[Amelia's Man]

Day 2 is coming......................

I hate to keep everyone waiting, but I'm at work on base, and I can't tie up the computer long enough to type my report! I'll have to post Day 2 on Friday night!

Sorry for the delay, I can't wait to post my report, but as they tell us, "Air Force needs come first!" I really can't tie up the computer! Aaarrggghhhh!

[jedijson]

No problem, AM! We can wait!

Just don't go too far off into the wild blue yonder and forget about us...

[cinderbella]

Originally Posted by Amelia's Man

Sorry for the delay, I can't wait to post my report, but as they tell us, "Air Force needs come first!" I really can't tie up the computer! Aaarrggghhhh!

I GUESS...since your protecting our country and all...we'll let it slide this time..but hurry up alright!

[Amelia's Man]

Hi folks! Sorry I'm late! Just not enough time over the weekend! But I'm gonna' fix it right now! Here's Day 2!
And I'm NOT giving up the computer here at work until I post this!!!

Day 2:
We woke up nice and early and went to the Kona Cafe for breakfast! I had the Tonga toast, and it was fantastic! If anyone gets to the Poly, youmust try it! But be warned....it is very filling! Topped off with a French Press pot of delicious kona coffee, and breakfast was in the bag! Time catch the monorail for the short hop over to the TTC, and the change to the monorail to Epcot! I know we probably should have just walked to the TTC, as it's only a short walk from the Poly, but we're on vacation right?!

We waited to ride up front on the monorail because my sons absolutely love it! (okay, Dad also wanted to ride up front so he could video tape the voyage to Epcot!) After a truly enjoyable ride to Epcot, we arrived nice and early on an extremely hot, muggy day!
First thing on our list: getting fast passes for Soarin"! After we got them, we went over to the Living Seas to check out Turtle Talk with Crush! They've now added Dory, which really pleased my wife because Dory is one of her favorites! I don't know how they achieved the Turtle Talk show, but it truly is Disney magic! One of my sons was picked to talk with Crush! After my son had Crush totally confused, Crush then asked to talk to "Mom"! So my wife even got to interact with Crush! It was very funny, and we left the show feeling a bit more a part of Disney! We then wend to the "under water" labs, and had a great time! The manatees were beautiful, and my family and I support all efforts to protect and save these benevolent creatures!

Now everyone but me started to get hungry (remember, I had the Tonga toast for breakfast!) But before getting something to eat, I suggested we do Mission Space first! There was no line, and I was hoping that it was due to being early and not because of the tragedy a little while back. Whatever the case, we were able to walk right on in!
Well.....I now have a new favorite ride in all the parks! (I still love Haunted Mansion!) I was totally blown away by the experience! Being in the military, I happen to really love all the simulator type rides, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did! My wife and sons also loved it (my sons a little bit more than my wife though!) After that, it was time for a snack. Nothing for me, as I was still working off the Tonga toast!
We hit some of the shops until it was time for our ride on Soarin'! Soarin' is everything we had heard and more! The flight down Main Street in Disneyland was the icing on the cake! This is now my wife and sons' favorite ride! Now the rains came, so it was off to World Showcase to see what beers.....errr....things it had to offer!

Morocco was the first land we hit, and now that the rain let up we were hot and thirsty! My wife and kids had smoothies and I had a Moroccan beer! They had a group called Mo-Rock ready to perform, so we sat down and I started to film! They were great! A combination of fusion, rock, and traditional Moroccan music! Then out came the belly-dancer and I fell in love! Just kidding, but she was absolutely gorgeous and mesmerizing! She reminded me of Caroline Munro, one of my all time favorite actresses! After the show, I tried like heck to find the same outfit she wore for my wife, but no luck! On to Japan.....

