Trip Report Shrouded In A Daft Disguise *COMPLETED*

Two weeks ago today, I returned home from the most surreal Disney vacation I have ever experienced.

During my last visit in February, I couldn’t have imagined having to wear a face mask and have my temperature taken before being allowed into a park. “Social distancing” wasn’t part of my vocabulary. Hand sanitizer was something I carried in a little bottle in my purse, not something in giant containers at the entrance/exit of every attraction.

No park hopping? No Fastpasses? No FIREWORKS :jawdrop: ?!! Not even on my radar screen.

Like a bolt out of the blue, the pandemic struck and life was dramatically altered. For everyone. And there is no Magic Mirror to tell us when it will be over. For me the pandemic has been a reminder to take nothing for granted ~ and that there can still be joy in the darkest days.

My name is Tuvalu and I have been a WDW annual passholder for nearly 25 years. I was raised on Disney and so were my children. The parks have always been my “escape” from real life. Could they still be an “escape” in the midst of a pandemic? After months of quarantine, I was ready to find out.

My daughter Em was my travel buddy. My husband Woody had reservations, but not for our safety. He was concerned we’d struggle with the restrictions and disappointment with all the changes. He wanted us to come back happy and wasn’t sure we would. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure we would either. After much research and due diligence, Em and I felt prepared to embark on a vacation with few expectations.

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Full disclosure ~ I‘ve wrestled with writing a report of our trip. The pandemic and subsequent events have caused much division on this Disney fan forum. I’ve always considered the trip reports section to be a “safe space” and hope it stays that way. My goal is to provide entertainment to the reader, nothing more.

With that in mind.....

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Saturday, August 22, 2020

Pandemic visit #2. Just typing those three words reminds me how surreal life continues to be. I don’t like this “new normal” and hope it is temporary.

Woody and I pulled out of our driveway at 7 am, later than we typically like to leave. A construction delay south of the city cost us 25 extra minutes which meant we did not get breakfast until 9:30....and we were hangry! We had a car picnic of chicken biscuits and purposely ordered extra so we wouldn’t have to stop for lunch.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and by mid-afternoon this welcome sight came into view.

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About an hour earlier I had received our room ready text. We could go straight to our room and unpack! No need to stress wondering when the notification would come.

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(For @amjt660)

For the record I have spent a total of 170 nights (29 stays) at the Polynesian. @Longers can totally beat that statistic with her number of nights at Port Orleans Riverside. 😉

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Our last visit was in August 2018, exactly two years ago.

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slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
Woody and I pulled out of our driveway at 7 am, later than we typically like to leave. A construction delay south of the city cost us 25 extra minutes which meant we did not get breakfast until 9:30....and we were hangry! We had a car picnic of chicken biscuits and purposely ordered extra so we wouldn’t have to stop for lunch.

Awwwwwwww man, good thing the late departure didn't set you back too much...


For the record I have spent a total of 170 nights (29 stays) at the Polynesian. @Longers can totally beat that statistic with her number of nights at Port Orleans Riverside

I think @riverside is well on her way to breaking records! :geek:
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
There are 11 longhouses at the Polynesian. Over the years I have stayed in 10 of them. The one I haven’t contains the suites. Should I win the lottery, #11 will get a ☑️.

Eight longhouses ~ Rarotonga, Niue, Samoa, Hawaii, Tonga, Aotearoa, Fiji and Tuvalu ~ are original to the resort. These buildings are undergoing the current refurbishment. Three longhouses were added in the mid 80s with larger rooms ~ Tokelau, Moorea and Pago Pago. The rooms in these buildings were converted to DVC studio villas in 2015. This would be my first stay in a Poly DVC room.

But first, a memory.

Aotearoa 2001.
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Room view. Watching the monorail glide by was lots of fun!

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Most of our family stays were in Tokelau. I liked its central location. All the rooms were categorized garden view and were the least expensive. I always requested 3rd floor for quietness and balcony views.

I had made no location request for this trip. But I was thrilled when my text notification indicated a third floor Tokelau room!

