it sometime - just try to tell yourself that you'll do fine and you probably will! :thumbsup2

I am loving your trip report! Thank you for including all the pics. Job well done.....:thumbsup2

Thanks so much! :flower3:
 
Don't you just hate that feeling knowing that you are spending your last day at Disney. Packing to leave WDW and driving to the airport is the worst.

I like to call it "Disney Depression" :sad2:
 

Don't you just hate that feeling knowing that you are spending your last day at Disney. Packing to leave WDW and driving to the airport is the worst.

I like to call it "Disney Depression" :sad2:

"Disney Depression" - I love it! I think I'm still suffering!

Just found this trip report! Love it!

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!

Great review. What was your favorite meal?

Now that's a fun question. I would have to say, hands down, that my new favorite restaurant at Disney is California Grill. Everything about it was top notch. My SIL Leigh feels the same way. They guys loved it too, but they're not nearly as vocal as us girls are. :rolleyes1 Regardless, the ambience was great, the service perfect, low noise level (and I had been worried about the noise), and the food unsurpassed. Of course, the view doesn't hurt either! ;) We went to Citricos last trip and it was good also, but isn't even in the same league as CG. Jiko would be my second place winner, but Ray would definitely say Le Cellier. They were both great too.

Gotta go! I'm getting hungry thinking of all those great restaurants!:thumbsup2 Thanks for reading!

Leslie
 
Day Five – Sunday, May 6 – I woke up way too early, just so sad that our last day was here. I was able to get up and dressed and go get the skinney about checkout, getting bags checked, etc. from the concierge guy on duty without waking anyone up. The concierge people at the Poly really were great the whole time we were there. They did everything from mailing a postcard for me (to the kids of a sweet Dis’er who sent mine a postcard when they were in WDW earlier this year) to arranging for someone to set the time on our clock when I couldn’t figure out how to. :rolleyes: Next, I ran to Captain Cooks for our last takeout of sausage and bacon (no eggs this time – I figured they’d be cold before we started eating). Finally, I returned and woke up Danielle, who had missed the wakeup call every day and really wanted to hear from Stitch on our last day. At 7:30, mission was accomplished. :thumbsup2

Next, I started the check out process. Ray usually does stuff like this but unfortunately he had woken up with a killer of a cold :sick: (TIP – do a better job than we did at using hand sanitizer while you’re there!), so I took on the task of dealing with bags and Delta. It was really easy, though – I just called for a porter who drove me and all my bags to the front, where I checked everything except for our carry-ons all the way through to home and got our boarding passes. I had to have both my and Ray’s drivers licenses, but that was it. Very easy. I highly recommend doing it this way – it was so nice to not have to deal with suitcases again until we got home.

We all did breakfast together in the lounge and then the girls and I took off for the MK. Ray just wasn’t feeling well enough to put in that kind of full day again, and I really didn’t want him to be completely dead, so I arranged for a late checkout, and he just relaxed in the room, on the patio and in the lounge for most of the day.

As we were leaving the room, it became obvious that Danielle’s hat was lost. :eek: This was a real bummer because all the princesses we had met yesterday at the breakfast as well as the few other characters we had run into had all signed her hat! I was hoping it would turn up, but just having packed everything, it was not looking good. :sad2:

Anyway, we headed to the monorail, hoping once again to get the front seat, but again it was already occupied. I told the girls to just not worry about it – there will definitely be another trip – but they were disappointed. Regardless, we made it to the MK and were pretty close to the front when they opened up. I had never seen the little skit they put on at opening before. It was cute! Once inside, we hooked up with Earl, Leigh and Evan for our last time of playing in one of the parks. Together we hit Splash Mountain, which happily had no line! :) In fact, since we went right there, there were so few people in line that some of the logs went through the ride with no one in them! When we were just starting and about to go up the first real hill, one of those darn empty logs came down the flume at exactly the right moment to totally soak us to the bone! Honestly, we were as wet as we had been from Kali River Rapids on Friday. Couldn’t believe it. My (of course denim) shorts stayed wet almost all day. But, you can’t go on a ride called Splash Mountain and be surprised at getting wet, I guess…

Next, we rode BTMRR, again with no line, then hit Pirates (hadn’t seen it since they changed to Johnny Depp – gotta love it!), the Tiki birds thing and the Jungle Cruise. Loved our boat driver – I know they’re all funny/corny, but she was really pretty good.

