Trip Report **Completed** It's My Birthday (and its a hot one...)!

Hey guys my computer isn't here yet but I really want to start my TR so I'm slowly uploading pictures hoping my computer can handle it So, it will be a slow start but here we go!!

Who?
Just my Mom and I (Mary and Megan)...as if you don't know us by now

When?
July 4- 14th!

Where?
The Polynesian

Why?
I'm off all summer and I always wanted to go to Disney for my Birthday so why not!

T-1 Day
I finished residency the Friday before leaving but this day was insane for me trying to get a bunch of training and applications done before I left. I was also trying to finish ALL our packing...since we are not light packers... These are just my two suitcases

Anyway we were finally all set to go and we were out for a quick walk before bed when my sister called me and told me Max (my nephew) was having trouble walking. Long story short she had to take him to the ER but it all turned out OK and it was just swelling in his knee from his recent ear infection. Luckily we knew all was OK by like 10:30 and could still get some rest!

Day 1 - July 4, 2017
We had a later flight (aka not 6 am) so we could sleep in a bit, but we were going to Disney so I still woke up at 6am I still didn't drag myself out of bed until 7 am though, don't worry
We got ready and took our usual "kidnapping" pictures

Soon enough it was 8 am and we were off to the airport !
Southwest in our airport had a new self check in thing so we tried it out. This gave my flash backs to when I flew out of Canada to Punta Cana and struggled with self check-in but this was much easier and it only took me a few minutes to figure out the luggage tags The whole thing, however, made my Mom very nervous so she was glad I was doing it
When we brought our luggage to the counter the worker was saying that we MUST be going to Disney World (based off the DME tags and the Minnie Mouse suitcases) and how he and his coworkers go to Disney several times a year too We were lucky to have TSA pre-check and the TSA worker was so sweet about our matching shirts and saying she loved them. Anyway, the whole experience was very pleasant and I looked at my phone when we were through and it was 8:27 am. Drove to airport, checked luggage, and went through security all in 27 minutes
We were pretty hungry so checked out the Anchor Bar's breakfast menu but we were not feeling it (and we are creatures of habit) so went to get our usual bagel breakfast

Petey was there of course

We enjoyed our bagels then headed to our gate to wait. It was a VERY slow airport day (probably since its a holiday) so it was kind of nice to relax in the quiet. Soon enough we were on the plane!
When I got up in the morning my Lambie (yes I have one) was on the floor by my carry on. I had no idea how she got there but it was like a sign that I had to bring her so I did

Magic Bands unite!

We were lucky enough to be seated in row 3 and there was a dog behind us which made it even better
Our flight was actually about 20 minutes longer than usual but we entertained ourselves with The Keepers from Netflix (love that you can download stuff to use offline) and we had a fantastic flight crew!
You all know what happens first at the airport (well besides the bathroom...)! The fonorail!!

Next up: down to DME!

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 - July 5, 2017
We woke up around 7:00 am after, for whatever reason, a very unrestful sleep for both of us. We do usually have a hard time sleeping the first night in a hotel anyway so this was no surprise. It didn't matter anyway...we were in Disney so we were ready to go!
We got ready, packed our bags and headed down to the lounge for breakfast. The view from the lounge is so beautiful!

I see you castle

We enjoyed some fruit, muffins, croissants, cheese and yogurt for breakfast. Oh and they had great chocolate milk I love chocolate milk!

Our only reference for Club Level was the Wilderness Lodge and we enjoyed our Poly Club Level experience more (but that probably had something to do with the fact that the WL one was a temporary lounge).
After eating we sadly had to say goodbye to our room and I called for Bell Services to come grab our bags and store them. The CMs were much more pleasant than the last time I had to move luggage at the Poly so I was grateful for that The CM who got our stuff said something about us moving rooms at the Poly and asked us if we would miss this room. Yes, yes we would! However, we were happy to be staying at the Poly in general so any room would be fine!
We almost forgot to eat our Club Level chocolates

I took a picture of this giant TV not realizing we would get it in our next room too

Goodbye Hawaii...hope to see you again sometime!

We made our way over to the TTC so we could head to Epcot. I do wish there was a way they could figure out how not to go through security twice, but I'm not going to complain about safety and really it doesn't take up too much time!
Hello beautiful Epcot!

We got there just at opening and thought we would see the wait time for TT but it was already around 30 minutes so we decided to back track and do SE instead

The pictures were working!

