Aloha! GaDawgFan turns a convention into a week-long stay at the Poly

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

Actually, you guys are right. Precooking the food and keeping it warm is OK as long as it doesn't sit around too long and is served hot. I'm wondering if something changed when they opened the 3rd dining room. BUT, the 3rd dining room was also partially open in April, and we didn't have that problem. Hopefully more people took the time to do the survey and told them that they weren't happy with the food temp.

 

 

They have the third room open at dinner?  I didn't know that.  So that's where the extra ADR availability came from.  Interesting.  It seems like they knew they would had a problem with meal quality at dinner, so they limited capacity to ensure that the quality would not deteriorate.  But somewhere along the line an ambitious beancounter must have pointed out the lost revenue from that third room being dark, and they packed more guests in, and quality suffers.  Typical.

 

Maybe instead of rolling a cart of cupcakes around the restaurant, they should roll a cart around with a microwave oven. 

 

LOL!

 

Good one.

 

TCD

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Just to offer a different perspective on BOG we had a completely different experience the same week as Kelly. Our food took a little while to come out and it was hot and delicious. Sil and I considered it to be one of the best meals we had on our vacation, Including the time on the ship. We had great foor on the ship too but this meal was up there for us. I don't have the pic in front of me but I think Sil had the chicken dish Kelly had. I have the steak. hmmm the steak... :drool1: 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Just to offer a different perspective on BOG we had a completely different experience the same week as Kelly. Our food took a little while to come out and it was hot and delicious. Sil and I considered it to be one of the best meals we had on our vacation, Including the time on the ship. We had great foor on the ship too but this meal was up there for us. I don't have the pic in front of me but I think Sil had the chicken dish Kelly had. I have the steak. hmmm the steak... :drool1: 

 

And that's how we felt the first time we ate there. I hope our experience was a freak thing and not the future.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Saturday, our last day at the Poly…. What better way to kick it off than breakfast at `Ohana?!?!? Z is one of the few people who LOVE Lilo and Stitch. I mean, he really loves them. He knew we were eating with them and was a little impatient about waiting to the last day.

 

We got up early, finished packing, and dropped our bags with the folks at the Magical Express. We left our carry-ons with the bellhops, and then we were off to breakfast.

 

After a short wait, we were seated.

 

Let’s start with the food. Just like dinner, breakfast begins with bread. Shortly after that, fruit and yogurt dip arrived.

 

 

That was good, but I was waiting for this.

 

 

And these…. (don’t judge, I waited until #2 to take a picture)

 

 

While the rest of the food came in the big bowl and was refilled at request, a guy was walking around with a bowl of Mickey waffles to put on your plate whenever you wanted. That probably made them fresher. I wish they had real bacon as opposed to the precooked stuff, but that’s my only complaint about the food (and it’s tolerable). The rest was excellent!

 

Shortly after we arrived, they started one of their dancing lines.

 

 

 

 

Z and Grammy jumped in. (I was STARVING.)

 

 

Funny side note, we went to dinner at a new restaurant last night for my dad’s birthday, and Z was totally confused that there was no napkin twirling or dance parade.

 

After that fun, it was time for characters! Z has a mini-crush on Lilo. It’s nothing compared to Rapunzel and Ariel. I think he likes her surfer moves. Anyway, he was super excited to meet her.

 

 

 

 

He said we needed to do a family picture.

 

 

I love Mickey in this outfit!

 

 

Z is a big Stitch fan. Please don’t tell him about the “ride” in the MK. I’ve hidden it from him. Good thing he can’t read yet.

 

Stitch had excellent interaction. I asked him if he was being a good guy these days, and he made a big deal of showing us he was nice.

 

Love how happy Z was!

 

 

 

 

Then came the Looooooooooooooooong wait for Pluto. Seriously, I’m not sure what happened there, but we had about a 30 minute gap. And this made me worried about my secret plan. I was hoping to get to Epcot in time to score early afternoon FP for Soarin to surprise Z because he had loved it so much when it rode it for the first time earlier in the trip. We couldn’t leave because Z really likes Pluto, and we hadn’t seen him that trip because I knew he’d be at this breakfast.

 

Oh well, roll with what comes…. Time for another parade! This time Z got right behind Lilo. Those are his plaid shorts.

 

 

And Pluto was worth the wait! He really spent a lot of time with us. I guess that’s what was taking so long.

 

Z is a little excited!

 

 

 

 

 

We had already paid at that point, so after Pluto, we made our way over to the TTC and got on the Epcot monorail.

 

Did Lou ever answer my question about a bus running to Epcot from the Poly? If so, I missed it, I think. With school starting, I’m so scattered that I might have forgotten.

