A Polynesian Birthday: March 6th - 12th! Updated and completed 6/10

paradesintherain · May 17, 2018

Aloha!

Welcome to my 2nd Trip Report. You can read my first trip report here - 13 days of fun! This trip came about because my birthday is March 9th, and on our last trip my dad and I had upgraded our tickets to Annual Passes, so why not go to the Most Magical Place on Earth for your 31st birthday? :rotfl:

I wasn't even sure this trip would happen, but one day Dad was like "oh by the way I booked the Polynesian for March 6th-12th". Worked for me!

This trip was just me and my dad, so the introductions will be brief!

Cast

I'm Kara, a night-shift RN with two cats (Princess Leia, and Merida) who lives in Kansas City. I'm a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Captain America, and The Lion King. My favorite resort is Animal Kingdom Lodge, and my favorite park is probably Hollywood Studios, but Animal Kingdom is a very close second. I love to travel and try new things.

This is my dad, Tony. He is a big Disney fan who, for some reason, relates to Grumpy. His favorite resort is also Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it was his dream to stay at the Polynesian since he was a child.

Trip details

When: March 6th-12th
Where: Polynesian Village Resort, pool or marina view rooms
Why: My birthday!
Tickets: Our first Annual Passes, and Disney After Hours
Transportation: Flying Southwest

So this trip happened almost 3 months ago, and my notes weren't the best, but I've got a ton of pictures and a fairly decent memory so let's see how this goes! My goal is to complete it by our next Disney vacation in 35 days.

Chapter Links

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Day 7 - Monday, March 12th - Departure

June 2018 PTR links

paradesintherain · May 17, 2018

Day 1 - Tuesday, March 6th - Arrival

So the start of my vacation didn't go quite as planned. On the 5th I had planned to pack and clean my apartment, but I woke up feeling a little nauseous and then spent the rest of the day with... "tummy issues". The weird thing is I didn't feel bad, but I kept vomiting. It was difficult to pack with these issues, but I did my best (which ended up being my worst) to get my packing done.

And, of course, Leia was there to help me.

I went to bed, fairly concerned that this would continue into the next day, which could really throw a wrench into the flight plan.

Our flight was at 9:35, and I thankfully woke up feeling much better. I babied my stomach and avoided my usual coffee at the airport. By the time we got to our layover in Atlanta I was feeling confident enough to have some coffee and food.

We arrived to MCO right on time, and headed to the Magical Express.

There was very little line, and I don't think we waited too long for a bus.

I must have still been feeling a bit on the puny side because I forgot to take a picture of the bus, and I didn't try to get the front seat.

Soon we were passing these beautiful gates.

We arrived to the Polynesian around 4:30. I believe we stopped at Bay Lake Tower first, but don't hold me to that!

We hadn't done online check-in, and it turned out to be a good thing because they had assigned us a king bed room. They tried to convince us because there's a pull-out couch but I was not about to sleep on a couch again after my experience at Animal Kingdom Lodge. So then that took FOREVER for them to find a room with two beds, and in the end none of my room requests were met. I had requested third floor, facing marina. I really wanted that full balcony. They gave us a first floor room facing the volcano pool. But, spoiler alert, I ended up loving it, and it was SUPER close to the lobby and closer to the bus stops and TTC than a marina view room would have been.

So we ended up in room 1606, in Samoa.

The room was large and clean, but probably a little dated. I also prefer when the sinks are separate from the shower so getting ready is easier for everyone, but it worked out fine and the lighting was fantastic. I'm kind of dreading the dim lighting in AKL for our next trip.

The best part of the room was definitely the view.

After settling into the room we were ready to find some food, but I'll save that for the next update!

Next: Day 1 - Tuesday, March 6th - Arrival, part 2

BekahBelle · May 17, 2018

Lovely photos. Can't wait to read more about your trip!

richmo · May 17, 2018

Hope you had a good time! As I mentioned in your earlier trip report, I just missed you on this one...came in about 4 days after you left...

kde175 · May 17, 2018

I'm here and jealous.

My birthday is March 11th and I would love to go WDW for it some time. Looking forward to following along!

bluejasmine · May 17, 2018

Cant wait to hear more!

dnllmz · May 17, 2018

paradesintherain said:
I wasn't even sure this trip would happen, but one day Dad was like "oh by the way I booked the Polynesian for March 6th-12th".

