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Thread: Sue Holland Rayford, Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (Studio), May 22-25, 2015

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    Sue Holland Rayford, Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (Studio), May 22-25, 2015

    Who/When/Where:

    Who: Sue (56), DVC Member
    Chris (28), my son
    Amanda (26), my daughter-in-law
    Dates: May 22 - 26, 2015
    Resort: Disneys Polynesian Villas & Bungalows Resort
    Experience: Very Experienced 1st stay at this resort

    INTRODUCTION:
    Ah Memorial Day weekend, which to many signifies the start of summer. Down here in FL, that is always horrible news, as summer is the worst time of year (hot, humid & miserable the hell we must endure in exchange for relatively nice winters). As usual, its already miserably hot & humid, so part of me is not looking forward to this trip at all. With forecast highs in the 90s can you blame me?? But, with a holiday weekend Id rather be in WDW even if it means a mostly resort trip, and itll be fun to spend time with Chris & Amanda. SB wont be joining us, as his work week starts Saturday.

    Once again Disney is doing their 24-hour event on Friday 5/22. Last year we stayed at Bay Lake Tower, so walking over was very easy. This year I moved to the new dvc Poly resort when reservations opened up, so itll be less convenient but I wanted to give it a try. Chris & Amanda were added later, since theyd hoped to be cruising Alaska for a belated honeymoon but were unable to get the additional time off (after taking 1.5 weeks for the wedding last month. I was able to book them into Jambo House Friday night, then they move to Poly for Saturday and Sunday nights in a standard view studio. Ill be at Poly for 4 nights in a lake view studio, starting Friday. Id wanted standard view but it wasnt available for the whole time, so I went with lake view. Since I have standard view booked for 4th of July weekend, this way Ill get to see both.

    I will arrive well before Chris & Amanda, but will probably wait for their arrival before going over to the Magic Kingdom. Itll be so crowded, theres no point in going over sooner. Plus, the afternoon and early evening rains are a pain, so thats another reason to wait until the last minute. We plan to spend some time over there doing our 3 fastpasses, then well likely head back to our resorts and return in the wee hours of the morning. Last year Chris didnt want to get up (but he did), so I dont expect hell be eager to do it again when the time comes, but well see. Its really just the novelty of being there at an odd hour that appeals to me. Assuming we do go back early Saturday morning, theyll undoubtedly need a nap since theyre weaker than me. We have fastpasses back at MK Saturday afternoon, along with a lunch reservation at Be Our Guest (meal pre-ordered to avoid the ridiculous line waiting in the broiling sunshine).

    Sunday I booked some morning fastpasses at Animal Kingdom, but those are subject to change if Chris & Amanda would rather do something else. Sunday afternoon my dvc friends Darla & Deb will be meeting me at Poly and well see about getting into Trader Sams Grotto to check that out. Monday I booked afternoon fastpasses at MK for just me leaving Chris & Amanda free to do whatever they want prior to driving home, and hopefully giving me time on the beach or by the pool early in the day (before its unbearably hot). I will spend Monday night and leave very early Tuesday morning in order to be at work on time for an early meeting.

    We have no meals booked other than Be Our Guest (lunch). I do plan to spend some time at Top of the World over at Bay Lake Tower, and might get to meet a facebook friend for the first time. I want to catch Wishes and the Electric Water Pageant from the resort some night, too. Captain Cooks at Poly has tonga toast on the menu, so I may get that some day, especially if Chris or Amanda will help eat it. Overall Captain Cooks is a good counter service place, so I wont miss Kona Caf or Ohana at all.

    The plans so far are:
    Friday 5/22: Drive to WDW, Magic Kingdom
    Saturday 5/23: Beach or pool, Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest, Top of World?
    Sunday 5/24: Animal Kingdom, Darla & Deb, Trader Sams
    Monday 5/25: Beach or pool, Magic Kingdom
    Tuesday 5/26: Drive to work in Gainesville


    DAY 1 Friday 5/22/15
    Who: Sue (56), DVC Member
    Chris (28), my son
    Amanda (26), my daughter-in-law

    Plan: Drive to WDW, Magic Kingdom

    Actual: For once the work day seemed to go well, and I finished everything I really needed to get done with 15-20 minutes to spare. I didnt want to tempt fate that some crisis would present itself at the last minute, so I left around 5-10 minutes earlier than planned <g>. There was more traffic than usual, and a heavier law enforcement presence, due to the holiday weekend.

    On the way down I noticed Id missed a text at 11:30 (I got on the road around 12:15) saying to stop by the front desk about my room assignment. That concerned me, as I should have gotten a text with my room # when it was ready. The odds were slim that this message meant they were going to have to move to a bungalow at their expense (haha) but it did have me a bit unsettled that something had happened and maybe they were trying to move me to some other resort. For that reason, plus not wanting to deal with possible traffic on I-4 (and it being 95 degrees didnt help) I abandoned plans to swing by the outlets and just drove straight to WDW.

    As a friend staying at AKL had discovered yesterday, right now the only people allowed in the parking lot at the Polynesian are those guests staying there or having a restaurant reservation. She was trying to eat at Captain Cooks and was turned away. The sign was clearly out at the security booth, although its not often they actually fully enforce it. I parked in the main lot and dragged my stuff into the lobby. I had to enter through the back since they had the front all blocked off with equipment from some event. Fortunately it wasnt raining, and my stuff was not too big of a load. I was happy to see the front desk down on the lower level, so no having to deal with an elevator.

    The cast member told me my studio was ready so much for the possibility of getting a bungalow <g>. He had no explanation for why the system didnt just text me the room number, though. Disneys IT certainly leaves something to be desired. The cast members mentioned it would be faster to drive to the parking lot closer to my room rather than walk, so I trudged back out to the car with my stuff drove over to the other lot. From there it was a short walk to Moorea, where my studio is located.

    I got my requested 3rd floor room, and am all the way at the end of the hallway. The halls arent that long here though, and the elevator is right in the center of the building. These are now the largest dvc studios, and while Im sure thats true, I dont see a big difference. The extra square footage seems to be in the width, which doesnt really make a difference to me. Having 2 bathrooms takes up a lot of what would otherwise be sleeping room space, so that might be why it didnt look significantly bigger to me. I do love the bathroom space thats huge! Had my friend Linda been able to come on this trip (or if SB was here), that would be really nice for us. One room has the tub (with shower), vanity sink & toilet. The other room has a huge shower stall (with rainforest head plus a hand-held) and a vanity sink.

