Trip Report Makin' Memories....One More Time! *COMPLETED*

Makin' memories
Makin' memories
Takin' pictures is makin' memories
Catchin' little pieces of time
Makin' them yours and makin' them mine
Great vacations and celebrations we love to hold near and dear
And when we're makin' memories
Happy days can reappear!

@amjt660 it seemed a little presumptuous of me to include Three Peat in the title of this trip report. A more accurate term might be Repeat, considering this is my third TR in three months. I am fearful that my WDWMagic friends may be weary of me.

But for @Big Hair and anyone else who wants to follow along, Welcome! I truly love reliving our great (and not-so-great) vacation memories through writing these reports. As always, your comments and observations are much appreciated!

So c'mon everybody, here we go........

Cast: Tuvalu, Woody and Em
Dates: June 17-25, 2017
Resorts: Port Orleans Riverside and Polynesian Village ('cause let's be honest......you can take the girl out of the Poly, but you can't take the Poly out of the girl!)

(Does this picture make you woozy? It is an appropriate representation of my Pandora experience.)

Stick around to discover what memories we made!

 

[Tuvalu]

The No Way, José looks SOOOOO delicious!! Next time we go there, I'll have to get that. What was yours?

It was a chocolate marshmallow create-your-own sundae.

I'n not a huge fan of UP. The opening part (the sad part) is the best part, then it gets kinda wacky.

Spot on!!!

Whoa, Nellie!! Guinness floats? How did I not notice these before???
Oh, yeah, I was distracted by a little thing called No Way Jose.
Did you know they now have a Chocolate Kitchen Sink? The 3 of you could probably tackle it

The Guinness floats are new. And yeah, the chocolate sink has been around for a couple years. It would take a lot of convincing to pull the other two away from the No Way Jose. Could I do a chocolate kitchen sink all by myself? No way, Jose!

We fell in love with Beaches and Cream when we ate there last August. Your choice of dessert looks amazing!

They were!

We are staying at Beach Club in August. I got a first time ADR for Beaches and Cream based on the great reviews I've read in trip reports. Now I'm looking forward to it even more after seeing the No Way Jose

You can't go wrong with anything at B&C!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuvalu, I noticed when I went this year, that the sailing crew now have a new uniform. Up to this point (May) didn't they always wear ALL white? They now have the navy, (subtle striped) shorts, which I think are also nice--and probably are way more practical, as they don't show any dirt, etc. But I also missed the all-white uniforms, too.

I can only picture navy shorts in my mind but the uniform could have very well been all white.

 

[Tuvalu]

Hard to say, but she sure seems to be holding that leash very tight and close as if the dog wont stay still on its own,. And why would she put that pajama looking shirt on the dog in the hot summer weather? At first glance, I thought it was a cooling vest but Ive never seen one with a design on it. The biggest offender would be the "Service dog" harness. Straight outta Amazon.

View attachment 215627

Your professional opinion aligns with my suspicions. Like you, we saw many more "service" dogs this trip than we ever have.

Great pics by Em!

Very bummed about Starring Rolls.

We're planning to utilize Uber a bit on our trip. Good to hear it worked well for you.

Some of the sweets from Starring Rolls can be found in the Trolley Car Cafe (Starbucks shop).
Uber at Disney is two thumbs way up!!!!

 

[becca_]

Since we'd just heard the "Official" Unofficial announcement of the closing of the Great Movie Ride, taking pictures was a priority for Em.

I guess it's "official" official now.. good thing you took all those pictures, Em!

 

[LadyBelle]

Uber at Disney is two thumbs way up!!!!

Would you consider taking the Minnie Van?

 

[Songbird76]

Your professional opinion aligns with my suspicions. Like you, we saw many more "service" dogs this trip than we ever have.


Some of the sweets from Starring Rolls can be found in the Trolley Car Cafe (Starbucks shop).
Uber at Disney is two thumbs way up!!!!

Is there a special license for service dogs though? My understanding is that a service dog is any dog that performs tasks you can't do yourself, but there's no test or accreditation.

 

[MinnieM123]

I can only picture navy shorts in my mind but the uniform could have very well been all white.

I'm positive it was all white. I've stayed a the Swan for approx. the past 6 (yearly) trips and took the boats every day. (I actually used to wonder how they kept their uniforms so clean--white isn't exactly the easiest thing to keep clean!)

 

[Tuvalu]

Would you consider taking the Minnie Van?

If the price is right .

Is there a special license for service dogs though? My understanding is that a service dog is any dog that performs tasks you can't do yourself, but there's no test or accreditation.

No proof is required that the dog has been trained to be a professional service dog. And the main increase for the number of dogs in the parks is the "emotional support dog" which perform no service at all other than "comfort" the owner.

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, June 21

Who's ready for a chill-out day?

I think Kona is.

