Yellow Ponchos & Rain—The Soggy Saga of Our 10 Day Trip

[Tess]

ALOHA!!

Our recent trip was an unscheduled jaunt to WDW. Our next vacation to WDW is already planned for 2003. We had intended to take an adult vacation with friends in 2002 but as often happens, schedules conflicted and plans had to be scrapped. We were going houseboating at Lake Cumberland--we've done this before, but wanted to do it without children in case of bad weather. Kids get bored quickly in the event of a rainy vacation and despite the size of the houseboats--it's no fun being stuck inside one with 6 or 7 irritable kids. Little did we know the weather worry would come to fruition on this unscheduled trip to WDW! We remain very grateful, however, that the planned trip to Cumberland fell through and we got an unexpected visit to our vacation Mecca!

Trip Date: June 14-23, 2002
Resort: Polynesian Concierge GV
Family: Ron (41), Terri (43 – trip historian), Ty (14), Taylor (12)

Arrival Day, Friday, 6/14/02:

The flight from Toledo via Cincinnati on Delta (e-tickets) was totally uneventful. The flight was smooth with no (or very little) turbulence and all of the Delta personnel from counter to baggage were very friendly and courteous. The flights were filled to capacity, but no volunteers to be bumped were sought. Security at Toledo was thorough and even so there was no waiting. I was given the “wand treatment” because I set off the security alarm—still don’t know why—and my shoes were sent through the x-ray machine. There was time in Cincy to grab a quick cup of strong coffee and cinnamon rolls/milk for the kids.

We arrived in Orlando from a very cool (50s) Toledo, Ohio and were pleased to be greeted with sunny skies, 90º temperatures, and a Yourride representative (Ronnie) waiting for us at baggage claim. I planned to surprise my son and daughter with a stretch limo for our transportation and my planning worked like a charm. Ronnie was merely greeting us because our limo driver, Jim, was en route but had not yet arrived. Ronnie insisted on snagging our luggage from the conveyor belt and assisting us to the limousine which, by the time the luggage was retrieved, had arrived.

As we exited the lower level of the airport, I pointed out the white stretch to our son and daughter—our daughter was so envious and commented that someone was lucky but not us. I replied that it was for us and she said “yeah, right. . .” and I quietly responded with “mmmhmmm”. She was aghast and speechless (certainly a first for her)—she may have gotten out a “you’re kidding?” and our son’s jaw was on his chest. We were given a very warm greeting from Jim, snapped some photographs, shot a bit of video, and then climbed in for a trip to Publix and on to WDW.

The Publix Jim drove us to was, according to Jim, “nearly in Kissimmee”. On past trips we stopped at a Publix in a shopping strip mall that was near Sea World—he didn’t; however, seem to know about that particular location. Needless to say, we were quite surprised during the trip that the drive seemed unfamiliar. We found this Publix to be exceptionally clean and quiet—it was adjacent to the newly erected/opened Gaylord Palms Resort (quite an impressive place I should note). We picked up some adult beverages for our room and were Polynesian bound within 10 minutes. We entered WDW property from the South and saw the All Stars resorts close up for the first time—we don’t drive in WDW and never visited the resorts. Pop Century is as gaudy as everyone says, but the kids seemed to think it quite cool!

We arrived at the Polynesian in short order (flight landed at 11:33 a.m. and we were exiting the limousine around 12:30 p.m.). Billy (a bell services person we remember from our many trips) phoned Hawaii to notify the concierge staff of our arrival and we were informed our room (3525) was ready. We were quickly whisked to our room to unpack after a very brief luggage cart ride (we didn’t need the tour after so many trips to Polynesian). I began the unpacking procedure while Ron went to the desk to check us in and gather his and the kids’ UMP passes (I had a PAP purchased for the resort discount—no one even asked to see it).

By 1:15 p.m. we were off to MGM for a quick drop on ToT then on to EPCOT via the VERY SLOW boat for a Fiesta Margarita and tour of the World Showcase (pastries for the kids in France). After our pass through WS, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for our PS at Chef Mickey’s (7:00 p.m.). The weather remained lovely on Friday and we had a bit of pool time before dinner. The kids enjoyed the afternoon cookies, candy, and juice in between the pool activities.

Our initial plan was to dine at Chef Mickey’s and head to MK for Spectro/Fantasy. Just prior to dinner we decided that since we had been up since 4:00 a.m., perhaps the best course would be to simply view the water parade from the beach, have a few desserts from the lounge, and call it a night. After filling ourselves to the brim at Chef Mickey’s, this plan proved to be the wisest course and we followed our inclination. We were soundly asleep by 10:00 p.m. with a wake-up call scheduled for 6:55 a.m. and plans to head to AK to avoid the Saturday Magic Kingdom crowd.

Day 2, Saturday, 6/15/02 – Animal Kingdom:

We were “up and at ‘em” right on schedule after Mickey’s wake up phone call. Everyone enthusiastically readied themselves and we were off to breakfast in the lounge. The usual items mentioned repeatedly were offered in the concierge lounge and the tomato juice I requested was also readily available. All of us were sufficiently full from the continental breakfast offerings and we picked up our water bottles and set out for Animal Kingdom 55 minutes before opening.

As I mentioned on the resorts board, my one pet peeve about the deluxe monorail hotels is the bus service! It is absolutely lousy and I’ve seen no improvement since we began staying on the monorail line in 1994. If anything—it’s worse. We watched bus after bus travel past the Polynesian headed for hither and yon, as we waited 40 minutes for a bus to AK. The MGM bus arrived at the same time as the AK bus. Needless to say, after stopping at GF then BB, we were not at the park at opening as planned. Security checks caused a bit of a bottleneck, but it didn’t really seem to matter since most people must have headed for the Safari upon arrive. We went to take a ride on the Triceratops Spin and Primeval Whirl as well as Dinosaur! We had no wait for any of the above rides.

