POLY, BLT & THE DREAM, WITH A TEEN AND A TWEEN…APRIL 2016***COMPLETED 8/15****

[buzzrelly]

Huh. DH and I ate at Pinocchio's for the first time in YEARS back in January. He just had a salad; I had the caprese flatbread and garlic knots and I was actually surprised the food was better than I thought it would be. Of course that's not the same as pizza......was thinking of going back there this Nov. with the boys but if we do, guess we'll stay away from the pizza!

I love hearing people say they love HS It's been my favorite park, closely tied with Epcot, for years. It's kind of in limbo now with all that's going on but I'm confident it'll retain it's #1 spot when all is said and done. DS14 loves it, too.

So we aren't SW fans here but wanted to give you an interesting (I think it'll be interesting?) little piece of info. My stepson works for a pool company; he installs inground pools and also does maintenance on them. In essence - he's what I lovingly refer to as a "pool boy" One of the towns very near us is Pawling, NY. One of its more famous residents is James Earl Jones; my stepson is James Earl Jones' pool boy!

Oops…that may actually BE Flatbread and I was calling it pizza?? Maybe that's the problem


I hope all the Star Wars doesn't ruin it for you, but we loved it! I do miss the Animation Academy and the streets of America, but I'm hopeful we will like the new stuff just as much

Awesome! DS would love to clean Darth Vader's pool!!

 

[nenglim]

APRIL 9, 2016: THE FORCE WAS WITH US at DHS

When I got off TSM, I texted DS and we decided to meet at the Animation Academy…errrrr...Star Wars Launch Bay. Still miss that

DS is a HUGE Star Wars fan and we were both really excited to see some of the new Star Wars stuff.

I miss Animation Academy as well. One year we got to meet some real cool characters there, Jafar, Queen of Hearts and and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Then most recently Wreck-it Ralph and Vanellope. I liked how they had set up the queue to the SW characters, with all the light sabers and helmets (is that what they are called?) DH wanted some cool SW stuff but we could not justify spending that much for that.

 

[ariane37]

I hope all the Star Wars doesn't ruin it for you, but we loved it! I do miss the Animation Academy and the streets of America, but I'm hopeful we will like the new stuff just as much

DH watched the first SW movie a few weeks ago, mainly because of all the SW stuff at HS now and all the stuff that's going to be coming. He said it wasn't that bad lol. It's just something I've never been in to and the boys have begun watching some of the movies but they've never gotten into them, either. I'm sure there'll still be enough there for me to love it! And we'll ride any ride, even if we're not familiar with the backstory. But yes I truly miss Animation Academy and I really miss the "old" backlot tour, when you used to see working sets and houses like the one used in the Golden Girls. Things must change though........

I will say if they ever do away with my beloved ToT, I'll stage a riot

 

[buzzrelly]

I miss Animation Academy as well. One year we got to meet some real cool characters there, Jafar, Queen of Hearts and and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Then most recently Wreck-it Ralph and Vanellope. I liked how they had set up the queue to the SW characters, with all the light sabers and helmets (is that what they are called?) DH wanted some cool SW stuff but we could not justify spending that much for that.

Yeah, DS was eyeing a stormtrooper helmet and we looked at the price…$600! No thanks!

DH watched the first SW movie a few weeks ago, mainly because of all the SW stuff at HS now and all the stuff that's going to be coming. He said it wasn't that bad lol. It's just something I've never been in to and the boys have begun watching some of the movies but they've never gotten into them, either. I'm sure there'll still be enough there for me to love it! And we'll ride any ride, even if we're not familiar with the backstory. But yes I truly miss Animation Academy and I really miss the "old" backlot tour, when you used to see working sets and houses like the one used in the Golden Girls. Things must change though........

I will say if they ever do away with my beloved ToT, I'll stage a riot

Do you know, I first rode TOT when DS was 4 and I HATED it! HE was fine, but I kept thinking he was going to fly up out of the seat and die! I finally went back on last year, after reading about how you're not really falling, you're being PULLED by a long arm or something. For some crazy reason, that has made all the difference to me! I can totally go on now and I really love most parts of the ride (still don't LOVE the dropping feeling). Wasn't there a rumor that they were putting a Guardians Of The Galaxy overlay on it?

 

[pucknasty]

Great report so far! Your view from the Poly was breathtaking!

 

[buzzrelly]

Great report so far! Your view from the Poly was breathtaking!

Thank you! And thanks for joining in! That view really was spectacular!



BTW, love your username!

 

[pucknasty]

thanks!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: TOLD YOU I WAS A BEAVER



Here's my proof!



As we were wandering around, we noticed these walls had descriptions on them of the new areas of the parks…

Looks like the real Pizza Planet from the movies and I hope it is because I miss the other Pizza Planet that just closed. That was always our go-to lunch at DHS. Now we end up eating at Starring Rolls which isn't bad but missing our tradition



DD just totally randomly ran into a girl from school and she was so happy! She screamed ALMOST as loud as she did when Cameron Boyce walked by



Then I came across this gem and I had to take a picture of it. I LOVE this movie and this message and this poster, and it it now my Facebook cover photo...