Best Dad Ever!!! What an awesome way to celebrate your birthday! Following along with the rest of your trip!

paradesintherain · May 17, 2018

BekahBelle said:
Lovely photos. Can't wait to read more about your trip!

Thank you! And thanks for joining in!

richmo said:
Hope you had a good time! As I mentioned in your earlier trip report, I just missed you on this one...came in about 4 days after you left...

It was a really great trip! Did you ever start a TR? How was your trip?

kde175 said:
I'm here and jealous. My birthday is March 11th and I would love to go WDW for it some time. Looking forward to following along!

Thanks for joining in! I highly recommend spending your birthday at Disney (land works too). I usually get some Birthday Blues, but if I spend my birthday at Disney that keeps them away

bluejasmine said:
Cant wait to hear more!

Welcome! Thanks for reading!

dnllmz said:
Best Dad Ever!!! What an awesome way to celebrate your birthday! Following along with the rest of your trip!

He really is the best Dad ever! Hope you enjoy the TR!

suse66 · May 17, 2018

Joining in! What better place to spend your birthday than at the Poly! Looking forward to reading all about it.

unwritten01 · May 17, 2018

Joining as well and can't wait! I like the hair!

paradesintherain · May 17, 2018

Day 1 - Tuesday, March 6th - Arrival, part 2

So after getting settled we were on the search for some food (I think Dad was on the search for a drink, travel days are stressful to him). I was pretty excited about how close our hotel room was to everything. There it is just between the palm trees. Super convenient!

We peeked in Captain Cook's first, but nothing really appealed to us.

It was a pretty nice evening, if a little on the chilly side, so we ended up at Trader Sam's Terrace.

Dad got a Kona beer flight. I don't think he thought it was too special, but it did help him relax and enter "vacation mode".

I, on the other hand, wasn't convinced my stomach could handle alcohol yet so I went with some water. The server was so nice and made the water special with a glow cube and bendy straw! Too bad it still tasted like Florida water.

We sat and enjoyed the ambiance at the resort for a while, and debated eating something at Trader Sam's.

In the end we decided to go to Disney Springs for better options. I went to the room first to put on a sweatshirt. This was the first time I realized I hadn't packed well - I'd only brought one sweatshirt and the forecast looked COLD.

We headed to the bus stop and a Disney Springs bus was loading as we walked up. Perfect timing! It did seem to take forever to get there from the Poly, but we eventually did get there. It's pretty convenient how the busses let you out right be Sephora.

Of course I had to stop in for some "essentials". I directed Dad to a beer cart and a bench. When I was done with my necessary trip to Sephora we headed on to the Marketplace Co-Op. I bought a couple mugs for my friend and two of the little art postcards, one had Coco and the other had Up. We stopped in pin/MagicBand kiosk and I FINALLY found both of the Lion King bands, so of course I had to purchase one.

I really wanted Earl of Sandwich so I grabbed a sandwich there and then we went to Jock Lindsey's for Dad. I thought it was a little weird that the CM just used the slider on my MagicBand as verification that I had an AP, but easier for me!

Chipotle Chicken Avocado - Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar, Avocado, Lettuce and Chipotle Sauce (I added onions because I love them)

My sandwich was delicious, as always. I love their bread. I did feel a little guilty about not ordering anything at Jock Lindsey's but the server didn't seem to mind.

We sat in the boat outside and had a good view of a band playing. I'm not sure what Dad ordered but I think he may have gone with the sliders again.

Once we were finished at Jock Lindsey's I thought I might like a cupcake from Sprinkles, so we headed in that direction. The line was out the door, though, and I wasn't that set on a cupcake anyway so we just headed to the bus stop, where once again the bus was at the stop when we arrived!

When we got back to the Poly I went to the store and purchased some Alka Seltzer for my stomach. I love the Poly at night!

I believe Dad went to Tambu Lounge for a bit, but I just stayed in the room and watched some TV. Cable is a luxury to me on vacation since I don't have it at home!

It was a slow and uneventful arrival day, but I don't think I could have tolerated much more! We turned in early, ready for a much more exciting day tomorrow.

Next post: Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom

paradesintherain · May 17, 2018

suse66 said:
Joining in! What better place to spend your birthday than at the Poly! Looking forward to reading all about it.

