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!

 

[bee]

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 loved that flight! But my tastes also lean drier.

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!

Rosa Regale perhaps?

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!

We've enjoyed their small plates! We love that you can get something light for lunch if you're having a big dinner (or something light for dinner if you've had a big lunch). Add in wine, air conditioning, great service, and Tables in Wonderland, and it makes for one of our favorite Disney dining experiences.

 

[sheriffwoody]

I'm late!!! But I'm in Can't wait to read more and hopefully see you two in a couple of weeks!

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 continued
Italy is probably one my favorite pavilions

After our wine break we wandered over to America and happened to be walking by about 5 minutes before Voices of Liberty. We have never actually seen V of L before (scandal, I know) and bonus it also meant air conditioning!
I only took videos, not pictures, but they were incredible! We really enjoyed the show!
After that break we still hadn't received a room ready text, but we really needed to get out of Epcot and the heat so decided to head out. It was around 3 pm at this point and we almost never spend that much time in the parks but we had so much fun exploring new places! Plus, World Showcase remained pretty quiet so that was nice
We did consider stopping to get henna in Morocco but it had a long line
Random pictures on the way out!

The only thing that really drags is the walk to the Poly from the TTC when its hot . I mean, obviously we could take the monorail but we decided to rough it out We did find something semi-funny along the way! Winnie the Pooh with cigarettes

Anyway, it was close to 4 pm at this point so I decided to just ask about our room. Lo and behold it was ready! No one was quite sure why we didn't get a text. Our room was located in the Rarotonga building. At first I was bummed we weren't back over by Fiji again because of the fun water views, but we were really grateful to be so close to the great ceremonial house AND we could see the monorail from our room (pictures on days following) which was awesome! In the end I much preferred this building because of how close it was to the pool and Capt. Cooks Saved us some extra steps on hot days ! We were on the third floor which I was happy with because I wanted a balcony and I got one!
The gang settled in

We called Bell Services and again encountered some very nice CMs and received our luggage very quickly! It was much easier than moving hotels and hoping our luggage was moved
Since we were here for quite some time this trip we took the time to unpack our clothes, toiletries etc so that we could be organized We are both Type A clearly!
Anyway after this we were super hungry so decided to head over to Disney Springs. We just missed the bus so we had a bit of a wait. It gave us time to discuss all sorts of options for eating
Well, when we got off the bus at DS the heat hit us, and I mean really hit us! I could not imagine walking more than a few feet anywhere so we looked around and decided on Splitsville which wasn't too far away

We discussed splitting food but couldn't 100% agree on what we wanted so we didn't split
I ordered the loaded fries

My Mom ordered the pepperoni pizza

We both really enjoyed our food and each others! It was WAY too much food though and as per usual we should have split . I just feel bad wasting food!

Next up: DS continued

 

[Doc Disney]

I loved that flight! But my tastes also lean drier.

Rosa Regale perhaps?

We've enjoyed their small plates! We love that you can get something light for lunch if you're having a big dinner (or something light for dinner if you've had a big lunch). Add in wine, air conditioning, great service, and Tables in Wonderland, and it makes for one of our favorite Disney dining experiences.

I didn't hate the flight by any means, I loved the bubbles! I just would have preferred something less dry Rosa Regale sounds very familiar! I bet that was it!!! I will definitely be back and will definitely be trying some food! I was so tempted to get something, but we had just eaten lunch I feel like its such a hidden gem of a place

 

[Doc Disney]

I'm late!!! But I'm in Can't wait to read more and hopefully see you two in a couple of weeks!

Thanks for following ! We definitely need to plan a meet up!

 

[Swissmiss]

Is that what black forest cake looks like maybe? haha I have no idea!

Normally it should be more of a whipped cream topping which makes it a "lighter" cake in taste (but not necessarily the calorie count )

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 continued
It actually started pouring when we were inside Splitsville so we were hopeful that would break the heat. It was still hot but not as humid so we did feel like we could wander around a bit.
I was on the hunt for the IASW dress I saw a few months prior at Cherry Tree Lane. Sadly they didn't carry it anymore and I wasn't feeling any of the dresses. We were also looking at different character Magic Bands but overall we just weren't in the shopping mood so didn't buy any

We had some high hopes of doing the Characters in Flight Balloon because my Mom wanted to take me as a graduation gift. When we first got to DS and looked it was closed for storms in the area. As we were leaving we looked and it was still closed for lightening in the area! Oh well. Onto the bus stop!

I think we waited about 20 minutes for a bus. Slow buses at DS was not a foreign concept to us. I noticed those new Minnie Vans can use bus lanes to pick up and drop off. I guess thats the one advantage to those over uber but I'm still not sure I would pay more money!
When we got back to the room I walked in and noticed a surprise from my Mom!

A Birthday surprise! I could not believe it! My sister helped my Mom order it for me!!

Inside the packaging was this awesome silver tray with beautiful glasses!

