Just Engaged: An August 2010 Trip Report!

As the title suggests, this was an especially exciting trip for us and I can’t wait to share all of the fun details. Seeing as how I am lucky enough to write one of these every few months or so, I’m going to forego the normal introductions. Instead, why don’t I share five non-Disney things you might not already know about the two of us? Let’s see... non-Disney stuff?! This might be hard!

1 – We love live music! Seriously, aside from Disney, this is what we spend money on. Some of our favorite artists we’ve seen live include David Gray, Ben Folds, Brandi Carlile, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, KT Tunstall, She & Him, Jack Johnson, A Fine Frenzy, Counting Crows, Nickel Creek, and Jimmy Buffett to name a few.

2 – We name inanimate objects and refer to them as such... this is especially true for electronics, and oddly enough they really do take on personalities. No,seriously! For example, our laptops are Petunia (mine) and Frances (his); our Garmin’s are Neville and Navi; and my camera is more affectionately known as Ginger. Weird? Maybe just a little bit. :ROFLOL:

3 – As much as I hate to admit it, we are complete and utter TV junkies. We LOVE our TV. And if I had to pick the one show we are jointly most excited to see this fall season it would have to be Dexter. Bring on the creepy.

4 – We are totally one of those couples who met at a bar. It just so happened that we both worked there while in college. Ahhh... everyone loves a good cliché, right?! :lookaroun

5 – We have a standing tradition of buying one another a book to celebrate each holiday. And when I say holiday, I mean every holiday you can think of from St. Patrick’s Day to Christmas. Usually the only time we stray outside the lines is on birthdays. We’ve built quite an impressive collection so far ranging from popular fiction to non-fiction, children’s books to biographies and we throw in some Disney “coffee table” books and “Art of’s” for good measure every now and then. Amazon is our friend! As are the myriad of used book stores we come across in the different places we visit. We already have enough to fill our own library when we buy a house!

Of course, no introduction is complete without the requisite photo, but for the heck of it, let’s go “old school.” Here we are with the elusive Rescue Rangers in 2004:

We started planning this trip sometime after the Princess Half Marathon and eventually booked when the AP rates came out earlier in the summer. To be more precise, while I was in the midst of a quick weekend trip with my mom, Brett called and made the resort reservations, solidifying our stay at Caribbean Beach from August 13-August 17. And then, as per usual, we decided we would drive down after work on Thursday, so we booked a hotel through priceline for the night of the 12th.

Just the other day I realized that we haven’t repeated a resort since I began writing trip reports... so here’s a look back:
The Contemporary – September 2008
Old Key West – December 2008
Port Orleans Riverside – January 2009
Wilderness Lodge/Animal Kingdom Lodge – July 2009
The Beach Club – December 2009
Pop Century – March 2010
Coronado Springs – June 2010

We were both incredibly excited for this trip because we felt like it was our first truly “us” trip in a long while that spanned a decent amount of time and didn’t include some kind of endurance event to focus on. Okay, so I’m not gonna lie... I went into this trip “hoping” there’d be a little something special, but not really expecting it. There was one small detail that tipped me off ahead of time. I ALWAYS maintain the reservations and type up a minimal list of our dining plans/confirmation #s and before I could do it for this trip, Brett told me he typed it up at work one day when he had some free time. Hmmmm... interesting. I started wondering if he’d made some changes to the dining. And then I started thinking, why would he have any reason to mess with our dining?! I tried to dismiss this thought though, mostly because I didn’t want to be disappointed if it turned out he wasn’t planning on proposing. Thankfully, he did! So let’s get to it…

 

[Soaringirl]

Congratulations on your engagement! :sohappy: You guys are just adorable.
I always love your trip reports and cannot wait to read more of this one.
Also, I really want a meatball slider...

 

[HollyBelle]

OMG Congrats to you both, I sat here and read all trip stuff with excitment. I was having a pretty blah day here at work and now I am all excited and happy.
You guys are so cute and I am so very happy for the both of you.
I am sure you had the bestest time ever ever at the Poly. I hope one day my hubby and I spend maybe a couple days there. Looking forward to rest of your trip report Holly.

Enjoy your engagement ok. :wave:YIPPIE!!!!!

Thanks, Tinkerchelli! We really did have the most amazing trip, and staying at the Polynesian had A LOT to do with that. Might I suggest looking at an AP if you're considering a future stay at the Polynesian. Seriously the resort savings alone would be a big motivator for getting one. Brett was able to get 42% off rack rates for our entire stay at the Poly. That's a huge savings when we're talking deluxe prices.

