Trip Report Happiness is a Split Stay

It's been quite a few years since I have had the patience to do a TR. You see, I have tech anxiety even when it comes to the simplest things. This is a report that I did for another board that is specifically for DVC members although you do not have to own DVC to join it.
It will be photo light, but I will for sure include views from both of our rooms.
A little background: We became DVC owners in 2011 with a loaded resale contract at OKW. We have actually stayed at OKW for only one last minute weekend. All other stays have been at different resorts. We like to do a split stay so we can try two resorts in one trip, and it also makes it seem like two different vacations!
The cast: Me-turned 47 on this trip
DH- turned 45 on this trip (we are 2 years and 2 days apart!)
DD17-sometimes cooperative...swore this would be the last time she "has to go with us" but halfway through the trip she starting talking about next year!
Day 1: We arrived from Detroit around 11:30. Didn't wait long for Magical Express. We had booked a lake view studio at Poly and we were the last drop off. I had done online check in and requested an upper floor, but I didn't call to confirm the request.
Our room was ready upon arrival...room 3031.

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Hmmm....looks like I should have cropped that photo a little. Sorry about that, but remember my tech issues!
I didn't take any in room pics. After we "oohed and ahhhed" over the view and the room, we headed to Guest Relations to exchange our AP vouchers for the real deal, and to purchase our TiW card.
We had made FP+ for Festival of Fantasy Parade and we arrived at just about the right time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for us...the parade was delayed, so we waited. However, it was not to be that day.

DH and DD before the skies opened up!
We headed over to the Mine Train for our second FP. Of course the weather had cleared up by then...it is Florida after all! Our third FP was for Splash...still one of my all time favorites!
We had a 7:00 dinner at 'Ohana. We hadn't been there in 5 years. DD and DH are very picky about their meat, and they don't eat shrimp so they didn't enjoy the meat part of dinner as much as I did. The appetizers, sides and dessert were a big hit though.
After dinner, we watched Wishes from our balcony! It was still enjoyable without sound and a wonderful ending to our first day!
__________________

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 2: Animal Kingdom
If you're wondering about the boat horns at the Poly...yes, we heard them, but only when we were already awake. They didn't wake us up.
AK is our least favorite park, so we usually only go there every other year. We were in no big hurry to make rope drop, so we had scheduled an ADR for 8:00 at Kona Café.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast and some much needed press pot Kona coffee, we headed down to the bus stop. I don't recall waiting very long for a bus, but I do recall that 3 Downtown Disney buses came before the AK bus. After a nice, long bus ride we arrived.

We had FP+ for the Safari, Expedition Everest, and the 3:00 Festival of the Lion King show. We also rode Dinosaur with minimal wait, and walked both of the trails (sorry the names are escaping me at the moment). I took a few photos...DD runs hot and cold when it comes to getting her picture taken. She was semi-cooperative today.

After Festival of the Lion King (fantastic as always...I cry every time), we headed over to Jambo House for dinner at Jiko. Of course we had a drink first at Victoria Falls Lounge.

After dinner, we took a bus to MK and the monorail back to Poly where we took a dip. We watched the water pageant from the hot tub which I highly recommend.
We finished off the night watching Wishes!
For those of you who want to know where the 2nd half of our stay was, you'll have to wait until day 7!

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 3, Wed. July 22:
I was looking at my pictures, and apparently I didn't take any today.

: At least not with my camera.
We went to Epcot today. I really like how Moorea is close to the Ticket and Transportation Center. It's not a bad walk at all, so we walked there to catch the monorail to Epcot. We were not too far back to get in. I think we arrived around 8:30. I apologize, I didn't take any notes so I'm doing all of this by memory which is a little sketchy at times!