Next up: wandering around Epcot

 

[Doc Disney]

Ah! Sorry to hear about your experience at CG! I hope your next visit will be magical! What a nice gesture with the bday cake

Its ok! Its not like we won't be back! I was happy the cake went somewhere and not the garbage!

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 continued
We had a FP coming up for Soarin' but we checked out the Joy and Sadness line and it was pretty short so we hopped in. My Mom never actually saw Inside Out so I gave her a quick synopsis while in line. Sadness was obsessed with the boy in front of us in line because he was wearing blue. It was so funny! When it was our turn I told Sadness it was nice to see that she wasn't laying down yet

Next up: Soarin'

We were directed towards concourse C! Woohoo! This was my first ride on Soarin' that I truly noticed how distorted the picture was! We kept laughing it and calling it the leaning tower of Eiffel
Our next FP was the Character Spot. I am currently contacting Photopass to get my Mickey pictures because I gave some random picture of a different family!
Goofy was so funny. He bypassed me and went right to my Mom Then he turned around and I was pouting

Minnie looks like she isn't looking

It would appear based on my pictures that we wandered over to Club Cool after this

After Club Cool we headed over to the Seas for our last FP of the morning

Next up: an awkward PP picture

 

[blreinsel]

I love meeting Joy and Sadness! They're adorable!

 

[Songbird76]

Day 2 continued
We had a FP coming up for Soarin' but we checked out the Joy and Sadness line and it was pretty short so we hopped in. My Mom never actually saw Inside Out so I gave her a quick synopsis while in line. Sadness was obsessed with the boy in front of us in line because he was wearing blue. It was so funny! When it was our turn I told Sadness it was nice to see that she wasn't laying down yet
View attachment 217445
View attachment 217446
Next up: Soarin'
View attachment 217447
We were directed towards concourse C! Woohoo! This was my first ride on Soarin' that I truly noticed how distorted the picture was! We kept laughing it and calling it the leaning tower of Eiffel
Our next FP was the Character Spot. I am currently contacting Photopass to get my Mickey pictures because I gave some random picture of a different family!
Goofy was so funny. He bypassed me and went right to my Mom Then he turned around and I was pouting
View attachment 217448
Minnie looks like she isn't looking
View attachment 217449
It would appear based on my pictures that we wandered over to Club Cool after this
View attachment 217450 View attachment 217451 View attachment 217452
After Club Cool we headed over to the Seas for our last FP of the morning
View attachment 217453 View attachment 217454

Next up: an awkward PP picture

Cool shirt. Did you make it yourself? DD got glitter Iron on T-shirt transfer stuff and we made her a dress for our trip last summer. I love to see people's crafts and such/

 

[melmel89]

Yay it's time for a @Doc Disney trip report! count me in

 

[CtDisneyGuy33]

Another great trip report!! Yyeeess!!!

 

[Doc Disney]

I love meeting Joy and Sadness! They're adorable!

So cute!! I want to meet them every time

Cool shirt. Did you make it yourself? DD got glitter Iron on T-shirt transfer stuff and we made her a dress for our trip last summer. I love to see people's crafts and such/

No I did not. Its from Forever 21 but from like 5 years ago

 

[Doc Disney]

Yay it's time for a @Doc Disney trip report! count me in

Thanks for following!!

Another great trip report!! Yyeeess!!!

Thanks for reading

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 continued
We saw a PP CM wander out before we got on The Seas so we got in line. He was miserable which was funny because he just started. He also stepped in gum which didn't help
Anyway we were standing and he made us sit down awkwardly around the rocks

Apparently the only picture I have of The Seas is of these manatees

After the Seas we headed towards World Showcase

Is this booth always there? I thought it was for Food and Wine or Flower and Garden but now it seems like its always open

There was a bit of The Birds situation going on

We decided on La Cantina for lunch
We both got the kids empanadas meals So yum!

We originally sat outside but my Mom has a fear of birds and there were quite a few as you can see so we went inside and got a nice table by the water. It was actually more pleasant inside anyway with the AC

Bonus....it was empty inside

After eating we headed into the Mexican pavilion and onto the 3 Caballeros

I love this ride. I hope the rumors about it going away are false but I'm sure they are probably true since it seems like Coco would be a good fit

Next up: World Showcase continued

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 continued
At this point it was getting close to 12 and World Showcase was super empty. It was so pleasant!

