Trip Report The Adventures of Sass and Frass

Hi everyone! I figure it’s finally time to get to work on this trip report!

Who: Myself, husband Nick, daughters Sage and Aria, ages 12 and 7 (they are the Sass and Frass )
When: March 5-11th 2023
Where: Polynesian

The trip is the first time back for my husband and kids post-Covid. Our last family trip was in January 2020, right before the world went crazy. That trip was unsuccessful to say the least. The kids whined about everything and fought constantly. We’ve taken many family trips over the years and during Covid, I got the idea to plan a solo trip for myself. My love for Disney started long before I had kids and I was always disappointed after our family trips. I felt like we spent so much money, dealt with constant bickering and behavior issues and I didn’t even get to do all the things I wanted to do. So as a reward for making it through all the quarantines and remote learning, I did my first solo trip in January 2022. It was AMAZING. I had the best time and I’d love to do it again someday.

This family trip was actually Nick’s idea. He stayed at the Polynesian once when he was young and really wanted to stay there again. I was hesitant only because it’s so expensive and I would rather spend that money elsewhere. We rented DVC for this trip and even with the savings compared to the rack rate, still paid over $600/night. Because of that, the trip was a bit shorter than usual and we only had 5 park days. Maybe it’s just me, but I would have preferred to stay somewhere cheaper and stay for a longer amount of time. But the DVC rental was successful and we were off!

Sunday 3/5

Our flight was at 6:30am. Aria couldn’t sleep the night before (typical for her) so we ended up leaving for the airport much earlier than planned. We actually arrived before security was even open. We had plenty of time to grab a quick bite and just hang out.

And we were finally on our way! Fly us to Disney!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

While we were in Africa, we decided to also see the Lion King show. We had some time to kill so Nick said he would poke around the gift shops with the kids and I went back over to Everest to do single rider again. There was only a few people ahead of me and I think I waited 5 minutes. It was amazing!
Back to Africa for the Lion King show!

Nothing beats the Lion King music

The kids wanted to see It’s Tough to be a Bug next. I took them while Nick went to do Everest again.
I warned Aria many many times about this show but she still insisted on seeing it. It was a disaster. She screamed the whole time.

We were pretty much done at that point but Sage really wanted to see Pandora at night. It wasn’t quite dark yet so we got dinner at Satuli Canteen. The mobile order part of the app wasn’t working so we had to wait in line. Man it was painful It made me really appreciate mobile order.
Sage got cheeseburger pods and I got a bowl. Aria got the kids hot dog and didn’t like it for some reason. I can’t remember if Nick got anything. But I know he ended up eating Aria’s hot dog

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

It was just starting to get dark after dinner so we took our time walking through Pandora.

At 7pm, we took one last pic and made our way out.

We were able to do everything the kids wanted to that day with the exception of the bird show. It’s just so hard to fit in all the different shows. Other than that, we only missed FoP, which we chose not to do so we could focus on other things, and Kali because no one likes Kali
So again, a super successful day! Minor whining and fighting but that’s to be expected with my kids. We were out all day for 12 hours! That’s huge.

 

[Zipadeelady]

I loved hearing about your day. We also can easily spend all day at Animal Kingdom, unlike some people *cough*tuvalu*cough*.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I loved hearing about your day. We also can easily spend all day at Animal Kingdom, unlike some people *cough*tuvalu*cough*.

My kids love it there! We usually set aside 2 days but since we only had one this time around, my older daughter wanted to make sure we did pretty much everything

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Wednesday 3/8

This was our Epcot day! Early entry was at 8:30. I don’t remember the exact time we left but I remember it was about 5 minutes later than I wanted. I also remember we sat on the monorail for about 5 minutes before it pulled away. So we were about 10 minutes behind my desired schedule. As much as I love rope dropping, it gives me such anxiety. I don’t know why. In my head, I know being 10 minutes back in the crowd isn’t that big of deal but it still stresses me out.
A few photos before continuing on, on Monday morning when we were walking to the TTC, we saw a cute little bunny nibbling on the grass. On Wednesday morning, we saw what I can only assume to be the same little bunny, in the same exact spot. My kids got a kick out it.

We did purchase Genie+ this day although I don’t think it was 100% necessary. Of course we didn’t know that prior but crowds were relatively light. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were actually great crowd wise. Thursday and Friday were much more crowded, I believe because there was a dance or cheer competition the weekend we left.
So anyways the plan was to rope drop Frozen and I booked Remy as our first LL. We had lunch ADRs at Spice Road Table so I hoping to spend them morning in World Showcase then head to the front of the park after lunch. I was really nervous my plan would be messed up if we got a return time for Remy that was later in the day but I was SO excited when I got 9:30am! I also bought ILL for just my husband and I for Guardians at 2pm. First time riding for both of us!

But first up, Frozen!

And in case you weren’t aware by this point, I am the Chaos Coordinator

 

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We’ve been on Frozen many times before but this was our first time using the standby queue. It’s a really cute queue! So much to look at and huge bonus points for being inside of course.
We only ended up waiting about 10 minutes.

