Trip Report I'll stop the World and Melt with you.

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It's been two years since my family and I visited WDW. Two long years. Thankfully, my son Sterg and I got a three day Disney fix last summer at Disneyland.

Curiously, this trip report is being written at a time when a lot of negative Disney vibe is emanating from other regions of WDWMagic - as it was two years ago. The Doom & Gloom is running free and wild. I'm just thankful I stayed clear of most of it before our trip because I may have cancelled what turned out to be an amazing time. It is also fortunate that we got this trip in because from the sound of things there may not be a WDW to go to in a few years.

To be truthful, some things that Disney has done has me scratching my head; but this is neither the time nor place to discuss it. Putting that aside - let's get on with the trip report!

We left on Sunday July 21st. Maybe the longest day of my life. The night before, my oldest daughter Alex went to see Taylor Swift in Philadelphia ( about 50 miles away ) and due to a long rain delay she didn't make it home until 2 am. This meant that she would not go to sleep since we were being picked up at 3 am for the drive to Philly airport for our 6 am flight. At least we were supposed to be picked up at 3am.

Here is my Mom ( Yia-Yia )and my youngest daughter Antonia ( Toni ) up and ready at 3 in the morning waiting for our ride. Yia-Yia ( grandmother in Greek ) is 77 years old and joining us for the first time on a Disney adventure. Toni is now almost 12 and the little Yorki-poo in the front is Prince. Prince is short for Prince Charming ( named by Toni ).

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When the driver didn't show up by 3:15 I started to worry. I called the limo company at the same time he called me to tell me he was lost. I reeled him in and we were on our way by 3:30. The drive down was nerve wracking as I kept watching the clock and praying for no delays. That is until our driver eased my tension by telling us his son works for Disney and he goes down to the World 4 or 5 times a year. The resulting Disney conversation lasted until we hit the airport around 4:30.

More tension as we went through security. My carry on was stopped in the machine and I was pulled aside. I had put a container of Vitamin C powder in my bag that garnered some attention. Of course, my Mom came over as I was being held and my bag inspected.

"Why didn't you put that in your suitcase, Christo?" she said to me in her Greek accented voice.

"Mom, please go wait over there" I responded.

"No, I want to see what they are doing" Then she followed with this one for the TSA officer.

"It's not drugs, my son doesn't do cocaine!"

OK, I thought. I'm definitely going to be held in some prison cell for the next week.

After the chemical test proved my Mother correct, I was allowed to go on my way. We had time to grab coffee and some food and make it on the Southwest plane to Orlando. A plane full of smiling happy faces! Including these;

This is my wife Val ( not the biggest of Disney fans ), with Yia-Yia in the middle and Alex by the window.

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On the other side was yours truly sporting a Hawaiian shirt ( since we were staying at the Poly ), Toni and Sterg.

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Before we knew it we were up in the clouds...

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
By the way, the book I was reading was "Walt Disney The Triumph of American Imagination" which is about 700 pages long. Very good, very detailed and still not through it.

Can you tell some of us were happy to be going back to WDW?

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Sterg then confiscated my camera and started taking a bunch of "selfies". Sterg has become the family comedian and overall pain in my backside. I'm either cracking up at his antics or wanting to treat him like a punching bag. Although he's getting bigger, I can still get him in a Cobra Clutch, as long I do so before the air in my lungs wears out.

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Now there happened to be a young couple sitting in front of us with their adorable little girl. She kept peeking over her seat at Sterg and before long they became good friends.

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I found it fascinating to watch him interact with her in such a positive and playful way.

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She was clearly excited to be going to Disney and her parents kept trying to distract her by playing Disney films - but she was having more fun with Sterg.
It certainly made the flight go quicker.

Before too long we were on the ground and stepping up to Magical Express!

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journ116

Well-Known Member
I don't know if I ever commented in your "Disneyland, Estrogen-free" TR, but it was your TR that was the real catalyst behind my family's first trip there...192 days to go!