    I do miss having normal drawers for my clothes, however. In the studio there are 2 deep drawers under the bed, but who wants to store their clothes that low?? The closet is useless perhaps if it had shelves like on a cruise ship it would be better. Theres a chest/trunk that serves as a coffee table in the living room the lid opens so its a big deep storage, but again very awkward place for clothes. There are a couple drawers in each bathroom, with the bottom one being normal and the upper one being only half-deep because of the pipes/plumbing. That said, its fine for me. I wouldnt want to be a family staying here, but then again Im not a fan of 4-5 people sleeping in the same bedroom anyway.

    I unpacked, and realized Id forgotten a couple things, including a top. Oh well, going home Ill wear whichever one is the least stinky from sweating! Chris texted about 2:30 saying they were hitting the road, so they should be here around 5:30. I was hungry, and Id discovered SBs magic band would not open the door, so I walked over to the Great Ceremonial House. This is a fairly large, sprawling resort, and to get anywhere you have to walk outside in the elements. Thats bad enough when its 95 or more degrees out, but would be awful during a downpour! The dvc buildings are also on the outskirts of the property, so if youre planning on going to the main building often this might not be the resort for you.

    At the front desk it took forever, but they got SBs band working. Im giving the band to Chris so they can get into the parking lot if we go back to MK around 3 tomorrow morning. At Trader Sams Grotto I was surprised to see no people around, so I asked the cast member if they were open. He replied theyd open in about 3 minutes (4pm) and that the line was out there. I stepped outside and saw a ridiculous line stretched along the marina. I wonder how long those people were out there sweating???

    At Captain Cooks I got a nice looking apple pastry and the kids chicken & pineapple skewer meal and took it all back to the room. The pastry is like a rectangular piece of pastry topped with apple and then rolled up and baked hope its as good as it looks! The kids meal had a small salad, a thin chicken breast on a half-piece of bread, and a couple large chunks of grilled pineapple. It was more than enough, and it was very good. Surprisingly, the pineapple was the standout grilled it was warm, soft and deliciously sweet! I got some ice from the ice machine and had a glass of wine (Epcot F&W plastic cup) with my meal as I updated the report.

    There have been complaints about the boat horns, and given that my studio is right next to the ferry boat dock, I definitely hear them. I imagine Ill hear them until sometime Sunday morning, since theyll be running until after the MK closes at 6am tomorrow & then start up again to get guests to MK starting by 8am and the MK wont close until 1am Sunday (3am for resort guests). But, thats life at least thats my attitude right now <g>. Whats more annoying is hearing guests voices as theyre talking to each other outside that tells me these rooms are not soundproofed like they should be.

    After a while I sat out on the balcony and really enjoyed it out there. It was warm, but shaded and there was a breeze. With the room being wide, the balcony was longer than most, although its not terribly deep. I love the furniture out here its a million times nicer & more comfortable than the stuff at other resorts! The comfy chair sits me low enough that I can see through the railings to watch the ferry boat come and go, watch people on their bungalow porch, and see the lake and Magic Kingdom with ease. Its really great although on a lower floor a bit closer to the elevator I think the view could be disappointing.

    By 5:30 Chris & Amanda were on property, in a long line of cars at the Animal Kingdom Lodge security gate. They never got a text with their room number either, so it sounds like a system glitch today. Theyre spending tonight at Jambo House & move here tomorrow, so maybe that one will go correctly. While in the room earlier Id noticed I could hear what sounded like music/noise from the park. Outside on the balcony I determined it seemed to be coming from the bungalow closest to me. When I heard fireworks sound and saw the fireworks shoot on either side of the castle I realized they pipe in the sound from any parades or castle shows ugh. Playing it INSIDE on your tv so only you hear is one thing, but its a bit much if I can hear it over here.

    Chris & Amanda were knocking on my door just after 6, and they were lucky I just happened to come into the room or I wouldnt have heard them. The balcony was so comfortable I spent most of the afternoon out there! They really liked the room, and were happy to hear theirs would look exactly the same. They liked the view too, but noticed the boat horns, lol! We wandered through the resort a bit, as neither of them had ever stayed here before. We checked out Trader Sams, but as expected the wait was 2 hours. We were able to step inside and see it, and its pretty small. It was full, and people waiting had beepers but they had to stay in the lobby area (couldnt go back to their rooms, for example).

    We went upstairs to Tambu Lounge, and although it was also busy a nice guy with a party of 4 offered us the empty bench seat next to him and moved one of the small tables from his party to us. Another couple gave Chris an extra chair, so we were all set. Best of all, a waitress works this area so we didnt have to compete with the people sitting at the bar to order anything. The appetizer/food menu here is pretty good its probably the best pick for me and I know SB would love most of it too. We saw the pork nachos and they looked good, but they were a bit bigger than we wanted.

    Amanda ordered the bbq pork sliders and they were excellent. She was starving and ate most of them. I tried a bite, and I think Chris may have finished the last one. When we were walking back from Trader Sams Chris had seen someone carrying a pineapple with a straw and was intrigued. I told him it was a Lapu Lapu, so thats why we went to Tambu Lounge! He ordered & enjoyed his drink, although it was very strong. It looks huge but the actual drink is in a small portion of the pineapple looks can be deceiving. Its also $13.50, but thats not really that bad for a novelty drink. He later saw a hurricane glass with a drink and a long bamboo backscratcher sticking out of it and thought that was really cool. I told him it was a backscratcher, and he said no the drink whats that? and I showed him in the menu where its a drink called backscratcher, lol! He ordered one, and it was also very strong tasting even after stirring it up. I stuck with a glass of pinot grigio, and we used my Tables in Wonderland to get 20% off.

    It was fun spending time in the lounge, but we were within our fastpass window so it was time to head out. Since the marina is so close we decided to take the small boat to the Magic Kingdom, not realizing it was so crowded wed have to wait for the 2nd boat! It was still faster than the monorail would have been, though. The Transportation & Ticket Center was mobbed, and stayed busy all night.

    As we approached the Magic Kingdom the crowds were huge, but they had all lanes open and by simply paying attention we were able to get through bag check very quickly and then enter the park. The crowd looked worse than it really was. Once inside the park it was also very crowded, and would remain that way. It was much warmer in the park than on the water, and we cant imagine how awful it must have been before the sun went down! We were sweating, even after dark.

    We made it over to Big Thunder just before our fastpass ended at 8:30, and the standby queue was ridiculously long (all the way outside and down the hill). We got through pretty quickly, although it was very warm in there. Amanda and I rode together, further back in the train from Chris. He ended up on the train before ours, but he waited for us outside. We were in our next fastpass window, for Mine Train, so we headed in that direction. As we came to Haunted Mansion Chris suggested we do that, since it only had a 20-minute wait posted.

