When We Get to Heaven, We'll Hear "ALOHA!" - Update 10/17, Day 6

[guitarob]

Our Pre-Trip Report
More Photos from Day 1
Room and Lounge Report
Day 2
More Photos from Day 2
Day 3 - Part 1
Day 3 - Part 2
More Photos from Day 3
Day 4
More Photos from Day 4
Day 5
More Photos from Day 5
Day 6
More Photos from Day 6


Day 1 - 9/18/2010

…and your wish… will… come… truuuuuue.

Days like this are impossible to come by. Sometimes you have expectations that things just aren’t going to go your way, and you fear that no matter how much you pray that they will, something is going to go wrong. Once in a while though, the Lord comes through in a huge way, and a day can exceed your wildest expectations.

We had been planning this trip for four of the longest months that I can imagine. It was one of the most mentally and physically challenging (not to mention snowiest) winters in my memory. A winter wrought with my Father's stroke and the ensuing care, a not too well-planned move to care for him after his hospitalization and rehab, and all of the stresses that come with things of this nature.

Mrs B. and I decided that a trip back to the Polynesian was definitely in order. Yes, long afternoons spent at the most beautiful pool in the world while gazing out at the most magical view one can conjure up and sipping fruity beverages containing goodly amounts of alcohol were just the thing to sufficiently erase the stress. We needed long, lingering, oversize meals in overpriced restaurants including more of the aforementioned fruity beverages and trips to whimsical lands and far away places. Of course, everything is made better by just being ensconced in that famous Walt Disney World magic, all of it served up with a smile, and a genuine warm wish for a happy anniversary and a wonderful vacation. They lodge you, transport you and feed you. They take away all of your worries. You just foot the bill, and let them take care of the rest. Yeah, that's what we needed...

After an extremely tumultuous day before vacation, including, but not limited to:

• A 35 year old having a temper tantrum over a 65 year old who wouldn’t cooperate with the plan for his care for the week
• A possibly broken (probably just bruised, but definitely sore and discolored) toe
• A lovely “good morning” greeting from a pretty serious sinus infection (that turned into a rather nasty cold during the trip)

it looked as if this vacation would be ruined, if not have to be put on hold completely. But it turns out that the Lord just has a strange way of doing things - sometimes you might not understand it, but that’s just how it works. I like to think it’s to keep me on my toes. To remind me that good things aren’t just handed out, and that they should never be taken for granted.

It was a terrible pre-trip day which ended up rather well. Dad was finally off with the family, and the sinus infection had been abated by a strong dose of antibiotics and cold medications. I picked up Mrs. B. from work and we had a lovely dinner out, alone. We got home from dinner, finished packing and went to sleep.

I slept for three hours. At 1:00 AM and my body decided that it was time to get out of bed. Great. There will be no limo until 4:30 (oh yeah baby, I upgraded us to a limousine for the ride to the airport, Mrs. B. will love that and so will I….) what to do?

It turns out that playing SimCity and whining about “Poly-somnia” on the Disboards is a great way to kill time… and not much to type about, so let’s fast forward to 4:15.

I see a limousine prowling the street, stopping at every house. The driver getting out and examining addresses at each mailbox. I quickly come to the conclusion that we’re probably the only ones in the neighborhood getting a limousine at 4:30 in the morning, and that I should go out and chase him down to make his life a little easier. A short while later the baggage was loaded and we were off.

We arrived at the airport in what seemed like no time at all to two giggling thirty-something teenagers, and entered the long line for check in. After standing for about 5 minutes, my brilliant wife notices that because we’re flying business class (Another last minute upgrade. YAY ME and my propensity to spend money!) we don’t have to wait in this interminable line, there’s another line that’s apparently just for us! 10 minutes later we were on the way to security.

Security was a breeze, and we sailed through without an issue. We stopped and had breakfast at Chickie’s and Pete’s (a local phenomenon of sorts, famous for their Crab Fries which are French fries, seasoned with Old Bay and served with a marvelous, velvety cheese sauce that had opened up a satellite shop in our terminal). We had a breakfast that was by all dietary standards completely unacceptable. No Crab Fries, but I was sorely tempted. I figured I’d be doing enough damage with the “South Philly” steak, egg and cheese grease-wich that I was ordering (aforementioned velvety cheese sauce? Check!), and boy was I right.