We spent some time (and $$$!) in the Mitsukoshi department store. I love it in there, it reminds me of the time i spent in Okinawa! Time for some more liquid refreshment! The Matsu No Ma lounge serves a wonderfully chilled bottle of Kirin lager. I had one. Then another one. My wife had a glass of white wine, and the boys had smoothies! I swear, they love those things! My wife and I got to talking about hot sake, so we ordered a bottle! (starting to see a pattern here?!) My wife wasn't too keen on the sake, but I love the stuff so I drank it! All six cups. We then walked (I staggered) outside to see a little skit that was about to start. Both of my sons were picked to take part in the skit! It was a really cute show, and I taped the whole thing! As we were about to move on, the Japanese taiko drummers were setting up to perform, so we stayed for that show too! Japan is our favorite world to visit in Epcot and we were all glad to spend a good amount of time there!
Now it was time to stroll the lands and check them out and shop at our own pace! Our PS at the Rose & Crown was fast approaching, so we headed on over!

My wife ordered a Welsh Dragon, my sons both had smoothies (again!), and I had the Imperial Sampler! (five glasses of different beers from around the United Kingdom!) My family didn't think I would finish them all......but I did! I even drank them in the order that they were placed on the special mat! Honest to God, I didn't know where we were putting all this beer/drinks/smoothies! Oh, you have to try the Guinness stew at the R&C, it's to die for! That, and the cheese platter that I had for a starter! Mmmmmm....Stilton! After dinner the boys were getting "pool happy", they just wanted to get back to the pool at the Poly! So we had to give Illuminations a miss, as well as the other "worlds"! Ahh well, next time I WILL videotape Illuminations! Next time!

On our way out we decided to go into Spaceship Earth, as we had never done this before. I can't believe we waited so long! What a wonderful experience it was! Entertaining and educational! We got in line for Test Track, but the line was moving in fits and starts and this didn't bode well at all! After nearly 40 minutes, we were all told that they had to shut down the ride due to lightning! It was now raining pretty good too! On the way out everyone was given a fast pass good for any time, and for up to six people! cool! There's always tomorrow before MGM! Let's hop on the monorail and get to the pool!

After a thoroughly relaxing swim, that was even more wonderful because the rain had stopped, we voted to go check out the extra hours at the MK! I love being in the park at night to see the castle all lit up, and the buildings too! I was in taping heaven! We rode on the TTA....sorry.... the Wedway People Mover! Nice and relaxing, we were all starting to drag now! Then it was the Carousel Of Progress! This was the first time seeing this for my family, and the first time since 1975 for me! It brought back a ton of happy memories! Was that a tear in my eye.....ahhh....I'm probably tired! Yeah that's it, tired!
Needless to say it is now on our list of "must-do" things at Disney World!
Time to get back to the Poly, a hot shower, and bed! Tomorrow is another day!

I promise to NOT keep you all waiting for Day 3, our final day in the parks for this trip! I will post it by this weekend, and then I'll get to the cruise portion of our trip! Hope you're all enjoying it so far!!

[Dopey]

What a great second day....I loved every beer errr....every minute of it.

[lovemysons]

Amelia's Man, sounds like a great 2nd day. We absolutely loved the Kona Cafe too. It is a great choice for breakfast and dinner too! How cool that your son & wife got to interact with Crush. That is such a clever attraction. Can't wait for your next installment.

[Amelia's Man]

After a few days of non-stop work, we finally have a nice break, so here is Day 3 of my trip!

