Happymom's December Trip Report!!

Saturday, November 29

After a horrifying flight (we had to fly through the front that brought the deluge of rain on Sunday), we finally landed safely in Orlando. We checked into the Polynesian around dinner time and were delighted to get exactly what we had faxed in as a room request a few days before…..a 3rd floor room in the Tokelau longhouse on the west side. If we ever stay at the Poly again, we will definitely request the Tokelau longhouse again! We loved its central location.

Thanks to Tikiman's website, we knew that most of these rooms have a sideways view of the castle…and sure enough, we were able to see the castle from our room. Granted it was partially blocked by trees, but you could still see part of it and the fireworks.

Our view to the left:

Our view to the right:

And our view to the far right...look closely and you can see the castle through the trees. It was much easier to see at night:

It was also a nice surprise that we had an observation deck at our end of the hallway that had a perfect view of the MK.

We LOVED the Polynesian! We are huge Wilderness Lodge fans, but you just can’t beat the location of the Polynesian. I still like the atmosphere of the WL better than the Poly (Don’t get me wrong….I also loved the atmosphere of the Poly…..just not as much as the WL), but being on the monorail was awesome. We loved having the option of taking the monorail or the boat to the MK, and we really loved being able to walk to the TTC to get on the Epcot monorail line.

The size of the rooms are fantastic, and we loved having the day bed.

Hidden Mickey on the lamp that I failed to notice all week...my DS discovered it close to the end of our trip:

It was late and we were tired, so we ordered room service for dinner, watched Wishes from the observation deck at the end of our hallway and then went to sleep.

More to come.....

 

[Todd L]

Love it so far. so jealous you got to stay at the Poly. Id do anything to avoid those buses.

 

[disney4life2008]

Love it so far. so jealous you got to stay at the Poly. Id do anything to avoid those buses.

But dont you still have to take busses to HS and AK?

 

[H20Babie]

:sohappy: Loved the Poly too! I'm going to start saving for 2010! Looking forward to more!

 

[happymom52003]

Sunday, November 30

We went to the MK bright and early to watch the opening ceremony. It was the first time we had watched it since we were the Family of the Day that rode the train our last trip. As usual, I was all sappy and teary eyed. My dad and step mom met us at the MK to watch it…they had never seen it before. They are staying in their RV at Ft. Wilderness.

We went straight to Fantasy Land and rode Pooh Bear, Peter Pan, the Carousel. I’ve always tried to find Cinderella’s horse, but have never had luck…so this time I just asked and the CM pointed us to it and my DD was able to ride it. I think I was expecting more...really the only thing that distinguishes it from the other horses is a gold ribbon around the tail....but nonetheless it was cool for her to ride Cinderella's horse.

Next we rode the Tea Cups...it was actually my DD's first time to ride it. Just so happens that Alice and the Mad Hatter were on it the same time as us. DH got a picture for me since his stomach can’t handle that ride.

We headed over to Toontown to get in line to meet the fairies. We had about a half hour wait. They were beautiful, and my kids were mesmerized. They were very sweet, and we did not feel rushed at all.

Afterwards it was time for the Goofy Barnstormer. This was the first trip that DD was tall enough, so she was able to ride it for the first time. I'm a wuss when it comes to roller coasters. I've been on the Barnstormer once and it just about did me in. Serioulsy. So my step-mother rode it with my DS so DH could ride with DD. I think she had mixed feelings....she started out very excited, but DH said she seemed to be scared during the ride, but when it was all done she was excited again. Although she did not ask to go on it again!

Next we headed over to the HM, and my DD actually rode it without crying! We did not even have to bypass the stretching room like I thought we would (those of you who remember my last trip report know that she was freaked out by most of the rides last time, especially the HM).

We had lunch at our favorite counter service place, Columbia Harbor House. It was while we were eating that a strange phenomena happened….RAIN! You see, it does not rain much where we live. Actually it never rains. My kids have no idea what rain is. To them, rain is a few drops on the windshield here and there that lasts all of 45 seconds. If we are lucky enough to get a downpour, by the time I notice it and call the kids to the window to see it, it has stopped. I kid you not.

I was prepared with ponchos and stroller covers for the kids. We headed out and enjoyed the light rain on our way to the Pirate Ride. By the time we got off of POTC, the nice light rain had turned into a mini tropical storm. But that did not stop us! However, had I known that we were under a tornado warning, I probably would have been freaking out in the cave that is the POTC line....I think that is the only place I would have felt safe! I am horrified of severe weather, probably because we never get any where we live.

