Janmac
10-17-2008, 11:43 PM
The Hurricane, Free Dining, Old Key West Experiment and Poly Anniversary Trip
5 through 15 September 2008
Foreward: Thank you to the Intercotees who take the time to read trip reports. I wish I had more time to spend here but with the household I've got, plans are what you thought you were going to do during the day. Good thing is – there's seldom a dull moment. Anyway, please know that your comments are appreciated!
Day Nine in the World – Saturday 13 September 2008, Polynesian
Cast of characters -
Me, planner un-extraordinaire
Mac, DH apparently perennially resistant to the Disney bug – but at least he doesn't stay home
Nick, our youngest grandson, and the only 17 yr old in our extended family to visit WDW
Kim, my smart timeshare-owning sister, joining us from Washington State
Sam, our niece & Kim's daughter, major fan of Disney in general and Tink specifically
Sierra, Sam's 4 year old daughter, on her second trip to the World
The Plan - Breakfast at 'Ohanas, followed by miniature golfing at WinterSummerland using our Magic Your Way vouchers, for two of us and paying out of pocket for the rest, except for Mac who was happy to hang out at the resort. Supper at 1900 Park Faire.
What really happened – The draperies in our room are great for late sleeping. I woke at 7 am not knowing if it was 4 am or noon. Slept great too – wonderful pillow. We had been getting up and getting going while at OKW, but plan a slower pace at the Poly because we're only here for 3 days.
Everybody went to breakfast today, and we had little wait at 'Ohana before being seated. The breakfast skillet was better than the last time we'd had it. We enjoyed seeing Stitch, Lilo, Pluto and Mickey. Sierra was very happy to be able to join in the parade. I think the last time we had breakfasted here was in 1998, perhaps, when Mickey and Minnie were the characters, in floral shirts.
After breakfast Mac decided to wash clothes and read some in his book. We got to Blizzard Beach about 11:30 and had only about a 10 minute wait to begin the winter side of WinterSummerland. By the time we finished our 18 holes the golf course was getting busy. We were somewhat warm, and hungry, so we opted not to do the Summer side. Maybe tomorrow. For some reason the Summer side was not much in demand. It was a hot day.
Sierra did pretty well for her first mini-golf. She hung in there til about the 15th hole when she started losing interest. For the rest of the course, she'd hit the ball at the tee and then was done for the hole.
We decided to have lunch at Roarin' Forks at Wilderness Lodge but then waited a considerable while for a bus. Finally a Fort Wilderness bus driver said, get on, and took us to Wilderness Lodge. This place is like coming home. Roarin' Forks has a great counter service set up with one counter for hamburgers and another for healthier sandwiches and salads.
We called Mac while still at the Blizzard Beach bus stop to meet us at Wilderness Lodge but he had some transportation troubles and missed lunching with us. Kim, Sam and Sierra went to the Contemporary to shop while Nick and I kept Mac company during his lunch. Then Mac went back to the Poly and Nick and I looked around WL, which is Nick's favorite resort.
Back at the Poly, Sam took a nap, Kim and Sierra went swimming and Nick headed for the arcade. We had a 5:30 ADR for supper, so about 4:45 we headed for the monorail stop at the Poly. The monorail was packed but we squeezed on and got to the Grand Floridian in plenty of time.
The restaurant was as noisy as I remembered from our 2001 visit for breakfast but we were seated in a room off the main room which was quieter. The person seating us gave us info on when to expect characters, and how they went around our area before leaving which was very helpful. The food here is interesting, with several international dishes on the buffet. And the mini-desserts are great!
We got to have plenty of time with each character and at least two visited twice before we were done. There was a lot of humor, compared to other character meals. We were expecting Cinderella, Prince Charming, and Suzy and Perla. We were surprised to hear that instead of the mice, we'd see Lady Tremaine and her daughters, Drusilla and Anastasia, as well as Cinderella and her Prince.