We then headed toward Kali. I opted NOT to ride and instead stay behind to hold the video camera and fanny packs. Again, no wait. Sprinkles began to fall while I was waiting which figured since I had forgotten to grab our ponchos from the room that a.m. The rain quickly stopped and after my wet family exited Kali, we traipsed to the Safari thinking we’d get a Fastpass for later. Since there was no wait for this attraction, we opted to take the tour. Just as we rounded the curve toward Pride Rock (and the lions were out for a change), the torrential downpour of the day began. It was pouring buckets! As mentioned, we had no ponchos. When we left the safari we made efforts to dodge into as many covered areas as possible until we reached the Dawa bar in Africa. We tried to wait out the rain, while having drinks—but the nasty weather persisted. It did lessen enough for us to get to the front of the park and head out for our PS at China’s Nine Dragons.

When we left AK, we hopped a bus to BC and entered EPCOT through the International Gateway. By this time, the rain had stopped and we made our PS in China fairly dry. The service and food at Nine Dragons was great! I was exceptionally surprised since we had shied away from this restaurant for years due to such terrible reviews. I guess that goes to show you—take the reviews for what they are—opinions and we all know about those. I know we have truly hated some of the restaurants that received glowing reports while loving those with less than stellar reviews. In any event, our opinion of the lunch sampler (served family style and all you can eat) was four thumbs up.

After lunching in China, we wandered the WS for a brief time to determine if the weather was going to clear. While we were in China we caught the acrobats (indoors due to the threat of nasty weather). This is a very fun act for the whole family. We’re always amazed at the talents of these youngsters. Since the weather appeared less threatening, we returned to the hotel for a swim.

After sunning, phoning family to gloat about the weather (short-lived gloating, I might add), we returned to our room to dress for our evening. We only made two dinner PS and planned to fully utilize the concierge service for our light evening meals. This worked very effectively for us most evenings since we were driven back to our hotel by storms. On this evening we were served a chicken Caesar salad which was great. There was also fruit array, cheese and crackers. Our kids just loved the pineapple with caramel dip.

That evening we headed to MK, rode Splash, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, and HM all before Spectromagic began. We viewed Spectro from just across the walkway at Liberty Tree Tavern. It was a nice location and we perched ourselves on the stone wall and had a perfect view. One strangely odd thing was another family seated on the ground in front of us was a family with people from our very small hometown. This is the 2nd year in a row we’ve run into folks from this small, rural town! What are the odds? Spectromagic was terrific as usual and inspired our son to purchase the CD.

Once Spectro ended, we hightailed it back to our resort to catch Fantasy in the Sky from the beach and grab some desserts. The kids had a lovely evening swim while we sat poolside watching. We again were off to bed soon after the fireworks with plans to hit MK early the next morning. So far our weather was typical of the season—things would soon change.

Day 3, Sunday, 6/16/02 (Father’s Day) – MK:

Up once again at 6:55 a.m. When our kids awoke, it became readily apparent that both were feeling puny. Ty had a fever of 103º and no other symptoms while Taylor had a sore throat. I grabbed the Motrin for both and we waited for 30 minutes to see if the fever would come down. Meanwhile Ty was put into a tepid shower—no bath for him thank you! After the Motrin took effect (wonder drug that it is), the fever was completely gone and Ty felt like a new young man. Taylor’s sore throat also felt better. We packed the Motrin & Tylenol into our pouches, went down to breakfast, and off to MK just as the gates were opening. (Ty adamantly refused to lie around in bed any longer and Taylor was determined not to miss a minute of vacation.)

Of all the parks, MK has the most congestion with the new security measures. Even so, the lines moved well and people were, for the most part, cooperative.

We quickly went to SM and obtained a Fastpass for 3. We then moved without delay to the Grand Prix Raceway and had no wait. From there it was off to Barnstormer (no wait) and a return to Tomorrowland for our ride on SM. We then went to Fantasyland for a spin with Winnie (5 mins) and thereafter off to Frontierland for yet another Splash (10 mins) ride. We exited Splash and went directly to BTMRR (5 mins or less). We hit HM (no wait) on our walk through Liberty Square and stopped by Small World (5 mins) for a ride before heading to our PS at Cindy’s for lunch! Whew! All of that before noon—I told you it paid to be up and at the park before 11:00 a.m.!

Lunch at CRT (noon) was good and before we were finished it began to rain—of course we were again caught without our ponchos. Since it was raining/storming, we went to the Hall of Presidents which despite the kids’ protestations, was enjoyed by all. Immediately after we took the Riverboat ride through the Rivers of America where we spotted the alligator so often talked about. One of the boat CMs said that this was the small one and there were others lurking about as well. After the boat ride the rain was coming to an end and a swim was possible.

Back to the Polynesian we went for a bit of sun and water. We opted to hang around the pool all afternoon since the weather turned lovely again. We made a call to my Father for Father’s Day to gloat a bit more and soon thereafter the clouds began to form (guess someone was paying me back for all that gloating). I decided I had better take a turn on the slide with the kids. The clouds continue to gather and things were looking really wicked over GF. Two little kids cut in line ahead of us AND my two kids went ahead of me. Just as I was about to seat myself to slide, the pool was closed due to lightning—something that became a very regular occurrence at all hours during the vacation.

We had planned to go to PI/DD that evening but the weather remained nasty. Since our two kids were feeling so blah in the morning, we decided to simply enjoy nachos, fruit, vegetables, and desserts in the lounge that evening. After our mini-dinner, we went over to Contemporary by monorail and gave the kids some game time at the arcade. We couldn’t do much else due to the crazy weather—Contemporary closed its pool area soon after our arrival. Having three hotels at hand on a rainy day is another plus of the monorail line hotels. The weather cleared enough later for Fantasy in the Sky which we viewed from the concierge lounge while munching dessert.

While we were all a bit sad to miss an evening out, it was probably for the best for the kids. We all seemed to enjoy a bit of “down time” and an early evening didn’t hurt any of us.

