jlima
Beep Beep!
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,270
Me: 38 yrs old, work at Las Vegas strip resort.
DH: 39 yrs old, self employed tax man
DS10
DS4
Tue June 22 - leave HRH about 1p & get to Poly very quickly. Learned from these boards to go through the parking plaza on the far right next to the bus lane and get waived through when I tell them we're checking in to the Poly. Pull up & get bags loaded; they get our room number when I tell them we are concierge and the load us up on the golf cart and we're off. He dropped up off at the far end of the building, which was closer to our room, instead of at the end of the building where the lounge is. We have a ground floor lagoon view room in Hawaii. When I walk over to the lounge Kathy was surprised to see me as the bell desk guy should have brought us to the main entrance? I get checked in and finally meet Tara who has helped me so much with reservations. Go into lounge to check it out and Chef Dick is there. Take picture of him with DS10. Glad I did as the next day other CMs tell us he is on vacation for 2 weeks.
Don't get offered leis; although they are right behind the desks. We get a chocolate postcard with a welcome note delivered to our room a few hours later. Later in the week I get leis from the front desk, and we also get them at the Luau. Ask one of the concierge CMs for a list of pressed penny machine locations and they are able to give me one.
Lunch is at Kona. I have a Lapu Lapu and boy is it tasty!! Then we drive over to Downtown Disney and shop for about an hour. The Once Upon a Toy store had different Potato Head pieces that the toy store in California Adventure. We then meet friends at Pizzaria Uno for dinner. They come back with us to the Poly & we swim until about 9:30, and we all watch Wishes from our patio.
I stop at the concierge desk about 9:45p and talk to Aida about our Fireworks Cruise. We have more than one reservation, and decided to keep the one on Thursday. However when I made the Wednesday reservation back in March, the reservation clerk I spoke with said she didn't have a Summer fireworks schedule, and she put the reservation in for 8p as she didn't know what time the fireworks actually were going to be. Since it's inside of 24 hours of when the reservation is in the computer for, their system won't let Aida cancel the fireworks cruise. She said she would let me know if the morning if it can be cancelled. I try not to worry too much, but I'm really hoping I won't get stuck paying for this!! I understand the need for the 24 hr cancel policy, but 24 hours from what? When the fireworks start at 10p? When you meet the boat 45 minutes earlier? When their computers date roll? The time the reservation is in the computer, that the reservation clerk guessed at 3 months ago?
Wed June 23 - The kids are doing the Pirate Cruise at the GF today. All the kids got pirate bandanas with Mickey Ears!! DH & I go into MK and see Philharmagic and just walk around. We pick up kids and go back to the room. Speak to Aida and yes, they did cancel the Fireworks Cruise and I won't be charged for it. Lunch is at Captain Cooks at the Poly. DH is expecting a fax (we are selling my FIL's condo) and he tries to pick it up at the concierge desk. No luck; their machine isn't working. He gets number for guest fax at front desk, calls RE agent & gets her to fax it again. Goes to front desk, waits in line & no luck there either; their machine is out of toner. A front desk manager gives DH a third number to try. Can't believe he has to chase his tail like this. Finally get the fax, he signs off on everything, faxes it back and we walk over to the TTC and take monorail to Epcot. We ride in the nose of the monorail - too cool!! Ride Spaceship Earth, and see Nemo at The Living Seas. We have a PS for 7:30 at the Rose & Crown, and we are planning to see the 5:45p show of American Vybe. Squeeze in American Experience between show and dinner. Make it to everything on time. DS tells me he would rather do the EMH at Animal Kingdom on Friday than the Segway tour I have reserved for him. I try to change his mind but no luck; he wants me to cancel. Call the lounge from my cell phone and cancel the Segway tour. American Vybe show is terrific; dinner at R&C was also very good. We watch Illuminations from their patio, and call it a night . . . but not me!! I do 2 loads of laundry at the Poly's laundry room before I'm done for the day.