This was breakfast defined in clearly the loosest terms possible, the egg only making an appearance for appearance’s sake, the cheese and grease soaking the bun and dripping all over the wrapper that I had placed on the table for just such an event. Mrs. B’s sandwich wasn’t much better, although it did contain more eggs and made her feel better about her choice. It was excellent. Absolutely the best meal I’ve ever had in an airport. I realize this isn’t saying much. But, after last year’s sandwich debacle (What was that sauce anyway? Is that an egg? That CAN'T possibly be an egg...) it was a near miracle if ever there was one.

After feasting on our cholesterol sandwiches, we only had a few minutes to wait before boarding (first, by the way, since we were now extravagant business class travelers). We were the first passengers on board, gear stowed safely under the seats in front of us, seated, offered our complimentary beverages, and out of the gate on time. We had an uneventful flight (the best kind), landed in Orlando and exited the plane precisely on time.

Orlando International airport is such a departure for us. After living in Philadelphia for so long, one gets the opinion that an airport should be dark, dank, foreboding and strictly utilitarian.

This is not the case in Orlando. Large skylights, wide open concourses, the teaser monorail, a great court of shops and real restaurants and a hotel that sits in the center of it all. It is truly a departure from the building that we boarded the plane at.

We arrived in baggage claim and met up with our driver who was patiently waiting for us with a sign that had our last name on it (first class all the way on this trip baby). We didn’t have to wait too long before our bags came rolling out on the conveyor belt, intact, and within the first 10 or so bags off of the plane. We were ushered to the town car, and whisked away to paradise.

We happened to notice, somewhere between getting off of the plane and getting into the car, that the weather was not at all stiflingly hot like it usually is. This would play out throughout the day and into the evening. Low humidity, a cool breeze – in a word, perfect. One cannot even wish for a day like this, because it would seem too absurd and impossible.

The ride to the Polynesian is all in the same a nerve-wracking and fabulous experience. It seems to take forever, slowly cruising past teaser signs, Sea World, International Drive, motels, office and warehouse parks, and finally traveling through the magical gate that leads to the purple and red road signs of another world. Soon, you catch a glimpse of Epcot, see your first monorail (the “Tronorail” in our case) and your first Disney branded bus.

(Not taken the first time we saw it.)

Finally you travel through the Magic Kingdom parking gate and over to the Polynesian where, immediately upon getting out of the car, you are greeted by an “Aloha!” and you know you have returned home.

We gave the greeter our name, he returned with a “Happy Anniversary”, and the news that room 1512 (details in post 2) was ready and waiting for us, at 10:45 AM. Right now. There’s no waiting for you my friends. Hop on the cart and we’ll take you there… take your time, settle in, check in whenever you feel like it, you’re staying Club Level, Aloha!

We wasted no time settling in, quickly throwing our bags into the room. We tipped the bell man, and ran to get our Keys to the World. We were worried that we weren’t going to make the end of breakfast at the Kona Café, we had to actually rush a little. Our fears were unfounded. We arrived at the Kona at about 11:10 or so, were told there was a short wait, were seated within 5 minutes and presented with breakfast menus!

We had arrived. There’s nothing like sitting down and finally having a chance to take it all in. You’re at the Polynesian, having brunch, you’ve made it, and everything is really going to be ok!

After an amazing brunch, consisting of Tonga Toast, a Big Kahuna, mimosas, glasses of Lilikoi Juice and “Happy Anniversary” complimentary cupcakes, we finally headed back to the room to settle in.

After getting freaked out by all of the disboard posts on the subject, Mrs. B did a check for bedbugs and was pleased to find no evidence of them. We unpacked and decided to take it easy for the day. We slowly got changed and headed over to the pool for a swim and a drink (a Captain’s Mai Tai for me, a Banana Cabana for Mrs. B.).

We spent some more time absorbing it all. We relaxed in the pool and just soaked in all the sights. We had a long talk about the whole week that was laid out before us, and reveled in the fact that for the next 6 days, we had nowhere to be and had no schedule to follow (except for our ADR’s, and let’s be honest, that is definitely a schedule worth following!).