Here are the girls in line at Pirates:

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Then, we decided to grab lunch and headed back to Columbia Harbour House. Everyone had already eaten there once this trip, but it really was good and convenient, so we went for it again. After lunch, we all rode the Haunted Mansion for our last ride, and it was lots of fun. We then parted ways with Earl, Leigh and Evan and headed back to Main Street to do some last chance shopping and something called Virtual Magic Kingdom. Have y’all heard of this? Danielle was about to die to get all the points/rooms/whatever you could, so we had to guess at this multiple choice scratch-off card for quite some time before we got it all. But, we finally did, it was free and she was happy so I guess that was somehow a worthy exercise. :confused3

As we were heading out of the park to go back to meet Ray, Jodi realized she had left her fanny pack in the bathroom. :sad2: I went back and looked for it and even stopped by lost and found at the front of the park, but it was to no avail. She was very sad, as it had her disposable camera, tons of stickers and her little fan. I was pretty bummed, ‘cause it had been just the right size for her and I definitely planned to keep it for the next trip. Well, now we’ve lost a beloved hat and a fanny pack and Ray was sick – things were not going as well as before – must be the last day. :sad1:

We headed up to the monorail and our luck changed for the better – we finally got that ride in the front we had been hoping for! :) This made the girls much happier, especially when it stopped to wait on something several times on our way to the Poly where we hooked up with Ray. There was still plenty of time before our ride would be picking us up, so I let the girls change into their swimsuits in the bathroom and we hit the pool one last time. I have to say, though, that I was so worried people would think we were pool hoppers! I kept on almost telling everyone who walked in that we weren’t, but I decided to just play it cool.

Right as we were leaving the pool, Disney got something it hadn’t had in a long time and sure could use again now I’m sure: rain! It poured! Big thunder, wind, the works. It lasted for some time but let up right around when we left for the airport, via our same great driver as brought us there. The trip to the airport and on home was as uneventful as it had been getting there, which was great except at the end we were back home instead of at our favorite place: the Poly!

We’ve been home about a week and a half as I’m writing this, and we all still really miss it. I’m already scheming about another trip, though I can’t make too much noise about it to Ray, who is still somewhat in sticker shock from this one. But, I’ll put it together before too long – Disney is just too magical a place and kids really are only little for such a short time that we’ll have to go back soon.

Up next: One last entry, with lots of Photopass pics (my CD came!)
 
I loved your update. I am so glad that you were able to walk right on to all of your favorites at MK on your last day! I can't wait to see the new pictures. I also know how long the wait can be before another trip back. My husband finally gave in in April that we could go on a trip and Sept. 22nd can not get here soon enough! Thank you for sharing your trip! :cheer2:
 
We’ve been home about a week and a half as I’m writing this, and we all still really miss it.

Aww, coming home from Disney World always stinks, doesn't it?!?! I swear, the older I get the harder it is for me to leave (even though I know I'll be going back). :rolleyes: I think now that I'm older it's not only the rides and stuff, I just love the whole atmosphere! I can't wait until December when I'm going with my family! :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc Anyway, thanks for sharing your trip...I really enjoyed reading everything!
 
...and kids really are only little for such a short time that we’ll have to go back soon.

AMEN!!!! If this isn't the best reason to keep going, then I don't know what is!! (I have to remember this after we get back in Sept.) :thumbsup2
 
I love that your family keeps giving...and you are repaid with all the magical things that happened...it is so cool the security guard gave you those pins! too bad for the lost hat and pack though...and your poor husband with his cold! Makes leaving Disney even worse!

Hey Ekball! Nice to see you!
 
Loved your trip report. I just finished reading it all today. your pictures are great too andyour girls are adorable. I'm missing Poly right now too! We are going in October during DD's fall break but I have always wanted to go in early May. Sounds like you had your share of pixie dust and you are all so sweet sharing it with others. My DH:eek: is till in sticker shock after our last trip. But soon as we had plenty of funds we booked Poly again for this year. Sorry your DD lost her hat and bag, losing the autographs and pictures on her camera is :sad2: . I'll check back to see your pictures.
 