Thur June 24 - Get 6am wakeup call; DS10 and I are doing the "Magic Behind Our Steam Trains" tour. We've been told to be at the front entrance to the MK by 7:15am and we take a taxi; however the driver can't drop us at the bus dropoff; he ends up driving into the Contemporary's self parking lot and letting us out there and we walk over to the park entrance. If we ever do this again will take the first monorail at 7am rather than the taxi. We meet the tour guide on time and get name tags and we're off. We take the train to the Toontown station, then the train goes in reverse to the roundhouse (it's really square! And the monorails park upstairs and the trains downstairs). We get out after briefly going into the roundhouse, and go into the engine 5 at a time. DS10 get to sit in the engineer's seat and blow the whistle & ring the bell. Then we take the train back to the Toontown station, get out again and watch the engineers do some testing. Then back on the train to Main Street, have a water & bathroom break then into the train station for more information about the Disneyland railway. The tour ends upstairs in the station when we all get pins. It's filled with lots of information about the trains, the people who run them and Walt Disney's love of trains. There are only about 20 ppl on the tour and one is actually a conductor at Disneyland. The tour is over by 10:30 and then we go back to the room, gather our stuff and we're off to Typhoon Lagoon.
Can't believe how many cars are turning into this place. They are parking people in the CM parking lot and on a grass field. We get chairs right behind a lifeguard tower, very near Catchakiddie Creek. Had a really good time. DS4 scraped his foot when he tried to stand up in the waterslide at Catchckiddie Creek, and the first aid CMs were very nice & accommodating with Bactine, Band-Aids and TLC. DS10 is all over the park and we hardly see him. Make it onto the family raft ride 2x before the park closes. Takes a while to get out of the parking lot; have dinner at Kona as tonight is our Fireworks cruise. However, while we are eating we can hear wind, rain and thunder. It is raining as we walk to the lounge . . . I want to ask if the cruise will still go on. They call the marina and the official word is yes, the fireworks cruises are being cancelled due to lightening and my money will be refunded. DH feels bad for me but there's nothing we can do. Go to Quest and do CyberSpace Mountain, Pirates game, Buzz Lightyear game and Jungle Cruise. Back to the hotel and call it a day.
Fri June 25 - Get wakeup call for 6am and have breakfast in the lounge, and catch a bus to AK. Are on the Safari by 8:15 and see lots of animals. Ride Primeval Whirl and Triceratops Spin and Dinosaur (am I the only one who thinks this ride is a knockoff of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland?), then DH wants to ride the raft ride. We all get soaked. Walk through the Asia walkthrough and see the tigers up close. Expedition Everest looks like it will be an amazing ride! Back to the room for some downtime, then to DTD for lunch at Earl of Sandwich & shopping. Air conditioning it OUT at the Lego store, and guess where DS4 wants to go?!? Can't believe how hot it is.
Back to hotel, and leave for MK at about 6p. Pick up wristbands right away, and spend time in Toontown. Ride train to Frontierland, and ride POTC and see the Tiki Birds and Hall of Presidents. Starts to rain & DH wants to buy rain ponchos. Buy them, then ride Teacups and back to Toontown to kill time until E night starts. Get something to eat in Tommorrowland, and it's time for E-ride night. Ride Buzz Lightyear 2x, then walk back to Frontierland. Run into end of Spectromagic; the 9p parade was cancelled (rain) so it's running in the opposite direction and it's impossible to get where we want to go; we had to wait for it to end. Ride Splash Mountain 1x, Thunder Mountain 2x, then Haunted Mansion. Ride Peter Pan 3x, then see Philharmagic. Rumors are flying around that Space Mountain is closed, and several CMs have told us POTC is open for E night as a "bonus". By now it's 1:45a and we've had it. Back to the room & call it a night.