After growing tired of the pool and the Hannah Cyrus/Miley Montana music and the Disney trivia, and oh...yeah… actually physically tired, we retired to the room to shower and nap and prepare for dinner at Narcoossee’s. After our brief respite, we headed over to the GCH for our first (short) monorail ride to the Grand Floridian.

There is a totally different vibe at the GF. Although the main lobby area is cavernous, it is much more subdued than the bustling, waterfall-centric Poly. While you can possibly see Polynesian dancers in the GCH (which we did see, shortly before being called in to brunch), you hear a quiet piano playing at GF. We took our time exploring the shops and the grounds and finally wound our way over to the restaurant.

We were greeted and seated almost immediately, presented with personalized menus that wished us a happy anniversary and our server asked us if we’d like a complimentary champagne toast, which we of course accepted.

I started off with the Shrimp and Crab bisque and a Godiva Chocolate Martini.

Mrs. B. had the mussels.

For my entrée I had the Crab Crusted Halibut and the Potato Gratin, which were nothing short of heavenly.

Mrs. B. had lobster and seafood paella, with the wine pairing.

For dessert I had the Almond Crusted Cheesecake and she the Cheese Plate.

This was an amazing meal, from the second we sat down until the second I waddled out of the restaurant and contemplated renting a wheel chair so Mrs. B. could roll me back to the Polynesian.

We walked over to the boat dock and enjoyed some time waiting for the boat, taking photos and absolutely marveling over the evening’s cool air and soft breeze. The boat ride back to the Polynesian was possibly the most enjoyable trip I’ve ever taken across Seven Seas Lagoon. We arrived back at the Polynesian and wandered the grounds to take photographs and enjoy the cool evening air. We made our way up to the lounge and got ourselves a couple of drinks (a Longboard Lager and Ku’ulei Punch for me, and Punch for Mrs. B). We rested on the beach and enjoyed our drinks then returned to our patio to watch the EWP and Hallowishes.

The view was spectacular, the night was amazing. It truly was the perfect end to the perfect day. We retired to bed, exhausted, and quickly fell asleep to rest up for day two…

 

[guitarob]

Here are a few more photographs from day one.

Arrival:

Our View:

Left:

Center:

Center with zoom:

Right:

One of the our official greeters and friends for the week:

More shots from the patio:

The view from bed with the Contemporary in the door, and the Grand Floridian in the mirror:

The volcano pool:

A flower by the pool:

The Kona Cafe:

A few more shots at the Grand Floridian:

 

[Kteacher]

awesome . I have exactly the same feelings when I'm driving from MCO to WDW. Beautiful pictures as well

 

[BreezysMom]

I am so excited! So far I am hooked. Your pictures are incredible!

I can't wait to read more!

 

[MissLiz]

HEY!!!

I totally saw you guys multiple times!!!! How did I not recognize you???

Great start to the trip report!! I think we just missed you at Kona on Saturday because we had a lunch ADR at 12:30.

I completely felt the same excitement when we drove in Thursday night and then again on Friday, heading into the World.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[SurfinTX]

Jumping in!

We stayed at the Poly back in June and your report is already bringing back wonderful memories! The food pics have me drooling. Looking forward to more pics.

 

[tammy]

Absolutely beautiful. Your pictures are amazing. I am really hoping to stay at the Poly next summer.

 

[LowesChevy]

Awesome Guitarob....love ther pics and wit

 

[mom2mek]

Woo-hoo!!! I have been so excited waiting for you to return and start this report! Your photos are tremendous and I can't wait to see and read more!!!



Sara

 

[TheNewMrsB]

HEY!!!

I totally saw you guys multiple times!!!! How did I not recognize you???

Great start to the trip report!! I think we just missed you at Kona on Saturday because we had a lunch ADR at 12:30.

I completely felt the same excitement when we drove in Thursday night and then again on Friday, heading into the World.

Can't wait to read more!

Are you serious? Darn!!! Every time someone looked at me for more than, like, a second I thought it might be a DISer! Yes, we must have just missed each other on that first day.