It was finally time for our Mama Melrose ADR. When I made the reservation I had requested the F! dining package. But when the details came out about the Star Wars Fireworks, I realized that we would MUCH rather do the dessert party and skip F! since we've seen it many times before. They let us keep our ADR as a regular reservation anyway, so it all worked out. I have to say, we have eaten here many times and always enjoyed it, but this time not as much as previous times. We had to wait at least 30 minutes after our ADR time to get a table and everybody was kind of getting hungry and cranky. Then our waitress was a total dud and not very pleasant. You ever get waited on by someone who seemingly hates their job? Ya, well…that's what it seemed like. For example, she had brought the bread and oil but no butter. DD and DM like butter on their bread so when she was walking past we asked if we could get some and she very snootily said, "well, it's going to be a while because I am doing [such and such, and such and such…I can't even remember]. Ummmm, okkkk…or if you just tell me where it is I can get it myself?? I don't know, it was just weird…I don't really care what else you need to do, just say "okay, sure," and then if it takes a while it takes a while. Just very strange. She wasn't very nice and kind of ruined the dining experience for us. We will definitely go back but just hope we get a different waitress next time…

Anyway, DD got her standard…


DS got Spaghetti…he looks a little maniacal since he was obviously STARVING


DM and I split a salad (which I forgot to take a picture of), and Penne Ala Vodka…


We all liked our food, if not the service. Nobody ordered dessert since we had a reservation for the Star Wars dessert party later and we all planned on eating $300 worth of desserts there



Up next…Desserts, A Creepy Wookie, and The GREATEST Fireworks I've EVER Seen!

 

[nenglim]

APRIL 9, 2016: TOLD YOU I WAS A BEAVER
We all liked our food, if not the service. Nobody ordered dessert since we had a reservation for the Star Wars dessert party later and we all planned on eating $300 worth of desserts there

Up next…Desserts, A Creepy Wookie, and The GREATEST Fireworks I've EVER Seen!

looking forward to reading about the fireworks... we totally missed this when we went to DHS after our cruise. We spent half a day only at DHS. It was so busy because of the Dark side runDisney event, we went back to the hotel after doing our rides. But honestly, I did not even know about the fireworks. I thought it was just like the frozen one, which we have seen, but set to StarWars music.. Now I am learning about how spectacular the fireworks was from everybody here at the DIS. Now it is gone...

 

[buzzrelly]

looking forward to reading about the fireworks... we totally missed this when we went to DHS after our cruise. We spent half a day only at DHS. It was so busy because of the Dark side runDisney event, we went back to the hotel after doing our rides. But honestly, I did not even know about the fireworks. I thought it was just like the frozen one, which we have seen, but set to StarWars music.. Now I am learning about how spectacular the fireworks was from everybody here at the DIS. Now it is gone...

They were spectacular, I thought I heard there is another, even better Star Wars Fireworks show now?

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: MY FAVORITE KIND OF PARTY…A DESSERT PARTY!

We had used all of our FastPasses for the day and the lines were long enough that nobody felt like waiting in them, so we kind of just walked around after dinner. DM and DD LOVE shopping so we poked around in the shops for a bit until it was time to line up for our dessert party. We saw the lady at the check-in counter so we went over to check-in but they were still setting up so we just got our wrist bands and hung out. The line started forming behind us shortly after.




The drinks came out first…


The sun was setting and i took this awesome picture. I'm so glad I did because at the time I didn't even know The Earful Tower was coming down


Luckily, I was not as attached to this icon as I was to the hat, but still!

Anyway, when it was time, we made our way in and got a table towards the front, but not in the very front since we wanted easier access to the desserts…

Get out of our way!

The desserts did not disappoint, they was a lot of variety and there was something for everyone. I cannot speak to the drinks as we all stuck to the non-alcoholic beverages, but they looked good.





I have a thing for the WDW Rice Krispy treats and crave them all year long. The homemade or pre-packaged ones we can get at home just aren't the same! But all of the desserts were delicious and we tried just about everything. There was PLENTY of desserts and when they ran out, the CMs were filling them right back up! One of the more interesting desserts was deep-fried Nutella…

More desserts up next...

 

[pagek83]

I love your report!! Can't wait to hear about the cruise portion too! We're going on the Dream for the first time in December.

 

[princessraquel]

Following along! Loving your trip report so far!!

 

[buzzrelly]

I love your report!! Can't wait to hear about the cruise portion too! We're going on the Dream for the first time in December.

Thanks for joining in! I can't believe I'm only on day 3…I thought with summer here I would have a ton of free time to write…not so much

Following along! Loving your trip report so far!!

