mccrafty
08-28-2008, 01:05 PM
Cast of Characters:
The McCarty Family... Nichol (33), Steve (33), and Steven(3)
The Thalwitzer Family... Kari (33), Brad (33), and Ryan (3)
Accommodations: Disney's Polynesian Resort
Travel Method: Non-stop flight- Southwest Airlines- Philadelphia to Orlando at 9:05am (on-time)
Travel Dates: Thursday, August 14th- Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Experience Level: Very experienced...too many trips to count
As you can see this is a two family vacation...so the moms are going to share in writing this report. We couldn't imagine not doing this together.
Day One: Thursday, August 14th
After an uneventful flight from Philly to Orlando, we arrived at the Magical Express counter to check in. Although there were a number of people in line, it moved quickly and we were on our way to the Polynesian Resort. Our rooms were ready upon check-in (about 1pm). We were thrilled to find that our adjoining, garden view rooms were in the Tokelau Building...centrally located between the TTC and GCH. Adding to the excitement, was the fact that we had an excellent view of the Contemporary Resort and the ferry boat launch from our back door. Upon stepping out on to the patio, we jumped for joy when we saw the castle! For being a "cheap" (ha-ha) garden view room, this was a dream location!
It was well past lunch time and our tummies were grumbling. We decided to utilize the first of our snack credits at Capt. Cooks. With full tummies and big smiles, we hopped aboard the monorail for a quick spin. The Thalwitzers ended up staying on for three complete loops since Ryan decided to take a snooze...but not Steven! He was full of energy and ready for action. (this will be a theme for this trip.) The McCartys got off after one loop and went back to the room to unpack some things and get ready for a 5pm ADR at the MK.
Both families agreed that there were some things we would do together and some things we would go off on our own. For example, The McCartys went to the MK at 5pm for an ADR at Tony's while The Thalwitzers went to Brad's favorite place, O'hana. Each experienced their own Disney magic...
Steven was chosen for a "Magical Moment" at Tony's! A CM approached Steven upon arrival, presented him with a special chef's jacket, an autographed hat, and announced that Steven was Tony's Jr. Chef! What a special treat! Mom and Dad were more excited than Steven! Steven got to create his own special sundae (presented by Tony's Chef) and received a Magical Moment certificate. Meanwhile, at O'hana, the Thalwitzers requested a window table and were granted the best seat in the house! Much to Kari's delight, their table for three was positioned with a perfect view of Cinderella's castle. What a way to start off the trip! The dinner was fabulous (as expected) and the entertainment was super, complete with Ryan's participation in the hula dance.
We met up in Tomorrowland in the MK and considering the crowds were low, we were able to enjoy a few of our favorite rides...TTA, Buzz Lightyear, and Monster's Inc. Our day was complete when we sat down to watch the final performace of Spectro Magic for the month of August. (boy did we time this well...as many of you know, the parade was suspended for a few weeks due to bridge construction) Before the trip, we purchased glow sticks at our local dollar store. Steven and Ryan were thrilled to have some light-up fun prior to the parade...and we were thrilled with not having to pay top dollar for a light-up toy.
Day Two: Friday, August 15th
We got up early for our 8:20 ADR at Crystal Palace in the MK. This was purposely planned so we would be able to enter the park before opening and attempt to take great pictures in front of the castle. This was our first time for both families at Crystal Palace. The food was okay and the character interaction was good...not the best not the worst. Ryan and Steven both enjoyed participating in the parade around the restaurant.
We enjoyed Fantasyland (Peter Pan-FP, Small World-walked on, Mickey's Philharmagic-walked on, Snow White-5 min wait, Pooh-FP). We went over to Adventureland and got a fast pass for Jungle Cruise and walked through the Swiss Family Treehouse. We waited about 10 minutes for POTC. While waiting for Jungle Cruise, we beat the heat with Dole Whips! Yummy!