This morning I went to the lounge promptly at opening time, hoping to beat the vultures who descend upon the continental breakfast bar and leave slim pickings for us later-arrivers. I managed to get muffins, cinnamon buns, yogurt and fruit salad (with other types of fruit beside melon) for the three of us. Coffee for Woody and Em (I was still enjoying the POG juice from the Polynesian Twilight Feast.)

Woody and I ate breakfast on the balcony as we eased into the day. No rope drop for the Tuvalu family this morning! Our plans revolved around this ~

At first I was bummed about the cloud cover on our pool day but it ended up being perfect. The mix of clouds and partial sunshine kept us from becoming miserably hot and we were able to enjoy lounging on our chairs and in the pool.

We practically had the place to ourselves for the first hour.

The new kids splash zone (above) is a wonderful addition to the pool area.


But "sentimental me" misses when the pool looked like this ~

(Middle son Drumr is getting married in a couple months!)


That's Em at the top of the slide.

We got take-out from Capt. Cooks for lunch ~ hot beef and cheddar sandwich for Woody, grilled chicken sandwich with pineapple salsa for Em and me. Both were excellent.


Sun goddess vs. Mr. Sensitive Skin

 

[Tuvalu]

Over four hours later we returned to our room and Sulley Pig was waiting for us. (Pig accompanies Em on all her vacations.)

What was in the envelope?

DRUMROLL PLEASE..........

Now you may be thinking, "WTH?" but trust me, I was sooooo happy to see this spoon. It's one that I brought from home that the mousekeeper had erroneously taken from our room two days earlier. Club staffers Randall and Yolanda went over and above to track it down. I share this story not only to give them props, but to show that the "Disney difference" still exists.

We all took showers and one of us < ahem, Em > took a brief nap before we headed out for the evening.

 

[becca_]

You should start a trend... spoon selfie!

 

[Songbird76]

Wednesday, June 21

Who's ready for a chill-out day?

I think Kona is.
View attachment 215869

This morning I went to the lounge promptly at opening time, hoping to beat the vultures who descend upon the continental breakfast bar and leave slim pickings for us later-arrivers. I managed to get muffins, cinnamon buns, yogurt and fruit salad (with other types of fruit beside melon) for the three of us. Coffee for Woody and Em (I was still enjoying the POG juice from the Polynesian Twilight Feast.)

Woody and I ate breakfast on the balcony as we eased into the day. No rope drop for the Tuvalu family this morning! Our plans revolved around this ~
View attachment 215865

At first I was bummed about the cloud cover on our pool day but it ended up being perfect. The mix of clouds and partial sunshine kept us from becoming miserably hot and we were able to enjoy lounging on our chairs and in the pool.

We practically had the place to ourselves for the first hour.
View attachment 215866

View attachment 215867

View attachment 215868
The new kids splash zone (above) is a wonderful addition to the pool area.


But "sentimental me" misses when the pool looked like this ~
View attachment 215879
(Middle son Drumr is getting married in a couple months!)


That's Em at the top of the slide.
View attachment 215881

View attachment 215880

We got take-out from Capt. Cooks for lunch ~ hot beef and cheddar sandwich for Woody, grilled chicken sandwich with pineapple salsa for Em and me. Both were excellent.


Sun goddess vs. Mr. Sensitive Skin
View attachment 215871

The pool area looks AMAZING!! I have to stay at the Poly someday!!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Tuvalu, the pool looks nice and all, but do you think it's really large enough for the size of that resort? I recall many years ago when I stayed at the Poly, that I thought the pool was small, even back then. Couldn't even find a spot to place my beach bag; all chairs were taken, pool was mobbed, etc.

Went over to the quiet pool instead, but really wanted to try the Volcano Pool with the slide, etc. (I know they have since remodeled the quiet pool as well.) Have you tried out the newly revamped quiet pool yet?

 

[fractal]

Wednesday, June 21

Who's ready for a chill-out day?

I think Kona is.
View attachment 215869

This morning I went to the lounge promptly at opening time, hoping to beat the vultures who descend upon the continental breakfast bar and leave slim pickings for us later-arrivers. I managed to get muffins, cinnamon buns, yogurt and fruit salad (with other types of fruit beside melon) for the three of us. Coffee for Woody and Em (I was still enjoying the POG juice from the Polynesian Twilight Feast.)

Woody and I ate breakfast on the balcony as we eased into the day. No rope drop for the Tuvalu family this morning! Our plans revolved around this ~
View attachment 215865

At first I was bummed about the cloud cover on our pool day but it ended up being perfect. The mix of clouds and partial sunshine kept us from becoming miserably hot and we were able to enjoy lounging on our chairs and in the pool.

We practically had the place to ourselves for the first hour.
View attachment 215866

View attachment 215867

View attachment 215868
The new kids splash zone (above) is a wonderful addition to the pool area.


But "sentimental me" misses when the pool looked like this ~
View attachment 215879
(Middle son Drumr is getting married in a couple months!)