My Mom had a friend tell her she should try the Black Forest Cake in Germany so we headed into Sommerfest. I have actually never been this far into the German pavilion before. Its so cool inside!

My Mom thought it was good! I thought it was very sweet
We sat on a bench enjoying the view while my Mom enjoyed her cake

It was incredibly hot out at this point but we kept saying we were homeless since we had to move rooms and our room wasn't ready yet so we moved on
We were on the search for air conditioning and I had heard great things about Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar so we decided to check it out. I confirmed we could sit down even if we were just having a drink and they said of course (the other option was standing at the bar)!

I ordered a Wine Flight

I should have read the descriptions before I ordered because they were all very dry and dry wine isn't my favorite but I still suffered through

I can't remember what my Mom ordered but I do remembered that she ordered the sweetest thing they had and she really liked it!

We really enjoyed our time in the Wine Cellar and we will be back someday! They have some nice small plates on the menu too that would be great to try!

Next up: More World Showcase

 

[12in12]

The cake your mom had looks like it had more frosting than cake. I don't think I would like that but I am glad your mom enjoyed it.

 

[Tuvalu]

Your mom probably saw The Birds as a child and it terrified her.
It did me in.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Your mom probably saw The Birds as a child and it terrified her.
It did me in.

I love that movie so much

 

[Tuvalu]

I love that movie so much

Seeing it years later as an adult (and with my kids who laughed at it) the film is a bit cheesy.
But scary childhood memories are hard to forget.

 

[hooch]

This is such a great TR. I'm getting lots of great tips.

I adore your suitcases.

Hate to hear another bad review of Cali Grill. A friend goes to WDW 3+ times per year and it used to be a family favorite but in the last couple of years they've just stopped going b/c they find such a decline in food and service

Very sweet of you to give your adorable cake to that girl. (She didn't sound very gracious.)

Re. TTC, are you saying you had to go through security there before getting on monorail and then again at Epcot entrance?

 

[LowesChevy]

Bummer about California Grill! We had some less than stellar experiences before their refurb and it has been solid ever since. However some of signature locations have left us disappointed as well. Really stinky though with how much you pay to have lousy service and food. I know people have off days, but when it is at your expense it is no fun! Here's some pixie dust :;'.,;

Club level at the Polynesian looked amazing. Can't wait to see more adventure

 

[Doc Disney]

The cake your mom had looks like it had more frosting than cake. I don't think I would like that but I am glad your mom enjoyed it.

Is that what black forest cake looks like maybe? haha I have no idea! She liked it but I'm not sure she would get it again

 

[Doc Disney]

Your mom probably saw The Birds as a child and it terrified her.
It did me in.

I love that movie so much

Seeing it years later as an adult (and with my kids who laughed at it) the film is a bit cheesy.
But scary childhood memories are hard to forget.

I know she has seen it. Maybe thats is indeed where her fear comes from I saw like half of the movie before and I could see how would be scary as a kid

 

[Doc Disney]

This is such a great TR. I'm getting lots of great tips.

I adore your suitcases.

Hate to hear another bad review of Cali Grill. A friend goes to WDW 3+ times per year and it used to be a family favorite but in the last couple of years they've just stopped going b/c they find such a decline in food and service

Very sweet of you to give your adorable cake to that girl. (She didn't sound very gracious.)

Re. TTC, are you saying you had to go through security there before getting on monorail and then again at Epcot entrance?

Thanks! Truthfully this was my first time that I've ever had a bad experience at CG! We've been about 5 or 6 other times with great results. I should have described that girl I gave the cake to as a woman. She was like 24 and probably drunk but she was indeed grateful Yes you have to go through TTC security (because thats technically MK security not Epcot security) then regular Epcot security. MK doesn't have security at the gates anymore so the security is at the TTC, resort monorail stations, and right when you got off the boats/buses.

Bummer about California Grill! We had some less than stellar experiences before their refurb and it has been solid ever since. However some of signature locations have left us disappointed as well. Really stinky though with how much you pay to have lousy service and food. I know people have off days, but when it is at your expense it is no fun! Here's some pixie dust :;'.,;

Club level at the Polynesian looked amazing. Can't wait to see more adventure

I think thats the part that made me so bummed about it...because its so expensive! We haven't written it off completely though and will be going back in a few weeks. I will take that pixie dust with me Club Level was amazing. We were sad to leave after one night!