~Only Disney could make sorting trash fun~ UPDATED 12/23

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm sorry you didn't like the Dole Whip. The Dole Whip floats are a must for us every time we're at Disney, though I think there's some nostalgia attached to it. I think the floats are better, but it is till just pineapple sherbet with pineapple juice. You'll just have to try and see.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Great updates!! I'm glad Jace rode Haunted Mansion!

I love the balloon pictures too! My boys always wonder why the CM isn't floating away with so many balloons. They actually seem a bit worried sometimes.

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

Yay for Jace riding Haunted Mansion. I am sure it was just the unknown that was so scary for him.

I hate to hear that you weren't wowed by the Dole Whip. In all of my trips to Disney, we have never tried one.

I probably hyped up the Dole Whip in my own mind too much. I'm sure on a really hot day it's instantly 10 times better. I'll try the Dole Whip Float next time and see how it compares. I know a lot of people on the DIS love it.

Could Rylan be any more adorable!! ALL the pics you take of her she has the cutest look on her face!! What a cutie pie!! Yeah that Jace rode Haunted Mansion! How fun for you Alicia to get to share that with him too!!! I drool over all the yummy treats in the Confectionery too! Gabe loves gingerbread and Jace's cookie looks so yummy!!! Great pics all over Magic Kingdom! Your family photopass shot turned out great, that's my favorite border you used too!!! Can't wait to hear about your dinner!!!!

Thanks Beth!!
I think we spent a solid 30 minutes in the Confectionary! I must have looked at every item in there, and I wanted them all!
I love that border too! I think it instantly turns any photo into a postcard.
I hope to post about dinner soon. I got a precautionary e-mail from Photobucket that I'm about to exceed my bandwidth so I gotta upload those photos to a new account.

Thanks for reading along!

I just found your trip report the other day, - really enjoying reading about your trip and your pictures are great, going back now to read about your day at the Magic Kingdom (my favorite place!)

Thanks!

I'm sorry you didn't like the Dole Whip. The Dole Whip floats are a must for us every time we're at Disney, though I think there's some nostalgia attached to it. I think the floats are better, but it is till just pineapple sherbet with pineapple juice. You'll just have to try and see.

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely have to try the float. The pineapple juice might be the thing that makes it special and different from standard sherbert. I had in my mind what I imagined it would taste like and the regular Dole Whip wasn't as sweet as I was expecting. The float will probably have that taste I was lookng for.

Great updates!! I'm glad Jace rode Haunted Mansion!

I love the balloon pictures too! My boys always wonder why the CM isn't floating away with so many balloons. They actually seem a bit worried sometimes.

Awwww... that's too cute they're worried about the CM flying away.
I never thought of that, but this trip I did see a CM hand the balloons to a guest to take a photo with them. At first I thought, that's such a cool photo! Then I thought if I ask to do that I would sooooo be the one that accidently lets them go and has to pay for all of them!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

So, happy to hear that Jace rode and enjoyed HM! I am like you and love HM its a little bit of Halloween anytime (now, I cannot stand Halloween haunted houses--never could).
sorry you did not care for the dole whip; mom and I had the dole whip float we enjoyed it but we were also hot from just standing out in the hot sun from the parade; it was so refreshing (like a tart/sweet lemonaide)...try it next time you are there and you need a little bit of a chill.

I would so love to meet up with fellow LA dissers that would be so much fun!
Connie

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

So, happy to hear that Jace rode and enjoyed HM! I am like you and love HM its a little bit of Halloween anytime (now, I cannot stand Halloween haunted houses--never could).
sorry you did not care for the dole whip; mom and I had the dole whip float we enjoyed it but we were also hot from just standing out in the hot sun from the parade; it was so refreshing (like a tart/sweet lemonaide)...try it next time you are there and you need a little bit of a chill.

I would so love to meet up with fellow LA dissers that would be so much fun!
Connie

I think I'm becoming more scared as I get older. I used to be able to go through haunted houses no problem. Now I'm too chicken.

Glad to hear you liked the Dole Whip float. From what you and others have said I'm gonna be sure and try it.

I saw on the boards there is a meet in Baton Rouge on Sept. 18, but I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for a New Orleans meet. If none come up, maybe we can plan one for sometime after the holidays (January or February?)

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

When I left off we were heading to the dock and waiting for the next boat to arrive to take us to our dinner location.

We passed the Grand Floridian where we had went the evening before for tea…

and our next stop was the beautiful Polynesian!!!

It was my first time there and we I wanted to soak it all in.