Day 4, Monday, 6/17/02 – EPCOT & PI:

Up early and Ty was still feeling a bit under the weather. We pumped him full of Motrin and thought about a trip to the clinic or calling for an in house doctor’s visit. Cooler heads (mine) prevailed though and we opted to give it another day. (I was sure it was viral since he had no other symptoms.) The kids grudgingly got out of bed to eat and we were off quickly to EPCOT.

We were the first to ride Living with the Land that a.m. I was so surprised since this ride typically has a 30-45 minute wait and we skipped it last year because of the lengthy waits even with a Fastpass. Next we popped onto the new Journey into Your Imagination. We all really liked the rehab of this attraction. It’s nearly as fun as the original, although we do miss Dreamfinder. Still, it had its moments and is a huge improvement over the previous version. We then went to see HISTA and went immediately in to the preshow.

From there we hit Test Track in the single’s line and waited less than 10 minutes. Then it was off to Ice Station Cool for some free refreshments—no thanks to the Beverly—we did see someone who we knew was drinking it by the face made after the first sip!

By this time it was approaching noon and we began our trek to the UK for lunch at Rose & Crown. As we entered WS, the character bus arrived so we took a few minutes to visit with the elusive Daisy & Donald Duck! Finally, after all these visits we got Daisy’s autograph! We’ve seen her in the past, but could never time it to be one of those lucky enough to get near her. She was always pulled away before our turn.

Lunch at R&C was good, as usual and we all enjoyed our meals—3 fish & chips, one cottage pie. After lunch we returned to the Polynesian hoping to catch a quick swim before the next batch of rain storms hit. We managed to get a brief period of swim time in before the storms came that caused the pools to close (the pools were closed at least once a day each day of our trip and sometimes more often than that). Our plan was to return to EPCOT for Illuminations that evening, but the weather had other plans. We did go to EPCOT hoping the rain would subside but when it became obvious that it wasn’t letting up soon—we began to reconsider. We went to the bus stop and took the first bus bound for the direction of Downtown Disney. (It just so happened it was an Old Key West bus and we were given a lovely tour of OKW. As we got off the EPCOT to OKW bus, the next bus in line was a DD bus—we lucked out!)

We don’t mind taking the kids to PI despite the children vs. adult controversy. We take them only to The Comedy Club and Adventurer’s Club and we go early so as to be out of there before things get raucous. Last year was their first trip to PI. Since this was a very rainy evening, PI was practically deserted until late (after 10:00 p.m.) in the evening—just as we were leaving.

The Comedy Club performers weren’t too on their toes this night, but it was okay. The Adventurer’s Club members were, however, in fine humor. We had a very fun time there and even got to do the Yellow Poncho Kick line Dance to “Singing in the Rain”. The kids joined the dance and found it very hilarious that all of these adults would line up and perform so miserably in front of others. Kungaloosh!

Once again, our complaints about the evening had more to do with transportation than with the horrid weather. There’s nothing worse than being soaking wet and crammed on a bus so tight you can’t breathe! That’s the way the return was from MP/PI (there is no West End stop at this time). No one had to worry about falling over; there was no room to move. We’re also not real pleased with the routing of the buses—they weren’t good before, but with the change from WL to Contemporary, it just seems longer somehow. I realize that rarely would a bus to any of the three monorail resorts be full on its own. It just seems as if they could add more buses to shorten the waits and diminish the crowds. Three resorts on one bus equals far too many people. The ride from DD is almost, if not, an hour—that’s crazy! (We went to DQ later in the week to avoid rain and took a cab back. The $15 spent was worth every penny—door to door took 10 minutes, tops!)

Day 5, Tuesday, 6/18/02 – MGM:

You know the drill, Mickey (or some days Stitch), phones and we jump out of bed at 7:00 a.m. (I’m, of course, already awake since 5:30 to 6:00 a.m.—habit I guess.) Breakfast consumed and at the bus stop at 8:05 a.m.—those kids are getting faster. We managed to get Fastpasses for RnR (1 hour return time) and ride ToT with only a 10 minute wait. We did the ToT and then went to The Great Movie Ride—again, no wait at all! We returned to RnR, rode, and headed off to The Muppet 3D show. From there we went to Indiana Jones and walked into a “standing room only” show without waiting and were rewarded with fairly good seats. The rain began as we were enjoying Indy’s adventures.

We, once again, donned the yellow ponchos from 1995 and made our way to 50s PTC for lunch. Linda was our “Aunt” and she was very good—totally in character without being obnoxious. Our lunch was good and by the time we finished—the rain had ended but it still looked as if the weather wasn’t going to cooperate. We decided to stay at MGM and do the Backstage Tour. Ron & Ty were chosen to be the “actors” and they were too funny. Ty was clueless about how wet he would be getting. They both had fun though.

After the Backstage Tour, we decided to hightail it back to the resort in hopes of getting a bit of swimming in—we did, very little! The storms came once again closing the pools and dumped buckets for quite some time. It finally slowed to a near stop by the evening service in the lounge and we slogged our way to EPCOT in hopes that it would clear by the time Illuminations rolled around.

Spaceship Earth was a walk on and so we rode it and played for a bit in the AT&T area at the end of the ride. The kids wanted to go to Innoventions and Ron and I wanted to scout a spot for Illuminations. So we all parted—the kids with strict instructions they were not to leave Innoventions until we came for them in one hour.

We seemed to luck out this evening because the rain stopped around 7:30 p.m. and we were able to corral a great table at the Mexican Cantina. We had a terrific view (if you discount the rude people who came from behind at pinnacle moments to snap photographs while blocking the view). I quickly hoofed it to Innoventions to retrieve the kids and bring them to the Cantina while Ron held tightly onto the table! It got quite vicious around there as Illuminations approached!