 

Once we were near Epcot, I realized using the TouringPlans and EasyWDW apps that I had a chance to get Soarin FP if I really walked quickly.  I couldn’t use the Disney app because I wasn’t actually in the park yet. I hate that feature.

 

Mom and I made a plan for me to push small children and old folks over in order to get to Soarin in time, and then we would meet at Nemo.

 

The plan worked. I got FPs good for just before we had to leave, and we rode Nemo and explored the aquarium.

 

We still had time to kill before our Behind the Seeds tour, so mom and I decided it was time for one of these.

 

 

And I’ve never had chips and cheese dip at La Cava, and Z loves it, so I ordered some even though we were still pretty stuffed. It was good. Z loves jalapenos!

 

 

We also met Duffy. Now, I’ve always been anti-Duffy, but I have to say that the pictures of Z and him were SO DARN CUTE. And Z really enjoyed it, so I’m a little less anti-Duffy now. I don’t have pictures of the meeting yet, but if I’m lucky, Katman will insert some for me. If not, you’ll see them in my photopass update.

 

That’s all for now. Next up I totally nerd out.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Ohana!!! For breakfast? We've never one it but it looks like a great meet n greet.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Is that strawberry margarita?

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Great photos.  Z does look like he is having a lot of fun.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

All the photos of Z at Ohana were great.

 

We really enjoyed that breakfast too.

 

Good job getting the FPs so Z could ride one more time.

 

I was anti-Duffy too, but the kids seemed to love meeting him so whatever......roll with it!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I could eat some of the chips and queso right now. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Ohana!!! For breakfast? We've never one it but it looks like a great meet n greet.

 

Is that strawberry margarita?

 

It was! And it is! Good eye.

 

Great photos.  Z does look like he is having a lot of fun.

 

We all had a blast. I can't wait to go with Mom again.

 

All the photos of Z at Ohana were great.

 

We really enjoyed that breakfast too.

 

Good job getting the FPs so Z could ride one more time.

 

I was anti-Duffy too, but the kids seemed to love meeting him so whatever......roll with it!

 

I only had to knock down 2 grandmas to get those FP! Actually, that will be one good part about FP+. I don't think I'd be anti-FP+ if we could get more of them.... say 5.

 

I could eat some of the chips and queso right now. 

 

Me too!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

One of my biggest beefs about FP+ is that I can no longer give away our extra or unused FPs and make somebody's day.  I enjoy that.

 

The other is that I will have to try to plan out where we will be everyday before we even leave home.......not liking that one bit.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

One of my biggest beefs about FP+ is that I can no longer give away our extra or unused FPs and make somebody's day.  I enjoy that.

 

The other is that I will have to try to plan out where we will be everyday before we even leave home.......not liking that one bit.

 

I already plan things, so that doesn't bother me. (remember, I'm a spreadsheeter LOL) I do like to give away FPs, but I can live without doing it.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

We headed over to the Land Pavilion for the Behind the Seeds tour.

 

 

We had a group of about 15, I think. I’m starting to forget details. Z was the only kid. Our guide made it a point to emphasize things that would interest him and keep him involved. Maybe I’m nerdy, OK I am, but I think it’s cool to go “backstage.”

 

First you learn how they use good insects to combat bad insects. They have some tanks with examples, and you get a vile of lady bugs to release later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice the damage on the leaves. That’s from the larvae of the parasite they’re combating.

 

 

Then you walk to an area about propagating plants using tissue cultures.

 

 

 

My ladybugs are waking up.

 

 

After that, you walk into the first greenhouse. You can see the boats passing by. Here they are showing how to grow plants by misting roots.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the roots.

 

 

Herbs grown in space-saving towers.

 

 

 

 

Z releasing ladybugs.

 

 

 

 

We learned about hydroponic techniques and got a few tips for trying it at home.

 

 

And we got to sample food!

 

 

YUM

 

 

 

That's a lot of pictures.... part 2 coming tomorrow

[alexwyattmommy 181]

We did this on our very first trip to WDW.  We had lots of kids with us but the guide made sure to tell us things to keep us interested.  LOL  He did really well with the kids.  They all had a blast too with the ladybugs.

[Beckers 1,136]

Yeah behind the seeds! I love that tour!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I'm kind of a geek myself. It's looks like a cool tour. But I've never done the behind the seeds tour. Maybe I can talk DW, and DD into taking it.

[Beckers 1,136]

I'm kind of a geek myself. It's looks like a cool tour. But I've never done the behind the seeds tour. Maybe I can talk DW, and DD into taking it.

Ray do it!!! Plus it's cheap! I think it's under $20 a person.