Wonderful report, Leslie! And thank you for completing it so swiftly! ::yes:: Your girls are beautiful! I'll come back to see your Photopass pix too. :)
 
Thanks, everyone, for your sweet comments! :goodvibes

Trip Over - The Rest of the Story – All good things must come to an end, and of course our fun trip to Disney was no exception. We made it back fine, and I’m happy to report, so did our lost belongings! Danielle’s hat was turned in to someone at the Poly while we were still there, and since she had written her name on the inside of the bill, a CM looked up our name and got it to Ray before we checked out! :wizard: And, to top it off, someone else turned in Jodi’s fanny pack from the MK bathroom she left it in, and since I had put LGMHs on all of our bags with our contact info, they called my cell phone last week and shipped it back to us free of charge! :banana: Both my girls were so happy to have their stuff back, but Jodi was especially happy to have her “Wishing Star” back from CRT, as she had never made a wish on it yet!

For the record, here are pictures of the autographed hats:

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The girls really enjoyed getting them autographed instead of a book this time. If you have kids that are getting over the books but not quite out of the autograph stage, I highly recommend doing the hats! Plus, they were very functional in covering their faces from the sun, and I usually have a hard time getting them to wear hats. (Just don’t forget to make them take them off for pictures!) Speaking of pictures, my Photopass CD came in and I just have to share some of the pics! I was very pleased with how they turned out:

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Thursday morning, right after we got off our private boat ride


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Just a little while later on Thursday, right after we won Dream Fast Passes!


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Thursday night, when Ray and Danielle hit the MK together


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Friday morning, as we were leaving the AK. (One thing I forgot to add in my initial entry about Friday – TGM had recommended against going to the AK that day because there was some big group of eighth graders who were to be in that park that day from noon on. I decided to throw caution to the wind and go anyway, figuring that we would be out well prior to their arrival. Big mistake! There were tons of them everywhere, from about 10:00 on. So, take this as a hearty endorsement for TGM – I would have never heard about the eighth graders from anyone else and I wound up really wishing I had taken his advice. I’ll definitely use him again on our next trip.)


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Us arriving at MGM after fleeing AK


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:)


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Saturday morning as we arrived at the MK for our CRT breakfast. Note how no one was in the park!


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Fun with Tinkerbell


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Saturday morning, arriving at Epcot after our CRT breakfast


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Such a fun ride! I wish they would put all the picture rides on the photopass system!


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Sunday – our last day – arriving at the MK


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Our last pic – we were leaving the MK right as this parade happened by.


I’ve tried to think about what all to say in my last entry about this trip. In a nutshell, it was fabulous. I would change very little to nothing. We were so blessed with so many special things – family being with us, great weather, wonderful dreams being granted, no noticeable love bugs (I had worried about them!), super resort, no problems with kids on heelies, you name it – it seemed like we had it. Even with Ray getting sick at the end, happily it really only got him bad the last day and he was able to enjoy the rest of the trip.

We loved doing the meal plan and would definitely do it again. While it is way too much food, it was easy to not feel like we had to eat everything we were given, since we weren’t having to pay for each meal at the time we ate it. It was a fun way to experiment with new and different foods and restaurants.

Oh, here’s a picture of the candy bar we got our first day at the Poly:
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I got some questions about it on another thread so I thought I’d post a picture. It’s really cute – I think it’s too cute to eat, but my family disagrees. I think they give them to all concierge guests. We still have it and are just waiting on the right time to eat it!

Thanks, everyone, for reading! This has been a very fun experience for me to do this report and I appreciate all of your sweet comments. It’s been fun reliving the trip by writing about it. Feel free to post any other questions (or PM me any time) if there’s anything I can tell you more about. :wave2: Now I just need to get started planning our next trip!! :yay:

Leslie
 
What a beautiful family! Thanks for sharing...
:thumbsup2
 
I got that sad feeling when I looked at that the pic you said was your last pic as you were leaving the MK! I hate that feeling of turning around at the end of Main Street before you exit and saying good-bye to the castle and everything! But, this trip has to end to begin a new one! Great report and I loved it! Glad to see everything was returned!
 
Great pictures! Love the Tower of Terror one. :)
 

Heehee! I love it! :teeth:

We stayed at the Poly for just 2 nights this past March (first 6 nights were at SSR). And we were so looking forward to staying there, but then we ended up dealing with a stomach bug so we didn't get to do all the Poly things we had planned. :( I love reading trip reports on the Poly to see what it's like more. We're going back there to "try again" later this year. We cannot wait!

Thanks for the report! :sunny:
 












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