    We joined the queue, and were able to bypass the interactive part so our wait was only about 2 minutes. Once the doors opened we were in! They rode together and I was behind them. When the doom buggies turned around Chris tapped on mine with his backscratcher but it was too noisy for me to hear him. When we got back outside Wishes was going on, so we watched some of that from between Peter Pan & Small World. The big fireworks were behind Small World, but the smaller ones shot from the other side of Peter Pan. Chris pointed out the wet ground thats from sprinklers over Peter Pan that keep the area wet before the fireworks.

    Once Wishes ended we fought our way through the mob (it was crazy) and Amanda & I rode Mine Train. Chris waited for us his legs are too big to fit comfortably on that ride. It was fun at night, and its the best way to see inside Snow Whites house at the end. Chris saw on his phone that Barnstormer only had a 10-minute wait so we walked back there so he could ride it, but the queue actually extended all the way to the entrance. Theres no way that was 10 minutes 30 would be more like it! He decided to skip it, so we walked along the path to Tomorrowland.

    Once again People Mover had a huge line, and a cast member holding a sign to indicate where the line ended. We got in line and were moving along when another cast member started telling us this wasnt the line for People Mover. A bunch of us left to find the right line, only to discover that cast member didnt know what the hell she was talking about. We ended up rejoining that line, at the end again. We did get to ride, and enjoyed the chance to sit for a little while. By the time that ended we were within the window for our final fastpasses. They did Buzz Lightyear, where Amanda beat him for the first time! I rode Space Mountain, which is jerky but fun. I met up with them at the soft serve ice cream place and we headed down Main Street.

    There had been lots of lightning, and although some of it was just heat lightning Chris had been following an approaching storm system. It looked like it might possibly skirt around us earlier, but now the wind had picked up too. We left the park and decided to take the Ferry since the monorail lines were so crazy. We walked right onto the boat, but then had a really long wait. Somehow the 2 boats were both at the Magic Kingdom, so the other one left and we didnt move until it had disembarked everyone, loaded a new group, and began sailing back. In the meantime we stood there watching the lightning show from our spot on the boat. It was amazing, the ferry was full of guests arriving, and there were many left on the dock waiting for the next one. The monorails were all backed up, too!

    It was starting to sprinkle a bit when we got off the boat. We found the pathway to the Polynesian were it was a fairly quick walk. They decided to not bother coming back for another trip in a few hours, since it would take too much travel time and most likely the park would still be really crowded. That made sense Im not sure Im going to bother either. I went up to the studio and snacked on some of the apple pastry, read some emails, and then got started finishing todays report. It was after midnight before I finished. The ship horns are loud some VERY loud! I can see why people have complained.

    Today was a really fun day! I wish it wasnt hot, but even that didnt ruin the day. Its nice trying the Poly, and I like my studio a lot Im looking forward to the next few days! Tomorrow I hope to spend part of the morning relaxing in the sun, and then we have a busy afternoon back in the Magic Kingdom. Tomorrow night Im thinking Top of the World sounds good!


    DAY 2 Saturday 5/23/15
    Who: Sue (56), DVC Member
    Chris (28), my son
    Amanda (26), my daughter-in-law

    Plan: Beach or pool, Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest, Top of World?

    Actual: So, it was after midnight when I turned out the lights to hopefully catch at least a nap, figuring Id decide later on whether Id return to the Magic Kingdom in the wee hours of the morning. One nice thing in these studios is the lighting. Besides the wall sconces on either side of the bed, they have 3 recessed ceiling lights (1 over each side of the bed and the other over the sofa). Each is activated by its own wall switch, providing reading light for someone without lighting up the entire room. The bed is the usual Disney bed nice & comfortable. Before turning in I made sure the sliding glass door was completely closed and locked, figuring that would block the maximum amount of outside noise.

    Well, the reports/complaints of the boat horns being very noisy were NOT exaggerated! It is beyond ridiculous how loud those horns are, inside the studio. Not only are the horns loud, the loud announcements made to guests as the boat approached and then was cleared for disembarking were heard clearly every time. I also heard noise from the Magic Kingdom, which is pretty far away. When the dance party in front of the castle started at 2am, it was so loud I could clearly hear the words the guy on the microphone was saying, could make out the words to the songs being played, and could hear the crowd of people cheering as he announced the arrival of Goofy, Pluto, Donald, etc. I think the party went on until about 5:45am or so, and the boats didnt stop until after 7.

    I was awake most of the night, as the noise never stopped but the worst was definitely that dance party. A couple years ago I was at Jambo House with a friend (Lori) before a DCL cruise and the next morning they were doing a running event at Animal Kingdom. Lori heard them blaring the warm-up program before the run (from her spot on the sofa bed). I didnt hear it from the bedroom, but I think it woke her up. That was nothing compared to this noise! I remember seeing the clock just after 3am and based on the crowd noise at the MK I decided I wasnt going to bother going over since it was clearly still very busy. My biggest concern was getting out of there. If I was at Bay Lake Tower I could have walked back, but I didnt want to get stuck with a huge line of people waiting for a monorail or boat to get back here when the park closed. I did manage to doze off for an hour or so, and got up around 6:15. There was some LOUD announcement just after the park closed at 6am.

    I made my cappuccino, and made some fastpass changes online. Our first one today was Haunted Mansion, so I changed that to Pirates of the Caribbean since we did Haunted Mansion last night. I also switched Chris Mine Train to Barnstormer, since he didnt get to do that last night. Just before 8 I made my breakfast (egg, bacon slice & English muffin) and noticed the ferry boat was loading passengers for the trip to the Magic Kingdom. Today it closes at 1am to outsiders, and 3am to resort guests. It would be nice if they stopped the ferries after 1am, but well see.

    By 8:30 the leaf blowers were outside, and from the noise they might as well have been right inside my studio! Ive never seen such piss-poor soundproofing in my life. I changed into a swimsuit and headed out a little before 9, taking a chaise lounge on the beach behind the volcano pool.

    There were several clouds that hit the sun for intervals of time, plus a breeze, so it was actually quite comfortable out there. I had 3 sleeping ducks on the sand next to my chair, but I didnt bother them and they didnt bother me. Overall it was very peaceful out there, and even when a couple kids came by to play in the sand until their parents got them, the kids acted really well. I did some reading and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. Chris & Amanda texted around 10:30 to say they were leaving Jambo House, and they found me out on the beach about 11am.

    Their value studio last night was on the savannah, which was a nice plus. Those dont have a specified view, so its the luck of the draw. I was ready to leave the beach so we headed up to my studio, where they looked at the photobook (from Shutterfly) Id ordered of their wedding pictures while I took my shower and got dressed. I really liked the shower stall, and the exhaust fan worked so well the mirror didnt get fogged up at all! Normally I shower with the door open, but didnt today since they were in the room.