Illuminations was spectacular as always and we quite enjoyed the presentation. We held back from the post-show congestion for just a few minutes. We walked to the monorail and were taken back to TTC on the very first train after we arrived at the station. I’m always amazed at how efficiently the monorail handles people moving compared to the bus system! We strolled from TTC through the tiki lit paths of Polynesian and arrived in time for desserts and Fantasy in the Sky! We then elected to call it a night with plans to go to Blizzard Beach the next morning (weather permitting). The Weather Channel and Channel 9 became our best friends this week!


Day 6 – Wednesday, 6/19/02 – Blizzard Beach:

We woke to the sound of Mickey encouraging us to get up. A glance out the window greeted us with yet another rainy day. I quickly popped on Channel 9 and determined the storm would be passing and our morning was expected to be sunny and warm. The family decided to go for it and we readied ourselves for breakfast and a trip to BB.

I’m sure our fellow lounge patrons thought we were loony to be dressed for a water park given the weather that morning, but we were hopeful the forecast would be accurate.

The bus came promptly and we made it to BB just after opening. We were welcomed with few others brave enough to risk the trip and the sun soon began to shine in earnest. We managed to ride all of the slides (except Slush Gusher & Summit Plummet—no one in our family is brave enough for those two), the lazy river, and the wave pool before the throngs realized the day (or at least the morning) was going to be fine for a water park. We took a break around 11:45 for a quick bite at Lotta Watta Lodge and by the time lunch was finished the park was filling quickly with waits for all slides and the lazy river. We managed to take one last spin down the two person slide at the rear of the park with a 10 minute wait. The weather then, once again, turned threatening and we retreated to our chairs to gather our belongings. Just as we were packing up, the park was closed due to lightning and you would have thought a tornado was imminent.

People were hastily beating a retreat and it was difficult to exit the park. Obviously, this caused major jams at the bus depots and we waited, once again, a lengthy period before a bus arrived for the three monorail hotels. As usual, it was filled from pick-ups at AK and we were cattle car packed in the aisle dripping on everyone already seated.

When we arrived at Polynesian, the pools were re-opened and we all decided to turn the day into a designated swim day. As the day progressed, more rain fell and storms were in full swing once again. We decided to grab a bite in the lounge and then take another long bus ride to DD for a visit to DQ.

Despite the rain, DQ wasn’t as crowded as we expected it to be. We rode the Jungle Cruise, created our own coaster, rode a battle simulator ride (can’t remember its name right now), and went up to share some cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. We managed to get a table with the internet connection and I tried to post to the boards, but was unable to submit the post—I’ve done it in the past so I’m not sure what the problem was that evening—gremlins or storm-related problems.

We had decided before going to DQ we would taxi back to the Polynesian and it was really worth the $15 we paid for the ride! We were back at our hotel within 10 minutes! A major improvement over the hour long standing ride we surely would have encountered by bus.

Day 7, Thursday, 6/20/02 – AK:

Up early and at AK by opening. We knew we wanted to see Festival of the Lion King this morning so we went directly to the Passholder’s Lounge to secure seating for the show. We soon learned the lounge doesn’t open “officially” until 10:00 a.m. and Passholder seating was available for the 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (?) shows. The CM who came to the lounge just after us kindly wrote our reservation even though the lounge wasn’t yet open. The kids played the pinball and racing games while they waited. Exit pass for The Lion King in hand, we walked quickly to Primeval Whirl followed by Dinosaur. We got Fastpass for ITTBAB before riding these two attractions and when we were finished (with no wait for either), we went to ITTBAB.

We waited about 5 minutes for the show to begin and when it was over we walked very fast to The Lion King. I was lead to believe you got to choose your seating but when we arrived we found our seats to be in the rear of the Wart Hog section. The seats are just next to the exit and fine although we prefer to be closer to the action. Lion King was spectacular as always and we thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Our PS lunch for today was at Teppanyaki and we had a bit of time to kill before leaving. Taylor had been repeatedly asking for a Root Beer Float from the stand in Africa. She and Ty had one last year and said they were great. Well, we head back to Africa, wait in a line at the ice cream place there and when it was our turn to order found the fountain machine was broken and they had no root beer or other sodas—just ice cream. Taylor was so bummed I thought she was going to cry—I think the weather, not feeling the greatest, early hours, and disappointments of the trip (i.e. spending so much down time) were really getting to her. We went to the Dawa Bar and thought a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri would fill the bill but these were more expensive than the float and awful! No whipped cream and very little strawberry flavor!

The acrobats and musicians came out while we were having our drinks and this brightened her mood considerably. While we didn’t have any actual downpours at this point, the weather was threatening all morning and as we were set to leave, the ponchos were again needed.

We hopped the bus to BC and entered EPCOT through the International Gateway and went quickly to Japan—a bit damp but eagerly anticipating our lunch. We were quickly seated with another family of four—they were from California, had two girls, and were making their first trip to WDW. We all commiserated about the terrible weather and we tried to assure them that it was unique this year—not sure if they bought it though. They were very friendly and we enjoyed talking with them. They all had on sweatshirts and were soaked to the skin after touring in the rain. I felt badly for them since it was their first time and they didn’t seem to have caught the magic at all!

By the time lunch ended, the rain was coming down in full force. We knew we were leaving since touring in the downpour would not be much fun and we wouldn’t be seeing any acts in WS this day. We made a quick stop at R&C Pub to try and wait out the worst of the storm. When we found the weather wasn’t going to let up, we decided to hit BC for some arcade games since it was closer than the monorail. Ron & I visited the Crew’s Cup for an hour and the kids played in the arcade. The rain was really awful this day and we thought we might take a stroll between YC, Swan, Dolphin, and BWI. We got fairly wet, but the tour was interesting if not completely satisfying. At BWI the kids played checkers and backgammon until we were all bored. We waited and waited and waited for a bus to MK in front of BWI. Finally, after nearly 40 minutes, a bus came and we went to MK to catch the monorail back to Polynesian.

When we returned to the Polynesian we found the pools still open so the kids decided to go for a swim in the rain before the storm got roaring again. They managed a few minutes in the pool before it was closed due to the weather.