Thanks for joining in! It was definitely a very special place to spend my birthday!

unwritten01 said:
Joining as well and can't wait! I like the hair!

Welcome! Do you mean my hair? Haha, it's from a couple years ago, but thank you!

paradesintherain · May 18, 2018

Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom

I didn't sleep very well, so I woke up pretty early for me at 8. I loved the view from our room and it was a beautiful day.

Dad and I went to Capt. Cooks for some breakfast and coffee. Apparently I took this picture of my new MagicBand.

We ended up splitting a sandwich, and I took this lovely photo of it.

Breakfast Sandwich - Eggs, Bacon, and Cheddar on a Croissant

Despite the questionable picture this sandwich was actually pretty good, but didn't hold together well. We enjoyed our meal on the patio.

I took the time to enjoy the surroundings and took some pictures from the sidewalk in front of our patio. I couldn't get over how neat it was to be able to take a few steps and see the castle!

We left for Animal Kingdom around 9:45 and, once again, a bus was waiting for us at the stop! Our bus didn't stop at any other resort, which was good because we were already in the window for our first FP at Expedition Everest. We got through security fairly quickly and were on our way to Asia.

Despite being sort of pressed for time I had to stop and purchase some ears when I saw them. Just can't pass up The Lion King!

Soon enough we had made it to Everest, and we tapped MagicBands at 10:21, 9 minutes before our window was over.

I had to do the Yeti!

The line was pretty short once we had finished and I considered riding again but I didn't want to push my luck with my stomach, so I settled for taking some more pictures around the area.

We had some time to kill before our next FP at Kilimanjaro Safaris so I decided to go through Maharajah Jungle Trek. I really wanted to see the baby tigers!

I'll continue with the trail in the next post!

Next post: Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom, part 2

richmo · May 18, 2018

paradesintherain said:
...It was a really great trip! Did you ever start a TR? How was your trip?...

Mine was good too! I've never done a TR...maybe someday. I'm interested to see how the weather was while you were there. It was bouncing all over the place in March. I think my second or third day (around the 17th or 18th) it was well into the 80's, but my last day (the 22nd) I was wearing jeans instead of shorts, probably the first time I've done that in 15 years or so (I often go sometime in the mid-March early April time frame). Looks like you and your dad had cool weather gear at least the first day.

paradesintherain · May 18, 2018

richmo said:
Mine was good too! I've never done a TR...maybe someday. I'm interested to see how the weather was while you were there. It was bouncing all over the place in March. I think my second or third day (around the 17th or 18th) it was well into the 80's, but my last day (the 22nd) I was wearing jeans instead of shorts, probably the first time I've done that in 15 years or so (I often go sometime in the mid-March early April time frame). Looks like you and your dad had cool weather gear at least the first day.

I'd definitely read it if you decided to write one! For most of the trip the weather was perfect bordering on cold. When the sun went down it was really cold!

paradesintherain · May 18, 2018

Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom, part 2

When I left off we had just entered Maharajah Jungle Trek to try and find some baby tigers. But first up we had to admire my second favorite animal - bats!

Look at the sweet little baby showing off its wingspan!

These two were playing, it was precious.

Action shot of them playing! (At least I assume it was play)

After spending A LOT of time watching the bats I dragged myself away to find the tigers. I moved pretty quickly past the animals between the bats and the tigers.

The detail in this area never ceases to amaze me. It feels like you're actually walking through a ruin.

SO, moment of truth - would I get to see the baby tigers?!

Well, the babies were out but they were sleeping JUST out of view. Pretty sure you can see a little bit of one in the left of the picture. I watched for a bit hoping they'd wake up but no such luck.

After recovering from the tiger disappointment we continued on to the aviary, which I love. The birds were super active nesting today and we had a great time watching them.

It was time for our Safaris FP when we exited the trail, but the FP line was backed up to the Gorilla Falls trail, so naturally we decided to walk through that instead, in the hopes that the FP line would die down.

I actually think this is the aviary that had the really active birds now that I think about it.

Unfortunately the FP line was no shorter when we returned but we decided to get in line anyway. It took 18 minutes through the FP line so it wasn't as horrible as it seemed.

This giraffe was having a grand time walking in the road.

This is probably the closest I've ever seen the zebras on Safaris.

And the cheetahs never seem to move.