I had to google it, it was so long ago that went I think it was only $8.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

We did this on our very first trip to WDW.  We had lots of kids with us but the guide made sure to tell us things to keep us interested.  LOL  He did really well with the kids.  They all had a blast too with the ladybugs.

 

I was surprised how much Z liked it. He loves fruits and veggies though, so I'm sure that helped. He wanted to eat everyone's cucumber.

 

Yeah behind the seeds! I love that tour!

 

We did too!

 

I'm kind of a geek myself. It's looks like a cool tour. But I've never done the behind the seeds tour. Maybe I can talk DW, and DD into taking it.

 

Ray do it!!! Plus it's cheap! I think it's under $20 a person.

I had to google it, it was so long ago that went I think it was only $8.

 

Yes, it's $18 for adults and $14 for kids. Do it Ray!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

Yes, it's $18 for adults and $14 for kids. Do it Ray!

 

Thanks for that info!  Mrs. TCD isn't a big fan of theme parks, but she loves to garden, and this tour would be right up her alley.  I am putting this on my short list.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks for that info!  Mrs. TCD isn't a big fan of theme parks, but she loves to garden, and this tour would be right up her alley.  I am putting this on my short list.

 

TCD

 

I think you get an AP discount as well. If she likes to garden, you should take her for sure!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Mrs. TCD isn't a big fan of theme parks

 

:dropjaw:

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I think this post will take me to the end of our trip, but it won't be my last post. My photopass CD will be arriving soon, and there are some great pictures there. I'll add those as bonus material when they arrive. 

 

We left off on the Behind the Seeds tour. Photobucket was being a pain when I uploaded these, so some might be out of order. I'm trying to prevent that, but it's been a few weeks. 

 

This method of growing keeps the produce off the ground and puts it at an easier height to harvest. 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see a boat in this one. They're wondering if I'm someone famous.

 

 

How to make Mickey cucumbers!

 

 

 

Tomato tree, the amount of time it produces tomatoes is crazy. 

 

 

 

This is still considered hydroponic because the sand has no nutrients.

 

 

 

How they make Mickey pumpkins

 

 

 

 

Big shrimp! See the hidden Mickey?

 

 

Closer

 

 

Gators! I was happy to learn that these gators are raised and shipped off to a farm where they are used for meat. Really.

 

 

Z let the guy next to us know that, "We eat Gators for breakfast." He was a Gator fan, so he told us to remember where we are and be careful. Turns out, he has a daughter at FSU and UF. Sound familiar to anyone? 

 

Next we entered the "show" greenhouse. Nothing is harvested for food here; they're just showing people what can be done. 

 

 

Bananas

 

 

We learned what different plants look like and did a spice smelling challenge. 

 

 

 

 

Hidden Mickey

 

 

Then it was time to go, but remember we had one more thing to do!

 

Z did not know about the Soarin FPs yet. I surprised him, and he was excited!

 

Our last ride!

 

 

It occurred to me in line that it would probably be the last time I held some of these.

 

 

I should have fixed the red eye in this picture. Oops.

 

 

After our ride, we headed back to the resort. We still had some time and decided that we'd grab a bite to eat, so we didn't have to eat airport food. Z passed out in his stroller while Mom and I ate these.

 

 

I told them to hold the veggies this time hoping to get more noodles. It worked. 

 

Then, we boarded the Magical Express and headed to the airport. Bye Bye Poly! 

 

 

Unfortunately, the trip home pretty much sucked. Our flight was delayed. We finally boarded.

 

 

I ended up landing in Atlanta after 11 PM. And then, they "lost" my bag. Thankfully, it was "found" the next morning. I have a theory that the Airtran bag people just left the late flights' luggage because Airtran had a HUGE line from several different cities. No way that many bags were lost. They blamed Disney, but like I said, there were people in line from all over the country.

 

It was delivered the next night.

 

 

Damaged. They basically told me oh well both on the phone (where the lady was totally rude) and answering my letter, so that will be my last Airtran flight. 

 

But besides needing a new suitcase, this trip was AWESOME!!!! So much fun, and I can't wait to go to Disney with my mom again. Since Jason has sworn off Disney for awhile, there might be several trips with Mom in the future. 

 

Thanks to everyone who has read and especially those who commented. I'll update with photopass pictures when I get them! 

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Sorry for such a bad ending to a wonderful trip.

Looking forward to the PhotoPass photos.

Can never have enough Z.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Bravo!

 

Great report!

 

Sorry about the lost/damaged bag.  But if that's the biggest thing that went wrong on your trip, you really can't complain.

 

I'm glad this report isn't really over.  I'll bet there will be some great photopass pictures.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I enjoyed the behind the seeds tour photos.

 

Sorry about your bad flight experience on the way home.

 

Looking forward to the bonus pics!