So, in January, I decided I felt like taking another trip to Disney, even though we had just been there in October. I had purchased Annual Passes for Kaitlyn and I and I needed to make at least one more trip to make it cost effective. I researched the hotel only specials for pass holders (and they were great) and made a reservation at the Polynesian Village Resort, a Monorail resort. Airfare wasn't a problem, as I had enough miles to make our flights virtually free (although we had to fly coach). So the trip was planned in less than 30 days and I still got everything I wanted.
Day One - February 26, 2016
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:30am, so I planned on picking Kaitlyn up at 6:30. I always leave very early, just in case there are delays on the road. I didn't actually get to her house until 7, but we still had plenty of time. We loaded her luggage, I asked her if she had everything, she said "yes" and off we went. Got on the highway and traffic was light. Right as we were approaching the entrance to I75s, Kaitlyn said "Oh no". "What did you forget this time?" (We went to a WWE show, got nearly all the way downtown when she said the exact same thing...she had forgotten the tickets). Well, this time, she had forgotten her Magic Band. For those of you who have not traveled to Disney in a while (or ever), Magic Bands are basically your tickets, your room key and everything else. Forgetting it would be extremely inconvenient. So, we turned around and went back to get it.
By the time we got on the highway, traffic had picked up and slowed down as it was flurrying. Still, we managed to get to FastPark and to the airport in plenty of time. By the way, if you travel out of CVG, I HIGHLY recommend FastPark. The lot is large and well-lit, there is always a shuttle available and the drivers are extremely friendly and helpful. We proceeded to the gate and boarded with no issues. I had paid the small amount to upgrade to Comfort or Delta + or whatever they are calling it. There is a little more leg room, Sky priority boarding and your first checked bag is free. We boarded immediately after First Class and had nice comfortable seats. The flight was full, but no screaming babies and it passed quickly and uneventfully.
Upon arrival at MCO, I was reminded of a lesson you think I would have learned: DO NOT LISTEN TO KAITLYN'S DIRECTIONS. We were catching the Disney Magical Express from the airport to our resort and she took us in the wrong direction. We traipsed all through the airport (and it is a LARGE airport) up and down levels until we finally reached Terminal B Level 1 and the departure point for Disney's Magical Express. We watched cartoons all the way to the resort.
Once we got to the Polynesian, we were greeted by cast members dressed in traditional Polynesian attire. Each guest gets a lei upon arrival, which is nice. The lobby is huge and very well themed, one could almost believe they were in the Polynesian Islands. We checked in at the desk, as I wanted to request Late Checkout. Normally, you do not need to check in at the desk, your room assignment is sent via text message. But, since the Poly has been running at full capacity for the last few weeks our room was not ready.
We wandered around for a bit, getting the lay of the land, including finding a Designated Smoking Area (DSA). The Poly seems to have more of these than any other resort we've stayed at and I was appreciative. The first one we found was right near the Lava Pool, the Marina and the Beach. Great view and we would return to it many times. We got drinks at the Barefoot Bar, I think I had a Pago Pago Painkiller and Kaitlyn had an Island Moon-shine. I liked mine, she wasn't a fan of hers. We decided we were hungry and went off to Capt. Cook's. It is a quick service restaurant and I cannot remember what we ate. But it was good.
After a bit, our room was ready and we went to drop off our carry on bags. Our checked bags arrived right after and we stowed those and went off to the Magic Kingdom. We chose to ride the monorail, because, well, it was right there. The weather was a little chilly, but Kaitlyn was enjoying the utter lack of humidity.
We wandered through the Emporium looking at all the merchandise. We didn't really have anything we HAD to buy, since we had loaded up in October, but we had funny looking. Our first FastPass+ was for the Jungle Cruise. The last few times we had been there, the Cruise was not operating, so it was great to get the opportunity to ride it first! The Skipper was hilarious, but Kait said she was disappointed because she figured out it was scripted (she discovered this by overhearing the Skipper behind us going through the same spiel). But it was fun nonetheless.
We had plenty of time until our next FP+, so we went on The Pirates of The Caribbean. It seemed darker than usual, but entertaining as always. Captain Jack Sparrow was very evident, as were Blackbeard and Davy Jones.
We ate at the Columbia Harbor House for dinner. I had the Battered Fish Plate w/fries which was very good. And Kaitlyn had Chicken Nuggets and Fish. We then went to catch our 2nd FP+.
I must say that the Seven Dwarves Mine Ride is my absolute favorite rollercoaster EVER. It is so much fun. The cars sway back and forth, just like mine cars. It's not too scary, but it is exciting. My only complaint about it is it is just too short! And while I would like to ride it more than once, the standby line wait is always around or over an hour.
After the Dwarves, we wandered a bit more, wasting time, riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (which actually had a wait) and It's A Small World. Since it was a Friday night, the park was fairly crowded, but not too bad. Our final FP+ was on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. This ride is hilarious. Basically, you spin and shoot and try to beat each other's score. Unfortunately, Kaitlyn kicked my butt at the very last second. I'll get her next time.
We decided to head back to the resort and caught the launch. It stops at both the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian and is usually a fairly quick way back. Unfortunately, we didn't time it right and got stopped in the middle of Seven Seas Lagoon by the Electrical Water Parade. It was very cold and we couldn't wait to get back on land. We did get to catch the Wishes Fireworks from the boat, which was neat.
We wanted to try Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, but it was full. So we chose to go outside. I had a Shrunken Head Zombie Head which is 3 different types of rum and some other stuff. It tasted great. Kaitlyn got the HippopotMaiTai - 2 different rums, Orange Curacao and other flavors. Both were served in Souvenir glasses that we got to take home! They had propane heaters, but ours wasn't turned up very high. We asked our server if we could turn it up a bit. She said that a) they didn't go up any higher (not true) and b) they were actually getting ready to close, as the temperature was (well) under 50. She was actually a bit rude and we were not pleased. After that, we decided it was time to call it a night and we went back to the room. We were exhausted and fell asleep fairly quickly. Saturday was going to be a busy day and we needed our rest. I'll write more tomorrow.
