PolyGirl40’s Escape From New York; The 2002 Sequel -- Day Eight
Saturday; February 16, 2002
Cast of Characters
Carol -- PolyGirl40 -- Disney Vacation Commander in Chief
Tony -- Dear Husband & Dad -- Advisor on Fiscal Affairs.
Jeremy -- #1 Son (15)
Shayne -- #2 Son (7)
Pooh and the Gang, I’ll do the Laundry and Our Awesome View.
We had very little planned for today. We knew the crowds would be swelling in and decided to avoid that. Our plan ended up to be great. We woke to chilly, damp weather. Not a great morning for touring a park. The forecast called for early showers and clearing by afternoon.
We had scheduled breakfast at the Crystal Palace. We got up bright and early and hopped the monorail by 7:30 a.m.. Our in-the-park breakfasts worked out great. We were able to avoid the masses when the turnstiles opened to the public.
Check in was the same as Monday. One quick stop at the clipboard and we were allowed access by 7:55. We moseyed right over to the Crystal Palace. It had just opened so our wait time was nil. We dined here last year and loved it. Today would ring the same bell. The characters were loads of fun and the food scrumptious. We hit every station and filled ourselves to capacity. Lots of fun, pictures and autographs later we headed for rope drop at Tomorrowland. Our quest; We had to get on Buzz.
This is Shayne’s favorite attraction in Tomorrowland. He loves it. We got right into line and did a continuous loop four times without waiting. On our last loop the crowds were starting to invade the area. The skies looked very threatening so we hightailed it to Frontierland. Everyone wanted to take another trip on the runaway train. The wait for Big Thunder was only 5 minutes. I assume everyone was hitting Tomorrowland. We did 3 jaunts through the mountains before the crowds found us. Even on our last trip the wait was only 15 minutes. What fun. I love this attraction.
Shayne passed on Splash. He did not feel like getting wet. This was for the better anyway. It was chilly. Off to Adventureland. We needed to take a journey on the Jungle Cruise. We missed it earlier in the week due to long lines. The wait was 10 minutes. We were aboard our boat in no time. What a disappointment. We had an icky boring Captain. He talked in a monotone and seemed like he was less then thrilled to be there. How I wished for a better Skipper. It went unnoticed to the kids but - I knew better.
Next up; Pirates of the Caribbean. I agree with anyone that thinks the ride is quieter. You hardly heard the cannons. What’s up with that? Regardless - we loved our voyage. When we came out it was raining. Not a downpour - but fairly steady. We ducked into the Enchanted Tiki Room. It’s under new management you know? Right after our encounter with the birds, Shayne asked to go to the Haunted Mansion again. No problem. We headed right there. Along the way the rain really started picking up. Combined with the cool temperatures it was not pleasant. After our tour of the Haunted Mansion we decided to head back to Tomorrowland. I was not leaving the park without seeing Carousel of Progress and the Timekeeper.
It was pouring by the time we hit the bridge. We scooted right into the line for CoP. We were under cover and did not mind the wait. The crowds for the attraction were pleasingly long. I was glad to see so many interested visitors. It did not disappoint. I’ve always been fond of the Carousel of Progress. I guess it’s mostly nostalgia from earlier trips. Plus - it was Walt’s baby. After getting our dose of a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow we hopped on the TTA.
It was the first time in a long time we waited in line for this one. That is how crowded the Park was. We knew it was time to head back to the Polynesian. We hopped over to view the Timekeeper. (Again - nice crowds for this.) It was nearing 2 o’clock. Our morning at the Magic Kingdom had turned into an early afternoon. It was fine - as this would be our last visit for this trip. The entire gang was ready to call it a done deal after Timekeeper. It had stopped raining so we headed to the exit. One quick loop around the monorail and we were back *home*.
We had early dinner plans at the California Grill. We decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon taking it easy. The guys headed for the Contemporary Arcade and I ventured over to the laundry. I did 3 loads of clothes and had a great visit with another guest. She has stayed at every Disney resort and has deemed the Polynesian her favorite. Her family has stayed there on the last 3 visits. I understood her love perfectly. They are from New Jersey and vacation in the winter as well. Making the white sandy beaches and palm trees at the Polynesian the perfect respite.