Sat June 26 - 6:30 comes really fast. Skip breakfast in the lounge, and are at MGM by 7:45. DH & DS10 ride ToT, then DH goes to RnR for fast passes while DS10 and I ride ToT. Have breakfast at the ABC Commissary. DS4 sleeps in stroller until breakfast. We ride Great Movie Ride, then ride RnR. DS10 gets to ride twice!! Ride bus to Epcot and get baby swap for Mission Space; DS10 and I wait in line (only about 30 mins) then DH & DS10 use baby swap. I discover Mission Space has a play structure in the baby swap area. Too cool! He loves it. DH gets FPs for TestTrack, but they are not until 4:15. Instead we all just wait in line (about 35 mins). On our way out DH gives away the FPs to 2 women who were walking up to the FP machine. They stand there stunned, just staring at them as we walk away. Back at the room kids take naps and DH receives and sends off another fax; we've accepted an offer for the condo!! Yipee! Wake up the kids at 4:45; we are going to the luau here at the Poly and it starts at 5:15.
Thank goodness there are plenty of fans in the Luau Cove;it's so hot. We had GREAT seats, just one table from the very front, right in the middle. DS10 loved the luau, especially the fire twirler at the end. Luau is over by 7pm. We have a reservation at the Neverland Club for the kids. This looks like a fun place; the actual facility is being renovated and the Neverland Club is temporarily located in the Tangaroa Terrace, on the opposite side of the arcade. The CM at the front desk said the Neverland Club is getting new carpet & paint, a new air conditioning system and more. Wendy's bed was her desk. DH & I take bus to DD and find the Jazz club at PI and listen to music and have a few drinks & unwind. Leave about 10p, make it back to Poly & pick up kids & call it a night.
Sun June 27 - We sleep in; pack; have breakfast in the lounge and take the water taxi to MK. DH gets FPs for Philharmagic while kids get haircuts (they can't shave the Mickey logo into their hair; only Disney animators can "draw" something that is copyrighted??? so just get colored gel instead). Return to hotel, check out & drive over to DTD & spend the rest of the day in the air conditioning at Quest. Thank goodness Cheesecake Factory is still running the f&b over here! Leave about 6p for airport. Flight is on time & we are back in Vegas by 10:45p and home just after midnight.
Thoughts:
Concierge - Service seemed to be hit or miss. I was able to get a list of pressed penny locations, but not a seating chart for the luau. They were able to ship a box home for us, but DH had to chase his tail all over the hotel to receive a fax because two different machines were broken or not working. Didn't get leis when I checked in. Aida was able to cancel the Fireworks cruise for me, and they were great with reservations. REALLY wish the lounge had bottles of water. Every hotel DH and I have stayed at with a concierge lounge (Chicago Hilton, Anaheim Hilton, HRH, etc.) has bottles of water in their concierge lounges for guests to take. Not the Poly. Did appreciate the full size cans of soda; HRH only had the little "short" cans. Didn't get even one towel animal in our room, not one. Only amenity delivered at all was the chocolate postcard.
Schedule - If I were planning this vacation all over again, would do Disney first then Universal. Our stay at HRH was less stressful and more relaxing; having access to Universal Express means no need for getting to parks at 8a for short lines.
Lego Store/DTD - Whoever thought it was OK to operate with NO AIR CONDITIONING on Fri 6/25 should have to spend the day their un-air conditioned store!! DS4 really wanted to go there and it was impossible to tell him no, so there I was, just sweltering in the place.
Crowds - Crowds were about what I expected. Longest line all week that we waited in was TT at Epcot (35 mins). Did EMH at Epcot and MGM; this helped esp. at MGM as the rides they had available for EMH were the ones we wanted to ride anyway.
Castle/MK - Am I the only one who gets frustrated that you can't seem to walk anywhere near it? It's roped off during the day for the shows in front of the castle and it's roped off at night for fireworks. The only time we walked through it was when we were leaving the park at 2am after E-ride night.