    We left the studio about noon and although the TTC would have been the closer monorail stop we could see hordes of offsite guests waiting for the ferry and the ramp to the monorail was packed with people as far as we could see. I hope they keep those people off the resort monorail, but I wasnt sure so we just walked over to the Great Ceremonial House instead. A monorail had just arrived onto the platform, so while we didnt have seats at least we didnt have to wait. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at the same time as the express monorail, which is a pain in terms of crowds. The bag check area wasnt too bad, except I ended up Mr. Thoroughs line. This whole process is so ridiculous. I will gladly take my chances in the park if theyd just do away with this.

    The park was very busy, although not as bad as yesterday. We walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean, thinking if the wait was short wed just ride now (12:35) instead of waiting for our 1:05 fastpass. I was shocked to see a huge crowd of people snaked back and forth outside the queue area, and the standby wait was 35 minutes. So, we wandered through various shops for the next half-hour, grabbing a/c when we could. Finally at 1:00 we were able to enter the fastpass line, and it was pretty much a slow pace all the way in to board the boat. The boat was full, of course, and Chris got fairly wet (we were in row 4) after coming down the hill.

    After we passed the big ships firing cannons at each other the boats were all backed up, coming to a stop. After a few minutes we started moving again and got all the way to the last scene at the jail before we stopped again. This time we were there about 20-30 minutes, and they completely shut down the attraction. Water wasnt flowing, the sound was off, etc. We had frequent announcements telling us to remain seated, and a few announcements to cast members, but thats it. When the water was shut off the boats drifted backwards, and we ended up under the foot of the guy sitting on top of the bridge. The family in front of us eventually passed out sandwiches to each other for lunch. We were getting worried about our lunch reservation for 1:55 at this point!

    Finally we started moving again and rushed straight over to Be Our Guest once getting off the attraction. We arrived right on time, or a couple minutes late. Once again there was a long line of people standing in the hot sun on that bridge because they had not pre-ordered their food. Once they got off the hot bridge, then they were in an even longer line (indoors) to wait for a terminal to order their food. Then they would take their ticket to the cash register to pay. We walked straight in and went right to the cash register & paid for our lunch. Thats so much smarter and easier!

    We wandered around, got our cups of water, and by the time we selected a table and sat down our food arrived within a couple minutes. Chris got the roast beef sandwich, Amanda had the turkey sandwich, I had the onion soup and we shared the chocolate cream puff. It was all very good! After lunch we felt refreshed thats what sitting in air conditioning can do for a person! We were in our next fastpass window so Amanda & I rode Mine Train while Chris rode Barnstormer. We asked for and received the back row, although on this ride theres as big of a difference as there is on Big Thunder. We all met back up by the train station next to Barnstormer and decided to ride the train to kill the 45 minutes or so until our final fastpass at Mermaid.

    When the train pulled into the Main Street station they announced the train would be sitting there for 15-20 minutes because the 3pm parade would be crossing their train tracks. It was too hot to sit on the train, so we got off and looked through the Emporium. While in there Chris suggested just skipping the last fastpass and we all agreed.

    Hed received a text earlier saying to stop by the front desk for his room assignment. Thats the same message I got yesterday, and frankly this is not acceptable. He already went by the front desk this morning, had done online check in before the trip, and now theyre suggesting a 3rd trip??? We took the monorail back to the TTC and walked over to my studio, where he called the front desk. After verifying who he was, they gave him his studio number just a few doors down the hall on the other side. Now the fun started. Their magic bands would not open the door the light turned red. Chris said at the front desk this morning the cast member set both of their magic bands, so this was ridiculous.

    He came back to my studio and called the front desk, explaining what happened. They tried giving him some crap about having multiple magic bands creates problems. Hmmm, it never did before, and if it creates a problem then stop giving them out for every single trip! They said theyd send somebody right over to fix it, which would have been fine if thats what happened. Amanda sat on the floor in the hallway with their luggage, thinking it would only be a few minutes. They waited and waited and waited it was getting close to 30 minutes when Chris called them again. Once again they waited. Then a cast member knocked on my door, saying hed heard I had dirty dishes. Um no, he had the wrong room.

    I heard noise again and looked out, thinking the person was there to fix their door, but it was people moving into the studio next to me, with a double stroller and I think 3 little kids!! OMIGOD, I hope the walls between the rooms are more soundproof than the exterior walls, lol! They went out on their balcony and even speaking in a normal volume they sounded like they were here in the room with me. Im finding it really hard to recommend this resort. Amanda texted me to comment about how noisy my neighbors were evidently their noise was pretty loud in the hall, but fortunately I didnt really hear them in the studio too much.

    Chris was gone quite a while, and I was out in the hall talking to Amanda. She was getting mad, which was justified. Usually Disney is so good, but today they were really dropping the ball. Eventually Chris came back with a cast member, who was also delivering a birthday gift to a room on our floor. He stated it was fixed, and sure enough Chris magic band worked. However, Amandas did not. Arrgh!

    The cast member said hed work on it after delivering the birthday gift he evidently tried to fix the problem. Eventually he called Chris to say they needed to come to the front desk because hed tried everything he could do remotely but they needed her band. Now maybe its just me, but after all this wouldnt the more appropriate response be to call Chris to say he was coming to pick up Amandas band because he wasnt able to fix it remotely, and that after he fixed it hed deliver it back to their room?? I decided to walk over with them, as it was now almost 1.5 hours that this had been going on.

    I spotted a cast member not wearing a uniform and asked her if she was a manager. She confirmed, and I filled her in on the frustrations getting into their room and the amount of time and number of trips back and forth this has required. We also mentioned that theyd planned to go to the pool for a bit before we headed to BLT but now it was too late for that. She was apologetic and while we were talking they got Amandas band fixed. Manager Abbi asked what she could do to give us back the time lost, suggesting some special fastpasses that would work on any attraction, and a taxi voucher to get to BLT so we didnt have to deal with transportation waits.

    We decided to stick with the monorail, so we declined the taxi voucher. But, Chris & Amanda decided to head over to the Studios tomorrow after we do the safari at Animal Kingdom. Chris mainly wants to see the merchandise for the Star Wars thing, but now they have 3 fastpasses they can use for Toy Story or whatever they want. I dont plan to go to that park, so I said no thanks plus, I had use of my studio for that time and wouldnt have been anywhere else, so I hadnt lost anything.

