~Practically Perfect In Every Way~ 8/18-8/28 at The Polynesian!

[disneylove16]

We arrived a little bit early for our ADR, so we rode the Nemo ride, and explored the aquariums.

 

[disneylove16]

We got to Coral Reef right on time for our ADR. We were given a pager, and waited for our table.

A cast member saw me obsessing over the walls, and told me that all the sand and stones used in them were brought in from Australia. And the white little stones in that close up are actually moonstones.

We were sat close enough to the aquarium to have a spectacular view, but far enough away to not have people in front of our table snapping pictures the whole time.

 

[disneylove16]

DH ordered a ceasar salad, and I ordered the lobster bisque. Both were delicious.

DH ordered the steak, and I ordered the Salmon. Last year, I ordered the salmon and it had I believe a mushroom risotto, which I loved. This year I found out that the flavors are seasonal. This time it was a goat cheese risotto. I'm not a fan of goat cheese, but I was craving this salmon for the past year, so I ordered it anyway. It was good. The goat cheese taste was a little overpowering, but I still ate it all.

After dinner we hit a few more attractions. We did the Pixar film attraction again, which I loved. I thought they would show the same films every time, but one of them was different. Instead of the Luna film we saw last year, we saw Feast... which was adorable.

I stopped for a coffee

and we got our first Mickey pretzels of the trip

Nomnomnom DH always gets cheese with his pretzels, he said he didn't like it this year though. I know I've read about "plastic cheese" at WDW and people like it, maybe that's what he was expecting? I don't really know the differences.

 

[disneylove16]

When it got dark, we head back to the monorail to go back to the resort.

When we got back, there was a crowd outside watching the MK fireworks, and they were showing a movie (I believe it was Wreck it Ralph) on the little lawn area. It was a super nice vibe. Have I mentioned how much I love the Poly?

We then headed over to Trader Sam's. Note: I've read that it's sometimes hard to get a seat at Trader Sam's. If so, remember that there is outside seating with the same drinks. I get that most people go for the atmosphere though. That said, I'm sorry, but I don't get it. I know, I know. It's beloved. Maybe there wasn't enough people for it to be fun for us, maybe we didn't drink enough, maybe we're too old, I don't know, but I wasn't impressed. Everyone was pretty much ordering the same drinks, so the cast members just kept yelling the same scripted jokes over and over. Our server was really not into it, and there was just a very dull, bored vibe when we went. The drinks were strong, at least. If we had more people with us, I think I would try it again though.
*On a possibly completely unrelated side note, I got super nauseous about 20 minutes after finishing my drink. DH felt fine. It may have been the 500 lbs of food we ate that day, so I'm not entirely blaming the drink, but it did turn me off getting that drink again.

I got the Krakatoa Punch and DH got the Tahitian Torch

Outdoor seating

After we left, DH wanted to get pizza from Captain Cook's to take back to the room. I was nauseous still, so didn't get anything.

Then, we called it a night.

 

[PolyRob]

I absolutely love all of your photos!

You covered so much ground thus far, I cannot wait to continue reading your trip report!

 

[disneylove16]

I absolutely love all of your photos!

You covered so much ground thus far, I cannot wait to continue reading your trip report!

Thank you so much!

 

[disneylove16]

Day 4: Relax day/ HS
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This relaxed morning was kind of our turning point in the trip. It made me want relaxed lazy mornings at the Polynesian every morning. We slept in, and I relaxed on the balcony a bit.

Then DH & I headed down to the lobby for a coffee from Kona Cafe.

 

[disneylove16]

We both got iced cafe lattes. The have a variety of syrups you can add. DH got vanilla, I got almond.. Heavens. To. Betsy.. mine was so good. If you like marzipan, or the frangipane from Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in France, you must get this. It's so so good. As you probably know, if you order the cafe latte with a flavored syrup, it's sweet. No need to add sugar. Just make sure you give it a good stir with your straw, as the syrup sits at the bottom. It'll be worth it, I promise. The coffee they use is delicious, with no bitterness. I also ended up getting a pineapple danish because it looked so delicious.

See? doesnt' that look delicious? It had macadamia nuts on it as well, that I picked off, but DH ate.

Up next- swimming, and Oasis bar & grill

 

[PolyRob]

This relaxed morning was kind of our turning point in the trip. It made me want relaxed lazy mornings at the Polynesian every morning. We slept in, and I relaxed on the balcony a bit.

I also tend to be a park commando. My last trip at Poly was amazing, but I definitely wish I took more time to just sit there and unwind. That is what spring 2018 is for

Then DH & I headed down to the lobby for a coffee from Kona Cafe.

That Kona coffee is delicious!

 

[SCSteve]

Loving this picture packed trip report! I think it was great you were able to get the resort shots in the early morning when its not packed with guests!

 

[DizMomAndWife]

Currently pretending I'm sitting on a balcony at the poly, sipping iced coffee

 

[annie170]

I love all the details in your photos. I feel like I'm there! Well, almost...