Oh good, I wouldn't expect anything less from 2 fellow Disney freaks!

Training? What is this training you speak of? :lookaroun
I kid...it's coming along, slowly but surely. Hopefully the motivation to run will still be there when it starts snowing though...

:ROFLOL:Wow... that statement totally took me back to another place and time! :lol:

Congratulations. The proposal was so romantic i was getting a bit weepy! Will it be a WDW wedding? My SIL has been talking about getting married lately so i've been pushing for a disney wedding but i don't think shes interested. I would love to go to a wedding in WDW that would be amazing!

I got a bit weepy myself as I was writing it up, Lisa. There was an air of spontaneity to his proposal and I loved that. He did tell me that he was afraid they might have somehow let it slip during check-in considering he had our "engagement" on the reservation. As for a Disney wedding... more on that as the trip progresses.

This is the definition of our love. Nice. :lol:

This shot also displays our love quite well. :lol:

You ride Star Tours with me, I'll let you take pictures of all the beverages you want.

Yep... that's compromise, my love!

Congratulations on your engagement! :sohappy: You guys are just adorable.
I always love your trip reports and cannot wait to read more of this one.
Also, I really want a meatball slider...

Thanks, Soaringirl. And you should totally make plans for the meatball sliders... not only were they tasty, but they were super cheap!

 

[HollyBelle]

Now, let's see, where were we? Oh yes, buying time at DTD.

Finally we decided to just head back to the Poly anyway and wait it out there. It was good timing on our part seeing as how the rain started coming down as soon as we got back. It only lasted about 15 minutes, during which time we changed a few dining reservations around. Even though we hadn’t received a text, we figured it couldn’t hurt to ask the CM about our room. Turns out it was ready and had been for a little while!

Bell Services loaded us up in a golf cart and we received a nice guided tour of the grounds as we made our way to Tuvalu. Woohooo... Tuvalu is officially my favorite place ever now. And I love saying the word. Brett and I have decided we want to stay in Tuvalu when we go back for our wedding. Yeah, that’s right... I said it! :sohappy:

The Poly from our chariot:

 

[HollyBelle]

And finally...we were in our Tuvalu room:

As different as the Poly is from the Contemporary, there are a lot of similarities with the room layout and design, especially with the closet space and the entire entertainment center set up (for lack of a better description). The balcony was fabulous and I ended up spending a good bit of time out there, especially that afternoon after we’d unpacked and settled in.

Now, we were lucky enough to be bumped up a few room grades, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED our room and location (yay Tuvalu!). That being said, the resort considers this particular room a “water view” room, which it is not. So, if I had actually booked and paid for a water view I would’ve been a little upset. We could only see water if we looked to our right and through the landscaping. I think the resorts should take inventory of their rooms every now and then to see how the landscape has changed the views before they categorize and charge a certain price point. That being said, we had something much more fun to look at... the monorail!!! Woot.

“Chipper, Chipper, check it out!”
“Look, a monorail, Dale.”
“Sure beats last year’s view!”

 

[HollyBelle]

We were settled and unpacked by around 2:30, but decided to relax a little while longer before heading back to a park. Brett took a short nap, while I enjoyed the balcony and took some more pictures. As I was unpacking earlier, I found Stitch crammed in the middle of my suitcase amidst my clothes. I totally didn’t know he was there, but I guess Brett figured he should come along since it was a Polynesian trip and all. :lol: He was the perfect accessory for my ring:

It’s a white gold princess cut solitaire and perfect for me. I’m so incredibly glad Brett chose a solitaire because it is much more “me” than anything else would’ve been. I love the classic, clean lines. As for a band to go with it, I’m looking for two narrow bands (one for each side of the solitaire), each with a tiny row of diamonds. I’m not sure why, but we didn’t take any pictures of it on my hand and it’s currently being sized or I’d take some and post them.

I love the celebration buttons. Last summer when we were celebrating Brett’s birthday, he received a bazillion Happy Birthday’s from CMs all over the place, and this time around with our engagement buttons it was no different. You’ve just got to love those special Disney touches.

As guests of the Polynesian we took our first official monorail ride over to the Magic Kingdom. Ahhh, the convenience... enough can’t be said for this! Sitting at the Grand Floridian and looking back at the Poly, I had one of those, "Holy crap, we’re staying there!" moments. The darkening sky couldn’t even get me down.