It was such a nice thought and I was so surprised! My Mom said we couldn't have a Birthday without a balloon !
Well after this we were both exhausted from not sleeping the night before but it was too early for bed so we grabbed some water from Capt. Cooks went and sat down by the pool (I clearly changed back into my day clothes)

Next up: Fireworks

 

[Doc Disney]

Normally it should be more of a whipped cream topping which makes it a "lighter" cake in taste (but not necessarily the calorie count )

Oh it doesn't look like it in the picture but it was a whipped topping! I forgot about it until you said that....but it was definitely very light

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 2 continued
Well I figured it was time to start the healing process (from Wishes) so my Mom and I headed to our usual bridge to watch Happily Ever After (much better than the beach in my opinion).
We had a lot of company with us! I started a trend

Well, I didn't hate it. I will say that. Obviously its not the same because we couldn't see the castle projections but overall I thought it was fine. I did not care for the opening and closing music but thought they chose great movies to represent and liked some of the subtle nods to Wishes! Plus, I LOVE Tangled and was happy to hear that was included. Some of the shapes of the fireworks were really cool! So overall first time seeing it I thought it was good, but not great! After this (and after a 1000 mosquito bites) we headed off to bed!

Next up: day 3

 

[12in12]

After a quick look on a German website a Schwarzwalder kirschtorte (black forrest cherry cake) should have whipped cream on top and in the middle. Not sure if that is what is in the cake in Germany in EPCOT. As long as it is tasty I guess it doesn't matter.

 

[wishes2013]

Day 2 continued
Well I figured it was time to start the healing process (from Wishes) so my Mom and I headed to our usual bridge to watch Happily Ever

The "healing process" is a tough one! I've seen the show twice now (once from California Grill and once from the Poly beach) and agree that they chose some great songs/arrangements and some really neat fireworks. The choreography of music and fireworks is pretty incredible. I hope you got to see it with the projections later in your trip, I'm anxious to hear what you think!

Also, I love your red and white shorts

 

[Songbird76]

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

Well, I've never seen it with quite so much frosting, but it really depends on how you like it. My husband LOVES frosting, my MIL hates it and always scrapes it off. But this does look like an overpowering ratio of frosting to cake!!

 

[Songbird76]

Day 2 continued
After our wine break we wandered over to America and happened to be walking by about 5 minutes before Voices of Liberty. We have never actually seen V of L before (scandal, I know) and bonus it also meant air conditioning!
I only took videos, not pictures, but they were incredible! We really enjoyed the show!

Next up: DS continued

I don't know if you are the kind who likes to listen to Disney Music at home, but Voices of Liberty has a breakoff group of current and former members called Voctave that performs outside of Disney. They are amazing. I see their videos come across facebook a lot and they are always great. I think they mostly do Disney music, but I could be wrong.

 

[LeighM]

I'm all caught up (finally!). I'm so behind in all of the trip reports

 

[LunaBelle]

After binge reading a bunch of your previous reports, I'm all caught up with this one and definitely following along! I'm also so jealous of how often you guys get to go!

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

This is so funny to me because my moms the same when it comes to birds! Funny story, my family was sitting down for a little snack and some shade a few years back at Sleepy Hollow in MK when a few ducks came over for a visit and my mom freaked out, like to the point she made a scene. A lovely cast member came to investigate and we explained her crazy fear of birds and he literally stood guard and kept the ducks away while we finished eating. It was so funny and just so memorable, we remind her every year and all get a laugh out of it!

 

[MerMom1981]

You "didn't hate" Happily Every After. This gives me hope. I've only watched it online, but it left me feeling disappointed. Maybe if I wear earbuds and listen to the Wishes soundtrack...

Also, so glad to hear you enjoyed Voices of Liberty! It's a great little show. There most memorable part for me was when they sang Ole Suzanna and played air banjo. It was pretty hysterical!

 

[Doc Disney]

After a quick look on a German website a Schwarzwalder kirschtorte (black forrest cherry cake) should have whipped cream on top and in the middle. Not sure if that is what is in the cake in Germany in EPCOT. As long as it is tasty I guess it doesn't matter.

I am pretty sure despite the picture not looking like it, it did actually have mostly whipped topping on it I feel like it did indeed look and taste similar to Black Forest cake I sampled in *real* Germany

 

[Doc Disney]

The "healing process" is a tough one! I've seen the show twice now (once from California Grill and once from the Poly beach) and agree that they chose some great songs/arrangements and some really neat fireworks. The choreography of music and fireworks is pretty incredible. I hope you got to see it with the projections later in your trip, I'm anxious to hear what you think!

Also, I love your red and white shorts

Thank you! (They acre actually pink haha). I did get to see them later in the trip and my opinion did slightly change

 

[Doc Disney]

Well, I've never seen it with quite so much frosting, but it really depends on how you like it. My husband LOVES frosting, my MIL hates it and always scrapes it off. But this does look like an overpowering ratio of frosting to cake!!

I don't know if you are the kind who likes to listen to Disney Music at home, but Voices of Liberty has a breakoff group of current and former members called Voctave that performs outside of Disney. They are amazing. I see their videos come across facebook a lot and they are always great. I think they mostly do Disney music, but I could be wrong.

I personally am not a cake or a sweets fan in general so I didn't like it at all but it was definitely more of a light topping than it was actual frosting so it wasn't heavy by any means !
Also, I got sucked into YouTube world last night watching Voctave! They are incredible!!!

 

[Doc Disney]

I'm all caught up (finally!). I'm so behind in all of the trip reports

Ah I hate when I get behind. Its so hard to catch up sometimes