That's Em at the top of the slide.
View attachment 215881

View attachment 215880

We got take-out from Capt. Cooks for lunch ~ hot beef and cheddar sandwich for Woody, grilled chicken sandwich with pineapple salsa for Em and me. Both were excellent.


Sun goddess vs. Mr. Sensitive Skin
View attachment 215871

C'mon Shirley, I've never seen the Poly pool that empty. Can't fool me.

 

[Doc Disney]

Gone is the ceiling fan replaced by an obnoxious overhead light (seen in pic above).

This was such a huge bummer for me when we noticed it in our second room. I like the ceiling fan

I was sad to hear that you almost knocked your self out cold.

Just to clarify it was the light fixture right?
@Doc Disney 's obsession with light fixture is catching on
Although she just takes pictures of them - you like to examine them up close
Reallllllly close!!

Max

Haha! Sorry about that...
If anyone recalls I too hit my head in Disney (at Art of Animation) but I unfortunately ended up with a concussion and it had nothing to do with light fixtures

 

[Tuvalu]

You should start a trend... spoon selfie!

Spoon selfie > purple wall, don't you think?

Tuvalu, the pool looks nice and all, but do you think it's really large enough for the size of that resort? I recall many years ago when I stayed at the Poly, that I thought the pool was small, even back then. Couldn't even find a spot to place my beach bag; all chairs were taken, pool was mobbed, etc.
Went over to the quiet pool instead, but really wanted to try the Volcano Pool with the slide, etc. (I know they have since remodeled the quiet pool as well.) Have you tried out the newly revamped quiet pool yet?

The new quiet pool (Oasis) is larger than the former quiet pool and offers a nice alternative to the busy volcano (Lava) pool. We enjoy both pools for different reasons.

C'mon Shirley, I've never seen the Poly pool that empty. Can't fool me.

You don't know the pull Shirley has at the Poly.

This was such a huge bummer for me when we noticed it in our second room. I like the ceiling fan

You and me both!!!

 

[Minnie1986]

First up? Space Mountain. All of us were excited that despite having FPs, we were sent to the Alpha track (FPs typically get sent to the Omega track.) To you naysayers, yes the tracks are different and Alpha is BETTER!

@imahistorygeek we all did the "Tuvalu" (although one of us did so half-heartedly. )

View attachment 213759

Saw this awesome t-shirt in the gift shop. Too bad we don't know a little boy who loves Space Mountain.
View attachment 213760

iCan was out greeting guests. Em said she liked PUSH the talking trashcan more. I agree with her.

View attachment 213761

Miracle of miracles! The escalator up to the Peoplemover is working!!!

View attachment 213762

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I'd never put two and two together about Space Mountain. It is my favorite ride and I'll be in MK for my bday this year. Fingers crossed that I have the same luck you did.

 

[Longers]

I reunited with the concert goers in front of a gift store on Sunset Blvd.

Who wants to eat bagged grayish-purple dryer lint?
View attachment 215193

View attachment 215194
Seriously, do people buy this stuff?

We went inside the store to look around. Em found "the perfect shirt for Tuvalette."

Remember this picture three years from now when Tuvalette is big enough to wear it!
View attachment 215195
(Tuvalette's mama is a huge BATB fan.)

I'm keeping track of the ice creams and Sundaes - doing a great job! . And I eat that bagged dryer lint - but only in Disney!

 

[Tuvalu]

Wednesday, con't

Woody, Em and I left our tropical paradise and headed to African village. Now in what other place in the world can you make that statement besides Disney?

Past experience had led us here ~

We were excited to embark on our culinary journey!

"Code Shirley" assured we would have privacy during our meal.

 

[Tuvalu]

We started off with the bread service ~ after all, it would be sacrilegious not to!

@blgauger and @Doc Disney and anyone else who doesn't like (or is uncertain about) the bread flavors ~ you can request whatever flavor(s) you want. The five breads served are traditional naan, garlic-ginger naan, spiced naan, onion kucha and paneer paratha. We don't care for the paneer paratha and substituted a second traditional naan. Ask your server to describe each type before ordering if you are a less adventurous eater.

Both Woody and Em selected an African white wine.

Woody ordered African-Inspired Biryani with Chicken.....otherwise known as chicken and rice.

Em and I decided to share the Potjie Inspired since the bread service always fills us up. It was disappointing that we could no longer order two meats with the Potjie but must choose one meat and one vegetable. Our server told us we could order an additional meat for $11. Since Em and I love butter chicken (and are just neutral on the veggie options) that is what we did.

It poured outside as we ate. We caught a glimpse of a zebra and a giraffe through the window but all the other birds and animals must have taken cover.

Our server was friendly and paced our meal just right. Food was delicious though we skipped dessert.

We lingered inside until the worst of the rain had stopped. We had a date to keep......with Pandora.