It was finally time for a mid-day break, so we hopped on the monorail (one of the perks for staying at the Polynesian) and headed back to our rooms. Much to their surprise, the Thalwitzers were greeted by a small snake on their bathroom floor...yes, you read that correctly a real snake! It wasn't a giant snake, but it was a snake...about 6-8 inches long and thin. Brad took control and put it outside where it belonged.
Our next ADR was at 4:40 at Liberty Tree Tavern. What a wonderful experience. The food was great and the characters were out of this world. They really spent time with us...signed autographs, took lots of pictures, and really interacted with us and the kids. It's sad to think that the characters are being eliminated from this meal. We probably won't dine here again unless the characters are part of the experience.
After dinner, it was back to Tomorrowland. The boys insisted on driving the race cars, so it was decided that the dads would ride with the boys and the two moms would enjoy a ride together. We wrapped the day up with a few more rides including COP, Buzz (again), and TTA (again).
The perfect ending to our day was watching the fireworks from the beach of our resort...yet another perk for staying at the Polynesian.
Day 3: Saturday, August 16th
Our day began with breakfast at Captain Cook's and a short walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to EPCOT. We, along with everyone else, made a beeline through the drizzle to pick up fastpasses for Soarin'. Since the return time was already for after lunch, we decided to take in some rides and attractions. After a 5 minute wait, we hopped on a boat for Living With The Land. Nemo was a walk-on and there was a short wait for Turtle Talk With Crush. Journey Into Imagination was a walk on as well. Considering there was off and on rain most of the day, EPCOT was the perfect place to be. Just before lunch, we realized that we could pick up more fast passes, so we headed through the rain to Test Track. Despite the rain, Test Track was up and running. We got good return times for just after dinner. Once again, it was time to eat. The Land offered great options to use our counter service credits. It was also convenient because it was almost time to use our Soarin' fastpasses. Since the boys were too small to ride Soarin', we took turns riding and watching the kids. (a perk to traveling with another family)
We have always heard about the free Disney VISA meet and greet at Innoventions and decided to try it out. Unfortunately, Ryan slept through the entire experience, but not Steven...he thoroughly enjoyed the private time with Mickey and Pluto. If you have the Disney VISA card, it's definitely worth checking this out. There was time for one more ride, so we went on Spaceship Earth. The new, interactive ending was lots of fun.
Time to eat again! It was time for our much anticipated 4:40 ADR at LeCellier in Canada. (Thank goodness we booked this one back in February) We each had a filet with the cream cheese mashed potatoes. They will allow you to substitute side items. They will also allow you to keep a copy of the menu...a free souvenir. Although time consuming, dinner was out of this world and we will definitely eat there again!
Once again, we took turns watching the kids so each mom and dad could ride Test Track. Off to World Showcase...It was getting close to closing time, so we only had time to enjoy the Mexico ride. Steven and Ryan loved the addition of Donald Duck. We walked off the ride and staked out a spot to watch Illuminations.
Day 4: Sunday, August 17th
Our day began with a 9:40am ADR at O'hana for another character breakfast. We have friends that live in Orlando and they came over to the Polynesian to join us for breakfast. This breakfast was served family style. The pineapple bread was delicious and the juice was a big hit! The food was good and the character interaction was good, too. This was a nice way to visit with friends that we don't get to see too much yet still continue our Disney vacation.
After breakfast, the Thalwitzers went back to explore World Showcase at EPCOT and the McCartys decided to shop at Downtown Disney with our Orlando friends.
Late in the afternoon, both families met back at the Polynesian, checked the weather report on TS Fay (Yikes!), and freshened up for the evening ahead. Can you believe we've been in WDW for four days and this will be our first bus trip? We lucked out with how close Tokelau was to the bus stop. After a short wait, we boarded a bus to DHS. Ryan fell asleep during the bus ride...but not Steven! He was ready for more Disney fun! We checked for fast passes for Toy Story Mania, but they were gone for the day. We weren't surprised.
Once again, our tummies were grumbling. Since Steven and Ryan love Toy Story, we decided to check out Pizza Planet. It was a great place to use counter service credits. The food was plentiful and decent.