And now, I get to enjoy your brood's trip to WDW!
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Going into the trip I was a bit concerned how my Mom was going to do. As we know, Disney involves a lot of walking and moving around. Add to that the heat and humidity of late July. I made it a point to make sure I would go at her speed and not try to push her ( too much ). Thankfully, my Mother is a tough woman and in pretty good shape for her age. She maintains an awesome garden at her home, one she proudly uses to make her salads and spice her food when she has us over for her delicious meals. My parents were in the restaurant business for a big part of their lives ( a business I grew up in ). This was another concern for me as my Mother can be a pretty harsh critic when we eat out. How would she respond to all the meals we had planned that week - particularly the one at Cat Cora's Kouzzina? My Mom would certainly be a true test of the Greek cuisine there. As we made our way through the airports, my Mom was right on our tail. So far so good.

Sterg was doing his best to be the entertainer.

"Dad, are you getting all excited?" He said in a voice pretending to be 8 years old. Sterg and Alex love "teasing" me about my love for Disney ( although they love it just as much ) and Val's disdain for it.

"Mom, are you getting so excited?"
"Oh boy! I'm getting excited"
He continues in his little boy voices clapping his hands like a trained seal.

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Alright, there's our bus!

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"OH yeah!, Fractal needs a picture of the bus for his report". Sterg continues.

"Dad really?" Alex adds while Val just rolls her eyes.

"Christo, why are you taking pictures of a bus?" my Mom adds. She has no conception of what a discussion forum is much less a trip report and I wasn't going to begin to explain.

At least Toni and I were excited.

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This here is my teenagers' favorite position. The strained neck looking down at their I-Phone position.

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It didn't last long for Alex as her lack of sleep started to catch up with her.

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Up Next - Arriving at the Poly!...
 
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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Here's a pleasant sight...

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We are getting closer...

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Finally we arrived at the Polynesian. On our previous two trips we stayed at the Beach Club and loved it. The Polynesian was a bit of a compromise to get Val on board for this trip. If she was going back to Disney she wanted to stay at a different resort. Fair enough!

We were promptly greeted by a smiling CM as we left the bus and were guided into the resort. My first impressions with the Poly were not great. It seemed a bit "dated" - like from the Brady Bunch era. It was in stark contrast to the new "fresh" and bright feel of the Beach Club. I would find over the course of the trip, however, that the resort would grow on me.

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But hey, who's complaining? We are in Walt Disney World. Even Sterg and Toni are getting along!

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I did online check-in for the first time and after about 5 minutes at the front desk we had our information and Keys to the Kingdom. Rooms were not ready yet, but that was ok since we had breakfast reservations at Kona in 15 minutes.

Walking around the Great Ceremonial House...

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cfry06

Well-Known Member
Been looking forward to your report! Excited to hear all about it.

Side note: I believe we are both in/near Berks Co. I know they were late, but overall would you recommend the transport service you used to the airport? If so, would you mind sharing the info? Considering for our upcoming trip. Thx!
 

minnielaw

Well-Known Member
Chris, so excited to see this TR up this evening!! I have read all of your previous reports and loved them all! I unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for the few readers) never finished my October 2012 TR :oops:

Can't wait to see how you guys like the Poly and if Val overcomes her dislike of WDW ;) Also cannot believe how big the kids are...Toni seemed like such a little girl in the last TR.

Well, I'm in and can't wait to read more and see what your mother says about Kouzzina :hungry:
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Breakfast at Kona in one word - "Wow!" This was our fist time eating here and it exceeded expectations.

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Looks like Yia-Yia has the teenage strained neck position. She loves playing her slot machine game and Angry Birds ( "the birds" as she calls it ) on her I-touch.

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I ordered the Tonga Toast. If you happen to enjoy sweet, doughy, warm, banana filled crusty goodness covered with a magical strawberry sauce then this is for you.
I kept reminding myself of all the miles I was going to walk for the next week as I consumed hundreds of calories per bite.