I fully intend to start a food report soon as well! Because...the food needs to be described. It really does.

 

[PamelaKay]

Can't wait to read more and see more pics. This December will be my first visit to the Poly and my parents first time staying on property at Disney.

 

[leane]

Thanks for taking the time to post a TR! Your pictures are great!

I might have to hold off reading, I might just end up changing all of my ADRs after your reviews LOL I just booked Narcoosee for dinner

 

[MissLiz]

Are you serious? Darn!!! Every time someone looked at me for more than, like, a second I thought it might be a DISer! Yes, we must have just missed each other on that first day.

I fully intend to start a food report soon as well! Because...the food needs to be described. It really does.

I'm pretty sure I saw you guys at the pool once (we only went one time) and at the lounge a couple times! I can't believe I didn't realize it until now!

I'm sure you probably noticed us in the lounge. My MIL was probably the only one at breakfast asking for beer. We were the big group with the unruly toddler. Seriously, my little one didn't want to sit anytime we were in the lounge. I was so embarrassed most of the time.

 

[kdault]

I'm in, great pictures!!!

 

[kungaloosh22]

Fantastic photos! I'm loving the report and looking forward to more.

 

[guitarob]

I've already posted this snippet on the Poly FAQ thread, but for the sake of those that don't read over there, I'll post it here as well...

We were placed in room 1512, on the first floor of the Hawaii building a little more than halfway down the hall from the Concierge desks. I am sad to report that the room was not in the greatest shape. I have been staying at the Polynesian for most of my life and have not, in my memory, been lodged in a room this out of sorts. Was I disappointed? Yeah, maybe a little… Did it ruin our vacation? Not in the least. As a matter of fact, I’ve really only lodged these imperfections in my mind for the sake of honesty in this report. Mostly, they went completely unnoticed during our time in the room, and the only one that was really a bother was the door, because I like to sneak out at 5 AM without waking Mrs. B.

There is some chipped paint around the door, no doubt from the fact that the door has to be closed with moderate force. Some scratches and dents adorn the wooden closets. There was a drawer and a closet door that didn’t close properly. The handle for the cold water in the bathroom needed some motivation to turn, and the handle for the sliding glass door was a little loose.

Otherwise, the room was perfectly clean, and mousekeeping did a great job of cleaning up around our mess and re-stocking supplies when we actually gave them a chance to get into the room.

The view was marvelous ( as shown in the photos in my last post), although after becoming acclimated to a 3rd floor view for the past couple of years, it did take some getting used to before I could fully appreciate it. I was slightly disappointed about the light that sits between the door and the castle (This is a MINOR imperfection in an otherwise stunning view that only really affects the view at night). There were a few room service trays in the hall throughout our stay and they never remained there for very long.

I don’t know if the condition of our room sums up the condition of all the rooms at the resort as a whole or not. It certainly could just be a room that’s been a little more abused and is in more need of some TLC than the rest.

The lounge is still perfect, the resort grounds are immaculate, the GCH still smells and looks stunning, and it is still, very much, the resort home that I’ve come to know and love throughout my years.

The Hawaii staff is brilliant and welcoming as always. They’re always there with an Aloha and an offer of a cold adult beverage, and wanting to know if you’re being taken care of and having a wonderful time.

The food offerings have definitely been cut back. I’ve seen it written on the boards in past years that they have cut back on the offerings, but this is the first year it was actually really noticeable to me. I’m sure this is the case across the board. I find it hard to believe that the Polynesian would be the only one to cut back.

Honestly, the cutbacks aren't really that substantial. We didn't have any problem getting a snack when we needed one. It's just little things, like only one kind of cookie in the afternoon instead of two. Or only popcorn, instead of popcorn AND chips and salsa. Three desserts instead of five, or only one kind of danish instead of two.

All of the food that we ate in the lounge was well prepared, well presented, fresh and yummy. We had breakfast there twice, appetizers once and dessert and drinks a couple of times.

All the juices, sodas and adult beverages (including the punch) are still there and in abundance. There really is still a good quantity of food and had I not been staying CL since 2006, I would've never noticed that anything was missing.