The Playhouse Disney show was a must for this trip, so we caught the last show of the day. The boys enjoyed it. It was cute! After that, we walked into the Little Mermaid show followed by Muppet Vision 3D. Our DHS park time ended with a walk-on to The Great Movie Ride.
When we got back to the hotel, we did some night swimming. The moms just couldn't believe how beautiful the view was from the Polynesian at night...the beach, the castle, the tiki torches, the other hotels...It was amazing!
Day Five: Monday, August 18th
We had to start our day with a weather report. TS Fay was coming closer, and it looked like Orlando was in its path! We'll be honest with you...we were nervous, but we had things to do! We needed to get on to Toy Story Midway Mania!
It was off to DHS once again! The wait time for TSMM was 60 minutes. Although there were still fast passes left (5pm return time) we knew we wouldn't be there the whole day. We decided to wait it out...after all, our longest wait time to this point was 15 minutes at the most. The wait ended up being only about 45 minutes and it wasn't really that bad. There was so much to look at while waiting in line that the time passed quickly. It was well worth the wait! The ride was tons of fun and everyone enjoyed it!
Walt-One Man's Dream was a really enjoyable attraction since the moms enjoy Disney history. After that, it was on to meet the REAL Lightning McQueen and Mater. The look of excitement on the boys' faces was priceless! What a neat experience!
We headed back to the hotel to check the status of TS Fay and print out our boarding passes for our Tuesday return flights. We were in a sticky situation. With the impending storm, our discussion went from, "Do we drive home? Should we secure room reservations and wait out the storm for a few nights? Try to fly out early? Or, proceed as planned?" Decisions...decisions. After consulting the front desk, they informed us that WDW hotels were at 99.9% capacity...a surprise to us since crowd levels seemed low. We decided to proceed as planned and enjoy the last night of our vacation.
Our final dinner was at Capt. Cooks. The sadness started to set in, well..at least for the moms. We hopped on the monorail for one last trip to the Magic Kingdom. Ryan fell asleep...but not Steven. We did some shopping on Main Street, caught the 7pm parade (great seats!), and went on a few of our favorite rides again. As we were exiting the MK, feeling sad, and taking one last look at the beautiful lights on Main Street, we realized that STEVEN FINALLY FELL ASLEEP! It took the entire trip for him to slow down and take a rest. The Dads and boys took one last dip in the pool.
Day 6: Tuesday, August 19th
Each family planned to fly home separately due to work commitments. The McCartys planned to fly home in the morning and the Thalwitzers in the evening. Over night, TS Fay had moved closer, so the Thalwitzers called Southwest airlines at 6 a.m. to find out the status of their evening flight. As of 6 a.m., the flight had already been cancelled. Southwest airlines was very easy to work with and they quickly had the family placed on an 11:30 a.m. flight. Magical Express picked everyone up at 8:15 and it turned out that everyone flew home at the same time leaving TS Fay behind.
Final Thoughts...
We are ready to go back to WDW!!! (well, at least the moms are!)
The 6 of us enjoyed traveling together. As we planned the trip, we went in to it with the understanding that there would be some things that one family would want to do while the other may not. Knowing this, the trip went smoothly. We were able to accomplish and enjoy so much.
The Polynesian was pricey. We usually stay at Value or Moderate resorts, so this was a treat. It is not something we can do all of the time, but it fit in to the plan this year. With our children being three years old, we knew that we would need frequent breaks. The monorail offered us a quick return to the hotel. Our room location in Tokelau was ideal and the front desk made a point to give us adjoining rooms on the ground floor as requested. The Polynesian is true, original Disney.
The Dining Plan was awesome. We were never hungry. It was nice to not have to carry around a lot of cash. There were many options to pick from. We would recommend it.
We forgot to mention that we pre-ordered bottled water and snacks from GarderGrocer.com. Even with the $12 delivery fee split between the two families, this saved us a lot of money.
