Welcome, Foolish Muggles! IoA/US/MK/SW July 2011* Top Ten "Things" *

[RAPstar]

Woo! Monorail!!! lol

 

[AnjieNet]

I'm impressed with how well your monorail pictures came out. I don't know that I've ever taken any on it figuring there would be too much glare. I'll have to take some next trip now though!

 

[natebenma]

Woo! Monorail!!! lol

I didn't even think to put my hands up in the air and scream with mock fright! I'll have to do that next time. I'm sure the teenager will appreciate that!

I'm impressed with how well your monorail pictures came out. I don't know that I've ever taken any on it figuring there would be too much glare. I'll have to take some next trip now though!

Thanks for the kind comments about the monorail pictures. I was pleased with how they came out. I love the one as we pulled up to MK, with the train, except that it is tilted!

 

[DutchsMommy]

I second the vote for MNSSHP - DS and I went last year and loved it!! He loved the candy stops around the parks and we both agreed that Hallowishes was the best fireworks we had ever seen. We did dress up (Ninja and Ninja-Mom) but it was quite hot so I think if we do it again we will go with dress-up T-shirts. If you are able to go I would highly recommend it. Plus, touring WDW at that time of year is excellent in terms of crowd level.

 

[offtoseemickey]

Hi! I've just read your whole TR and I can't wait for the rest of it!
Only 8-ish weeks till we'll be in Orlando... Can't wait!

 

[natebenma]

I second the vote for MNSSHP - DS and I went last year and loved it!! He loved the candy stops around the parks and we both agreed that Hallowishes was the best fireworks we had ever seen. We did dress up (Ninja and Ninja-Mom) but it was quite hot so I think if we do it again we will go with dress-up T-shirts. If you are able to go I would highly recommend it. Plus, touring WDW at that time of year is excellent in terms of crowd level.

Definitely gonna put that on my list. September and October are the times of year I would most like to visit, but unfortunately, the boys school schedules do not work well with the plan!

Hi! I've just read your whole TR and I can't wait for the rest of it!
Only 8-ish weeks till we'll be in Orlando... Can't wait!

Glad you are enjoying the report.

Are you visiting Disney or Universal/IoA or both? Where are you staying?

 

[jessiegirl84]

Hello, just came across your trip report! And I am loving it!
We are heading to Orlando for Xmas and am spending a full day at universal and a few days at Disney.
Can't wait wait to read more

 

[natebenma]

Hello, just came across your trip report! And I am loving it!
We are heading to Orlando for Xmas and am spending a full day at universal and a few days at Disney.
Can't wait wait to read more

So glad to have you along for the trip!

We really had a great time enjoying the different parks!

 

[katvdm]

Hi! I just came across your TR and have spent the last half hour reading it all the way through - OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!

I am so excited now!!! We are coming for our first ever trip in September - 14 nights at Wilderness Lodge and then 4 nights at Portofino Bay - yup, it is a big one! We are coming all the way from South Africa so gotta make it worthwhile!!

I love your comments and am in such admiration to your commando style touring - my kids are still a bit little to try this, but I know in my heart i'll be thinking of it!

Can't wait to read the rest of the TR - especially the "best WWoHP tip" at the end!!

 

[RAPstar]

I didn't even think to put my hands up in the air and scream with mock fright! I'll have to do that next time. I'm sure the teenager will appreciate that!

I can just see the massive eyerolling that would commence now. And the sighing. Oh, the sighing!!

 

[AnjieNet]

I didn't even think to put my hands up in the air and scream with mock fright! I'll have to do that next time. I'm sure the teenager will appreciate that!

I can just see the massive eyerolling that would commence now. And the sighing. Oh, the sighing!!

I'll have to do that next trip! DD7 & DD1 will be right there playing along with me while it's DH that will be hiding behind his hands pretending he doesn't know us.

 

[natebenma]

Hi! I just came across your TR and have spent the last half hour reading it all the way through - OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!

I am so excited now!!! We are coming for our first ever trip in September - 14 nights at Wilderness Lodge and then 4 nights at Portofino Bay - yup, it is a big one! We are coming all the way from South Africa so gotta make it worthwhile!!

I love your comments and am in such admiration to your commando style touring - my kids are still a bit little to try this, but I know in my heart i'll be thinking of it!

Can't wait to read the rest of the TR - especially the "best WWoHP tip" at the end!!

Kathryn!

I'm glad you are reading along.

Sounds like you have a fantastic trip coming up!!!

I can just see the massive eyerolling that would commence now. And the sighing. Oh, the sighing!!

That is too true!!!

I'll have to do that next trip! DD7 & DD1 will be right there playing along with me while it's DH that will be hiding behind his hands pretending he doesn't know us.

As long as we can annoy someone in the family, it will be a success!

 

[natebenma]

We arrived around 15 or 20 minutes before our reservation. In fact, Kona wasn’t even open yet. So we explored a little around the Polynesian Resort.

When we first walked into the Grand Ceremonial House, we stopped at the railing to look down at the beautiful fountain. Then I looked straight across and gasped! I had never noticed before that you can see the castle from there!!!

So cool!


We have been here a few times before- several mornings for breakfast at Kona, one dinner at Kona and one dinner at ‘Ohana. I stayed behind last July by myself and watched the Electric Water Parade (Pagent) and the Nightastic Fireworks.

Since the guys did not stay with me last year when I watched the fireworks from the beach, they did not see the really cool volcano pool, so we started out by taking a walk out that way. There was someone at the entrance to the pool checking room keys and handing out bracelets. I didn’t want to ask him if it was ok if we just crossed over to the beach, so we turned around and went back into the building.