That's it! Any questions just ask.
DH: 39 yrs old, self employed tax man
DS10
DS4
Tue June 22 - leave HRH about 1p & get to Poly very quickly. Learned from these boards to go through the parking plaza on the far right next to the bus lane and get waived through when I tell them we're checking in to the Poly. Pull up & get bags loaded; they get our room number when I tell them we are concierge and the load us up on the golf cart and we're off. He dropped up off at the far end of the building, which was closer to our room, instead of at the end of the building where the lounge is. We have a ground floor lagoon view room in Hawaii. When I walk over to the lounge Kathy was surprised to see me as the bell desk guy should have brought us to the main entrance? I get checked in and finally meet Tara who has helped me so much with reservations. Go into lounge to check it out and Chef Dick is there. Take picture of him with DS10. Glad I did as the next day other CMs tell us he is on vacation for 2 weeks.
Don't get offered leis; although they are right behind the desks. We get a chocolate postcard with a welcome note delivered to our room a few hours later. Later in the week I get leis from the front desk, and we also get them at the Luau. Ask one of the concierge CMs for a list of pressed penny machine locations and they are able to give me one.
Lunch is at Kona. I have a Lapu Lapu and boy is it tasty!! Then we drive over to Downtown Disney and shop for about an hour. The Once Upon a Toy store had different Potato Head pieces that the toy store in California Adventure. We then meet friends at Pizzaria Uno for dinner. They come back with us to the Poly & we swim until about 9:30, and we all watch Wishes from our patio.
I stop at the concierge desk about 9:45p and talk to Aida about our Fireworks Cruise. We have more than one reservation, and decided to keep the one on Thursday. However when I made the Wednesday reservation back in March, the reservation clerk I spoke with said she didn't have a Summer fireworks schedule, and she put the reservation in for 8p as she didn't know what time the fireworks actually were going to be. Since it's inside of 24 hours of when the reservation is in the computer for, their system won't let Aida cancel the fireworks cruise. She said she would let me know if the morning if it can be cancelled. I try not to worry too much, but I'm really hoping I won't get stuck paying for this!! I understand the need for the 24 hr cancel policy, but 24 hours from what? When the fireworks start at 10p? When you meet the boat 45 minutes earlier? When their computers date roll? The time the reservation is in the computer, that the reservation clerk guessed at 3 months ago?
Wed June 23 - The kids are doing the Pirate Cruise at the GF today. All the kids got pirate bandanas with Mickey Ears!! DH & I go into MK and see Philharmagic and just walk around. We pick up kids and go back to the room. Speak to Aida and yes, they did cancel the Fireworks Cruise and I won't be charged for it. Lunch is at Captain Cooks at the Poly. DH is expecting a fax (we are selling my FIL's condo) and he tries to pick it up at the concierge desk. No luck; their machine isn't working. He gets number for guest fax at front desk, calls RE agent & gets her to fax it again. Goes to front desk, waits in line & no luck there either; their machine is out of toner. A front desk manager gives DH a third number to try. Can't believe he has to chase his tail like this. Finally get the fax, he signs off on everything, faxes it back and we walk over to the TTC and take monorail to Epcot. We ride in the nose of the monorail - too cool!! Ride Spaceship Earth, and see Nemo at The Living Seas. We have a PS for 7:30 at the Rose & Crown, and we are planning to see the 5:45p show of American Vybe. Squeeze in American Experience between show and dinner. Make it to everything on time. DS tells me he would rather do the EMH at Animal Kingdom on Friday than the Segway tour I have reserved for him. I try to change his mind but no luck; he wants me to cancel. Call the lounge from my cell phone and cancel the Segway tour. American Vybe show is terrific; dinner at R&C was also very good. We watch Illuminations from their patio, and call it a night . . . but not me!! I do 2 loads of laundry at the Poly's laundry room before I'm done for the day.