It was almost 4 pm when we arrived at the MK and took off straight for Tomorrowland. For whatever reason, Brett had been dying to get on the Astro-Orbiter, but it was down. So we grabbed Space fastpasses for later and then made our way over to Adventureland. The sky was getting darker by the second and the cold bursts of wind were settling in. This late afternoon storm was gonna be a doozie.

We headed for the Jungle Cruise (not even a 5 minute wait), and as soon as we got on the boat, our skipper told us one of the boats had died out on the course. We were told the only way they have of addressing this is to bring all the boats that are ahead of it in to the dock, and then send another boat out backwards to get it. Is this legit? Because we were still docked, we were given the options of waiting about 10-15 minutes or getting off. Surprisingly we were the only people who chose to hop off. We figured we'd just go ride Pirates, but the line was absolutely INSANE (probably due to JC and the Magic Carpets being down). And we didn’t really want to wait so we browsed about the shop.

 

[HollyBelle]

Finally we just decided to go back to Main Street and grab a snack at the bakery.

No sooner than we sat down on a covered bench, than the sky opened up. This was a perfect little moment of the trip for me... sharing a blueberry muffin and listening to the singing lessons taking place above the alleyway on Main Street. The sheets of rain coming down all around us only enhanced the experience.

It’s times like these when I’m thankful the shops up and down Main Street are all interconnected. The CMs selling balloons had sought shelter on either side of the street and were shouting back and forth to one another, having a good time.

We found ourselves in the hat shop and with nothing else to do we decided to check out the old telephone. We got the biggest kick out of the lady on the other end. The first time she told Brett that if he wanted to be a made woman, he’d have to find a man with $300. And then she said to me, “If you want shiny hair you have to use kerosene, young lady!” Something tells me that wouldn’t be a good idea. But my favorite was when she was berating someone else for listening in on her conversation, saying to the lady “Get off the phone now Mrs. Limp, I can hear you breathing… you still have a chest cold.” :lol:

Nothing like a good rain to clear off Main Street:

 

[cdunbar]

It’s a white gold emerald cut solitaire and perfect for me. I’m so incredibly glad Brett chose a solitaire because it is much more “me” than anything else would’ve been. I love the classic, clean lines. As for a band to go with it, I’m looking for two narrow bands (one for each side of the solitaire), each with a tiny row of diamonds. I’m not sure why, but we didn’t take any pictures of it on my hand and it’s currently being sized or I’d take some and post them.

OMG Holly it's soo beautiful! And like you that too is what I would want simple, classic, clean. :sohappy:

 

[HollyBelle]

It started to let up just the teensiest bit so we made a run for the train station and after standing there for awhile we took the plunge and ran the rest of the way to the monorail. We were drenched through and through, but luckily it had let up by the time we got back to the resort. It was nice to be able to go back to our room and clean up before our dinner reservations at Kona.

Okay, so let’s talk about Kona! What can I say? The Kona Café offers three very different meals throughout the day, and they’re all mouthwateringly good. One thing I love about Kona is the unique menu items. Something I wish we would see more of across property (especially at some of the resort restaurants). So anyway, back to our dinner at Kona. I had trouble deciding, but ended up with the Tuna Oscar with fried green tomatoes, asparagus, tempura crab and wasabi hollandaise. This dish is soooo good, all the elements really balance one another out. While I’m not usually a big fan of spicy/hot dishes, the heat in this dish is spot on, and the fried green tomatoes take just the right amount of bite out of it.

Brett ordered the shrimp and scallops with sticky rice. He couldn’t stop raving about how delicious the red pepper sauce was that came with the shrimp. I, however, was obsessed with the caramelization on his scallops. Then he told me the menu described it as a passion fruit-orange-guava sauce. What’s that you say? Ummmm, hello, POG scallops!!! Seriously, they sear the scallops in my beloved POG juice. Heaven, I tell you.

And let’s not forget the bread. Kona serves some of the BEST bread on property if you ask me. The whipped macadamia nut butter is to die for. At a certain point during our meal, Brett adamantly declared, “Citricos had BETTER bring its A-game tomorrow night!”

There was a resounding OM NOM NOM NOM NOM at our table!

As if things couldn’t get any better, our waiter returned with some mini celebratory cupcakes. I quickly grabbed the one on the left and NOM NOMMED it up!