Dinner was again planned in the concierge lounge and the weather reports for the evening were not pleasant. The storms continued all evening and we decided to stay in—again. This is the most time I’ve ever spent around the resort in all of our vacations and I was beginning to become quite frustrated—as was the entire family. I think part of our problem was we were nearing the end of our vacation and we had yet to see Fantasmic!—a must for Ty. We were running out of time and the going home depression was beginning to set in for Taylor, Ty, and I—given the weather, I think Ron was ready to go!

Day 8, Friday, 6/21/02, MGM:

Up early with a nice morning predicted. We got breakfast in the lounge and were off nice and early for MGM.

We arrived at the bus stop and proceed to wait and wait and wait for a bus to MGM! Now, c’mon guys, we were at the bus stop at 8:05 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. opening not (8-10 minutes away, according to the bus drivers). I kid you not; we pull into the parking lot at 9:15 a.m.! Aaaarrrrggggghhhhh! There wasn’t a bus near us until 8:40 a.m. Then we had to wait to load a Johnny Come Lately with an ECV (I don’t begrudge people their need for electric vehicles, but if you’re pounding on the back door of the bus as it’s pulling away—you may be holding up those that were already on the bus and ready to go. The bus driver very courteously opened the door to this person and then backed up to load the vehicle and all of the family members. By this time, people were crawling out of the woodwork and they too wanted the bus to stop as it was pulling away—which the driver did! Unreal—this must have gone on for 10 minutes. We then had to go to GF because we might be able to cram 3-5 more people in the aisles. She opened the doors at GF and advised the folks there she could only take another 3-5 and what happens, 10 get on because; as the last four people said “we can squeeze in”! And they did, right on my family’s feet double stroller and all!

So, our best laid plans to arrive at rope drop were foiled by the kindness of our bus driver! Nevertheless, we were able to wait to ride RnR with a 15 minute wait while Ron grabbed 3 Fastpasses for later in the morning. After our ride with Aerosmith, we went to ToT and waited only about 15 minutes. We then took the first animation tour and saw the new drawings for Bears and a space movie—don’t recall the name—Treasure Planet sounds familiar though. The kids were able to queue for a meet and greet with Lilo and Stitch in the Animation Courtyard then it was time to be off for our PS at San Angel Inn.

We walked the MGM walkway to EPCOT and even had time for a stop in R&C on our way to San Angel—that long walk required refreshments before lunch. We enjoyed the air conditioning, had our drinks, and walked to Mexico. Lunch at San Angel was, as always, good and we even got lovely seating on the River del Tiempo.

When the rain lightened a bit, we opted to go to FW and tour the Wonders of Life before returning to the hotel. The kids enjoyed the stop and by the time we were ready to leave, the rain had nearly ended. We tried to get another ride on TT through the single’s line but when we went inside we found the queue to be over 45 minutes for single riders. The skies were still threatening and we all determined the best course would be to head back to the hotel.

We managed to spend a good bit of time around the pool and knew that if we didn’t get to Fantasmic we would not have the opportunity to see it this trip. Ty was very hopeful the rain wouldn’t return that evening despite a threat by the forecasters for more rain. While everyone else was otherwise occupied, I took the time to repack our luggage to avoid doing it in the morning. Our plan was to leave Saturday evening at 9:00 p.m. and the stretch limo was to take us to our final night’s accommodations at Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport. With the re-packing out of the way we were all set to enjoy our last full day on Saturday.

Since we’d spent so much time at the hotel in the evenings, we decided to go to MGM a bit earlier and skip the concierge meal. None of us were hungry after our large lunch in Mexico and so we were off to MGM in hopes our ponchos would not be needed. We arrived at MGM close to 7:00 p.m. and immediately queued for Fantasmic. In years past we didn’t remember the theater opening at 7:00 p.m., maybe it did and our memories fail, but we were lead into the theater promptly at 7:00 p.m. We managed to get row F seats in Mickey and munched pretzels and cotton candy (what a dinner) before the presentation began. It was, as always, spectacular! The biggest blessing was no rain despite the threat all evening.

The bus returned us to Polynesian just as Fantasy was ending and we missed desserts but that was certainly no big deal. The leaving Disney blues were in full swing for all of us but we were too tired for any more activity. The kids went to bed while Ron and I went to sit by the pool and enjoy an adult beverage. We also were too tired to fully enjoy it and agreed to return to our room. On the way to the room, just outside the concierge building, I had my second ever snake sighting at Disney! I hate snakes and was doing the dance big time as it slithered by me. Ron is convinced it was merely a garden snake—but I don’t trust his judgment since he is not an expert! I gave the bushes WIDE berth as I passed where it entered. Heebie jeebies aside, we quickly fell asleep hoping for the best on Saturday!

Day 9, Saturday, 6/22/02 – MK:

Up with the birds, we were quickly dressed and arranging for our bags to be checked for our departure later in the day. We stored a couple of essential bags at the concierge desk (hoping we’d have nice enough weather for a trip to the pool that afternoon) and grabbed our breakfast. The monorail had been off line for a period that a.m. so our arrival at MK was delayed a bit but we still managed to be there at opening.

We got to SM first and wrangled a ride (10 minute wait) while Ron secured 3 Fastpasses for later. After our first ride on SM, we went to Buzz (walk on) and I was the big gun here—52,200—a whopper for me since I don’t play video games at all! Ty was impressed since he is a big video game guy and he didn’t score well at all. It was then time for our Fastpasses on SM so the kids and I took our last ride of this trip.

Splash Mountain was next on our agenda and we quickly walked to the back of the park. It seemed most of the crowd was centered on Fantasyland this morning. When we got to Frontierland we found Splash was off line with no estimation on repair. We got Fastpasses for 11:00 a.m. and went directly to BTMRR. The wait time here was about 5 minutes and the rain began to come down lightly at this point.