It was 7 o’clock and we had a 75 minute wait before our reservation at Ohana. We got to shop in the gift shops and take a few pictures.
I had already brought my lei from home (I saw it and fell in love with the color) but my family was just about to buy some from the gift shop. They were really expensive. I got mine at Party City for 2 bucks, so I felt bad they were about to pay out the wazoo for them. I mentioned I had heard if you just ask at the front desk they might give them away. My dad went ask and they happily gave them all some really nice ones!!

I soooo wanna stay at this resort! It’s so peaceful and calm. We sat next to the waterfall in the lobby and waited until the time got closer to our reservation to go upstairs to Ohana.

It wasn’t long before we were headed inside to be seated.

Jace wanted us to make sure and get a pic of the Easter Island head from Night at the Museum.

She brought us right over to a window table overlooking the beach and Seven Seas Lagoon. I could not stop grinning from ear to ear! I was ecstatic!

continued in next post...

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

I loved pretty much everything I ate, especially the potstickers! The only exception was the shrimp. They were spongy. I don’t know how shrimp are in other places, but in my opinion Louisiana shrimp are the best. (sans oil of course )

The bread pudding was ammmazzzzinnng!! Mmmmmm. Want. Some. Now.

Jace got vanilla ice cream.

This restaurant was worth the hype in my opinion. I was stuffed and a happy chick. I actually liked when things picked up and the restaurant got louder. I didn’t feel self-conscious about my niece making noise or us talking loud. My sister did mention the squeaky voice of the Hawaiian singer. (She had never heard Kevin’s restaurant review on the podcast ) It really didn’t bother me at all. It was fun seeing her get other patrons to parade around the restaurant.

Everything was so delicious that we were done eating in 50 minutes! It was only 9:10 and Wishes wouldn’t be starting until 10! I knew we couldn’t hog the table that long. I had heard on the DIS to plan out a good 2 hours to eat. Oh boy did they underestimate my family! I knew we’d have to leave and I wasn’t happy about it considering we had this great view. But my back-up plan for if we would have been seated away from the windows was to finish our meal and head down to the beach. So that’s what we ended up doing.

Rylan and Jace played with light up yo-yos for a little while, but my sister was tired and wanted to leave. She hopped on the monorail to MK with the kids and then got on a bus to CBR.

My mom, dad and I had a table and waited for the show. All the beach chairs were full, but there really was barely any people there which surprised me.

It was a gorgeous view! And the music piped in just makes it. I ended up videoing some of it, I didn’t get great pics though.

There were these two couples drinking wine with their feet in the sand and talking about how magical the day had been and what a great viewing spot the beach was. At that moment I knew I wanted to come back one day with my future bf/husband, and maybe a few other couples, and enjoy Disney. I think that would be such a great trip.

And then the madness started. We got on the monorail, but didn’t get off at MK because we thought it would be better to go to the T&TC to get on a monorail to Epcot, which was closer to our resort. Little did we know the T&TC was done going to Epcot for the day since the park had just closed. We got back on the monorail to MK. The only people on the monorail by the way (come to think of it that was pretty cool to get a personal monorail ride ), but when you’re tired and frustrated you don’t think of those things. You just think of a nice bed to lay your head on.

Of course when we got back to MK the park had emptied after Wishes and we were in the LONGEST LINE EVER! It kinda put a bitter taste in my mouth after such a great day. But it’s not even that we had to wait a long time, it’s that the bus stops for Pop Century and Coronado Springs, which were on either side of the CBR one, had buses come continuously. There were never more than 7-10 people waiting in line. And then there’s CBR with over a hundred people and the line extending waaaayyy past the end of the roped off line. I just didn’t understand why that was, but I tried to just concentrate on how beautiful the Contemporary looked and how it was probably a good thing I wouldn’t be going to bed anytime soon on such a full stomach.

Up Next... We take on the World! Showcase that is.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Great update! I'm glad to hear a good review of Ohana. We're going there on Christmas this year and there are mixed reviews on the DIS. We're really looking forward to it!

That stinks about the long and frustrating bus wait. That always seems to happen to us at least once a trip where our resort seems to be the one that isn't getting any busses. It sounds like you maintained a good attitude, though!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Sounds like a wonderful night... except for the very end! My mother & I took a monorail ride to nowhere once... It was my first time staying onsite & instead of heading for the bus to CBR, I thought we had to get on the monorail to get a bus at the TTC. Of course I was wrong, so we jumped on the first monorail to come to the TTC - Epcot - figuring we could catch a bus over there. But Epcot was already closed! We wandered around outside Epcot & a CM saw us & called us our very own bus back to CBR. We tried to tip the driver but he wouldn't accept it. It was just one more example of what makes Disney so magical. But of course I didn't really appreciate it at the time since I was exhausted & wanted my bed.