    We walked back to the building and were amazed that Amandas magic band opened the door woohoo!! We had about 30 minutes so we relaxed in our studios and then met up to walk back to TTC to hop on the monorail to the Contemporary. From our studios its a little bit shorter walk to catch the monorail at TTC vs from the Polynesian station. It does mean our next stop is Poly, but so what? Were sitting down, enjoying the ride. After stops at Poly, GF and MK we arrived at the Contemporary, where we disembarked. Its an easy walk across the sky bridge, then we took the elevator down to the first floor and walked to the BLT lobby. One of the cast members remembered me so they didnt bother to scan my magic band. She just asked how many? and wished us well as another cast member took us to the elevator.

    It was just a little after 6 so it was not busy yet. We took the best empty high-top table by the windows, and settled in for the evening. The drapes were pulled since the sun was so bright outside, but even with the drapes I needed my sunglasses at times (the drapes were not solid). We had a couple orders of the pretzels with dips/spreads. The first batch seemed a bit overcooked to me, but the second one was better. Chris had a Moscow Mule for his first beverage, and Amanda stuck with water since there was no moscato on the menu. I ordered the pinot grigio, but our server mistakenly brought the Riesling. She realized it after she brought it, and took it away but came back to offer it to Amanda (its a sweet Riesling) since she was going to have to throw it away anyway. Amanda tried it and liked it enough to drink it.

    Later Amanda and I shared the beef tenderloin sliders, which are very good. Chris tried a couple of unusual beers, which I later saw were priced at $8.50 and $8.75! Wow I think I beat Steve Russo for beer prices at Disney! They were beers Ive never heard of, but I sure never expected those prices. Even with Tables in Wonderland, thats an eye opener, lol!

    Wishes started at 10, and Chris went out to the observation deck to watch the show on the castle at 9:45. Amanda & I stayed in our seats, although she had to shift over when some bozo lifted his kid onto his shoulders and completely blocked her view of the fireworks up in the sky. I mean really the kid could have seen just fine standing on the observation deck, so there was no need to put him on the shoulders! Hold him on your hip if you have to, but putting him up on your shoulders is just plain rude, unless youre standing with your back up against a solid wall where you cant obstruct anyones view.

    We enjoyed Wishes, and once it ended we met back up and headed to the less crowded elevator. Almost everyone heads in one direction, without thinking. Rather than risk waiting for a few elevators, we went the other direction and had no wait. As we walked across the sky bridge the Electric Water Pageant was just starting, but Ill see that from Poly tomorrow night. We rode up to the monorail, which had just arrived, and were able to get seats for the ride back to the Poly.

    Chris was hungry so we stopped at Captain Cooks, where he got the chicken and waffles. Its a tiny portion for a big guy, but hopefully it was good (he took it back to the room). Amanda got some pop tarts, and I didnt need anything. Once the food was ready we walked back to our studios, agreeing to meet at 7:45 tomorrow.

    Today was an interesting day, with lots of good but also the completely unnecessary headache with Chris & Amanda being unable to get into their studio for so long. I can understand an IT glitch, but the staff really dropped the ball on their handling of this one. It was nice of the manager to make it right by giving them the extra fastpasses to give back the time they wasted/lost. The beach was wonderful this morning, and we had a really nice time hanging out at MK and Top of the World.

    Tomorrow Tonga Toast is on the agenda, followed by the safari at Animal Kingdom, Studios for them, beach for me, and then well all meet Darla & Deb and hopefully get into Trader Sams Grotto when it opens!


    DAY 3 Sunday 5/24/15
    Who: Sue (56), DVC Member
    Chris (28), my son
    Amanda (26), my daughter-in-law

    Plan: Animal Kingdom, Darla & Deb, Trader Sams

    Actual: I was in bed around 11:30 or so last night, once again hearing the boat horns. That wasnt too bad, since at least the Magic Kingdom couldnt be heard and the family full of noisy kids next door were probably asleep. I evidently didnt have too much trouble falling asleep, and I woke up around 4:15 to find the ferry boats still running. I heard the last couple of boats, and then it was quiet. I got up around 5:30, made my cappuccino, and hung out online enjoying the nice quiet morning. I did hear horns from time to time, and wasnt sure why since boats werent running. I heard more noise and at 6:30 my curiosity got the better of me so I looked and saw a guy on a tractor pulling the rake to smooth the sand on the beach. I imagine some people will think thats too early for grounds keeping noise, but it didnt bother me. Im at WDW it does me no good to not be awake/conscious!

    At 7:45 we walked over to the Great Ceremonial House for breakfast at Captain Cooks. I asked how Chris chicken and waffles were last night and he said one of the 2 pieces of chicken was so overcooked it was as hard as a crouton. He had to throw it away because he felt like hed crack a tooth if he kept biting down on it. I told him to let the Captain Cooks people know. He did, and Amanda still had the receipt in her bag, so the cast member refunded it back to her rewards card. That was very nice of them. Chris explained he didnt feel like bringing it back last night because it was nearly 11pm and our rooms are so far away.

    I ordered just the Tonga Toast (no bacon or sausage) and my beeper went off before I even put the receipt in my bag. I got a cup for water, found the warm syrup, and got us a table. Chris got tonga toast with sausage and Amanda got the kids Mickey waffles (2) meal crispy bacon and a side of scrambled eggs. When their beeper went off Chris went up to get their tray and his tonga toast was even bigger than mine! It looked like half a loaf of bread, lol but thats a slight exaggeration. He didnt remember having this as a kid, but Im sure he must have at some point. Breakfast was really good he finished his and I ate most of mine.

    After breakfast we walked out to the bus stop and were happy to see an Animal Kingdom bus sitting there! We even got seats! It was about 8:30, and after stopping at the Grand Floridian then Blizzard Beach, we got to the park about 9:15. The initial rush to get in had all dissipated, so we breezed right through bag check and the entry. Our safari fastpass window was 9-10 so we walked back there. The standby wait was 20 minutes, and the line was pretty backed up. There was also a line to enter the fastpass queue, which I guess means theyre issuing more fastpasses than they used to.

    As we were walking through the queue it eventually came to a halt shades of yesterdays Pirates! Most likely an animal was blocking a truck and everything was stopped. It started up again soon, and we were on a truck pretty quickly. It was a good safari, with a driver who gave lots of information. After it was done I decided to head back to the resort & use the beach, and Chris & Amanda decided to leave for Hollywood Studios. They both like Star Wars but are not crazy nuts about it. I think Chris was interested in a special magic band from the event.

    I got back to the bus stop and it was empty, which means Id just missed the bus. It seemed to take forever for the next one it had to be close to a half-hour, and it was getting aggravating. Another couple came a while after mean and they were getting irritated too. At least it was shady and with the breeze it was comfortable standing there. Once the bus came we stopped at Blizzard Beach again, then went back to Poly. I think it was 11 or later by the time I got back from doing the safari. I always forget how ridiculously long it can take to get from 1 place to another when using Disney transportation!