We did not purchase memory maker, I actually never have, mainly because I always take a ton of photos on my own. But a few days after we got home, all the watermarks were removed from ride photos on days we purchased Genie. So that was a fun little bonus. I thought we would miss out on this new feature. I love our Frozen photo because we’re in the front and it’s one of the few ride photos with all 4 of us.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

A few pictures from the Norway area -

It was still before 9 and Anna and Elsa weren’t scheduled to start meeting until 9:15 so we went over to Mexico. My kids love Gran Fiesta Tour.
We were the only people in that pavilion! It was so cool to see the inside totally empty.

My kids played on the interactive screens in the entrance, we poked through the shopping area a bit, then jumped in a boat to go find Donald. I always love looking at the restaurant when we go by. I’ve always wanted to eat there and sit at one of the tables by the water. It looks so relaxing.
I didn’t take any pictures on the ride but one thing that really annoyed me, in the party scene with all the fake balloons, the floor next to boat was covered in hair elastics. I don’t know why people do this, it’s so stupid. But also, we were definitely one of the first rides of the day so obviously all the elastics had been there for a while. I wish they would do a sweep every night and get rid of them all. Oh well

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We walked back over to Norway but were told Anna and Elsa wouldn’t be out until 11:30. So that was a bummer. I told my kids we would try to come back later but we never did make it back to meet them.

I opened the map on the app and showed the kids where we were. I showed them where we were going next- the Remy ride. I explained it was on the exact opposite of where we were and that it was going to require quite a bit of walking. I told them we could take our time and look through each pavilion. Sage was happy and excited, Aria not so much.

First, some topiaries on our way to Canada.

This is where we encountered our first conflict of the day. Sage decided she wanted pictures of her taken alone, without Aria. Aria wanted pictures together (because she knew that would annoy Sage). I told them we couldn’t always take multiple pictures if people were waiting to take pictures in that spot or in front of certain topiaries. So then I had to deal with constant fighting over photo requests. Sisters are fun.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Heading into the UK

We just happen to catch Mary Poppins with no line!

Obsessed with this little tea set up

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

The kids actually did great taking their time throughout these pavilions. We were able to look in all stores and walk at a pretty leisurely pace. We got to France a little after 10. First stop, Remy!

I went on Remy last year on my solo trip but Nick and the kids have never been on. After tapping in, I went into the app to book a LL for Soarin’ but everything in Future World was booking for immediate times. And I knew we wouldn’t be over there for another few hours. At first I booked it and went in every few minutes to modify the time but it was getting too time consuming so I just canceled it and figured I’d check again later.
We had one small hiccup when the ride briefly went down right as we were about to load. We waited maybe 10 minutes and it was back up and running. My kids (and Nick!) loved the ride!
Back outside for more photos, together and separate because, sisters

When we got over to the Beauty and the Beast topiary, there were a lot people waiting to take photos in front of it. I angled myself in a way where I could just get a picture of the topiaries, not any of the people. But when my kids saw me hold my phone up, they rudely ran in front of everyone, thinking I wanted them in it. The lady next to me was like, excuse me ma’am, we were waiting, in quite a huffy tone. I was like jeez, I know, it’s my kids that are rude, not me. Of course I didn’t say that though, just apologized and told my kids to move. So then I had to wait to get my picture after all

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We then saw the Beauty and the Beast singalong. I’m not crazy about this but it was something kid friendly to do inside and gave us the opportunity to sit and enjoy the AC for a bit. I also didn’t want to move on too much further because our ADR for Spice Road Table was coming up.
I did enjoy the props out in the lobby area.

And then it was lunch time! I checked us in around 11:15 for our 11:30 ADR but I didn’t realize they don’t even open til 11:30. While we were waiting, the kids insisted on more pictures.

Our table was ready at about 11:35. We were seated outside on the water. It was shady and there was a nice breeze. I was worried it would be too hot but it was actually very cool and pleasant.

Pay no attention to Aria’s grumpy face. She was mad there was no “kid” food. I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for so long and it did not disappoint!
We got the hummus fries and the sampler platter that had spiced chicken, tiropitakia, and kefta meatballs. I also got the dessert platter just to give the kids something to nibble on if they didn’t like the food. Aria wouldn’t even try anything but Sage really liked the tiropitakia (basically phyllo dough filled with cheese) so we ended up ordering another plate of just that. Everything was so good! Oh, and they did offer to make my kids grilled cheese on naan bread but other than that, there is no set kids menu.

As much as I love trying new restaurants, I think I will be adding this one permanently to my trips!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

More in the Morocco pavilion.

You’ll notice Aria is copying Sage’s poses in every picture. This is 100% on purpose, with the sole intent to annoy Sage.
As we were walking around, we just happen to find a completely empty Jasmine meet and greet in the back. When I was there last year, she was doing sightings on the little stage out on the main walkway. So I was not expecting to round a corner and literally bump into her. It was pretty awesome. She was really sweet with the kids and Sage was excited to find a hidden Mickey

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Next up was Japan.

We spent a lot of time in Mitsukoshi. I read about the reopening of the pick a pearl experience and I was so excited to try it for the first time! It was $20 to pick your clam. You could then get the pearl set in a necklace. I don’t wear jewelry often so I chose to instead put it in a little glass jar filled with colored sand. I have it on my desk at home. I love it!