Thanks for reading our trip report! We love reading others posted on Mouseplanet!....Nichol & Kari
The McCarty Family... Nichol (33), Steve (33), and Steven(3)
The Thalwitzer Family... Kari (33), Brad (33), and Ryan (3)
Accommodations: Disney's Polynesian Resort
Travel Method: Non-stop flight- Southwest Airlines- Philadelphia to Orlando at 9:05am (on-time)
Travel Dates: Thursday, August 14th- Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Experience Level: Very experienced...too many trips to count
As you can see this is a two family vacation...so the moms are going to share in writing this report. We couldn't imagine not doing this together.
Day One: Thursday, August 14th
After an uneventful flight from Philly to Orlando, we arrived at the Magical Express counter to check in. Although there were a number of people in line, it moved quickly and we were on our way to the Polynesian Resort. Our rooms were ready upon check-in (about 1pm). We were thrilled to find that our adjoining, garden view rooms were in the Tokelau Building...centrally located between the TTC and GCH. Adding to the excitement, was the fact that we had an excellent view of the Contemporary Resort and the ferry boat launch from our back door. Upon stepping out on to the patio, we jumped for joy when we saw the castle! For being a "cheap" (ha-ha) garden view room, this was a dream location!
It was well past lunch time and our tummies were grumbling. We decided to utilize the first of our snack credits at Capt. Cooks. With full tummies and big smiles, we hopped aboard the monorail for a quick spin. The Thalwitzers ended up staying on for three complete loops since Ryan decided to take a snooze...but not Steven! He was full of energy and ready for action. (this will be a theme for this trip.) The McCartys got off after one loop and went back to the room to unpack some things and get ready for a 5pm ADR at the MK.
Both families agreed that there were some things we would do together and some things we would go off on our own. For example, The McCartys went to the MK at 5pm for an ADR at Tony's while The Thalwitzers went to Brad's favorite place, O'hana. Each experienced their own Disney magic...
Steven was chosen for a "Magical Moment" at Tony's! A CM approached Steven upon arrival, presented him with a special chef's jacket, an autographed hat, and announced that Steven was Tony's Jr. Chef! What a special treat! Mom and Dad were more excited than Steven! Steven got to create his own special sundae (presented by Tony's Chef) and received a Magical Moment certificate. Meanwhile, at O'hana, the Thalwitzers requested a window table and were granted the best seat in the house! Much to Kari's delight, their table for three was positioned with a perfect view of Cinderella's castle. What a way to start off the trip! The dinner was fabulous (as expected) and the entertainment was super, complete with Ryan's participation in the hula dance.
We met up in Tomorrowland in the MK and considering the crowds were low, we were able to enjoy a few of our favorite rides...TTA, Buzz Lightyear, and Monster's Inc. Our day was complete when we sat down to watch the final performace of Spectro Magic for the month of August. (boy did we time this well...as many of you know, the parade was suspended for a few weeks due to bridge construction) Before the trip, we purchased glow sticks at our local dollar store. Steven and Ryan were thrilled to have some light-up fun prior to the parade...and we were thrilled with not having to pay top dollar for a light-up toy.
Day Two: Friday, August 15th
We got up early for our 8:20 ADR at Crystal Palace in the MK. This was purposely planned so we would be able to enter the park before opening and attempt to take great pictures in front of the castle. This was our first time for both families at Crystal Palace. The food was okay and the character interaction was good...not the best not the worst. Ryan and Steven both enjoyed participating in the parade around the restaurant.
We enjoyed Fantasyland (Peter Pan-FP, Small World-walked on, Mickey's Philharmagic-walked on, Snow White-5 min wait, Pooh-FP). We went over to Adventureland and got a fast pass for Jungle Cruise and walked through the Swiss Family Treehouse. We waited about 10 minutes for POTC. While waiting for Jungle Cruise, we beat the heat with Dole Whips! Yummy!
