Third time is a Charm***Our Halloween at the Poly!

[dvc at last !]

I am enjoying your TR !

 

[BreezysMom]

Is Poly named after the Poly!?!?! We have a Lulu and her little sister (a maltipoo) named Coco - it sounds like we are running a puppy brothel!

Yes, she is. We got her about a week after our first trip and it just seemed like the natural choice. Her breeder had named her Lola We still call her that every once in a while!

 

[BreezysMom]

I love your trip report so far! I am going to be staying LVCL over Easter and I am hoping they will help me out organizing some surprises for my boys on Easter...

What kind of beer was offered if you don't mind me asking and would DH be able to bring a couple back to our room in the evening..(I am not saying a lot I mean 2-3 of them )

There was bud, bud light and Heinekin. They also had a Kona beer, I think it was called. DH liked it though

I am enjoying your TR !

Thanks!!!

 

[tarak]

I like the larger pictures as well. I'm never sure what to post on my TR - I always figure people don't want to see my huge photos. But then, they wouldn't be reading it if they didn't. And the pictures do a good job of breaking up my rambling.

The view you had was great! Very nice pictures!

My younger daughter wants to go on the speedway next time - I never liked that ride, but will go for her. I really want to try Test Track next time. I don't think she'll go for that one, though.

 

[mbcary]

I am jumping on board too! I have been lurking the Poly FAQ thread and found out you were doing a trip report for your recent stay. Can't wait to read more! I have never stayed at Poly but seriously considering it for my next visit.

 

[PolynesianLily]

Joining in!
Great trip report so far! Oh and yes, the Polynesian lobby does smell so NICE!!! Sometimes when i'm out and about at home, I will smell something that smells like the Polynesian lobby and I immediately zone out and go to my happy place.

 

[leeann32]

Can't wait to read more! I'm currently trying to switch to CL at the Poly for our next stay in September.

 

[BreezysMom]

After we headed back from the MK we checked out the fabulous goods in Boutiki. I had bought DD the Hidden Mickey book so she had to show me all the hidden Mickeys she read about....I was impressed at how many she rememberd.

Hidden Mickey on Tiki in Boutiki​

We decided to stop in the room to see if our luggage was there and I was also super anxious for DD to see her surprise Welcome gift! I know I went totally overboard, but she was blown away. It was a Welcome back to Disney from Mickey and Minnie! It was a haul of Halloween stuff and I had the IPO pick up a Autograph book and journal and some other goodies. She still tells everyone about her welcome gift! It was a total success and was fun to put together. I am sure with the shipping and all it was about the same as what a Disney Florist gift would cost but so much more personal

Our luggage was in the room from Magical Express. We love Magical Express and have had nothing but great experiences with using it. Yes it may take a bit to get our luggae but I always pack a carry on with a change of clothing for each of us, PJs and our bathing suits. We always get our luggage within a few hours and then I unpack before we head go to bed. It really is a great complimentary service.

Our room was also turned down...ahhh so nice

After we checked out the room we headed to the lounge for a beer to take onto the beach for Wishes. I of course poured myself another tall glass of the Ku'ulei special

DH and DD got themsleves a swing and I pulled up a lounge chair and we waited for Wishes. The crazy thing was they were doing the ELP during Wishes some nights which was a bit annoying. This was one of the nights...it was still beautiful

Finally, this trip the beach speakers were working! Our two previous trips there seemed to be issues!

So this my friends is number one of this list of many reasons that we adore the Poly To be able to enjoy the wonderful show from the beach and head back to our room, or the CL lounge for some yummy dessert treats. Which is what we did that night. We got a plate of treats and headed back to the room so I could unpack and we could get to bed. It had been a long day of traveling and the next day was our biggest day of the trip. But before we went to bed we set up our wake up call.....

Coming up next....

rope drop at MK, a traditional must do for us!!!