The kids wanted some candy and I got a drink. I did not enjoy it unfortunately but it’s always fun to try out new treats!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

So at this point, it was 1pm and I was actually shocked we still weren’t done with the World Showcase. My kids are usually so bored in this area, and to be honest, Aria mostly still was, but Sage was really enjoying exploring. First time ever for her. Within the past year or so, she has gotten super into Allears and Mammoth Club YouTube videos. So I think she was enjoying really experiencing everything first hand that she has seen so many videos about.
I was starting to get a little worried that Nick and I weren’t going to make our 2pm ILL for Guardians so I told the kids we were going to have to move a bit quicker through the remaining pavilions.

More topiaries and another food I’ve been wanting to try forever- pretzel bread pudding from Sommerfest! So good!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Nick then left to go ride Guardians. I took the kids on Gran Fiesta Tour again and then we went and sat in Connections Eatery. The kids had some snacks and drinks from our packed snack bag and we just rested in the AC while Nick was riding.
Flower garden on the way over.

It was hard to find a good angle for the various flower beds because of all the walls and construction.

When Nick was done, I went to ride. I can’t remember exactly what they did but I think they just looked around Creations Shop.
So I don’t know much about Guardians of the Galaxy. I actually have seen both movies with Nick and I liked them but I didn’t retain a whole lot. But Oh Em Gee this ride is amazing!! The backwards launch was way longer than I was expecting. The whole ride was so smooth and so fast and I loved it so much. I was also super excited to get Conga as my song.
I didn’t take any pictures outside or in the queue but here’s my on-ride, hair blowing everywhere photo

It was almost 3 when I got off the ride but I was so excited that the 1pm virtual queue was still open! I joined so Nick and I could hopefully ride again. Our estimated time was hours out and I knew there was a good chance we would be gone by then but I joined anyway.
We had about 6 rides left at the front of the park that the kids wanted to do. Basically everything except Test Track which Sage had classified as a maybe. Since we were closest to Mission Space, we started with that one.

The wait was only 10 or 15 minutes but I booked a LL anyway. I didn’t realize it until we were at the entrance that only orange takes LL. We were doing green. Green was a walk on though so we didn’t need it anyway. After walking all the way to the entrance, Aria announces she has to use the bathroom. So we walk all the back to Connections where we just were. Then walk all the way back over to Mission Space. We wait in line, go in, sit down, the restraints come down over us and Aria loses her mind. Starts screaming she wants to get off. So they unlock the restraints and Aria and I exit the ride. All that extra walking for nothing

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We then go over to the Land. First up Soarin’ which I booked an almost immediate LL for. I think the wait was 20 or 30 minutes so useful here. Then we went on Living With the Land. I booked a LL for the heck of it but there were maybe 10 people ahead of us.

Then over to Imagination. I did use LL again and I think the wait was 10 minutes.

We saw Pooh out on the grass. He was gathering leaves and throwing them up in the air. It was pretty cute.

We also went into the nearby butterfly garden. I think it was too early in the season though. We only saw 2 butterflies in the whole greenhouse.

Another pretty view!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Next up was the Seas. We did use LL for the Nemo ride but I doubt it was needed. We then looked around the aquarium area.

I then booked a LL for Spaceship Earth and this was the one point it hindered us (but not by much). After we scanned in, they stopped us and let a good amount of people from standby go ahead of us. Then they let us through.
We briefly stopped a few times so I took a picture each time.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We were hungry for dinner then and decided on Connections since it was close and had mobile order. I got the chicken sandwich and Nick got the general tso chicken salad. We thought the kids would get pizza but they both got burgers. Everything was great! Nick especially liked the salad.

While we were eating, our boarding group was called! It was 6:45 so a little earlier than the estimated time. We were shocked, but happy, that the kids were still going strong. We all walked over so we could ask for Rider Switch. Nick decided to wait first because I thought he would enjoy and get more out the normal queue than I would.
I asked the kids what they wanted to do and they said ride Soarin’ again.
Pretty Spaceship Earth on the way over

After Soarin’ I texted Nick and he was still in one of the pre shows. The kids wanted to do Imagination again. I recently introduced them to Honey I Shrunk the Kids, a favorite of mine when I was kid, so I made sure to point out Wayne Szalinksi this time.

The play area at the ride exit was completely empty, total opposite from earlier in the day, so they had fun doing all the different interactive activities.
Nick was done by then and met us in there. I left and walked back over to Guardians. I remembered to take a picture this time!

This time I got Disco Inferno!

Aria was completely done by this point but Sage was hoping to squeeze in Test Track. I’d been checking all night for a LL but had no luck. So her and Nick decided to get in the standby line and I took Aria back to the the Poly.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

A few last nighttime topiaries.

For the first time ever, the kids made it from park open to (almost) park close. I couldn’t believe it. Again, just a few minor squabbles and grumpiness. I think Aria was definitely effected by all the walking. We walked almost 12 miles that day! But we made it and another successful day was in the books.

 

[Bullseye1967]

Great TR so far! Following along!