Trip Report The “Cruising is not for me” Surf n’ Turf Spring Break Shenanigans Trip Report *Completed*

All the who’s and what’s can be read over here:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/round-five-twelve-months-of-shenanigans-ends-with-a-family-surf-n’-turf-spring-break.911138/

The Cliff’s Notes version is that we took our annual spring trip but for the first time it would be during Spring Break week. The trip also marked the first time the DD would be going on a cruise, something the DW and I couldn’t wait for her to experience. Another first would be our crew experiencing the Poly, super excited about this too! So, without further ado, let’s get this party started!

Wednesday:
We still had to get through the work day before we embarked on the trip which included me teaching my 5:30 computer ethics class and the DW’s Jazzercise class. I picked her and the DD up at 7:00 right after swinging by Zaxsby’s for some to-go chow. We were on the road by 7:20 and heading down GA400 towards Macon for our overnight pit stop. We pulled into Macon around 930-9:45 and checked into the La Quinta inn. The hotel served it’s purpose, a place to sleep part way to the bubble. The DW and I knocked out some grading before calling it a night by 11:30.

Thursday:
So the alarm was set for 5:30 but La Quinta had other plans… About 4:00-4:30 the smoke alarm in the room began chirping..you know that chirp, the one that says “hey, the battery is dying, change it”. Only problem is there is no taking this smoke detector down and replacing the battery. This meant every two minutes or so the detector would chirp. Good luck sleeping through that! So we were up and put La Quinta behind us before 5:00! The good news was that we would be to Disney that much earlier the bad news was that NOTHING drive-thru was open for breakfast yet! So we drove a short while and made a pit stop at a Walmart to pick up some things we forgot, something we’ve gotten quite good at lately; forgetting. By the time we left The Marts McDs was open! So we grabbed some quick food and made for the bubble! About 3 hours of uneventful driving later and we hit our first sign of hope!
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About two more hours later and we were there! Don’t let the clouds in the pic fool you the weather was GREAT!
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Soon we were pulling into the Poly’s parking lot. It was WARM! I checked in with the front desk but our room was not ready, they’d text when it was. We decided to check out the grounds a bit and hang at the pool.
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A family of ducks getting some shade!
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With that I decided to relax at the pool for a bit since I still had some classwork to deal with while the ladies branched out for some food.
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Soon, the ladies were texting me to come over to the DVC pool as it was quiet and had some good looking food options. It was pretty beautiful over there for sure too.
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DD went with the kid’s Hawaiian burger
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DW went with the kid’s fish taco
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I went with the pork sliders
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The food was excellent, especially for a pool side snack shack! So we relaxed here a bit longer before the ladies took to exploring the Poly and GF some until our room became available.

Still to come: An amazing standard view room and The Grand Floridian Café.
 
Last edited:

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So after some more R&R and cleaning up a bit we decided to head for AK. We had an ADR for Y&Y this evening before we made for HS for a few rides and some fireworks.
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We noticed these two making up their abode on the way in, pretty cute but not the cuteness I’ve been promising.
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Then we spotted this guy, I think he was some form of capybara. Pretty cute, right? Still not what I promised you though
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Nope, still not cute enough.
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As if…
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Ok


Brace yourself


Here it is


A baby wallaby with a mama wallaby….if this doesn’t punch you in the cuteness gland then you are straight up cold!
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There it was, probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen at AK. I had a serious “Name him george and kiss him and love him and squeeze him” moment with these two….what you don’t remember? Here’s a little help:


It was closing in on dinner time so we made for Y&Y with a quick ToL picture stop.
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Still to come: Yak & Yeti, HS at night, and another morning in AK.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So it was time for dinner. The last time we had Y&Y was about 4 years prior and it was “ok” then and obviously didn’t win us over at the time. For whatever reason we decided to give it another go this trip and we were pleasantly surprised! Despite having many tables empty, we had a short wait after checking in. Soon we were escorted to the second floor of the restaurant. The theming here is well done with many fitting trinkets decorating the facade.
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Never experiencing it before, I went with a Funky Buddha while the DW played it safe with a Golden Monkey. I was not disappointed but did have a sip or two of her GM.
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DD opted for some wonton soup as an appetizer and the chicken lo mein.
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DW went with the Kalbi steak & coconut shrimp
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And I had the Korean beef.
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Both the food and service were excellent. The only thing we noticed, and this was true of at least three of the restaurants this trip, was the Disney online menu pricing did not match that of the one in the actual restaurant. We noted this on the comment card you can see below that include a sponge bob cartoon courtesy of the DD. She decided that our server, Patrick, should be renamed Patrick Star, after sponge bob’s best bud in the cartoon, hence the SB drawing.
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Still to come: HS at night, Ak in the AM, and Sanaa for lunch!
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
Enjoying your report, had started it before we left and just wanted to say, that remembering you commented on my pre trip report, without kids, you were absolutely right. We had a ball. :) Also want to assure you whether only child or not, 14 - about 17 there is a tad of a Grumpy spell. She will outgrow it and look back and appreciate you guys so much for the trips. :) Mine did, even though at times I would have had to kill for a smile in a picture. It is over in a blink of an eye, enjoy it all. Can't wait to read the rest.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
What wonderful pictures (as usual)!!!!! There's so many things to comment about, but a few of the things that stood out to me were the food pictures, and eating outdoors. I don't know what it is about eating outside that is always so appealing!! The food just tastes better!! :hungry:

The design for the Animator's restaurant was so well executed. I really enjoyed seeing those particular pictures.

Great photos from AK! (I actually just returned, myself, from WDW 2 nights ago--was there from Sunday to Weds.) I went to the EMH on Monday to AK, and that extra hour was perfect to get in the bigger attractions before the larger crowds hit after 9. AK is one of my top two parks at WDW!! :) Lastly, glad you got one of the refurbed rooms at the DVC. I have never stayed in a DVC, but think that the layout of the room you showed us was very comfortable.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Enjoying your report, had started it before we left and just wanted to say, that remembering you commented on my pre trip report, without kids, you were absolutely right. We had a ball. :).
Awesome! I knew you would.

Also want to assure you whether only child or not, 14 - about 17 there is a tad of a Grumpy spell. She will outgrow it and look back and appreciate you guys so much for the trips. :) Mine did, even though at times I would have had to kill for a smile in a picture. It is over in a blink of an eye, enjoy it all. Can't wait to read the rest.
Yeah, we have been super lucky right up to 14. No terrible two's, moody tweens, or anything so I suppose we were due. I look forward to the day where she allows herself to enjoy it again.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
We hopped off the monorail and was on our way to MK but not before I was “Randomly Selected”, another theme for this trip.

I pulled this quote from the earlier part of your TR. Just to let you know that misery loves company, I was also "randomly" selected twice for the walk (of shame?! :p ) through the metal detector machine. There is NOTHING unusual about my appearance or clothing, and I only had a small, cross-body bag with me each time.

(Note: it happened twice in one day, and yet, not at all on the other 3 days I was there . . . o_O). Think I found a pattern though. The two times I was selected, I did not keep up with the crowd in front of me, as I stepped aside, taking longer to zip up one of the compartments in my purse. (One of the zippers kept getting stuck.) My hunch is that I was an "easy" target for them to pull aside. I didn't see anyone walking with families with little kids in strollers, being pulled out of out a crowd, for this dubious screening "distinction" :rolleyes: .
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I pulled this quote from the earlier part of your TR. Just to let you know that misery loves company, I was also "randomly" selected twice for the walk (of shame?! :p ) through the metal detector machine. There is NOTHING unusual about my appearance or clothing, and I only had a small, cross-body bag with me each time.

(Note: it happened twice in one day, and yet, not at all on the other 3 days I was there . . . o_O). Think I found a pattern though. The two times I was selected, I did not keep up with the crowd in front of me, as I stepped aside, taking longer to zip up one of the compartments in my purse. (One of the zippers kept getting stuck.) My hunch is that I was an "easy" target for them to pull aside. I didn't see anyone walking with families with little kids in strollers, being pulled out of out a crowd, for this dubious screening "distinction" :rolleyes: .
I'll probably debunk your "easy target" theory soon when I share another "randomly selected" moment.
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
I pulled this quote from the earlier part of your TR. Just to let you know that misery loves company, I was also "randomly" selected twice for the walk (of shame?! :p ) through the metal detector machine. There is NOTHING unusual about my appearance or clothing, and I only had a small, cross-body bag with me each time.

(Note: it happened twice in one day, and yet, not at all on the other 3 days I was there . . . o_O). Think I found a pattern though. The two times I was selected, I did not keep up with the crowd in front of me, as I stepped aside, taking longer to zip up one of the compartments in my purse. (One of the zippers kept getting stuck.) My hunch is that I was an "easy" target for them to pull aside. I didn't see anyone walking with families with little kids in strollers, being pulled out of out a crowd, for this dubious screening "distinction" :rolleyes: .
In a 6 day trip, DH with camera bag was randomly selected 8 times, me, with no bag, 6 times. It moves quick so no big deal but if my luck is that good with randomness... I am gonna play the lottery!
 

