10th Anniversary trip-Polynesian and Disney Cruise Line

Hello all! Here's the run down....

Sat 9/6 Arrived at Orlando airport at about 10pm and checked into the Hyatt inside the terminal. Had a drink in the bar and told my husband all of the little extra things I had booked for our trip in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary. Excited for the days ahead, we called it a night.

Sun 9/7 Headed for the Polynesian via our Disney Cruise Line transfer. Checked in at the hotel for BOTH our hotel stay and our cruise. Our room was ready so we dropped off our bags and headed to the Magic Kingdom. Wait times were very short and we often just walked right on. It rained for about 10 minutes that day and that was the only time we saw rain while we were on property. Otherwise it was blue sky and puffy white clouds the whole time. I got my first taste of a Dole Whip! I’ve never had one but with you guys raving about them so much, I figured I’d give it a try. It was so nummy!!! We dined at Tony’s Town Square that night and I had to have the spaghetti and meatballs. It was wonderful! And we shared their fabulous tiramisu, which I HIGHLY recommend. We returned to our room to find a single red rose compliments of the Polynesian in celebration of our anniversary.

Mon 9/8 Practically had Epcot to ourselves that day! We did Mission Space and Test Track right away in anticipation of crowds being bigger later in the day and walked right into the ready rooms. Did the Living Seas and Journey to Imagination before heading around the world in World Showcase. We enjoyed a FABULOUS dinner at San Angel Inn in Mexico. We will be returning to this restaurant many times in the future.

Tue 9/9 Headed for MGM. Did a several attractions like Muppets, Tower of Terror, and Animation and then had lunch at Pizza Planet. We then went on the Downtown Disney for some shopping and to exchange our Romance Plan vouchers for our Cirque du Soleil tickets for the following evening. We shared a chocolate sundae at the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. We then went to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground for our Romance Plan champagne horse drawn carriage ride. This was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed it. Our horse, Lucky, was feeling a bit slow that day and wanted to take his sweet time. We didn’t mind at all. We headed back to the Polynesian and to Ohana, an old favorite, for dinner.

Wed 9/10 – Our 10 year wedding anniversary. We started off with some more shopping at Downtown Disney. Headed back to the Polynesian to spend our afternoon lounging by the pool. After a lunch of Mai Tais we lounged on the beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon. We then headed off to the Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Artist Point. We had early seating since we had Cirque du Soleil reservations and as a result, we were 1 of only 3 couples in the entire restaurant. Our meal was incredible and we were even treated to a free glass of champagne for each us. We were also presented with keepsake copies of the menu that were personalized with our names and “Happy 10 Year Wedding Anniversary from Artist Point” on them. Our meals were delivered to us by the restaurant manager himself who wished us a Happy Anniversary. Our desserts were delivered to us with Happy Anniversary written in chocolate on each plate. This was such a fantastic evening so far but I could feel a cold coming on so that did put a bit of a damper on things. After purchasing some cold medication in one of the shops, we hopped a bus from the Wilderness Lodge over to Downtown Disney for the Cirque du Soleil show. We had never seen Cirque before and were just amazed at what these people were doing. Truly incredible.

Thurs 9/11 As our bags got picked up and whisked off to the Disney Wonder, we went off to the Animal Kingdom. We spent our morning there and then took a Disney Cruise Line bus from there and off to Port Canaveral. Since we had already been checked in for the cruise at our resort, we were able to just step off the bas, go through security, and walk right on to the ship. It was such a breeze!! We arrived at our stateroom to find that our bags had beaten us there. With our Romance Plan and with other prior arrangements, we opened the door to champagne, flowers, a romantic gift basket (champagne, chocolates, and a Disney Cruise line photo album) a tray of fruit and cheese, and a tray of chocolate covered strawberries, coconut, macaroons, and other petit fors. It was quite the welcome. We make our reservations at Palo and we got in for that night. Then off to the Vista Spa and Salon to book our Romance Plan couples massage also for that night. We set sail for Nassau and enjoyed a glass of champagne with some of our treats on our balcony. We then had our massage, which was absolute heaven. The drawback was that spending about 30minutes laying on my stomach facing straight down filled my sinuses and my cold hit with full force. We dressed for our dinner at Palo, which Dan enjoyed very much. I however couldn’t taste a single thing due to my cold. I packed it in for the night at that point since I was feeling so awful. Dan wandered around and checked out the beautiful Disney Wonder.