It was finally time for a mid-day break, so we hopped on the monorail (one of the perks for staying at the Polynesian) and headed back to our rooms. Much to their surprise, the Thalwitzers were greeted by a small snake on their bathroom floor...yes, you read that correctly a real snake! It wasn't a giant snake, but it was a snake...about 6-8 inches long and thin. Brad took control and put it outside where it belonged.
Our next ADR was at 4:40 at Liberty Tree Tavern. What a wonderful experience. The food was great and the characters were out of this world. They really spent time with us...signed autographs, took lots of pictures, and really interacted with us and the kids. It's sad to think that the characters are being eliminated from this meal. We probably won't dine here again unless the characters are part of the experience.
After dinner, it was back to Tomorrowland. The boys insisted on driving the race cars, so it was decided that the dads would ride with the boys and the two moms would enjoy a ride together. We wrapped the day up with a few more rides including COP, Buzz (again), and TTA (again).
The perfect ending to our day was watching the fireworks from the beach of our resort...yet another perk for staying at the Polynesian.
Day 3: Saturday, August 16th
Our day began with breakfast at Captain Cook's and a short walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to EPCOT. We, along with everyone else, made a beeline through the drizzle to pick up fastpasses for Soarin'. Since the return time was already for after lunch, we decided to take in some rides and attractions. After a 5 minute wait, we hopped on a boat for Living With The Land. Nemo was a walk-on and there was a short wait for Turtle Talk With Crush. Journey Into Imagination was a walk on as well. Considering there was off and on rain most of the day, EPCOT was the perfect place to be. Just before lunch, we realized that we could pick up more fast passes, so we headed through the rain to Test Track. Despite the rain, Test Track was up and running. We got good return times for just after dinner. Once again, it was time to eat. The Land offered great options to use our counter service credits. It was also convenient because it was almost time to use our Soarin' fastpasses. Since the boys were too small to ride Soarin', we took turns riding and watching the kids. (a perk to traveling with another family)
We have always heard about the free Disney VISA meet and greet at Innoventions and decided to try it out. Unfortunately, Ryan slept through the entire experience, but not Steven...he thoroughly enjoyed the private time with Mickey and Pluto. If you have the Disney VISA card, it's definitely worth checking this out. There was time for one more ride, so we went on Spaceship Earth. The new, interactive ending was lots of fun.
Time to eat again! It was time for our much anticipated 4:40 ADR at LeCellier in Canada. (Thank goodness we booked this one back in February) We each had a filet with the cream cheese mashed potatoes. They will allow you to substitute side items. They will also allow you to keep a copy of the menu...a free souvenir. Although time consuming, dinner was out of this world and we will definitely eat there again!
Once again, we took turns watching the kids so each mom and dad could ride Test Track. Off to World Showcase...It was getting close to closing time, so we only had time to enjoy the Mexico ride. Steven and Ryan loved the addition of Donald Duck. We walked off the ride and staked out a spot to watch Illuminations.
Day 4: Sunday, August 17th
Our day began with a 9:40am ADR at O'hana for another character breakfast. We have friends that live in Orlando and they came over to the Polynesian to join us for breakfast. This breakfast was served family style. The pineapple bread was delicious and the juice was a big hit! The food was good and the character interaction was good, too. This was a nice way to visit with friends that we don't get to see too much yet still continue our Disney vacation.
After breakfast, the Thalwitzers went back to explore World Showcase at EPCOT and the McCartys decided to shop at Downtown Disney with our Orlando friends.
Late in the afternoon, both families met back at the Polynesian, checked the weather report on TS Fay (Yikes!), and freshened up for the evening ahead. Can you believe we've been in WDW for four days and this will be our first bus trip? We lucked out with how close Tokelau was to the bus stop. After a short wait, we boarded a bus to DHS. Ryan fell asleep during the bus ride...but not Steven! He was ready for more Disney fun! We checked for fast passes for Toy Story Mania, but they were gone for the day. We weren't surprised.
Once again, our tummies were grumbling. Since Steven and Ryan love Toy Story, we decided to check out Pizza Planet. It was a great place to use counter service credits. The food was plentiful and decent.