I believe the lions weren't visible, which is a bummer since they're my favorite animal, but I've seen them before.

After getting off the ride we put in a mobile order for Satuli Canteen and began the trek to Pandora!

Next post: Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom, part 3

paradesintherain · May 18, 2018

Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom, part 3

We had just made a mobile order for Satuli Canteen so we made our way to Pandora from Africa using my favorite path in Animal Kingdom, though I apparently took no photos of that.

We went straight into Satuli Canteen and grabbed our food. Mobile ordering works so great, but I wish there was a way to use discounts in the app. Maybe eventually they'll integrate that.

I ordered the build-your-own bowl with crispy fried tofu, the new rice and beans, and black bean vinaigrette. This is such a delicious and filling meal, I highly recommend it to everyone! Next time I think I might branch out and try the fish instead. I believe Dad also ordered a bowl with beef and also enjoyed his meal.

When we finished our meal we still had some time before our next FP, so naturally I took a million pictures of Pandora. I was happy to have some blue skies because the last time we were at Disney we had lots of grey days.

Aren't these flowers so pretty? They were right outside Satuli.

This'll probably be a photo dump! Hope you're not sick of pictures of Pandora yet!

I tried looking for new perspectives and I think I got a few good shots.

Love the waterfall in the sunlight!

Oh, wow, I really took a lot of pictures. Sorry guys, it's not over yet!

Dad's like, "you're STILL taking pictures?"

We got in the FP line for Navi River Journey at 1:30, which gave me some new angles for photos. I was actually so intent on looking for good view that I tripped on the edge of the pathway and almost fell. Oops!

We rode Navi River and it was fine. I didn't attempt any pictures because it's so dark. The Shaman was working, and it is such an impressive animatronic. I'll continue in the next post because wow this one has a lot of pictures.

Next post: Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom, part 4

paradesintherain · May 19, 2018

Day 2 - Wednesday, March 7th - Animal Kingdom, part 4

We had noticed before we got on Navi River that Flight of Passage had a standby time listed at 95 minutes, so we decided we'd ride that if it was still the same when we exited Navi. It was still listed at 95 minutes so we jumped in line. 95 is still quite a long time to wait but I'd never seen the standby queue and thought it might be nice to see. We got in line at 1:50.

The line moved steadily, and there was lots to see. Including a couple that were excusing their way through the line, presumably to find a family member, but I have my doubts. Either way, I think it's so rude. By 2:53 we were in the first preshow room. Oh, how I loathe the preshow and that man's um-ing. We were on the ride at 3 pm, and off by 3:10. So from start to finish we spent 1 hour and 20 minutes which is really fairly manageable, especially when just over an hour of that time was the actual queue.

After our flight of passage we walked back toward Africa with the idea of seeing Festival of the Lion King at 4 pm.

Before the show we stopped in Starbucks, though I have no photographic proof of that. I know I drank my coffee in the queue, and was really cold. Dad let me wear his jacket.

Festival of the Lion King is my number one show at Disney World. I'm not exactly a show person, but if it's good enough I'll definitely make time to watch it. Maybe on my next trip I'll try out some shows I haven't done in a while, like Beauty and the Beast. But maybe not because it'll be June.

At some point I picked up a FP for Dinosaur and passed the Tree of Life on the way. Did you really walk by the Tree of Life if you didn't take a picture of it?

The FP for Dinosaur was completely unnecessary. I was pleased to see the animatronics were working better than my last visit, but I think the sound was still subpar.

Earlier in the day I had noticed a drink I wanted to try at the Warung Outpost so we wandered back that way.

Triple Yeti Blast - A Layer of Kali River Mango, Maharaja Lime and Bali Hai Strawberry Margaritas

Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. I hate mango flavor and frozen margaritas are usually way too sugary. The CM was kind and offered to remake it without mango, but it was my stupidity so I kept it. At least it's photogenic! In the end, I couldn't finish it all.

We walked around and tried to decide what we wanted to do for dinner. I saw this sign and absolutely loved it.

The sun started setting and Harambe Theater looked so lovely.

I really had my heart set on Sanaa this trip, so even though no ADRs were showing up on the app we decided to go to Animal Kingdom Lodge and try for a walk-up. Plus, it just doesn't feel right if I don't visit Animal Kingdom Lodge while at Disney World. The Animal Kingdom Lodge bus was waiting at the stop for us - it was a sign!