Splash still wasn’t up and running so we rode PoC followed by Aladdin’s Magic Carpets. Jungle Cruise had a long wait so we opted for a last tour through HM—no wait. By this time it was approaching our Fastpass time for Splash. When we returned we found it still off line but were assured our FPs would be honored. Since we couldn’t ride Splash and lunchtime was upon us, we gave Pecos Bill’s a try. We’ve never eaten at this fast food place before and were pleasantly surprised. Our group ordered two wraps, a chicken Caesar salad, and one burger. We also had fries and chili cheese fries. The portions were huge and we really should have split meals here—live and learn!

After lunch Splash was back up and running. We entered the FP line with no problems despite the expiration of our time. Ty wanted to ride front on Splash and the CM he asked told him: “It’s pretty much like Burger King; you can always have it your way!” Ty’s still repeating the line and he was happy to “get front” on Splash.

As a side note, a ToT CM told us that all CMs MUST let you have your seating preference for rides. He said if they didn’t that we should take down names and report them to Guest Relations. It was a Disney policy to allow people to choose front or back, etc. and all CMs knew the guest was to be accommodated. Had I known that on RnR, I would have asked for front!

From Splash it was on to Fantasyland where we hoped to get on Peter Pan. The wait was over 35 minutes and Fastpasses were not up for hours. Instead we rode the Carousel, snapped some photographs, and took a gander at the latest batch of approaching storms. We knew our time was limited and it was determined we had just enough time to get out of MK before we were caught again in the afternoon deluge.

All agreed to take the boat back to Polynesian for one last time and our fingers were crossed the kids could get in a bit of swimming before the developing storm hit. Ty and Taylor managed to get into the water for about 20 minutes and the latest storm arrived. The pool was once again closed. The kids changed back into their park clothes in the 3rd floor concierge restroom, we repacked the wet things and weighed our options for the afternoon. We had planned to go to EPCOT that afternoon and do the WS tour more thoroughly. We had PS at Cape May for 5:30 p.m. and thought we’d stroll from WS to the restaurant.

Sadly, the rain was so torrential the mere thought of leaving the building was objectionable. The lightning was very vivid and struck the lagoon in front of the Polynesian. We bounced between the concierge lounge and GCH via the buildings for an hour or two hoping the rain would subside. We watched The Weather Channel and Channel 9 in the lounge and GCH, but the news indicated the weather was not going to break at all—we were in for yet another all day wash-out.

We had two options, don those ponchos and go for it or try to arrange an early pick-up to the Hyatt where it would be dry. Taylor was very sad at the thought of leaving early but Ron was extremely anxious to get the heck out of Dodge! He had had quite enough of the miserable weather and just wanted to have a meal and relax before our flight the next morning (he’s a nervous flyer and needed the time). Ty and I were ambivalent.

The decision was made to call Yourride to see if we could arrange an earlier pick-up than 9:00 p.m. Rabbitt was very helpful once we found the phone number. You see, I had written the toll free number on the coupon that was handed over to Jim on our arrival. I didn’t have another notation anywhere in my planning stuff—I was absolutely incredulous—I thought I had planned for anything! One member of concierge flatly refused to look the number up on the internet at his terminal—he indicated he couldn’t do that and could only give us the number for Mears. Ron was hot under the collar and returned to the desks once again. This time he asked a different CM to do the same and she gladly obliged. It took her a few minutes to get the number since she kept entering yourride.com instead of .net, but with number in hand

Ron quickly phoned Rabbitt. Rabbitt in turn phoned Jim to see if he could collect us sooner. When Rabbitt phoned back he indicated that Jim could come for us BUT he would not have the stretch available until the originally agreed upon time—9:00 p.m. Jim would gladly pick us up in an Expedition if that was acceptable. Despite Taylor’s protestations, Ron agreed to the Expedition—anything to get out of there early! Once the plans were in place Ron’s mood lightened considerably. He was very happy to be leaving while the three of us had mixed emotions.

We did a little last minute shopping in the GCH while the kids watched Disney Channel programs. Jim arrived within the hour as planned and our luggage was retrieved from Robert, loaded in the Expedition and we were off. The trip to the airport was completely uneventful and while the Expedition certainly isn’t a stretch limo—it was a nice vehicle and it was our option to go early rather than wait.

When we arrived at the Hyatt I soon discovered my carry-on bag was missing from the luggage. This bag had our airline tickets, my cell phone, some souvenirs, my prescription sunglasses, and other items expensive and necessary to life! The bell services person told me to go immediately to Hyatt’s guest services and telephone Polynesian, ask for bell services, and speak directly with a manager. He assured me the bag would be found and sent to me right away. He also indicated this type of thing happens all the time and that there was no need for panic—all would be fine in the end.

I did as he instructed while Ron checked us in and spoke with Lisa who had me describe the MKC valise and its contents. (The luggage was tagged, too.) She said thank you and told me, much to my relief, she had the bag in front of her. She inquired how soon I would need it and when I indicated we were flying at 8:55 a.m. and that I needed the items inside, she indicated she would make arrangements and telephone me back. Within 15 minutes Lisa called our room and advised the bag was being sent with a courier and would arrive within the hour! Whew! Now I could relax, too!

Since we hadn’t eaten since 11:30 a.m., we went to the restaurant in the Hyatt. Wow, what a nice little Bar & Grill we found. The atmosphere was very light and everyone quite jovial. We didn’t want large meals so we ordered two wood fired pizzas and some wings—not exactly healthy options, but it suited us at that moment. We lingered over dinner recalling the best things of our vacation and joking about the nasty weather. The weather itself was nearly as bad as the Tropical Storm (Jerry) we endured in August 1995. Almost. . . It was agreed we had a good vacation despite the weather and we congratulated each other on our flexibility and maneuvering skills. We managed to see and do everything we wanted (just minus the nice sunshine we hoped for) and adopted the “There is always next year!” philosophy.

After dinner the rain slowed enough for the kids to enjoy the Hyatt pool. It’s outside but was very warm. What a treat to be outside watching the planes come and go while swimming. All-in-all we made a good choice to get out while we could—we certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed touring WS in a downpour and probably would have been cranky had we stayed for Cape May. Everyone was happy and looking forward to going home and yet sad to be leaving our favorite vacation locale.