Then we rolled ourselves out to the monorail platform and headed back to the Kingdom to enjoy some attractions.

 

[HollyBelle]

In Tomorrowland we grabbed some Buzz Lightyear fastpasses as we headed over to Space Mountain to cash in on the FPs we already had. Tomorrowland was absolutely packed, and Stitch’s dance party was hopping. I’m still not a fan of the dance parties; however, I do have to admit, I had a lot of fun watching the characters when they were on stage. Although, I did feel sorry for the ones getting mobbed down in the crowd.

Chip took home the MVP with the smoothest moves from the moonwalk to the butterfly.

Just for reference on how packed Tomorrowland was at that very moment… we had to wait approximately 15 minutes to get on the TTA, which is now rocking the retro-Peoplemover title:

We used our fastpasses to walk right on Buzz and then we hopped in line for the Astro Orbiter. As per my last report, I’m shocked that so many of you have never ridden this. I promise you it is so much fun at night and definitely worth your time. I always laugh my head off and become giddy, mostly because it makes me feel like I’m going to fly right out of the rocket and into the neon lights of Tomorrowland.

We strolled through Adventureland and rode Pirates before finding ourselves in Liberty Square just as the Summer Nightastic fireworks began. I have to say, I much prefer Wishes; there’s just something about that musical score. Brett made the comment that this show seemed extremely familiar and quickly tied it to Magic, Music, and Mayhem (from the now defunct Pirate and Princess Parties).

Looking at this picture, I feel as if we’re being transported back to Endor:

And the Hall of Presidents appeared to be under siege:

Sometime before the late parade we decided to turn in… luckily, there was only a short ride separating ourselves from dear Tuvalu. I think it's safe to say that this was the BEST DAY EVER!


Next up: Breakfast at Tusker House and an afternoon at Epcot.

 

[Ariel484]

...As if things couldn’t get any better, our waiter returned with some mini celebratory cupcakes. I quickly grabbed the one on the left and NOM NOMMED it up!...

:ROFLOL: Well done! Way to zero in on the one with more frosting!

Your ring is amazing! Brett did very well!

 

[Brett]

Brett, congrats! Glad you're making an honest woman of her......finally.

Thanks for not keeping us in suspense!

Thanks! I've been planning it for a while and had tons of ideas but I figured why not make an entire celebration out of it?!

 

[Brett]

If you look closely in this picture, you can see me being ultra-patient... trying to stay out of the way of Holly's picture-taking instead of immediately jumping on the fluffy bed.

 

[diddy_mouse]

:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

What a lovely proposal story! And just think, every time you set foot in that lobby you can smile even more when you see the waterfall. The two of you are just adorable. Oh and I love the ring! Simple, elegant, very nice.

POG glazed shrimp?!?! Dude, I am a girl who loves her POG juice...that alone gives me another reason to return to Kona Cafe. I loved it when we had lunch there back in '07. Deliciousness indeed!

Enjoy the engagement and all the wonderful details leading up to what I'm sure will be a magical wedding. :king:

 

[HollyBelle]

OMG Holly it's soo beautiful! And like you that too is what I would want simple, classic, clean. :sohappy:

Sneaky, sneaky, I almost missed your post again! Thank you. Those are words Brett and I use to describe some of our favorite foodie dishes... simple, clean flavors. Looks like I have the same taste in jewelry as I do in food. :lol:

:ROFLOL: Well done! Way to zero in on the one with more frosting!

Your ring is amazing! Brett did very well!

You got that right, picking the one on the left was no happy accident! We almost caused a scene in the middle of the restaurant as we both lunged for it at the same time. :lol:

If you look closely in this picture, you can see me being ultra-patient... trying to stay out of the way of Holly's picture-taking instead of immediately jumping on the fluffy bed.

I don't know what I'm gonna do when we have kids and I have to keep ALL of you out of the frame.

 

[jhoff3405]

Congrats, Congrats! I have read your reports from the 1/2 marathon on....and already thought you two were married!
So exciting to read this trip report...gave me goosebumps....I'm looking forward to more!

 

[tiaragirl]

If you look closely in this picture, you can see me being ultra-patient... trying to stay out of the way of Holly's picture-taking instead of immediately jumping on the fluffy bed.

Hahaha, this is wonderful.
Also, dear, congrats on picking out the most gorgeous engagement ring EVER. (And remembering Stitch, naturally)!