But I guess the pixie dust made me forget all about my fear, because I never even considered the fact that we could have tornados or be struck by lightning in the most magical place on earth.....so we ventured to Tomorrow Land, through the deep puddles and past all of the smart people who were waiting for the deluge to pass. My dad was actually insane enough to take his camera out and take pictures...I guess he thought we all looked pretty funny. I'll post them when after he sends them to me.

I’d always wanted to ride the Tomorrow Land transit authority in the rain, and finally got my wish. Next we rode COP, and then headed back to the resort to rest up for our date tonight. It sure is great having grandparents along that can babysit! On the monorail back to the Poly, we saw a pretty amazing site...the Christmas tree in front of the Contemporary looked like the leaning tower of Pisa. The wind had knocked it half way over, and there was a crane there trying to fix it. I was too tired and wet to take out my camera, but I really wish I would have gotten a picture for you guys.

 

[happymom52003]

Upon returning to our room, we were delighted to find our first ever towel animal (yes, in all of our WDW trips we've NEVER had a single towel animal!)!

We had one nearly every day. Here are some of them:

DH and I decided to celebrate our 10 year anniversary on this trip, even though our actual anniversary date was during this past summer. We had always thought we would renew our wedding vows on our 10th either at WDW since we got engaged there, or Hawaii where we honeymooned, but we’re not ready for the long flight to Hawaii with the kids, and we refuse to go to WDW in the summer!

We opted not to do the vow renewal ceremony because of the cost, but we had a nice evening none the less. We had dinner at Narcoosee’s at the Grand Floridian, and we had a window seat with a perfect view of the castle.

The Christmas tree in the waiting area:

The view from our table:

They gave us personalized menus with our names on them which was cool (DH had called ahead and told them we were celebrating our anniversary…..I had no idea).

We had the Buttermilk Fried Shrimp for an appetizer. For our entrees, I had the Filet mignon, and Dh had the Surf and Turf. All of it was delicious!

For dessert, we had the Warm Chocolate Almond Gateau which was heavenly.

By the time we got back to our room, the kids were sound asleep, which was a nice surprise because the grandparents usually keep them up really late when they babysit! We also had an anniversary card from Mickey and Minnie waiting for us when we returned.

 

[happymom52003]

Monday, December 1

This morning we went to Epcot. The grandparents met us at our hotel so they could ride the monorail with us. We walked over to the TTC, and the grandparents and kids rode in the front. We’ve done it several times, but it was the first time for the grandparents. I think it might have been my dad’s favorite part of the trip! He said he is going to keep his co pilots license in his wallet.

DH went and grabbed fast passes for Soarin while we made our way to Norway for the Princess Storybook breakfast. It was our first time at Royal Akershus, and we thought it was great. However, I still like the castle breakfast better. Belle was in the lobby, and inside we saw Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Jasmine.

Before leaving Norway, we rode the Maelstrom. Then we headed over to Soarin to use our fast passes. Saw the Jaminators on the way.

It was the grandparents first time on Soarin, and they were amazed. I think it was my dad’s second favorite part of the trip behind riding in the front of the monorail. We rode Living With the Land and Spaceship Earth, and then headed back to the Poly to rest a bit before heading back to Epcot for our dinner reservations.

We had dinner at the Garden Grill and as usual, we loved it. In my experience, this is the best character interaction in WDW. Each time we’ve been here, all of the characters with the exception of Mickey have come to our table twice. Not only did they come twice, they actually played with the kids, sometimes even sitting down in the booth with us. It was awesome, and my kids had the time of their life. Pluto was amazing with the kids….he remains my favorite character!

Tuesday, December 2

This is when our trip took a turn for the worse. We were awoken in the early morning hours by the unmistakable and scary sound of a croup cough coming from our DD, which shocked us because she was perfectly fine when she went to bed. Those of you whose kid’s have had croup know how scary it is. Luckily, we had been through it once before with our oldest when he was two, so we knew what to do (unlike with my oldest who we rushed to the ER).

I steamed up the bathroom and we sat in there with her for about 20 minutes until she was able to breathe easily again. After talking to our pediatrician back home, we went ahead and took her to a doctor. He gave her some steroids, and they worked pretty quickly. We kept her in the hotel room for the rest of the day. We had tickets to MVMCP for tonight, but the concierge was able to change them to a different night for us.

After dinner, my DH took our son over to Ft. Wilderness to see the Christmas decorations that the RV’rs put up. I wish I could have seen it in person….my DH took pics for me. This is a hidden gem at WDW....alot of the RV'rs go all out with their decorations.

And my Dad's RV:

Luckily DD had an uneventful night…no more croup, and she slept soundly.

