Trip Report The No Rain, Red Card, Vanna White, July JOURNEY! *COMPLETED*

So my most recent trip report was 44 years in the making ~ this one has taken only a month . And for any of you keeping score, this is my 5th trip report. This year. I have been to WDW five times in 2016 and have plans to return in September. And October. And December. (Please don't hate me.)

Those of you who are tired of reading about my Disney escapades can exit now, no hard feelings. Those of you who have read any of my other reports know what you're in for and I hope I can keep your interest. I really appreciate your kind comments.

To that end I will start by playing tag ~ @TrolleyFollower91 @Doc Disney @TheMouseFan @MinnieM123 @Tiggerish @BWK05 @Gabe1 @samantha788 @coachwnh @Figment Forever @figmentfan423 @epcotisbest @Zipitidoda @MerMom1981 @LisaBelle @Matty30 @Courtney6682 @bee @lostpro9het @cgersic @sheriffwoody @blgauger @meganwdw @fractal @MississippiBelle @jrogue @ScarletBegonias @LadyBelle @disneypearl @Tony the Tigger @tcool123 @prfctlyximprct @Longers @gwhb75 @Beckett @Ciara @ajrwdwgirl @FlaggNL @mishel635 @myhappyplace

If I have omitted anyone, please forgive me and know it was not intentional! A great big thank you in advance to everyone who follows along .

"Now give me a little intro there, Gomer" (I clearly have seen the Country Bear Jamboree way too many times...)

Cast: Tuvalu and Em, a girls' summer getaway!
Date: July 23-27
Resort: Polynesian Village (surprised? Didn't think so...)

Did all our wishes come true? You'll have to wait and see.

 

[Tuvalu]

We stopped for a couple Photopass shots before heading to our next attraction. The CM was the most disinterested photographer we'd ever encountered, as if he were doing us a favor.

I find this Woody and Jessie magic shot a little odd....

But I like this one.

 

[Tuvalu]

We knew our next FP would be unnecessary ~ and it was. Still, there is a sense of satisfaction when Mickey's head turns green and you feel somewhat superior to the peons in the standby line.

Wonder what the stress tests are??

We've joined the peons.

These digital movie posters were clever. And funny!

Waldo made a mess of things yet again . Thankfully, Em and I weren't bolted to the seats and we could leave.

 

[Tuvalu]

We didn't have to walk very far to get to our dinner ADR.

Surprisingly, we were seated right away and the restaurant was only 2/3 full. Typically Mama's is packed! Mama Melrose's is a favorite of Em's for this reason:

The Mama Margarita. How lucky was Em to have both her favorite Disney drinks on the same day?!!

Celebrating her TSMM victory. I toasted her with my water.

The rolls arrived.

Followed soon by our entrees ~
Chicken penne with four cheese sauce for Em.

And for moi: (@LisaBelle knows what this is!)

(Trust us ~ this steak and mac & cheese is Ah. Maze. Ing!!)

We did not order dessert since Em had another treat in mind that she was craving....

 

[Tuvalu]

@Doc Disney, I need some sympathy here! These restrooms have been closed for at least as long (if not longer) than the ones by City Hall!

(They'd better be spectacular!)

 

[Tuvalu]

Before we began our hunt for Em's dream dessert, we thought we'd pop in to hug a certain snowman.

We love you, Olaf!

 

[coachwnh]

The Mama Margarita. How lucky was Em to have both her favorite Disney drinks on the same day?!!

Thats a great day!

 

[Scoppin]

Thats a great day!

Looks like another great day. So, student passes teacher.

 

[Gabe1]

Of course you did. Few hours on property and a red tag and a security check.

A new record?

That's crazy about the long line at Capt. Cooks, and just one register open?! Good grief. Makes you wonder if the people who make these "decisions" ever eat there?! (And, not to mention, at a "deluxe" resort like the Poly, couldn't they at least have added an additional CM to work at the cash register?)

Shanghai

 

[MinnieM123]

But I like this one.

That's a really cute photo, (in spite of the Photopass "photographer" . . . who wasn't interested in taking pictures . . . ). Nice theme pairing of outfits, too, by the way!! Excellent subject choice!

 

[Gabe1]

@Tuvalu Love the dress. I'm so surprised you chose the yellow magic band and not the red and white polka dot one.

I thought it was quite sad actually.

My DD friend, one of 4 kids Dad owns a slew of McDonalds. Kids had a live in nanny (same one) and parents did show up to all their sports games etc but the day to day stuff was HANDLED. Conventions for McDonalds were at WDW all housed either in GF or Contemporary. The Nanny came too and they had guides (as did most of all the other kids of the convention) It did mess with FP lines but not as badly as the FP lines with guides for families during the Professional Golf Tournaments that were Late Fall at WDW. Lots of those peeps had real attitudes.
We actually always looked in the fall when booking our trips to avoid the PGA and Pop Warner Football.