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The lady across from me started screaming and pointing at me " Is that Tonga Toast? Is that Tonga Toast? "
With my mouth stuffed with this amazing concoction all I could muster was a thumbs up.

"That's what I'm getting!" she continued "Steve, look! He has Tonga Toast!" she said to her husband. "Is it good?" She asked me.

Again, I just kept giving her the thumbs up. It wasn't long before I finished my decedent meal.

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and washed it down with French Pressed coffee. I never thought I would spend that much for coffee. It was almost worth it.

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Alex got the Big Kahuna..

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And my Mom ordered the Pineapple Macadamia Pancakes - I had a bite and it was awesome.

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Sterg was being healthy and ordered the fruit plate. I have no idea what Val and Toni got. I may have gone into some sort of sugar induced coma.

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Everybody was happy!

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or at least not fighting.

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ah yay I am soo excited to read this TR! I've loved your previous ones and I'm sure this one won't be an exception! I'm so excited to hear (and see pictures) about how your stay at the Poly was! :D

Thanks! Lots of pictures and thoughts on the Poly coming!
So excited to see you getting started!

Thanks!

I don't know if I ever commented in your "Disneyland, Estrogen-free" TR, but it was your TR that was the real catalyst behind my family's first trip there...192 days to go!

And now, I get to enjoy your brood's trip to WDW!

You are going to love Disneyland! Thanks for reading along.

CHRIS!! I'm so glad you started your report!! Can't wait to read all about it!!!

Thanks Darlene! I'm trying to catch up to all your trip reports ( which will never happen). :)

Been looking forward to your report! Excited to hear all about it.

Side note: I believe we are both in/near Berks Co. I know they were late, but overall would you recommend the transport service you used to the airport? If so, would you mind sharing the info? Considering for our upcoming trip. Thx!

The fringes of Berks Co are great! It's sad to see what has become of Reading. Thanks and I hope you have a great trip and a smooth ride down!
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So excited for you to start your report! Loved your last one...

Thanks Steve!

Chris, so excited to see this TR up this evening!! I have read all of your previous reports and loved them all! I unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for the few readers) never finished my October 2012 TR :oops:

Can't wait to see how you guys like the Poly and if Val overcomes her dislike of WDW ;) Also cannot believe how big the kids are...Toni seemed like such a little girl in the last TR.

Well, I'm in and can't wait to read more and see what your mother says about Kouzzina :hungry:

Minnielaw, you can still finish that report! Lots of stuff coming on the Poly and Val. Yes, the kids are growing. Alex finished her first year in college and Sterg is now a senior in high school. Thanks to her older siblings, Toni is growing up a bit faster than I like; but I do my best to keep her grounded. :)

Thanks and yes, much will be said about Kouzzina.

Sooooooooo excited that you've started your report! Loving it so far...the vitamin C powder...Sterg's commentary...the Tonga toast!!! All great! Can't wait to read more :happy:

Thanks! It was certainly an eventful day!

Loving your TR so far! Can't wait to read more about your adventures.


Thanks! Much more coming!



Thanks DznyRktekt!
 

TrolleyFollower91

Well-Known Member
Oh my word I'm so excited you started this!! I'm a little bummed that our Poly stays no longer lined up but I hope you and your family loved it! Also, your mother's commentary is hilarious. I hope Yia Yia has some more great lines coming in this TR!
 

Pooh'sBuddy

Well-Known Member
"Why didn't you put that in your suitcase, Christo?" she said to me in her Greek accented voice.

"Mom, please go wait over there" I responded.

"No, I want to see what they are doing" Then she followed with this one for the TSA officer.

"It's not drugs, my son doesn't do cocaine!"

OK, I thought. I'm definitely going to be held in some cell for the next week.


LOVE it!

Enjoying your report so far. Your son is hilarious! I agree about the Poly. I'd like to stay there, but the Brady Bunch assessment is spot on.
 

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