 

[happymom52003]

Wednesday, December 3

DD was nearly back to normal today, but we still decided to take it easy for her sake. We let her sleep in, and then she and I went to the Perfectly Princess Tea Party at the Grand Floridian while DH and DS went to the MK. I had always thought I would do this when she was a bit older, but boy am I glad we did not wait! We had a wonderful time. She wore her Snow White dress and looked adorable.

First, the character Rose Petal comes out and greets the girls in the foyer. Then, each girl is called up one by one and given a crown and is sprinkled with rose petals.

A waitress leads them to their seat where a Sleeping Beauty doll is waiting for them.

They bring out cute little tea pots filled with apple juice for the girls, and real tea for the grown ups.

When the girls lift their napkins out of the cup, they have a surprise….a princess bracelet falls out of the napkin. They also bring out some food. Heart shaped pb&j and grapes for the girls, and chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches for the moms.

This is my only complaint…the food is HORRIBLE. I mean it is REALLY bad. Very, very stale bread, and just nastiness. I was shocked at the food that went to waste…..I watched as the waitress’s cleared the plates away, and ALL of the plates I saw were still full of food. With the ridiculous amount of money they charge for this tea party, they could at least have decent food. I would not even expect anything fancy….just something that is edible! They did not even serve cream or sugar with the tea….just plain old tea. I could have used a couple of sugar cubes! Bottom line, you are paying for the experience with this tea party….not the food.

The saving grace was the princess cake….OMG it was heavenly. I could have eaten 5 pieces of it!

While the girls enjoyed their apple juice “tea”, Rose Petal told and sang the story of Sleeping Beauty while Baron Branch (I think that was his name) played the piano.

Rose Petal was AMAZING! She had the girls mesmerized. She also made sure to personally sit down with each girl and visit….she even came by our table twice. Then the moment we had all been waiting for…the arrival of Aurora! She was beautiful, and she danced around the room while the girls followed her.

 

[happymom52003]

She went around to each table and gave each girl a rose and spent some one on one time with them. It was priceless!

The first thing my DD said to her was “Where is Prince Phillip?“. That's my girl! After she had visited with each girl, she came back around and handed each one a thank you note for attending her tea party. It was now time for the girls to parade through the lobby, where they were greeted with oohs and ahhs from all of the guests. We made our way up the grand staircase to the gift shop (of course) where each girl received a birth certificate for their doll and a scrapbook page.

It was truly a magical morning! We went back to the Poly and had lunch, then I made DD rest all afternoon. She was feeling fine, but I still did not want to overdo it with her.

DH and DS came back from the MK in the late afternoon, and DS was very excited…he rode BTMRR for the first time and loved it. We met the grandparents at the MK in the evening to watch Spectromagic.
The Monorail was broken, so had to ride the boat. I snapped these shots on the dock while we waited...the views from the Poly are amazing, especially in the evening.

Spectromagic brought tears to my eyes once again. It is my all time favorite parade...something about the music just gets me.

We rode the Magic Carpets on our way out, and then went back to the hotel. We stopped by Captain Cooks for some mickey ice cream bars. After the kids were in their jammies, I bundled them up and took them out to Sunset Point at the Poly to watch the Electric Water Pageant before going to bed.

 

[happymom52003]

Thursday, December 4

We went to the MK this morning. It seemed a bit more crowded today than it had been. We did not stay long since we are coming back tonight for MVMCP, and I still did not want to wear out my DD, even though she was doing great. We wandered around Main Street, and were very disappointed they had already taken down the garlands for the parade taping! It also meant there would be no garlands for us at MVMCP tonight. And since we are leaving Sunday, we will not have another chance to see the garlands on this trip, and I had not taken any pictures of them yet.

We did the Tiki Room, HM, and then had lunch at Columbia Harbor House. We rode It’s a Small World and POTC and bought balloons before going back to the resort.

We spent some time wandering around the Poly. Here are a few of the gingerbread houses they had on display:

After dinner we headed over to MVMCP with the grandparents.

We went to Monsters Inc for the first time and we loved it. We tried to get into the 7:00 performance of Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas, but it was full. We wandered back to Fantasy Land and stood in line to take pictures with Donald, then we rode Dumbo. It was DD’s first time on Dumbo and she was ecstatic to say the least.

We found a spot in Frontier Land for the parade…..barely. I was kind of surprised at how many people were there. There were a lot more people than the last MVMCP we went to a couple of years ago. We got cookies and hot chocolate while waiting. The parade was awesome, especially the toy soldiers.

And my DD finally got to see Prince Phillip:

 

[happymom52003]

After the parade we wandered back to Main Street and played in the “snow” until it was time for the fireworks.

We decided not to push our luck with DD….she was acting very tired so we decided to call it a night after the fireworks. We still had a great time despite not being able to stay later.