Day 3:
Woke up early and we all went to 'Ohana for the character breakfast! They serve the breakfast "family style", meaning they bring huge trays of food to your table! There were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and Mickey waffles! Yum!! You start out with Hawaiian "friendship bread"! It was all extremely delicious! We loved this character breakfast more so than at Chef Mickey's (which was great too!) This one was as enjoyable as the Donald Duck Dino breakfast over at AK! Great character interaction! There was even a parade of all the characters and anyone else who wanted to join in! The tune "Hawaiian Roller Coaster" from Lilo & Stitch was played and it was a fun start to the day!
After breakfast, we decided to take the monorail to Epcot to use our fast pass for Test Track, but when we got there, Test Track wasn't running and we were told that the ride had broken down and wouldn't be running until 4:00 at the earliest! We really wanted to get to Disney/MGM, as that was what we had planned for the day, so we bid farewell to Epcot for another year and made a group promise to ride Test Track first next time we come!
Another wonderfull monorail ride up front back to the TTC, and our bus to Disney/MGM Studios!
As soon as we got to the park, I turned left and headed straight for Sid's! But ... my wife pulled me away! You see, I spend a lot of time in there.....A LOT !! (my wife promised me I could go in there on our way out though!!)
The park was already very crowded and HOT so we went to get in line for Star Tours! Imagine our complete surprise to find that there was no waiting! We even got to ride in the front row of the "vehicle" for the very first time! Boy it was great, we really love this ride and getting to ride in the front row made it that much more special!! Next was the Great Movie Ride, which we had never been on before! This had a rather long line, but it was all inside and cool! Disney does such a wonderful job moving people through the lines, and there is always something to see while you are waiting! We saw the holographic chess table from the Millenium Falcon in Star Wars, and the carousel horse that Julie Andrews rode in that scene from Mary Poppins!
The ride itself was very enjoyable, and I especially liked the scenes from Casablanca, and Raiders Of The Lost Ark!
By now the heat was getting unberable, and my sons started to look a bit flushed, so we decided to head over to the Sci-Fi diner to see if we could change our reservation time! Well, the folks there were very accomodating, and they let us cancel our dinner seating, and we went straight in for lunch! cool! As always, the food was delicious! The alcoholic chocolate milkshake I had was so good, I had two of em'! We all had two drinks each, and they all came with those glowing "ice" cubes! We've got quite a collection of them now! After lunch, we walked around and did some shopping! (still no Sid's.....yet!) We tried to get into the show about animation, with a character meet and greet with the Incredibles, but we just missed it! Oh well, just another thing on our "must do next time" list!
Tired, hot feet were now the order of the day, so it was time to head out (with a stop at Sid's.....YES!) The pool at the Polynesian was calling out, and it was extremely hard to resist that particular calling!
Besides, the internal craving for a Lapu Lapu was now kicking into high gear!

Day four soon! Hopefully, with Tink on my shoulder, this weekend!

One last thing, when we got back to the Poly, we were just about to enter the Great Ceremonial House, when out came a hostess and a "fire eater"! They were about to do the ceremony of the lighting of the torches! And I most definitely had my video camera! What a neat ceremony! We were glad we left the park early, as we would have missed it entirely!

Now.......where are those Lapu Lapus!

[Peppertink]

I am really enjoying your tr! I do have one question though...What is Sid's??? I trying to remember, but can't...don't want to miss anything!

Thanks again for a great report....Now...I just have to remember to try those Lapu Lapus when we visit in November:)

[jedijson]

OH MAN! This is a GREAT TR! So, who was at the character breakfast at Ohanas?

[Amelia's Man]

Peppertink, to answer your question, Sid's is "Sid Cahuenga's One Of A Kind"! It is a memorabilia shop that specializes in autographed movie stills of many popular actresses and actors, as well as other trinkets and movie posters! I have a tendency to browse in there and totally loose track of time!

jedijson, at the character breakfast, we met Mickey, Goofy, Chip, and Dale! They all spent a good amount of time with us too, posing for pictures, signing autograps, and goofing around with us!

[JM0318]

great trip report, I think the next time we go I will have to have one of those Lapu Lapu's
I keep hearing everyone talk about them...

[BuzzLightyear]

Very good reading!

So, how did you like the Poly overall?

[EmpressJenny]

Great TR, I'm glad your experience at the Poly was a good one.

[Amelia's Man]

The Polynesian was ....in a word.....PHENOMENAL!!

Which brings us to the saddest, but also the happiest day of our trip! Sad, because we had to leave the Poly, but happy because we were about to embark on our cruise!