Thur June 24 - Get 6am wakeup call; DS10 and I are doing the "Magic Behind Our Steam Trains" tour. We've been told to be at the front entrance to the MK by 7:15am and we take a taxi; however the driver can't drop us at the bus dropoff; he ends up driving into the Contemporary's self parking lot and letting us out there and we walk over to the park entrance. If we ever do this again will take the first monorail at 7am rather than the taxi. We meet the tour guide on time and get name tags and we're off. We take the train to the Toontown station, then the train goes in reverse to the roundhouse (it's really square! And the monorails park upstairs and the trains downstairs). We get out after briefly going into the roundhouse, and go into the engine 5 at a time. DS10 get to sit in the engineer's seat and blow the whistle & ring the bell. Then we take the train back to the Toontown station, get out again and watch the engineers do some testing. Then back on the train to Main Street, have a water & bathroom break then into the train station for more information about the Disneyland railway. The tour ends upstairs in the station when we all get pins. It's filled with lots of information about the trains, the people who run them and Walt Disney's love of trains. There are only about 20 ppl on the tour and one is actually a conductor at Disneyland. The tour is over by 10:30 and then we go back to the room, gather our stuff and we're off to Typhoon Lagoon.
Can't believe how many cars are turning into this place. They are parking people in the CM parking lot and on a grass field. We get chairs right behind a lifeguard tower, very near Catchakiddie Creek. Had a really good time. DS4 scraped his foot when he tried to stand up in the waterslide at Catchckiddie Creek, and the first aid CMs were very nice & accommodating with Bactine, Band-Aids and TLC. DS10 is all over the park and we hardly see him. Make it onto the family raft ride 2x before the park closes. Takes a while to get out of the parking lot; have dinner at Kona as tonight is our Fireworks cruise. However, while we are eating we can hear wind, rain and thunder. It is raining as we walk to the lounge . . . I want to ask if the cruise will still go on. They call the marina and the official word is yes, the fireworks cruises are being cancelled due to lightening and my money will be refunded. DH feels bad for me but there's nothing we can do. Go to Quest and do CyberSpace Mountain, Pirates game, Buzz Lightyear game and Jungle Cruise. Back to the hotel and call it a day.
Fri June 25 - Get wakeup call for 6am and have breakfast in the lounge, and catch a bus to AK. Are on the Safari by 8:15 and see lots of animals. Ride Primeval Whirl and Triceratops Spin and Dinosaur (am I the only one who thinks this ride is a knockoff of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland?), then DH wants to ride the raft ride. We all get soaked. Walk through the Asia walkthrough and see the tigers up close. Expedition Everest looks like it will be an amazing ride! Back to the room for some downtime, then to DTD for lunch at Earl of Sandwich & shopping. Air conditioning it OUT at the Lego store, and guess where DS4 wants to go?!? Can't believe how hot it is.
Back to hotel, and leave for MK at about 6p. Pick up wristbands right away, and spend time in Toontown. Ride train to Frontierland, and ride POTC and see the Tiki Birds and Hall of Presidents. Starts to rain & DH wants to buy rain ponchos. Buy them, then ride Teacups and back to Toontown to kill time until E night starts. Get something to eat in Tommorrowland, and it's time for E-ride night. Ride Buzz Lightyear 2x, then walk back to Frontierland. Run into end of Spectromagic; the 9p parade was cancelled (rain) so it's running in the opposite direction and it's impossible to get where we want to go; we had to wait for it to end. Ride Splash Mountain 1x, Thunder Mountain 2x, then Haunted Mansion. Ride Peter Pan 3x, then see Philharmagic. Rumors are flying around that Space Mountain is closed, and several CMs have told us POTC is open for E night as a "bonus". By now it's 1:45a and we've had it. Back to the room & call it a night.