It was only 4 o clock. I journeyed around snapping pictures and discovered that the atrium inside of the Great Ceremonial House has been replanted. It looks wonderful. A drape has been placed over the waterfall area. This bocks off any work being done. However - from above I could see they were working on the pipe system. The same can be said for the front entry. I snooped from the monorail station and could see that new trenches have been dug. It should be completed very soon. That area is all freshly planted as well. The foliage looks wonderful and fresh. Anyone visiting soon will have to let me know how it is progressing.
When I got back to the room I took a little nap. The guys were not suppose to meet me until 5:30. They got back on time and woke me up. We changed for dinner and zoomed right back over to the Contemporary for our first meal at the California Grill.
Wow! The view is unbelievable. Everything we see from the Polynesian has a completely different feel from above. The perspective is amazing. The guys went out onto the observation deck. I made it half way out but turned back. I’m scared to death of heights. There was no way I was getting any closer to that railing. Eeek.
We were seated at the window - overlooking the lagoon and Magic Kingdom.Boy were we hungry. Tony and I had skipped lunch to save our appetite for this meal. Our waiter was splendid. He apologized for the sun shining into our faces and told us it would be going down shortly. I never gave it a second thought. We selected BBQ Glazed Chicken flat bread as a starter. It was delicious. It had chicken, provolone and caramelized onions on it. Yum. While sipping cappuccino and munching on our appetizers I glanced over Tony’s shoulder. Oh my goodness. Look at that sunset! It was something I’ve never experienced before. You could see the sparkle from the Grand Floridian lights glistening on the water. The boats leaving their little streams behind, as the sun went down. The colors were indescribable. It was worth the price of dinner! I have pictures posted if you want to see the view. They do not do it justice. It was a wonderful surprise. How can life get any better then that? I’m with my family, the one most dear to my heart viewing an awesome sunset. I’ll never forget it!
I could have dined on hot dogs at this point and not cared less. But I didn’t.I ordered the Spit Roasted Range Chicken as my entree. It came with vegetable stir-fried rice. The presentation was outstanding. Tony chose the Barbecue Beef Filet with buttered escarole. He said it was perfect. It was served atop mashed potatoes and looked delectable. The boys made their selections off from the children’s menu. This did not detour the restaurant from their unique way of presenting food. Shayne had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They sat the triangles on their sides and filled the voids left on the plate with goldfish crackers. It looked so fun! Jeremy decided on the personal Tomato and Provolone cheese pizza. Everyone cleaned their plates. We struck gold again! Our dining remained flawless!
We all wanted dessert. Shayne chose the Rice Krispy Sushi Plate. Jeremy ordered the Ms. Ice Cream Head. Both were great fun. Tony decided on the America's Chocolate Cake. It was swimming in a peanut butter custard sauce. Needless to say - it was yummy. I had the angel food cake. It had a lemon glaze over it and blood orange slices on the side. Another great creation. The 2 textures were grand and instantly generated a celebration with my taste buds. It reminded me of the grapefruit cake. Great combinations. We ordered more cappuccino and enjoyed our remaining time looking down on the World.
We found this restaurant to be no more expensive then the other places we dined. We are not drinkers. Therefore our meal bills were based on food items. I highly reccomend the California Grill. It ranks right up there in our Disney top 5. If you cannot get seating revolved around the fireworks - then by all means try to be there for sunset!
We promptly paid our tab and headed back to the Polynesian. We wanted to watch the fireworks from the beach. Jeremy and Shayne snagged two hammocks as Tony and I pulled up a couple of lounge chairs. The Luau masses had invaded the beach. This left no vacant swings. Oh well - it’s a big beach. We had a perfect view. Right after the fireworks the Electric Water Pagent began it’s quaint little journey up the lagoon. What fun. We could hear the crowds cheer and sing when the boats change to the stars and stripes. A spectacular ending to our day.
We stopped at the Lounge for coffee and called it a night. [img]graemlins/sleepin.gif[/img]
Today’s Spending;
Crystal Palace Breakfast: 70 w/tip
Laundry: $12
Captain Cook’s Lunch: Jeremy - pizza - Shayne Hot dog $17.57
Arcade: $20
California Grill Dinner: $139.75 w/tip
Day Eight Total; $259.32
Next Up: Day Nine -- More Millionaire, Cousin Mark and ‘Ohana.
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