 

[Tuvalu]

That's a really cute photo, (in spite of the Photopass "photographer" . . . who wasn't interested in taking pictures . . . ). Nice theme pairing of outfits, too, by the way!! Excellent subject choice!

We did it just for you, @MinnieM123!

@Tuvalu Love the dress. I'm so surprised you chose the yellow magic band and not the red and white polka dot one.

I didn't want to be too "matchy matchy" (as @TrolleyFollower91 calls it) by wearing my Minnie MagicBand, so I opted for the "subtle" yellow band accent.

 

[fractal]

We knew our next FP would be unnecessary ~ and it was. Still, there is a sense of satisfaction when Mickey's head turns green and you feel somewhat superior to the peons in the standby line.

View attachment 159287

Wonder what the stress tests are??

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We've joined the peons.

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These digital movie posters were clever. And funny!

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Waldo made a mess of things yet again . Thankfully, Em and I weren't bolted to the seats and we could leave.

That room is filled with so many little surprises!

 

[Gabe1]

We mosied through a couple higher-end stores (read: wallets closed) before declaring our shopping over. There was a Poly/GF bus waiting for us ~ ironically, loading the same gentleman in the ECV who was on our bus to Disney Springs!

We relaxed in our room and watched some Netflix before going to bed. I heard the first firework boom from Wishes, opened the drapes and saw this:

View attachment 159089

YES!!!!!!! Our wonderful room had a fireworks view!!!!!! I went to sleep a happy camper.....again.

Question: Were you guys watch Netflix on a laptop/tablet or are the TV's now Smart TVs that you can login to your Netflix account?

So happy your room had a Wishes view. So meant for you.

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Question: Were you guys watch Netflix on a laptop/tablet or are the TV's now Smart TVs that you can login to your Netflix account?

So happy your room had a Wishes view. So meant for you.

I have a roku stick which plugs in to any HDMI input in a TV. Worth the $50 IMO!

 

[epcotisbest]

Sunday, con't

After our D-Luxe dining (see what I did there? ) Em and I set out to experience Uniqlo. And what an experience it was! Look carefully at the mannequins in the upper windows....they turn in a synchronized fashion. There are lots of faceless synchronized moving mannequins in Uniqlo. I couldn't decide if it was "cool" in a futuristic sort of way, or just plain creepy. It felt like I was in the old Robert Palmer music video Addicted to Love.

And loud. The store was loud. There was some sort of a prize game going on in the first floor with lots of carnival sounds.

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The store is divided into sections by gender and age and then each section is divided by color, pattern or clothing style. Quite a feast for the eyes.

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Between the noise, crowds and sheer size of the store, Uniqlo was a bit overwhelming. So what was it that drew us in?

Price. Specifically, the very reasonable prices on Disney themed clothing. T-shirts that are just as cute and half the price of the ones sold in the parks. We saw many we wanted, but decided to limit ourselves to one each, not knowing if cheap price = cheap quality. (Shrinkage? Fading? Wrinkly? Itchy?)

After several wearings and washings, our Uniqlo tees have not only remained true to size but are very durable and very soft. They still look new! (@epcotisbest, definitely worth opening your wallet for!)

Em and I had had enough sensory overload after making our purchase and we ventured outside. We noticed a group of folks gathered around two "living statues."

View attachment 159079

They were quite fun to watch and reminded us of how much we miss the ones that used to be in Epcot. Glad they exist in Disney Springs!

We are headed over to DS this evening, but since arriving here Saturday, staying offsite, I have spent zero dollars with Disney. My non-Disney spending makes me have mixed feelings. I like being frugal, but we are Disney stockholders, so I am sorta not contributing to my own annual dividend. But, others make up for it and the stock is doing pretty good, so thank you everyone else.

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and I were now on a quest to satisfy her sweet tooth ~ with one of these:

The Darth Vader chocolate/peanut butter cupcake!

The exit for the Olaf meet and greet was close to the Backlot Express, so we went there first. Backlot Express always has Darth. But not today.

Em remembered that the last time she got Darth we were at Sunset Ranch Market. We headed that way, passing Starring Rolls. Starring Rolls carries a nice variety of cupcakes (and may have offered Darth in the past) but it closes at 4 p.m. and thus was not an option. (I don't understand why Starring Rolls isn't open during the evening?! )

We checked every location at Sunset Ranch Market for Darth and came up empty-handed. Em was NOT happy. Her perfect Disney day was not ending well. We had a final FP for Tower of Terror but she decided she didn't want to ride it. Our original plan was to stay for the Star Wars fireworks after TOT ~ but at this moment, Em was kinda anti-Star Wars and ready to leave.