They began letting people in at 8:45.
We walked up to the rope and waited a few minutes until they dropped it, and then headed straight for Soarin'. We also had a later FP+ for it. Soarin' is my absolute favorite ride, and it along with Toy Story Midway Mania are the main reasons we miss the old FP system.
After our first flight over California, we rode Living With The Land which we all enjoy. It makes us happy when there is a wait for that ride because people are showing it some love!
We had a bite to eat before our second Soarin' flight.
DH rode Test Track in the single rider line since we didn't have a FP & DD and I didn't really care to ride it.
Our second FP for the day was Spaceship Earth. After that we went and had our Disney Visa photo shoot. I didn't have them take any photos with my own camera, so we just have the photopass ones.
Our third FP was for Mission Space. None of us felt like riding it, so we wasted a FP that day. We went on Ellen's Energy Adventure instead..."Stupid Judy!"
World Showcase was our next stop. DD decided that she wanted some popcorn just as we were getting to Mexico, so while DH got us a table at La Cava del Tequila, DD and I walked "all the way to America" for some popcorn.
Poor DH was sitting there waiting with his drink until we got back. You see, we always "Cheers" each other and he refused to even take a sip until I got back...isn't that so sweet?! DH and I shared some chips and queso which really hit the spot!
I really wish I had a photo to put in because all this text must be getting boring!
After wandering around the countries (I'm sure it was raining!), we headed back to Poly. DD wanted to chill and eat a flatbread in the room, and DH and I were excited to try Trader Sam's. I do have a photo of our drinks, but it's on my phone and I can't figure out how to get it from my phone to photobucket!

I had the Polynesian Pearl and he had the Hippopotomaitai. Neither of us liked our drinks very much, and while the atmosphere was fun-ish, it wasn't what we expected. Maybe we were there too early (6:00ish), but people kept ordering the same drinks so the servers were doing the same schticks over and over. Also there were quite a few unruly kids in there.
We left after one drink and grabbed a couple of flatbreads to eat in the room as well. Then we did our nightly ritual of swimming, hot tubbing and watching Wishes. That concludes day 3.
Up next... it's my birthday, and the Keys to the Kingdom Tour!

 

[PineapplePrincess]

So, as I'm sitting on my couch looking at the pictures on my phone, it dawns on me that I can probably go to Photobucket on my phone and upload the pictures from there.....DUH!
Here is the photo from Trader Sam's of our not so great drinks. We decided that we are just not "rum people"!

Now for Day 4, Thur. July 23

Happy Birthday to me! I know that people have different opinions about when it is and isn't acceptable to wear your button, but I am of the opinion that you should only wear it if it is your actual birthday.
Today we did the 8:30 Keys to the Kingdom Tour. I was hoping to get started before MK opened, but it was EMH that morning. No photos are allowed on the tour, so it was kind of freeing to walk around without my camera bag! There were 20 people in our group, but hearing was not a problem because we all wore an earpiece. Our tour guide was Alex, and he was very knowledgeable and personable. We all enjoyed the tour very much. He told us a lot about Walt and Roy's relationship and it made me misty eyed. Lunch was at Columbia Harbor House, and it was right in the middle of the tour. You make your lunch selections before the tour starts, and it's waiting for you when you get there. Also waiting for you is your special pin!
It was pretty awesome to see the backstage areas and the utilidors! If you have the means, I highly suggest doing the tour. DVCers get a 15% discount.
I have unexpected company coming over to meet our new dog, so I will post the rest of Day 4 later...See ya' real soon!

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 4 continued:
I had made FP+ ressies for Winnie the Pooh, the Mine Train and Peter Pan's Flight for the afternoon when the tour was over.
Winnie the Pooh was down, so they said they would honor them at a later time. I don't think there is a single rider line for the Mine Train, but when you're a party of 3, they always put someone with you. DH volunteers to go alone, but if the single person is female, he'll switch with me to make the other person more comfortable. Anyway, the single rider was a young woman so we switched. She wished me a Happy Birthday, and we chatted a bit. Turns out she was a CM at Space Mountain and when we got off, she gave me these:

Thanks, Valeria!!
We wandered over to Frontierland to watch Festival of Fantasy. I didn't take very many photos because I just wanted to enjoy the parade, but here are a couple:


After the parade, we used our FP for Peter Pan's Flight and went back to ride Winnie the Pooh. We used our bonus FP for Buzz Lightyear.
We had an ADR at Citrico's for dinner, so we went back to clean up and change. Citrico's used to be one of our must do restaurants, but we were a little disappointed this year. I had indicated on My Disney Experience that it was my birthday, but they didn't acknowledge it at all. I didn't wear my button to dinner and I'm not the type to make a fuss, so I just let it go. My swordfish was pretty good, but DH did not like his filet at all. I think we may have to take a year off of Citrico's next year and go to Narcoossee's instead.
We do enjoy a pre-dinner drink at Mizner's Lounge before our Grand Floridian dinners!
After dinner, it was our usual...swim, shower, Wishes. Here's what it looked like from our balcony:

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Okay, so I really should have taken notes because I realized this morning that on the night of my birthday, we watched Wishes from the TOTWL and shared the delicious chocolate cake!
Day 5, Fri. July 24: DTD
So we slept in today because it was DTD. We planned to have breakfast at Earl of Sandwich, but we got there so late that it ended up being lunch. I was dreaming of the Avocado BLT, but it was no longer on the menu.

So I got some sort of wrap and I didn't like it that much.
We did all the shopping we could at World of Disney in a relatively short amount of time.
It rained most of the day and we went in and out of shops, but didn't care much for the vibe there with all the rain and construction. The funniest part of the day was when we got to the Boathouse. I had been telling DD about the cars that go in the water and I kept calling them "Amphibicars"...made sense to me! Anyways, she was in hysterics when she saw that they are actually called "Amphicars" and she didn't let me live it down for the rest of the trip.
We had planned to eat dinner at the food trucks, but they were not open in the rain. So we ducked into Raglan Road to have a couple beers and decide where we would eat. Upon agreeing on Portobello, I realized that I didn't have the TiW card and neither did DH...bummer!

For some reason, I have to get this photo of DD yearly:


It was decided then that we would go back to the room, change, pick up the TiW card and eat at the California Grill lounge.

We hadn't planned another day at MK, but there were a couple of souvenirs that we realized we could only get there. We adopted a pug from a rescue, and were due to pick him up the day after we returned and I had to get him a Mickey pirate tag made. I also found a skull and crossbones wind chime for my classroom which is pirated themed.

Goofing around in the pirate store:


We also picked up some Haunted Mansion coasters from Memento Mori. It was a race against time to get in and out of MK before MSEP, and we did it!
We enjoyed a swim, and a Pineapple Float before watching Wishes and bed. Tomorrow is a pool day and DH's birthday...also our last day at Poly.

__________________

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 6, Sat. July 25:

Today was DH's birthday and a scheduled pool day for us. We went down to the pool at 9:00 and got a good spot right across from the waterfall.
We had a 10:30 ADR at Kona café, so we left our stuff on the table and chairs and headed up for breakfast. Yes, we were "those people" who put their stuff on the chairs and leave, but in our defense we just went up for breakfast and after that we stayed at the pool until 4:00.
DH had Tonga Toast for the first time for his Bday breakfast, while DD and I shared the pineapple/macadamia pancakes. DH was worried the whole time that someone would move our stuff, so he was unable to enjoy it as much as he should have. Lesson learned...schedule an early breakfast on our pool day!

Dinner was at Cali Grill, and they did put Mickey confetti on the table in honor of DH's Birthday. They sat us in a little back room which was new to us. We didn't think we would like it, but it was peaceful and quiet.
DD is 17, but she is still a picky (and light) eater and she doesn't usually care for what is on the adult menu. We usually look up the kids menu online and then just order something from it. For some reason at Cali Grill she was embarrassed to do that. Our server was great (wish I could remember his name)! He kept making suggestions for substitutions, etc. Finally, he said he could bring her the kids steak and everyone was happy! We enjoyed our dinners and desserts. This is my one and only food photo of the trip:



I think it was called Strawberry Shortcake, but as you can see, it was more donut-like. It was delicious!!
We viewed Wishes from an observation deck that we had never used before. It was a little less crowded and the view was still amazing!

After Wishes, we went back to pack up for tomorrow's move. We were sad to be leaving Poly, but excited about staying at yet another new to us resort.

I'll leave you with a couple photos from Poly, and my opinion about the resort for what it's worth.

We were in Moorea, Room 3031:







DH and I honeymooned at Poly back in 1994, so it holds a very special place in our hearts. We stayed there one other time in 2007 for Tikifest. I really thought I would miss the old waterfall, but surprisingly I liked the more open feeling of the new lobby!