    I changed into my swimsuit, grabbed my bag and pool towels, and walked over the same beach I used yesterday. Nobody was out there, although the main pool looked pretty busy. I laid out there on a chaise lounge reading and playing a couple games on the kindle. There were lots of clouds today, so periods of sun were interspersed with periods of no sun, and with the breeze and lower humidity it was actually quite comfortable. Some of the clouds are looking kind of dark, so I wont be surprised to see a shower at some point.

    At 1 I decided it was time to get off the beach, and I checked out Captain Cooks in case I wanted to take something back to the room. It was a zoo in there very busy, very noisy, and just all around unpleasant. I checked the little bakery case but they didnt have that apple thing I bought on the first day (finished that last night), and the other limited items didnt really wow me. I ended up walking away empty handed, since I wasnt hungry enough to put up with the bedlam long enough to order food.

    Back in the studio I took my shower and got dressed. As I was blow-drying my hair my hairdryer finally died. It just quit without any warning. I knew it would happen eventually, as it was probably 10-20 years old, lol! I finished up with the resort hair dryer and tomorrow will see how it works for the whole job since Ill be in the market for a replacement.

    Chris & Amanda got back sometime after 2 and now his magic band isnt working to open their door again. I suggested they just stick together at this point I dont think its worth going back to the front desk since theyre checking out tomorrow. They took their showers and were going to come by to get me once they were ready to go wait in line for Trader Sams. We didnt want to take any chance on not getting in with the first group. Darla called about 2:30 to say she & Deb were here, ahead of schedule. I told her where Trader Sams was located, let Chris & Amanda know I was heading down now, and went over to meet Darla & Deb.

    They were first in line, and Darla had brought a chair over from a nearby table so she didnt have to stand. A handful of people were in line behind them. I joined them and got another chair to help create space and for use by anyone in our group that might want to sit. Darla & I have been dvc friends since 1997, so it was nice seeing her again and catching up in person. Eventually Chris & Amanda joined us and the time passed fairly quickly since we were all talking.

    With the special fastpasses Chris & Amanda had been able to do Toy Story twice, and were planning to go back for Fantasmic tonight. They both bought stormtrooper magic bands, and Chris got a t-shirt that says Tall, Dark & Evil (with a picture of Darth Vader). A little before 4 a cast member came out and stamped each of our arms to signify that we were good to enter the bar, and right at 4pm the other cast member came out and clanged this noisy bell to signal we could enter. One of the 2 people behind us was a cast member whod been there for both the cast preview and the opening day. She waited 5.5-6 HOURS to get in on the opening day. Thats just insane.

    The bar is pretty small, and holds about 50 people. Given the popularity, youd think theyd have made it bigger, AND opened it earlier than 4pm. But, maybe they want to keep the hype/hysteria going. There are no prices on the drinks, and they cost a bit more than regular Disney prices, which may be hard to swallow for some people. Its not a place to come and have several drinks, but we later discovered that its not just the prices. Many of the drinks are really strong, so you could be on your *** after a couple drinks!

    Darla ordered the margarita, which came in a bigger glass than I expected. I was thinking it would be like La Cava in Mexico (Epcot), but this was a bigger glass. She also ordered the dumplings, which were pork potstickers and looked really good. Deb ordered the Krakatoa punch, which came with a glow cube, and the chicken lettuce wraps. She got the souvenir glass along with hers and their check came to $50 or so. 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, $50. Welcome to Disney, lol. There are no discounts here, including Tables in Wonderland.

    I was torn on the drinks and ended up wimping out and just getting a glass of wine (pinot gris). Amanda got one of the special drinks maybe the mai tai. Chris got the Zombie, which came in a shrunken head. They both got the souvenir glasses with theirs. Both drinks (and Debs) were very strong Chris and Amandas tasted like pure alcohol. Seriously, more juice would have been welcome. We shared the pork tacos (out of this world excellent) and the chicken & pork pate sliders (they loved them, I stopped after a bite after the taco this was barely ok).

    Several of the specialty drinks cause a special effect to occur when one is sold. In one case the volcano in the pictures erupts, in another theres a thunder storm, and in another the big tiki comes to life. Another had lots of noise and lighting effects to make us seem to be under water most likely the Nautilus. A table near us ordered the drink that serves 2 and is set on fire that was pretty cool. Debs drink got her tipsy pretty quickly she was pretty funny, lol! Darla & I were ok. Amanda slurred her speech a little bit. Chris ordered another drink the Pearl this time. This one was actually yummy, with some type of cream liqueur, grand marnier, fruit juices & cinnamon. We all liked it, and Amanda gave him her drink and took the Pearl instead. He later ordered a Krakatoa bringing our check to $100. It was Chris treat, so no harm done <g>.

    When you order the souvenir glass they give you clean & boxed one on the way out, rather than having you take a dirty glass with you. Overall it was fun, but I dont see it as a place I would travel to visit. Maybe when Im staying at Poly again I might stop in if theres not a wait, but I wouldnt come over from BCV or AKV to drink here unless I was with people who really wanted to. Its a very noisy place too lots of yelling and silliness.

    We walked back to Moorea so Darla & Deb could see my studio. They liked it, and loved the view! We hung out on the balcony a bit, and when the ferry boat blew its horn Darla understood why people were saying its too loud! I think she was a little shocked. Chris & Amanda stopped by to say they were going to the Studios, and Darla & Deb were headed to Twistee Treat for ice cream, so I walked out with everyone.

    After they all left I continued to Captain Cooks and ordered the Aloha pork sandwich. They also had the apple pastry things out so I got one for later/tomorrow. I brought everything back to the room and ate out on the balcony, but barely made a dent in the sandwich. It came with fries and they were the skinny ones and very good so I mostly ate those. I can always eat the sandwich tomorrow. I updated the report, then downloaded the photos real quick before swapping the laptop for the kindle. It was gorgeous out there on the balcony perfect weather, nice breeze, and of course that great view!

    At 9 the Electric Water Pageant started but it was way over at the other end of the resort. Monday Ill walk over and watch it from the beach near the marina, or most likely walk out to the end of the dock. It was far enough away that I couldnt hear the music when it started. At 9:45 the pre-show on the castle began, and with my camera I was able to take several pictures of the different images projected on there. Not bad being able to do that from my resort! At 10 Wishes started, and although I couldnt hear the soundtrack clearly the fireworks were beautiful.

    I went inside after Wishes and downloaded the photos, but then forgot to finish up & post the report! I watched a little tv and it was lights out by 11:30. The ferry horns could still be heard, but once I fell asleep they werent an issue.