Fri 9/12 Still feeling awful, I gave Dan a kiss on the cheek and sent him off to the Nassau shore excursion that we had prebooked. I knew I wasn’t going to get a refund on mine but I was feeling so terrible that I honestly didn’t care. I spent my morning snoozing and watching Disney movies. When Dan returned I was feeling bit better and we decided to do some shopping in Nassau. After purchasing more cold medication and a BIG box of Kleenex, we wandered around through the many Nassau shops. It rained for about an hour that day but that was all. We headed back to the ship and caught the “Hercules the MUSE-ical” show before dinner at Animator’s Palate. I was feeling much better, had regained my appetite, and could even taste my food. We really enjoyed Animator’s Palate and watching the walls turn from black and white drawings to a rainbow of color. I had lost my voice so I did have to point to my menu to order my dinner. A huge piece of cake was delivered to our table and our wait staff sang “Happy Anniversary” to us. We did some browsing in the ship’s shops before we grabbed our seats for the screening of “Pirates of the Caribbean” in the Buena Vista Theater. The place was packed! I know it was not the first time a lot of us had seen it but we took advantage of being able to see it again.

Sat 9/13 Our day at Castaway Cay dawned clear and warm. We grabbed our spots at Serenity Bay and proceeded with the day of relaxation. It’s a gorgeous island and the day was picture perfect. We rented floats and just bobbed around in the ocean. We’re both still feeling a bit of sunburn on the backs of our legs from that day but it isn’t bad at all. I sat on our balcony and watched as we cast off from paradise. A rainbow actually appeared and ended at Castaway Cay as we sailed off for home. We went off to the new show onboard called “The Golden Mickeys” which was really great. We then fought the masses of people trying to get their last few souvenirs in the ship’s shops. Dinner that evening was at Parrot Cay and we ate while listening to a steel drum band. We packed our suitcases and went to sleep wishing that the trip would never end.

Sun 9/14 Disembark the Disney Wonder and head for the airport. We cleared customs very early so we had a long wait until our 2:15pm flight home. We were very tired and I was feeling pretty nasty. So after our bus trip to the airport, we went back to the Hyatt and took advantage of their special afternoon rates for people just coming off Disney Cruise Line. We got a hotel room and crashed for nearly 3 hours! Much better than sitting in the airport chairs for that long. We got on board our flight and headed back to reality.


My ears still haven’t popped yet from the flight and my voice hasn’t really returned yet either. If I hadn’t gotten sick, it would’ve been an absolutely perfect trip. It will be all the good things that we will remember later and even with being sick, we had a blast! It is good to be home and we were greeted with happy kisses from our doggies whom we missed terribly. But it won’t be long before we start planning the next trip! And this time I’ll remember to pack the echinacea!
 

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a beautiful trip...even being sick.(for us its not vacation unless someone gets sick.)
Welcome back and feel better soon. :wave:
 

kal1484

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a wonderful trip! But I'm with tigsmom, it's not a va-ca unless someone gets sick! :)


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
 

wdwhoneymooner

Well-Known Member
I'm glad you and hubby had a good time and that you didn't let the illness get the best of you! We were @ the same parks on Sunday and Monday. Small world:D .

Congrats again on making it to 10 years. And it sounds as if you both celebrated it the right way, Big Mickey Style.

*turns on Will Smith's CD*
Hey Bri, I need your help with the lyrics, man.
 
Hi and thanks for sharing your trip with us. Glad you had such a wonderful anniversary trip and cruise even though you were sick. Had 2 questions, 1 what longhouse did you stay in at the Poly and can you tell us a little more about the Golden Mickey show on the cruise. We saw the disney dreams show. Feel better and welcome home.
 

BRER STITCH

Well-Known Member
Hi WSAPOOH! :wave:

First of all CONGRATULATIONS and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Question: Did they replace the "Disney Dreams" show with "Golden Mickeys" show on the cruise?

Disney Dreams was their award winning Broadway-style "kiss goodbye" to all onboard. It was FANTASTIC!

What is the new show like? This wil have lots of people curious, as the other show was so good. ANy info woul dbe appreciated!

Thanks!

:cool:
 

wsapooh

New Member
Original Poster
At the Polynesian we were in the Tuvalu longhouse. It was a very good location!

The Golden Mickey's did not replace Disney Dreams. Disney Dreams was just moved to the 1st night now instead of the 3rd night. I didn't get to see Disney Dreams and I was really disappointed because everyone here said it was so wonderful and to be sure and see it. That night we had our massage at 545pm and then had to race back to our room to change for our 700pm Palo reservation. And by then I just felt so awful that I just had to go to bed. So I missed it. :(

The Golden Mickeys is supposed to be like an awards show. They even have a red carpet that runs down the hallway leading up to the Walt Disney Theater. There are people snapping "pictures" (not really - just popping the flash) as you walk down the red carpet to the theater. Once you get there, they have one of the actresses spoofing a red carpet reporter. She pulls people aside and interviews them. And it's all on camera so it's being seen by the people already seated in the theater. The show itself is about the best Disney villians, comedians, freinds, and couples. No one of these is actually chosen as a winner. They do film clips and live stage scenes with the characters. It's very good and very well done. I really enjoyed it. Lots of Disney songs and lots of Disney characters. Lots of fun to watch.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Hi wsapooh,
Sounds like the trip was a good one. Sorry you got ill. Hope you are better now and good as new. We ate at Artist's Pointe last year and liked it ok, but prefer Whispering Canyon Cafe not far away. It is just lots more casual and fun. Guess I am a big kid. We also really love Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop at Downtown. Never been to Cirque, maybe someday. Your Romance Plan sounds like it really added some nice things to your anniversary trip.