Thanks for another positive review of Ohana - I don't think I've heard a bad one! I just made an ADR for our Feb/March trip!

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

Great update! I'm glad to hear a good review of Ohana. We're going there on Christmas this year and there are mixed reviews on the DIS. We're really looking forward to it!

That stinks about the long and frustrating bus wait. That always seems to happen to us at least once a trip where our resort seems to be the one that isn't getting any busses. It sounds like you maintained a good attitude, though!

Thanks! I really enjoyed Ohana. I think it's a great choice for Christmas!

Sounds like a wonderful night... except for the very end! My mother & I took a monorail ride to nowhere once... It was my first time staying onsite & instead of heading for the bus to CBR, I thought we had to get on the monorail to get a bus at the TTC. Of course I was wrong, so we jumped on the first monorail to come to the TTC - Epcot - figuring we could catch a bus over there. But Epcot was already closed! We wandered around outside Epcot & a CM saw us & called us our very own bus back to CBR. We tried to tip the driver but he wouldn't accept it. It was just one more example of what makes Disney so magical. But of course I didn't really appreciate it at the time since I was exhausted & wanted my bed.

Thanks for another positive review of Ohana - I don't think I've heard a bad one! I just made an ADR for our Feb/March trip!

I'm glad I'm not the only one whose been confused by the monorail system.

You'll so enjoy Ohana! I saw your plans are to do CP for breakfast and Ohana for supper one day. That is going to be such an awesome day for food!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Beautiful update Alicia! I too am in love with the Polynesian! It is so beautiful there, we loved taking it all in! The lobby is just incredible!! Ohana looked awesome! I will have to take DH there, anyplace with a lot of meat is a good thing to him!! I LOVE your orange lei too, the color is really pretty! How cool to see Wishes from the beach, I would love to do that on the next trip, it must be really nice to be able to hear the music too! What a fun alternative to being in the MK!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Hi Alicia!
great updates! my next visit to WDW will def include visits to the resorts I love all your reports on the resorts! since we don't do the meal plan it will have to be for visits. I had planned to do Wishes from the Poly beach our first night (before my parents had decided to join us--I had planned to visit AKL, eat at DTS, and end at the Poly)...

I have never visited the dis meets page; but, plan to meet with laashley whenever we can hook up. She is going to Disney in Oct., I'll need to check out the dis meet threads when I get a chance...but, Jan & Feb sounds fun too!

Connie

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

Beautiful update Alicia! I too am in love with the Polynesian! It is so beautiful there, we loved taking it all in! The lobby is just incredible!! Ohana looked awesome! I will have to take DH there, anyplace with a lot of meat is a good thing to him!! I LOVE your orange lei too, the color is really pretty! How cool to see Wishes from the beach, I would love to do that on the next trip, it must be really nice to be able to hear the music too! What a fun alternative to being in the MK!!

Thanks! I'm thinking the Polynesian may turn into a must-do every trip! I really felt like I was on vacation there. Like we had left Disney and arrived in Hawaii. It was fabulous! Thanks! I love my lei too! Now everytime I look at it I'll have those memories.

Hi Alicia!
great updates! my next visit to WDW will def include visits to the resorts I love all your reports on the resorts! since we don't do the meal plan it will have to be for visits. I had planned to do Wishes from the Poly beach our first night (before my parents had decided to join us--I had planned to visit AKL, eat at DTS, and end at the Poly)...

I have never visited the dis meets page; but, plan to meet with laashley whenever we can hook up. She is going to Disney in Oct., I'll need to check out the dis meet threads when I get a chance...but, Jan & Feb sounds fun too!

Connie

Thanks Connie! I've found the last two trips, since I've been older, the resorts have really regenerated my love for Disney! The rides in the parks are still great, but I LOVE touring all the resorts!

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

Our last day in the parks had arrived and we were all pretty anxious to get back to Epcot! We were at the Martinique bus stop for 8:20 and shortly after that an Epcot bus pulled up. Score!

When we arrived at the park we headed through baggage check and on through the turnstiles. We made sure to take some group family shots since we hadn’t done so on our previous Epcot day.

I had seen here on the DIS someone take a pic of their child holding the Epcot ball and I knew I wanted Jace to try it. I think it came out pretty good except I couldn’t get him to cup his hand right despite trying several times.

My dad took a different approach and decided he would just lift it over his head.

This was our Epcot (World Showcase) day, but since that half of the park doesn’t open until 11, we knew we had a little time to hang out in Future World beforehand. We headed straight for Innoventions to sign up for a Kim Possible Mission, since I knew Jace would love it. We were to report to Norway after 11.