    Today was a nice relaxing day just how I like them! The weather was more comfortable than expected, thanks to the breeze. It was great seeing Darla & Deb again, and Im glad we got to try Trader Sams. Its not a place Ill go very often, but it was worth checking out to see what is causing all the hype! I absolutely loved the time spent on my balcony, and my fabulous view!


    DAY 4 Monday 5/25/15
    Who: Sue (56), DVC Member
    Chris (28), my son
    Amanda (26), my daughter-in-law

    Plan: Beach or pool, Magic Kingdom

    Actual: This morning the first horn came at 5:30, but Im not sure why. The ferries seem to sit at the dock overnight, but maybe I am wrong about that although it doesnt make sense theyd arrive at the dock at 5:30 when the park doesnt open until 9. I got up just after 6, and they were dragging the sand on the beach at 6:49 today a bit later than yesterday, lol! At 7 I made my cappuccino and egg/bacon/English muffin for breakfast. I also uploaded the rest of the photos and will caption them later. I created an album on facebook with photos taken from the balcony last night showing the pre-Wishes castle show and then the fireworks (theyll also be at the end of the shutterfly album).

    SB called and we talked for a little bit. Sounds like a fairly quiet weekend at work, which is a good thing. At 9 I headed down to the beach for a while. I hadnt heard from Chris & Amanda, but I brought SBs magic band with me in case they wanted to use it to store their stuff in my studio instead of a hot car.

    It was beautiful down on the beach, although during the sunny periods it felt warmer then yesterday as the morning wore on. There were more people on the beach too, including some lady letting her toddler splash and play in the water. Thats not a smart move, and the signs clearly say swimming isnt allowed. Chris & Amanda were up around 10:30 and put their stuff in the car before getting breakfast at Captain Cooks. They stopped by the beach on their way to Epcot they plan to do a few things there and then head home.

    I went inside a little before noon, and the trash & towel service hadnt been done yet. Thats fine I assume itll be done after they get rooms ready for incoming guests. I took my shower and when I came out of the bathroom I saw it was raining outside. It was a steady rain, then it poured for a while. Chris said it had poured at Epcot but was stopping now, so I figured this wouldnt last long. I think 30 minutes later the sun was back!

    For lunch I cut half of the leftover pulled pork sandwich and zapped it in the microwave briefly. Its so good the coconut bread really makes such a difference! I also had another piece of the apple thing for dessert. The sign in the bakery case said apple strudel, the cash register receipt said apple charlotte, but Im pretty sure its apple strudel. Its good, but best the first day (not after sitting in a Ziploc bag overnight).

    The housekeeper came to do the trash & towel while I was captioning pictures, so that got taken care of pretty quickly. I dont make much of a mess, and hadnt even used all the towels. Id learned earlier today that starting May 17th dvc members are able to tour a studio and bungalow here between 2 & 4pm. Its self-guided, and subject to being canceled without notice, so it sounds like until they get to the point that theyre all booked members might be able to see them. The model rooms are over at Saratoga, but those are not over the water!

    A little after 1:30 I decided to walk over to wait for the bungalow tour and when I got to the exit of Moorea (my building) I saw it was raining again. I waited for it to let up a bit, then opened my umbrella and walked to the Great Ceremonial House. This is when this resort is a pain there are no covered walkways. I checked in at the dvc kiosk and was told to have a seat anywhere in the lobby. Just before 2 a cast member gathered us up and thankfully the first stop was the bungalow. It had just stopped raining, so we had puddles but at least we werent getting wet on the fairly long walk.

    He unlocked the door to the bungalow and said hed wait outside. The bungalows are cute, but nothing special and certainly not worth anywhere near the # of points they cost! You can get a grand villa at Grand Floridian for less, and youll have much more space and a much nicer villa. As you walk in the 2nd bedroom was on the left, with a big window facing the Polynesian. Better keep your drapes closed at night, or lots of people will be looking right in. This bedroom is very small the queen bed pretty much fills the room, plus theres a pull-down kiddie bed that pretty much takes up the space at the end of the bed. Theres no real room for chairs, so they had a bench window seat. The bathroom for anyone staying here is down the hall and around to the left not ideal. Its split, but its smaller and has less than the studio bathrooms. I think there was a tub & sink in one room and a toilet & sink in the other. Both were pretty small.

    The master bedroom is also small again, the bed pretty much fills it up, but not as badly as that other bedroom. It is also on the Polynesian side of the building, and I think it had a skinny door to the side porch where the hanging chairs are. The master bath is nice, but not as impressive as over at GF. Theres a tub and separate shower stall, along with a double vanity sink and a toilet. It was very pretty. The living room seems small, and has another kiddie fold-down bed under the tv. This one has the electric water pageant as the design, which I liked. Theres a sofa and a couple chairs and a triangular type coffee table. The dining room table is a long oval, with several chairs. The kitchen is fairly nice, but small and not really my style. I thought the table looked too big for the space and everything else looked small.

    The deck outside is nice, with the little plunge pool (like a Jacuzzi but I guess no jets?) in a locked/gated section. Theres a small table & chairs, along with 2 cushioned chaise lounges. It really looks like an ideal room for a party of 2 maybe with a kid or 2 in the 2nd bedroom. Im glad I saw it in person, so now I know Im not missing anything by not staying there. I was so impressed by the studio here frankly Im a bit surprised the bungalow was so unimpressive.

    I swung back by the studio to check the weather, leaving the group since the next stop was touring a studio. The rain was supposed to finished until possibly mid-evening, so I decided to head for the Magic Kingdom. Had more rain been forecast I probably would have skipped it. I walked over to the Transportation & Ticket Center and was surprised that the resorts monorail line was longer than the one for the express monorail. Based on that, I took the express monorail (which was waiting) and got to MK in no time at all (seated). It was strange to ride through the Contemporary without stopping I never have a reason to ride on this side.

    At Magic Kingdom they only had one side of bag checks open but it wasnt busy at all. I had no wait to get through that, and then enter the park. The park itself was very busy, and Main Street was mobbed since the 3pm parade was going to be starting in a few minutes. I walked up the street inside stores as much as possible (faster and cooler), then turned into Tomorrowland. I had about 1-2 minutes to wait for my Space Mountain fastpass to be good, then I entered that queue. The standby wait was 75 minutes.

    I got pulled out of the line towards the end, and was put into a rocket with an empty seat. It was a fun ride, and I headed to the People Mover next but noticed the cars were all empty and not moving. I sat on a bench in the shade since I had nothing else to do and this way if it started again Id be able to ride. There was a nice breeze through there, too. I checked wait times of other attractions but they were all too long. Eventually I got up and walked over to Fantasyland and spent the last 10 minutes on a shady bench outside Pinocchios restaurant, until it was time to enter the queue for my Mine Train fastpass.