Breakfast at CRT, used to be a must do, but we may pass next trip

the Pirate League for Breezy, AWESOME!

and MNSSHP, thank goodness for the parade because I have decided that the parties are just plain annoying

 

[DebbyLof428]

Really enjoying your report... keep it coming.

 

[BreezysMom]

So day one of the trip was our big day! First of all we wanted to get the the MK for rope drop. It was an EMH morning so we had to be there by 8am. Since we are an hour behind here in Chicago it really was not a problem getting up, but we just did not have the "rush" in us this trip. We were going s-l-o-w. It turned out to be the best for all of us. I got up first and went to Captain Cooks to buy my refillable mug. I only bought one for me because I like to get my coffee and walk around the resort watching it wake up in the morning before DD and DH wake. Since we were staying CL, with the beverages in the lounge we all really did not need one. But I wanted one for a souvenir nonetheless.

I got my coffee and went for my morning stroll. It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes at the Poly you feel like you are the only one there as it is so quiet and empty Granted it was 6:30 a.m., it is my favorite part of the day.

I did leave my camera behind but did take plenty of pics on other mornings!

By the time I was back in the room I heard the phone ringing so I quickly ran to the phone and hit the speaker button...."Good Morning Sleepy heads, it is time to wake up...WAKE UP!"

We showered and headed to the lounge. We utilized the lounge every morning for breakfast. A few days I went to CC and got Tonga toast for DH and a Mickey Waffle with a side of eggs for DD, but the lounge really sufficed for us. They had bagels every day, and either cinnamon rolls, muffins or croissants. They had cream cheese, butter, jelly and peanut butter. They also had mixed fruit of cantaloupe, honeydew and grapes. They had oatmeal too but I could hardly stomach oatmeal when it was 90 degrees out! I actually did have a bowl one morning later in the week and it was quite good. They also had 4 cereals to chose from!

They also had yogurt, you just needed to ask for it. They had cranberry juice, orange juice and the guava fruit juice as well as milk, skim and 2%. Of course the coffee machine with an array of selections. I only had coffee, DH had a mocha one evening and he said it was so-so.

While the breakfast is nice, it is severely lacking in protein options so while DD would love to eat cinnamon rolls and muffins each morning, we battled constantly that she needed to have peanut butter on a bagel or apple or yogurt as well as milk with breakfast. Otherwise, I would have a starving child by 9:00am. I usually grabbed an apple or orange to take with us to the park for a snack later and of course we asked for plenty bottles of water that I used to fill our water bottles we brought with us to take to the park.

So of course we took our time eating and then we just missed the boat launch so we made the tail end of rope drop...oh well, we had many more days to catch it again!

There really is something to be getting to the park right at opening. We are early risers so it works well for us. We headed right to Dumbo so we could ride it first, but not before taking our signature pose in front of the castle!

I love Dumbo...it was my first ride at Disney World at 35 years old and my daughters first ride at 6 years old so we have to ride Dumbo. This time she wanted to ride alone! Oh well, they have to grow up sometime, but I was still riding it too!

We rode a lot of rides that morning. We got there at 8am and had a 10:20 seating at CRT and we walked on a lot of rides, the Pooh and Snow white and Buzz. I did Splash Mountain by myself, because DD was too scared still. I got soaked but it felt good with the heat! We did Big Thunder Mountain and then headed off to the castle for breakfast.

If you have ready my previous TR you know that we make CRT a must do. We did breakfast our first trip and Dinner our second. Since we wanted to see the princesses we decided to do breakfast this time. We have always paid for CRT Out of pocket even when on the dining plan as I did not think it was worth it for 2 TS so we just paid for our meal. It had always been worth it to us!

This time I felt really rushed by the Cindy line to get a pic, then our food was brought so quickly. We were done even before all the Princesses were out! Then the princesses swooped through, we got our pics and autograph booked signed and they made little small talk with DD but I could tell the whole Princess Magic thing was wayning with her and it was with me too! What really tipped it in for me was when I saw Jasmine roll her eyes becasue the little boy toddler at the table next to us was being a toddler while they were trying to get a pic and I guess she felt put out by it! Oh well, it still was a nice experience and a tradition. We have lots of wonderful memories from our previous visits but I am not sure it will be a part of our next trip

DH has a thing for Belle...Gold Gown Belle but I always make him get a pic with her! It has now become quite a joke with us over the years!