"I really wanted that cupcake."
"I know, Sweetie."

We made our way out of the park towards the bus depot. And I had a brilliant thought! Why, we could get Em a different but still yummy cupcake from our favorite go-to cupcake spot ~ the Contempo Cafe! Our quest was not yet over!

We boarded the WL/Contemporary bus.

How cool is this atmosphere at night? Monorail watching while dining!

Whoosh!

I wish I could say that Em was blissfully enjoying a cupcake as that monorail zoomed by. But none of the cupcakes in the dessert case appealed to her. So this is what she chose instead ~

It was quite a quest for a simple chocolate chip cookie!

We took the monorail back to the Poly and got to see a firework show after all....while wearing our jammies!

 

[Scoppin]

Em and I were now on a quest to satisfy her sweet tooth ~ with one of these:

View attachment 159664
The Darth Vader chocolate/peanut butter cupcake!

The exit for the Olaf meet and greet was close to the Backlot Express, so we went there first. Backlot Express always has Darth. But not today.

Em remembered that the last time she got Darth we were at Sunset Ranch Market. We headed that way, passing Starring Rolls. Starring Rolls carries a nice variety of cupcakes (and may have offered Darth in the past) but it closes at 4 p.m. and thus was not an option. (I don't understand why Starring Rolls isn't open during the evening?! )

We checked every location at Sunset Ranch Market for Darth and came up empty-handed. Em was NOT happy. Her perfect Disney day was not ending well. We had a final FP for Tower of Terror but she decided she didn't want to ride it. Our original plan was to stay for the Star Wars fireworks after TOT ~ but at this moment, Em was kinda anti-Star Wars and ready to leave.

"I really wanted that cupcake."
"I know, Sweetie."

We made our way out of the park towards the bus depot. And I had a brilliant thought! Why, we could get Em a different but still yummy cupcake from our favorite go-to cupcake spot ~ the Contempo Cafe! Our quest was not yet over!

View attachment 159658
We boarded the WL/Contemporary bus.

How cool is this atmosphere at night? Monorail watching while dining!

View attachment 159660

Whoosh!
View attachment 159661

I wish I could say that Em was blissfully enjoying a cupcake as that monorail zoomed by. But none of the cupcakes in the dessert case appealed to her. So this is what she chose instead ~


View attachment 159659

It was quite a quest for a simple chocolate chip cookie!

We took the monorail back to the Poly and got to see a firework show after all....while wearing our jammies!

View attachment 159663

Sorry to hear EM was not able to get her cupcake. I will see if DD or DS has one for her in the coming weeks.

 

[gwhb75]

The new bus depot is very close to the "Springs" which is where our dinner choice is located.

View attachment 158346
(No, that woman is not actually holding a light saber!)

@wdwmagic had given D-Luxe Burger a very positive review, so we wanted to try it out. You place your order at the counter and then find a seat either indoors or out.

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We opted to sit outside on the porch.

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As lovely as Em is in this photo, I actually took it to capture the people behind her. But my senior brain has completely forgotten why! I hope @TrolleyFollower91 can fill us in!

The burgers were very tasty. But they are HUGE! Em and I agreed we should have shared one. The fries come with a choice of dipping sauces. I enjoy my fries in their purest form so the sauces held no appeal for me. Unfortunately, the fries also held no appeal for me. They were greasy and bland. Em said she thought the fries were ok with the ranch dipping sauce. But we'll probably skip fries on the next visit.

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I am a big s'mores fan, so this shake was a MUST!

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If it is possible for a shake to be too sweet, this was it. Em took a couple sips and was done. I was intrigued by the marshmallow syrup taste but decided that was the ingredient causing the sugar rush. I still managed to finish it. Would I order it again? Possibly.

So I'm not the only one who found the fries to be "meh"? The smores shake looks good though.

 

[Gabe1]

We are headed over to DS this evening, but since arriving here Saturday, staying offsite, I have spent zero dollars with Disney. My non-Disney spending makes me have mixed feelings. I like being frugal, but we are Disney stockholders, so I am sorta not contributing to my own annual dividend. But, others make up for it and the stock is doing pretty good, so thank you everyone else.

How long are you here for this time? Are you staying close?

 

[MinnieM123]

This is my FAVORITE cupcake in all of WDW!!! I must have one each time I visit. (I don't recall exactly when they first introduced the Darth cupcake, but I do know it's been available at DHS for at least a few years now.) My "go to" spot for this (with a cup of coffee) is Starring Rolls Cafe.