The Playhouse Disney show was a must for this trip, so we caught the last show of the day. The boys enjoyed it. It was cute! After that, we walked into the Little Mermaid show followed by Muppet Vision 3D. Our DHS park time ended with a walk-on to The Great Movie Ride.
When we got back to the hotel, we did some night swimming. The moms just couldn't believe how beautiful the view was from the Polynesian at night...the beach, the castle, the tiki torches, the other hotels...It was amazing!
Day Five: Monday, August 18th
We had to start our day with a weather report. TS Fay was coming closer, and it looked like Orlando was in its path! We'll be honest with you...we were nervous, but we had things to do! We needed to get on to Toy Story Midway Mania!
It was off to DHS once again! The wait time for TSMM was 60 minutes. Although there were still fast passes left (5pm return time) we knew we wouldn't be there the whole day. We decided to wait it out...after all, our longest wait time to this point was 15 minutes at the most. The wait ended up being only about 45 minutes and it wasn't really that bad. There was so much to look at while waiting in line that the time passed quickly. It was well worth the wait! The ride was tons of fun and everyone enjoyed it!
Walt-One Man's Dream was a really enjoyable attraction since the moms enjoy Disney history. After that, it was on to meet the REAL Lightning McQueen and Mater. The look of excitement on the boys' faces was priceless! What a neat experience!
We headed back to the hotel to check the status of TS Fay and print out our boarding passes for our Tuesday return flights. We were in a sticky situation. With the impending storm, our discussion went from, "Do we drive home? Should we secure room reservations and wait out the storm for a few nights? Try to fly out early? Or, proceed as planned?" Decisions...decisions. After consulting the front desk, they informed us that WDW hotels were at 99.9% capacity...a surprise to us since crowd levels seemed low. We decided to proceed as planned and enjoy the last night of our vacation.
Our final dinner was at Capt. Cooks. The sadness started to set in, well..at least for the moms. We hopped on the monorail for one last trip to the Magic Kingdom. Ryan fell asleep...but not Steven. We did some shopping on Main Street, caught the 7pm parade (great seats!), and went on a few of our favorite rides again. As we were exiting the MK, feeling sad, and taking one last look at the beautiful lights on Main Street, we realized that STEVEN FINALLY FELL ASLEEP! It took the entire trip for him to slow down and take a rest. The Dads and boys took one last dip in the pool.
Day 6: Tuesday, August 19th
Each family planned to fly home separately due to work commitments. The McCartys planned to fly home in the morning and the Thalwitzers in the evening. Over night, TS Fay had moved closer, so the Thalwitzers called Southwest airlines at 6 a.m. to find out the status of their evening flight. As of 6 a.m., the flight had already been cancelled. Southwest airlines was very easy to work with and they quickly had the family placed on an 11:30 a.m. flight. Magical Express picked everyone up at 8:15 and it turned out that everyone flew home at the same time leaving TS Fay behind.
Final Thoughts...
We are ready to go back to WDW!!! (well, at least the moms are!)
The 6 of us enjoyed traveling together. As we planned the trip, we went in to it with the understanding that there would be some things that one family would want to do while the other may not. Knowing this, the trip went smoothly. We were able to accomplish and enjoy so much.
The Polynesian was pricey. We usually stay at Value or Moderate resorts, so this was a treat. It is not something we can do all of the time, but it fit in to the plan this year. With our children being three years old, we knew that we would need frequent breaks. The monorail offered us a quick return to the hotel. Our room location in Tokelau was ideal and the front desk made a point to give us adjoining rooms on the ground floor as requested. The Polynesian is true, original Disney.
The Dining Plan was awesome. We were never hungry. It was nice to not have to carry around a lot of cash. There were many options to pick from. We would recommend it.
We forgot to mention that we pre-ordered bottled water and snacks from GarderGrocer.com. Even with the $12 delivery fee split between the two families, this saved us a lot of money.
Thanks for reading our trip report! We love reading others posted on Mouseplanet!....Nichol & Kari