 

[Shell54]

Love your trip report! Great photos. It's making me seriously miss the Poly. We were there in May and then again in July. In July we stayed in Samoa also. We were in room 3618. Looking forward to following along!

 

[disneylove16]

I also tend to be a park commando. My last trip at Poly was amazing, but I definitely wish I took more time to just sit there and unwind. That is what spring 2018 is for

That's definitely the one thing I learned this trip! I did plan for some down time, but I think if you're paying for a deluxe resort, you should take the time to enjoy it!

Loving this picture packed trip report! I think it was great you were able to get the resort shots in the early morning when its not packed with guests!

Thank you! It was so nice easing into the resort, and not battling crowds as soon as we arrived!

Currently pretending I'm sitting on a balcony at the poly, sipping iced coffee

Me too! What I wouldn't give...

I love all the details in your photos. I feel like I'm there! Well, almost...

Thank you!

Love your trip report! Great photos. It's making me seriously miss the Poly. We were there in May and then again in July. In July we stayed in Samoa also. We were in room 3618. Looking forward to following along!

Isn't Samoa great? It's so close to everything!

 

[disneylove16]

Hi everyone! So sorry I've been MIA, but I have a good excuse. Last weekend we adopted a baby brother for furbaby #1, Dinga,
Meet....

Dublin

And, this sweet, docile puppy that I fell in love with at the shelter came home with us and ended up being a complete monster. I love him dearly, but he may very well be the death of me. He is signed up for puppy training classes at our local Petco, and we have a professional trainer coming once a week for the next 6 weeks to help with interactions between him and Dinga. I have to say, I had no business getting a puppy. I figured I have it made since I work from home, I can be there to train and raise him. Easy Peasy. I was so wrong. Instead, I feel like I'm barely getting any work done because I'm constantly chasing after him. So my TR took the back burner for a week. Sorry about that! Anywho, back to the report!

 

[disneylove16]

After enjoying our coffee, we headed out to eat lunch at Oasis Bar & Grill, and to enjoy the pools. We swam in both throughout the day and checked out the marina area. I was going to rent one of the little boats, but the cast member said they didn't have anyone to "dock it" for us? She said we could go to Grand Floridian and rent one from there, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious, so we just relaxed at the pools and waited for Oasis Bar & Grill to open for lunch.

Someone was skywriting, we couldn't make it out though. All we got was "Jesus 4give"

 

[disneylove16]

 

[disneylove16]

DH got a beer, and I got the Lava Flow, and we both ordered chicken avocado wraps.

They packaged the food to go, I think because I ordered the food at the bar, rather than waiting for a server to come out and take our order at a table. No matter, we just unpackaged it and ate at the tables. We both really liked the wraps. Enough so that we ordered them again the next time we ate at Oasis. For anyone who hasn't had this wrap, there is a sweet closeslaw in it, that's not listed in the description. I liked it, and was surprised DH liked it, because he hates coleslaw. Just be aware, in case you are not a fan.

After eating, we decided to swim. As I mentioned earlier in the report, I "forgot" to bring a swimsuit, mainly because I didn't plan on going swimming. I haven't swam in years, as I have some body conscious issues wearing a bathing suit. But for some reason, once I was there, and saw everyone swimming and having a good time (and no one caring what anyone else thinks) I said the heck with it, and bought a bathing suit from the gift shop so I could swim. And, I also bought a sarong to walk around with. I'm pretty dang proud of myself for being in the moment, and letting myself just have fun.

Little story about the slide, I have a Samsung Galaxy s7, and I swore that I read it was waterproof. In fact, I remember an ad showing a woman dropping her phone into a water fountain, and it was fine. Well, I thought it would be a good idea to take video going down the slide, and keep my hand up with the phone out of the water. Yeah, no. This slide is more intense than I thought! I went completely under, phone and all. So when I got out, I dried it off, and it started getting all glitchy. The screen turned black and wouldn't turn on. And I didn't bring my camera, just my phone. So after about a half hour of panicking, and letting the phone "rest", it turned back on. But the speakers still sounded like they were underwater. Luckily, by the time we got to HS that afternoon, they were dried out, and everything was back to normal on the phone. So, I guess maybe it is waterproof? Once it dries out? Anway, after showering, we headed to HS in the afternoon, and that's when I started taking pictures again.

 

[disneylove16]

We were really out of sorts at HS for some reason. We didn't want to ride anything, it was pretty hot, and very crowded, and we just weren't feeling it. We rode Star Tours, which is funny, because neither of us are Star Wars fans (sorry) but I do enjoy the ride. DH's favorite ride is Rock n Roller Coaster, while I love TOT. We didn't ride either. I think our lazy morning just put us in lazy moods.

Of course, I did stop for a Starbucks (are you surprised?)

After our one and only ride, we took the boat to The Boardwalk.

Next up: Abracadabar, Cape May Cafe

 

[Ruth B]

Your puppy is adorable
Well done you getting a swim suit! You look great in it.
I am body conscious but try and remember that every one else is more interested in what they are doing than looking and judging me.
Enjoying reading along