    This time I got the back row without asking, and I got to ride alone since there werent any other solos during that time. Afterwards I had just over an hour before my next fastpass (Peter Pans Flight) and I decided that 2-minute ride was not worth the wait. I headed back down Main Street and hopped on the resort monorail this time. I was thinking I might get a smores from the candy case in one of the Contemporary shops, but when I got there and looked at it I changed my mind. Its really not worth the $4.95 plus tax or the calories at this point. I went back up to the monorail and rode to the TTC, where I got off an walked back to the studio. I packed up a few things and took them down to the car, then drove over to the Hess station to top off the gas tank with cheaper gas than I can buy in Gainesville.

    Once that was done I returned to the Poly. I was hungry, since lunch was basically a third of a sandwich. I took my kindle and walked over to the Great Ceremonial House, where I discovered Tambu Lounge has servers that take care of the lobby upstairs. I took a comfortable chair facing the window (pool and lake view) and ordered a glass of wine and the beef satay. The beef was very good but astonishingly small for $8.99. I didnt bring the camera, so no photo, but for a guy it would have been 3 bites. There was a small amount of salad, and 3 skewers each with a flattened piece of beef that was perhaps 3 inches long by 1.5-2 inches wide. Tasty, but small. Dont order this if youre hungry the other items are all larger.

    By the time I finished the beef it was getting pretty busy/congested with people (and their kids) waiting for their tables in Ohana, so once I finished the glass of wine I moved along. I stopped in Captain Cooks and got a macadamia nut cookie for later and an oatmeal raisin cookie that might make it home for SB but may get eaten in the car tomorrow morning. From there I walked back to the studio and brought the trip report up to date.

    I finished the photo album its on shutterfly at
    share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNGTdm2bMWjLWg

    With that done, I had an hour or so free so I finished the bbq pork sandwich and then sat out on the balcony. I realized the other day that the reason my balcony feels so great is being on the end of the building there is no solid wall blocking the breeze. I have a wall separating me from the balcony next door, and of course the wall of sliding glass doors, but the other 2 sides are open except for the railing. The wind/breeze seems to come from the side thats open, so its gorgeous out there even when it would be hot out on the walkway.

    I finished a book and then switched to the tablet to play games. Around 8:45 I walked down to the beach and was shocked to find hordes of people out there waiting for Electric Water Pageant. Usually at my other resorts there arent many people, but here at Poly theres a big crowd. I later figured out the campfire/marshmallow roast just ended and the movie (Mulan tonight) is getting started, so maybe that brings more people out. I sat down next to the fire pit most of the chaise lounges were already lined up along the edge of the water and were occupied!

    I could see the parade of floats arrive into the Seven Seas Lagoon and come into position before the music started. With the bungalows its impossible to see the entire length of the pageant all at one time, as the bungalows obstruct the front end by the time the back end gets lit. Still, its nice and if youre staying in one of the first group of bungalows you have a perfect view! If youre in the last batch the lights are turned off by the time it sails past your overpriced lodging youd think theyd leave it lit up until it passed the last one.

    I went back to the studio, and now Im in for the night, other than watching Wishes from the balcony. This trip had a rough start with all the noise from the Magic Kingdom, but after that it turned into a really nice time. I dont even mind the ferry horns, although someone who is a very light sleeper might feel differently. Ill gladly take the horns in exchange for this amazing view! I really loved the studio here, although honestly the 2-room bathroom is wasted with just 1 person. I do wish they had traditional drawers/storage instead of that stupid kiddie bed. I am NOT a fan of 5 people staying in a studio especially since that usually means a couple with 3 kids! I was not impressed with the bungalows. Theyre cute, but worth less than half the # of points theyre charging. Theyre very small I cannot imagine 8 people crammed into one of those!! Just think about sitting around the living room you have a sofa and 2 chairs. I guess the extra 3-4 people sit on a dining room chair? They cant even all sit out on the deck.

    This location is great for visiting Magic Kingdom (not as great as BLT), and at this end its easy to get to Epcot via the TTC. I really have no interest in staying here unless Im just planning to do some MK and not much else. Its a great resort for a resort-only trip, in my opinion. Trader Sams was worth seeing, but the hype is overrated and its very expensive not including it in the Tables in Wonderland people have to buy for $100 a year is irritating, too. They say its because the souvenir glasses arent food or beverage so they dont know how to work the discount. Bull! Its not that hard to program <g>.

    It was really nice spending time with Chris & Amanda, and Im glad we got to see Darla & Deb too. Captain Cooks remains a top counter service choice for me, thanks to that Aloha pork sandwich on the coconut bun and the tonga toast! Tambu Lounge has a great appetizer menu, so thats a nice option as well. Overall I definitely enjoyed my stay here, and look forward to trying a standard view studio in about 6 weeks. Maybe by then it wont look like such a construction site around here, but Im not sure when its supposed to be finished. It didnt interfere with my trip at all its just ugly seeing the fences everywhere.

    My next trip will be back here, for the 4th of July weekend. Its only 3 nights, and Im not sure if SB will be coming for the 1st night. Im on the fence as to whether its worth driving down for one night, but Ill leave it up to him. Our passes are blocked out and our Tables in Wonderland will be expired (wont renew until Sept or Oct), so I dont see any table service meals that trip <g>.

    Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy the photos.

    Sue (Holland) Rayford
    WDW1972

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  3. #2
    Registered User
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    Aug 2012
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    Sue, I really enjoyed your report as usual. It was fun to read about your impressions of the new bungalows. I also love your pictures. Two in particular I think are really awesome. One is a sunset picture that I think might be of the walk area around the Polynesian. The other one has the two monorails passing each other over a Parking area. I am not sure where you took it from but I love it.


  4. #3

    Hi Sue!
    Another great trip report! We really wanted to love the bungalows as our first 3 trips to WDW we stayed at the Poly. Your review confirmed what we saw on the video , they do seem a bit cramped for 6 or 8 people. Think we will save our points to use at our home resort,BLT, and book the grand villa. As always thank you for writing and sharing with us. Love the pics!

    Gail


  5. #4
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
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    Sacramento, CA

    Fantastic pictures, Sue! May I ask the make & model of your camera? That zoom is amazing!

    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  6. #5

    hey sue excellent pictures. agree about poly bungalow $$$$$ for what you get. finally NO SNOT NOSES this trip ????


  7. #6

    Hi Sue thanks for the great read! I always enjoy your reports and photos, you notice the details. I agree with you on how the staff should have handled the band situation with your family. Even though it is a nice gesture, giving fastpasses to somebody isn't always going to work.

    TulaBelle
    Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.

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