Sierra was wearing a blue shirt and shorts set with Cinderella appliqued on the front. When Lady Tremaine stopped at our table she had something to say about the 'domestic' depicted on Sierra's shirt. One of the stepsisters mentioned the 'blue stain' hoping that Sierra could get that out of her shirt. Cinderella was more pleasant and friendly this evening, chatting with Sierra for quite awhile. Sierra was speechless when Prince Charming took her hand. She giggled a lot while the stepsisters were visiting. They are so wacky. When Cinderella and Prince Charming were dancing the waltz, Drusilla came into our area, loudly asking, who would dance with her. She didn't get many offers. :(
We took the monorail around to the Polynesian. This night we went down to the main pool area, where Kim & Sam got beverages from the Pool Bar while Sierra played in the Sand. We went to the launch dock to watch Wishes and the Boat Parade. The poor turtle tried to light up and then went dark. The whole boat must have had some electrical problem because the flag didn't light up either.
We stopped in at Capt. Cooks again for more snacks, fries and Mickey heads, before heading for bed.
What worked – we had great meals today. Practically no waits, and good food.
What didn't work – housekeeping essentially did not clean our rooms. If our rooms had been cleaned, we wouldn't still have the smears and dirt we'd noticed the day before. We didn't bother with the smears on the glass, but Sam did clean some of the other stuff (like cigarette butts on the balcony).
Surprise! The Tremaines at 1900 Park Faire. Drusilla and Anastasia were delightfully awkward. Lady Tremaine was entertainingly hauty. Very well cast and it must be so much fun for them.
It might be awhile – we're beginning to feel not so magical about our rooms at the Polynesian. The resort itself is great, and all the other CMs we see are so quick to smile and say Aloha that it makes the housekeeping staff on the 3rd floor of our building really stand out in comparison.
At the end of the day – Great meals at 'Ohanas, Roarin' Forks and 1900 Park Faire, good fireworks, another boat parade viewing and fun miniature golfing in the “snow”. It was a pretty good day. :thumbsup:
Jan
5 through 15 September 2008
Foreward: Thank you to the Intercotees who take the time to read trip reports. I wish I had more time to spend here but with the household I've got, plans are what you thought you were going to do during the day. Good thing is – there's seldom a dull moment. Anyway, please know that your comments are appreciated!
Day Nine in the World – Saturday 13 September 2008, Polynesian
Cast of characters -
Me, planner un-extraordinaire
Mac, DH apparently perennially resistant to the Disney bug – but at least he doesn't stay home
Nick, our youngest grandson, and the only 17 yr old in our extended family to visit WDW
Kim, my smart timeshare-owning sister, joining us from Washington State
Sam, our niece & Kim's daughter, major fan of Disney in general and Tink specifically
Sierra, Sam's 4 year old daughter, on her second trip to the World
The Plan - Breakfast at 'Ohanas, followed by miniature golfing at WinterSummerland using our Magic Your Way vouchers, for two of us and paying out of pocket for the rest, except for Mac who was happy to hang out at the resort. Supper at 1900 Park Faire.
What really happened – The draperies in our room are great for late sleeping. I woke at 7 am not knowing if it was 4 am or noon. Slept great too – wonderful pillow. We had been getting up and getting going while at OKW, but plan a slower pace at the Poly because we're only here for 3 days.
Everybody went to breakfast today, and we had little wait at 'Ohana before being seated. The breakfast skillet was better than the last time we'd had it. We enjoyed seeing Stitch, Lilo, Pluto and Mickey. Sierra was very happy to be able to join in the parade. I think the last time we had breakfasted here was in 1998, perhaps, when Mickey and Minnie were the characters, in floral shirts.
After breakfast Mac decided to wash clothes and read some in his book. We got to Blizzard Beach about 11:30 and had only about a 10 minute wait to begin the winter side of WinterSummerland. By the time we finished our 18 holes the golf course was getting busy. We were somewhat warm, and hungry, so we opted not to do the Summer side. Maybe tomorrow. For some reason the Summer side was not much in demand. It was a hot day.