The guard at the gate instructed us to park in the DVC lot on the right. Woody and I unloaded all we could carry and set off for Tokelau.

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I loved the bright colors in the hallway. (The non-DVC halls are dark. Hopefully that is changing!)

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Colors in the room are vibrant too.

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The faucet for the kitchenette sink is tricky. (Let’s just say @Darstarr isn’t the only one who thought it was broken!) Thankfully Woody clued me in on the proper way to turn on the faucet before I called maintenance.

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Bathroom with the “shower that spurts fire.”

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I cannot confirm if our tub shower spurted fire. We didn’t use it. Why would we since there was also this stall of beauty?

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You may remember I am not a fan of rainfall shower heads. But this one gets 👍👍.

I made sure we would not have to suffer the smell of overly-bleached pillowcases as we slept. (Learned my lesson, @k8einwdw!)

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Tokelau circa 1998.

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We got lucky a couple times with this view....partial lagoon at garden price. We enjoyed watching the ferries from the TTC.

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Our studio villa was on the opposite side of the hall. I expected to draw back the curtains and see the quiet pool or the end of the Hawaii longhouse.

I had tears in my eyes at this reveal.

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But wait, there’s more.

Our room was on the end. So looking to the right....

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A fireworks view! And no Happily Ever After! :arghh:

Woody and I would spend a lot of time on this balcony this week.

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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Gary and I think about you often. I told him how you have car picnics and so we stole your idea, but we call them "carnics" now!
And I'm so excited to see how the Poly worked out for you on this trip. We will be there in 2 weeks!
Woody made us “carnic” trays (out of plywood so they are light and portable.) Makes car dining easy!

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I hope you have a fab time at the Poly!
 
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
We really enjoyed the Riviera, but it looks like the Polynesian really worked out in your favor. Looking forward to reading all about it.
I’m sure we would have enjoyed the Riviera too. But we couldn’t pass up the Poly opportunity.
Thoroughly enjoying what we can now call a "Tufer!"
❤️ :hilarious:
Love the Poly! I really love watching the fireworks from Poly though so that would be a letdown.
It was a bummer. But I could picture fireworks in my mind and they were breathtaking. 😁
 
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
You know I'm always here for you @Tuvalu
And it means the world to me. :happy:
Awesome deal on the room! We want to stay at the Poly sometime soon, hopefully soon after it re-opens.
I will be anxious to check out the new rooms myself!
Mo and I are ready for Part Tu!
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I was hoping Mo would show up! He always looks so thrilled to read my TRs. 😹
I would say "I'm here" but.. I never left!

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Wish I could give you bonus Likes for the Moira gif!!
 

93boomer

Premium Member
Tokelau circa 1998.

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We got lucky a couple times with this view....partial lagoon at garden price. We enjoyed watching the ferries from the TTC.

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Our studio villa was on the opposite side of the hall. I expected to draw back the curtains and see the quiet pool or the end of the Hawaii longhouse.

I had tears in my eyes at this reveal.

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But wait, there’s more.

Our room was on the end. So looking to the right....

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A fireworks view! And no Happily Ever After! :arghh:

Woody and I would spend a lot of time on this balcony this week.

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Love that room! And that balcony!!! Wow nice!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Saturday, con’t

Tempting as it was, we didn’t linger long on our lovely balcony. We had a park reservation to keep....mostly for dinner, but hopeful to squeeze in a couple attractions as well.

Our DHS bus was waiting at the stop. I decided to keep a record of every bus ride with #ShirleyStatus. This was private ride #1.

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We didn’t pass Roy Disney Jr. on our way down Hollywood Blvd. like we did in 2001. (Yes, that’s really him!)

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We also didn’t see The Beast posing for pictures....because it wasn’t 1998.

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We did pose for pics of our own. Shrouded in daft disguises. Because 2020.

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Balloons make everything better! (FYI the photographer told Woody to clasp his hands together like that. No idea why. Woody felt silly doing it and the final result looks ridiculous.)
 

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