As I mentioned earlier, our anniversary was this past week. We were not able to go to WDW, but did go to Savannah, St. Simon's Island, and Jekyll Island. It was a short but fun trip. We went to Jekyll on our honeymoon 21 years ago, and try to go back on our anniversary date if possible.

Only disappointment was in Savannah when we went to a place called "The Lady and Sons" to eat. Well, this is a famous place, and the lady has a cooking show on one of the cable channels, so it is a very popular place. We did not have reservations, and could not get in. Oh well, next time we will call well in advance.

On our actual anniversary, we went to "our" special resturant at St. Simons and it was closed!!! Going to be torn down and condos built there. Sad...but we outlasted it, and that is a good thing. We found another place that was ok, but not "our" place. Now, I guess anywhere we go will be "our" special place.

Ricky
 

wsapooh

New Member
Original Poster
So glad to hear that your anniversary trip went well too. A few hiccups but all in all good. So sorry to hear that your special place is going to be torn down! :( How very sad! Well, making new memories is a part of the fun of a healthy and happy marriage. Times do change and I guess we have to change with them - kicking and screaming if we have to! :lol:

We are hoping to stay at the Wilderness Lodge the next time we go to Disney. Then we'll get to try Whispering Canyon. We really did enjoy Artist Point for our special night, but I know what you mean about wanting a more casual atmosphere. We're that way too. We just wanted to go all out on this trip and eat at nice places every night instead of just once during the entire trip. I do recommend Cirque - really cool. The Romance Plan did give us some extra special things that made this trip stand out above our other WDW trips.

I am feeling a little better today but my ears have YET to pop from the plane ride home. I'm very deaf and everyone is getting tired of me going, "Huh?" and "What?" No one is more tired of it than I am! I'm one of those lucky people who gets a cold and it lasts at LEAST 2-3 weeks. It's been 1 week now so I've still got a ways to go yet. :rolleyes: Thanks for the well wishes.

Well, Happy Anniversary to you too! Glad you had a safe and happy trip! :sohappy:

Laurie
 

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by epcotisbest
anniversary date if possible.

Only disappointment was in Savannah when we went to a place called "The Lady and Sons" to eat. Well, this is a famous place, and the lady has a cooking show on one of the cable channels, so it is a very popular place. We did not have reservations, and could not get in. Oh well, next time we will call well in advance.

Ricky

Just read that she will be moving to a bigger place very soon...there is a great article on her-Paula Deen- in this months Woman's Day (or maybe it was Family Circle? )
Her food looks delicious. :slurp:
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by tigsmom
Her food looks delicious. :slurp:

You think it looks good, you should smell it. Just standing outside with the crowd, the aromas drifting to the sidewalk were amazing. I love good southern cooking, and if you saw my waistline, you would know that I have had my share! Good news about expanding, maybe we can get in next time. Of course, I will make a reservation regardless. Thanks for the tip on the magazine. Going to a bookstore today, and will get it and read the article.

Oh wsapooh, you will be fine before you know it.

I said...you will be fine before you know it

Ricky
 

wsapooh

New Member
Original Poster
Originally posted by epcotisbest
Oh wsapooh, you will be fine before you know it.

I said...you will be fine before you know it

Ricky

Thanks - I didn't hear ya the first time. :lol:
 

HebeJebe

New Member
The Golden Mickeys!! I participated in a focus group last October on the possibility of this show. I'm so excited it did not replace Disney Dreams for Hercules the MUSE-ical. I have a question though. Did the Hunchback win an award or did Simba win it? I can't remember the category-maybe bravest? There was a lot of discussion over that in my group.

Good to hear you had a great time even though you weren't 100%!
 

wsapooh

New Member
Original Poster
I don't recall that Simba was in it at all. And I don't recall who they actually gave the statue to in that category. :hammer: Forgive me... I loose multiple brain cells when I'm sick!

No winners were ever actually announced. They just handed the statue to whomever had the last musical number in that category. They didn't really make a big deal out of anyone actually WINNING. Quasimodo was in it and did have a muscial number but I honestly don't remember if they gave him the statue or not.

My husband and I are talking about doing the Magic eastern Caribbean in the spring. I kinda feel a little cheated since I was on the Wonder but spent most of my time in bed. I missed SO much! So, we'll try this again - on a longer cruise. :sohappy:
 

HebeJebe

New Member
The seven day cruise is very different from the 3 & 4 day cruise. There are a million things to do during the days at sea that I missed while on the 3 & 4 day cruises. Definately try the 7 day cruise.
 

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