Sierra did pretty well for her first mini-golf. She hung in there til about the 15th hole when she started losing interest. For the rest of the course, she'd hit the ball at the tee and then was done for the hole.
We decided to have lunch at Roarin' Forks at Wilderness Lodge but then waited a considerable while for a bus. Finally a Fort Wilderness bus driver said, get on, and took us to Wilderness Lodge. This place is like coming home. Roarin' Forks has a great counter service set up with one counter for hamburgers and another for healthier sandwiches and salads.
We called Mac while still at the Blizzard Beach bus stop to meet us at Wilderness Lodge but he had some transportation troubles and missed lunching with us. Kim, Sam and Sierra went to the Contemporary to shop while Nick and I kept Mac company during his lunch. Then Mac went back to the Poly and Nick and I looked around WL, which is Nick's favorite resort.
Back at the Poly, Sam took a nap, Kim and Sierra went swimming and Nick headed for the arcade. We had a 5:30 ADR for supper, so about 4:45 we headed for the monorail stop at the Poly. The monorail was packed but we squeezed on and got to the Grand Floridian in plenty of time.
The restaurant was as noisy as I remembered from our 2001 visit for breakfast but we were seated in a room off the main room which was quieter. The person seating us gave us info on when to expect characters, and how they went around our area before leaving which was very helpful. The food here is interesting, with several international dishes on the buffet. And the mini-desserts are great!
We got to have plenty of time with each character and at least two visited twice before we were done. There was a lot of humor, compared to other character meals. We were expecting Cinderella, Prince Charming, and Suzy and Perla. We were surprised to hear that instead of the mice, we'd see Lady Tremaine and her daughters, Drusilla and Anastasia, as well as Cinderella and her Prince.
Sierra was wearing a blue shirt and shorts set with Cinderella appliqued on the front. When Lady Tremaine stopped at our table she had something to say about the 'domestic' depicted on Sierra's shirt. One of the stepsisters mentioned the 'blue stain' hoping that Sierra could get that out of her shirt. Cinderella was more pleasant and friendly this evening, chatting with Sierra for quite awhile. Sierra was speechless when Prince Charming took her hand. She giggled a lot while the stepsisters were visiting. They are so wacky. When Cinderella and Prince Charming were dancing the waltz, Drusilla came into our area, loudly asking, who would dance with her. She didn't get many offers. :(
We took the monorail around to the Polynesian. This night we went down to the main pool area, where Kim & Sam got beverages from the Pool Bar while Sierra played in the Sand. We went to the launch dock to watch Wishes and the Boat Parade. The poor turtle tried to light up and then went dark. The whole boat must have had some electrical problem because the flag didn't light up either.
We stopped in at Capt. Cooks again for more snacks, fries and Mickey heads, before heading for bed.
What worked – we had great meals today. Practically no waits, and good food.
What didn't work – housekeeping essentially did not clean our rooms. If our rooms had been cleaned, we wouldn't still have the smears and dirt we'd noticed the day before. We didn't bother with the smears on the glass, but Sam did clean some of the other stuff (like cigarette butts on the balcony).
Surprise! The Tremaines at 1900 Park Faire. Drusilla and Anastasia were delightfully awkward. Lady Tremaine was entertainingly hauty. Very well cast and it must be so much fun for them.
It might be awhile – we're beginning to feel not so magical about our rooms at the Polynesian. The resort itself is great, and all the other CMs we see are so quick to smile and say Aloha that it makes the housekeeping staff on the 3rd floor of our building really stand out in comparison.
At the end of the day – Great meals at 'Ohanas, Roarin' Forks and 1900 Park Faire, good fireworks, another boat parade viewing and fun miniature golfing in the “snow”. It was a pretty good day. :thumbsup:
Jan