Tiggerish

Resident Redhead
Premium Member
My first meal at Yak & Yeti was last August. We had a similar experience, excellent food and outstanding service. Able to book a table on short notice. Will definitely eat there again.

Wallaby was definitely cute. As were the spoonbills setting up house.


I seriously love AKL! Kidani is still my favorite, but Jambo is a very close second.

We've stayed at Kidani a few times, most recent visit was first stay in Jambo, and now it's a tough choice! Love them both.

There's a downside to these refurbs though...DVD players are gone.

:jawdrop: Oh, noes!!

Just to let you know that misery loves company, I was also "randomly" selected twice for the walk (of shame?! :p ) through the metal detector machine. There is NOTHING unusual about my appearance or clothing, and I only had a small, cross-body bag with me each time.

During my last trip (a 4-day long weekend), I was randomly selected every time I entered Epcot. No idea why.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So after a great dinner we made for the exit and eventually the bus to HS. We had a few FPs to burn up before the fireworks started. The park was hopping a bit but the weather was very nice still.
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Soon we were in the TSMM queue and noticed they had some news signage along the way.
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After some midway fun I made a new friend.
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We made our way to ToT but not before being questioned about the whereabouts of a certain droid.
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We really did not plan our FPs well because it felt like we were all over this place in a short amount of time. Soon we were walking back from StarTours when all the neon on the trip just looked cool to me. Im undecided if this picture came out horrible or cool, hmmm probably both…
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Up next: Star Wars Fireworks, more AK, and Sanaa.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So we got settled down on the curb of Hollywood Boulevard. The DD decided she wanted a treat so she made her way to the Bucks for a cupcake and a drink.
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Blurry selfie time!!
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Soon it was time. The lights dimmed and the music struck up!
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This is, IMO, the best fireworks show the bubble has to offer. The music, timing, and display are just phenomenal. Even if I didn’t have a HS ticket I’d have to come and sit out by the gate and watch this show it is that good!

Still to come: The birds know how to live, so many AK animals, and Sanaa.
 

DisneyMorgan

Well-Known Member
I'm slacking on my forum-reading, but I just caught up on your TR (I think I still need to finish your other one too!)
I want to stay at the Poly! I want to go on the Dream again! I want to stay at AKL! I want to watch the SW fireworks! :D

Really enjoying this report! I love the stateroom you had on the Dream. We did the wrong thing and had a veranda on our first cruise, now i'm afraid we're spoiled :rolleyes::D

We ate at Y&Y in 2012 and were pleasantly surprised! It was very good!

Can't wait to read more!
 

imahistorygeek

Well-Known Member
Really enjoying this report! I love the stateroom you had on the Dream. We did the wrong thing and had a veranda on our first cruise, now i'm afraid we're spoiled :rolleyes::D

Our first and second cruise was a verandah room. It was nice, very nice. This most recent one we decided to try something different. I had originally booked a family verandah room, which from my reading is only slightly larger than a regular deluxe stateroom. I did some searching and saw there were these rooms laid out like a suite and two giant portholes. I changed it to this room instead and saved several hundred dollars. This room was huge. It felt like twice the size of a regular stateroom. Plus, being able to sleep right next to the porthole was great. For two people, it's a bit large, but for three, it was the perfect size. I would definitely book this room again.

For our next cruise, I booked a GTY 5e extended verandah.

Did I miss the verandah? Not really. I thought I would, but waking up and just being able to look out at the ocean made the category switch worth it.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm slacking on my forum-reading, but I just caught up on your TR (I think I still need to finish your other one too!)
I want to stay at the Poly! I want to go on the Dream again! I want to stay at AKL! I want to watch the SW fireworks! :D

Really enjoying this report! I love the stateroom you had on the Dream. We did the wrong thing and had a veranda on our first cruise, now i'm afraid we're spoiled :rolleyes::D

We ate at Y&Y in 2012 and were pleasantly surprised! It was very good!

Can't wait to read more!
Our first two cruises were veranda views and I too thought it would be hard to change staterooms but this stateroom worked well! We had a ton of room, two nice portholes, and spent so much time doing activities around the boat that the veranda wasn't missed at all. Our cruise In October will be just the DW and I and we have a guaranteed 5E which means we will have a veranda and maybe even an extended veranda, fingers crossed! We will probably take it easy on that trip and enjoy a slower pace which means some time on the veranda in the evenings and mornings.
 

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