Here's what we loved:
-The split bathrooms and the rain head shower
-The location
-The beautiful grounds (even with ongoing construction)
-The view from our balcony
-The room size and décor
-The Pineapple Lanai

Here's what we were kind of "meh" about:
-The fridge didn't get as cold as we would have liked, and there is no freezer compartment
-The GCH is very busy which felt a little frenzied to us, not really the relaxing tropical retreat feeling we had hoped for
-Not having a dresser was a little odd. DH and I each used the drawers on our sides of the bed and DD used the trunk, but it just wasn't as convenient.

That's about all I can think of for now. We definitely want to stay there again. Hopefully it won't become too difficult to book at the 7 month window.

Tomorrow: Moving day and Hollywood Studios!
__________________

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 7, Sun. July 26:

It's moving day and we were very sad to leave Poly. We had pretty much everything packed the night before, so we could get ready, call Bell Services and head over to Hollywood Studios for the day. We had quite a few groceries still left to transfer and the poor Bell Service CM came up with just a dolly to load everything on! He managed though, and we said a quick "goodbye" to our awesome room and we were off to HS!

According to easyWDW, it was a green day today at HS. Sure enough, we breezed through bag check and waited only a few minutes for them to let us in. TSMM was up first for us and we had a FP for it later. DD and I rode together and she ended up with the highest score in our vehicle. This did not sit well with DH, so I knew I would be riding alone next time so they could have a showdown! I like to score as much as I can, but I'm always the "loser" in the family and it doesn't bother me a bit.

ToT was next (also had a FP for later), then some coffee and a carrot cake cookie at the Writer's Stop. Star Tours had a very short wait, so we rode that and got 2 new to us sequences! Yay!

I think it was time for our TSMM FP, so we rode that and ToT again. Lunch was at Mama Melrose. It was kind of a light lunch because we had a dinner ADR at Hollywood Brown Derby.

Here's the yearly singing in the rain pic:



And "Disgust" X 2:



After using all of our FPs, we wandered around and watched the Streetmosphere performers do "The Dating Game". It was quite funny and I LOL'd a lot. It was too early for dinner, but we had done everything we wanted to do, so we decided to go check and see if our new room was ready.

We didn't wait too long for our boat, and our new resort was the last stop. BWV...yay! Of course we didn't know it yet, but this was the section we were in:



At the front desk, we were told that our room was ready....score! I think it was approximately 3:00 at this point. She gave us our room number, 2007 and away we went! At this point I was a little nervous because I was really hoping to get a refurbed room. I knew that would make leaving Poly a little less painful. DH really wanted to stay at Poly the whole time and I had to keep reassuring him that BWV is the favorite resort of a lot of DVC members. In the back of his mind, I think he was remembering our BCV room which was just awful! We moved to the Epcot area for the last part of the trip because DD was having her senior pictures taken at Epcot, so it was much more convenient. (more on that tomorrow)

We did end up with a refurbed room...wooohooo! This was our view from the balcony:



Another amazing view and room. I can't tell you how we got so lucky. The only room requests I did were during online check in.

Our bags and groceries were delivered a shockingly short amount of time after we arrived in our room. We unpacked, and headed back to HS for our dinner ADR. Walking over was on the agenda, but we saw a boat pulling in, so we got on it.

We had a drink at the Brown Derby lounge in the rain, under an umbrella and then checked in for our dinner. I always have the champagne flight, and DH always has the Margarita flight. For dinner I had the Cobb salad, DH had the filet (he said it was the best of the trip) and DD loves it there because she knows they have grilled cheese on the kid's menu and she's not embarrassed to order it! I got a slice of grapefruit cake to go and ate it later on our balcony whilst people watching!

We called it a night pretty early because DD had her photo shoot at 9:00 a.m. the next day.
__________________

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 8, Mon. July 27:
It was the big senior photo shoot day and I was very nervous! DD was cooperative, and got ready in plenty of time. It was decided that DH would not go with us because he tends to be a control freak and I didn't want him to offend the photographer.