Day 4:
We woke up very early, because our luggage had to be ready for pick up at 8:00 A.M., so it could get to Port Canaveral well before us! Well, promptly at 8:00, there was a knock at the door, and a very friendly Poly cast member was there to pick up our luggage! talk about efficient! I'm telling you, we do NOT have a single bad thing to say about the Polynesian! The experience was one we will treasure forever, and we absolutely come back and stay longer!
After breakfast, we had a short meeting with a Disney Cruise Line cast member who told us all we needed to know upon our arrival at Port Canaveral! But we still had just over two hours so we decided to take a nice relaxing stroll around the resort grounds! This place truly is paradise! I can see why for many (us included!) there really is only one place to stay on Disney property! We look forward to our next visit!

My wife and one of my sons wanted to get in one more swim, so while they did that, my other son and I rented a "mouse boat"! These things are a blast! We had a grand time zooming around the entire lagoon, with up-close visits to the Contemporary, the Magic Kingdom, and the Grand Floridian! Alas, all good things.......
It was time to head back in. When we got back to dock the boat, I made a complete fool of myself! I made it into the slip, but the cast member was giving me a signal that to me said "go around"! So I started to back out of the slip and proceeded to severely bang the boat all over the place! come to find out the cast member was actually signalling me that I was a-ok!
you know, it's probably a good thing that I'm not piloting boats for a living!

We caught up to the rest of the family, and got on our official Disney Cruise Line bus, and headed out for Port Canaveral! Aloha Poly, we WILL miss you!

Our first glimpse of the Wonder when she came into view was magnificent! What a vessel! We made our way into the port building, and since we were already checked in, we started straight for boarding! But first, we had our picture taken with nautical Pluto, and one against a bon Voyage backdrop! Then it was time to show our IDs and key to the world cards and get aboard!
We entered through deck three into the atrium........W O W !!!!!
It is so visually stunning that it takes your breath away! A cast member is there to anounce your arrival onto the ship via bullhorn, and everyone claps and cheers for you! Nice Disney touch! It really makes you feel special! The glass lighting sculpture hanging from the ceiling is remarkable, and there is a cool bronze statue of Ariel there too! If you look closely, you can see various Disney characters in the railings and the frescos above! There was a buffet style lunch for everyone at the Beach Blanket Buffet! What a spread! We all ate a lot, and pretty quickly too, as we couldn't wait to start exploring!
My wife and kids went to our cabin to change and hit the pools! I went up to deck 10 and took some photos well before the crowds arrived!

There was a humongous ship docked at our bow, and as we were leaving, our captain blew the horn once and the giant in front of us responded with its ominously loud horn! This went back and forth until our captain hit them with the full seven note horn (the tune is the first seven notes from
When-You-Wish-Up-On-A-Star!) After that, the giant ship had no response! None!
I met up with my wife and children in the Promenade Lounge after their swim! We all had a drink, then went up to deck 9 for the cast-off party! That was lots of fun too!
Now we were underway, and my boys couldn't wait to get signed up for the Oceaneer's Lab! So my wife and I took them to the lab located on deck 5, signed them in, got a pager (which we never needed by the way!) And we didn't see them until it was time for dinner! Amazing what they do for kids onboard! absolutely amazing!
While the boys were having fun in the lab, my wife wanted to swim some more and I wanted to explore the ship, so off we went!

One side note: my wife bought me this giant glass Disney Cruise Line logo beer mug, that you take around with you to the various bars and clubs on the ship and you get discounts on beer refills!
Soooooooo...........................that's what I did! Let me tell you, I found a great many locations that were more than happy to refill my mug for me! And who am I to be impolite and say no?!
(that's my story.....and I'm sticking to it!)
Diversions nightclub quickly became my favorite, because they served Kirin Lager, my favorite brew from Japan!

My next trip report will pick up where this one leaves off! So I'll start with our first dining experience at Parrot Cay!

Until then, I really hope you are enjoying reading this as I'm enjoying re-living the memories!

[daisyd]

Thanks, I am really enjoying your TR Amelia's Man! Keep it coming!