Sat June 26 - 6:30 comes really fast. Skip breakfast in the lounge, and are at MGM by 7:45. DH & DS10 ride ToT, then DH goes to RnR for fast passes while DS10 and I ride ToT. Have breakfast at the ABC Commissary. DS4 sleeps in stroller until breakfast. We ride Great Movie Ride, then ride RnR. DS10 gets to ride twice!! Ride bus to Epcot and get baby swap for Mission Space; DS10 and I wait in line (only about 30 mins) then DH & DS10 use baby swap. I discover Mission Space has a play structure in the baby swap area. Too cool! He loves it. DH gets FPs for TestTrack, but they are not until 4:15. Instead we all just wait in line (about 35 mins). On our way out DH gives away the FPs to 2 women who were walking up to the FP machine. They stand there stunned, just staring at them as we walk away. Back at the room kids take naps and DH receives and sends off another fax; we've accepted an offer for the condo!! Yipee! Wake up the kids at 4:45; we are going to the luau here at the Poly and it starts at 5:15.
Thank goodness there are plenty of fans in the Luau Cove;it's so hot. We had GREAT seats, just one table from the very front, right in the middle. DS10 loved the luau, especially the fire twirler at the end. Luau is over by 7pm. We have a reservation at the Neverland Club for the kids. This looks like a fun place; the actual facility is being renovated and the Neverland Club is temporarily located in the Tangaroa Terrace, on the opposite side of the arcade. The CM at the front desk said the Neverland Club is getting new carpet & paint, a new air conditioning system and more. Wendy's bed was her desk. DH & I take bus to DD and find the Jazz club at PI and listen to music and have a few drinks & unwind. Leave about 10p, make it back to Poly & pick up kids & call it a night.
Sun June 27 - We sleep in; pack; have breakfast in the lounge and take the water taxi to MK. DH gets FPs for Philharmagic while kids get haircuts (they can't shave the Mickey logo into their hair; only Disney animators can "draw" something that is copyrighted??? so just get colored gel instead). Return to hotel, check out & drive over to DTD & spend the rest of the day in the air conditioning at Quest. Thank goodness Cheesecake Factory is still running the f&b over here! Leave about 6p for airport. Flight is on time & we are back in Vegas by 10:45p and home just after midnight.
Thoughts:
Concierge - Service seemed to be hit or miss. I was able to get a list of pressed penny locations, but not a seating chart for the luau. They were able to ship a box home for us, but DH had to chase his tail all over the hotel to receive a fax because two different machines were broken or not working. Didn't get leis when I checked in. Aida was able to cancel the Fireworks cruise for me, and they were great with reservations. REALLY wish the lounge had bottles of water. Every hotel DH and I have stayed at with a concierge lounge (Chicago Hilton, Anaheim Hilton, HRH, etc.) has bottles of water in their concierge lounges for guests to take. Not the Poly. Did appreciate the full size cans of soda; HRH only had the little "short" cans. Didn't get even one towel animal in our room, not one. Only amenity delivered at all was the chocolate postcard.
Schedule - If I were planning this vacation all over again, would do Disney first then Universal. Our stay at HRH was less stressful and more relaxing; having access to Universal Express means no need for getting to parks at 8a for short lines.
Lego Store/DTD - Whoever thought it was OK to operate with NO AIR CONDITIONING on Fri 6/25 should have to spend the day their un-air conditioned store!! DS4 really wanted to go there and it was impossible to tell him no, so there I was, just sweltering in the place.
Crowds - Crowds were about what I expected. Longest line all week that we waited in was TT at Epcot (35 mins). Did EMH at Epcot and MGM; this helped esp. at MGM as the rides they had available for EMH were the ones we wanted to ride anyway.
Castle/MK - Am I the only one who gets frustrated that you can't seem to walk anywhere near it? It's roped off during the day for the shows in front of the castle and it's roped off at night for fireworks. The only time we walked through it was when we were leaving the park at 2am after E-ride night.
That's it! Any questions just ask.