Day 10, Sunday, 6/23/02 – Flight & Home:

Our flight on Delta via Atlanta to Toledo was on time and we left the Hyatt and made our way to check-in. The line was minimal (we arrived at 7:00 for an 8:55 a.m. departure). We retrieved our boarding passes, checked our two bags, and went to the security gates—again, minimal lines. We all went through the initial security check point with no problems. Since we had over an hour before boarding began, we picked up coffees at Starbucks and a bite to eat from Burger King—these folks need to speak to that Splash Mt CM—they didn’t believe in having it “your way”. Service was so slow for a fast food place and they doled out condiments as if we were on rations. In any event, the food would hold us until we arrived in Toledo later that afternoon.

After our quick breakfast we moved to the gate area and awaited our flight. It was on time and we queued when our rows were called. Ron managed to be the participant in the random gate search. He had a large carry on bag which they completely emptied of all our medications and toiletries, video camera, and souvenirs. When the items were returned to the carry on, and unbeknownst to us until we arrived home, the security person opened Ron’s very expensive contact lens cleaner (it’s a special kind for his eyes), deposited it upside down in the bag and proceeded to spill the contents all over our video camera case. The solution soaked through to the camera but—fortunately—did not damage it. Ron was very late boarding and was told he would probably be randomly searched in Atlanta too. Guess it isn’t too random if they can tell you to expect it—must be more discretionary than random. Ron was seated, buckled, and within minutes we were pulling back from the gate.

The flight was uneventful and we landed on time in Atlanta. We easily found our way to the tram and traveled from concourse T to C without incident. When we arrived at our connecting flight gate, there was a posted sign that indicated our flight would be boarding at the next gate (23 not 21 as we were told). We plodded over to the restrooms, made a quick pit stop, and returned to the assigned area. We waited for a few minutes and there was no plane in sight at this gate. Meanwhile, at gate 21 passengers were being boarded and called for the flight. About 10 minutes before departure, gate 23 makes an announcement that if you’re waiting to board the flight to Toledo, it is now boarding at 21—where we were originally told to go and had in fact gone! Geesh—get it together folks. Well, we get back to 21 and the sign saying this flight will be boarding at 23 is still on the board. I made a comment to the counter agent that perhaps they should take it down so as not to confuse anyone who is coming from a late connecting flight and I merely got “the stare”. For my audacity to question the staff, I was the beneficiary of a “random” search. Fortunately for me I had only the little black handbag with essentials—still, the search was very thorough and I even had to remove my tissue from my pocket to show that was all it was. I was the last passenger on board. Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for the security checks, BUT let’s make sure we’re not using them for personal power trips.

The flight itself was very smooth and we had an extremely funny flight attendant—let’s just say he was NOT Barbie (his line). This guy was large and could play football. He teased everyone and tried to convince us we were on a plane to Jamaica which made the adults happy—weigh the options, Toledo/Jamaica—you choose!

We landed on time, retrieved our luggage in Toledo without incident, loaded our van, and drove to Olive Garden for lunch. For some reason Ron had been craving salad for days. We frequently eat salad at home but for some reason it seems to be the one thing we don’t eat or choose to eat at WDW. The OG salad is one of his favorites and the pasta isn’t bad either.

Our drive home was pleasant and the weather was awesome—99º and sunny—just what we thought we would be receiving in Florida. It seems that’s usually the way it goes, isn’t it. When we left, the weather was cool and rainy. During our vacation the weather was hot and dry at home while we were being drenched daily and suffering daytime temps in the 70s at times. I’m happy to report that the weather in both Michigan and Florida are holding true to form. It’s still hot and sunny here in MI and rainy in Florida—at least for the foreseeable future—of course, “There’s always next year!”

Final Thoughts:

*I’ll get this out right off the bat—there was NO smell, odor, noxious fumes, gases, irritants, contaminants, or any other airborne problem at Polynesian! The room we had 3525 was in good repair, clean, and did NOT smell of anything but cleanser. Third floor is smoking optional and there were people smoking in their rooms—if you don’t want to detect a hint of it—stay off third! People are on this floor that smoke. It wasn’t smoky BUT there were times you would get a faint whiff of dreaded smoke. We saw people smoking on the balconies on the first floor, too. Further, people were smoking around the pools, in the GCH at Tambu, by the pool bar, on the docks, in front of the GCH, in the smoking only building, on balconies all over the resort, on the walkways within the resorts, in the parks (both in and outside of the designated areas), at the water parks, in DD, at PI, and every other resort we visited.

Whew. . .I hope you realize I say this somewhat tongue in cheek. If you have complete intolerance for cigarette/cigar/pipe smoke—avoid all of the above areas! I do not wish to offend those of you who, for health reasons or personal ones, are constantly worried about the smell of smoke. You should also know that you are going to find smokers in these areas and you should be prepared or forewarned—short of staying in your airtight home, you will encounter people who smoke (and do other things of which you disapprove I might add). My husband smokes an occasional cigar. He chose to have his around the pool bar. While he’s a really nice guy, I’m sure someone was offended but remember, he also paid his $$ to be there.

Tolerance is what I’m preaching here—if you have a health problem so severe as to set off a reaction to smoke—any public place might be problematic for you. Our kids have asthma (no there is no smoking in our home either). We do not take them to smoke filled places at home and wouldn’t do so at WDW. They’ve not had a problem being on the third floor. Both of them did note, however, that they saw more people smoking than they’d remembered in the past. Maybe they are just more observant of it than years past.

One caveat to the “smell factor” at Polynesian: the longhouse just behind Hawaii and parallel to the volcano pool is a smoking building. It not only smelled horribly of cigarette smoke, but also smelled very stale and musty. We’ve never stayed in this building or had occasion to travel through it either. We only did so this year as a drier alternative than the walkway to GCH. It reeked and, if I’m not mistaken, was rehabbed not very long ago—maybe 3 years? Avoid this building like the plague unless you are a smoker.