We were to meet the photographer, Ali at the International Gateway a little before 9:00. We got there a bit early and I'm sure I got some odd looks since I was carrying outfit #2 on a hanger! Ali's assistant Erica met us and we headed over to the bridge where he took some of the first shots. Erica told me that I could take as many photos during the shoot that I wanted to. Had I known that in advance, I would have brought the camera!

As it stood, I did have my phone, so I took some trying to stay out of Ali's way. She ended up with photos from France, Morocco, and Italy. Please remember these are not posed. I was just taking photos when Ali was setting up his next shot!







It was a great experience and I highly recommend it if you are a Disney lover! It was through Disney Fine Art Photography. They really took their time trying to get to know DD who is VERY shy. Of course by the end of the shoot, she was finally comfortable! I hope I'm not getting anyone in trouble by sharing this, but the shoot was supposed to be 1 hour and we went over by 20 minutes!

After the shoot, DD and I walked back to BWV so she could change and we could retrieve DH. We had an 11:05 FP for Soarin'. We have a tradition that on our last Soarin' flight, we request the front row. I don't like to be obnoxious about it, so I don't do it every time, just our last time. It was a wonderful flight!

We also had a FP for Epcot Character Spot, and Mission Space. DD was pretty much photoed out for the day, so I didn't push the issue. Nobody felt like riding Mission Space yet again, so 2 FPs wasted today. I wish we could get repeat FPs with the new system...oh well!

We wandered around World Showcase. I can't remember what DH and DD had for lunch, but I had fish and chips! Well, I had fish and they ate the chips. We were lucky enough to snag a little table at Rose and Crown. After we ate, I talked DH into have a B52 since Carl was there to pour it. I just recently found a Facebook page called Friends of the Rose and Crown Pub, and that's where I learned that Carl is kind of a big deal! I guess in the past, we never really paid attention to our bartenders before.
Here are a couple photos:





We boated back to BWV where DD wanted to chill in the room for awhile, so DH and I went on a bit of a Boardwalk pub crawl. Unfortunately we didn't make it very far!
We started out at Big River Brewing Co. where I had a Cosmo, and DH had a beer. After that we went to Flying Fish. We had never set foot in there before because I am the only seafood lover in the family. We absolutely loved the atmosphere, but learned while we were there that they are due for a refurbishment! Go figure...it looked perfect to me. I had a yummy drink with pear vodka. Can't recall what DH had. From there we went to the Bellvue Lounge (I think that's what it's called) at the Boardwalk. I had a Prosecco and DH had ??? That was the end of our pub crawl...sad, huh?!

Dinner that night was at Trattoria Al Forno. I enjoyed the seasonal risotto (I've always wanted to try a squash blossom)! They made DD pasta with marinara that wasn't on the menu, and DH had Chicken Parm. We liked it, and will definitely go back!

That concludes Day 8. Tomorrow is another pool day, and the DVC Beach Bash!
__________________

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 9, Tues. July 28:

It was a pool day for us and it literally rained ALL DAY!

We still sat under an umbrella table and relaxed, reading and people watching. It wasn't storming, so we could have swam if we wanted to, but it wasn't hot.

We had a 12:30 ADR at Beaches and Cream which was awesome as usual! Gotta love No Way Jose!

At around 6:00, we took a bus to Epcot, so we could catch a bus to Typhoon Lagoon for the Beach Party Bash...yay!

We arrived a little before 7, checked in, got our wristbands and in we went. This is the one and only photo I took:



We got a locker (only $2 since the park was still open to the public). We put everything in it because, it was STILL raining! We didn't mind it too much since we were going to be getting wet anyways, but it would have been a little more enjoyable if it had been hot out.
We knew that Crush 'n Gusher would only be open until 8:00, so we rode it 3 times in rapid succession. I believe we rode every slide (DD & I did not do Humunga Cowabunga) and some we rode twice! We spent a good amount of time in the lazy river and the wave pool. It was pretty cool to be there at night!

The actual party started at 9:30 and by then we were pretty much done. We didn't experience any of the entertainment or the character photos, so I can't comment on that. We each snagged a bag of chips and a Mickey ice cream before we left.
We were extremely grateful for this opportunity...it was a very enjoyable evening in spite of the rain!