All in all, the overall experience with the room and the lounge were the same as they always were and we did not end up wanting more than was provided in terms of service, offerings or lodgings.

 

[jetskigrl]

I am really enjoying your trip report and pictures. It makes me feel like I am right back there at the Hawaii building again!!

 

[boundfordisney]

Beautiful pics, can t wait for our first stay in Jan.

 

[Missoutandabout]

Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove, love, love it. The pics: FAB-U-LOUS!

That paella looks amazing. The drink pics: bringing me wonderful memories of sitting outside of Ohana, drinking too much and having a great time. (As a side mention: As a Marylander, you could put Old Bay on anything and I'd eat it.)

Not sure I saw you guys whilst we were there, I did try and spot folks or at least the lime-green Mickey heads. Looking forward to more, more, more!

 

[guitarob]

Day 2, 9/19/10

This morning started out beautifully. I was out the door at ten minutes after five and wandering the resort grounds alone, photographing my heart out. I love waking up before the rest of Walt Disney World, having the resort to myself, and watching and listening to it come to life.

The sky slowly brightens; you hear a faint blast from the ferry horn, then the Magic Kingdom steam train. You catch the first monorail of the day, barely visible by the flashing lights on the nose and tail, making its way around the loop. As the sun rises further yet, the music in the Magic Kingdom starts up and is more than faintly audible from the Polynesian beach. Shortly thereafter, the sun rises further, the grounds are fully lit, and, eventually, the Polynesian music starts to play once again.

I was treated to a special sight this morning. As I stared out across Seven Seas Lagoon towards the castle, I noticed that it looked a little different. It took me a few minutes to realize that they were actually testing the first layers of Christmas lights that they had hung from the tallest spire. I have only seen photos of these lights and to me, this little private sneak peek was a very magical way to start the morning of my 2nd anniversary. Most of the castle was still lit in its daily colors, with just that one tower in all of its Christmas glory. I tried to get some pictures, but due to my lack of a tripod (I always forget to pack something…) I really didn’t get a good one.

I finished up with my photography and early morning sitting and watching for the day, and headed back to the room to find Mrs. B. awake and ready to go. We headed over to the Kona Café for a bite to eat. We were shocked by the 30 minute wait (I’m positive that those of you who visit during busier times would not find this odd in the least, but we’ve never had to wait more than 5 or so minutes, even on Saturday after our arrival). The meal was wonderful. We both had the Pineapple-Macadamia nut pancakes and Lilikoi Juice.

Mrs. B., an avid coffee drinker, finally tried out the press-pot and was slightly underwhelmed. I tried a little bit of it as well, and it just tasted like coffee to me, nothing special that I noticed.

We then boarded an overcrowded monorail and shot over to the Magic Kingdom for our first day in the parks.

We rode 3 rides! I’m loving this snail’s pace “We’ll get to it when we get to it, and if not, oh well…” attitude that we’ve applied to this trip. Long gone are my days of rushing from place to place trying to cram in every bit of Disney that I can. Trips are much more enjoyable when we just slow down and soak in every little bit that we can.

We made our way up Main Street, casually stopping in the shops on the right hand side, catching the Celebration parade, and headed over to Adventureland. We noticed the line for the Jungle Cruise was a little long, and decided we’d get back to it. We worked our way over to the Pirates of the Caribbean and were seated on a boat almost immediately.

After our journey with Captain Jack Sparrow, we cut through Frontierland on our way to the Haunted Mansion, which also had a very short wait. We enjoyed the 999 happy haunts as we always do and headed through the under construction Fantasyland and over to Mickey’s Philharmagic, which is still, after seeing it so many times, one of my favorite things to do in the Magic Kingdom.

To end our morning in the park, we strolled back down to Main Street, browsed the Emporium from one end to the other, and then walked over to the dock for the Resort Launch back to the Poly.

Oh, and by the way… They’ve changed the location of the launch departure for the Grand Floridian and Polynesian at the Magic Kingdom. No notice, no sign, the old dock to the right, by the monorails, still says “Resort Launches” and isn’t even roped off, there were two other people and a child sitting there, so we walked over. We sat there for what we deemed a long time, before I noticed a launch that was strikingly familiar to the one we should’ve been on leaving from the other side, and then yet another which I thought may have been for the Contemporary. I decided to go investigate. Yup… dock moved. Thanks for the notice.