After our late breakfast we headed back to the Poly for some pool time We needed to relax because we were going to party with Mickey for Halloween! I love chilling at the pool. It is just so beautiful there!

I have to say that the Poly does a great job of entertaining the kiddos so us parents can actually relax at the pool. DD loved all the activites they had and of course she had to Hula Hoop

DD is the one in the white tankini with pink hearts. She came in like third place for the first contest and then tied the second. They also played some rockin music at the pool. Maybe one of your kids was shaking their hips with DD that day!

After a bit we headed to the lounge for a cold soda and a snack and then a short nap before we needed to head back to the MK for our appointment at the Pirate League

Coming up...the Pirate League and MNSSHP!

 

[maiapapaya]

Hey, that's our Belle! We felt the same way at CRT, that it was just an assembly line with the princesses. The only one who attempted to make any sort of chit chat was Ariel. I wonder if your Jasmine was the one that we saw by the flying carpets. DD18 had no use for her (long story - I'll explain in my TR), but I can totally see her rolling her eyes at a little kid.

 

[BreezysMom]

Hey, that's our Belle! We felt the same way at CRT, that it was just an assembly line with the princesses. The only one who attempted to make any sort of chit chat was Ariel. I wonder if your Jasmine was the one that we saw by the flying carpets. DD18 had no use for her (long story - I'll explain in my TR), but I can totally see her rolling her eyes at a little kid.

Bri would have been over the moon with Ariel She has yet to encounter her ever!

Ok, Poly the puppy is feeling neglected, Time to cuddle my puppy! I will do the next installment tomorrow!

 

[Disney Girl35]

Ok joining in!!! We have a poly trip in febuary and this should help pass the time and get me excited about our trip. Not that I am not excited already.

 

[ladybugmom]

We did the CRT breakfast for the first time in May and felt the same way--sooo rushed and the food was just so-so. Needless to say we aren't doing it again this next trip. We enjoyed Akershus sooo much better and it's only 1 TS credit!!

 

[BreezysMom]

When they first announced the Pirate League opening, my first thought was finally something for boys! Even though I have a little girl, I do think that maybe boys get gypped a bit at some experiences. I never really though DD would be interested in the Pirate League. When we were planning this trip DD basically said she was not interested in doing BBB again. This was fine with me. She is almost 9 now and had done it twice before so I was not too heartbroken.

One day she heard DH and I talking about the Pirate League and asked to do that and be a Pirate for MNSSHP. Well, it was not really an original costume for the party but hey, it was easy and after all, it is her choice! I requested an appointment for the day of the party and got a 4:00 ressie which was perfect as that was usually the time we head out to the parties.

I had found a pirate costume at the local Halloween store and the Pirate League would take care of the rest, i.e., makeup, bandana and sword!

After some rest we got ready for the party. Earlier in the day while we were at the MK DH and I picked ourselves up some t-shirts at the POC giftshop. I got a bandana as well so he and I were all set. We are not big costume wearers. Probably because we are just really unoriginal, but I have to say that I was impressed with some of the costumes people were wearing and equally shocked with other costumes that people chose to wear I don't get the whole sexy costume craze but maybe I am just getting old or something Anyways, some people really went all out! I am amazed with the creativity!!

So we entered the Pirate League and were greeted by the wonderful CM who are all in character with their British accents and distinct personalities. I think DH and I were more excited than DD!

First she was taken to get her Pirate name. She turned a crank on a drum that held blocks with letters on it and they pulled them out and asked her month of birth and from that she became.....

Jade Backscratcher!