Thank you!!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: OUR JUST DESSERTS

I'm just going to post a bunch of dessert pictures here. Some of them I actually remembered to get a picture of what they were, and some I forgot. There was a large selection, including some savory treats and healthier options like fruit and cheese, but all presented really cute and kept with the Star Wars theme...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: A CREEPY WOOKIE AND THE MOST SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS I'VE EVER SEEN



We all stuffed ourselves with desserts and then when we couldn't possibly eat another bite, we went back and got Mickey Head Ice Cream Bars



Included in the low, low price of admission to this shin-dig came a "collectible" mug. While we were stuffing our faces, we all got the impression that somebody was staring at us. Then we noticed this guy...

ACK!

We were lucky enough that we got to take home 4 of these babies, and unlike DD's pearl necklace, all 4 of these made it home…yay

THEN, it was finally time for the fireworks. We had a very nice viewing spot, though I'm not sure it was any better than the viewing spot we had later in the week when we watched a second time for free. Well, at least we had a nice comfy table to, …errrrrrr…lean against?

I took short video clips on my iPhone and uploaded them to you tube. It's easier and quicker than uploading one really long video. If you aren't interested, just skip past the next links. If you do watch, just know that these just don't do them justice. We were ALL blown away by these fireworks!

If you don't feel like watching the videos, here are some pics of the fireworks…



Up next…Star Wars wrap up...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 9, 2016: WRAPPING UP THE DESSERT PARTY

We ALL agreed that this was one of our favorite nights of vacation. I know the dessert parties are expensive and I have seen people ask many times if it's "worth it?" The answer, to us, is a clear cut and resounding YES!! Not that we each ate $80 worth of desserts…I'm sure we didn't even come close to that, not to mention the fact that we didn't have any of the alcoholic beverages. But to us, what we got out of it was a Fantastic, FUN night, and for us, that's TOTALLY worth it










Tomorrow…Animal Kingdom…our last day before we leave on THE DREAM!!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 11, 2016: A LIVING LEGEND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS



Good morning, once again, from Heaven on earth.


We woke to another perfect day and were up and sitting waiting for our bus by 8:30.


There was a girl there with a clip-board that we talked to while were passing the time. She was telling us how she was there with the DCP and she just loves it. DD's ear perked up because that's one of her goals in life…that, and to be an Imagineer. She plans on going to school for engineering and she would like to work in Disneyland someday. I guess she is a West Coast girl at heart. She has an aunt who lives out there and she visited Disneyland a couple years ago. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to go but it's on my bucket-list. I have a goal to visit DL within the next 5 years. My absolute DREAM would be to fly to CA and hit DL for a couple of days and then visit Aulani! The air-fare from the East Coast is sooooo expensive though, and I just have too many other things I need my money for these days! Like saving for DD's (expensive!!) goals…sigh.

Anyway, the bus wait went quickly and we boarded the bus and were soon on our way!

The first place we headed...





I rode this for the first time in 2014 and now I kind of (secretly) like it I still close my eyes on the big drop though. The nice part about getting to AK early is that there is typically no line for this first thing in the morning. We rode twice all-together and then once in the single rider line. DM doesn't ride so she hangs out in the little shop or waits on the benches outside. After, we just leisurely walked around since our ADR for Tusker House was for 10:30 and our FastPasses didn't start until 12.


We stopped to watch the African dancers in the street near Tusker House and they were really good. They pulled a lady from the crowd and she was really good too…totally kept up with them! But alas, DS was getting impatient and HANGRY since we hadn't eaten anything yet and he was kind of rushing us off to go check-in at TH. Next time I will keep a bag of snacks handy for that boy!

Off to Tusker House for breakfast with Donald and friends...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 10, 2016: BREAKFAST WITH DONALD


Ugh, if looks could KILL! I guess I should be happy that he stopped for this picture at all! I guess you really shouldn't mess with a teenaged boy's feeding times!



Everyone else just waited patiently for our table...



The wait wasn't very long, and we were soon seated AT THE EXACT SAME TABLE WE SAT AT LAST TIME! How funny is that, especially since this was only our second time here!! We had just enough time to go grab some yummy food before Mickey came around...




And next was Daisy…My hair looks like an explosion just went off in it! It's what I call my crazy, Florida hair You can tell DS was in a better mood by looking at his almost-smile





DM wouldn't like this pic, but it's the closest I get to actual food pics here. If you've never had breakfast here, you should. This was our second time and we plan on making it a tradition. That juice is the same juice they serve at O'Hana and it's the best thing ever!



Before long, our host came along..


But best of all, was THIS GUY!






He was a hoot! Totally snuck up on DS and that's a REAL smile on his face!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Just found your report and I am really enjoying it. We were there at the same time as you! We were there from 4/3-4/10 best weather ever on a Disney trip for us. We also enjoy TH for breakfast, we are going back this August before school starts for my DD 16 and we are staying at the GF for the first time. We stayed at the Poly in 2014 and I loved it so much! We are thinking of doing the SW dessert party so thanks for the good review.