Friday, December 5th

We all slept in this morning. We hung out around the resort, and then went to DHS in the afternoon. We got a frozen coke for us and frozen lemonade for the kids and wandered around for awhile. It was kind of crowded…we actually had to get fast passes for Star Tours. We went to the last Jedi Training Academy in hopes that DS would get picked since he has never been chosen in the past. While waiting, we were entertained by a janitor named Angel....here are are the "drawings" he made:

And my favorite:

It was finally time for the Jedi Training Academy to begin, and it was our lucky day! He finally got picked, and let me tell you….it was the highlight of his trip! Only bad thing is we realized we forgot our video camera at the hotel:brick:.

Afterwards, I took him on Star Tours while DH took DD to the Muppets. We were on the very back row and I was on an end seat, and let me tell you….I could not stand up when the ride was over! I was so dizzy and felt sick. That had never happened to me before….I think it was the location I was in. I quickly recovered, and of course I had to buy DS a Jedi Training Academy shirt and a Jedi Mickey.


Almost done, but I'm too tired to finish the report tonight...more to come tomorrow. Thanks for reading so far!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Great report and photos - thanks for sharing

 

[HollyBelle]

Wonderful trip report! Thanks for sharing your pictures. I really love the ones of your room at the Poly; the views are breathtaking.

Looking forward to reading the rest of it!

 

[mouselvrmom]

I'm so missing Disney right now.

I'm glad you had such a nice trip!

 

[yankspy]

Great report. So I guess your son recovered? You were worried about him before you left. It looks like you had a great time.

 

[happymom52003]

Great report. So I guess your son recovered? You were worried about him before you left. It looks like you had a great time.

Yes, he ended up being fine. He was diagnosed with an ear infection the day before our trip...I was really worried about his ears on the flight, but he did fine, and after 24 hours on antibiotics he was back to normal! Little did we know our DD would end up getting sick. And now I'm sick...I'm sure I picked up something on the flight home on Sunday. I swear the entire plane was coughing and sneezing!

 

[happymom52003]

Love it so far. so jealous you got to stay at the Poly. Id do anything to avoid those buses.

Thanks! We are VERY spoiled now from the monorail!

:sohappy: Loved the Poly too! I'm going to start saving for 2010! Looking forward to more!

Thanks! I'm enjoying your trip report as well! I was on the lookout for you guys....too bad we did not bump into eachother.

Great report and photos - thanks for sharing

Thanks!

Wonderful trip report! Thanks for sharing your pictures. I really love the ones of your room at the Poly; the views are breathtaking.

Looking forward to reading the rest of it!

Thanks! Yes, the views at the Poly are amazing!

I'm so missing Disney right now.

I'm glad you had such a nice trip!

Thanks....I'm already missing it too.

 

[One Lil Spark]

Did you notice your daughter's outfit PERFECTLY matches Cinderella's horse on the carousel?

LOVE the report.

Too bad about the finger foods at the Tea Party!

 

[happymom52003]

Did you notice your daughter's outfit PERFECTLY matches Cinderella's horse on the carousel?

:lol: No, I had not noticed that! It will be easy to pick out colors for the scrapbook page!

 

[happymom52003]

Here is Jedi Mickey:

By now it was time for our dinner reservation at 50’s Prime Time. The grandparents met us there…they were bummed that they missed the Jedi training, but my son had a great time telling them about it.

While waiting for our table, I saw a couple of people leaving 50’s Prime Time who looked familiar to me. By the time I figured out who they were, they were gone and I was going to run after them, but my family’s name was called. Turns out it was SweetMagic and tiggeriffic418 from this site. They also had a couple of other WDWmagic people with them. I really wished I would have chased them down! I’ve never met anyone from this site in person…it would have been fun.

This was our first time eating there. I was a bit disappointed with our experience, but I'll be willing to try it again on our next trip. We were seated in a very crowded booth instead of one of the tables with the tv's, due to the size of our party. Other than telling us to say hi to our "cousins" sitting next to us, our waiter was not in character at all....not one little bit. He was also rude, although that could have been his "act", but I somehow doubt it. Maybe he was having a bad night. I had the fried chicken which was wonderful, but I did not care for the mashed potatos. Dessert was good....I had the smores:

The funniest part of the dinner was towards the end when my son said to me "Mommy, I thought you said the waiters here were funny". Maybe you had to be there, but that really cracked us up.

After dinner, we went to the Osborne Lights which were amazing as usual. It was the first time all week that I finally felt like it was Christmas!

For some bizzare reason, Barbara Streisand's rendition of Jingle Bells put DD right to sleep, so we called it a night.