*Get up and moving first thing in the morning. Chances are the weather will be more conducive to touring during this atypical rainy summer. You will also beat the crowds (provided they’ve increased at this point) and get more things done.

*Be flexible and don’t let the weather or crowds get to you. Go with the flow and rearrange your schedule as necessary to accommodate the change in weather/crowds. I specifically scheduled no activities in the evening or PS for dinner. We let our mood (and more importantly the weather) determine our evening plans.

*If staying concierge, take advantage of that evening service. While it’s no full meal, you can certainly find enough to eat to satisfy you provided you’ve had a good lunch. Oftentimes I was still full from lunch by evening service and ate very lightly. We also had our desserts in the lounge since we were hotel bound so often at that time due to rain.

*All of our meals were wonderful. We had absolutely no complaints about service or quality. The only minor disappointment was Chef Mickey’s. We usually thoroughly enjoy this meal but found it a bit lacking this time—not sure why. We all enjoyed what we ate; the atmosphere just seemed a bit subdued and less festive this time around. It might have been us—we were coming off an early morning flight and park time plus pool time.

*Don’t forget to use your AP for lunch discounts at Epcot/Resort full service restaurants! I knew about the discount (M-F only at lunch) before I went and fully intended to get it on our lunches. In my excitement I forgot to use my PAP at China and R&C—could have saved us about $20 at these two restaurants alone. I did get the discount at Teppanyaki & San Angels!

*All of the CMs (except that one guy in concierge) were exceptionally motivated to provide wonderful service and/or assistance. Everyone we encountered was very outgoing, personable, and quick to offer assistance. Morale did not seem to be a problem whatsoever. Even the bus drivers were accommodating and while maybe not the most talkative—certainly courteous.

*Despite all of the nay Sayers, we usually enjoy June in WDW. We have never found the crowds to be unmanageable and the crowds this year seemed to be a tad lighter than normal. The weather this year is atypical and it will not deter us from returning next year from 6/13-22/02. Don’t hesitate to take a mid-June trip if you so choose!
*Make the best of the nasty weather. Do a resort tour, ride the bus wherever it takes you, get on the monorail and stop at each of the hotels—you’re bound to find something interesting to see or do.

*Use the transportation system to your advantage. You don’t necessarily have to return on your bus to your hotel to get to where you want to go—this isn’t anything new to those who have traveled to WDW often, but for newbies it’s a sage piece of advice and worth repeating. Also, think it through for yourself rather than asking a CM how to get somewhere. If, for example, you want to go to Boardwalk—the best way isn’t always the way the CM will give you. Buses go to resorts from the parks and you will save yourself a good bit of time taking a resort bus rather than routing through DD. Be creative!

*Take time to smell the roses or other flower of your choice—there’s so much more to Disney than the attractions.

*When feeling frustrated, take a deep breath before you speak. While we were there the opportunity for tempers to flare from fellow travelers, CMs, and family was ripe given the negative weather. No one seemed to let it get to them too much—there are some things you just can’t plan or control—let it go and make the best of it! Joking complaints were rampant while we were at WDW—very lighthearted.

*Make the most of your time there—whatever the most is to you!

*Remember, you’re at Walt Disney World!

Mahalo Everyone!

 

[vald1977]

Thanks so much for taking the time to report ! It does seem as though your family made the most of your vacation despite whatever was thrown at you -- rain, illness, slow busses, etc. I am so happy you did get to see Fantasmic for your daughter ! I hope your next trip is filled with sunny skies and rootbeer floats ! Thanks again for the excellent report and great tips.

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Tess, an EXCELLENT report. I loved all the detail. Thank you for sharing your family's time in WDW with us.

 

[Tess]

On our 2nd MGM day, we dodged raindrops by visiting the exhibit dedicated to Walt Disney--One Man's Dream. It had some very cool exhibits and a nice film at the end--a good way to avoid weather, take a breather from the sun (not necessary in our case ), or simply enjoy. All four of us really enjoyed it--it's a lovely, sentimental trip down memory lane.

 

[jmkst58]

Loved your report, and even though I am not a smoker...I found myself completely agreeing with your outlook about the smokers. Never quite seen it that way. It is just a fact of life......THANKS!!!!!

 

[Cindybell]

We were there the same week you were. In fact, we were at the AK the same day as you. We decided though to stick it out in the rain because we wanted to eat dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. It wasn't to bad, but my feet got soaked. I was disappointed though because AK is one of my favorite parks but is hard to enjoy in the rain. Thanks for the report.

 

[Deb8821]

Great detailed report! It nice to see a family go with the flow and not let the weather put to big of a damper on your trip. After all you are at Disney World!! Thanks again for the terrific report.

 

[Tess]

Cindybell--I know what you mean about enjoying your favorites. My one regret about this trip is that Ron and I didn't have the opportunity to enjoy our favorite park, EPCOT! The weather was just not conducive to leisurely strolling or sitting to take in the atmosphere outside in the WS. This is one of our favorite things to do.

 

[Tess]

jmkst--other than the occasional cigar--we aren't smokers either--we just love the 3rd floor! Tolerance of others is just something most of us seem to be lacking in personalities. Smokers seem to be villains these days and since it is a legal, personal choice, it seems like a waste of energy to condemn these people as if they were axe murderers.

Thanks for the kudos everyone--I'm glad you enjoyed the read.

 

[cshaffer21]

Thanks for the great trip report. My niece, her husband and 4yo daughter were there the same time you were and were kind of disappointed about the weather. It was their first time, so they weren't veterans like you guys. Glad to hear you made the best of it!!!

 

[crusoemom]

Nice report - thanks for the tips!

 

[Poohshoney]

Thanks for a great report!
Your trip made us realise how lucky we were with the weather in April/May - the heat was a bit too much for us but we're so glad we didn't have your rain. Better luck next time, hope it's very soon!