Mears busses were waiting when we exited. I believe they left every half hour. Our bus driver was a little spacey, and didn't realize she was making 2 drop offs! She dropped off at Beach Club and then looked really confused when we, and another family didn't get off! She asked where we were going, and we told her Boardwalk. She apologized and said we should have been dropped off first. All's well that ends well. We made it home safely!

Tomorrow would be our last full day, and we were going back to HS!
__________________

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Day 10, Wed. July 29:

It's our last full day!

It will also be my last post since we didn't do anything on our very last day except catch the Tragical Express at 9:15 to go home...boo! This post may also contain some random photos (maybe even one of my new doggie!), and some random observations and opinions.

We spent our last day at Hollywood Studios and our touring plan was much like the other day we spent there. The only difference was that easyWDW had labeled it a "red" day and boy was it spot on again! Bag check was much longer, it took a lot longer to get in and we waited 3 times as long for our first ride on TSMM.

We had a 1:20 ADR at Sci Fi. I had the chicken pasta, DD had the kid's cheeseburger, and DH had a sandwich (club, maybe?). We all enjoyed our meal and the atmosphere. It had been quite a few years since we had been there!

We caught another Streetmosphere performance on our way out. They were asking people where they were from and singing "They'll be coming from (insert state or country) when they come" and including funny blurbs about each place. I would love to just spend a day wandering around and watching all of the performances. They are hysterical!

After that, we were done for the day, but planned to go back at 9:30 to watch the Frozen Fireworks right near the park entrance so we could make a quick getaway.

We did a little packing and tried to decide where to eat dinner. Originally I had booked Shula's, but we cancelled it when we opted for lunch at Sci Fi. We reluctantly chose ESPN Club, but were told they had a limited menu as their kitchen was being renovated. So we wandered down to Big River Brewing Company and as luck would have it, they had a table for us! DH and I shared the chicken nachos and they made DD a cheese quesadilla that wasn't on the menu. The meal was surprisingly good and we will definitely eat there again!

At 9:00 we caught a boat back to HS. The fireworks started at 9:45. There was a short show beforehand with the characters on the stage which we couldn't see from our vantage point near the entrance. We didn't care though, we were just there for the fireworks. They were spectacular! DH thought they were better than Wishes. I'm not sure I would agree, but perhaps they were all the more impressive because they were new to us, and we've seen Wishes many times. After the fireworks, we went back to the boat dock. We didn't get on the first boat, but no worries, there was one right behind it.

DD and I finished the night with cupcakes (strawberry for me, oreo for her) on the balcony. The perfect ending to a nearly perfect vacation!

A few random photos:







And some random observations:

-The tour groups were much more subdued than in the past. We barely knew they were there! Kudos to Disney if they had something to do with it.
-We REALLY missed the animation classes.
-Although we enjoyed the Keys to the Kingdom tour, it felt a little like we had less time at MK.
-We need to have a backup plan if it rains on our scheduled pool day.
-We enjoyed BWV even more than we thought we would, and will try to split next year's trip exactly in half so we have one more day there.
-With each yearly trip, we are able to relax and enjoy the resorts more and more and we leave looking forward to next year's trip!

Thanks for reading! One more photo and the reason we were excited to get home this year...we adopted this little guy!

 

[corey154]

Great trip report!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Enjoyed your report!

 

[coachwnh]

Your TR was the second good experience in two days with a Disney photo shoot. Looks like a great idea!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Loved your trip report! Want to stay at the Poly even more now! And your daughter is gorgeous! What great senior photos!

 

[FlaggNL]

Love the TR!! Thanks for sharing! Pictures are great and the writing as well Helps us with the pre feelings and the countdown!!

 

[Ellen Ripley]

Great report thank you!

 

[abzoo]

Such a good idea to get senior pictures taken in World Showcase! Great TR!

 

[worldfanatic]

You had me with with your title, because I love split stays.
And then you really pulled me in by staying at the Poly Villas, where I hope to stay next year.
Finishing at the Boardwalk put the cherry on top.
Boardwalk is my go-to WDW Resort, and you stayed in the exact same Villa (#2007) as my first ever stay there.
Glad you enjoyed your vacation, thanks for the TR.