Where to next?????












The Waste Management exhibit of course!!! Jace did it by himself this time while my mom and I watched from the center aisle.

My sister and Rylan were running around in the Test the Limits Lab and my dad built a virtual roller coaster at Sum of all Thriills. I kind of regretted not doing this because my dad said afterwards that it was really neat.

When Jace got done he of course wanted to do the Waste Management activity again , but I convinced him to ride Test Track with me instead. I enjoyed it much more this time around. I knew to hold on to my hair to prevent it from covering my face this time.

While the boys and I were enjoying Test Track, the girls were getting their chance to check out Princess Tiana’s Wedding Bayou

and the Fairy Garden.

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

Rylan had a good time playing here.

Then they went check out the Butterfly House.

My mom told me afterwards that the kids are given sort of a scavenger hunt paper where they color over the imprints and reveal the pictures. Rylan had fun doing this and was given a crown for completing the task.

Could Epcot be any more beautiful?

Up Next...we move on to World Showcase.

 

[GoofyWife]

great updates! Ohana and the Poly look awesome, definitely want to try Ohana's next time. The bread pudding looks delicious - and definitely try a dole whip float next time - I had never had one before and was in MK last July while it was hot, hot hot and humid - but I tried the dole whip float and it was delicious! Can't wait to hear more

 

[DisMomAmy]

I love the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot!! I was really happy to discover that we won't actually miss it in 2011... I didn't think it started until after our Feb/March trip, but is starts while we are there.

Can't wait to see what you think of the Kim Possible missions!

 

[BippityBoo]

Great pics, we LOVE Ohana! Loving the Saints jersey...WHO DAT?!

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

great updates! Ohana and the Poly look awesome, definitely want to try Ohana's next time. The bread pudding looks delicious - and definitely try a dole whip float next time - I had never had one before and was in MK last July while it was hot, hot hot and humid - but I tried the dole whip float and it was delicious! Can't wait to hear more

Thank you! The bread pudding was delicious! Too bad all the other food was so good that we were all pretty full when dessert came.
Another vote for the dole whip float. Thanks!

I love the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot!! I was really happy to discover that we won't actually miss it in 2011... I didn't think it started until after our Feb/March trip, but is starts while we are there.

Can't wait to see what you think of the Kim Possible missions!

That's awesome that you guys aren't gonna miss it! I didn't know it started that early either. This was our first F&G festival and I think I'm gonna be spoiled now and really miss it when we go without it!

Great pics, we LOVE Ohana! Loving the Saints jersey...WHO DAT?!

Thanks! TWO DAT!

 

[Peter Pan Fan 22]

When I left off, my dad, nephew and I were getting off of Test Track and the three girls had just completed a scavenger hunt through the Fairy Garden.

We all met up again to see Ellen’s Universe of Energy.

This attraction wasn’t on our Must Do list by any means, but I always enjoy it. I know Jace likes seeing the dinosaurs, and it’s a good alternative to the fast paced Dinosaur.

It was 11:02 when we made our way into World Showcase on the Mexico side. Perfect!

We hit the KidCot station first so Jace and Rylan could get their masks and start working on them.

When they were done we all got in line to ride The Three Caballeros. It was my first time on it and I really liked it! Like I said about Mickey’s Philharmagic, you can’t go wrong if you include Donald.

When we walked outside the Mexico Pavilion we were all getting hungry and it was time to start our mission to eat around the world; which I was super stoked about! I wanted to try a bunch of new things and sharing would give me the opportunity to do that.

Since the Cantina de San Angel was closed, they put up the Mexico stand from I’m assuming the Food and Wine festival.

Here were the offerings.

We decided to go with the Taqueria Nachos. They were pretty tasty. Some places just don't get the meat right, but we all ate these up and everyone seemed pleased with our first choice of the day.

My mom also got a Margarita. She really liked the one she had gotten on our last trip. I think she liked this one just as much.

We also saw this family of ducks that everyone was enamored with, including Rylan.

When we started to walk on we noticed the Kim Possible stand and went to get our Kimmunicator and instructions on how to work it. The CM was super sweet and my dad and I followed Jace to his mission in Mexico. We were just there so I figured it worked out pretty great that we didn’t have to go on ahead and skip anything.

I must say I was fascinated by the little details that went into this Kim Possible mission. This is Disney Imagineering at its best! Jace loved it and I thought it was so cool and a GREAT addition to World Showcase for kids!!

I won't give anything away, but here is a photo from it.

continued...