I can tell you that DD did not like the backscratcher part but liked the Jade! So off we went to the makeover area. It is really cool in there and much larger than BBB! The room is full of great details and props. Disney went all out for this experience! The CMs are all so wonderful. We were lucky enough to get Pirate Brenna who is I think happens to be on the DIS. She was awesome and while for some reason DD got the shy bug during her makeover, Brenna kept chatting her up and doing her thing. I was having so much fun.

After she was made into a pirate, Pirate Brenna had her recite an oath and then screamed "WE HAVE A NEW PIRATE" and the whole room erupted in applause and hoots! It was great!

After Brenna was done we went over to another Pirate and he taught DD how to wear her sword and then sent us into the secret room...and this is where my details will end because we have been sworn to secrecy But I will say that we got a great photo in that room and when I get my photopass CD I will post it. I was not allowed to take pics in the room and DH had to put his video camera away! I loved this aspect of the experience and I strongly suggest a ressie at the Pirate league no matter boy, girl, young or old!! It was an incredible experience and well worth the cost in my opinion DH originally had an appointment as well but we cancelled it. I think he was totally jealous and regretted that we cancelled!

After we were led out of the secret room we received our picture and the Pirate Pledge certificate. All the CMs we encountered during this experience were great!

I cannot rave enough about this experience!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Lovin' your trip report!!!

And the Poly is beautiful!!! We've never stayed there, but it's on my bucket list!!!

This is my first exposure to the Pirate League and it looks and sounds awesome!!! Might have to add that to my bucket list too!!!

 

[Jenjulia]

Joining in! We're leaving in 31 days and can't wait. One night at the BCCL and then 6 nights Poly CL.

That is so disappointing about CRT. I we are going with our 3 year old DD, 5 yr old DS, and 9 year old DS. They've never been to the World and I've only been to Epcot, so pretty much everything is new to us. I'm now wondering if I should have planned Akershaus meal too? It sounds like the princesses are a little more personal there? I would think that for the cost of CRT, they would make sure that the experience was stellar.

The pirate makeover looks really fun. I've been trying to get my 9 year old to go to that. He loves POC and I thought that would be fun for him. I gave him the option of the Cool Dude at BBB or the Pirate Experience and he chose Cool Dude. It looks like so much fun though. Maybe I should surprise him with that?

 

[BreezysMom]

Joining in! We're leaving in 31 days and can't wait. One night at the BCCL and then 6 nights Poly CL.

That is so disappointing about CRT. I we are going with our 3 year old DD, 5 yr old DS, and 9 year old DS. They've never been to the World and I've only been to Epcot, so pretty much everything is new to us. I'm now wondering if I should have planned Akershaus meal too? It sounds like the princesses are a little more personal there? I would think that for the cost of CRT, they would make sure that the experience was stellar.

The pirate makeover looks really fun. I've been trying to get my 9 year old to go to that. He loves POC and I thought that would be fun for him. I gave him the option of the Cool Dude at BBB or the Pirate Experience and he chose Cool Dude. It looks like so much fun though. Maybe I should surprise him with that?

You will still have a a magical time your first experience at CRT. Go in with nothing but positive thoughts and enjoy every inch of being inside the castle! It is worth it I promise

 

[DWGal210]

Great report so far!

The Poly looks wonderful - I would love to stay there someday! Looks so peaceful and lovely!

The Pirate League DOES look really neat....hmm....I'll have to give that some thought. My 3 year old cousin is part of our group for this trip and he loves Pirates (he even makes what he calls his 'pirate face' which is basically covering up one eye and snarling!) so maybe he would really like that!

Can't wait to read more, great start so far!

 

[Disney Girl35]

I have an appointment scheduled for my 3 year old to do pirates league in feb. We will then go on the pirates and pals cruise that evening. I am so excited for him. Can't wait to see that.

I have not been to CRT since characters have been there but prior to the characters the castle was a great TS meal. It was very romantic even with kids all around. I wish they would bring that back.

Your daughter looks so cute in here pirate outfit all made up.