Holly, that picture of the balloon vendor + rain is amazing.

 

[KnK]

I don't know what I'm gonna do when we have kids and I have to keep ALL of you out of the frame.

You'll have to ask Jenn for advice.

 

[mouselvrmom]

Very funny, Kris! It is very difficult to keep them all out of the frame! :lol: But I'm a meanie and don't even let them in the room until I'm done... :lookaroun

I'm totally loving your fabulouso pictures, Holly! They are so wonderful! I can't even pick a favorite!

And WOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!! For getting to stay at the Poly and getting proposed to right away! :sohappy::sohappy: What a great surprise!

Keep it coming!!! Don't be like SOME people and just leave your trip report hanging forever.... :ROFLOL:

 

[HopLow]

There definitely should have been a little disclaimer before the proposal update! It's not good to get all weepy when you're at work. And at the Poly!!! That resort always has a special place for me because I've gone there so often with my family. I can't say congrats enough for you guys!! I've seen a few weddings at Sunset Point (is that what it's called??). It looks so romantic and has the perfect backdrop of the MK. Just an idea...

And the ring is beautiful! Good job Brett.

Next trip, I'm going to have to check out that old telephone. I never knew it was there!!

 

[HollyBelle]

:sohappy:

What a lovely proposal story! And just think, every time you set foot in that lobby you can smile even more when you see the waterfall. The two of you are just adorable. Oh and I love the ring! Simple, elegant, very nice.

POG glazed shrimp?!?! Dude, I am a girl who loves her POG juice...that alone gives me another reason to return to Kona Cafe. I loved it when we had lunch there back in '07. Deliciousness indeed!

Enjoy the engagement and all the wonderful details leading up to what I'm sure will be a magical wedding.

Well, it was POG glazed scallops... but now that you mention it, I wonder if they'd put it on the shrimp, too. :slurp: Really, they can just glaze everything with it... and then I'll not so shamefully lick the plate when I'm finished. Now go get yourself some Kona! Dinner is probably my favorite Kona meal, and definitely worth the trip.

Thanks for the compliments on my ring and the proposal... you're right, the Poly is even more special to us now.

Congrats, Congrats! I have read your reports from the 1/2 marathon on....and already thought you two were married!
So exciting to read this trip report...gave me goosebumps....I'm looking forward to more!

Yeah, it's a rather common misconception that we're already married. We're kinda used to it. :lol: We've been together since 2004, so we won't be having a long engagement or anything... in fact, that report isn't going to be too far off.

Hahaha, this is wonderful.
Also, dear, congrats on picking out the most gorgeous engagement ring EVER. (And remembering Stitch, naturally)!


Holly, that picture of the balloon vendor + rain is amazing.

I'm so glad you like that picture... it's one of my favorites from the whole trip!! And yes, the boy did good with the ring. I told him he's free to surprise me with jewelry anytime he likes. :lol:

You'll have to ask Jenn for advice.

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

Very funny, Kris! It is very difficult to keep them all out of the frame! But I'm a meanie and don't even let them in the room until I'm done...

I'm totally loving your fabulouso pictures, Holly! They are so wonderful! I can't even pick a favorite!

And WOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!! For getting to stay at the Poly and getting proposed to right away! :sohappy:What a great surprise!

Keep it coming!!! Don't be like SOME people and just leave your trip report hanging forever....

Thanks, Jenn. The only problem is Brett managed to top my Animal Kingdom Lodge surprise from last summer... I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing boards and see what I can come up with.

Don't you just hate it when people leave trip reports hanging?! Especially people with four kids and not much else to do with their time... it's as if they think they're busy or something. :lookaroun

There definitely should have been a little disclaimer before the proposal update! It's not good to get all weepy when you're at work. And at the Poly!!! That resort always has a special place for me because I've gone there so often with my family. I can't say congrats enough for you guys!! I've seen a few weddings at Sunset Point (is that what it's called??). It looks so romantic and has the perfect backdrop of the MK. Just an idea...

And the ring is beautiful! Good job Brett.

Next trip, I'm going to have to check out that old telephone. I never knew it was there!!

OMG! You read our minds, and I was going to wait until later in the trip report to post this, but we're totally going to get married at Sunset Pointe (we're finalizing the contract now)!!! There really wasn't even much consideration for anything else. I must admit I'm kinda glad the proposal caught you off guard... that's what I was going for, because it was most similar to my own experience.

Oh and the phone = hilariousness!