It was time for dinner!

Our waiter, Maykel, was excellent. We were joking around, telling him how much we love eating at Kona and that we were really looking forward to some Tonga Toast and Macadamia Pineapple pancakes. He smiled and said we would have to wait a few hours for that.

He took our drink orders, brought over the delicious Hawaiian sweet bread and Macadamia butter and took a picture of us.

We looked at the menu and found that there were so many things that we wanted to try. Fortunately, they had a “Kona Experience” offering allowing us to choose an appetizer, entrée and dessert from a selection of menu items, so Mark and I decided to go with that.

Mark chose the Potstickers, Pan Asian Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple Upsidedown Cake. The potstickers were for Ben, so Mark ordered the Tempura Shrimp Sushi as well.

Pan Asian Noodles - Asian egg noodles with sliced chicken, pineapple, seasonal vegetables, and a housemade sweet and sour sauce

Pineapple Upside Down Cake - with Lemongrass and Caramel Sauces

I ordered the Shrimp and Coconut Curry Soup, Coconut Almond Chicken and Kilauea Torte

Coconut Almond Chicken - sauteed chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds

Kilauea Torte - An explosion of warm liquid Chocolate inside Chocolate Cookie Volcano

Nate ordered the Ribeye and Banana Chocolate Crème Brulee and Ben ordered the Pan Asian Noodles with Chicken with the ice cream sundae.

Banana-Chocolate Creme Brulee - with a chocolate spiral

I actually suggested that Mark and Ben split one of the Pan Asian Noodle dinners instead of ordering two since we had so much food coming, but neither one of them really liked that idea.

The food was amazing!

But there was WAY too much!!! I don’t think any of us finished our entrees or desserts! It was a shame to leave what we did on our plates, but there was no way we could comfortably finish what was there.

We paid our bill and went out to catch the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom.

Next up: Disney after Dark- Psst: Anyone wanna buy a locker???

 

[SharonK0527]

Oh, that sounds like SO much fun!!! I have seen some pictures and the park is decorated so beautifully. I would LOVE to see the characters in costume!

Do you guys dress up, or do you go "This t-shirt is my costume" route?

DD always dresses up in a Halloween costume, except for one year when it was pouring rain so she changed into a t-shirt and shorts to be more comfortable. DH & I usually wear either MNSSHP t-shirts from previous years or Pirates of the Caribbean t-shirts. We don't "dress up" for the party. We have a blast either way. The decorations are awesome and we love seeing the park all decorated at night.

 

[SharonK0527]

OMG, that tempura sushi looked AWESOME!!! The Pineapple Upside Down Cake and the Kilauea Torte looked amazing as well!! We HAVE to find a time to have a meal at Kona Cafe!

Can't wait for your next installment.....

 

[natebenma]

DD always dresses up in a Halloween costume, except for one year when it was pouring rain so she changed into a t-shirt and shorts to be more comfortable. DH & I usually wear either MNSSHP t-shirts from previous years or Pirates of the Caribbean t-shirts. We don't "dress up" for the party. We have a blast either way. The decorations are awesome and we love seeing the park all decorated at night.

Must be the season- seems like everyonbe on all of my subscribed threads are talking about MNSSHP!

OMG, that tempura sushi looked AWESOME!!! The Pineapple Upside Down Cake and the Kilauea Torte looked amazing as well!! We HAVE to find a time to have a meal at Kona Cafe!

Can't wait for your next installment.....

The tempura shrimp sushi was a.ma.zing! We will have a little sushi throwdown later in the report. We try tempura shrimp sushi at another restaurant and you'll have to wait to see how they compare. Mark said the Pineapple Upside Down Cake was really good, I found the torte to be a little dry, but maybe it was just that I was too full to enjoy it.

As good as the dinner at Kona was, (and it WAS good), if I had to choose one meal there, it would still be the breakfast there. Oh, how I dream about the Macadamia Pineapple Pancakes.

 

[RAPstar]

I ate at Kona for lunch once and loved it. I had the Kona salad which I'm still surprised I like cause it had pears and I'm not a big fan of them. I also loved their homade chips that came with the sandwich. Of course now seeing your pics I want to go for dinner!

Can't wait to read more

 

[AnjieNet]

Nate would fit in well with my family. Steak all around please! Never been to the Kona or Poly for that matter. Looks beautiful. Loved the castle pic!

 

[natebenma]

I ate at Kona for lunch once and loved it. I had the Kona salad which I'm still surprised I like cause it had pears and I'm not a big fan of them. I also loved their homade chips that came with the sandwich. Of course now seeing your pics I want to go for dinner!

Can't wait to read more

We will have to try lunch at Kona- I have loved the other meals there.

Nate would fit in well with my family. Steak all around please! Never been to the Kona or Poly for that matter. Looks beautiful. Loved the castle pic!

Nate would definitely fit in well. Steak is his favorite meal. If you are willing to pay for his dinner on vacation...

Nate is NOT a cheap date!

The Poly is a really nice resort to explore. The Grand Ceremonial House, beach and pool are all beautiful. Last July, after our meal at 'Ohana, Mark and the boys returned to our room at the Beach Club and I stayed behind. I grabbed a lounger and watched the castle change colors for about 45 minutes, then the Electrical Water Pagent came around the lagoon and then I enjoyed the Nightastic fireworks without dealing with any crowds. It was truly a spectacular evening!

 

[EPRV We love Disney]

Enjoying your report! Hoping for more soon!!