We returned to the Poly, grabbed the last table at the pool and I settled into an adult Blackberry Peach Lemonade, while Mrs. B. went to change into pool attire, and hopefully find her anniversary surprise from Disney Florist waiting there. When she returned without any indication of surprise, I went back to the room to change into my swimsuit and stopped at the CL desk to see if anything had been delivered yet. Obviously it hadn’t.

I returned to poolside and enjoyed another beverage, and after a while we got into the water. We were sitting in the pool when someone came over and asked if I was Rob. I was rather shocked. It was Tinkerbellie16 who introduced herself to me and Mrs. B. It was really neat to meet someone from the boards at the pool, and we ran into her 3 or 4 more times throughout the stay. I hope I didn’t come off rude, as I was kind of shocked that she recognized us. We talked about adult beverages before she returned to her family. It was a very cool experience. One that I’ve certainly never had before. It was nice to meet someone from the boards in person.

After getting our fill of swimming for the day, we returned to the room to nap and shower (SNS? Swim, Nap, Shower?) for our Anniversary dinner at the California Grill! While Mrs. B. rested, I wandered over to Boutiki to find her a coverup/robe to wear around the room and found a very cute one. I also found myself a nice hat.

Sometime later, we found ourselves on the way to the California Grill. We were very quickly seated in the Wine Room, a place we barely knew existed (I had seen a post mentioning it).

It has a stunning view of the “back” of the world. From Orlando all the way around past the International Drive and Downtown Disney hotels, to Epcot, The Wilderness Lodge, Swan, DHS and Animal Kingdom. My photos do it NO justice whatsoever.

Warning: The amount of food consumed this night would have probably fed a small third-world country for an evening. The following is not for the feint of heart or the weak of stomach. It was our anniversary, and apparently, gluttony was on the menu. Ok, fine... we like to eat too.

Our meal was astounding. Mine consisted of the Three Cheese Flatbread (which Jen and I shared)

a Spicy Kazan Roll

and the Oak Fired Filet.

For desert I had the Valrhona Chocolate Torte.

Mrs. B. had the Shrimp Tempura Roll (which we also shared) a Spicy Kazan Roll

and the Pork Tenderloin.

She finished with the Apple Tart .

Neither of us took one bite that wasn’t simply marvelous. Everything was prepared to perfection, which we’ve come to realize is standard for the California Grill.

Between dinner and dessert, the waitress brought out a cake that I mistakenly thought was from the California Grill. It was a miniature 2 tier wedding style cake, decorated beautifully and wishing us a happy anniversary.

I found out a moment after I thanked the waitress that it was actually a gift from Mrs. B. (D’OH!) which made it so much more special. We ate a bit of it later in the evening, back in the room.

We finished up dinner right in time to head out to the observation deck to catch Wishes. Although we’ve eaten here many times, it has always been earlier in the evening, well before Wishes, so we’ve never taken the opportunity to watch from this semi-exclusive vantage point.

In my ever so humble opinion, we weren’t missing much. It was neat to see the show from that angle, but I’ll probably never do it again. I like to see the show from the Poly beach or within the Magic Kingdom as I think it looks much better when the castle is at the center of the show, and not off to the side. It was still fun though, and one more experience to file away.

We then headed back to the Polynesian to freshen up before hopping on the launch to the Magic Kingdom for some Extra Magic Hour fun. Mrs. B’s gifts were on the nightstand when we got there, much to her delight.

Our Extra Magic Hours ended up not being very ride-filled. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which I was happy to see renamed as the TTA Peoplemover.

This has always been one of my favorite rides, and it is even more fun at night. Tomorrowland in general is a great place to be at night, with all of its bright neon reflecting off of all the shiny aluminum surfaces.

We then just wandered around Tomorrowland and Main Street taking photographs and enjoying the sights. We made our way out of the park to an extremely crowded monorail platform.

We have been spoiled with crowd levels in the past. This September was definitely much busier than we’re used to. Finally, again, we returned to the room to rest and prepare for day three…