We went straight to Sanaa and inquired about a walk-up and we were seated almost immediately. Much faster than when we actually had a reservation!

For appetizers, we obviously started with the bread service. This was every bit as delicious as I remembered - though much harder to finish with just 2 people.

Indian-style Bread Service: Choice of Five Breads - Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kucha, or Paneer Paratha. Choice of Three Accompaniments - Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chuntey, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, or Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle

I ordered the potje-inspired dish again. The butter chicken is seriously one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had! I was less impressed with the Paneer - I think it was a texture thing. And the sauce just wasn't my favorite either, but I'm sure it's an objectively good dish.

Potjie Inspired: Butter Chicken & Paneer Tikka

After dinner we peeked in the lobby of Jambo House. I bought some pins in the gift shop, one was the Animal Kingdom Lodge logo and I believe the other was a conservation pin with Simba on it.

On the way out I made sure to touch the 'good luck' door.

Here we made the stupid decision to catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom. We got to Magic Kingdom just as the fireworks were ending and we JUST missed beating the crowd as they diverted the express monorail guests to the resort monorail. People were so rude and pushy and it really tried my patience.

We eventually made it back to the Poly to relax for the rest of the night, and I booked us a 9 am Kona Cafe ADR!

Next post: Day 3 - Thursday, March 8th - Magic Kingdom

paradesintherain · May 19, 2018

Day 3 - Thursday, March 8th - Magic Kingdom

I slept much better than I had the previous night and I woke up with plenty of time to get ready before our 9 am Kona Cafe ADR. We headed to the main building - it was another chilly day!

I think I've said it before but I really like the openness of the new lobby. The waterfalls were nice but also kind of dated.

We were seated quickly and we started our meal off with the press pot coffee. I considered trying the Bloody Mary flight but decided against it because I'm old and they sometimes give me heartburn.

I considered getting the Tonga Toast but I'm more of a savory breakfast person so I settled for the Samoan. I enjoyed this, but I thought the previous pulled pork Eggs Benedict was superior.

Seven Seas Samoan - Poached eggs with citrus hollendaise sauce on pulled pork and turkey hash with mustard greens and tomatoes tossed in a citrus vinaigrette

Around 10:25 we boarded monorail yellow to Magic Kingdom!

When we entered the park Dad got a fraud alert on his credit card so while he called the bank and dealt with that I wandered through some shops.

I'd never taken much time to look at the shops themselves before so it was a nice change of pace.

I was surprised to find a glassblower setup in one of the stores. How has this existed and I've never been aware of it? Nobody was out demonstrating but it was still fun to find.

While Dad was dealing with his card I also searched for a sweatshirt I had fallen in love with - but since it was so cold they were all sold out of my size, pretty much everywhere in the World. Super disappointing because it was something I had hoped to buy before the trip happened.

Dad finally got his card situation sorted out and we headed to Fantasyland for our first FP at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

I pretty much always get seated in the last train, but that's ok because it's the best location, in my opinion.

I look ridiculous.

We didn't have much of an agenda so we just wandered around a bit.

This is one of my favorite shops in all of Disney World. It's just so much fun and so elaborately themed!

My (non-Disney-loving) friend had recently enlightened me to Humphrey the Bear and suddenly I noticed him everywhere! He's a classic cartoon, but I had no recollection of him until I watched some clips on youtube.

Just look at the trapeze platforms! So detailed, I love it so much.

Since we had Disney After Hours later I wasn't too worried about getting on rides so I decided to let Dad ride the steam train. I know it's a classic, but something about the ride just seems so tedious to me so I pretty much never ride it. Plus, when it's hot the last thing I want to do is sit on a slow-moving steam train. But today was very cool, so the ride was pleasant, and I enjoyed seeing some different perspectives of the park.

We disembarked at the Fantasyland station after a full circle tour. I'm glad I rode this attraction but I don't think it's necessary every trip.

Next post: Day 3 - Thursday, March 8th - Magic Kingdom, part 2

unwritten01 · May 19, 2018

Great pictures so far! How's the porg?

A Polynesian Birthday: March 6th - 12th! *Updated and completed 6/10*

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A Polynesian Birthday: March 6th - 12th! Updated and completed 6/10